Can openers! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen folks stock up on canned food and then either forget a manual can opener or grab one of those flimsy ones that break after a couple uses. I actually keep two good-quality manual can openers—one in the kitchen, one in my emergency bin—plus an old “church key” just in case. Once had a neighbor during a power outage who was banging at cans with a screwdriver. Not fun or safe, trust me.
Another thing that doesn’t get enough attention is heavy-duty gloves. I’m always gardening and those thick gloves save my hands from all sorts of scrapes. In an emergency, they come in handy for cleaning up debris, moving branches, whatever needs doing. Easy to overlook, but when you need to handle something rough or dirty, you’ll be glad to have them.
Curious—does anyone pack spare batteries for hearing aids or other small electronics? I feel like those could be easy to forget, especially with so much focus on big items like flashlights and radios.
