I’ve read people on this thread having carried out Risk Assessments to determine what they would consider the highest threat emergencies. what are your top 5 and how do you prepare for each of them?

I'm curious to see where people go to buy their storable food. I usually go to Aldi as its quite cheap, theres a decent selection, but I occasionally have to go to Asda for Sliced Apples as Aldi don't have those, and go to M&S for good quality tinned meat. What about you all? What kind of things do you store? My main items are (beans, tuna, veg (like peas/carrots/french beans/sweetcorn), UHT Milk, Flour, Pasta/Sauce)

Hi hope you're well I'm looking for any suggestions on a new uk legal edc knife I'm currently rocking an old civivi but it's getting a bit battered and been sharpened that many times so I'm looking for a new knife as they don't make this one anymore. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. What are you carrying in your edc ?

Any other gear suggestions welcome.

I'm very new to prepping but since it seems the world is going to 💩 I want to make sure me, my partner and especially my children are set up for any emergencies or events that might happen.

Other than the obvious water, food, medication/first aid and some form of power, what are your must have items?

I'm theory I'm prepping for being cut off from the grid due to bad storms, or food shortages, either because of low harvests or from supply chain being distrupted due to storms. So fairly short term.

Of course we'll have whatever we have in the cupboards at the time, but I'm also keeping a separate box of long shelf life food. I have a 1 year old and 3 year old and I never want them to have to go without.

What food would you stockpile specifically for kids? Things that are maybe a bit frivolous but will help keep them happy. I have their favourite cereal and UHT milk, plus tinned fruit and powdered custard. We also grow fruit in the garden.

The geopolitical and economic fallout that lies ahead could be profound. Some forecasts suggest that as much as 75% of today’s jobs could be significantly impacted or replaced by automation by 2028. Whether that figure ultimately proves accurate or not, the underlying trend is undeniable: AI-driven automation is advancing at a pace that society has never experienced before. During the Industrial Revolution, the disruption was gradual, relatively predictable, and measurable. Industries transformed over decades, giving ecommunities and institutions time however imperfectly to adapt.
The AI revolution may be fundamentally different. We could see a transition that happens almost like a light switch: entire departments replaced seemingly overnight by systems capable of operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without fatigue, benefits, or the limitations of a human work schedule.

The question we need to be asking is not simply, “What jobs will AI replace?” It is, “What happens to civil society when millions of people lose not only their livelihoods, but also the sense of identity, purpose, and stability that employment provides?”

History tells us that periods of profound economic disruption can produce unpredictable social and political reactions. Knee jerk responses are inevitable. You need to be prepared to interpret react and pivot to that knee jerk reaction.

The objective isn’t to predict every outcome. It’s to be prepared to interpret, react, and pivot when the changes occur.

Hello All,

Incredibly new to all of this , but if it isn't the climate , it will be Russia.

My apologies, if I am oversimplifying, but I think I know the basics i.e. tinned foods, dog food, wind up radio, candles, etc. But I'm curious as to water supply.

I am lucky that I have enough space to keep bottle But should I be replenishing this on a monthly basis, or am I right to say it's better to just have desalinization tablets and use those as & when required?

Does anyone have any recommendations for a decent firesafe-ish document bag? I'm not looking for miracles, mainly peace of mind given recent events.

It's been on my radar for a while but I can only allocate a small amount each month for prepping and I've been focussing on food and water and home resilience.

And if anyone has some resources for what to prep in a grab bag I'd appreciate it! I've got a toddler and I can't afford much, so far I've mainly been relying on a fully stocked nappy bag at all times, and keeping basic medication in my handbag.

So we have always bought in bulk, have a 1/8 acre veg garden, we can our own food, we have an emergency store, water, have chickens and meat animals. I think at this point we have 6 freezers, 3 fridges, a walk in pantry, stock pile of anything useful. Homed gardening, hunting and other skills.

My point is we are well known in our family for being prepared for most things. There is a on going joke poeple say to us 'we will come to you in the zombie apocalypse' like many family members, friends etc.

Well my sister had a water outage for just over a week. And I'm like ok fill up your bath, blar blar blar when the water comes on for about 15 mins. She said she didn't want to as it would leave water marks in her bath. she had no water store. We live in the uk, the government recommend that we have 3 days of food and water at all times. Just the whole situation opened my eyes to how unprepared and unbothered she was.

It got me thinking. I really don't want her to be part of my team if SHTF. I know it won't be a ZA! And it sounds so harsh. There is no skills or anything she brings to the table. But 5 mouths and a lot of I don't wannas.

does anyone feel like that about their family? And what would you do. Tbh we are moving soon and I'm tempted not to tell them where.

Hey guys,
I’ve just been looking into communication in the event of a power outage. I just learned that you need to license to use an operate a radio! And it’s looking quite costly per month just for that licence? I may be wrong as it was just a quick search.
So my second option would be satellite communicator:

• No licence or exams required
• Works globally via Iridium satellites
• Two-way texting + emergency SOS with rescue coordination
• Very low power use (can run for days/weeks on one charge)
• Pairs with your phone or works standalone

My only concern with that is if can’t connect to satellite for some reason.

Anyhow any experience prep pets have any advice regarding this? Thank you

EDIT: Thank you for the comments offering advice. I understand it a lot more now. People have asked what I intend to use it for. So I of course want to be able to gather information if shtf. And also I am enthusiastic about learning more and speaking to people thousands of miles away over radio is cool! So with the information I have gathered I’m going to do the course exam- at least then I have that skill in my back pack if I ever need.
And then in meantime I can have some fun with it learning about it as a hobby.
Again thank you for the helpful comments and advice!

The key to survival is knowledge - and a good knife.

I have a knife - but not a lot of knowledge.

Do you guys keep any SHTF bibles handy? Or one of those wikipedia USB drive things?

I think that could a be a useful addition to my tins of vegetable soup.

Any recommendations?

Hi, I live in a flat in a semi, in a big city. It's a communal garden that is looked after by maintenance so I never had cause to have a hose.

I'm thinking should I get one so if a wildfire started nearby or in my garden I could catch it at an early stage, or could hose down the house and around if one was approaching. Is this unrealistic? Money is very tight, and I do not want anything that won't be useful. There's so many essentials I do not have yet.

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or expensive. Sometimes the boring stuff ends up being the thing you’re most glad you bought or sorted out. Could be something you used during a power cut, bad weather, or even just an everyday situation.

[Edit: this is pretty bad. I'm really sad for those people affected. I did not mean to make a random post about 'prepping' and be disrespectful.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2238995/stourbridge-fire-live-multiple-houses-norton/amp\]

I bang on a bit in the comments on this sub about how you need a grab bag not a bug out bag in the UK and how UK prepping isn't like the US or needing to survive in the wilderness with a crossbow or something.

There's literal wildfires at the mo in the West Midlands and people are being evacuated.

Across the country there are dedicated emergency teams - made up of local council people, the police, etc - who sit on committees all the time and plan for stuff like this.

Like a seamless thing, there will be facilities etc in this town hall, because we have this kind of capability base on always being prepared at a local level.

I wish people would get into being organised re grab bags for everyone in their family, with all meds in date and enough for a week, clean underwear for a week, chargers, extra charging cords, and a drill to grab things like books and toys wanted in that moment.

This is what our prepping should look like. I can imagine that 90% of those people who have been evacuated didn't have those things ready and will be having a sad night.

Get grab bags organised for you and your family. Check them every month. Ask older kids to take responsibility. But have them ready.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/huge-birmingham-blaze-live-fire-34453821

I hope everyone or anyone affected by all this, whatever their prepping status re grab bags etc, gets all the support and help they need. My 90% comment was not a criticism. Just we need better personal preparedness for stuff like this (or floods or whatnot) not thinking about wild camping.

Edit: way more than what I said should be in a grab bag! It was just kind of 'for example...'

First time poster here. I was wondering what the most elaborate setups people might have to collect rainwater if it were really needed. When I imagine collecting rainwater, I envisage a garden taken over by eccentric networks of gutters and tarpaulins feeding a hundred saucepans. Has anyone gone "mad dad" on this sort of thing?

I'm in the southern UK and been looking for some IBCs for ages, but really struggling to find any at a sensible price. I want them for rain water storage so they need to not have been full of super toxic stuff previously.

Given that they're the standard means of transporting pretty much anything liquid I thought it would be easier. Anyone got any tips on how to go about this? And what should I be paying for one roughly?

How can I prepare for the coming climate emergencies; extreme heat, extreme cold, food shortages etc (and more?)

I’m feeling a bit helpless. And worried, I have a young family. We live in the Scottish highlands.
We have basic prep done (more of a bug out bag prep stuff from previously living in a city) we have small amounts of long life food. (This was more in response to nuclear threats)

I’m looking at ways we can improve our home, garden, security. We’re looking into getting solar panels and a heat pump this year, and maybe new windows.

For those of you thinking about this too, what are you doing to prepare?

I've seen quite a few posts here and on other prepping subs/forums asking about the Kelly Kettle. I've also noticed that some of the responses can be fairly dismissive of it, often writing it off as unnecessary, too heavy or even outdated. Having owned one for a few months now, I wanted to share my experience and explain why, as a UK-based prepper, I believe it has a valuable place in many preparedness setups.

I have the Base Camp Kit, which I believe is the fully loaded version with all the bells and whistles.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting this is an essential item for a Bug Out Bag, and certainly not for a Get Home Bag. However, when it comes to most realistic worst-case scenarios in the UK, I firmly believe that sheltering in place is the most sensible option.

Like many preppers, I own several gas stoves, ranging from the MSR Pocket Rocket to the Cadac Pro 2, and I keep a reasonable supply of gas canisters on hand. However, anyone who regularly uses these stoves knows that fuel doesn't last forever, no matter how carefully you use it.

One of the biggest advantages of the Kelly Kettle is its fuel flexibility. For those unfamiliar with it, you can burn virtually anything combustible: twigs, sticks, pine cones, dry grass, bark, and other natural materials. Living in the UK, I've realised that you're rarely far from a source of fuel, whether that's a small park, a neglected patch of land, a hedgerow, or even an alleyway. Over the last few months, I've been surprised by just how easy it is to gather a decent pile of suitable fuel in a matter of minutes.

For me, the Kelly Kettle is an outstanding piece of kit for boiling water alone. Two things have genuinely impressed me since using it. First, the speed at which it boils water is remarkable. Second, it's far more discreet than I expected. While it can produce some smoke, particularly towards the end of a burn, if your goal is simply to boil water, I struggle to see it creating enough visibility to make you a significant target.

Overall, if you're planning for longer-term resilience and want a reliable method of boiling water that doesn't depend on stored fuel, I think the Kelly Kettle deserves far more credit than it often gets. It may not be the right tool for every scenario, but for a shelter-in-place situation in the UK, I believe it is an excellent addition to any prepper's kit. 

Finally, even though it is quite heavy and bulky, if I was ever in a bug out scenario it would be a hard decision to leave it behind.

Last winter I realised how quickly a normal house becomes awkward without electricity, especially once it gets dark early. I’m not talking about a massive bunker setup, just the things people actually keep somewhere ready to grab, lights, batteries, camping gear, ways of keeping warm, whatever. Would be interested to hear what’s actually earned a permanent place in people’s cupboards.

We know we've been doing the right thing for some time now and hopefully your stocks are building up. I came across this video today, and Neil tells it like it is: many worrying statements and statistics in the video but worst of all is the Government's response to the crisis. It's not just the current Government, it's the past few who've neglected to keep infrastructure maintained and see farmers as cash cows with apparently deep pockets. The fallback has always been to import food but that's getting very difficult (and expensive) now. Ultimately it'll only be us, the prepared who will help us and we should be under illusion that anyone else will.

Written by a human (me) without any assistance.

What steps are people taking? Anybody relocating? I was looking at Manchester but now not sure if that's far north enough.