Ten Vital Items That Preppers Often Forget

You’ve got your bug out bag, your store of food and water, your bushcraft kit, but is there anything you’ve forgotten? Here are some of the items that preppers often forget to prepare.

Some of these items are really important for survival. Some are important for maintaining physical and mental health. Others are “nice to haves” or items that will just make life that little bit easier after the apocalypse.

Knife sharpener

Most preppers have at least one knife, but the tools needed to sharpen the knife are easy to forget! Knives can quickly lose their sharp edge when in regular use, so a tool to sharpen your knives is very important.

The Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener is a great tool for sharpening knives. It has a diamond plate, ceramic rod, leather strop and built in guides for consistent blade edge angles as you sharpen the knife. A very easy tool to use to get great edges on your blades, for anyone from beginner to expert.

If you want something smaller for your bug out bag, try the Pocket Pal Knife Sharpener. The Pocket Pal is designed for sharpening hunting knives in the field. It’s a tough and effective, but still compact knife sharpener. The tapered rod is diamond coated for sharpening both serrated and standard edges. The coarse and fine slots can also be used for setting and sharpening your blade edge very quickly.

Paper Maps

We have come to rely on electronic maps always being available on smart phones. Without power or mobile phone networks, these won’t be available. A paper map of your local area is very important for navigation and is something that many preppers forget. No matter how well you think you know your local area, a paper map should be part of every prepper’s kit. If you plan to bug out, make sure that you have maps covering both home and potential bug out locations.

In the UK, Ordnance Survey maps are the best paper maps. Visit the Ordnance Survey (or Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland) website today to get paper maps for your local area. You never know when you will need them.

In the USA, the USGS maps are good, but mainly focus on topography and do not have as many details of buildings and other features that may be important. Benchmark maps cover the majority of the western US in great detail.

Family Photos

These days, we often have thousands of digital photographs, but very few on paper. If we were no longer able to use the internet or the devices that photos are stored on, they would all be lost. Print the most important photos and keep them somewhere safe. Even if there is a major disaster, and electronics become useless, you’ll still have your photos.

Snapfish offers great deals on photo printing. Order some prints now so that you’ll be able to keep those memories whatever happens.

Dental kit

Don’t forget your toothbrush! Actually, although preppers often forget to stock up on spare toothbrushes and toothpaste, there’s more. A prepper’s dental kit should include not only items to keep your teeth clean, but also to deal with any problems.

Dentistry after the apocalypse isn’t going to be pleasant, but you can make it easier by having the right equipment. Your dental emergency kit should include:

• A temporary filling kit, to allow you to temporarily replace a lost crown or filling
• Tooth extraction forceps, for removing teeth
• Antiseptic mouthwash, for killing germs
• Dental pain relief gel, to reduce pain from any mouth problems

Spare Glasses

Although used frequently, glasses are another item that preppers often forget. If you rely on glasses to improve your vision, you should have at least another spare pair, or ideally several spare pairs.

A glasses repair kit is also useful, so that you can make minor repairs to your glasses.

Insect Repellent

Insects can carry some nasty illnesses, including ticks carrying Lyme disease. This can lead to serious illness in humans, so preventing insect bites is important. An insect repellent containing DEET will protect you for several hours at a time, and so is a good item to include in your stocks.

Essential oils do not work well as insect repellents as they do not last for long. An insect repellent containing DEET will give you much better protection. You can also protect yourself from insect bites by covering as much skin as possible with clothing.

Feminine Hygiene

Feminine hygiene products, such as tampons and sanitary pads, won’t be easy to find after the apocalypse. Make sure you are well stocked, or consider switching to a long lasting alternative. A menstrual cup can be reused many times, so is a much better alternative when tampons and pads aren’t available.

Heavy Duty Plastic Sacks

Plastic sacks have many uses, including carrying things that you may have scavenged, or collecting waste.

Preppers often forget to prepare for dealing with waste. In any post-apocalyptic situation, we will still generate waste. Plastic sacks will be a good way to safely collect together any waste, and transport it to wherever you are disposing of waste.

Heavy duty plastic sacks are less likely to rip than thinner ones, and could be reused.

Bicycle

Preppers often forget that transport after any apocalyptic scenario won’t be as simple as jumping in the car. Even if you’ve been able to find fuel, you may struggle to travel in a car. Roads will be blocked, or maybe damaged. Travelling in a car also makes you a more obvious target.

A bicycle will be a much more successful post-apocalyptic transport option. No fuel needed, and simple to maintain. As well as a bicycle, make sure you have the equipment needed to maintain it, such as puncture repair kits and a pump.

Survival Books

Preppers often forget that after any apocalyptic situation, we won’t be able to access survival information on the internet. Make sure you have survival books to help you with surviving after the apocalypse.

If you only get one survival book, make it the SAS Survival Handbook (which we reviewed here). A great book covering everything you need to know to survive in many different situations.

What Else Do Preppers Often Forget?

What do you think preppers often forget? Is there something that you have that you rarely see mentioned in any prepping book or website? Let us know in the comments below!