There are a lot of things to prepare for, ranging from your house burning down to serious terror attack. My plans are more “mid-length” in range, and I started with the longer term part of that, before realizing that the house fire scenario was probably the most likely and least planned for.
Here’s an off the cuff list of things I think are possible:
House fire. Need a 72 hour kit.
Moderate/localized problem (terror attack or natural disaster). Need a few weeks of stuff, specifically to avoid waiting in government lines or superdome housing.
Large scale failure (coordinated terror attack, economic meltdown, pandemic of epic proportions). Need stuff to survive. Possible “bug-out” situation. The problem with planning too specifically for this condition is that there are too many variables, and I think that at this stage mindset and skills become more important. Be flexible and ready to adapt immediately. While it’s great to think that you and your buddies are all going to meet at the retreat in Idaho (a la Patriots), EMP renders that plan impossible. But it could be as simple as your bad luck that the terrorist attack plane was crashed by good guys in your retreat’s roof. Having the items to keep you alive and barter for the first few months will allow you time to react to the rest of the situation. It will be valuable to have skills across a broad range, like plumbing, gardening, hunting, foraging, fixing vehicles and the like, welding, sewing, advanced first aid, tactics, etc…
If you’re lucky enough that you live at your retreat, or literally within a couple day’s hiking distance, well then prep and store as much as possible. Set it up like the bunker in Patriots.
To get off the grid consider solar power or hydroelectric for electricity. Both are clean and quiet, and require little maintenance. Wind turbines are not low key enough, and consumer-sized ones fail far more frequently than people think. Have a well that can be hand pumped or has a windmill that isn’t ultra-modern and attention getting. Better yet, find a place with a year round clear stream and create your own gravity fed water supply. Learn animal husbandry and general agri-skills. Practice those skills by living…
Alright this is the end of the long rambling post. I hope this was helpful!