Topic
Prepping in the UK: guides, kit and checklists
Prepping without the paranoia. When the power fails, the water stops or the shelves empty, the households that cope are the ones that got ready calmly, beforehand. Start with the beginner’s guide, then work through the rest at your own pace.
Guides
- 01Prepping for beginners: a grounded UK guide to getting readyWhat prepping really means in the UK, the risks worth planning for, and the first five things to do this week.
- 02What to buy for emergencies: a UK prepping kit list in priority orderWhat to buy first, what can wait and what to skip, in three budget tiers, based on official UK advice.
- 03The printable UK prepping checklistOne printable checklist for supplies, home, documents, people and skills, from three days up to two weeks.
- 04The safest places in the UK in a disaster? How to judge risk where you liveThere is no disaster-proof town. How to judge flood, coastal, water, radon, industrial and isolation risk for any UK address using official maps.
- 05Grab bag and evacuation: what to pack and what happens if you have to leave homeWhat to pack in a grab bag, how evacuation works in the UK, and what to expect at an emergency rest centre.
- 06Building an emergency food store you will actually eatHow to build a rotating food store from 3 days to 2 weeks, what to keep, fridge and freezer safety in a power cut, and cooking without power safely.
- 07Go in, stay in, tune in: sheltering at home from chemical or radiation emergenciesWhat to do if you are told to shelter from smoke, chemicals or radiation, and the official truth about iodine tablets.
- 08First aid when help is slow to come: the skills and kit that matter mostThe handful of first aid skills that save lives, from British Red Cross advice, what to put in a home kit, and what to do when ambulances are stretched.
- 09Emergency Alerts on your phone: what the siren means and what to doHow the UK’s Emergency Alerts system works, why your phone might not get one, how to spot scams, and why you should keep alerts switched on.
Where to start
- Read prepping for beginners and write your household plan.
- Use what to buy to fill the gaps, a little at a time.
- Print the checklist and tick it off over a month.
- Check the risks where you live with our guide to safer places in the UK.
When disruption lasts
For a power cut lasting a week, empty shelves, or a national emergency, read our long-haul guides: grid down, water for weeks, supply shortages and war or national emergency.
Our approach
Everything here is built on official UK advice, which we link at the bottom of every guide. No conspiracy theories, no weapons, no panic buying. Where we name products, as on our power station picks, we explain exactly how we chose them, and we have not tested them ourselves. This is an independent guide, not a government service.