There is a lot of good information in the preparedness community.

There is also a lot of nonsense.

Some bad ideas started in survival fiction, were repeated on blogs and forums, and eventually became accepted as fact by people who never stopped to question whether the ideas made sense in the real world.

Fiction writers need drama.

They need enormous refugee hordes, lawless highways, isolated mountain retreats, gun battles, raiders, and a hero who always happens to have the right weapon at the right time.

That can make for an entertaining story.

It does not necessarily make a useful preparedness plan.

Real disasters are usually more complicated, less predictable, and far less cinematic.

People do not all react the same way. Governments do not disappear on a schedule. Cities do not always empty. Rural areas are not automatically safe. Owning guns does not make someone a tactical genius, and heading into the woods does not make an untrained family self-sufficient.

Here are five common pieces of prepper advice that deserve a closer look.

Prepper Myth Number One: The Golden Horde

The “golden horde” theory has been promoted for decades by survival authors, bloggers, forum members, and fiction writers.

The basic theory says that after an economic collapse, grid failure, or other major disaster, millions of desperate people will pour out of the cities and swarm across the countryside like locusts.

They will supposedly strip every rural store, farm, garden, chicken coop, and isolated home they encounter.

It sounds frightening.

It also assumes that millions of people will somehow:

• Leave at approximately the same time
• Travel in the same direction
• Walk enormous distances
• Know where rural supplies are located
• Move without fuel, food, water, maps, or transportation
• Remain organized enough to become one giant moving horde

That is not how large populations normally move.

People leave dangerous areas for different reasons and travel toward different destinations.

They may go to:

• Relatives
• Friends
• Hotels
• Government shelters
• Churches
• Nearby towns
• Other cities
• Work opportunities
• Areas where aid and services are available

Some people will leave the city for rural areas.

Some rural people will leave for towns and cities where they believe they can find employment, food, medical care, shelter, government assistance, or family support.

Others will stay exactly where they are until staying becomes impossible.

There is no reason to assume that everyone will follow the same pattern.

Localized Evacuations Are Different

A disaster specifically affecting an urban area can create a huge outward movement.

Hurricane Katrina is an obvious example.

New Orleans and surrounding areas experienced mandatory evacuation, severe flooding, destroyed housing, lost employment, and a massive displacement of residents into shelters and communities across numerous states.

But that movement did not resemble one organized army marching into isolated farmland.

People traveled along evacuation routes toward shelters, relatives, hotels, transportation hubs, and cities capable of receiving them.

That is far more realistic than the fictional picture of millions of people wandering randomly through the woods searching for prepper retreats.

Does That Mean Rural Areas Have Nothing to Fear?

No.

The fact that I do not expect one enormous golden horde does not mean rural areas will remain untouched.

Likely problems include:

• Heavy traffic along evacuation routes
• Fuel shortages
• Empty grocery stores
• Temporary camps
• Theft
• Burglary
• Desperate individuals and small groups
• Organized criminal gangs
• Targeted raids on farms, warehouses, stores, and isolated homes

Small groups can still be dangerous.

Ten organized criminals with vehicles, weapons, information, and a plan may present a greater threat than 10,000 exhausted people wandering around without food or transportation.

Rural communities near major cities, highways, distribution centers, and evacuation corridors may experience trouble sooner than more distant areas.

However, assigning a precise distance such as 25, 50, or 100 miles creates a false sense of certainty.

Roads, terrain, fuel availability, population density, local law enforcement, available shelter, and the type of disaster will matter more than a number drawn on a map.

Government Action May Matter More Than the Horde

An economic collapse does not automatically mean the government disappears.

A functioning government may become more involved, not less involved.

Possible actions could include:

• Rationing
• Price controls
• Travel restrictions
• Emergency declarations
• Curfews
• Priority distribution to densely populated areas
• Government purchasing or control of supplies
• Restrictions on fuel, food, or agricultural shipments

You may face more danger from shortages, regulation, economic controls, taxation, confiscation under color of emergency authority, or redirected supply chains than from a giant mass of people marching toward your house.

Do not base your entire security plan on one dramatic scenario.

Prepper Myth Number Two: WROL Means Permanent Anarchy

WROL stands for “without rule of law.”

Some survival writers describe WROL as though every disaster immediately produces a permanent nationwide free-for-all.

The police vanish.

The courts close forever.

Prisons empty.

Every neighbor becomes an enemy.

No one is ever held accountable for anything again.

A major disaster can absolutely create periods when normal law enforcement is unavailable or ineffective.

You may call 911 and receive no immediate response.

Police, firefighters, ambulances, hospitals, dispatch centers, and local government may be:

• Overwhelmed
• Understaffed
• Cut off by damaged roads
• Without communications
• Without fuel
• Dealing with more serious incidents elsewhere

That can create a temporary and localized loss of effective law enforcement.

But that is different from assuming that every law and authority has permanently disappeared.

Most People Want Order

Most people do not enjoy living in complete chaos.

They want:

• Safe streets
• Protection for their children
• Food distribution
• Fire protection
• Medical assistance
• Rules against theft, assault, rape, and murder
• Consequences for those who harm others

When official systems are weakened, people often create informal systems.

Neighbors check on one another.

Churches distribute food.

Volunteer groups clear roads.

People organize watches, share equipment, provide transportation, and look after children, elderly residents, and those with medical problems.

That does not mean everyone becomes friendly or that crime disappears.

Crime may increase substantially.

There may be looting, fraud, robbery, home invasions, violence, and exploitation.

The point is that widespread panic and permanent lawlessness are not the only possible human reactions.

Law May Become Local and Rough

If national or state systems fail, authority may shift downward.

The people enforcing order could include:

• County sheriffs
• Local police
• State police
• National Guard units
• Town governments
• Volunteer organizations
• Neighborhood groups
• Private security
• Informal community leaders

The resulting system may not be fair, consistent, or pleasant.

But some form of law and order will probably return because most communities cannot function without it.

Your preparedness plan should account for temporary gaps in emergency services without assuming that you will live forever in a Mad Max movie.

Prepper Myth Number Three: Shoot First and Ask Questions Later

This is where some preppers become confused and dangerously overconfident.

They imagine that after a major economic or social crisis, they will be free to shoot anyone who:

• Walks onto their property
• Looks suspicious
• Knocks on the door
• Asks for food
• Is seen near the garden
• Approaches the retreat
• Refuses to obey an order

That is not a serious security plan.

It is a prison sentence waiting to happen.

Unless the country enters a complete and prolonged state of civil war or total governmental collapse, laws concerning homicide, assault, firearms, self-defense, and use of force will continue to exist.

Even during a serious emergency, you may eventually have to explain every shot you fired.

The explanation may be given to:

• A responding deputy
• A prosecutor
• A grand jury
• A criminal jury
• A civil jury
• A local emergency authority
• The victim’s family
• Your own neighbors

Economic hardship does not automatically give anyone the right to kill a trespasser, thief, stranger, or hungry neighbor.

Deadly Force Is the Last Line

Your security plan should contain several layers before deadly force becomes necessary.

Those layers may include:

• Good locks
• Reinforced doors
• Fences and gates
• Exterior lighting
• Alarms
• Cameras
• Dogs
• Gravel approaches that make quiet movement difficult
• Clear views around the home
• Safe rooms
• Communication with neighbors
• Defensive spray where legal
• Verbal commands and de-escalation
• A safe way to retreat or create distance

Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Defensive spray can provide another option between doing nothing and using deadly force.

Nonlethal equipment is not harmless, and its possession or use may be regulated in some locations.

Learn how to use anything you carry, understand its limitations, and check your current state and local laws.

Know Local Law Enforcement Before the Disaster

It is a good idea to know your sheriff, deputies, police officers, firefighters, emergency-management personnel, and other local officials.

That does not mean making friends so they will cover up a bad shooting.

It means becoming a known, responsible member of the community before an emergency.

Attend local meetings.

Support volunteer organizations.

Learn who is responsible for emergency management.

Understand how your county handles evacuations, shelters, road closures, communications, and disaster response.

Those relationships may become important when normal systems are strained.

The person who uses unjustifiable force may still be prosecuted after the crisis ends.

Do not let survival fiction convince you otherwise.

Prepper Myth Number Four: Bugging Out to the Woods

One of the most common survival fantasies is loading the family, guns, ammunition, and a few bags of supplies into a vehicle and heading for the mountains.

Where in the mountains?

Most people have no idea.

They have no land, cabin, shelter, water source, food supply, sanitation plan, or permission to be there.

Their “bug-out location” is somebody else’s property, a national forest, a state park, or a vague spot they saw during a camping trip ten years ago.

That is not a plan.

It is running away.

Your Home Usually Contains Your Best Supplies

Your home probably contains:

• Shelter
• Stored food
• Water
• Tools
• Clothing
• Bedding
• Medical supplies
• Cooking equipment
• Documents
• Neighbors
• Familiar terrain
• Known escape routes

Leaving all that behind for an unknown patch of woods should not be your automatic response.

Living in the wilderness for several days with proper equipment can be difficult.

Living there for months or years while caring for children, elderly relatives, medical conditions, and people with no outdoor skills is another matter entirely.

Most people cannot hunt, trap, fish, forage, build shelter, maintain sanitation, preserve food, and avoid injury well enough to support a family indefinitely.

Watching survival television does not change that.

Sometimes You Absolutely Should Leave

Bugging in is not always the right choice.

You may need to evacuate because of:

• Wildfire
• Flooding
• Hurricane storm surge
• Chemical spill
• Dam failure
• Radiological release
• Nearby violence
• An unsafe or badly damaged home
• A mandatory evacuation order

The decision should be based on the actual threat—not on a blanket rule saying that bugging out is always foolish or always necessary.

A real evacuation plan includes:

• A known destination
• Permission to go there
• At least two routes
• Paper maps
• A vehicle maintained and fueled
• Supplies already packed
• A communication plan
• Plans for pets and livestock
• Trigger points that tell you when to leave
• A backup plan if roads are blocked

“Head north toward the mountains” is not enough.

For most threats, staying in a prepared home is better than becoming a refugee.

For threats that will destroy or overrun your location, leaving early may save your life.

Use logic and current information rather than emotion.

Prepper Myth Number Five: The Isolated Cabin Is Always Safest

Some survival writers say the safest possible location is a cabin as far away from other people as you can get.

I understand the appeal.

I have lived in isolated areas where my nearest neighbors were well over a mile away.

The peace and quiet were wonderful.

The isolation was also a weakness.

Every time I left for town, I wondered whether someone would break in and steal everything before I returned.

That was during normal times.

Isolation Works Both Ways

Living far away from everyone gives you privacy.

It also gives criminals privacy.

An isolated property may have:

• No witnesses
• Slow police response
• Slow fire response
• Long ambulance response times
• One road in and out
• No nearby help
• Poor cellular coverage
• Limited visibility from neighboring homes

If thieves occupy an isolated cabin, no one may notice.

If you are injured while cutting firewood, farming, repairing a roof, or using equipment, no one may hear you call for help.

If the house catches fire, the volunteer fire department may be many miles away.

If a group attacks, there may be no neighbor close enough to respond.

Isolation does not automatically equal security.

A Defensible Community Is Better Than Total Isolation

For many people, the best location is near a small town or established rural community.

Ideally, you would have:

• Enough land for a garden, orchard, livestock, and privacy
• Reliable water
• Wood or another independent heat source
• Several neighbors within practical helping distance
• Access to local roads without living directly on a major highway
• A nearby fire department
• A nearby clinic or medical provider
• Local tradespeople
• A church or other community network

Five to ten acres can provide plenty of room for a small homestead without placing you completely beyond the reach of help.

Do not go deeply into debt to obtain the perfect survival property.

A heavily mortgaged retreat can become another vulnerability if income disappears.

Build a Neighborhood Support Network

Your neighbors do not have to become part of a formal survival group.

Start with ordinary cooperation.

Learn:

• Who has medical training
• Who owns a tractor
• Who has a chainsaw
• Who can repair engines
• Who has livestock experience
• Who has a well
• Who has a generator
• Who is elderly or disabled and may need help
• Who can be trusted

Discuss simple agreements:

• Checking on one another during storms
• Reporting suspicious vehicles
• Sharing road information
• Helping clear fallen trees
• Calling for assistance
• Watching property when someone is away

Use Local Radios

Cellular service may fail or become overloaded.

Short-range radios can help neighbors communicate across a farm, rural road, or small community.

MURS radios can be useful for this purpose.

Check MURS radios and current availability here.

MURS is intended for short-distance personal and business communication and operates without an individually issued radio license when used according to FCC rules.

Actual range depends heavily on:

• Terrain
• Hills
• Trees
• Buildings
• Antenna height
• Radio quality
• Interference

Do not believe the enormous range numbers printed on radio packaging.

Buy the radios, test them at the actual properties, agree on a channel, and develop a simple communication plan.

Have a backup channel and a schedule for listening during an emergency.

What Should You Do Instead?

Do not build your preparedness plan around movie scenes and survival-fiction stereotypes.

Build it around:

• Your actual location
• Your family
• Your health
• Your finances
• Your neighbors
• Your local threats
• Your available skills
• Your realistic ability to leave or stay

A strong preparedness plan should include:

1. A Prepared Home

Store food, water, medication, sanitation supplies, lighting, backup heat, cooking fuel, tools, and emergency communications.

2. A Real Evacuation Plan

Know where you will go, why you would leave, when you would leave, and how you will get there.

3. Layered Security

Use barriers, lighting, locks, alarms, cameras, communication, neighborhood cooperation, and legally appropriate defensive tools.

4. Useful Skills

Learn first aid, food production, repair, water treatment, communication, cooking, sanitation, and basic security.

5. Community

Know the people around you.

A trusted neighbor with a tractor, chainsaw, medical kit, or radio may be more valuable than another expensive rifle hidden in the closet.

6. Flexibility

No plan survives every possible disaster unchanged.

Be ready to shelter in place, evacuate, assist others, change routes, relocate temporarily, or adapt when your original assumptions prove wrong.

The Real Threat Is False Confidence

The golden horde may not arrive.

The police may not disappear permanently.

Your isolated cabin may not be safer.

The woods may not feed your family.

Your gun may not solve the problem in front of you.

The most dangerous prepper myth is believing that one location, one weapon, one plan, or one dramatic theory has every answer.

Preparedness should make you more realistic—not more detached from reality.

Learn from history.

Study your local area.

Build relationships.

Develop more than one option.

Question anyone who tells you that every disaster will unfold exactly like his favorite survival novel.

The real world is complicated, and your preparedness plan needs to be flexible enough to survive it.

What other pieces of common prepper advice do you think are complete nonsense? Add your thoughts in the comments below.

Preparedness and Emergency-Planning Resources

• Ready.gov: Emergency Planning and Preparedness
• Ready.gov: Preparedness Starts at Home and in the Community
• Ready.gov: Family, Neighbor, and Evacuation Planning
• CDC: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation and Displacement
• National Conference of State Legislatures: State Self-Defense Laws
• Cornell Legal Information Institute: Self-Defense Overview
• FCC: Multi-Use Radio Service Rules

Legal and Safety Disclaimer

This article contains general preparedness opinions and should not be considered legal, tactical, financial, or emergency-management advice.

Self-defense laws, weapons laws, evacuation orders, emergency powers, radio rules, and use-of-force standards vary by jurisdiction and can change. Study the current laws where you live and consult a qualified attorney regarding specific legal questions.

Follow official evacuation and emergency instructions when remaining in place would expose you to wildfire, flooding, hazardous materials, violence, structural collapse, or another immediate danger.

A firearm or other defensive tool should be used only lawfully and responsibly. Avoid unnecessary confrontation, use de-escalation and barriers where practical, and seek professional defensive training.

No doubt many of you have read about improvised traps in outdoor-survival books and thought, “That is a great idea. I could build that.”

Many of the designs shown in those books are ingenious. Some of them also work—after you practice building, setting, and using them.

After studying all those drawings, you might come away thinking that you need to learn how to construct every primitive trap ever invented. You might also assume that a homemade trap is somehow more effective than a commercially manufactured trap because it was carved from three twigs and held together with a strand of your own hair.

That is not the case.

Factory-made traps are usually more consistent, durable, and effective than improvised traps. They are produced to repeat the same action every time, and many have benefited from generations of trapper experience and improvements.

But homemade traps still have one major advantage:

They can be built from inexpensive, salvaged, or commonly available materials.

That is a big advantage during a long-term emergency when commercial traps, replacement parts, and money may be scarce.

The best approach is not to choose between primitive skills and modern equipment.

Use both.

Combine proven commercial traps with the ability to build traps from wood, wire, cordage, and other materials you can find locally.

Preparedness is about creating options, not limiting yourself.

Commercial Traps Still Have a Place

For trapping small game where legal and appropriate, I have long recommended keeping a supply of #110 Conibear-style body-grip traps.

Ten traps will give you a useful starting line. Twenty or more will provide considerably more coverage if trapping becomes an important food-gathering method.

Body-grip traps have several advantages:

• They are compact.
• They are relatively inexpensive.
• They are quick to set once you have practiced.
• They can be placed at trails, den entrances, runs, and other natural travel points.
• When correctly matched to the target species and properly set, they are designed to kill quickly.

They are also lethal traps.

A poorly placed body-grip trap can catch a pet or another non-target animal. Learn how to set, stabilize, conceal, and release the particular trap before placing it in the field.

Use only trap sizes and sets that are legal for your location and intended target species.

Commercial cage traps are another excellent option for nuisance animals around gardens, barns, chicken coops, and homes.

Havahart-style traps are light, effective, and ready to use, but buying several can become expensive. Larger models intended for raccoons, opossums, groundhogs, and similar animals may cost considerably more than small squirrel traps.

That is where the homemade wooden box trap becomes useful.

Why Build a Wooden Box Trap?

A wooden box trap can be built from:

• Scrap plywood
• Leftover boards
• Old shelving
• Pallet lumber that is clean and safe to handle
• Construction scraps you own or have permission to take

You should not trespass, steal lumber from construction sites, or take materials from abandoned buildings without permission.

For someone with basic tools and a little woodworking ability, box traps are:

• Inexpensive
• Simple to repair
• Easy to resize
• Useful for several species
• Capable of being built without specialized metalworking tools
• Less intimidating to construct than many primitive deadfalls and snares

A live-capture box trap can also protect the captured animal from dogs, coyotes, foxes, and other predators until you return.

However, a live trap is humane only when it is built correctly, placed responsibly, and checked frequently.

An animal left inside a trap during extreme heat, freezing weather, rain, or direct sunlight can suffer or die.

An Appalachian Skill That Is Disappearing

When I was growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, just about every country boy knew how to build a wooden box trap from scrap lumber.

It was the kind of thing children learned by watching their fathers, grandfathers, older brothers, neighbors, and friends.

Today, many children know everything about the latest video game but could not build a simple wooden box, sharpen a knife, grow a potato, or set a trap.

That is unfortunate.

One day, practical skills like these could make the difference between going to bed hungry and putting food on the table.

Even if you never need to trap food, a box trap can be useful for protecting:

• Chicken coops
• Rabbit hutches
• Gardens
• Fruit trees
• Feed storage
• Barns and outbuildings

Materials and Tools

The exact amount of material depends on the trap size, but a basic trap requires:

• Exterior-grade plywood or solid lumber
• A heavier board or plywood panel for the sliding door
• Narrow wooden strips for the door tracks
• Exterior screws or nails
• Wooden sticks or small branches for the trigger
• Strong cord, wire, or fishing line when required by the trigger design

Useful tools include:

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Carpenter’s square
• Hand saw or circular saw
• Drill or screwdriver
• Hammer
• Utility knife
• Sandpaper

Screws generally make the trap easier to repair than nails.

Do not leave sharp screws, nails, splinters, or jagged edges protruding inside the box where they can injure a captured animal.

Choosing the Trap Size

The dimensions do not have to be exact. Build the trap according to the size of the animal you expect to catch.

Small-Game Box Trap

For animals such as squirrels, rabbits, muskrats, and mink, a practical starting size is:

• Approximately 24 inches long
• Approximately 6 inches wide
• Approximately 6 inches high

Larger Box Trap

For raccoons, opossums, and groundhogs, start with:

• At least 36 inches long
• Approximately 12 inches wide
• Approximately 12 inches high

A larger raccoon may require more room than you expect. The animal needs enough space to enter completely before touching the trigger.

If the trap is too short, the animal may remain partly outside when the door drops.

Single-Door or Double-Door Trap?

You can construct the trap with one sliding door or with a door at both ends.

Single-Door Design

For a single-door trap:

• Leave the front open for the sliding door.
• Close the rear permanently with plywood or boards.
• Place the bait and trigger near the rear of the box.

This forces the animal to enter completely before reaching the bait.

Double-Door Design

For a double-door trap:

• Leave both ends open.
• Build a sliding-door track at each end.
• Connect both doors to the same trigger when possible.

A double-door trap can resemble a natural tunnel, making some animals more willing to enter.

It is also more complicated to build and trigger reliably.

For a first project, I recommend building the single-door version.

Step 1: Build the Wooden Box

Cut a floor, two sides, a top, and a rear panel.

Assemble the floor and sides first, making sure the box remains reasonably square.

Attach the rear panel if you are building a single-door trap.

For the front door area, make the top panel approximately two or three inches shorter than the full box length. This leaves room for the sliding door and its guide tracks.

For a double-door trap, shorten the top at both ends.

The finished interior should be:

• Free of sharp points
• Large enough for the intended animal
• Strong enough to resist chewing and pushing
• Square enough that the door can fall freely

Do not worry about making the trap look like fine furniture.

It needs to be solid, functional, and dependable.

Step 2: Build the Sliding Door

The sliding door is one of the most important parts of the trap.

Use a strong piece of plywood or solid board that is slightly wider and taller than the entrance.

The door should:

• Move freely through its tracks
• Drop without binding
• Be heavy enough to fall quickly
• Extend below or beyond the opening far enough to prevent escape
• Fit closely enough that the animal cannot squeeze around it

Heavier wood helps the door close quickly and completely when the trigger releases.

Do not make it so heavy that the trigger cannot hold it in the raised position.

Step 3: Build the Door Tracks

Attach two narrow wooden strips vertically to the front of the box.

These strips form the channel through which the door slides.

The channel needs enough clearance for the door to move freely, but not so much that the door can twist sideways or jump out of the track.

Before building the trigger, raise the door and release it repeatedly.

It should fall all the way every time.

If the door sticks:

• Widen the track slightly.
• Sand rough edges.
• Check whether the box is twisted or out of square.
• Make sure screws or nails are not rubbing against the door.
• Remove swollen or warped wood.

A trap with a door that closes only half the time is not ready to be used.

Step 4: Make the Trigger

The trigger can be made from straight branches, wooden dowels, scrap lumber, wire, or other improvised material.

The basic trigger shown in the photos uses several pieces working together:

• A support piece that holds the door open
• A catch that keeps the support piece in position
• A trigger stick extending into the box
• A bait or contact point that the animal moves

When the animal touches the bait stick or trigger, the pieces separate, the support releases, and the door falls.

Explaining the exact relationship between the sticks is more difficult in writing than it is to understand from the photos.

The important thing is that the trigger:

• Holds the door securely against wind and minor vibration
• Releases when the animal moves the bait stick
• Does not require so much pressure that the animal steals the bait without tripping it
• Does not release so easily that a light breeze drops the door

Step 5: Test the Trap Repeatedly

Do not take the trap into the field immediately after driving the final screw.

Test it first.

1. Raise the door and set the trigger.
2. Tap the side of the box lightly.
3. Make sure ordinary vibration does not release it.
4. Move the bait stick with a long piece of wood.
5. Watch whether the door drops completely.
6. Try pulling or pushing the closed door from inside with a stick.
7. Reset and repeat the test at least a dozen times.

Fine-tune the trigger by trimming, repositioning, or slightly reshaping the contact points.

Small changes in angle can make a major difference.

You want a trigger that is sensitive but not unreliable.

How to Set the Trap

Place the trap on stable, level ground.

If the trap rocks or twists, the door may bind.

Use dirt, leaves, thin boards, or flat stones to stabilize it when necessary.

Make sure:

• The door has a clear path downward.
• No stick, rock, brush, or leaf can block it.
• The trigger moves freely.
• The bait is positioned beyond the trigger.
• The entire trap cannot be rolled or dragged away easily.

For strong animals such as raccoons, you may need to stake, wire, or brace the trap so it cannot be rolled over.

Do not block ventilation completely when concealing the trap.

Bait for Different Animals

Most traps of this type are set with bait.

The best bait depends on the animal and what it is already eating in that location.

Raccoon

• Peanut butter
• Fish
• Sardines
• Fish scraps
• Marshmallows
• Sweet corn

Opossum

• Cut apples
• Peanut butter
• Pet food
• Fish
• Strong-smelling leftovers

Squirrel

• Acorns
• Corn
• Sunflower seeds
• Peanut butter
• Nuts

Rabbit

• Apple
• Carrot
• Cabbage
• Fresh greens
• Corn

Groundhog

• Apple
• Cantaloupe
• Leafy vegetables
• Sweet corn

When I am uncertain, I often start with a spoonful of peanut butter because many animals are attracted to it and it stays on the trigger better than loose bait.

Strong-smelling fish bait may attract domestic cats, so be careful where you use it.

Do not place bait where dogs, pets, livestock, or children can reach the trap.

Using Box Traps Around the Chicken Coop

Anyone who raises chickens knows how frustrating it is to watch good hens disappear one at a time.

The predator often comes at night and leaves little evidence beyond feathers, tracks, or a damaged section of fencing.

Likely chicken predators include:

• Raccoons
• Opossums
• Foxes
• Mink
• Weasels
• Skunks
• Domestic dogs

I have used wooden box traps against the outside walls of a chicken house.

Animals naturally travel along walls, fences, brush lines, and other edges rather than crossing the middle of an open area.

Place the trap so its entrance follows that natural travel route.

You can lightly conceal it with hay, grass, or brush to make it resemble a natural tunnel or opening.

Do not allow the camouflage to interfere with:

• The sliding door
• The trigger
• The door track
• Ventilation
• Your ability to see whether the trap is occupied

A trail camera can help identify what is visiting the coop and when it is arriving.

Knowing whether you are dealing with a raccoon, dog, fox, rat, or weasel will help you choose the correct trap and placement.

Using the Trap for Rabbits

A useful rabbit-catching method is to place the box in known rabbit country and make it resemble a natural hiding place.

Pile brush loosely over and around the trap while keeping the door and trigger completely clear.

Rabbits often enter dark tunnels and brush piles looking for concealment.

I also like to use two short pieces of scrap lumber as wings.

Place them in a wide V shape leading toward the trap entrance.

The wings help guide an animal moving along the edge into the opening.

In the right location, the trap may work without bait because the rabbit views it as shelter.

Do not expect immediate results.

Rabbits and other animals may need days or even a couple of weeks to become accustomed to a new object in their territory.

Sometimes it helps to leave the trap unset for several days with the door secured open. Once animals begin entering freely, set the trigger.

Pre-Baiting the Trap

Pre-baiting can improve success with cautious animals.

To pre-bait:

1. Secure the door in the open position so it cannot fall.
2. Place a small amount of bait near the entrance.
3. Place a second amount halfway inside.
4. Place the main bait near the rear.
5. Replace the bait as needed for several days.
6. Set the trigger after you see signs that animals are entering.

Signs may include:

• Missing bait
• Tracks
• Droppings
• Hair
• Disturbed leaves
• Trail-camera photographs

Check the Trap Frequently

A live-capture trap should never be set and forgotten.

Check it at least as often as local law requires and more frequently during:

• Hot weather
• Freezing weather
• Heavy rain
• Snow
• Direct sunlight
• Areas with dogs, coyotes, or other predators

I prefer checking traps early in the morning and again later in the day when practical.

Provide shade and weather protection without blocking ventilation or the door.

Do not leave a trapped animal exposed to the midday sun.

Handling a Captured Animal

Do not place your fingers through openings in the trap.

Wild animals that appear calm can bite or scratch without warning.

Raccoons, skunks, foxes, and some other mammals can carry rabies and other diseases.

Keep:

• Children away from the trap
• Pets under control
• Your hands away from the animal
• Your face away from the openings

Wear sturdy gloves when moving the trap, but do not assume gloves will prevent every bite.

If the animal is behaving strangely, appears sick, is unusually aggressive, is active at an abnormal time, or has bitten or scratched anyone, contact animal control, your local health department, or your state wildlife agency.

Any possible rabies exposure requires prompt professional medical guidance.

What Do You Do With the Animal?

That depends on:

• The species
• Why it was trapped
• The season
• Whether it is classified as game, a furbearer, protected wildlife, or nuisance wildlife
• State and local regulations
• Whether relocation is allowed
• Whether the animal appears sick or injured

Do not assume that you may drive a captured raccoon, groundhog, skunk, or other animal down the road and release it on someone else’s property.

Relocation can be illegal, can spread disease, can move the problem to another landowner, and may result in the animal dying after release.

Know the legal options before setting the trap.

When in doubt, contact your state wildlife agency or a licensed wildlife-control operator.

Recommended Reference

Affiliate disclosure: The following link is an affiliate link. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

One useful reference on cage and box trapping is:

Being Kind to Animal Pests: A No-Nonsense Guide to Humane Animal Control With Cage Traps
by Steve Meyer.

The original edition is difficult to find, but used copies sometimes become available. A revised edition by Stephen M. Vantassel with Steve Meyer was published later and covers cage-trap selection, placement, baiting, and humane handling.

The Bottom Line

A homemade wooden box trap is not automatically better than a commercially manufactured trap.

In most cases, a good factory-made trap will be lighter, more durable, easier to carry, and more consistent.

But that does not make the homemade trap useless.

A wooden box trap teaches valuable skills:

• Basic woodworking
• Trigger construction
• Animal behavior
• Trail selection
• Baiting
• Trap placement
• Improvisation using locally available materials

It can also provide a practical, inexpensive way to protect a chicken coop, garden, or food supply.

Build one now.

Test it.

Learn how sensitive the trigger needs to be.

Learn how different animals react to it.

Do not wait until your chickens are disappearing or your family is hungry to start figuring it out.

The best survival plan combines modern equipment with the knowledge to improvise when that equipment is unavailable.

Have you ever built or used a wooden box trap? Share what worked—and what did not—in the comments below.

Trapping and Wildlife Resources

• Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies: State Wildlife Agency Websites
• USDA Wildlife Services: Wildlife Damage Assistance
• CDC: Rabies Prevention and Wildlife Exposure
• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency: Wildlife Damage Control
• Tennessee Small-Game and Trapping Regulations

Legal and Safety Disclaimer

This article is intended for general preparedness, homesteading, woodworking, and historical trapping information.

Hunting and trapping laws vary by state, county, municipality, species, season, land ownership, and type of trap. Regulations may govern licenses, legal trap designs, trap identification, placement, bait, check intervals, possession limits, dispatch, transportation, relocation, and release.

Check the current regulations issued by your state wildlife agency before building, setting, transporting, or using any trap.

Never set traps where children, pets, livestock, protected wildlife, or the public could encounter them. Do not handle wild animals directly. Contact animal control, a wildlife professional, or the local health department when an animal appears sick, has bitten or scratched someone, or may have exposed a person or pet to rabies.

Most homes already contain the basic pots, pans, mixing bowls, knives, and utensils needed to cook food from a survival pantry.

What most kitchens do not have is the equipment needed to turn buckets of whole wheat, corn, beans, and other grains into flour, meal, or cracked grain.

If your long-term food-storage plan includes whole grains, you need a way to process them.

A five-gallon bucket of wheat berries may store for years, but it will not magically turn itself into bread.

You can cook wheat berries whole, sprout them, or add them to soups. However, if your plan includes bread, biscuits, pancakes, tortillas, cornbread, pasta, or other familiar foods, you need a grain mill.

And you need to buy it and learn how to use it before an emergency.

Do not wait until the electricity is off and your family is hungry to discover that your mill is missing a part, will not clamp securely to your table, or requires far more effort than you expected.

Do Preppers Really Need a Grain Mill?

Not every household needs one.

If your stored food consists mainly of rice, beans, pasta, canned goods, oats, and commercially milled flour that you rotate regularly, a grain mill may not be one of your first priorities.

However, a mill becomes extremely important when you store:

• Whole wheat berries
• Whole dried corn
• Rye
• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Sorghum
• Dried beans intended for bean flour
• Other whole grains meant to be ground before use

Whole kernels generally store better than flour because the grain’s natural outer structure protects the oils in the germ from oxygen.

Once the grain is ground, those oils are exposed and the flour begins losing quality much faster.

That is why storing whole grain and grinding only what you need makes sense for long-term preparedness.

My Rule of Three

I have long followed what I call the rule of three:

Have more than one independent way to meet any critical survival need.

That does not necessarily mean buying three expensive grain mills.

A practical milling system could include:

1. An electric grain mill for normal daily use
2. A quality hand-cranked mill for power outages
3. Spare parts, a backup budget mill, or another way to crack and process grain

If your entire food plan depends on one electric appliance, you do not have a complete grid-down plan.

If your only mill is a cheap hand grinder you have never used, you may also be disappointed when you need it most.

Buy the best equipment you can reasonably afford, but do not let the price of a premium mill keep you from buying anything at all.

A basic mill that works is better than a wish list.

Hand Grain Mill or Electric Grain Mill?

Both have advantages.

Advantages of an Electric Grain Mill

• Processes grain much faster
• Requires far less physical effort
• Produces flour quickly enough for regular baking
• Often produces fine, consistent flour in a single pass
• Useful for processing several pounds at one time

Disadvantages of an Electric Grain Mill

• Requires electricity
• May draw more power than a small backup system can comfortably supply
• Contains motors and electrical components that can fail
• May be difficult to repair after a long-term collapse
• Some models can only grind dry grains

Advantages of a Hand Grain Mill

• Works without electricity
• Can be used during a long-term power outage
• Usually has fewer complicated parts
• Can often be repaired more easily
• Allows you to grind only what you need

Disadvantages of a Hand Grain Mill

• Requires time and physical effort
• Some models need several passes to make fine flour
• Cheap models may move around while being cranked
• Small hoppers require frequent refilling
• Grinding enough flour for a large family can become exhausting

For someone who regularly bakes with freshly ground flour, the most practical setup is often an electric mill for everyday use and a quality manual mill as the non-electric backup.

For a prepper who can afford only one mill and is primarily concerned about a long-term grid-down emergency, I would lean toward a well-built hand mill.

What to Look for in a Hand Grain Mill

Before buying, consider the following:

Construction

Look for a sturdy body, strong drive shaft, solid handle, reliable bearings, and replaceable wear parts.

A mill does not have to weigh 50 pounds to be useful, but thin castings, weak clamps, and flimsy plastic components are not ideal for serious long-term use.

Mounting System

A mill that moves across the table while you crank it will become frustrating quickly.

Look for:

• A strong table clamp
• A double-clamp mounting system
• Holes that allow permanent bolting to a bench
• A mounting surface that will not flex or tip

A heavy mill is only as stable as the table holding it.

Type of Grinding Burrs

Different burrs are intended for different materials.

Stone or stone-style grinding heads are generally used for dry grains and producing fine flour.

Steel burrs are usually more versatile and may be suitable for:

• Dry grains
• Beans
• Corn
• Coffee
• Spices
• Oily seeds
• Nuts
• Nut butter
• Masa

That depends on the specific mill.

Do not grind nuts, oily seeds, wet grain, or other high-moisture food in a mill unless its manufacturer specifically says the mill and burrs are designed for it.

Oily material can clog or glaze grinding stones.

Fineness Adjustment

A good mill should let you adjust the output from coarse cracked grain to flour.

Consider what you plan to make:

• Cracked wheat cereal
• Cornmeal
• Grits or polenta
• Bread flour
• Pastry flour
• Bean flour
• Masa

A mill that works well for cracking corn may not produce fine bread flour efficiently.

Hopper Size

A tiny hopper is not necessarily a deal breaker, but repeatedly stopping to refill it becomes annoying.

A larger hopper is especially useful when milling several pounds of grain.

Replacement Parts

For a preparedness mill, consider buying:

• Replacement burrs or grinding plates
• Spare bearings or bushings when applicable
• Extra mounting hardware
• A replacement handle or grip
• Spare augers
• Manufacturer maintenance parts

A mill advertised as lasting a lifetime is still a machine. Machines wear, parts get lost, and accidents happen.

What It Will Actually Grind

Do not assume that every grain mill can process everything that fits into the hopper.

Before buying, find out whether it can handle:

• Wheat
• Corn
• Rice
• Rye
• Beans
• Small seeds
• Oily grains
• Nuts
• Coffee
• Wet or nixtamalized corn for masa

Buy the mill that matches the food you actually intend to store and grow.

The Grain Mills I Have Owned and Used

I have owned and used four different hand grain mills:

• Wonder Junior Deluxe
• Corona Landers grain mill
• Back to Basics grain mill
• Grizzly H7775 grain mill

They did not all perform at the same level.

Some were better for fine flour. Some were better for cracking corn and beans. Some were inexpensive backups that worked but required more effort and repeated grinding.

Wonder Junior Deluxe Plus: My Top Hand-Mill Pick

Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

The model currently sold is generally called the Wonder Junior Deluxe Plus.

Of the hand mills I have personally used, the Wonder Junior has been my top choice.

Its main advantages include:

• Heavy-duty one-piece construction
• Strong double-clamp table mount
• Stone grinding heads for dry grains and fine flour
• Stainless-steel burrs for a broader range of foods
• Adjustable grind from cracked grain to fine flour
• A flour guide that helps reduce mess
• A hopper holding more than one quart
• The ability to bolt it permanently to a sturdy surface
• Optional accessories for drill or motor operation

The Deluxe version includes both stone grinding heads and stainless-steel burrs.

The stone heads are what I would normally use for dry wheat and fine flour.

The steel burrs add the ability to process items that could clog ordinary stone burrs, including many oily seeds, nuts, coffee, spices, and other foods permitted by the manufacturer.

The current Plus version also includes an auger intended for products such as masa and nut butter.

A Much Better Mounting System

One of the strongest features is the mounting system.

Cheap hand mills often have one clamp that loosens while the mill is being cranked. The mill begins sliding, twisting, or lifting off the edge of the table.

The Wonder Junior’s double-clamp system holds much more securely when attached to a strong surface.

If I planned to grind in the same location permanently, I would seriously consider bolting the mill directly to a heavy workbench.

That would give the strongest possible mounting arrangement.

Fine Flour Without Constant Regrinding

One of my main complaints with the Corona mill was the need to run grain through several times to produce flour fine enough for some types of baking.

The Wonder Junior did a much better job producing fine flour without forcing me to repeatedly regrind the entire batch.

The exact result will depend on:

• The grain
• The moisture content
• The burr being used
• The fineness adjustment
• How quickly the mill is cranked

Hand milling still requires real work. No hand-cranked machine changes that.

However, the smooth bearings, long handle, strong mount, and effective burrs make the work more productive.

Less Flour Thrown Across the Table

The flour guide directs the ground material toward the catch bowl.

That may sound like a minor feature until you have used a cheap mill that throws bits of grain and flour across the table and floor.

With some mills, I have had to secure a clean bag around the grinding head to control the mess.

A proper flour guide makes the process much cleaner.

Can the Wonder Junior Be Motorized?

The mill can be operated manually, and accessories have been offered that allow it to be powered with a drill or motor system.

Before attaching any motor, drill, pulley, or homemade power system:

• Read the current manufacturer instructions.
• Confirm the recommended operating speed.
• Use proper guards around belts and pulleys.
• Secure the mill to a strong surface.
• Understand how motorization affects the warranty.

A motor can save enormous effort, but a poorly designed conversion can damage the mill or injure someone.

I generally grind only the amount of flour I need, so manual operation remains practical for smaller batches.

Check the current price and availability of the Wonder Junior grain mill at Amazon.

The WonderMill Electric Grain Mill

WonderMill also makes an electric grain mill.

An electric impact mill is a different machine from the Wonder Junior hand mill.

Its main advantage is speed. It can turn grain into flour with very little physical effort.

That makes sense for someone who:

• Bakes bread regularly
• Grinds several pounds at a time
• Has reliable electricity
• Has a generator, solar system, or other backup power
• Wants fine flour quickly

However, electric mills are generally intended for dry grains and are not automatically suitable for oily seeds, nuts, or wet products.

Check the exact model instructions before milling anything other than approved dry grain.

An electric mill paired with a manual Wonder Junior or similar hand mill gives you convenience during normal times and a backup during a power outage.

Check the current price and availability of the WonderMill electric mill.

Corona Landers Grain Mill: Tough and Affordable

The Corona is a strong, simple, cast-iron hand mill.

It uses steel burrs and works well for:

• Cracking corn
• Grinding beans
• Making coarse meal
• Grinding many dry grains
• Processing nuts, seeds, or other permitted foods

It has been one of my most frequently used mills.

For the price, it is difficult to beat as a tough, basic piece of equipment.

Its main weakness is fine flour.

While it can grind wheat, I have often needed to run the grain through more than once and sift between passes to produce flour fine enough for certain breads and baked goods.

Other disadvantages I have experienced include:

• The hopper can loosen or come off during aggressive cranking.
• The mill sits low, making it difficult to fit a large bowl underneath.
• Ground material can scatter around the grinding head.
• Several passes may be needed for fine flour.

Despite those problems, it remains a useful, robust mill for someone on a limited budget.

I would consider it especially useful for cornmeal, cracked grain, beans, and emergency backup use.

Check the current price and availability of the Corona grain mill.

Back to Basics Grain Mill

The Back to Basics mill is lightweight and simple to use.

It can process grain, but it is not built to the same standard as the Wonder Junior or Country Living mills.

My biggest complaint has been the small hopper.

It requires frequent refilling, which slows the job considerably when processing more than a small amount.

The lighter construction also makes me question how well it would stand up to daily, long-term use during a collapse.

That does not make it useless.

It can still serve as:

• An inexpensive starter mill
• A compact backup
• A mill for occasional small batches
• A second unit kept at another location

Older Back to Basics mills still appear on the used market, but availability and replacement parts should be considered before relying on one as your only mill.

Grizzly H7775 Grain Mill

The Grizzly H7775 is another inexpensive cast-iron mill that I have owned.

It is not my first choice, but it is better than having no way to grind grain.

Its main disadvantages are:

• Small hopper
• Low grinding-head position
• Difficulty fitting a good-sized bowl underneath
• Lighter quality than the Corona
• More effort required to produce fine flour

The grinding plates are adjustable, and the mill can produce useful meal and cracked grain.

However, I would view it as an emergency backup rather than my primary bread-flour mill.

The H7775 is no longer widely promoted as a current Grizzly product, so anyone considering a used one should inspect it carefully and make sure all parts are present.

Country Living Grain Mill

The Country Living Grain Mill has an excellent reputation among people who use hand mills seriously.

It is built around a large flywheel and replaceable grinding plates and is intended as a durable, long-term machine.

The manufacturer currently offers accessories such as:

• A power bar
• A large corn-and-bean auger
• Motorization equipment
• Replacement parts

The major disadvantage is price.

It is a significant investment.

I have not personally owned one, so I cannot honestly give a side-by-side personal-use comparison against my Wonder Junior.

However, it deserves consideration by anyone who:

• Stores a large amount of wheat or corn
• Plans to mill regularly
• Wants a heavy machine that can be permanently mounted
• Wants current manufacturer support and available accessories
• Can justify the higher price

For someone who wants a mill that may be used for decades and passed down to the next generation, the Country Living is one of the serious options.

My Grain Mill Recommendations

Based on my own experience:

Best All-Around Hand Mill I Have Used

Wonder Junior Deluxe Plus

It combines fine-flour capability, a strong mounting system, multiple burr types, and the ability to process a wide range of foods.

Best Lower-Cost Heavy Cast-Iron Mill

Corona Landers

It is simple, rugged, and useful, especially for corn, beans, cracked grain, and coarser meal.

Best Budget Backup

Back to Basics or a similar basic hand mill

It will not compete with a premium mill, but it can provide another option if the primary mill breaks.

Premium Long-Term Option

Country Living Grain Mill

It is expensive, but it is designed as a serious long-term machine with current accessories and manufacturer support.

Best Everyday System

A good electric mill plus a quality hand-cranked backup

This gives you the speed of electricity and the security of a mill that works when the grid does not.

Practice Before You Need It

Do not buy a mill, place it unopened in the basement, and assume you are prepared.

Open it.

Wash or clean the appropriate parts according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Mount it.

Grind wheat.

Make bread.

Grind corn.

Make cornbread.

Learn:

• How tightly to adjust the burrs
• How quickly to crank
• Whether the grain needs more than one pass
• How much flour you can realistically produce
• How to catch the flour without making a mess
• How to clean the mill
• Which parts might eventually need replacement

You may discover that hand grinding enough flour for one loaf of bread is a bigger job than you expected.

That is valuable information to learn now.

How to Grind Grain and Beans

Read the instructions for your particular mill first.

The general process is:

1. Inspect the dry grain for stones, stems, insects, mold, and damaged kernels.
2. Install the correct burrs for the food being processed.
3. Mount the mill securely.
4. Place a clean bowl or flour bin beneath the grinding head.
5. Begin with a coarser setting if the grain is difficult to feed.
6. Turn the handle at a steady speed.
7. Adjust the burrs gradually until the desired consistency is reached.
8. Sift and regrind the coarse material when necessary.

Do not overtighten the burrs so severely that they grind against each other without grain between them.

That can cause unnecessary wear and may contaminate the flour with burr material.

How to Sift and Regrind Flour

Some mills produce a mixture of fine flour and larger particles during the first pass.

Rather than running all the flour through the mill repeatedly, sift it.

The fine flour passes through the screen while the larger pieces remain behind.

Return only the coarse material to the hopper.

This:

• Saves effort
• Speeds up milling
• Reduces unnecessary regrinding
• Produces more consistent flour

Making a Simple Grain Sifter

I originally made a basic wooden sifter approximately 15 by 12 inches.

A better updated version can be made using:

• Untreated wood
• Stainless-steel food-grade mesh
• Food-safe fasteners or adhesive
• A smooth, cleanable finish approved for food-contact surfaces

Avoid ordinary fiberglass window screen, painted screen, galvanized hardware cloth, or unidentified metal mesh that was not designed for food contact.

You can also buy an inexpensive stainless-steel flour sieve and avoid building one.

Place clean parchment paper, a large tray, or another food-safe surface beneath the sifter.

Shake the flour gently through the mesh, collect the coarse pieces, and return them to the mill.

Buy Food-Grade Grain for Human Consumption

Never eat or grind seed grain that has been chemically treated for planting.

Seed grain may be treated with fungicides, insecticides, or other chemicals and is not intended for people or animals to eat.

Treated seed is often dyed a bright color, but you should never rely only on appearance.

Read the label and ask the seller.

You should also not assume that grain sold as livestock feed is automatically suitable for human consumption.

Feed grain may be handled, stored, tested, and cleaned under standards different from food intended for people.

It may contain:

• Dust and foreign material
• Animal contamination
• Higher levels of broken grain
• Mold or mycotoxins
• Chemical residues
• Stones and metal fragments
• Insects

The safest choice is grain clearly sold as:

• Food-grade
• For human consumption
• Untreated
• Suitable for milling or cooking

Food-grade whole grains can be purchased from:

• Food-storage suppliers
• Health-food stores
• Grain processors
• Food cooperatives
• Specialty farms
• Local farmers who can verify that the grain is untreated and intended for human food

What About Field-Run Grain?

Grain purchased directly from a farmer may be less expensive, but it may contain chaff, weed seeds, dirt, stones, insects, and broken kernels.

Before buying it, ask:

• Was the grain treated with any chemical after harvest?
• Was it grown from seed treated with chemicals that prohibit food use?
• Was it stored with fuel, pesticides, fertilizer, or other chemicals?
• Is it intended and suitable for human consumption?
• Has it been kept dry?
• Is there any evidence of mold, musty odor, or insect damage?

Saving money is not worth eating contaminated grain.

How to Clean Dry Grain Before Milling

Food-grade grain purchased from a reputable supplier usually requires little preparation beyond inspection.

Spread a small quantity on a light-colored tray and remove:

• Stones
• Sticks
• Husks
• Weed seeds
• Metal
• Dark or moldy kernels
• Insects

Use a dry screen, colander, fan, or gentle winnowing process to remove loose chaff and dust.

Do not routinely wash wheat berries immediately before putting them into a dry grain mill.

Moist grain can:

• Clog the mill
• Glaze stone burrs
• Cause flour to clump
• Promote rust
• Encourage mold during storage

If grain is dirty enough that it requires washing, I would question whether it is the right grain to use for flour.

It may be better used as a cooked whole grain—after appropriate washing and cooking—or replaced with cleaner food-grade grain.

Sprouted grain that will be milled must be dried completely using a controlled process before grinding.

Storing Whole Grain

Store dry grain in clean, food-grade containers.

Good options include:

• Mylar bags
• Food-grade plastic buckets
• Glass jars
• No. 10 cans
• Other containers specifically intended for dry food

Store the containers:

• In a cool location
• In a dry location
• Away from direct sunlight
• Off concrete floors
• Away from fuel, pesticides, paint, and chemicals
• Protected from insects and rodents

Label every container with:

• Type of grain
• Variety when known
• Purchase or packing date
• Supplier
• Any treatment used during storage

Inspect stored grain periodically for moisture, insects, damaged packaging, and unusual odors.

Store Grain, Not Large Quantities of Freshly Ground Flour

Whole-grain flour contains the bran and oil-rich germ.

Once the grain is ground, those oils are exposed to oxygen and the flour can become stale or rancid much faster than intact grain.

For the best flavor and storage efficiency:

• Keep most of your supply as whole grain.
• Grind only what you expect to use soon.
• Store extra flour in an airtight container.
• Refrigerate or freeze whole-grain flour for longer storage.
• Let cold flour return to room temperature before opening the container to reduce condensation.

This is another reason a dependable mill is so valuable.

You are storing a durable raw ingredient and producing fresh flour as needed.

Practice Cooking With Whole Grains

Buying wheat and a grain mill is not the same thing as knowing how to make bread.

Freshly milled whole-grain flour behaves differently from white all-purpose flour.

It absorbs water differently, contains bran that can interfere with gluten development, and may produce heavier bread until you learn how to work with it.

Practice making:

• Whole-wheat bread
• Biscuits
• Pancakes
• Tortillas
• Cornbread
• Cracked-wheat cereal
• Bean flour
• Homemade pasta
• Flatbread

Start by replacing part of the commercial flour in familiar recipes with freshly milled flour.

Increase the percentage as you learn how the flour behaves.

The Bottom Line

If whole grains are a major part of your survival food supply, a grain mill is not an optional kitchen gadget.

It is the tool that turns stored grain into familiar, usable food.

Of the hand mills I have owned and used, the Wonder Junior has been my favorite all-around choice because it:

• Produces fine flour efficiently
• Includes stone and steel grinding options
• Mounts securely
• Handles a broad range of foods
• Can operate without electricity

The Corona remains a solid lower-cost choice, especially for corn, beans, cracked grain, and emergency backup use.

The Country Living mill deserves consideration for someone who wants a premium, heavy-duty machine and can afford the investment.

Cheap mills have a place as backups, but I would not build my entire food plan around an untested bargain grinder.

Whatever mill you choose:

• Buy it before you need it.
• Use it regularly.
• Keep spare parts.
• Store only food-grade grain.
• Learn how to bake with what you grind.

A grain mill sitting unopened in a box is not preparedness. A mill you have used, maintained, and learned to cook with is.

What grain mill do you use, and what has your experience been with it? Share your recommendations in the comments below.

Grain Milling and Storage Resources

• WonderMill: Wonder Junior and Electric Grain Mills
• Country Living Grain Mills
• Utah State University Extension: Storing Wheat
• Utah State University Extension: Food Storage in the Home
• FDA: Grain Product Safety and Treated Grain

Food-Safety Disclaimer

This article provides general preparedness, grain-storage, and home-milling information. Follow the instructions supplied with your particular grain mill and food-storage products.

Buy grain clearly intended for human consumption. Never consume chemically treated seed grain. Grain sold for animal feed should not automatically be assumed safe or suitable for people.

Discard grain that is moldy, wet, chemically contaminated, strongly musty, or otherwise questionable. Grinding and baking do not reliably remove every chemical contaminant or toxin produced by mold.

Over the years, I have talked with a lot of people who knew they needed to prepare but had no idea where to start.

They had watched videos, read survival blogs, and looked through catalogs filled with freeze-dried food, tactical gear, solar generators, bug-out vehicles, firearms, medical kits, water filters, and enough expensive equipment to fill a warehouse.

Instead of helping them get prepared, all that information left them overwhelmed.

Here is what I usually tell people:

You do not need thousands of dollars or a shipment from a specialty survival company to begin preparing.

Most of the basic food, water containers, medical supplies, tools, lighting, sanitation equipment, and emergency gear needed to get started can be purchased during one trip to Walmart or another large local store.

That does not mean specialty preparedness products are worthless. I own and recommend some of them myself.

It means you should not allow the price of premium gear to keep you from doing anything.

A pantry full of ordinary food you eat is better than an empty pantry while you save for a pallet of freeze-dried meals.

A basic flashlight is better than sitting in the dark because you have not purchased the most expensive tactical light available.

Four food-grade water containers are better than waiting until you can afford a massive water-storage system.

This 20-step Walmart prepper checklist will not complete every possible preparedness plan. It will, however, give you a solid starting point and leave you better prepared than most households.

You can buy everything at once, complete one section each payday, or spread the purchases across several months.

The important thing is to begin.

Before You Start Shopping

Keep four basic rules in mind:

1. Buy what you already use. An emergency is not the time to discover that your family hates the food you stored.
2. Date and rotate everything. Use the oldest items first and replace them during normal grocery trips.
3. Adjust quantities for your household. A single adult, a family of six, an infant, an elderly parent, and three large dogs have very different needs.
4. Do not create debt trying to prepare overnight. A few useful supplies purchased consistently will add up faster than you think.

1. Start With Rice and Beans

Head to the grocery department and begin with two of the least expensive long-term food staples available:

• 20 pounds of white rice
• 20 pounds of dried beans

Pinto beans are inexpensive and widely available, but you can also choose black beans, navy beans, kidney beans, lentils, split peas, or a mixture.

White rice generally stores longer than brown rice. Brown rice contains more natural oils and should be purchased in smaller amounts and rotated more frequently.

Do not buy 40 pounds of rice and beans if no one in your home will eat them.

Buy smaller quantities, cook several meals with them, and learn which seasonings and recipes your family likes.

Rice and beans provide a useful foundation, but they are not a complete emergency diet by themselves.

2. Add Basic Baking and Pantry Staples

Add:

• Five pounds of rolled oats
• Five to ten pounds of flour
• Five pounds of cornmeal
• Five pounds of sugar
• Five pounds of iodized salt
• Several pounds of pasta
• Dry pancake or biscuit mix
• Baking powder and baking soda

Flour, cornmeal, and other ground grains do not store forever. Buy amounts you can rotate through your normal cooking.

Whole grains, wheat berries, and professionally packaged long-term food may be added later.

For now, the goal is to build a working pantry—not a museum filled with food no one touches.

3. Buy Cooking Oil and Other Fats

Calories from fat are important, but cooking oils have a limited storage life.

Instead of buying one giant container that may become rancid after opening, consider several smaller bottles.

Possible choices include:

• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Vegetable oil
• Coconut oil
• Shortening

Buy the type you normally use, check the dates, keep it cool and dark, and rotate it regularly.

Other shelf-stable sources of fat and calories include peanut butter, nuts, canned meat, and some powdered dairy products.

4. Stock Canned Fruits and Vegetables

Buy approximately 20 cans of fruit and 20 cans of vegetables as a starting point.

Choose foods your family already eats, such as:

• Green beans
• Corn
• Peas
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Mixed vegetables
• Peaches
• Pears
• Pineapple
• Applesauce
• Fruit cocktail

Canned foods are especially useful during short-term emergencies because they are already cooked and can usually be eaten without heating.

The liquid in canned fruit and vegetables may also provide a small amount of additional usable fluid.

Avoid badly dented, leaking, swollen, or deeply rusted cans.

5. Add Canned Meat and Complete Meals

Protein is one of the more expensive parts of an emergency food supply, but ordinary canned products are still usually cheaper than specialty survival meals.

Choose a mixture of:

• Tuna
• Salmon
• Chicken
• Spam or luncheon meat
• Vienna sausages
• Chili
• Beef stew
• Soups
• Canned beans
• Ravioli or pasta meals

Buy only shelf-stable cans and packages. Some canned meat and seafood products still require refrigeration and will say so on the label.

Include several meals that can be opened and eaten without cooking.

Do not forget at least two manual can openers.

6. Buy Calorie-Dense Foods That Require No Cooking

Peanut butter is one of the simplest emergency foods available.

It provides protein, fat, and a lot of calories in a small amount of space.

Add:

• Two large jars of peanut butter
• Crackers
• Granola or breakfast bars
• Nuts
• Dried fruit
• Trail mix
• Honey
• Shelf-stable cheese products

These foods are useful when the power is out, cooking fuel is limited, or you need to eat quickly.

Peanut butter and other foods containing oils should be rotated rather than forgotten in the back of a closet for ten years.

7. Add Drinks, Electrolytes, and Comfort Items

Plain water is the most important drink, but flavoring can make treated or stored water easier to consume.

Consider:

• Powdered drink mix
• Electrolyte packets
• Instant coffee
• Tea
• Hot chocolate
• Powdered lemonade
• Shelf-stable juice

Electrolyte or oral-rehydration products may be particularly helpful during heavy work, hot weather, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Coffee, tea, and familiar comfort drinks can also improve morale during a stressful emergency.

If someone in your household normally consumes a lot of caffeine, remember that suddenly going without it can cause headaches and irritability.

8. Consider Vitamins and Special Dietary Needs

A basic multivitamin may be useful when the diet becomes limited, but supplements do not replace food.

Buy only products your household can safely use and rotate them before they become excessively old.

More importantly, account for:

• Infant formula and baby food
• Food allergies
• Diabetes
• Kidney disease
• Low-sodium diets
• Gluten intolerance
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing
• Religious dietary restrictions
• Pet food

An emergency food supply is useless to a person who cannot safely eat it.

9. Store an Emergency Water Supply

Food gets most of the attention, but water is the more immediate need.

A practical starting point is at least one gallon of water per person per day for a minimum of three days.

Work toward a two-week supply when space and finances allow.

Store additional water for:

• Hot climates
• Pregnant women
• Sick household members
• Pets
• Cooking
• Basic hygiene

Four five-gallon containers provide 20 gallons.

That is approximately:

• 20 days for one person at one gallon per day
• 10 days for two people
• Five days for a family of four

Use food-grade water containers rather than fuel cans, chemical buckets, or containers that previously held anything toxic.

Label each container with the filling date.

Water filled from your home supply should generally be replaced every six months unless you are using a storage and treatment method that specifies otherwise.

Store it away from sunlight, gasoline, pesticides, and other chemicals.

10. Add Water Treatment and Filtration

Stored water is your first line of defense, but you also need a way to treat additional water.

Look in the camping aisle for:

• A portable water filter
• Water-purification tablets
• Clean food-grade containers
• Coffee filters or clean cloth for prefiltering cloudy water

Add a bottle of ordinary, unscented household chlorine bleach whose label states that it contains 5% to 9% sodium hypochlorite.

Do not use scented, color-safe, gel, or splashless bleach for emergency drinking-water treatment.

CDC guidance for clear water and ordinary 5%–9% unscented bleach is eight drops per gallon, followed by mixing and a wait of at least 30 minutes. Cloudy, discolored, murky, or very cold water requires additional steps and a different amount.

Because products and concentrations vary, keep a printed copy of the current CDC emergency-water instructions with your supplies.

Boiling is generally the best way to kill germs when fuel and equipment are available.

Water contaminated with fuel, pesticides, toxic chemicals, or radioactive material cannot be made safe simply by boiling, filtering, or adding bleach.

11. Buy a Safe Emergency Cooking System

A two-burner propane camp stove is a useful emergency-cooking tool.

Add:

• A propane camp stove
• Several one-pound propane cylinders
• Long matches
• Multipurpose lighters
• Heat-resistant gloves
• A sturdy cooking pot
• A basic skillet

A larger refillable propane cylinder may be more economical, but use only a hose, regulator, and adapter approved for the exact stove and cylinder.

Portable propane camping stoves and outdoor cookers must be used outdoors.

Do not use an outdoor camp stove inside:

• Your house
• A garage
• A basement
• A tent
• An RV
• A shed
• An enclosed porch

Opening a window or garage door does not make an outdoor stove safe indoors.

Keep propane cylinders upright and follow the storage instructions on the cylinder and appliance labels.

Include food that requires no cooking so you do not have to burn fuel at every meal.

12. Add Lighting and Backup Power

Buy at least:

• Two LED flashlights
• One LED headlamp
• Extra batteries
• Battery-powered lanterns
• A USB power bank
• Charging cables for your devices

A headlamp is especially useful because it leaves both hands free for repairs, cooking, first aid, and other work.

Try to standardize your battery sizes. It is easier to stock AA and AAA batteries than six different uncommon types.

Rechargeable batteries and a small solar charger may be added later, but ordinary alkaline batteries are a simple place to begin.

Avoid relying on candles as your primary emergency lighting. They create a fire hazard and produce very little usable light compared with modern LED lanterns.

13. Prepare Emergency Communications

Go to the electronics or sporting-goods department and look for:

• A battery-powered AM/FM radio
• A weather-alert radio
• Extra batteries
• Two-way radios
• A car charger
• A written list of important telephone numbers

A radio that receives NOAA weather alerts is more useful for most local disasters than a radio with only entertainment stations.

Shortwave reception can be useful during widespread emergencies, but it is an addition—not a replacement for local radio and weather alerts.

Two-way radios can help family members communicate around a property, neighborhood, campsite, or evacuation convoy.

Do not assume the advertised maximum range will be achieved in hills, woods, buildings, or towns.

14. Build a Practical First-Aid and Medicine Supply

Buy the best basic first-aid kit you can afford, then open it and see what is actually inside.

Many inexpensive kits contain dozens of tiny adhesive bandages and very little for a serious injury.

Add:

• Assorted adhesive bandages
• Sterile gauze pads
• Rolled gauze
• Medical tape
• Elastic bandages
• Nonstick dressings
• Nitrile gloves
• Medical scissors
• Tweezers
• Digital thermometer
• Saline wound wash
• Burn dressings
• A basic splint
• First-aid manual

Possible over-the-counter medicine categories include:

• Pain and fever relief
• Oral antihistamine
• Anti-diarrheal medicine
• Constipation relief
• Antacids
• Cough and cold medicine
• Hydrocortisone cream
• Antifungal cream
• Oral rehydration packets

Buy only medicines the people in your home can use safely.

Read labels, watch for duplicate ingredients, and ask a pharmacist about interactions with existing medications and medical conditions.

15. Address Prescription Medicines and Personal Medical Needs

If someone depends on a prescription, inhaler, insulin, medical device, or other essential treatment, that item is more important than another case of canned beans.

Talk with the doctor, pharmacist, and insurance provider about maintaining the largest legal emergency reserve available to you.

Keep a written list containing:

• Medication names
• Generic names
• Dosages
• Schedules
• Known allergies
• Doctor information
• Pharmacy information

Also stock:

• Spare eyeglasses
• Hearing-aid batteries
• Denture supplies
• Blood-glucose testing supplies
• Medical-device batteries
• Prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors
• Mobility-aid supplies

Do not wait until a storm warning is issued to discover that you have only two doses remaining.

16. Buy Hygiene Supplies

Personal hygiene becomes more important—not less important—when normal services fail.

Add:

• Soap
• Shampoo
• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Dental floss
• Deodorant
• Razors
• Hand sanitizer
• Wet wipes
• Menstrual products
• Diapers and baby wipes when needed
• Laundry detergent

A traditional double-edge safety razor and spare blades can be an economical long-term option, but ordinary disposable razors are fine if that is what you already use.

Store enough menstrual and incontinence products for longer than you think the disruption will last.

17. Prepare an Emergency Toilet and Sanitation Kit

Eventually, everyone has to use the bathroom.

A water outage, sewer failure, frozen pipe, or damaged septic system can make the household toilet unusable.

Buy:

• A five-gallon bucket
• A snap-on toilet seat or portable camping toilet
• Heavy-duty garbage bags
• Absorbent material such as cat litter or sawdust
• Toilet paper
• Disposable gloves
• Soap and hand sanitizer
• Lidded waste containers

If the water supply is off but the sewer or septic system is still functioning, a toilet may sometimes be flushed by pouring water directly into the bowl.

Do not continue flushing if the sewer is backed up, the septic system is flooded, or local authorities say wastewater systems are not working.

Surface water from a pond, lake, or stream may be suitable for toilet flushing, but it should be kept separate from drinking water and handled as contaminated water.

18. Add Cleaning and Disposable Supplies

Buy:

• Regular unscented household bleach
• Dish soap
• Household disinfectant
• Heavy-duty garbage bags
• Paper towels
• Disposable plates and bowls
• Plastic utensils
• Aluminum foil
• Food-storage bags
• Rubber or nitrile cleaning gloves

Disposable dishes can conserve water during a short emergency.

Do not go overboard. They create a large amount of trash during a long disruption.

Bleach loses strength over time, so rotate it.

Never mix bleach with ammonia, acids, vinegar, toilet-bowl cleaner, or any other cleaning product.

Mixing cleaning chemicals can release dangerous gases.

19. Assemble a Basic Tool and Repair Kit

Move to the hardware department and add:

• Claw hammer
• Adjustable wrench
• Slip-joint pliers
• Locking pliers
• Screwdriver set
• Utility knife and spare blades
• Duct tape
• Electrical tape
• Work gloves
• Safety glasses
• Pry bar
• Hacksaw
• Hand saw
• Hatchet or ax when appropriate
• Lubricating or penetrating oil
• Extension cords rated for the intended use
• Assorted screws, nails, wire, and zip ties

This will not replace a complete workshop, but it will let you handle many basic repairs.

Learn how to shut off:

• Your water
• Your electricity
• Your natural-gas or propane supply

Keep the correct shutoff tools where they can be reached quickly.

20. Cover Security, Documents, Cash, and Special Needs

Preparedness is more than food and flashlights.

Finish the first shopping trip by addressing the items most likely to be forgotten.

Personal Security

Add:

• Quality door and window locks
• Motion lights
• Whistles
• Fire extinguishers
• Smoke alarms
• Carbon monoxide alarms

If you already own a firearm and it is part of your security plan, purchase the correct ammunition, safe storage equipment, eye and hearing protection, and a cleaning kit where legally available.

Training and secure storage are more important than simply owning another firearm.

Documents and Emergency Cash

Keep copies of:

• Identification
• Insurance information
• Medical information
• Property records
• Vehicle information
• Emergency contacts
• Prescriptions

Store paper copies in a waterproof pouch.

Keep a reasonable amount of emergency cash in small bills. Card systems and ATMs may not work during a power or communications outage.

Children, Elderly Family Members, and Pets

Account for:

• Formula
• Diapers
• Comfort items for children
• Mobility equipment
• Incontinence supplies
• Pet food
• Pet medication
• Leashes and carriers
• Extra water for animals

A preparedness plan that ignores the needs of the people and animals who actually live in the home is not much of a plan.

How Much Will This Cost?

The total will depend on:

• Household size
• Brands selected
• How much you already own
• Whether you buy everything at once
• Local prices and availability

You do not have to finish the entire list in one trip.

Start with the items that cover the most immediate needs:

1. Water
2. Food that does not require cooking
3. Necessary medication
4. Lighting
5. First aid
6. Sanitation
7. Emergency communication

Then add the rest as money allows.

Do Not Store It and Forget It

Preparedness is not a one-time shopping trip.

After bringing everything home:

• Write the purchase date on supplies.
• Store food in a cool, dry, dark place.
• Protect food from insects and rodents.
• Rotate stored food into normal meals.
• Refresh home-filled water every six months.
• Test flashlights, radios, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms.
• Recharge power banks.
• Inspect medical supplies and medications.
• Practice cooking with your emergency stove outdoors.
• Make sure everyone knows where supplies are stored.

Skills are just as important as supplies.

Learn how to:

• Cook the food you stored
• Treat water
• Use your first-aid kit
• Operate your radio
• Shut off household utilities
• Use a fire extinguisher
• Repair basic problems
• Handle sanitation without running water

The Bottom Line

Prepping has become a major industry.

There will always be someone ready to convince you that survival requires a $5,000 solar generator, a pallet of freeze-dried food, a custom bug-out vehicle, a bunker, and every new tactical gadget advertised online.

Those things may be useful, but they are not where most people need to begin.

Begin with ordinary food, safe water, medication, lighting, sanitation, tools, communications, and a way to cook.

Buy what you use.

Rotate it.

Learn the necessary skills.

Improve the plan as time and money allow.

A cart filled with basic supplies from your local Walmart will not make you completely prepared for every possible disaster.

But it is a whole lot better than an empty pantry and a list of expensive equipment you plan to buy someday.

What would you add to this Walmart prepper checklist? Share your suggestions in the comments below.

Official Emergency Preparedness Sources

• CDC: Creating and Storing an Emergency Water Supply
• CDC: Making Water Safe During an Emergency
• CDC: Cleaning and Disinfecting With Bleach
• CPSC: Carbon Monoxide Safety
• USDA: Shelf-Stable Food Safety
• Ready.gov: Emergency Planning and Supply Kits

Safety Disclaimer

This article provides general preparedness information. Follow all product labels, appliance manuals, medication instructions, local laws, and official emergency guidance.

Never use outdoor fuel-burning camping equipment inside a home, garage, vehicle, tent, basement, or other enclosed area. Never mix bleach with other cleaning chemicals. Seek qualified medical advice concerning medications, medical conditions, allergies, and special dietary needs.

Propane is one of the most useful emergency fuels available.

It stores well, burns cleanly when the appliance is operating correctly, and can power stoves, heaters, water heaters, generators, and other useful equipment.

But there is a lot of confusion about whether a propane stove can safely be used inside a house during a power outage.

The answer depends entirely on what kind of stove you are talking about.

A permanently installed residential propane range designed for indoor use is completely different from a portable Coleman-style camp stove, outdoor cooker, turkey fryer, grill, or high-pressure propane burner.

A portable propane camp stove labeled for outdoor use should not be used inside your house, garage, basement, enclosed porch, vehicle, camper, shed, or tent.

Opening a window or cracking a door does not turn an outdoor appliance into an indoor appliance.

For indoor use, the appliance must be specifically designed, tested, approved, and labeled for that purpose—and it must be operated exactly as the manufacturer instructs.

Residential Propane Stove Versus Portable Camp Stove

The word stove causes much of the confusion.

People use the same word to describe several very different appliances:

• A permanently installed kitchen range
• A portable two-burner camping stove
• A high-pressure outdoor cooker
• A propane grill
• An indoor-rated portable heater
• An outdoor patio heater
• A wall-mounted propane heater

These appliances are not interchangeable.

A Residential Propane Range

A residential propane range is designed and certified for installation inside a home.

It should be:

• Installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions
• Connected using approved gas lines and fittings
• Installed according to local building and fuel-gas codes
• Maintained by a qualified technician
• Used with any ventilation required by the manufacturer

Millions of homes safely use propane or natural gas for everyday cooking.

That does not mean every appliance that burns propane is safe inside the house.

A Portable Propane Camping Stove

A portable camp stove is normally designed for outdoor cooking.

Examples include:

• Coleman two-burner propane camp stoves
• Tabletop propane grills
• Portable propane cookers
• Turkey fryers
• Fish cookers
• High-pressure outdoor burners
• Camping grills

These appliances may produce dangerous carbon monoxide, use an open flame near combustible materials, and lack the ventilation and safety systems required for indoor residential appliances.

If the stove or manual says:

• Outdoor use only
• Do not use in enclosed spaces
• Do not use in tents, campers, garages, or vehicles

then it should not be operated indoors.

The manufacturer’s instructions settle the question.

Why a Camp Stove Can Be Dangerous Indoors

There are three major risks:

1. Carbon monoxide poisoning
2. Fire and burns
3. Propane leaks and explosions

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas produced when fuels such as propane, natural gas, gasoline, kerosene, wood, and charcoal do not burn completely.

You cannot see it.

You cannot smell it.

You may not realize you are being exposed until your judgment and physical ability are already impaired.

Early symptoms can resemble the flu or food poisoning:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Sleepiness
• Confusion

More serious exposure can cause:

• Loss of coordination
• Disorientation
• Loss of consciousness
• Brain damage
• Death

A sleeping person may never notice the early symptoms.

That is why no portable fuel-burning appliance should be operated while people are sleeping unless it is specifically designed and approved for that use—and the manufacturer expressly permits it.

Why Opening a Window Is Not Enough

One of the most common pieces of advice is:

Just crack a window and it will be fine.

That is not a reliable safety plan.

Air movement inside a building is affected by:

• Wind direction
• Outside temperature
• House pressure
• Exhaust fans
• Fireplaces and chimneys
• The location of doors and windows
• How tightly the home is sealed
• The appliance’s condition
• The amount of fuel being burned

An open window may provide some fresh air, but it does not guarantee that combustion gases are being removed.

Carbon monoxide can still collect in parts of the room or home.

A window also does nothing to correct:

• A damaged burner
• An incorrect regulator
• A blocked air intake
• A dirty stove
• An unstable flame
• A leaking propane connection

Ventilation is not permission to ignore an outdoor-use-only label.

Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Every home using fuel-burning appliances should have working carbon monoxide alarms.

Install alarms:

• On every level of the home
• Outside sleeping areas
• According to the alarm manufacturer’s placement instructions

Battery-operated alarms or alarms with battery backup are especially important during a power outage.

Test the alarms regularly and replace them according to the manufacturer’s schedule.

A carbon monoxide alarm provides another layer of protection, but it does not make an unsafe appliance safe.

What to Do if a Carbon Monoxide Alarm Sounds

If the alarm sounds or anyone develops possible carbon monoxide symptoms while a fuel-burning appliance is operating:

1. Get everyone outside into fresh air immediately.
2. Do not waste time searching for the cause.
3. Call 911 or the fire department from outside.
4. Do not reenter until emergency responders or another qualified professional says it is safe.

If you can shut off the appliance without delaying your exit or putting yourself in danger, do so.

Do not remain inside simply because the alarm stops sounding after a window is opened.

Fire and Burn Hazards

A portable propane stove has an exposed flame and becomes extremely hot.

Inside a home, it may be close to:

• Curtains
• Cabinets
• Paper towels
• Plastic containers
• Furniture
• Carpet
• Bedding
• Clothing
• Stored food
• Children and pets

Portable stoves can also be knocked over.

Large pots create additional instability, especially when filled with boiling water, soup, grease, or pressure-canning equipment.

Never place a portable stove on:

• A bed
• A plastic folding table
• A cardboard box
• A carpeted floor
• An unstable surface
• Any surface the manufacturer does not approve

Never leave cooking unattended.

Grease fires can spread quickly, especially when people are trying to cook in an improvised location during a power outage.

Propane Leaks

Propane is naturally odorless, but suppliers add a strong odorant often compared to rotten eggs or a skunk-like smell.

If you smell propane:

1. Do not light the appliance.
2. Do not operate electrical switches.
3. Do not use a phone inside the affected area.
4. Do not create a flame or spark.
5. Get everyone away from the area.
6. Shut off the propane supply only if you can do it safely.
7. Call the propane supplier, fire department, or 911 from a safe location.

Do not return until the area has been declared safe.

Check hoses, regulators, seals, valves, and connections before use.

Never test for a propane leak with a match, lighter, or other flame.

Can I Use a Coleman Propane Stove Indoors?

No—not when the stove is labeled for outdoor use only.

Coleman currently states that its Classic two-burner propane camping stove is designed for outdoor use and should not be operated inside:

• A house
• A garage
• An enclosed patio
• A tent
• Another enclosed area

That remains true even if you open a window or garage door.

A Coleman camp stove is an excellent outdoor emergency-cooking option.

It is not a replacement for a residential kitchen range.

Can I Use a Propane Stove in a Garage?

An attached garage is not outdoors.

Neither is a garage with the overhead door partially or fully open.

Carbon monoxide can accumulate inside the garage and enter the house through:

• An interior door
• Wall openings
• Attic spaces
• Heating and cooling systems
• Other air leaks

A garage also contains gasoline, paint, solvents, vehicles, lawn equipment, cardboard, and other combustible materials.

Do not use an outdoor propane camp stove or high-pressure cooker in a garage.

Can I Use a Propane Stove in a Tent?

No outdoor-use-only camp stove should be used inside a tent.

Tents combine several dangers:

• Limited ventilation
• Highly combustible fabric
• Sleeping people
• Little room around the flame
• Unstable flooring
• Sleeping bags and clothing close to the stove

A flame can ignite a tent in seconds.

Carbon monoxide can also build up before anyone realizes there is a problem.

Cook outside and place the stove far enough from the tent that heat, sparks, spilled fuel, or a flare-up cannot ignite it.

Can I Use One Inside an RV or Camper?

A recreational vehicle may contain a permanently installed propane range that was specifically designed and installed for that RV.

That appliance should be operated according to the RV and appliance manuals.

Do not assume that the presence of an installed propane range means you can bring an outdoor camp stove inside the RV.

A portable Coleman-style camping stove labeled for outdoor use should remain outside.

Outdoor Propane Cookers Are Definitely Outdoor Appliances

Large propane burners such as turkey fryers, fish cookers, stockpot burners, and high-pressure Bayou Classic-style cookers should never be used indoors.

These appliances can produce tens of thousands of BTUs and are designed for open outdoor cooking.

They are commonly used for:

• Boiling large stockpots
• Cooking fish
• Frying turkeys
• Heating canners
• Cooking for groups

They should be placed outdoors on a stable, noncombustible surface, well away from:

• The house
• Garages
• Deck railings
• Dry grass
• Vehicles
• Overhanging roofs
• Doors, windows, and air intakes

What About Indoor-Rated Propane Heaters?

Some portable propane heaters are specifically designed and certified for limited indoor use.

The Mr. Heater Buddy family is a well-known example in the United States.

These models may include:

• An oxygen-depletion sensor
• A tip-over shutoff
• A high-temperature safety shutoff

That does not mean every propane heater is safe indoors.

It also does not mean an indoor-rated heater can be used anywhere, in any manner, without ventilation.

Before operating one:

• Confirm that the exact model is labeled for residential indoor use.
• Read the complete manual.
• Provide the ventilation required by the manufacturer.
• Observe all clearance requirements.
• Keep it on a stable, noncombustible surface.
• Use a working carbon monoxide alarm.
• Check state and local restrictions.
• Never use it while sleeping unless the manual expressly permits it.

Some jurisdictions restrict or prohibit unvented propane heaters indoors even when a manufacturer markets the heater as indoor-safe.

An outdoor patio heater, construction heater, torpedo heater, cooker, or radiant tank-top heater should never be treated as an indoor residential heater.

Never Use a Cooking Stove to Heat the House

A propane or natural-gas kitchen range is intended for cooking.

Do not leave burners operating simply to warm the room.

Do not use the oven with the door open as a space heater.

Using a cooking appliance for heat can increase the risk of:

• Carbon monoxide exposure
• Fire
• Burns
• Indoor air-qu