What to Buy If War Breaks Out: 40-Item Priority Checklist

Q: How quickly do stores run out of supplies in a crisis?

Basic supplies like water, canned food, and batteries can sell out within 24–72 hours of a major triggering event. Buy before any crisis is announced.

Q: Is it worth buying gold or silver for a collapse scenario?

Cash is more practical than precious metals for short-medium emergencies. People barter for food and medicine, not gold. Prioritise your practical kit first.

Q: Should I tell people about my preparedness supplies?

Use discretion: don't advertise supplies widely. Coordinate with trusted neighbours for community resilience, but there's no need to publicise your preparations broadly.

When tensions escalate, stores empty fast. During COVID-19, toilet paper and hand sanitiser disappeared within days. In a conflict scenario, the critical items: water containers, batteries, fuel: go even faster. What to buy if war breaks out isn't about panic buying; it's about calm, prioritised preparation that you can complete over days and weeks before any crisis peaks. This checklist gives you 40 items in priority order, so you buy the most important things first and don't waste money on things you don't need.

Before you shop: Don't clear shelves or buy excessive quantities of any single item. Buy what you need: leave supplies available for neighbours and community members who may need them too. Rational preparation is not hoarding.

Tier 1: Buy Today: Critical Items (Buy These First)

These items address your most immediate survival needs and will disappear from store shelves first in any escalating situation.

1. Water storage containers: WaterBOB bathtub bladder (100 gal) or 5-gallon jugs × 10; fill immediately
2. Water purification tablets: Aquatabs or iodine; two boxes per person
3. Water filter: LifeStraw personal filter or Sawyer Squeeze at minimum; Berkey for home use
4. Emergency food rations: Datrex or Mayday 3,600-cal bars × 5 packs per person (no cooking required)
5. Canned food × 30: tuna, beans, vegetables, soup; buy familiar brands you actually eat
6. Cash in small bills: $500 minimum in $5s, $10s, $20s; ATMs will run out
7. Prescription medications: 30-day+ supply for everyone in your household; call your doctor today
8. Hand-crank emergency radio: Midland ER310 or equivalent; this is your lifeline when internet is down
9. Batteries: AA × 50, AAA × 30, 9V × 10; plus rechargeable sets with charger
10. Flashlights: LED flashlight × 2 per person + headlamp × 1 per person

Tier 2: Buy This Week: Important Items

Once your immediate needs are covered, add these in the following days.

11. Portable power station: Jackery 500 or 1000; recharges devices, runs medical equipment
12. Solar charging panel: 100W foldable; recharges power station without grid
13. Propane camp stove + canisters: MSR PocketRocket or Camp Chef; 20 fuel canisters
14. First aid kit (trauma level): must include tourniquet, hemostatic gauze, pressure bandage
15. N95 respirator masks: 50+ per person; smoke, dust, disease protection
16. Nitrile gloves: 200-pack; medical and general protection
17. Fire extinguisher: ABC-rated; infrastructure fires increase during conflicts
18. White rice: 25 lbs per adult, sealed bucket with mylar bag; 25-year shelf life
19. Dried beans/lentils: 10 lbs per adult; cheap, high-protein, long shelf life
20. Rolled oats: 10 lbs per adult; breakfast for a month
21. Peanut butter: 4 large jars per adult; calories and protein, 2-year shelf life
22. Sleeping bags (0°F rated): one per person; if heating fails
23. Emergency Mylar blankets: 10-pack; retain 90% body heat, extremely compact
24. Two-way radios (FRS/GMRS): 2 pairs; family communication when cell networks fail
25. Work gloves: 2 pairs per adult; heavy leather or cut-resistant

Tier 3: Buy This Month: Valuable Additions

These improve your preparedness significantly but are less urgent than Tiers 1 and 2.

26. 55-gallon water storage drum: with pump; adds significant water capacity
27. Freeze-dried food supply bucket: Mountain House or Augason Farms 30-day bucket
28. Propane heater (indoor-safe): Mr. Heater Big Buddy + carbon monoxide detector
29. Potassium iodide (KI) tablets: thyroid protection in nuclear scenarios; IOSAT brand
30. Plastic sheeting + duct tape: room sealing for NBC (nuclear/biological/chemical) shelter-in-place
31. N100/P100 full-face respirator: better protection than N95 for chemical/smoke scenarios
32. Document wallet (waterproof): copies of passports, insurance, medical records, deeds
33. Fireproof home safe: for documents, cash, and valuables
34. Ham radio transceiver: Baofeng UV-5R; communicate when cell networks are overwhelmed
35. Multi-tool: Leatherman Wave or equivalent; essential daily utility
36. Duct tape × 6 rolls: sealing, repairs, securing; infinite uses
37. Cooking fuel reserve: 10 lb propane tank or 20 isobutane canisters
38. Manual can opener × 2: electric ones fail when power is out
39. Hygiene supplies (30-day stock): soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, feminine hygiene, wet wipes
40. Printed maps of local area: GPS and phones fail; know your roads offline

What NOT to Buy

Social media drives panic-buying of items that aren't actually useful in conflict or emergency scenarios:

Don't bulk-buy toilet paper: a 30-day supply is adequate; wet wipes are more compact
Don't buy weapons impulsively: if you don't have training and a plan, a weapon is more dangerous to you than to a threat
Don't stock survival foods you hate: MREs are notoriously unpalatable; buy familiar canned goods instead
Don't spend $500 on a bug-out bag kit before securing basic food and water
Don't buy items you don't know how to use: a gas mask without training on fitting and filter replacement is false security

Top Product Picks

Datrex Emergency Food Bar 3,600 Calorie (9-Pack)

Your first food purchase: no cooking required, 5-year shelf life, compact enough to fit in a backpack, and approved by the US Coast Guard. Each 3,600-calorie pack is one adult's food for a full day. Buy 5–7 packs per adult as a baseline reserve while you build out a proper 30-day pantry stockpile.

3,600 calories per pack: 1 adult, 1 day
US Coast Guard approved; 5-year shelf life
No cooking or water required

~$10/packEmergency Ration Bars

Check Price on Amazon ↗

IOSAT Potassium Iodide Tablets 130mg (14 Tablets)

The only FDA-approved potassium iodide tablet for radiation emergency use. A single $10 pack protects one adult for the duration of a nuclear event. Buy now: KI tablets routinely sell out after geopolitical events. Store them with your emergency medical kit and read the dosage guidelines on the pack. This is the one item on this list that is purely preventive for a specific scenario.

FDA-approved for radiation emergency use
130mg adult dosage: correct for nuclear events
7+ year shelf life

~$12Radiation Protection

Check Price on Amazon ↗

Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station
The Jackery 500 is the sweet spot of portability and capacity for an emergency power purchase. 518Wh of clean power handles phone charging, LED lighting, a CPAP machine, and small appliances for multiple days. Pair it with a SolarSaga 100W panel for infinite solar recharging. At under $400 on sale, it's the most impactful single purchase you can make in Tier 2.

518Wh: charges phones 40×, runs LED lights for days

AC, USB, USB-C, 12V outputs

Solar-ready for off-grid recharging

~$400Portable Power Station
Check Price on Amazon ↗

War Prep Shopping FAQ

How quickly do stores run out of supplies in a crisis?

Studies of panic-buying events (COVID-19, pre-hurricane surges, weather emergencies) show that basic supplies like bottled water, canned food, batteries, and flashlights can sell out within 24–72 hours of a major triggering event. Items like generators, camp stoves, and fuel canisters can take days to weeks to restock. The time to buy is before a crisis is announced: not after.

Is it worth buying gold or silver for a collapse scenario?

Precious metals have limited practical value in short-to-medium term emergencies. People barter for food, fuel, and medicine: not gold. Cash is far more useful for purchases from local businesses and individuals in a disruption. If you have ample food, water, and medical supplies and want to diversify beyond cash, a small gold/silver reserve makes sense: but not at the expense of your practical kit.

Should I tell people about my preparedness supplies?

Use discretion. In a prolonged emergency, word spreading that you have significant food and supplies can attract unwanted attention. There's no need to advertise your preparations. That said, coordinating with trusted neighbours creates community resilience that benefits everyone: each neighbour can specialise in different skills and supplies.