For the Paranoid and Ready

A big rechargeable battery with mains sockets, refilled from the wall or from solar.

Folding panels that recharge a power station or battery from daylight.

A petrol or propane engine driving an alternator you plug appliances into.

A pocket battery for phones, headlamps and other USB devices.

Battery, fuel or crank lighting for rooms, tents and hands-free work.

Ferro rods, stormproof matches and lighters that ignite when wet or cold.

A small torch carried daily, usually rechargeable and pocket sized.

A dynamo that makes electricity from muscle when no other source is left.

Stocks of the cell sizes your torches, radios and detectors actually take.

Hand-carried filters that strain bacteria and protozoa out of collected water.

A hanging bag or countertop unit that filters larger volumes without pumping.

Tablets, drops and UV pens that kill what a filter leaves behind.

Containers and drums for keeping drinking water at home in bulk.

Fold-flat carriers for fetching and moving water.

Everyday bottles, the steel ones doubling as something you can boil in.

Sealed single-serving water with a multi-year shelf life.

An additive that extends stored water from months to about five years.

Portable burners running on gas canisters, wood or solid fuel tablets.

Nesting pots and pans built for a stove or an open fire.

Heavy pans that work directly on coals and last a lifetime.

Plates, cups and cutlery designed to pack small and wipe clean.

The gas, wood or solid fuel your stove burns.

Prepacked kits for cuts, burns, sprains and the everyday injuries.

Tourniquets, hemostatic gauze and pressure bandages for severe bleeding.

Toilets, waste bags and disinfectant for when the plumbing stops.

Washing, oral care and hand hygiene without running water.

Respirators, protective equipment and disinfection for airborne illness.

Receive-only radios for weather alerts and broadcast news, often hand-cranked.

Short-range transceivers for talking between people with no network in between.

Compasses, paper maps and handheld GPS units.

Whistles, mirrors and flares for being seen and heard.

Fixed and folding blades, and pliers-based tools that carry many functions.

Tarps, bivvies, blankets and sleeping systems for staying warm and dry.

Paracord, tapes, ties and kits for fixing gear in the field.

Axes, saws, shovels and pry bars that need no power.

Reinforcement for doors, frames and windows against forced entry.

Cameras, perimeter alarms and motion lights that report activity outside.

Sprays, alarms and lights carried for protection, subject to local law.

Respirators, radiation detection and room sealing for chemical or nuclear events.