50 Essential Items Every New UK Prepper Should Buy
If you're new to prepping, one of the easiest mistakes to make is buying too much gear too quickly.
You don't need military equipment, expensive survival gadgets or a garage full of supplies. For most people in Britain, sensible preparedness starts with being able to cope with fairly ordinary problems such as a power cut, water outage, heating failure, storm, short evacuation or disruption to shops and services.
The 50 items below are what I'd concentrate on first.
You certainly don't need to buy everything at once. Start with the things that solve your biggest weaknesses, then gradually add to your supplies as your budget allows.
You can buy any of these items wherever you normally get your supplies. I’ve included an Amazon link for each one simply to make them easier to find.
If you choose to buy through one of those links, I may earn a small commission. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps support Be Prepared UK and allows me to keep creating more useful content.
If you do use one of the links below, thank you. I genuinely appreciate the support.
Power and Charging
A modern emergency often becomes a power problem very quickly. Phones need charging, lights need batteries and many households now rely on electricity for almost everything.
A decent power bank can recharge a modern smartphone several times and is one of the cheapest ways to prepare for a power cut.
Amazon linkA portable power station gives you considerably more capacity for phones, tablets, lights, radios and other low-power equipment.
Amazon linkUseful for radios, torches and other emergency equipment without constantly buying disposable batteries.
Amazon linkMany smaller torches, head lamps and household devices use AAA batteries, so keep a charged set available.
Amazon linkA good charger lets you maintain your rechargeable battery supply and keep spare sets ready.
Amazon linkRechargeable batteries are useful, but ordinary alkaline batteries provide a useful backup when you cannot recharge anything.
Amazon linkKeep these stored alongside your emergency lighting and radio equipment.
Amazon linkKeep at least one good-quality spare charging cable with your emergency equipment rather than relying on the cable beside your bed.
Amazon linkIf your home loses power but your vehicle is available, a car charger gives you another way of keeping phones and power banks charged.
Amazon linkA decent extension lead is useful when power is restored and you need to safely distribute electricity to several devices.
Amazon linkLighting and Information
Lighting is one of the first things you'll notice during a power cut. You also need a way of receiving information if your internet connection or mobile network becomes unreliable.
A head torch leaves both hands free and is far more practical than holding a torch while cooking, repairing something or moving around in the dark.
Amazon linkA lantern can light an entire room and makes long power cuts considerably easier to live with.
Amazon linkKeep a reliable handheld torch somewhere immediately accessible rather than depending on your phone's flash.
Amazon linkA portable radio gives you another way of receiving news and emergency information if internet services are unavailable.
Amazon linkLicence-free PMR446 radios can provide useful short-range communication between family members when mobile phones are unavailable.
Amazon linkSat-nav is excellent until your phone, connection or power fails. A paper road atlas still works.
Amazon linkA whistle is cheap, small and much easier than shouting continuously if you ever need to attract attention.
Amazon linkWater
Water should be one of your highest priorities. The important thing isn't owning an impressive filtration system. It's having enough clean water stored and having several ways to collect, carry and treat additional water if necessary.
A proper food-safe container is one of the simplest ways to keep emergency drinking water at home.
Amazon linkTen litres is much easier to carry than a huge container and gives you flexibility when collecting or moving water.
Amazon linkA 400ltr collapsible bladder can provide substantial temporary water storage without taking up much space when it isn't being used.
Amazon linkA compact filter is useful if you ever have to treat questionable water when normal supplies aren't available.
Amazon linkGravity filtration is particularly useful for households because you can process larger quantities without manually squeezing every litre.
Amazon linkThey take almost no storage space and provide an additional water-treatment method if filtration isn't enough or isn't available.
Amazon linkEvery household member should have a rugged/strong bottle for carrying drinking water.
Amazon linkA bucket is surprisingly useful for collecting water, washing, cleaning and basic sanitation during a disruption.
Amazon linkDon't make filtration your main water plan. Stored clean drinking water should come first. Filters and purification tablets are backups for situations where your stored supply is no longer enough.
Cooking
An emergency food supply isn't particularly useful if everything in it requires cooking and you've lost the ability to cook it. Your emergency cooking setup should be simple, reliable and something you already know how to use safely.
A simple butane camping stove provides an inexpensive backup cooking method when your normal cooker isn't available.
Amazon linkA stove without fuel isn't a prep. Keep enough compatible fuel for the amount of cooking you realistically expect to do.
Amazon linkProbably one of the least exciting items on this list, but extremely important if much of your emergency food is tinned.
Amazon linkA basic saucepan can cook food, heat water and make simple one-pot meals while keeping fuel consumption relatively low.
Amazon linkUseful for making drinks, preparing dehydrated food and heating water for washing.
Amazon linkA good flask keeps boiled water hot for hours, reducing the amount of fuel or electricity you need to use repeatedly.
Amazon linkCheap disposable lighters are simple and dependable. Keep several rather than relying on one.
Amazon linkMatches provide an additional ignition method and are worth keeping separately from your lighters.
Amazon linkNever use outdoor cooking equipment indoors unless the manufacturer specifically states that it is designed and approved for indoor use. Carbon monoxide can build up without you seeing or smelling it.
First Aid and Home Safety
You don't need a battlefield trauma kit to start prepping. A sensible household first aid kit and basic fire safety equipment are much more appropriate for most people.
Start with a proper household first aid kit rather than buying dozens of individual medical items you may not know how to use.
Amazon linkA physical reference book still works when your phone doesn't, and it can help you deal with situations you haven't encountered before.
Amazon linkA basic thermometer is inexpensive, useful and belongs in any sensible household medical kit.
Amazon linkUseful for first aid, cleaning, sanitation and dealing with contaminated materials.
Amazon linkUseful for dust, smoke particles and certain situations where respiratory protection may be required.
Amazon linkA Kitemarked fire blanket belongs in or near the kitchen and can deal with certain small fires before they develop further.
Amazon linkParticularly important if you use gas appliances, solid fuel or emergency heating and cooking equipment.
Amazon linkEvery home should already have working smoke alarms. Test them regularly and keep suitable spare batteries if required.
Amazon linkA suitable household extinguisher can be useful for dealing with a small fire while it is still safe to do so.
Amazon linkWarmth and Sanitation
A winter power or heating failure can quickly make a home uncomfortable. Sanitation also becomes increasingly important if water, drainage or normal household services are disrupted.
A decent sleeping bag can keep you warm overnight without trying to heat an entire house during a prolonged winter power cut.
Amazon linkSimple blankets are cheap, useful and work without electricity, batteries or fuel.
Amazon linkIf you can heat a small quantity of water, a hot-water bottle is a very efficient way to keep a person warm.
Amazon linkA compact emergency bivvy takes very little space and provides an additional layer of protection from wind and cold.
Amazon linkUseful for rubbish, temporary waterproofing, sanitation, storage and dozens of improvised jobs around the home.
Amazon linkIf water becomes limited, hand sanitiser reduces the amount of clean water you need to use simply for hand hygiene.
Amazon linkIf water or sewerage services fail, having a basic backup toilet arrangement can quickly become more important than almost any piece of traditional survival gear.
Amazon linkWhat Should a New Prepper Buy First?
Don't look at this list and assume you need to order 50 products this weekend.
Start with water storage, a power bank, reliable lighting, a battery radio, spare batteries, a manual tin opener, a first aid kit, a safe backup cooking method and something that will keep you warm.
A Sensible First Shopping List
If you're starting from almost nothing, I'd concentrate on a 20-litre water container, a 20,000mAh power bank, a head torch, an LED lantern, a battery radio, spare batteries, a manual tin opener, a first aid kit, a camping stove with fuel, a carbon monoxide alarm, warm blankets and basic sanitation supplies.
Once those basics are covered, start filling the gaps that matter to your particular household.
Someone living in a small city flat will have different priorities from somebody living in a rural house. Families with young children, elderly relatives, pets or medical requirements will also need to adapt their supplies.
Good preparedness isn't about owning the most equipment. It's about identifying the problems you're realistically likely to face and having simple ways of dealing with them.
Don't Forget the Supplies
This list concentrates specifically on gear, but equipment is only part of being prepared.
You should also think about drinking water, shelf-stable food, prescription medication, toilet roll, soap, cleaning products, pet supplies and a small amount of cash.
Those ordinary household supplies will probably be used long before many pieces of specialist survival equipment ever leave the cupboard.
Start with the basics, buy gradually and concentrate on equipment you understand and can actually use.