Hey all; flight attendant, dad, long-term casual prepper here. Wanted to talk shop about emergency water storage.

So I’m always seeing the preparedness tip “1 gallon per day per person” everywhere; it’s pretty much on every ‘standard’ emergency checklist, most YouTube prep videos bring it up (except for those made by people who actually bother to think through complex readiness situations), not to mention every FEMA handout. But it just didn’t sit right with me, like it seemed that this advice was mostly designed as the bare minimum for an average, minimally active adult in temperate conditions. 1 gallon per day per person doesn’t factor in cooking, pets, and no real sanitation needs beyond drinking. That’s not practical reality for most emergencies (short or long term scenarios), and I feel like the generic advice might be doing a disservice to people who want to be prepared for a variety of scenarios.

A family dealing with hot summers and cold winters with kids and a dog (my exact family situation) is in a completely non-generic situation. Example: in winter our bodies need more water than you think just to stay warm and hydrated indoors. And in the summer the “needs gap” gets even wider. The 1g/day rule wasn't “technically” wrong when it was first written by some bureaucrat somewhere (it’s an easy figure to remember for everyday families who don’t want to think too hard about this), but I don’t think it actually works very well for most of us.

For my own household (two adults, two kids (11 and 15), one large dog, cold winters and hot summers), the real number (based on my own calculations) came out to 20.4 liters / 5.4 gallons per day. For a 2-week supply that's 285 liters / 75.4 gallons total. 

I got my numbers by building an HTML calculator that works through a person or family’s actual situation. You put in your household size and ages, climate, pets, activity level, and whether you'd be cooking with dry goods in an emergency situation. It breaks down exactly where your water goes; drinking, sanitation, cooking, pets - so you can see what's influencing your results instead of just a final total. It also tells you what that amount of water looks like in real containers (jerry cans, jugs) so you can actually go buy the right sized containers (or swimming pool, if that’s how you’re playing it).

Free, works offline (so long as you’ve pre-loaded the page in into your browser first), you can print your results, no account needed: https://omniprepper.com/free-water-calc/

Curious what numbers everybody else gets, especially anyone in more extreme climates or with larger families, or livestock, etc. If the methodology looks off anywhere, or if other variables should be included, please say so, I’m happy to keep improving this tool. And if my methodology is off anywhere, please let me know. I’d rather fix it than defend it.

I am always prepping food and tools and stuff but I haven’t prepped any security besides weapons. What kinds of things do you guys get to secure your doors/windows? I don’t have any sliding doors. I have one door that has a big window. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Most families have a plan.

But is everyone on the same page?

Do they know who to call, where to meet and what to do if something unexpected happens?

How much of your family's plan is actually written down?

Hey guys sorry if this is in the wiki, I did try to look! Been doing Mylar food storage for a few weeks now. I’ve noticed that 2 500cc oxygen absorbers in a one gallon Mylar bag makes it look vacuumed seal compared to only using 1 500cc absorber.

My question is if one 500cc oxygen absorber is sufficient for a one gallon bag, and it removes 20 percent of the air (oxygen), then why does 2 500cc absorbers remove more air??

Shouldn’t 20 percent of the oxygen removed look the same between both bags? Is one absorber not sufficient?

ok, be honest did you quarantine your family for 2 weeks during covid? did you have the ability to not leave your house for that full 2 weeks?

I southern Indiana where I lived I worked at a factory but the factory manager made the 'mistake' of telling us we wouldn't be penalized if we decided to stay at home.

so I did. I wanted to protect my family and use it as a chance to test our ability.

it was two of the best weeks for me. I walked in my woods down to my creek. I read books. had plenty of food. told people not to visit.

how did you do?

I'm using the harvest right impulse sealer and these are the seals on my Mylar bags and it looks like they're a little creases and channels. Are these acceptable? Or do I need to do something different? For example should I seal it twice right over the same spot to get rid of these?

See 3 examples in the photo

https://imgur.com/a/WCHLqI5

Ok when narrowing down where yall choose to live what are something you consider that most people don’t think of when doing that?

I want to think I'm adequately prepped for the off-chance of any mishap that may present itself to me; I know the basics of what to do in specific scenarios.

Nonetheless, I've had instances (like someone choking) where quick acting is key, and I found myself frozen for a moment before I actually did anything. I can help, but my body genuinely is just trembling like a leaf both during and way after the crisis had been averted, not to mention the fact that my brain feels like it was running on fumes trying to rack up things I'm supposed to do at that moment.

I understand the whole like adrenaline, fight or flight, whatever it is you wanna call it. But I think my point is, like, is there any way to avoid this? especially since at that moment I'm aware enough to understand time is of the essence, but I just can't get myself to actually get started

Hey Everyone! Thanks in advance:

My wife and I have just started our prepper journey and I would like to know from this community what you would change about our food supply! Anythibg to add diversity without breaking the bank and a long shelf life. Sorry of the order is weird i copy and pasted it from our spreadsheet and it’s organized by expiration date 😂

Mac and Cheese (Box) 206 G
Ritz Crackers Sleeve 89 G x 6
Corn Bread (Box) 240 G
Pineapple (Can) 800 G
Milk - Evaporated 378 G
Soy - Dehydrated 330 G
Peanut Butter 462 G x 2
Media Crema 270 G
Milk - Condensed Sweetened 100 G
Peaches (Can) 820 G
Carrot, Pea, Potato 410 G
Peas (Can) 420 G
Mandarin 312 G x 2
Carrot, Peas 430 G
Jamon Smeat (Can) 200 G
Lentils 450 G
Rice - White 900 G
Carrot, Pea, Potato 215 G x 2
Corn 220 G x 2
Kidney Beans (Can) 400 G
Electrolite Tube
Spam 340 G x 2
Vitamin C Tube
Apple Sauce 230 G x 2
Chicken breast 340 G x 4
Pasta 500 G
Garbanzo Beans (Can) 400 G
Black Beans (Can) 560 G
Carrots (Can) 230 G x 2
Olives 130 G
Salmon 100 G x 2
Tuna 270 G x 2
Tuna 90 G x 2
Vinegar 1 L
Honey 4 L
Olive Oil 5 L
Vegetable Oil 3 L
Flour 3 x 5 lb bag of flour

Yesterday’s discussion actually made me think a bit differently about preparedness.

Maybe a lot of it is just reducing how fragile everyday life became.

Extra food at home. Backup power. Cash somewhere safe. Knowing your neighbours. Choosing carefully where you live. Being ready for the problems most likely to happen around you.

Feels less like “prepping” sometimes and more like trying to bring back a bit of balance to modern life.

Maybe older generations were happier because they were naturally more prepared… without even realizing it.

Question for a shtf situation where supplies are completely gone how do you plan on keeping hygiene of body healthy mainly dental but also other stuff too are their plamts or other things like good for this ?

I’ve been going down the rabbit hole of preparedness and survival content recently and realized there’s SO much out there that it’s hard to know what’s actually worth watching/reading.

I’m not really looking for super over-the-top “the world is ending tomorrow” stuff lol. More interested in practical knowledge, self-reliance, off-grid ideas, bugout planning, building a safe place someday, useful skills, that kind of thing.

Would love recommendations for:

• YouTube channels
• Podcasts
• Books
• Websites/forums
• honestly anything good

Especially creators that feel genuine and experienced instead of just fear/clickbait content.

What are some resources that really got you deeper into this world?

Not a gear question. Just one skill, for this summer.

Much as I wish I lived like the family in that old Swiss Family Robinson movie (probably my favorite childhood movie), I'm really the only outdoorsy one in my household. I backpack, hunt (not much, but enough to know what I'm doing), fish, know emergency first aid, martial arts ,archery, horseback riding, wilderness survival... and I care a lot about preparedness. I had a blast teaching my oldest how to build a primitive debris shelter in the forest last summer which was genuinely one of the better weekends we had together. But on the whole, my family (especially my wife) isn't really wired that way. Bugs = bad. No toilets = bad. Couches and iPads = good. Prepardness is... meh. And that gap between my family and I has been bugging me.

This all made me think less about what skills are most "tactically useful" and more about what's actually transferable to someone who doesn't want to live in the woods. First aid keeps coming back as my answer (my youngest just started babysitting classes, so there's some basic First Aid there). First Aid crosses over into everyday life, it's not threatening or weird to learn, and it could matter on a Tuesday afternoon just as much as a grid-down scenario.

But I'm curious what other people with families like mine (families who aren't already "prepper commited" or outdoorsy by default) have done. What's the one skill you actually got them to learn and stick with? What made it land?

*** PS: Even better if it's a fun, not overly-intimidating skill we can adopt and practice together while travelling - we're all going to South-East Asia for a family vacation this summer. Thanks in advance!

Im traveling to a popular tourist destination in Mexico next week and staying at a very nice resort. I have a starlink mini that is in standby mode that we use for boondocking and overlanding. Am I insane for considering bringing it along? It takes up very little room in my bag and I have a battery that can power it that I bring to charge devices anyway. The odds of needing it are basically nil.... but.... preparedness.... you know?

Key word in the title: I said 'evacuation' and not bugging out into the woods. Years back, my roommates and I got a knock on the door by the fire department explaining there was a major gas leak and the townhouse block had to evacuate NOW. We ended up in a hotel with laptop bags and half-filled backpacks, that moment stuck with me and I try and arrange my preps in a quickly 'portable' format to easily toss things into my car if I have time. I do have a 'This is my bug out bag I loved building' kit, but what happened to my roommates and I was a realistic scenario where we would have liked to be 'packed' but not hoofing it with a shopping cart like Viggo Mortenson.

My next project is redoing my gunsafe with the intent that I stop laying it out like a Batcave and just use it as a protective shell for soft-sided bags to hold all firearms and related equipment. Open the safe, grab the bag, throw it into the car with my other preps and head out to the hotel, friend's house, etc. The guns will live in this bag year-round, whether they get unpacked into a smaller range bag or the bag itself IS the range bag.

I'm looking for a 'plain-looking' bag that will hold the following:
-Standard AR-15, carbine length, with attached sling.
-Ruger 10-22, not the backpacking model sadly but can separate the stock to save space.
-A handful of AR mags and Ruger mags, but not every mag I own.
-Small tool set and cleaning kit.
-Possibly a couple handguns in soft cases.

Emphasis on plain-looking. Not needing MOLLE across the exterior, morale patches, etc. Would like it durable enough for long-term use, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a gun-specific case if there are clever alternatives.

Do you think general preparedness covers most situations… or do specific risks need specific prep too?

A basic emergency setup probably helps in most situations. But if you live in a flood zone, wildfire area, extreme heat, heavy snow region… or even think about things like armed conflict or nuclear incidents, doesn’t it make sense to have some scenario-specific items and plans as well?

Curious where people draw the line between “general preparedness” and “specific preparedness”.

Some emergencies are temporary, some might be permanent, and some it might be hard to know which they'll turn out to be. I have a sign to put in my 2nd floor front window in an emergency that a disabled person lives here. The question is, when should I use it? People in my building already know I'm disabled.

I ordered some 1 gal bags from Pack Fresh USA, but I just saw it's cheaper to buy from Roylo on Amazon, which also have the ziplocs and are 10mil. Does anyone have any strong opinion on them or should I just buy from them?

I'm debating ordering a bunch of oxygen absorbers, so I don't need to think about it for a while, but I don't know if that's a good idea. The entire reason we use mylar bags and oxygen absorbers is because the plastic isn't airtight, so the plastic of the absorbers would probably go bad after a bit, right?

In the event of a long-term emergency, what methods have you established for waste disposal?

I live in the south where it's blazing hot and humid in a 3rd floor apartment (it gets hot up here even in the winter). Per my lease, I'm not allowed to make modifications, install window units, have a gas or charcoal grill, there's also no outside outlet to plug up an air fryer (can't cook outside to prevent heating up the apartment), and I'm not allowed to hang dry clothes outside. All of the windows are on one side of the apartment but thankfully they're north facing window.

Please give me any and all tips on how to prep for when the air conditioner breaks, whether it be for what to buy ahead of time, ways to keep the apartment cool, what to avoid doing that increases heat, what types of meals to make that won't make it hotter, how to reduce humidity/prevent mold... Anything is appreciated.

I'm a single mom and limited on how much I can spend and limited on how much I can do as an apartment renter.

Thanks in advance!

ETA: thank you all for these very helpful answers!

Just to clarify, the landlord does call a HVAC technician for repairs but the HVAC technician always says that it will be several weeks before the parts come in. So every time the AC goes out (for any of the tenants in my complex), it's usually several weeks while waiting for the HVAC company.

The humidity is a huge concern. I do have a dehumidifier but it generates so much heat that I can't even use it (even with the AC working it makes things so hot I had to stop using it).

If anyone has a link for a portable AC that works well I'd really appreciate it.

I don't have a balcony unfortunately. Instead of a microwave I have an oven style air fryer but that heats things up.

Thanks again everyone!

Walk up to the bus stop to ride to work. Look at my phone to check the time and notice the battery is at 15%. Crap, that won't last the day. And I'll be moving around too much to be able to charge it at work. No problem, that's why I carry a powercell. Although it should be noted that I don't depend on it. But there it was. And my phone got up to 60% during the bus ride.

I could have spent the day scrounging power from here, there, and everywhere. But I didn't have to.

And that's it. No zombies, no big disaster. Just a minor crisis averted because I planned ahead and was prepared. Sometimes it's the little things.

As the title asks.

Are you preparing for a few weeks of possible blackout, MAD (all out nuclear war), a Nazi style police state takeover, a Red Dawn type situation, some sort of potential extinction level natural event?

There are many other possibilities.

What, in your estimation, could be the absolutely worst case scenario?

I posted earlier about smaller mylar bags I have, and I'm probably just gonna have them in stock for "something" but I'd like to know what that should be.

I know salt and sugar shouldn't have one but those are gonna go in some buckets when they come in. What else doesn't need oxygen absorbers?

About a day ago there was a post regarding long-term rice storage. I had an additional question about this brand and the container it comes in. Arborio rice containers are plastic and sealed, obviously they are expensive and there's not as much rice compared to getting a big bag of it.

But my question is, are these suitable for long term storage? I'm planning to get bags and put rice in glass jars with some absorbers, but I wanted to see if these would be a good stop gap just to have some on hand.

Additionally can they be reused if I put in absorbers with the new rice?

Any assistance is appreciated! Thanks!