BUCKHORN CLIFFSA preparedness field manual

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Supplies

What to keep in long-term storage, how long it really lasts, and how to tell when it has turned.

The foods and supplies worth keeping in long-term storage, with the shelf life you can actually expect rather than the date printed on the package. Each page covers how to store it, how much a household needs, and the checks that tell you whether it is still good. The shelf life table pulls all of them into one sortable list.

Start with the full guide

Field guideSurvival Foods Field GuideThe real shelf life of more than 50 foods, how to spot spoilage, how much to store, and how to build a stockpile in phases. 35 pages.Open the field guide GuideThe Food Shopping ListWhat to store, how much per person per month, how long it keeps, and why. Free one-page printable PDF.Open the full page Field guideStockpile Essentials Field GuideThe master checklist: 239 items across 16 categories, the shelf life class of each, and the 20 multi-use items that cover the most jobs. 39 pages.Open the field guide

All 71 supplies, A to Z

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Food · Supply Alcohol (Spirits) Real shelf life: Indefinite. Label says Indefinite INDEFINITEMULTI-USE Security · Supply Ammo Calibers Chart: Every Common Caliber by Size, .22LR to .308 Ten common calibers in order by bullet diameter, .22LR (.22 in) to .45 ACP (.451 in), with weight, velocity, energy and recoil for each Food · Supply Beef Jerky Real shelf life: 2 years. Label says 1 year 2 YR Food · Supply Beef Tallow: Uses, Calories and How to Store It About 4,100 calories a pound; keeps 1 to 2 years airtight in a cool, dark spot, 2 to 3 years frozen Food · Supply Bottled Water Real shelf life: Indefinite if sealed. Label says 2 years INDEFINITE IF SEALEDMULTI-USE Food · Supply Bread & Baked Goods How to check bread & baked goods for spoilage. Food · Supply Butter & Margarine How to check butter & margarine for spoilage. Food · Supply Canned Beans Real shelf life: 5-10 years. Label says 2-5 years 5-10 YR Food · Supply Canned Beef Real shelf life: 5-10 years. Label says 2-5 years 5-10 YR Food · Supply Canned Fruit Real shelf life: 2-5 years. Label says 1-2 years 2-5 YR Food · Supply Canned Goods How to check canned goods for spoilage. Food · Supply Canned Meat & Fish Real shelf life: 5-10 yr 5-10 YR Food · Supply Canned Pumpkin Real shelf life: 2-5 years. Label says 1-2 years 2-5 YR Food · Supply Canned Soups Real shelf life: 5-10 years. Label says 2-5 years 5-10 YR Food · Supply Canned Tomato Sauce Real shelf life: 2-5 years. Label says 18-24 months 2-5 YR Food · Supply Canned Tuna Real shelf life: 5-10 years. Label says 3-5 years 5-10 YR Food · Supply Canned Veg & Fruit How to check canned veg & fruit for spoilage. Food · Supply Canned Vegetables Real shelf life: 3-5 years. Label says 1-2 years 3-5 YR Food · Supply CARDNL Essential Electrolytes Real shelf life: 7-10 years sealed. Label says About 2 years (best-by) 7-10 YR SEALED Medical · Supply Cayenne Pepper Shelf life: 5+ yrs. Vacuum-sealed or airtight glass, cool and dark. 5+ YRSMULTI-USE Food · Supply Cereal & Granola How to check cereal & granola for spoilage. Food · Supply Cheese How to check cheese for spoilage. Food · Supply Chocolate How to check chocolate for spoilage. Food · Supply Coconut Oil Real shelf life: 5 years. Label says 2 years 5 YR Food · Supply Condiments How to check condiments for spoilage. Food · Supply Cooking Oil Real shelf life: 1-2 yr 1-2 YR Food · Supply Corn Syrup Real shelf life: Indefinite. Label says 2-3 years INDEFINITEMULTI-USE Food · Supply Cream of Tartar Real shelf life: Indefinite. Label says 3-4 years INDEFINITEMULTI-USE Compounds and Cleaning · Supply Creatine in the Stockpile: The Dose, What It Actually Does, and How to Store It for Ten Years 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate a day; dry powder keeps 10 years or more sealed with a desiccant Food · Supply Creatine Monohydrate Real shelf life: 10+ years sealed. Label says 2-3 years (best-by) 10+ YR SEALED Food · Supply Cured Meats How to check cured meats for spoilage. Food · Supply Dark Chocolate Real shelf life: 4-5 years. Label says 2 years 4-5 YR Food · Supply Dried Beans Real shelf life: Up to 10 years. Label says 1-2 years UP TO 10 YR Food · Supply Dried Beans & Legumes How to check dried beans & legumes for spoilage. Food · Supply Dried Herbs & Spices Real shelf life: Longer, but lose potency. Label says 1-3 years LONGER, BUT LOSE POTENCY Food · Supply Eggs How to check eggs for spoilage. Food · Supply Fish & Seafood How to check fish & seafood for spoilage. Food · Supply Freeze-Dried Foods Real shelf life: 25-30 years. Label says 10-25 years 25-30 YR Food · Supply Fresh Fruit & Veg How to check fresh fruit & veg for spoilage. Food · Supply Fresh Meats How to check fresh meats for spoilage. Food · Supply Frozen Foods How to check frozen foods for spoilage. Food · Supply Grains & Flours How to check grains & flours for spoilage. Food · Supply Hard Cheese Real shelf life: 6-12 months. Label says 3-6 months 6-12 MONTHS Food · Supply Instant Coffee Real shelf life: Indefinite. Label says About 2 years (best-by) INDEFINITEMULTI-USE Medical · Supply Iodine Shelf life: 5-10 yrs. Airtight amber container, cool and dark. Light kills potency. 5-10 YRSMULTI-USE Food · Supply Jarred Items How to check jarred items for spoilage. Food · Supply Lentils Real shelf life: Up to 5 years. Label says 2-3 years UP TO 5 YR Food · Supply Maple Syrup Real shelf life: Indefinite. Label says 1 year INDEFINITEMULTI-USE Food · Supply MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat): Contents, Heating, Shelf Life Shelf life is set by heat: about 11 years at 60°F, 8 at 70°F, 3 to 6 at 80°F, under 2 at 100°F, a month at 120°F Food · Supply Nuts & Seeds Real shelf life: 6-12 mo 6-12 MO Food · Supply Oats Real shelf life: 2-3 years. Label says 1-2 years 2-3 YR Food · Supply Packaged Snacks How to check packaged snacks for spoilage. Food · Supply Pasta Real shelf life: 2-3 years. Label says 1-2 years 2-3 YR Food · Supply Peanut Butter Real shelf life: 2-3 years. Label says 6-9 mo past best-by 2-3 YR Medical · Supply Potassium Iodide (KI) Tablets: What They Protect, Who Takes How Much, and When Thyroid only: 130 mg adults, 65 mg ages 3 to 18, once every 24 hours while exposure continues, taken when officials say to Food · Supply Powdered Milk for Food Storage: Nonfat Keeps 20 Years, and How to Mix It so It Tastes Right Nonfat dry milk: 20+ years in Mylar with oxygen absorbers; 1 1/3 cups instant powder makes a quart Food · Supply Rice Vinegar Real shelf life: Indefinite. Label says 2 years INDEFINITEMULTI-USE Food · Supply Sardines (Canned) Real shelf life: 5-10 years. Label says 3-5 years 5-10 YR Food · Supply Soy Sauce Real shelf life: Indefinite. Label says 2-3 years INDEFINITEMULTI-USE Food · Supply Spices to Stock: The Ten That Keep, How Long They Last, and Why a Pantry Without Them Fails Salt keeps forever, whole spices 3 to 5 years, ground spices 1 to 3; buy whole where you can and grind as you go Food · Supply Sugar Real shelf life: Indefinite. Label says Indefinite INDEFINITEMULTI-USE Food · Supply Sweeteners That Keep: Honey, Sugar, Syrups, and How Much to Store White sugar and honey keep forever in a sealed container kept dry; store about 60 pounds of sugar per adult per year and rotate the syrups Tools and Repair · Supply Synthetic Rope: Nylon, Polyester or Polypropylene, and Which One to Buy for Each Job Nylon stretches and takes shock, polyester holds tension and takes sun, polypropylene floats and costs the least; stock all three and keep the poly out of the sun Food · Supply Tea Bags Real shelf life: 2-3 years. Label says 18-24 months 2-3 YR Compounds and Cleaning · Supply Turpentine vs Mineral Spirits: Which Solvent for Which Job, and How to Store Both Mineral spirits for most shop work, turpentine for oil finishes and resin; both keep for years sealed, cool, and away from flame Food · Supply Vanilla Extract Real shelf life: Indefinite. Label says Indefinite INDEFINITEMULTI-USE Compounds and Cleaning · Supply WD-40 in the Stockpile: What It Is Good for, What It Is Not, and How Long a Can Lasts 5 year shelf life by the maker, often longer; the propellant fails before the product; stock several small cans Food · Supply Wheat Berries Real shelf life: Up to 30 years. Label says 6-8 months UP TO 30 YR Food · Supply White Rice for Preparedness: How to Store It for 30 Years Sealed in Mylar with an oxygen absorber and kept cool, white rice keeps 20 to 30 years. On the shelf in its bag, 4 to 5 years. Brown rice, a year. 10 TO 30 YRCALORIE BASE Warmth and Shelter · Supply Wool: Why It Is the Fiber for Cold, Wet and Long Days, and What to Own in It Wool keeps you warm when it is wet, will not burn, and does not stink on day three; own socks, a base layer, a hat and a blanket in it before anything else Food · Supply Yogurt & Sour Cream How to check yogurt & sour cream for spoilage.