15 Survival Items that Will Disappear from Store Shelves when SHTF

I
think
we
have
all
seen
by
now
just
how
quickly
stores
will
empty
of
basic
but
vital
supplies.
Food,
water,
fuel
and
more
will
all
disappear
in
an
incredibly
short
period
of
time.

Hopefully,
as
a
prepper,
you
already
have
plenty
of
supplies
on
hand,
and
won’t
have
to
endure
the
mad
scramble
of
humanity
as
they
swarm
into
stores
all
across
town.

However,
if
you
are
coming
into
the
prepping
game
a
little
late
in
life,
or
just
facing
an
unfortunate
setback
where
you
happen
to
be
without
supplies
for
any
given
reason,
you’ll
have
to
brave
the
crowds
of
panicked
shoppers
just
like
everyone
else.

That
means
your
emergency
pit
stop
could
be
a
matter
of
life
and
death
depending
on
the
situation.
Knowing
what
is
most
important,
as
well
as
what
is
most
desired
by
other
people
in
this
situation
will
help
inform
your
decisions,
and
prioritize
what
is
most
needed.

In
today’s
article
we
are
bringing
you
a
list
of
15
crucial
survival
items
that
will
disappear
from
store
shelves
in
the
blink
of
an
eye
when
SHTF.

Act
Fast!

So,
let’s
say
you’re
one
of
those
people
that,
by
bad
luck
or
a
lack
of
preparation
prior
to
this
point,
don’t
have
any
survival
supplies
on
hand
at
the
onset
of
an
SHTF
situation
or
immediately
preceding
it.

Assuming
you
are
able
to
disengage
from
whatever
you
are
doing
at
the
moment,
the
answer
is
to
race
to
the
store
and
try
to
stock
up
on
what
you’ll
need
for
the
duration.

As
mentioned
above,
there
are
an
awful,
awful
lot
of
people
who
will
be
doing
the
same
thing.
Traffic
will
intensify
quickly
if
it
isn’t
already
at
total
gridlock.
Store
shelves
will
be
picked
clean
shortly
thereafter.
Things
will
likely
look
like
total
bedlam.

This
means
you
need
to
think
and
act
quickly
if
you
don’t
want
to
go
home
empty-handed.

Prioritize!

Think
about
the
nearest
store
that
you
can
get
to
reliably
that
is
most
likely
to
have
everything
you
need.
This
could
be
a
well-stocked
corner
gas
station
and
mini
grocery,
or
it
could
be
a
nearby
big
box
department
store
or
grocery.

When
you
are
pulling
up,
if
you
are
familiar
with
the
store
start
planning
your
route
according
to
the
most
crucial
supplies,
saving
the
less
important
items
for
later.

And
don’t
go
thinking
that
you’ll
be
able
to
wait
out
the
surge
and
get
a
restock
from
the
back
room
or
anything
like
that.
Most
modern
departments
in
grocery
stores
are
entirely
dependent
upon
multiple,
daily
deliveries
to
keep
their
shelves
stocked,
and
there
is
usually
precious
little
goods
backstocked,
if
any.

So
fasten
your
seatbelts,
grab
your
notepad,
and
let’s
get
started!

15
Survival
Items
that
Will
Vanish
from
Store
Shelves

Toilet
Paper

This
first
item
should
need
absolutely
no
preface.
Whether
it
was
right,
wrong
or
indifferent
I
think
the
entire
world
knows
that
toilet
paper
will
be
hotly
contested
and
hoarded
next
time
any
calamitous
event
of
any
consequence
occurs,
or
is
just
threatened
to
occur.

And
while
it
is
true
that
you
don’t
need
toilet
paper
to
survive,
it
is
one
of
those
things
that
make
life
a
lot
more
bearable,
not
to
mention
more
sanitary.

You
can
make
your
situation,
whatever
it
looks
like,
a
lot
more
pleasant
when
it’s
time
to
do
your
business
if
you
have
a
good
supply
of
toilet
paper
on
hand.
Everyone
has
their
favorite
brand,
but
that
won’t
be
so
important
one
of
the
circumstances
as
actually
having
it.

Make
sure
you
get
to
it
quickly
and
grab
a
large
pack
that
will
last
you,
and
consider
that
larger
families
use
this
stuff
up
a
whole
lot
quicker
than
a
couple
or
an
individual.

Not
for
nothing,
toilet
paper
might
make
for
good
bartering
currency
down
the
line
in
a
long
term
survival
scenario
where
society
has
partially
or
completely
collapsed.

Batteries

There
are
no
two
ways
about
it.
Modern
life
runs
on
batteries.
disposable
and
rechargeable,
large,
small
and
every
size
in
between,
batteries
are
responsible
for
powering
our
vehicles,
our
personal
devices,
tools,
remotes,
and
so
much
more.

Even
some
vital
quality
of
life
items
such
as
hearing
aids
or
insulin
pumps
depend
on
batteries.

Most
seasoned
peppers
know
that
many
important
pieces
of
survival
gear
depend
entirely
on
batteries
to
function,
including
flashlights
and
electric
lanterns,
GPS
systems,
firearm
optics
and
more.

The
demand
for
these
items
will
be
intense
in
the
run-up
to
an
SHTF
situation
and
that
means
you’ll
need
to
grab
what
you
can
as
soon
as
you
can.

Give
yourself
a
leg
up
now
by
inventorying
your
most
needed
tools
and
devices
and
committing
to
memory
or
a
checklist
the
type
and
quantity
of
batteries
that
they
require.

If
you
really
want
to
make
your
life
easy,
streamline
your
device
selection
so
that
you’re
only
buying
one
or
two
types
of
batteries
outside
of
specialist
sizes
for
things
like
hearing
aids
and
the
like.

Liquor

Dealing
with
the
onset
of
a
legitimate
survival
scenario
might
be
a
good
reason
to
start
drinking,
although
you
probably
shouldn’t
as
you’re
going
to
need
all
of
your
wits
about
you.
That
isn’t
why
we
are
heading
to
the
liquor
aisle,
however.

As
it
turns
out,
alcohol
is
one
of
the
very
best
items
you
can
keep
on
hand
for
trade
purposes,
as
those
who
are
alcohol
dependent
or
just
greatly
desire
some
stress
relief
will
trade
just
about
anything
to
get
a
swig
of
their
favorite
vice.

Generally
speaking,
stronger
is
better
because
it
is
more
portable
and
provides
better
bang
for
the
buck.

Not
for
nothing,
and
a
real
pinch
strong
liquors
can
be
used
as
improvised
antiseptics
and
anything
that
is
strong
enough
to
ignite
when
put
to
open
flame
can
be
used
as
an
accelerant
or
a
fuel
by
itself.

Trust
me
when
I
say
that
legions
of
panicked
buyers
who
are
consumed
by
visions
of
doom
and
gloom
will
be
cleaning
out
the
party
aisle
on
the
double,
so
act
quickly!

Ammunition

Pretty
much
everywhere
in
the
United
States,
save
perhaps
the
most
gun
restrictive
locations,
you’ll
find
ammunition
on
store
shelves
in
abundance,
even
if
it
is
just
a
variety
of
cartridges
intended
for
hunting
rifles.

It
goes
without
saying
that
many
of
your
fellow
shoppers
have
guns
of
their
own,
likely
at
home,
and
will
be
thinking
about
all
the
things
that
will
go
wrong
after
the
rule
of
law
collapses.
That
means
they’re
going
to
be
raiding
the
ammo
counter
with
a
vengeance.

Whatever
kind
of
firearm
you
have
at
home,
and
I
do
hope
you
have
one,
it
is
time
to
pick
up
some
extra
ammo.
Get
to
the
sporting
goods
counter
as
quick
as
you
can
and
get
a
box
or
two
at
the
least.

Note
that
beggars
should
not
be
choosers
under
the
circumstances.
You
might
not
have
your
preferred
manufacturer
or
load
to
choose
from,
but
that
is
okay
as
most
commercially
sold
ammunition,
even
if
it
is
a
little
shabby,
it’s
good
enough
to
function
in
most
firearms.

Face
Masks

Whatever
you
might
think
about
the
efficacy
of
face
masks,
there
is
no
denying
that
a
high
quality
respirator
or
even
a
disposable
particulate
mask
is
effective
at
keeping
some
airborne
dust
and
debris
out
of
your
lungs.

Major
disasters
have
a
way
of
directly
causing
or
leading
to
destruction
and
the
outbreak
of
fires,
two
things
that
can
significantly
degrade
air
quality.

Over
time,
inhaling
contaminated
air
is
going
to
degrade
the
function
of
your
lungs,
and
usually
spells
serious
long-term
health
problems.
Don’t
let
this
fate
befall
you
and
your
family
by
stocking
up
on
face
masks
and
respirators
as
appropriate.

You
can
usually
find
these
in
the
hardware
aisle,
one
place
where
you
hopefully
won’t
have
too
much
competition.
Make
sure
you
get
the
best
ones
that
you
can,
and
if
you
purchase
a
respirator
with
replaceable
cartridges
grab
a
pack
of
spare
cartridges
while
you’re
there.

Baby
Care
Items

Every
parent
knows
that
babies
require
an
awful,
awful
lot
of
full-time
care
and
that
means
a
boat
load
of
supplies
and
provisions.

If
you
have
a
little
one
at
home,
you’ll
be
competing
with
dozens
and
dozens
or
hundreds
of
other
parents
who
are
in
a
mad
scramble
to
stock
up
on
the
same
baby
items.

Diapers,
wet
wipes,
baby
food
and
medicines
for
rash
and
other
typical
infantile
elements
will
be
moving
fast,
and
that
means
you’ll
need
to
be
faster
if
you
want
to
get
your
fair
share.

Normally
I
would
advocate
grabbing
these
even
if
you
don’t
have
a
baby
because
they
make
for
valuable
trade
fodder
or
you
could
get
them
to
give
to
a
neighbor
or
someone
else
in
your
network
in
the
future,
but
under
the
circumstances
it’s
probably
best
to
leave
these
behind
for
parents
who
are
in
desperate
need.

Disposable
Gloves

Disposable
gloves
are
a
commonly
forgotten
but
important
prep
for
any
kind
of
disaster
situation.

All
sorts
of
emergencies
entail
getting
your
hands
dirty,
sometimes
involving
biohazardous
body
fluids,
nasty
chemicals
and
other
messes
that
you
really,
really
don’t
want
on
your
skin
and
even
more
importantly
you
don’t
want
cross-contaminating
everything
You
touch
afterward.

Most
disposable
gloves
will
do
fine
here,
but
you’re
always
better
off
going
with
a
sturdy
nitrile
glove
for
best
performance
and
to
minimize
the
chances
of
any
kind
of
allergic
reaction,
a
rare
but
not
entirely
unseen
problem
with
latex
disposable
gloves.

Unless
you
have
humongous,
manhole
cover
sized
hands,
typical
one
size
fits
all
gloves
will
do
fine,
and
make
sure
you
grab
ones
that
are
powdered
for
easy
donning
if
you
are
able.

Propane

Out
of
all
the
various
liquid
fuels
that
you
can
make
use
of
during
a
survival
situation,
propane
is
probably
one
of
the
best.

Useful
in
a
wide
variety
of
applications,
highly
energetic
and,
most
importantly,
extraordinarily
shelf
stable
propane
works
just
as
well
at
operating
a
backyard
barbecue
grill
as
it
does
a
portable
camping
stove
or
a
salamander
space
heater.

Now,
propane
might
be
tricky
to
get
your
hands
on
easily
and
efficiently
under
the
circumstances
we
have
described
above.
Nine
times
out
of
ten
your
large
propane
cylinders
or
barbecue
tanks
are
locked
up
in
a
cage
or
otherwise
kept
in
secure
Storage
and
require
employee
interaction
to
open
them.

Maybe
you’ll
be
able
to
get
one
of
these
larger
cylinders
and
maybe
not,
but
if
you
can’t,
you
can
get
the
smaller
camping
sized
bottles
freely
in
the
outdoor
gear
section.
Combine
these
with
an
adapter
kit
and
you
can
hook
them
up
to
devices
that
typically
require
a
larger
cylinder.

Gasoline

You
might
be
under
the
impression
that
your
local
gas
station
never
runs
out
of
fuel,
but
this
is
far
from
the
truth.

Gas
stations,
like
seemingly
every
other
outlet
in
our
modern
society,
are
completely
dependent
upon
regular,
scheduled
deliveries
of
gasoline
from
tanker
trucks
to
refill
those
vast
underground
silos
where
they
house
it.

Under
the
circumstances,
you
had
better
believe
that
everyone
with
a
motor
vehicle
is
going
to
be
filling
up
as
quickly
as
they
can,
and
likely
several
spare
cans
besides.
This
means
that
you’ll
need
to
grab
gasoline
pronto.

You
can
avoid
having
to
choose
between
supplies
and
gasoline
by
keeping
your
car
above
half
empty
at
all
times.
In
case
you
can’t,
you
might
luck
out
and
be
able
to
grab
gas
at
a
station
that
does
not
currently
have
a
line
before
moving
on
to
the
grocery
store
or
elsewhere.

Food

You
don’t
need
me
to
tell
you
that
food
is
a
critical
survival
consideration.
Although
many
folks
often
trot
out
the
old
line
that
you
can
go
for
several
weeks
without
any
food
before
starving,
you
must
keep
in
mind
that
you’ll
be
badly
debilitated
both
mentally
and
physically
after
just
a
couple
of
days
with
no
or
minimal
food.

Food
is
fuel
for
working
bodies
and
minds,
and
you
must
keep
your
calorie
intake
up
so
you’ll
have
the
energy
to
do
what
needs
to
be
done
in
order
to
survive.

You
had
better
believe
that
all
of
your
other
competing
shoppers
know
this
instinctively
and
will
be
shoveling
common
grocery
store
fare
into
their
carts
as
a
result.
You’ll
do
the
same
if
you
are
smart.

As
to
what
you
should
shop
for,
you
want
to
Target
items
that
are
ideally
shelf
stable
and
ready
to
eat
with
no
or
minimal
preparation.

Canned
goods,
meals
that
come
in
foil
pouches,
granola
bars,
dried
fruit,
nuts
and
things
like
that.
Stuff
that
you
can
simply
open
up
and
eat
for
reliable
energy
and
nutrition,
or
heat
up
if
you
are
able
to
make
it
more
palatable.

Water

Water
is
always
a
pressing
survival
priority
because
dehydration
can
strike
comparatively
quickly.
Going
even
a
whole
day
without
any
water
can
badly
dehydrate
you
and
that
will
lead
to
debilitating
complications
and
death
in
fairly
short
order.

This
is
why
any
survival
or
prepping
expert
worth
their
salt
will
preach
a
water
preparedness
paradigm
above
most
things.

Whatever
kind
of
event
has
occurred,
the
likelihood
of
your
public
or
private
water
system
being
compromised
is
fairly
high.
your
access
to
water
might
be
interrupted
or
shut
off
completely,
meaning
no
water
flows
from
the
tap
when
you
open
it,
or
it
might
be
contaminated
by
any
number
of
nasty
things
you
definitely
don’t
want
to
ingest.

A
robust
response
to
this
problem
is
having
alternate
means
to
both
source
and
treat
water
for
safe
consumption,
but
under
the
situation
we
have
outlined
above
your
best
bet
is
to
grab
a
large
quantity
of
drinking
water.

Bottles,
jugs
or
whatever,
make
sure
you
grab
it
fast
because
it
is
going
to
go
quicker
than
just
about
anything.

Soap

Soap
might
sound
like
the
last
thing
on
a
list
of
survival
essentials,
but
you
would
not
be
wise
to
underestimate
its
importance.

Washing
your
body,
including
your
hands,
is
crucial
for
preventing
the
contamination
of
other
people
and
possessions
by
germs,
and
you’ll
be
coming
into
contact
with
a
lot
of
dirty,
nasty
and
biohazardous
things
in
a
survival
situation
much
of
the
top.

Greatly
limiting
or
even
eliminating
this
threat
is
as
simple
as
washing
your
hands
with
soap
and
water,
and
making
sure
to
periodically
wash
your
whole
body
as
normal
even
if
you
are
only
taking
a
sponge
bath
under
the
circumstances.

It
is
possible
to
go
on
at
length
about
soap
like
anything
else,
but
for
our
purposes
the
only
thing
that
matters
is
that
you
have
soap
and
know
how
to
use
it.
Liquid,
bar,
whatever
it
will
all
get
the
germs
off
of
you
and
help
keep
you
clean.

Hand
Sanitizer

Sometimes
you
won’t
be
able
to
access
soap
and
water
to
wash
your
hands,
but
will
still
have
a
mighty
need
to
nuke
germs
in
order
to
prevent
the
spread
of
contamination.
For
the
ultimate
in
portable
germ
killing
efficacy,
hand
sanitizer,
made
with
high
test
alcohol,
is
tops.

All
you
need
to
do
is
apply
a
generous
dollop
to
one
of
your
palms,
then
rub
your
hands
briskly
together
in
a
typical
hand
washing
motion
taking
special
care
to
get
between
the
fingers
and
under
the
fingernails,
and
you
are
all
set.

This
is
another
item
that
is
all
but
certain
to
vanish
pretty
much
instantly
during
the
onset
of
a
disaster
since
during
a
previous
disaster
involving
an
unspecified
virus
of
unknown
origin
hand
sanitizer
bottles
were
hoarded
like
gold
bars.

Even
a
modestly
sized
bottle
should
last
you
a
long
time
especially
if
you’re
using
it
as
a
supplementary
tool
to
hand
wash.
A
little
dab
will
do
you!

Hygiene
Items

Hygiene
items
are
yet
another
inclusion
that
might
raise
a
few
eyebrows
at
first
glance.
And
although
they
might
not
be
crucially
important
right
away,
taking
care
of
your
body
over
the
long
term
it’s
still
important
in
order
to
prevent
some
show
stopping
maladies
and
diseases,
to
say
nothing
of
unholy
stench
that
will
drive
the
people
living
with
you
completely
mad.

A
particular
importance
are
specialized
hygiene
items
for
feminine
care
and
certain
medical
conditions,
so
make
sure
you
grab
anything
that
you
or
your
family
requires
for
the
purpose
if
needed.

Although
not
likely
to
be
stampeded
as
rapidly
as
things
like
food,
water
and
fuel
these
items
will
remain
reasonably
high
on
the
priority
lists
of
other
shoppers.

Bleach

Bleach
is
a
survival
superstar,
not
just
a
commodity
for
your
daily
laundry
needs.
When
you
seriously
need
to
sterilize
a
hard,
non-porous
surface
or
even
your
own
hands
after
handling
something
that
is
truly
nasty,
a
strong
bleach
solution
will
do
the
trick.

Even
more
important
to
our
needs,
however,
is
the
fact
that
regular,
unscented,
non-thickened
chlorine
bleach
can
be
used
to
kill
the
harmful
microorganisms
hiding
in
contaminated
water
using
nothing
more
than
a
few
drops.

The
ratio
is
fairly
specific,
so
you’ll
need
a
dropper
or
other
precision
metering
device,
but
this
is
a
skill
that
anyone
can
master
with
very
little
practice
and
a
cheat
sheet.

Hopefully
this
will
be
one
item
that
most
other
shoppers
won’t
think
of
so
there
should
be
some
waiting
for
you
by
the
time
you
arrive
at
the
store.

Conclusion

Just
because
you
are
late
to
the
game
of
prepping
or
are
woefully
separated
from
your
supplies
does
not
mean
you’re
going
to
have
to
take
your
chances
completely
unprepared
when
disaster
strikes.

If
you
act
fast
and
have
a
little
luck
on
your
side,
you
will
be
able
to
snag
these
survival
fundamentals
before
the
herds
of
panicked
shoppers
get
to
them.