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Comment by ratsbane | Hacker News Reader

I've got a titanium spork and some dental floss in my backpack and in the trunk of my car I've got a hi-vis vest, white hard hat, and a two-way radio. Am I missing anything?

Are some of these prepper people are missing out on the key concept that to live by your wits you need wits? Or maybe they're aware of that and that's why they stockpile the shotgun shells and dehydrated water capsules...?

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> dehydrated water capsules

Is that a real thing? that sounds like nothing at all.

No - but there do exist "survival water packets" - you can find them on amazon and elsewhere (basically small pouches of clean water - think ketchup packets, with clean water instead).

Wits don't help when the water is all dirty, the food is in cans and the batteries wear out. Especially when other sharp-witted people are in the same situation.

+10 on the dental floss. I've been trying to find a way to buy (the remainder of) a lifetime's supply in case of thermonuclear war.

Once out of floss, I can either pull my teeth out (Well, OK, every _other_ tooth) or kill myself. Life w/o floss is unimaginable.

Floss actually isn't necessary and its benefits haven't been scientifically proven. Sugar is the enemy. Drink water.

okay, you obviously never had a piece of meat stuck between teeth ... it's going to start itching and will drive you literally crazy

Floss is useful for things other than cleaning teeth; it's fairly strong, lightweight, and you can get a lot for little money. You can use it to tie up things, as a wick for a candle or oil lamp, sewing (in a pinch), etc. Basically, get a small roll for your bug-out bag, make sure it is unflavored and waxed.

It's usefulness depends a lot on how straight your teeth are and what kind of food you eat.

if you found yourself in the middle of koreatown during the 1992 LA riots, do you think that stuff in your trunk would get you very far?

Oh, absolutely not. But I hope my car would.

This is why I keep a roof Korean in my trunk.

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