Reference Tool
The Shopping List
Every physical item Preparing suggests buying, across all 16 categories and all 4 tiers, in one place. 245 items total. Skills, licenses, and paperwork aren't included here, this is what to buy, not what to learn; see each category's own chapter for the full reasoning, exact quantities, and sourcing notes behind every item.
Shop by tier, not by category
Working through this list tier by tier, across all 16 categories, before moving to the next tier gets a real household to a genuinely useful baseline faster than fully completing one category at a time. Tier 1 alone, done across everything, covers the first two weeks of nearly any disruption.
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Tier 1: Short-to-Medium Term
Hours – 14 Days 81 items
Water 4 items
Food 4 items
Sanitation & Hygiene 2 items
Medical Care 6 items
Energy & Heat 8 items
Shelter & Structural Safety 7 items
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Security & Self-Defense 4 items
Communication 6 items
Access & Functional Needs 6 items
Mental Health 2 items
Pet Evacuation & Shelter 8 items
Digital Data & Documents 5 items
Economic & Financial 3 items
Fitness 4 items
Transportation 10 items
Post-Disaster Recovery & Rebuilding 2 items
Tier 2: Extended
2 Weeks – 3 Months 77 items
Water 4 items
Food 5 items
Sanitation & Hygiene 5 items
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Medical Care 3 items
Energy & Heat 8 items
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Shelter & Structural Safety 3 items
Security & Self-Defense 5 items
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Communication 6 items
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Access & Functional Needs 7 items
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Mental Health 3 items
Pet Evacuation & Shelter 8 items
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Digital Data & Documents 4 items
Economic & Financial 5 items
Fitness 5 items
Transportation 6 items
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Tier 3: Permanent
Indefinite 61 items
Water 1 items
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Food 10 items
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Sanitation & Hygiene 1 items
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Medical Care 6 items
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Energy & Heat 7 items
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Security & Self-Defense 6 items
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Communication 7 items
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Access & Functional Needs 2 items
Mental Health 2 items
Pet Evacuation & Shelter 4 items
Digital Data & Documents 5 items
Economic & Financial 3 items
Fitness 2 items
Transportation 5 items
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Tier 4: Sustainable Community
Beyond One Household 26 items
Water 1 items
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Food 2 items
Medical Care 2 items
Energy & Heat 3 items
Shelter & Structural Safety 1 items
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Security & Self-Defense 3 items
Communication 3 items
Access & Functional Needs 2 items
Mental Health 1 items
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Pet Evacuation & Shelter 2 items
Digital Data & Documents 1 items
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Economic & Financial 1 items
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Fitness 1 items
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Transportation 2 items
Post-Disaster Recovery & Rebuilding 1 items
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Checked items are saved in your browser only, the same way every other checklist on this site works. Want the full reasoning behind quantities or brand-agnostic specs for any item? Every row here traces back to its own chapter's Materials & Supplies or Tech & Equipment section, linked at the bottom of each category above.