What is the one thing that you tend to gravitate towards when prepping? For me, it is knives. I can never seem to have enough knives. I just love testing out and carrying new knives into the woods.

Fishing gear! For some reason I've accumulated quite a bit of it. I guess I feel that it covers the multi-use element and it can be used to acquire food.

_________________
Please don't take my avatar to seriously. I'm really not a bible thumping armageddon prophet.

My fetish is definitely water purification. I've got everything from pumps to tablets, to iodine to ways to boil, even the Steripen. I like to have backups for my backups. When I go out on a hike, my biggest decision is to figure out which options I want to pack.

Mine is sleeping bags, for some reason. I buy cheapies at WalMart (don't know how good they'd be outdoors). I un-zip them, and use them flat for quilts. I can't resist picking 1 up when I see them! (They're only $8.87 or something.) BTW, they wash and dry easily. Downside: as they are nylon, they slip off a bit when using as a flat blanket. I think my fetish may have been acquired a few years ago, when our heater died for in February, and it took 1 month to get the new one installed properly. It was VERY cold in our house; it was 44F in the downstairs bathroom; I could see my breath. I was mighty grateful for the few sleeping bags I had then!

The other, tied for 1st place, may be solar lights of all types. We just re-built our deck, and I bought solar light post caps, of course!

_________________
WTSHTF: Gather it up, and use it for a GREAT fertilizer for your survival garden!

I tend to focus on fire starters and tinder more than anything else.

_________________
If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

First aid items. I've got so many bandaids and medications. Lots of hydrogen peroxide and alcohol (rubbing) too.

I think mine would be food, boxed and canned. Items like pastas, soup and chili, things like that. Tied with that or a very close second would be personal toiletries, like toilet paper, shampoo, deodorant and the like.

Mine is most likely backpacks and buttpacks. Ive got like 8 bags:)

I'm with aj. I don't think I'll ever feel I have enough food stored even though I have about 2 years worth. 1-2 mediocre gardening seasons will put a serious dent in that.
TP, toothpaste, deodorant? They're right near the top of the list too.

_________________
And To The Republic For Which It Used To Stand

Kits. Rather than one piece of gear, it’s the act of putting together a specific kit every time I leave the house: short hike in the woods—better take X, Y & Z in this bag; longer walk along the coast—better include A, B &C and a coastal flora & fauna guide in this day pack…