Best Prepper and Survival Items at Home Depot

Home Depot is my favorite big box hardware store. This is mainly because they sell my preferred brands of tools. However, Home Depot is also a good place to pick up several important prepper and survival items.

The best prepper and survival items that you can find at Home Depot are:

Security Items
Personal Protective Equipment
Sanitation Items
Food and Water Supplies
Tools
Power and Fuel Items
Organization Shelves and Containers

The good thing about many of these items is that they are available at the Home Depot in their “commercial variants” which tend to be more robust. I’ll go over each of the categories and the best items in each.

Security Items

Home Depot is a good place for preppers to find items to help make their home and property more secure. Being able to protect yourself and your loved ones from harm is essential in a survival situation.

Solar Lighting

You can find various types of solar lighting at Home Depot. They have everything from small pathway lights all the way to large motion-activated security lights.

Door Reinforcement Kits

Most burglars enter homes through the front door. Because of this it makes sense to reinforce the front and other exterior doors.

Door reinforcement kits allow you to strengthen the areas of your doors that are most likely to fail. This makes them harder to kick in.

The added difficulty that an intruder will face trying to break down your door could deter them or at the very least give you more time to react.

Doors

Every exterior door leading into your home should be solid core and preferably not have windows.

Home Depot is a good place to go if you need to replace an old door or want one that is a little more secure.

Locks

Padlocks, deadbolts, and other types of locks can all be used to keep your home and gear secure.

Fencing Supplies

Home Depot is also a good place for a prepper to pick up fencing supplies. You can find fence posts, chain link, and even barbed wire.

Plywood and Lumber

Plywood and lumber have a wide variety of preparedness and survival uses. You can use them to build various things, board up windows, and make repairs.

Alarms and Cameras

Home Depot also has a good selection of security alarms and cameras. You can find everything from cheap door/window alarms all the way to complete security systems.

Personal Protective Equipment

Bad guys and wild animals aren’t the only dangers that a prepper may face. In many survival situations, accidents are far more likely to incapacitate you.

Home Depot is one of the best places to pick up professional-grade personal protective equipment.

Gloves

There are many types of work gloves and Home Depot sells most of them. You can find gloves for gardening, working on your car, and heavy-duty ones for demolition work. (Demo gloves would be a good choice for urban survival.)

Respirators

As of writing this, the pandemic has made finding these very difficult. However, during normal times you should be able to find various types of respirators.

These include common N95 masks as well as half and full-face respirators that have replaceable cartridges.

Protective Suits

Home Depot also sells disposable coveralls. They are used when doing tasks like painting but can protect you from a variety of harmful chemicals.

Eye and Ear Protection

You can also find various types of goggles and safety glasses as well as earmuffs and earplugs. They can keep your eyes and ears safe while working, at the range, or during an emergency.

Helmets

If you are going to process your own firewood or lumber falling limbs are a real threat. You can find helmets and face shields here to prevent serious injury.

First Aid Kits

Home Depot also sells first aid kits. You can find portable kits as well as pre-stocked cabinets that mount on a wall.

Sanitation

One of the biggest dangers that preppers face during an emergency or survival situation is the threat of disease. Many of these are caused by poor sanitation.

Home Depot sells many items that can help you keep your environment clean and safe from bacteria, viruses, and pests.

Trash Bags

Trash bags have several survival uses. In addition to helping keep your house clean, they can also be used as ponchos and even shelters. Be sure to pick up some heavy-duty contractor bags since they are much stronger than regular trash bags.

Cleaning Supplies

Home Depot also has a good selection of cleaning supplies. You can find common household cleaners, stronger commercial chemicals, and even toilet paper and other household essentials.

Pesticides

Bugs, mice, and other pests can destroy your food, spread disease, and cause many other problems. You should be able to find chemicals and traps to kill most of them.

Plastic Sheeting

Plastic sheeting has a variety of uses. You can use it to cover a broken window, cover belongings, and even provide some protection from airborne contaminants.

Food and Water Supplies

When you think about Home Depot, food probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, it can be a good place for a prepper to get gardening essentials and water storage equipment.

Related: How Do Preppers Store Food?

Hydroponic systems

Hydroponics is a way of gardening that grows plants without using soil and takes up far less space than traditional gardening. In the case of aquaponics, those systems can also raise fish as well.

Home Depot sells small countertop units for growing herbs as well as the components that you would need to assemble a large hydroponic system.

Garden Plants and Seeds

You can also find food-bearing plants and seeds in the garden section. If possible, try to select plants and seeds that are heirloom varieties. That will allow you to save the seeds and use them next season.

Gardening Tools and Containers

From shovels to wheelbarrows and rakes, Home Depot carries pretty much any gardening tool that a prepper may need. Tools made by Razor-Back would be my choice when available.

In addition to gardening tools, you can also pick up containers, including pots and planter boxes, as well. Potting soil is also readily available.

Water Barrels

Water barrels are a key component of water storage, including rainwater harvesting systems. Depending on your location, you may need to order these on their website, however, Home Depot does sell them.

Related: How Do Preppers Store Water?

Gutters

Gutters are other essential components of a rainwater harvesting system. You can find gutter components in different material and color options.

Sillcock Keys

A sillcock key will allow you to turn on exterior faucets on commercial buildings. This will give you another way to get water during an emergency. They are especially useful in an urban environment. You should be able to find these with the plumbing tools.

Siphon Transfer Pumps

Siphon transfer pumps are usually used to remove fuel and other fluids from vehicles. However, they could also be used to scavenge water from crevices and other hard to reach spaces in a survival situation.

Tools

As I mentioned above, Home Depot is my favorite place to buy tools. They have a good selection of both professional and DIYer-grade tools. Good tools are essential for preppers since they will help you be more self-sufficient and can even help in some survival situations.

Hand Tools

Every prepper should have a good selection of hand tools. You can use them when working on prepping projects and to save money by doing repairs yourself. Here is a good list to start with:

Framing hammer
Adjustable wrench
Channel locks
Needle nose pliers
Screwdrivers
Allen and torx wrenches
Wood saw
Hacksaw
Tape measure
Axe/hatchet

There are many other tools that a prepper would benefit from owning. You can find a more complete list of these tools by reading Build a Compete Prepper Tool Kit by clicking here.

Power Tools

Hand tools are the backbone of every prepper’s tool collection, however, that doesn’t mean that you should ignore power tools.

Power tools can make jobs easier and faster. This is an important consideration, especially if you live in hurricane-prone areas. Having good power tools will allow you to quickly board up windows and maybe beat the crowd out of town. Every prepper should have the following power tools:

Drill
Impact driver
Circular saw
Reciprocating saw

You can learn more about what power tools that you may need by reading Power Tools Preppers Need by clicking here.

Flashlights

The Home Depot is also a good place to pick up flashlights and headlamps. You can even find ones that run off your power tool batteries.

Ratchet Straps and Bungees

If you have to bug out, having ratchet straps and bungees will be essential. They will keep your gear secure while transporting and can even help consolidate space.

Chains

If you have larger equipment to move, then chains will be far more useful than ratchet straps and bungees. You can even use them to help tow vehicles, provided they are properly rated.

Tarps

Home Depot also sells many different sizes of tarps which have many survival uses. They can be used to protect or hide gear and can even be used as a shelter.

If you live in a storm-prone area large tarps work well to temporarily patch roofs. This can reduce water damage to your home.

Glue and Tape

You can use glue and tape to make quick repairs on gear, vehicles, and even your home. Home Depot sells all sorts of adhesives, including industrial strength epoxies.

Jumper Cables

Every car should have a good set of jumper cables. I prefer heavier gauge jumper cables in as long of a length as I can find.

Roadside Emergency Kits

In addition to jumper cables, Home Depot also sells complete roadside emergency kits. These typically include jumper cables, safety triangles, flares, and flashlights.

Power and Fuel

The Home Depot is also a good place for preppers to pick up fuel and other items that could help them generate power and stay warm. Having this type of equipment would be extremely valuable in a survival situation or emergency.

These items could allow you to preserve food for longer, keep communication equipment powered up, and help keep you comfortable.

Generators

Home Depot offers many different types of generators that could be useful in a survival situation. These include gas-powered portable generators as well as standby generators that use natural gas to power your entire home.

Solar Power Equipment

You can find most of the components that you need to assemble a solar power system, however, you may need to visit Home Depot’s website for several of the items.

You can find good-quality monocrystalline solar panels to collect energy and deep cycle batteries to store it. Other pieces of equipment, such as inverters, are available as well.

Propane Bottles

Propane can be used to operate grills, stoves, and heaters. You can pick up bottles, refill ones you already have, and find accessories such as hoses as well.

Heaters

Home Depot is also a good place for preppers to pick up heaters. They carry small ones that can be used to heat a room or a tent as well as larger ones for outdoor spaces.

Gas Cans

You can also find gas cans to hold various types of fuel. Having the proper cans for gasoline, diesel, and others will prevent you from accidentally mixing different types.

Fuel Stabilizer

Unleaded gasoline will not last forever. Adding a fuel stabilizer to it will increase its shelf life. You can find this near the lawnmowers and weed eaters.

Batteries

Most preppers have small battery-powered electronics. Home Depot is a good place to pick up batteries for them.

Organization

Being a prepper involves storing food, water, daily essentials, and many types of survival gear. Being able to organize all of that is essential, and Home Depot is a good place to pick up the items to help you with this.

Shelving

You can find many types of shelving at Home Depot. These include pre-made shelving units that simply snap together all the way to shelf boards and brackets that you can install into your home itself.

Totes

Having plastic totes will help you keep your gear organized. They will also provide some amount of protection from pests and water damage. Getting wheeled totes would be a good idea for heavier items.

Buckets

Home Depot’s “Homer buckets” are some of the most useful and cheap pieces of survival gear out there. You can use them for pretty much anything. Here are a few ways to use them:

Food storage
Water transport
Planter pot
Tool box

When you get your buckets be sure to pick up some kids as well. Snap-on lids work fine for a lot of jobs but Gamma Seal lids are easier to remove and can provide a watertight seal.

Sheds

Some types of gear are well-suited to being stored outside of the home. You can find many types and sizes of storage sheds at Home Depot for these items.