What are you hanging onto that you have not used in a year?

If you do not use something for a period of one or two years, should you recycle or donate it?

Expired stuff? Durable goods just not needed? Consumables in your kits? Stuff you intended to learn how to use but did not? Extra stuff that seemed like it might come in handy but hasn't yet?

What is your take on reviewing all your surival stuff and refreshing the contents of your various kits?

There is a fine line between useful stuff you need and useful stuff you want.

Example - My ax. I think in a survival situation I would "need" one. Didn't use it this year, but had the tornados in April been 5-7 miles south, I would have needed it. Along with my bow saw, which went unused.

Nor have I used my lantern, my stove, and some other stuff in my readiness tote. But there is not way I am tossing the stuff either.

Fact is, I am getting to the point where my readiness stuff is not used everyday. I've got everyday tools (mainly power) to use for standard repairs. It's the hand tools that are used for power out emergencies, and they stay.

Refresh the food and water. Sure thing. Toss out tools - nope. Fact is, considering adding some.

In my garage I've got a Cummins 200 that hasn't been used since 1969, a Lincoln Continental Mark IV that hasn't been driven since 1989, and a roll of 1" steel cable that dates back to the last time we owned a cable run excavator...say early 60's?

IMO, nothing wrong with hanging onto old stuff, if you have the room to do it and can keep it organized. I've had stuff come in handy that hadn't been used for at least 10 years prior (like a 3" water pump during hurricane Floyd).

The exception to that, for me, is perishable items. I don't typically hang on to expired food, medicine, chemicals, ect. Sure, it might be good for a while after the expiration date, but I'd rather just replace it with fresh stuff.

I agree. Food yes. Clothes that we've outgrown? Yes. Expired meds? Yes. Most everything stays in the inventory, although might get rotated out of a kit and back into back-up status.

I rotate perishable foods and replace perishable first aid supplies regularly. I can't imagine throwing out a good tool, even if I don't use it often.

Old clothes get donated -- closet space is at a premium in my old house. I sold my bike after I was sure my new bike would work out.

My biggest storage problem is books. I have well over a thousand and it's hard for me to get rid of them.

Hey D,Are you still living Portside?I can see why you are asking about excess accumulations,I say have a dockside rummage sale,use the proceeds to refresh!

Seriously thinking of abandoning sailboat life for a small apartment with upgraded indoor plumbing, kitchen, and storage space. Spoiled by more than a year of house-sitting, I guess!

Still keeping possessions limited, both of necessity and preference. Going through a round of business and personal record shredding plus Goodwill donations of things that have not proved supportive of the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed.

Fire extinguishers, smoke detectors ... etc.

I don't think I am throwing any though

One problem of accumulating stuff and making "kits" of different sizes is that sometime I FORGET that I have this or that. Sometimes I bought something and discovered I already had two ro three !! Sometimes I was lucky, just thinking of buying something when I found it in a drawer !!

Worst part is when you do need soemthing and you have already forgotten you have it , and you improvise or whatever .. and later you find out you do indeed have it.

I seem like a certified geezer, don't I ?? LOL

I have the same problem, and another:

Sometimes I know I have something, but I can't remember which bag, tote, pack, trunk, vehicle, shelf, drawer, room, I put it in.

Don't get me started!!!!

every Winter i tell myself i'm going to wade into that clutter
and sort and put labels on the bags and box's!!

Reminds me of my grandmother's carport and garage. I loved diving into those cupboards when I was a kid.

Inventory spreadsheet. Make a sheet for each bag, tote, etc then list whats in it. Then look at the dates of the spreadsheets and ones that haven't been touched in a year pull out and check.

I make my living off my "inventory" of stuff, reclaimed wood, steel, and just about ANYTHING imaginable. It is my hedge on inflation and a SERIOUS resource for my "fabricating". It is acres and weighs 100's and 100's of tons all told. A little backround, I weld, blacksmith, sawmill, kiln, engineer and invent just about ANYTHING imaginable. Things are palletized, organized, and stored fairly well, AND a I have 20 private acres to store it on. I have become a "go to guy" for just about anything you can think of. I ship things all over the country. The two year rule is non-sense.

Ironwood

I've seen the show 'hoarders' and thought "what's the problem?" ....

I have about 5-6 of those Datrex bars that sit unused in my food inventory. When I bought them I opened one and gnawed on the lemony concoction, and realized that while palatable it wasn't a viable TEOTWAWKI food source, feeding my family Datrex would actually signal the time to give us all the Black Capsule. So I keep them as a virtual barometer for when our end is near - when I'm hungry enough for Datrex, its time to go.

More seriously, fire extinguishers - I have 2 expired this year, and my brother who is hosting a family thanksgiving this year has 3, so in honor of national flaming turkey fryer day*, we're going to hold a fire extinguisher clinic for 40+ extended family gathering for the feast: those who have never held a fire extinguisher or put out a fire safely (PASS method) will be able to do so. Especially the kids in the family, it may make up for them having to sit at the little card table. My brother has a large side yard a safe distance from houses, overhangs, trees etc that will make a perfect place for controlled burns. So light a small tub of gasoline, have a 9 year old put it out, repeat until you run out of extinguishers, then go in and eat an enormous amount of food. A new American tradition.

* Last year I responded to no fewer than 3 house fires started by turkey fryers set up and run amok too close to the house, igniting the eaves and spoiling people's national holiday. I'm on call again this year for Red Cross, but someone else gets the fun of the prime turkey fryer hours in the AM, I take over at 5pm. Gobble gobble!

I've seen it and thought, "Crap, better go clean the garage."

As far as expired fire extinguishers go I collect old antique extinguishers. I have found that many of the ones that are expired or decades have passed since last inspection are still viable. I wouldn't rely on one or use that as an excuse not to replace. Just saying is all.

There's a difference between 'junk' and 'valuable stuff'. Sometimes, the line is a little fuzzy, but with inflation going in the direction it is, why should I dump something that cost $10 a few years ago, and would cost $35 to replace?

Books: first you line them up at the back of the bookcase shelves, then you line up another row in front. Old trunks are both decorative and useful, as they hold lots of books.

Sue

The main difference between keeping usefull stuff and being a hoarder is if its organized. When you move one thing and a stack falls over or you find broken and smashed things buried under others its gone too far.
Of you can keep it onganized to where stuff isn't getting lost of broken and its not a danger to you or your family or the person rescueing you then its still ok
I ended up building a second shelf in the top of my closet so I can double stack things. We are buying a bunch of those closetmaid cubicales because they are nice ~12" cubes that come in different colors so you can sit them on a shelf and they look nice. One holds all the blank cd/dvd media and cases and labels, those may only get used a couple times a year but are handy to burn a bunch of pictures on for the grandparents, or about once a year I'll burn each family members important documents and they go in the binder in the safe as another method of backup.
Another one has my set of electronics books, another a set of books for c programing, either I might not use now but may in the future as the kids get older.
But they are organized and don't fall on you, if you were to say go to my inlaws house and walk into a bedroom there is a big desk with stacks of stuff and if you try to blow the dust off the top a pile will tumble down.

Yes, my wife calls it 'junk' and I call it 'valuable'.

One person's trash is another's treasure.

I'm having one of THOSE weeks. On Monday, the power steering failed in my car so I switched vehicles with DH, who has a 15 min commute compared to my hour long trip. I pulled my hiking kit/GHB and good insulated rubber boots out of my trunk and stowed them in the cab of this pick-up and went on my merry way. Tonight, a brake line in the truck blew on my way home from work. I made it to his auto parts store after a very slow and cautious journey using the stick shift and emergency brake, but in the midst of the cursing, cab calling and the telling of the story to his employees, I left my kit in the truck.

No big deal, I think. I'll get it in the morning. And then I add , "maybe." Then think "If it's still there." So then I couldn't sleep.

So, I pull out an empty day pack and throw in a full kleen kanteen wraped in a garbag bag, a gortex jacket and a wool hat and mitts. Then I go back to bed. Then I get up and add a pair of wool socks and a basic FAK with bandaids, triangular, maxi pad, purelle, kleenex and small bottle of OTC meds, and go back to bed. Then I go to the basement and grab the extra gear bag and add a tea light, pack of ZIP fire starters, pill bottle with vaseline soaked cotton balls, bic, microPUR tabs, pack of dental floss, keychain LED, flo organge emerg poncho, roll of maison twine and a CRKT folder. Then I rummage some more and find my old hiking lanyard with whistle, mini LED, SAK and mag block. Then I go back to bed.

Combined with the edc I wear, have in my purse and keep in my fleece jacket and polyfil vest, and dressing for the worst possible weather here, it's not a bad set-up for an uncomfortable but survivable night.

The morals of the story?

1. Just because both vehicles had maintainance on the weekend doesn't mean they won't breakdown the next day.

2. If your vehicle breaks down, grab your kit. Both times. Being without it is very disconcerting.

3. Just because you haven't used it in a year, doesn't mean you won't need it.

Then I think. "There's no food in there" so I threw in a small fruit cake. Now I'm back in bed and fully wide awake.

I think you are self-taught enough to survive just about anything without your kit,your awareness,knowledge,& vigilance will prevail for you, should you find yourself in a predicament without your kit!You are Good to go,Now get some shuteye,Cheers!