AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE PREPPER’S CHECKLIST, FALL 2018

Providing you with the information and knowledge you’ll need to survive any emergency situation is our goal. Because this can be a complicated endeavor, we’ve developed this “prepper’s checklist” to help simplify and organize your efforts and gear.

Whether you’re concerned about a short-term rural survival scenario, civil unrest in an urban area or a massive natural disaster, American Survival Guide is dedicated to making sure you know what it takes to develop the skills and collect the right gear to protect yourself and the rest of your survival group.

This comprehensive checklist is invaluable for ensuring you have what you need to survive almost any adverse situation. It is organized according to our “Six Pillars of Survival”—Food, Water, Shelter, Security, Communications and Health—so you can instantly assess and track your level of preparedness in each area. We encourage you to customize it so it will meet your specific requirements.

We suggest you carefully cut these two pages from this issue and make copies to be kept in your storage area as an inventory sheet and also with your important documents. It can even be used as a shopping list for items you haven’t acquired yet.

1. FOOD PILLAR

ASG recommends keeping a 30-day food supply on hand for each person. Remember that, on average, men need about 2,500 calories a day and women need around 2,000. Depending on your condition, level of stress and physical exertion, you might need more.

1.1. FOODSTUFFS

Cooking oils (coconut, vegetable, olive, etc.)
Cooking powders (flour, baking powder/soda, etc.)
Dairy products, dry
Eggs, dry
Freeze-dried entrees and meals
Fruit (dried, canned, preserved)
Grains and cereals
MREs and other ready-to-eat packaged foods
Pasta
Protein, animal (fish, meat, poultry)
Protein, plant (beans, lentils, nuts, powdered mixes)
Rice
Salt, iodized
Seeds for both consumption and planting
Soups and stews
Sweeteners (agave, honey, sugar, etc.)
Vegetables (dried, canned, preserved)

1.2. FOOD PROCUREMENT NEEDS
1.2.1. HUNTING AND TRAPPING

.22 air pellet gun and pellets and gas cartridges
.22 rifle and ammo
Compound bow/crossbow and arrows
Maintenance materials for items in this group
Rifle and ammo
Shotgun and ammo
Traps and snares

1.2.2. FISHING

Compact fishing kit
Full-sized fishing rod and tackle

2. WATER PILLAR

You should have enough potable water to support each person with 2 gallons per day for 30 days for hydration, food preparation and hygiene. Store water away from light, chemicals and pesticides, and don’t stack plastic containers on concrete surfaces. Always use opaque, FDA-approved, food-grade containers to store your water. ASG recommends you cycle your water supply every six months—unless you treat it with a water preservative.

2.1. WATER STORAGE OPTIONS

Individual bottles or cans
Portable water containers (1-, 5- or 7-gallon sizes)
Static water containers (30- and 50-gallon drums, larger tanks or blivets, cistern)
Water resupply plan

2.2. PRESERVATION AND TREATMENT

Chemical disinfectant supplies
Heat source and fuel for boiling water
Ultraviolet water sterilizer
Water filter/purifier (one filter/purifier per person)
Water flavor enhancer to improve the taste of treated water

3. SHELTER PILLAR

In an emergency, you are usually better off hunkering down in your home. But a time might come when you need to seek shelter elsewhere. In addition to knowing where local emergency shelters are, you need to have a bug-out plan for a safe location where you can take shelter.

3.1. HUNKERING DOWN AT HOME

Fire extinguishers
Generator, fuel and maintenance tools and materials
Power inverter
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and batteries
Wood or manufactured fireplace logs and kindling

3.2. FABRICATED SHELTER

Sleeping bags and ground mats, appropriately sized and insulated
Tarps, real 550 cord and bungee cords
Tent replacement and repair parts
Tent(s) large enough for people, pets and weather-sensitive gear

3.3. LOCAL EMERGENCY SHELTER

Know the location of the closest emergency shelter

3.4. CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT

Base layer and street clothing suited to your environment at any time of the year
Hunting/camouflage clothing and accessories
Insect and snake-protective clothing
Weather-resistant clothing, outerwear, headwear and footwear

4. SECURITY PILLAR

The Security Pillar includes safety issues, along with self-defense, making it a very broad category. If you have additional security and safety preparations, you should add them to this list.

4.1. HOME SECURITY/EARLY-WARNING SYSTEM

Home alarm
Motion detectors
Remote camera systems

4.2. LETHAL WEAPON SYSTEMS

Handgun and spare mags or speed loaders, ammo and accessories
Rifle and spare mags, ammo and accessories
Shotgun ammo and accessories

4.3. LESS-LETHAL WEAPON SYSTEMS

Less-lethal shotgun rounds
Personal defense spray/tear gas dispenser and replacement cartridges
Restraint systems
Stun gun and batteries
Taser and replacement cartridges, batteries and other accessories

5. COMMUNICATIONS PILLAR

Amateur/HAM radio, CB radio scanner and accessories
Cell phone and accessories
Chargers and batteries
Faraday cage or other protective containers
FM/AM/SW/Weather radio and accessories
Personal locator beacon/EPIRB
Satellite phone and accessories
Solar charging panel and accessories
Television and power source
Two-way radios and accessories

6. HEALTH PILLAR

90- to 180-day supply of all vital prescription medications
Backboard or other litter
Blankets/space blankets
Emergency dental kit, one per person
Epinephrine pen kit
Home first aid kit
Individual first aid kit, one per person
Neck brace and splints
Personal hygiene kit, one per person
Slings and cravats
Snake bite kit, one per person
Special medical equipment: defibrillator, CPAP, oxygen machine and any accessories
Suture kit
Trauma kit, one per person