,Rawles has a brief mention today about toilet paper that begs the question – what exactly is a years supply?

Obviously, there are a few factors to take into account – gender and appreciation of Mexican food.

But seriously……..

When I was living solo, I could buy a package of 36-rolls ( 425-sheet, two-ply) and have them last somewhere between two and three years. Now that I have a female living with me, that time span is shortened considerably. However, toilet paper is one of the few preparedness items you can buy that is cheap, lasts forever, has very few acceptable substitutes, and is found everywhere. I usually just stack it on a shelf in the bathroom. (I just counted…39 rolls in the bathroom, another twenty or so in the bunker.)

How much to stock? Up to you, man. Like ammo, you cant really have too much. It has other uses (blowing your nose, cleaning your glasses, etc, etc) and if youve ever run out of the stuff when your eally needed it you know that its got a good bit of trade value. Really, the only limiting factor is storage space…and you can get pretty creative in that regard. Better too much than too little.

Obviously, the big storage hazard is from water and rodents (who like chewing the stuff up and nesting in it). A large Rubbermaid tub or other container solves all the problems nicely.

Its worth pointing out that some chicks have issues with scented or colored toilet paper so plain institutional white TP seems to be the ‘universal’ model that should be stocked.

While it is true that there are substitutions I can all but guarantee you that given the choice between TP, phone books, corn cobs, leaves, re-used rags and your bare hands, the roll of Charmin is going to be the winner every time. Yes, be aware of the substitutes and even tryt hem out if you want a sneak preview of the apocalypse but definitely spend another $15 and get yourself a couple dozen rolls of toilet paper.

While we’re on the subject….when your bathroom roll gets down to about 1/2 or 1/3 pull it and replace it with a new one. Squash the smaller 1/3 roll flat, stick it in a ziplcok baggie and use it on your camping trips. Most camping trips are short enough to not need the bulkier ‘new’ roll. Waterproofing it in he baggie is a no-brainer.

If you want more compact ‘high speed, low drag’ you can get a couple pocket size packages of Kleenex or babywipes. Either will probably last you for two or three days, take up minimal space, and are easier to carry than an equivalent amount of TP.

Finally, a little hand sanitizer or bleach wipes are handy when in the field for washing your hands after answering Mom Nature’s call. Cholera, typhoid and dysentary ain’t gonna be much fun when TEOTWAWKI rolls around so a few precautions make sense.