ASU2003

I got to thinking about making a real survival kit, not just the duck tape, plastic and some water one that most people should have. I am looking at being able to use this in any emergency from nuclear fallout and a killer virus to food shortages and super volcanoes. So, the need for this is really small, but if I do need it, then it is better to have it on hand then have to deal with panicked people looking for the same stuff. And while I trust my government with most things, this is not one of them. They don't care about keeping me alive so much as they care about maintaining order and finding out how to fix the big problem.

FEMA: Basic Disaster Supplies

FEMA has some good ideas for a basic survival kit, but can you think of something that isn't on the list? What items would FEMA never recommend, but if society breaks down, you would want? If a serious disaster happened (nuclear, EMP pulse, chemical release, massive killer flu outbreak, ...) the government will not be able to handle everyone's safety and survival needs. Each situation is different, but what would you want in a worst case scenario? From losing power for eight days to where people are killing each other for the last can of food type of situation?
Here is what I am thinking:

-Guns (AR-15 or AK47) with 30 round clip. 9mm handgun.
-500 rounds for each
-Radiation detector (ok, so this is a little out there)
VINTAGE 50S CIVIL DEFENSE RADIATION DETECTOR COLD WAR - eBay (item 110342514052 end time Jan-31-09 19:21:56 PST)
-Potassium iodide pills
Frequently Asked Questions on Potassium Iodide (KI)
-Knife
-Military BDU uniform
-Tyvek suit with gas mask and rubber boots and gloves
-Water purification drops
-Siphon for gasoline
-Home gas generator
-Fire Extinguisher
-10 lbs salt
-10 lbs sugar
-Walkie talkies
-CB radio
-Hand powered FM/AM radio
-Hand powered flashlight
-Can food
-Containers for water (100 gal)
-Container for gas (10 gal)
-Tent & sleeping bag
-Plastic Sheets & Duct Tape
-Solar or wind power generator?
-Medical supplies
-Hand tools
-Bleach
-Fire starters and matches
-latex gloves

A lot of the stuff is on the government list actually.
Ready.gov - Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed.
Am I missing something that you would want? Or should this be in the paranoia section?

eribrav

A bunch of cash in all different denominations.
Depending how far you want to take this, would also suggest some silver and gold coins as well.

Daniel_

I wonder about this.

In what circumstance do you need to be able to shoot things as part of a disaster?

__________________

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

pig

Keep this somewhere super secret, and don't show it to any potential romantic interests unless they start the Waco/Ruby Ridge talk first. Otherwise, they'll just think your whacko.

I keep certain basic things around in case the power goes out, the car breaks down, or I cut myself. I draw the line at AK's and radiation suits.

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Stare At The Sun

You forgot rope.

dlish

lack of social order wil mean looting, stealing, pillaging, raping amongst other things. people really do fall to the lowest of the low during times of upheaval. a gun is necessary.

i'd add a change of clothes to that.

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Slims

Ideally you won't have to, but there are documented cases during periods of civil unrest where homeowners/communities used arms to repel looters/rioters successfully. Usually the presence of a weapon was a sufficient deterrent.

Additionally, a weapon allows you at least the option of hunting.


Here's my take on what you have/have not listed:

First, be realistic and plan accordingly. I am paranoid (or prepared depending on your point of view) enough I carry around a contingency bag in my car whenever I go on a trip. However, it isn't just geared towards a complete societal collapse/armageddon, etc. as those things are very, very unlikely. I have set it up knowing at some point in my life I will probably either be involved in a bad car accident or be a witness to one...so I have a removable pocket with trauma items. I am more likely to get lost than for my car to suddenly stop working due to EMP, so I have maps. I have money because I may need to pay cash unexpectedly. I also have basic emergency preparedness items, etc.

First, if you are serious about this you need two different setups. First, are the items you plan on storing at home and using at home. Second, is basically a blow out bag with the items you feel will most enable you to survive if you have to displace (i.e. Katrina, etc.).

If you are as paranoid as I am you might want to look into some long term food storage. Check out Happy Hovel Storable Foods (Bulk Long Term Food, Water, Seed and Egg Storage) You can get a 5 gallon bucket with about 40 lbs of nitrogen packed grains/beans/salt/spaghetti, etc. for a very reasonable price. I mention this not because it is realistic to think you could stay in your house for a year while everyone around you starves, but because preparation, in part, is about minimizing problems and being able to feed your neighbors during a relatively short disruption will go a long ways towards keeping you safe. A carbohydrate source, a protein source, salt, a tub of crisco and some multi-vitamins will feed you for a very long time, or you and your neighbors for a couple weeks after they exhaust what is in their pantries.

You need something to store water in. Something cheap like old soda bottles (don't use anything that had milk in it as the milk will leave residue inside the bottle). If you have a basement just rinse and refill 2 liter soda bottles with some water. Additional water can be obtained from your water heater if you get caught off guard. Also, you need the ability to procure more water...a filter and/or iodine tablets are perfect. A filter is better for chemical/radiation contaminated areas.

If you have 500 rounds of ammunition you need more than one magazine to put it in. Magazines are the single most likely failure point of any semi automatic weapon. You can still get 30 round USGI Magazines for about 16 dollars a pop if you search around a bit online. You don't need a dozen, but at least three or so.

Fuel source: If you have a fireplace you should have a good supply of wood and a chainsaw/axe IOT procure more if necessary. A grill with a couple extra propane tanks is also a plus...just rotate through them during normal everyday grilling. Of course, matches and a few lighters. Some good long-life candles would be very convenient also.

If you are going to get a geiger counter, make sure you get one of the more sensitive ones which measures in millirems. It will be useful for testing food/water sources and to stay away from hot spots completely. The others will basically just tell you when you get zapped with a near-lethal dose of radiation and will do nothing to prevent you from dying slowly.

The Tyvek suit won't help you at all, though a gas mask might. Unless you have a real decontamination facility and the drugs to treat for nerve agent you are just wasting your time. Your best bet in the event of a chemical attack is to stay inside with the gas mask on for about 24 hrs so any non-persistent agent can disperse. If there is persistent agent around your house you are going to be dead no matter what you do.

A Knife is important, but you need a multitool also. Don't go cheap on the knife as cheap ones just won't hold up when you really, really need them too.

If you want to store fuel for the generator, Diesel is probably your best bet as gasoline has a very short shelf life before it basically turns into lacquer. I don't personally plan on bothering with a generator at all...they are noisy attention getters.

Instead of sugar, go with rice/spaghetti/etc. You can get a 20 lb bag of rice for about 10 bucks and it has a LOT of calories. Shelf life will only be a year or so, but you can rotate through it. Salt is important and often overlooked so good on you for that.

In addition to your radios, get a scanner and/or an am/fm radio that also picks up the international bands...there will be information to be had so long as you have a working radio. (extra batteries, of course)

Medical supplies are important, though you don't really need what is in the typical home medicine kit. Get a book called Ditch Medicine and stock up on items that can be used to treat bigger-than-band-aid injuries and antibiotics, everything you can get. Short term a tourniquet with HemCon and an Israeli Bandage will prevent most injuries from resulting in death due to blood loss...provided you can get them to a hospital. Remember that in all actuality you are most likely to need your medical supplies because you or someone around you did something stupid, rather than a societal breakdown and you need to prepare mostly for immediate aid until the ambulance shows up.

Don't bother with a tent. If you have to displace then things are really bad and you need to keep a low profile and be very situationally aware...not cooped up inside a tent where you have no idea what is going on around you. Besides, that extra weight could be a couple extra days worth of food. Get a small tarp and some bungee cords.

Hand Tools, you will need to be able to conduct basic repairs, chop down trees, saw logs, dig holes, etc.

Toilet paper (not really essential but so cheap why would you willingly go without it?)

A good compass and a map of your local area for your blow out bag.

Warm/Wet weather clothing...you don't need much to survive, but if it's 35 degrees and raining you will have a hard time of it without a sweater and a rain jacket.

A small flashlight.

Snare Wire (for on the move)

550 Cord. It's a really light, really strong rope that is good for everything.

A Survival and Edible Wild Plants book.

A plan...You probably won't be successful in a real breakdown alone. You will need to decide who you will help and who you won't because your preparedness will amount to nothing if you give everything away. At the same time if you try to hoard you won't last long as the only person around who has food...

__________________
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

Tully Mars

I don't really prepare for civil unrest or WWIII. I do prepare for hurricanes and tsunamis. I keep water, both in the house in 20L jugs and on the roof (I have 1100 L on my roof all the time, just the way my house works,) gas, enough food for about 3 weeks. Mainly MRE's- but dog food and cans of this and that for myself too. A generator, chainsaw, Coleman stove and lanterns, hand tools, a ton of 550 and duct tape. I also have an escape route planned to higher ground and a GPS, I have my route planned on lesser traveled roads. On short notice I can get most of it in my truck in 15-20 mins. Of course I can get it done faster just might not get everything. But this is the view from in front of my porch-



And the Yucatan is flat as a pancake. I have to drive 45mins to the "Puuc Route" or hill route to gain any elevation. So my thoughts are more about the weather and nature then the political climate. My guess is even if much of the rest of the world goes whacko this place will mainly just shrug and go about life as normal. A lot of people here live off the land and could give a rats ass about what happens in Mexico City, D.C. or Wall St.

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Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

ASU2003

Just rub it is a little more. It got up to 35 degrees here, and I saw the Sun for the first time this weekend in about 10 days. But, it's going to get cold again next week.

Daniel_

Thi sis the thread you need: http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/tilted-...r-bedroom.html

__________________

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

braisler

Good lists and discussion. I've started to have some interest in survival topics myself. While I don't personally subscribe to the 'End of the World As We Know It' kind of scenarios, I can't say that the worst won't happen either. I find myself more falling in the camp of being prepared for the short term, power outages, emergency weather, etc. I feel good knowing that I can protect myself and my family from harm or even from living in undue discomfort.

One neat little gadget that my wife bought me for my birthday is a compact weather/AM/FM radio that is hand-crank or solar powered. It also has a LED flashlight and even a charging adapter to power-up your cell phone. She shopped for it and bought it, so I don't have a link just now. But it seems like just about the perfect addition to anyone's survival kit whether at home or in your go-bag. Additional birthday presents that I thought were pretty cool ideas were a fire-steel and striker, a water-resistant stuff sack, a kinetic powered flashlight (shake up and down to charge - no batteries). I've also added to my collection a couple of sturdy survival knives, one an USAF survival knife and the other a Gerber LMF II. I keep a lot of that in my full-frame backpack. I figure that most of it will be useful to me when I go camping and the backpack is handy and easily carried if we need to ditch in a hurry. I also have a Gerber Suspension Multitool which I try to remember to carry with me everyday now.

I've got an order in for a couple of hanks of 550 paracord. I've been teaching myself to tie a cobra knot with the paracord as a way to make straps and wrap knife handles etc. The idea being that if you fashion a bracelet, lanyard, belt, or strap out of the paracord, then you'll always have some amount of it with you when you find that you need it. As Slims mentioned above, I favor used 2-liter soda bottles as a means of storing ample fresh water. I have used short lengths of paracord to fashion a sort of handle joining the necks of 2 bottles together making them easier to carry together.

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You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.
- Albert Einstein
---

Tully Mars

I said it before and I'll say it again- in a few short weeks it'll be 100+ day and night here. My main view then will be my living room, complete with crack running the length of the wall behind the TV. You'll likely be enjoying a nice spring.
-----Added 2/2/2009 at 08 : 31 : 14-----
No, the view from my bedroom looks like this-



Pretty high class huh?

Of course my swimming pool might make you jealous-

__________________
I used to drink to drown my sorrows, but the damned things have learned how to swim- Frida Kahlo

Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

stevie667

I would advise against old soda bottles for storing water, they will leech chemicals into the water after a length of time and use. You want to use specific long term water storage (i.e. big plastic containers designed to hold water for camping e.t.c) containers for the job.

Things like whey protein powder can be used as a protein source, you can pick it up cheap all over the place (buy unflavoured bulk, not the standard commerical stuff)

If you have any friends in the military, ask them what they take on long exercises with regard to survival kit and see if there is anything you can add to your list.

Beyond that, a few gold and silver coins will get you a long way in an enviroment without money (but thats really pushing the nuclear winter scenario).

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Slims

Um, sure, soda bottles will leach a few chemicals into the water, but they won't leach more than what goes into the soda they originally contained. Additionally, I doubt the insignificant increase in cancer risk will even be a concern to someone who is just trying to live through the week.

Also, those big plastic containers will also leach chemicals.

__________________
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

Plan9

I was in the military and I endorse plastic soda bottles. They're cheap, durable, and easy to find... perfect traits for a survival situation.

...

I concur with Slims. Your "chemical leeching" argument logic is a little odd given your water storage recommendation. You recommend one plastic container and not another? Where do you think the big plastic camping water carriers come from? Oh, yeah... China.

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Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Anxst

I also agree with plastic soda bottles for water storage. They're cheap, easy to come by, last a long time, and useful in a zillion different ways after you empty them.

To add to your hand tools kit, I've found a use for a NATO entrenching tool in every disaster cleanup I was ever in. You can always use a shovel for something, it only weighs 1.5 pounds (for the new ones) and they can do damn near everything you'd ever use a crowbar for except remove nails.

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stevie667

The amount of leechate from a purpose designed long term water storage plastic will be insignificant compared to that from a short term one. Soda bottles are cheap because the plastic is not designed to last. A heavy duty container will have far more stable plastic. Part of the reason that you are advised not to reuse small (say 500ml) soda bottles by the manufacturers is because after only single digit uses the plastic begins to degrade and leech chemicals into you water. Not a problem if your using it once, but if your potentially storing water for a long time it's not the best of ideas when spending a little bit more will be better.

If you want to spend the money go with a good stainless steel or similar vessel, but that will cost you alot.

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Plan9

My problem with the OP list is that firearms are mentioned first. That's just silly.

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Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

ASU2003

Desperate people will do anything to get what they need to survive. And I am assuming that the police force and military are too busy surviving or doing other tasks to worry about looting and thievery.

The guns aren't required in a lot of survival situations or emergencies, and I don't have any guns yet. But if something really bad happened where the fabric of society went away and violent anarchy was the law of the land. Guns may provide some assistance. Or at least I could offer something in order to join the local gang or mafia that has taken over.

I forgot the most basic, and most important thing, a survival manual. Both a simple, basic one and a more extensive one would be best. And a basic knowledge of first-aid would be a good thing, with a manual for that as well. You can't always count on the internet being accessible in an emergency.
Also, Iodine and hand tools should be on the list. CB radio wouldn't be a bad idea, and neither would some short-range walkie-talkies.

Also having a plan for building a simple wind turbine, collecting rainwater, and where and what to plant in a garden would be good to have thought out.

Zeraph

Don't forget a pair of breeding hamsters for fresh meat! :P

Plan9

One thing that can't be stressed enough for would-be survivalists is training in common survival tasks.

Sure, you have a $$$ Blackhawk STOMP medic bag and a 3" manual, but have you actually given an IV?

Do you know how to bait a fishing hook? Make a wire snare? Have you shot your hunting rifle at 300 yards?

You've got a compass and a map, but have you been lost and had to use it before?

In an actual SHTF scenario, you don't want to have to engage in a crash course while you're freezing / starving to death.

First thing I inventory when getting into a survival mindset is the old mental toolbox. Get training. Endless repetition (practice) and blunt force trauma (real use).

The Internet and books are great for basic knowledge, but nothing beats the stress-test of performing in front of an instructor and audience.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

snowy

I read the SAS Survival Guide by John "Lofty" Wiseman, and I'm looking forward to trying out some of the skills presented in the book while backpacking this spring/summer. The book includes a plant identification guide; cultivating this skill is something I've been working on around town (thanks to genuinegirly for turning me on to urban foraging). I can readily identify camas, which is plentiful in the woodlands around here, and I know how to prepare it.

So you can practice, you just have to create the opportunity to do so.

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QuasiMondo

Zombies, angry mobs, jack-booted government forces, etc...

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-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

Plan9

You left out "endless waves of single-shot-to-kill aliens," Contra boy.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

MSD

I'd take basic wilderness skills for hiking and camping and a First Aid 2 course over most of that stuff.

I'm kind of curious about why you would need BDUs.
snopes.com: Reuse of Plastic Bottles

ASU2003

That is good to know about the plastic bottles. I use a bunch of them in my refrigerator as a filler to take up space. I also use glass bottles.

Try and figure out the BDUs. They would come in handy in a few cases. If you are the last person on Earth it probably doesn't matter much though.

Slims

During a large natural disaster, wilderness skills won't be enough unless you have some basic essentials to help you get by, wildlife populations will likely be hunted out very quickly by other outdoorsmen leaving little food and backpacking etc. won't help unless you abandon your house. Same with first aid...most first aid classes are geared solely towards stabilizing an injury long enough to transport a person to a hospital, but following a natural disaster hospital care may be unavailable and unless you have some supplies the wound will likely get infected, etc.

BDU's are great general purpose pants. They are sturdy, comfortable, have giant pockets, and minimize your profile while out in the woods. They are not essential, but they are cheap enough you might as well have a pair.

And realistic situations where you may have to shoot things as part of a disaster: 1: hunting...you can eat those delicious animals if you can convince them to sit still long enough. 2: self defense and defense of property...if you are well prepared and everyone around you is going without, it is very likely someone will attempt to take the food you (and they) need to survive. and 3: general looter control...Firearms have been used successfully in past emergencies to protect entire neighborhoods from looters...the presence of armed people willing to defend their neighborhood was enough to keep looters away.

__________________
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

Lindy

I haven't seen this mentioned. If you wear glasses or contacts, you need extras.
A gun wouldn't do me any good without being able to see. Without my glasses I'd have trouble hitting the broad side of a barn. From inside the barn. With glasses or contacts, I'm a pretty good shot.
But I've never shot at a human target, and hope that I never do.

Lindy

Plan9

BDU RANT!

As Slims said: they're cheap, camouflaged, durable, have huge pockets... as well as being designed for strenuous physical activity, made of fabrics that dry quickly, and can be adapted to fit many individuals (size "medium" fits a wide range of body types). It cannot be stressed enough that BDUs are great outfits for survival situations because of how mass produced they are... they can be had cheap outside any military base... you can get two sets for the price piece of similar civvie clothing. Military-grade BDUs are available in a wide range of colors, including olive drab, khaki, black, navy blue, ridiculous B&W "urban" blender'd zebra, etc. if you wish to avoid the salad suit (BDU woodland) or melanoma (DCU) look. I'm partial to khaki BDUs. They work well in a wide range of environments and can be colored / darkened with spray paint to better fit the local area.

I've always felt that BDUs are kinda like a tough external clothing shell. They come in "winter" weight and "summer" weight (more popular). The winter weight ones are thicker and more durable but get kinda stuffy above 80 degrees. The type underwear (t-shirt / thermal / silkweight / polypro / briefs / commando) will dictate your comfort level with temp. Underarmor stuff for the summer and polypro or silks for the winter. Can't beat 'em and they're a helluva lot easier to move in than Carhartts or Levis.

Clothing is extremely important in any survival situation. Regardless of how equipped you are with material possessions like generators, machine guns, and spaceships... you're useless unless you're mobile. Clothing is crucial to mobility. I'd never wear shorts in a survival situation. They're a no-no for a variety of reasons.

BDUs are amazingly useful. I've turned BDUs into stretchers, ammo vests, machine gun hop pads, drag bags, satchel charge bags, sneaky-bob swamp thing outfits, etc. Hell, if you cut 'em right and send 'em to a sew shop... they're whatever you want 'em to be.

Absolute hell for me would be having to negotiate a survival situation wearing modern casual civilian clothes. The tight fit, pathetic materials, and fragile stitching of said clothing is garbage. Civvie hiking clothing is good stuff but horribly expensive and generally not designed for situations where hostilities may be encountered.

Granted, I'm biased towards this type of clothing. I love the simple, durable BDU and I think the Army was straight dope retarded to switch to ACUs. They should have gone with a Marine Corps or even Crye-style outfit, but not the garbage called ACUs.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

LordEden

I took a look at BDUs and wondered a few things, is better to order them online brand new or go to one of these Army/Navy/Outlet Supply/Crazy Redneck stores to get them? I've always wanted a set (or two) for times that I need to be in something rugged, that will withstand some punishment, but that will also be comfortable-ish. I just wonder what the goods are like at those stores, there 3 within a 20 mile radius of me right now.

Also, I'm not sure if this will start a firestorm or not, but what is the opinion of those members of the armed forces about seeing someone in army clothes/active duty gear (not talking wearing dress blues or fake metal wearers, those people don't deserve to breathe)? Had a friend once tell me he hated seeing people wearing old military stuff as "style" and I don't want to be that guy.

/threadjack

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Halanna

So, assuming the very worst case scenario, and no electricity or water:

Night vision goggles
Hand sanitizer and lots of it
Flares
Rubber bands
Paper clips (don't underestimate your inner McGyver!)
Super glue
Assorted boxes of nails and screws
Caulking gun and caulk
Huge box(s) of trash bags
Gallon size or larger zip lock baggies
Multivitamins
Wind up alarm clock and/or wind up watch (Someone will always have to be awake for security purposes)
"Gentle" type laundry detergent, Woolite, Ivory Snow, etc. It will rinse quicker and cleaner than regular types of laundry detergent.
Very large tub for laundry. Look in antique stores and ebay. Bonus is you can store alot of your survival kit stuff in it to save space.
Antibacterial wipes and lots of them
Clothes line and clothes pins
Camping style coffee pot intended for use over an open flame, and coffee. Think a disaster will piss you off? Wait until you don't have any coffee.

And talking about open flame, assume you will be cooking over one once the gas in your grill runs out. You will need pots and pans with handles that won't melt, some thick towels, very thick potholders, oveglove, for removing pots from fire, a large sturdy rack, similiar to what you cool cookies on but much much stronger or it won't hold:

15qt-18qt pot. Don't underestimate the need for boiled water, warm water etc. And if you are cooking wildlife, you'll need it.

Very sharp knives
Machete
Axe and hatchet
Chainsaw with plenty of gas (depending on disaster type)

talking about gas, a home generator will use approx. 5gal in 11 hours under a light load, so 10gals isn't going to last long at all

Weapons: While an assault rifle is good for long range shooting, or putting out a lot of lead quickly, nothing does the job up close and personal like an auto loading 12ga. Preferably, 3in. magnum 00 buck. As far as a handgun, the 45 ACP is proven to be the ulitimate man stopping handgun, and you won't accidently shoot an innocent 3 blocks away. I know, the 9mm has high capacity magazines compared to the average 45 with 7 and one in the pipe, BUT, the 9mm doesn't hit half as hard as the 45. Blunt force weaponary always wins. As an added bonus you can get light load for the shotgun so you can shoot small game.

Go to Google Earth and print a 5 or 10 mile radius of your home. When you are on the ground, no phone, no internet, no tv or radio, nice to know where you are and what is around you. You can also check out farther for water sources, woods for game, etc.

Vegetable seeds. For about $15 you can get all you need. Don't forget to replace them every year.

Fishing gear
Binoculars
Make sure your medical kit includes sutures
Cigarettes, if you smoke, you're good to go, if not, they will probably become a very useful bartering tool
Liquor, 86 proof and above, another useful bartering tool and you may need it for medicinal purposes
A book from the USDA or wherever that will identify edible plants, berries and wildlife. Not all animals are safe to eat. Preferrably from your local Extension Office, because it will be area specific.
Find a book that addresses how to kill, dress and clean various animals, possum, racoons, squirrels, snakes, etc.
Pre 1900 or some early 1900 cookbooks (from the heartland, not New York City) have more than recipes that you will be able to use over an open flame, they talk about how to wash clothes with wood ashes, make soap, store food, dry food, home medicinal recipes, and basically half the books are living without electricity and modern conveniences
Leatherbound notebook for keeping track of where you found game, things you need to remember like locations of water/fish/game people that are friendly or not friendly, and basically a diary. Some day someone will want to know what the hell happened.

Camera, if you survive, some just won't believe what you've seen.

telekinetic

I know I've posted this before, but everyone serious about surviving realistic non-zombie, non-contra SHTF scenarios needs to read this entire thread transcript typed by someone who lived through the economic collapse and meltdown of Argentina:

Argentina thread from Frugal Squirrels

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twisted no more

Halanna

Wow, I only skimmed through it right now, will read it more later, but that is a very interesting read!