It seems most broadband survival lists are stoned for one reason or another. If they are simple enough to be absorbed, they are usually not of any real value. If they are intended to be more complete, they are disected and eaten for political reasons. Lets see if we can find five (5) serious lists and vote on our favorite.

I will offer up one to start -

1. http://www.abysmal.com/LDS/Preparedness/Preparedness.pdf

I like the LDS list and I'd nominate Doug's list for the top 5!

As they have stated,It was meant to be absorbed by their own but,is Applicable to anyone should they desire it!IMHO,It is a well defined list,Anyone heeding their advice would go well in a Survival Scenario!I like Doug Ritter's list,I like Sheriff Blast's list,I like John McCann's list,I like Alan Fry's list,I like Alot of list's,Good idea's are bred from Everyone's take of it,& I build mine accordingly,I beleive that is the intent!

I find that the LDS list carries too much religious baggage. IMO a preparedness list should be secular and not force people to read scripture and religious text in order to make a supply list. Just my opinion.

Lists are static, while circumstances vary, technology changes, and people grow, adapt, and learn new skills and strategies. Don't take any lists too seriously, but look at them for hints and new approaches to improve your current preps.

When I started my career, my first supervisor was a Mormon. We lived fairly far out in the boondocks (Wupatki National Monument). Isolation due to storms, etc. was not at all unusual. It was fairly obvious that stocking up was a good thing to do,as was acquisition of a fair number of emergency skills. It was quite a few years before I lived in any kind of town where one could make casual trips to the supermarket.

I agree with you about the religious stuff. On the other hand, their practical advice is rock solid. Trust me,in a real tight situation, you can do far worse than having Mormons for neighbors.

My first "list" was the classic mountaineering "Ten Essentials" (actually more like 14 or so items). It is still fairly valid. I like the guidelines here at ETS, of course, or I would hangout somewhere else. I particularly appreciate the rational, generally even handed presentation.

I like it. I 100% Ignore the religious junk to it but it is another resource from someone different and I Consider the more Books and lists and PDFs you have to take what you wish from the more rounded out you will be. Just learning from one source will limit you no matter how good that source is.

Also One fact I like about the LDS PDF Is they update it often which you cant say about many books on the shelves.

Why would you need a light spinning reel and fly reel in a 96 hour preparedness kit? Wouldn't one think that for 96 hours you could suffer the shame of spin casting (Sarcasm)? Dare I say you might even be able to fish without a rod! Also, the list includes "spare bulbs" for flashlights. There were several years when I could tolerate such out of date information, however, they've passed. If one doesn't recommend an LED flashlight to 99% of emergency users I think a disservice is being done. Once you've LED a spare bulb's weight is better spent on batteries.

I'm sure there's more wrong w/the list, but that was some low hanging fruit.

I'm not a member of LDS, but I find this advice to be rock solid, and my wife and I are doing much if it already, but not up to one year yet.

No one list could possibly be perfect for everyone's individual skill level, location, and circumstances, but this one comes pretty close.

I also believe that older pickaxes, bowsaws, shovels, hoes, and rakes will be currency if the SHTF. The older forged tools are increasingly rare, and how many urban/suburban homes even have a spot-welded sheet metal China imitation of a gardening tool on hand?

I also respect the religious views of others, especially the group that has worked hard to compile this useful advice and information and disseminate it for free without regard to religious preferences.

Thank you for posting it......

Before someone attributes some dislike of LDS -- my mother was Mormon, I do not dislike the religion at all. I just have a problem with a survival preparedness manual dressed up in any religious text and put forward as a survival document for all.

Remove the religious aspects of the LDS Preparedness Manual and you would have one of the best and most comprehensiveness lists available. Maybe my issue is in the “Member Edition”. Is there a non-member edition?

RE HIJACK

POST A URL OF YOUR FAVORITE!
If you don't have one, wait until we have five good ones.

1. http://www.abysmal.com/LDS/Preparedness/Preparedness.pdf
2.
3.
4.
5.

2. http://www.textfiles.com/survival/srvival.txt

I dunno, BPJ, I have a few problems with some of the things on the list, while others are right on. The biggest whopper is "store batteries in the freezer" - a very bad move. it isn't good for the batteries and takes space away from critical supplies like coffee ice cream.

For emergency use, I rely on lithium batteries - they have really good power, very long life, work well in cold, store for at least ten years, and are significantly lighter than alkalines. For daily use, I am phasing to quality rechargeables like Eneloops. I don't put alkaline batteries in anything I value.

I am amused at the list's reliance on second string suppliers like US Cavalry and Brigade Quartermaster. There are lots better sources out there - like good old REI for a lot of very decent basics, as well as many specialty sources.

I was glad to see that they did mention stocking reloading supplies in the firearms section. Fore me, that makes a lot of sense, and it is a rewarding pastime, to boot.

Again, some things are good, others are OK, and some are misses. Don't trust any one list.

It's really a hijack, as the title of the thread asks a question, and we were discussing that. Anyway, here is the emergency prep list from Homeland Security for comparison

I agree Hikermor. It's got some flaws. It looks like it was written in 1991 so the out-of-date information may be a factor. It's a list I used when I first got started, after I found ETS. It helped me take it to the next level, with a lot of thought and judgement calls of my own.

I agree Hikermor. It's got some flaws. It looks like it was written in 1991 so the out-of-date information may be a factor. It's a list I used when I first got started, after I found ETS. It helped me take it to the next level, with a lot of thought and judgement calls of my own.

EDIT: Sorry for the duplicate post. Technology issues!

POST A URL OF YOUR FAVORITE!
If you don't have one, wait until we have five good ones.

1. http://www.abysmal.com/LDS/Preparedness/Preparedness.pdf
2. http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/checklist.pdf
3. http://codeready.org/getprepared.cfm
4.
5.

My add at #3.

- Eric

You guys took frontsies to bacpacjac's link. That's not very polite. Ahh whatever, moving her link into spot #4 . . .

Oooops - my bad, should have looked through the thread a bit closer. Any input from bacpacjac can have precedence over my $0.02 worth any day.

- Eric

LOL! My bad - bad formatting!

Goodness no, Eric. My two pennies are worth as much as anyone else's and not as much as some. I'm still on the learning curve - and hope to stay that way.

Challenging the notion that faith literature is inappropriate for a 72 hour kit:

-survival in the medium to long term is arguably a group effort. Faith-based groups offer the occupational heterogeneity necessary to provide a wide and flexible communal skill-set.

-faith-based survival groupings have a shared set of values and behavioral norms that will promote inter-group harmony and ethical and merciful treatment of strangers.

-everybody believes in something: If the gospel according to Doug Ritter or Bear Grylls is reasonably included in a kit, why not include some of the older sacred texts?

-there is more to survival than building a fire.

-and if there is not more to survival than building a fire, faith literature makes dandy tinder.

I realize that the sheriff may nuke this, and I would understand it perfectly: faith literature might be the most hazardous of concealed weapons, and ccw has no place here...

I wouldn't consider US Cav or Brigade HQ to be "second string" suppliers. Specialized towards a subset of the population, sure. A bit limited in their selection? Yeah, but again, look at their targe audience.

Now, Sportsman's Guide or CheaperThanDirt I'd consider 2nd string.

Yeah, I peruse and order from all of them. Threadjack over! Sorry, my texts are all books - they can double as tinder, or triple as TP.

http://www.WildDogStudios.com/Disaster-Survival-List-2011.pdf

this is a link for a PDF of a disaster list i wrote to share with friends/family, which starts like this:

DISASTER SUPPLY LIST
During disasters, whether natural or social, infrastructure systems may fail. Power outages mean no television, no lights, no refrigeration. It may also hinder cooking, water supplies and heating (your oil furnace may have an electric fan or your gas company may use electric pumping stations). It's even possible that phone service could be disrupted (both cell and landlines). Problems may last only a few hours, but could continue for days, weeks or even months. Shopping may become difficult, so supplying yourself well beforehand is a good idea. Here are some things to consider stocking up on. Modify them to fit your climate and individual needs...

I can't open the pdf right now, wileycoyote, but that's a great intro! Straight-forward and to the point. Well done!

thnx for those kind words bacpacjac. i look forward to your comments.

We seemed to stall on this one but it might help Jenks in his quest to help his neighbours so I thought I'd take one more kick at the can.

I just stumbled on this site and their list looks a little more robust than FEMA's, with more of the background reasoning we're looking for:

http://theepicenter.com/howto.html#supplies

Per Ponder's OP:

POST A URL OF YOUR FAVORITE!
If you don't have one, wait until we have five good ones.

1. http://www.abysmal.com/LDS/Preparedness/Preparedness.pdf

2. http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/checklist.pdf

3. http://codeready.org/getprepared.cfm

4. http://www.textfiles.com/survival/srvival.txt

5. http://www.WildDogStudios.com/Disaster-Survival-List-2011.pdf

6. http://theepicenter.com/howto.html#supplies