As a prepper, it's important to know where to go to get supplies and survival gear.

As a prepper, it's important to know where to go to get supplies and survival gear and one place where you can get a lot of what you need is Tractor Supply. They have locations in almost every US state and while most people think of them as just like a farm and ranch store, they also have a ton of stuff that's useful for emergency preparedness and that's true whether you're a homesteader, live in the suburbs or in an apartment. So today we're going to go over the best prepper and survival items at Tractor Supply. Now, before we get started with that though, if you're new here, my name is JR and this channel is all about practical, budget-friendly preparedness for regular folks like us, so go ahead and hit subscribe so that you don't miss what's coming up. So the first thing that they have and probably one of the most important is bulk water storage containers. Tractor Supply is a good place to pick up brand new 55-gallon water barrels, IBC totes, those are the big ones that you see riding around in the back of work trucks and even larger tanks that can hold a thousand gallons or more. You can use those containers for large-scale water storage and also rainwater catchment systems. Now, since these are new, they are going to cost a lot more than used containers, but the problem with buying used containers is that you don't always know what was stored in them previously. The biggest issue would be if they had been used to store chemicals and that happens a lot, especially with IBC totes and you don't want any of that mess like leaching out into your drinking water. It tends to get absorbed into the plastic even when it was washed, but if you buy water containers new, then you're not going to have to worry about all that. Then Tractor Supply is probably my favorite place to go pick up 5-gallon buckets and the reason for that is that their buckets are clearly labeled as food grade and BPA free. That's not something that you'll always find other places and if you're using your buckets for food storage, then it's pretty stinking important. I also like to use their buckets as planter pots for my container garden and knowing that they don't have a bunch of extra crap in them makes them nice for that as well. You can also pick up some Gamma lids there. If you don't know what those are, they're basically just upgraded lids that turn your buckets into water-tight containers that you can open and shut over and over again. They're great for anything that you need to keep pest out of but still want to have regular access to, like we used to have one on the bucket that we kept our dog food in. Then Tractor Supply is also a good place to pick up different canning supplies. They've got pretty much everything that you need to get started, including pressure canners, jars, lids, rings and even complete kits. And if you grow your own fruits or vegetables or even just want to preserve food that you buy from like a grocery store or farmer's market, then having canning supplies is a pretty big deal. It'll allow you to extend the shelf life of your food and also help prevent waste. After that, Tractor Supply was my go-to place for pet food for several years and they have pretty much everything that you may need, like they've got food for dogs, cats and even other animals like rabbits. But if you have livestock, then they're even better. You can get feed for chickens, pigs and horses along with bales of hay and during the spring and summer months, you can even buy baby chicks, which if you've been thinking about getting into raising chickens or, you know, getting your own eggs, then that's a pretty good way to get started. Then something a lot of folks don't realize is that Tractor Supply is also a good place to pick up medications for your animals. They've got stuff to treat skin conditions, wounds, pain and common parasites. You just want to make sure that you know what you're buying because sometimes what they're selling is the exact same thing as generic human medications and you can usually get those generics a lot cheaper than their special veterinary versions, even though it could literally be the exact same pill with the exact same markings. Then on top of all that, a lot of Tractor Supply locations have preventive veterinary clinics that come through on a regular basis. They offer vaccinations, heartworm meds and deworming. Our location usually advertises the dates for those clinics on a folding sign right next to the entrance, so you might want to keep an eye out for those if you don't have like a regular vet or are in between vets. Then if you want to start a garden or you already have one, then you can get pretty much everything that you need there. Being able to grow your own food is one of the most valuable skills that a prepper could have and you can get most of what you need to get started with just one trip to Tractor Supply. They've got garden plants, soil and fertilizer. They also sell the hand tools that you'll need like rakes, shovels, garden sprayers and pruning saws. And if you're into composting, they also sell compost tumblers which can help you turn kitchen scraps and yard waste into something that will actually improve your soil and reduce your dependence on chemical fertilizers and that's a pretty big deal right now with what's going on with the straits of Hormuz. Then another thing you can pick up at Tractor Supply is fencing material.