John’s Starter Loadout
Seven picks across every category. If you’re building a kit from nothing, this is where to start.
The question I get most: "If I can only afford one trip to Amazon, what do I buy?"
This is that list. Seven items. Across every category on the site. If I had to rebuild my go-bag from nothing tomorrow, these are the ones I’d grab first — not because they’re the most expensive, but because they solve the most problems per dollar.
Skip this page and buy only what looks interesting on the other pages. Nothing wrong with that. But if you want a single, considered answer, this is it.
The seven picks
The cheapest, most boring item on the list. Also the one you will use most. If you don’t already own an EDC flashlight, this is where you start.
The single device that gives you weather, news, flashlight, and a phone charge in one hand-crankable package. When the grid blinks, this is what tells you what’s happening.
20,000 mAh, solar trickle, built-in cables. Keeps your phone and a radio alive for the weekend without finding a wall outlet. The one battery I refuse to leave behind.
Clean water is the first problem to solve and the easiest one to ignore. A $20 straw filter solves it permanently. There is no reason not to own one.
A real trauma-grade kit — not a drugstore tin. The ambulance is not five minutes away out here. Buy one, learn what’s inside, know where it lives.
Physics-based privacy that doesn’t negotiate with software. Airplane mode is a setting. A Faraday bag is a fact. Cheap insurance for anyone who travels.
2400 calories, 5-year shelf life, no prep. Throw one pack in each vehicle and one in the go-bag. Forget they’re there. Be glad they are the day you need them.