Corona Pandemic Prepping List

(Written March 11, 2020; last updated March 21)

This Covid-19 pandemic means you might be stuck indoors for weeks, working from home, kids out of school, worried & bored.

Here’s some stuff that might be useful to get now, before shortages, so you & your family can survive & thrive. (I’ve included links to Amazon.com for people in the US, but much of this can be found through Amazon sites in other countries, or other online retailers.)

Notes:

  • Every couple of days, I’ll rotate the top categories below to keep this list fresh & relevant as events unfold.

  • Amazon delivery helps you avoid contagion from crowds in stores. But it’s also worth doing some prepper shopping runs to Walmart, Walgreens, Costco, Home Depot, Sportsman’s Warehouse, local groceries, etc.

  • I’ve researched all this stuff pretty carefully; I’ve bought a lot of this myself and all of it is well-reviewed by others

  • I’ve tried to focus on some things that aren’t obvious, and that aren’t getting as much attention. (Everybody’s already stockpiling paper goods & toilettries.)

Online communication with family & friends: you may not be able to visit distant loved ones for weeks. Skype and other remote video apps can be great to stay in touch. These devices make those conversations better quality.

Entertainment: With the whole family stuck at home, conflicts can arise over entertainment options. Maybe get some tablets, e-readers, TVs, & other devices so you’re not all fighting over the same screens

  • WiFi range extender: with multiple people using home wifi at the same time, signal can get worse & choppy. Cheap wifi repeaters can keep everybody happier, without having to upgrade the main router, e.g. $16 for this: https://amzn.to/39RO4Ju

  • Noise-cancelling headphones: so your viewing & games don’t disturb others, c. $60: https://amzn.to/2TFHEYi

  • Tablet: good for kids streaming movies, reading, listening to music, playing games, e.g. Fire 8” HD screen c. $80 — https://amzn.to/2vrmKms

  • FreeTime Unlimited (Amazon tablet-oriented streaming service for kid-friendly books, games, educational apps, movies, and TV shows): https://amzn.to/38LTwMt

  • Kindle e-reader for reading e-books (c. $90): https://amzn.to/38PD7GU

  • Kindle Unlimited plan (borrow up to 10 e-books at a time for free): https://amzn.to/3b1C7RL

  • Small extra TV (32” screen for about $150 — good for kids rooms); https://amzn.to/33jckSd

  • Larger extra TV (50” screen for about $375 — good for spouses with different viewing preferences, or people in quarantine): https://amzn.to/3cZ4jXe

  • Oculus Quest VR gaming headset (best current VR headset, arguably): https://amzn.to/38SeIRc

Working from home: Lots of people might be working from home for weeks or months. If you haven’t worked from home a lot before, you may not have a good set-up that’s fast & powerful enough for sustained work, that’s ergonomic enough to avoid RSI/wrist strain, eye strain, & back strain, or that’s private enough to allow concentrated work & calls without disturbing others. Some suggestions, arranged from cheapest to most expensive:

  • Wrist rest for mouse (c. $7): https://amzn.to/2W8mcwz

  • Ergonomic keyboard (takes a while to learn, but really saves your wrists, in my experience; c. $40): https://amzn.to/2vZcPEH

  • Noise-cancelling headphones (really good, c. $60): https://amzn.to/2TFHEYi

  • Room divider: get a little extra privacy if you’re setting up a home office within a larger shared room, c. $130): https://amzn.to/3aSXGUn

  • Better computer screen (24” screen for $140): https://amzn.to/2W4Rjcg

  • Better chair: ‘gaming chairs’ look weird, but they’re way more comfortable & ergonomic for extended work than most ‘office chairs’; and they’re better value (this top-rated one is about $140): https://amzn.to/2UcAx8S

  • Better desk: ‘gaming desks’ also look weird, but are also more ergonomic, adjustable, & better value than most ‘home office desks’ (c. $205): https://amzn.to/39SzHEC

  • Better computer: fast desktops are way cheaper than they used to be; this ‘renewed’ model for $205 is probably way more powerful than whatever you have sitting around at home: https://amzn.to/2IK6EqP

  • Standing desk (stay healthy, avoid sedentary back pain, c. $520, : https://amzn.to/2wPZ636  

Home exercise equipment: You may want to avoid the gym, yoga studio, and MMA training. But how to stay healthy? Here are some options for body-weight exercises, weight training, etc.

Books on stoicism, resilience, mindfulness: Keep calm & protect your mental health.

Home haircuts: In case you want to avoid going to a barber — time to learn to cut each others' hair.

Health basics: Note: a lot of these are sold out now, but it’s worth exploring the links and checking on alternatives.

  • Thermometer (important for seeing who gets fever; note: specific models are selling out fast, so check around; most are around $15): https://amzn.to/2WfLvNx

  • Hand soap (first line of defense against virus — its lipid membrane is very vulnerable to soap; specific brands are selling out fast): https://amzn.to/2wJoWWB

  • Hand moisturizer (so your hands don’t get messed up by washing many times a day); Aveeno is highly rated; 18 oz bottle for $9: https://amzn.to/38Ht1rx

  • Nitrile gloves: in case you need to interact with someone who gets sick; normally 100 pairs for $16, but in short supply now: https://amzn.to/2uTKa3r

  • Dishwashing gloves: avoid contamination in the kitchen: 6-pack: https://amzn.to/2Q6pgpe

  • Baby wipes: helpful for cleaning hands & surfaces if you can’t get disinfectant wipes: 12 pack for $34: https://amzn.to/39IjT7B

  • (If you can find it, hand sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol is also very useful, but it’s in very short supply)

Food: treats for morale: in times of stress, people want comforting, nostalgic treats to occupy their mouths and keep up their spirits.

In-house quarantine:

Entertainment: toys, games, cards for adults & kids

Entertainment: board games

  • Chess: the West’s main board game for over 500 years (set of full size Staunton pieces, portable vinyl board, good quality, c. $22): https://amzn.to/2Q42sGr

  • Go: Asia’s main board game for 2,500 years (set of board, stones, bowls, c. $60): https://amzn.to/38JWfWU

  • GIPF project board games: I love these weird, abstract 2-player board games by Belgian game designer Kris Burm; they include YINSH, TZAAR, DVONN, ZÈRTZ, LYNGK, GIPF, and PÜNCT. (About $35 each). Example: YINSH: https://amzn.to/38M2yZT

  • Jenga: classic game of pulling little hardwood blocks out of a tower til it falls over, which some people find amusing, c. $11: https://amzn.to/2vXRRWU

  • Catan: Civilization-building board game of harvesting and trading resources. (3-4 players, $43). https://amzn.to/337Nhl8

  • Scrabble: classic spelling game (2-4 players, $13): https://amzn.to/39Mxxq9

  • The Game of Life: nostalgic family-values/pronatalist board game; Jordan Peterson needs to design an updated edition (2-4 players, $14): https://amzn.to/39SPjYN

Entertainment: Grim, nasty games for adults

Amazon memberships for entertainment & home delivery: make staying at home more fun & convenient

Anti-contagion food serving & disposal: if someone gets sick and is quarantined in their room, you don’t want to have to wash up their cups, plates, bowls, & cutlery. Just use disposable plastic stuff and throw it in trash bags. You can donate money later to coolearth.org to offset your carbon emissions…

Food preparation & cooking: it might be time to level up your home’s cooking game, since restaurants will be dangerous for community spread & food delivery may be disrupted. Stuff I’ve found most useful:

  • Air fryer: great for cooking meats, vegs, french fries, bacon, etc using that Maillard reaction (‘browning’) that makes everything more delicious. (this top-rated Cosori model is $120): https://amzn.to/2TPCp8d

  • Instant Pot Duo: so you went full prepper and you’ve got 100 pounds of rice and beans. What are you going to cook them in? This can handle it. Pressure cooker, rice cooker, stew maker, steamer, etc. ($70): https://amzn.to/2vry4Pu

  • Slow cooker: make huge stews to feed everybody. (Hamilton Beach 10-quart model $54): https://amzn.to/2TTDhsN

  • Knife sharpener: your kitchen knives aren’t sharp, and you know it. Here’s a great little sharpener for six bucks: https://amzn.to/2Qha6gP

  • Knife set: that fine line between ‘kitchen utensils’ and ‘home defense’ (Cuisinart 15-piece set $44): https://amzn.to/2xEwPNA

Food: calorie-dense staples: these are really good value per calorie, nutrient-dense,and last a moderately long time (months, but not years)

Food: canned meats/fish

Food: canned vegetables

Food: key spices in bulk: you can have all the rice & beans, but after a few weeks without spices & condiments, your family will mutiny.

Food: meal replacement powder: these are complete nutrient meal replacements; mix with water. A little more expensive than other foods per calorie or meal, but very fast & convenient if you have stuff to do.

Long-term food storage: for a 3-month pandemic, you don’t need this stuff. But useful if you want to store dried foods for serious long-term prepping. Like for the next pandemic. Repackage dried rice, beans, spices, etc in the mylar bags, throw in an oxygen absorber, use a hot iron to seal it shut. Put the sealed mylar bags in the big buckets. Put the buckets on the shelves.

Drinks: coffee & tea

Home security: deterrence

Home security: door & window reinforcement

Emergency water storage:

Emergency water sanitizing:

Emergency lighting

Emergency communications

Emergency tools:

Emergency transport:

Emergency cooking & heating: