It is important that in your quest for the so-called big-ticket items that you do not over look the small things. The little things can add up to big problems once disaster strikes.
Things You May Not Be Thinking About Today but You Should Be
1.) Eyeglasses/Contacts
Eyeglasses are important to those that need them today, tomorrow and for the rest of their life. Ask yourself what happens when you cannot drop in at your local optometrist and pick up a new pair. The obvious answer is you have to wear the ones you have.
The point is you need extra pairs, because it is not likely you will be able to get an eye exam during an extended crisis and change prescriptions. This means you will have to wear the same strength you have been wearing whether it is a strong enough prescription or not. Even if they are not strong enough, what is your alternative during a crisis?
It is recommended that you have more than one pair of the same prescription and that you save older glasses for emergencies even if they are a different prescription. Make sure you have backup contacts and plenty of cleaning/storage solution along with storage cases.
2.) Reading Glasses
You may not need them today but nearly everyone over the age of 40 or even earlier in some cases needs them. You will need them regardless of your distance vision. Even if you wear prescription glasses, you may need bi-focal lenses. If you wear contacts, you may very well need reading glasses over the age of forty or even before that age.
Remember that during a crisis you will be operating in less than ideal lighting conditions. You will need to read instructions or do close up detailed work using candle light or illumination other than electrical lights. Make sure reading glasses are always available if you know you need them or you are near the age of 40.
3.) Hearing Aids/Devices
If you need them today then you will need them during a crisis. Some hearing aids have rechargeable batteries, but if there is a power outage then you will have to use regular batteries. Ensure the device you have allows you to remove the rechargeable battery pack and replace it with standard batteries.
4.) Shoelaces
You may think this is not a problem until you are without any. Some survivor shows routinely show the experts removing their shoelaces to use as cordage. They use the laces for fire bows and drills and for snares, for example, and then they show the experts hobbling along using shoes that are falling off, or do they show this?
You never actually see the experts trying to contend with shoes that are falling off or rubbing your heels to the point they cause blisters. This is what happens when your shoes are not secured to your feet.
Take some 550-Para cord then and make some shoelaces, great idea right? Well you have to cut the cord and then burn and trim the ends so it fits through the eyelets and it usually does not because it is typically too thick. Then you have to unravel a few strands and do the burning of the ends all over again. You are wasting good cordage when all you have to do is make sure you have extra shoelaces.
5.) Needle, Thread and Extra Buttons and Some Basic Sewing Skills
You suddenly lose a button on a shirt or even your pants or there is a small tear at a seam, so what do you do? Some may stuff the now less than perfect item in drawer with the intentions of getting to it someday. However, what usually happens is that the item is replaced.
During a catastrophe, you cannot run to the store to replace an item, it must be repaired. If you lose a button, you need to have extras on hand to replace it. In a crisis, clothing becomes a valuable commodity and it must be in good repair.
You need to have the basic skills to replace buttons, hem up pants or “take in” clothing and be able to patch a rip or stitch up a loose seam before it unravels completely.
The List Is By No Means Comprehensive
The list of the small things is endless but with a bit of luck what has been listed will get you thinking about other items that you may not think are important now but will be during a crisis.
Some Perspective
Consider Adapting the Following Proverb as Your Prepper Doctrine
“For Want of a Nail” is a proverbial rhyme showing that small actions can result in large consequences. (By most accounts, the proverb first appeared as a reference to the death of Richard III of England at the Battle of Bosworth Field).
“For want of a nail, the shoe is lost, for want of a shoe, the horse is lost, and for want of a horse, the rider is lost”. (1640 George Herbert Outlandish Proverbs no. 499)
The ripple effects can be profound when it comes to prepping, because one mishap, one that could have been prevented, can cause serious problems. You can have the best and most expensive weapon there is and all the ammunition you can carry but if your rifle snaps a firing pin, all is for naught unless you are prepared.