Rank 2 of 5 · 2 weeks
Ranch Hand
Building the home herd
A Ranch Hand can keep the home running for two weeks without help. The work here is steady, not flashy: storing water, stocking food you already eat, and practicing a lights-out evening before you need one.
Who it's for
Households with a 72-hour kit who want to shelter in place through a long outage, a storm, or empty store shelves.
Start with
The Fully Loaded 72-hour kit as a bridge, then build water storage toward 14 gallons per person.
Goals
- Store 14 days of water per person, with a way to treat more.
- Build a 2-week pantry of foods your household already eats.
- Have a safe backup way to cook and boil water.
- Set up a sanitation plan for when the toilet can't flush.
- Stay warm and lit through a long outage.
Checklist
Skills and gear milestones
Work through these at your own pace. Print the page and tick them off as you go.
Gear
- Food-grade water containers holding 14 gallons per person
- A 2-week pantry of shelf-stable staples, labeled by date
- A manual can opener (and a spare)
- A backup stove with fuel, used outdoors only
- An emergency toilet setup with liner bags
- Lanterns, extra batteries, and warm blankets for every bed
Skills
- Rotate the pantry first-in, first-out
- Treat water three ways: boiling, unscented bleach per the EPA label, and a filter
- Cook a full meal on your backup stove, outside
- Run a lights-out evening at home and note what you missed
Plans
- Keep a written inventory with expiration dates
- Agree on who checks on neighbors or family nearby
Recommended lists
The Ranch Hand shelves
Bridge from Greenhorn
Fully Loaded 72-hour kit
The most complete kit on the 72-hour shelf. Its water storage, sanitation, and lighting picks carry straight into this rank. Build one per person.
Coming soon: shelf being stocked
Two-Week Water Storage List
Containers, treatment, and rotation for 14 days at home.
Coming soon: shelf being stocked
Two-Week Pantry List
Shelf-stable staples a regular household will actually eat.
Coming soon: shelf being stocked
Lights-Out Comfort List
Cooking, light, and warmth for a long outage.
Role add-ons: coming soon
Role gear sized for the Ranch Hand rank (Ramrod (Leader), Sawbones (Medic), Cookie (Cook), Lookout (Comms), Scout (Navigation & Security), Fixer (Tools & Repair)) is in the works. No picks or prices yet.
Next rank
Up next: Wrangler (1 to 3 months). Longer-term food storage, backup power for the essentials, comms beyond the cell network, and a tested bug-out plan.
Ride on to Wrangler