Snowstorm Supplies: A Winter Preparedness Checklist

Okay, rise and shine, campers, and don't forget your booties ‘cause it's cold out there today, and so it's time to turn our attention to winter preparedness. For some, that means a last-minute trip to Costco to panic-purchase toilet paper, but at Thunderbird Disco Homestead, we're all about practical, non-alarmist preparation that’s worth doing when not freaked out.

This guide will walk you through essential snowstorm supplies and skills, focusing on easy yet crucial steps to keep your home safe and comfortable during the frostiest months. Scroll down for a downloadable winter preparedness checklist you can reference year after year as winter weather approaches.

Seal the Envelope: Weatherstripping 101

Forecasts can be wrong, but they usually provide an educated guess on what to expect in terms of winter weather storms. Aside from extreme events like blizzards and winter storm warnings, preparing for the onset of colder temperatures should be part of your general yearly maintenance plan.

First, the easy stuff. Make sure your windows can close and latch, and your doors can all lock. If cold weather is coming, plan to keep your garage door closed as much as possible to maintain that buffer of warmer air.

Next, search for air leaks that can compromise your home's insulation and lead to energy inefficiency. Proper insulation helps trap heat, keeping your space warm and comfortable during blizzards or cold snaps. Use a flashlight or light a stick of incense to inspect areas around windows, doors, and vents for any gaps where cold air is seeping in. Don't forget to check your garage windows and door seals — they're often overlooked but important for temperature control.

When you inevitably find some leaks, one of the most cost-effective ways to get ready for winter is by installing weatherstripping. This simple task can significantly reduce heat loss and lower your energy bills.

• Choose the right type: Foam tape or caulk for irregular cracks, V-strips for door and window sides, and door sweeps for under-door gaps. I like this 3M silicone weatherstripping tape for doors especially.

• Clean surfaces thoroughly and let them dry before applying adhesive tape, it'll just fall off otherwise.

• Measure twice, cut once to ensure a snug fit.

Prevent the Freeze: Insulating Water Systems

Frozen pipes can lead to costly repairs and water shortages when you need it most. Here's how to protect your water systems during winter weather:

• Disconnect outdoor hoses and make sure lines are drained. Consider adding faucet covers for any exposed spigots.

• Insulate exposed pipes in unheated areas like basements, attics, and crawl spaces. For most exposed pipes, use foam tubing or heat tape; just be sure the material is rated for this use.

• Wrap your water heater in water heater blanket insulation to improve efficiency.

• Know how to shut off your main water valve in case of emergencies. Our 5-stage whole home water filtration system includes a shut-off valve for everything inside the house, but if the main line from the road to your home is compromised (our older water line got punctured by roots or rocks as the ground froze and unfroze, and sprung a leak) you may need to shut off your main valve at the water meter. Ours is located fairly deep, and you need a long water meter shut off key to get the job done.

Remember: Letting faucets drip slightly during extreme cold can prevent pipes from freezing.

Light in the Darkness: Building Your Emergency Kit

A well-stocked emergency kit can be your lifeline during power outages. Essential items include:

• Flashlights, lanterns, and headlamps (we keep at least one of these headlamps per person, plus a few extra to stash in different rooms/floors of the house)

• Extra batteries, all kinds. Consider investing in a rechargeable battery system.

• A battery-powered radio, solar-powered radio, or hand-crank radio

• First aid kit, plus any necessary prescriptions or medications

• Manual can opener

• Pet food, supplies, and medications

• Warm blankets and clothes

• Board games or books for screen-free entertainment during outages.

Emergency Food, Water, Power, and Heating Solutions

I've written about these extensively in other articles on this site, but...

Backup Power

Consider portable power stations and gas generators. We have this Jackery 1000 battery-powered power station plus solar array, which helps recharge phones and laptops, and powers all manner of small- to medium-sized appliances, like coffee makers, microwaves, TVs, etc.

We also have a larger gas powered generator as a backup, to run larger appliances if needed.

Smaller portable chargers, including solar charger power banks, are also a good idea to keep phones and smaller devices charged.

Emergency Food & Water

People sometimes make fun of me for keeping extra “buckets” of food and water jugs on hand, but I like to think of this as very affordable emergency food supply kits and backup water “insurance” — a one-time expense that’s much cheaper than the regular monthly premiums I pay for all my other peace-of-mind insurance products. Aside from your regular pantry, canned goods, and refrigerator, consider having a 14- or ideally a 30-day backup supply of emergency food for your entire family. Cost-effective and unobtrusive emergency food solutions can be kept on hand for decades as a last-ditch option.

We also have a bunch of these 7-gallon containers for emergency water. We empty and replenish these about every six months, just to keep it reasonably fresh, but there are also plenty of water purification/filtering products you can have on hand.

• Note: without power, a full freezer will keep food frozen for about 48 hours if left unopened; a refrigerator will keep food cold for only about 4 hours, but before you throw out the contents of your fridge, consider simply moving the most perishable items to a cooler and leaving it outside or in a colder garage or elsewhere that the temperature is around 35-40 degrees.

Sustainable Heating

I've written about how to split and store firewood and how to use a wood burning stove on this site, so check those articles for more information. If you live near trees or have access to firewood, a wood stove is probably the best and most sustainable way to maintain some backup heating, not only during power outages but as a supplement to your home's HVAC system during the colder months.

• For outdoor cooking and heating, consider a gas grill, Solo stove, or outdoor space heaters that connect to a typical 20 lb. refillable propane tank.

Remember: Don't run outdoor space heaters inside, or anything that could pump harmful gases or chemicals into your living space. As you seal up your house and consider alternate sources of indoor power or heating, be sure all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are powered and functioning well.

Clear the Way: Snow and Tree Removal Essentials

We have a crazy driveway and lots of trees, so every time there's a big winter storm it generally means days worth of shoveling and, sometimes, chainsawing trees and limbs that have come down in a storm. Being prepared for snow and tree/debris removal not only makes your life easier but also ensures safe access to and from your home if anyone has to get in or out quickly.

Snow shovels

Ergonomic plastic or aluminum shovels can reduce back strain. We also sometimes use a flat metal shovel to break up ice that the plastic shovels can't handle. Try not to use one of them pointy garden shovels typically used for digging, you’ll end up tearing up your asphalt.

Ice melt or sand for traction

There are different products here and some are more/less effective and problematic than others.

• Rock salt (sodium chloride), is very cheap but highly corrosive and toxic for pets, and only effective down to about 22 degrees (some products claim to be effective down to 5 degrees).

• Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) is much safer for driveways and pets, and also effective to about 22 degrees.

• Calcium chloride is better for colder temperatures, effective to about -25 degrees, but also not safe for animals (in general, clean pet paws if they've been outside walking on potentially treated surfaces).

Vehicle Snow Removal

Consider a combination snow brush and ice scraper with an extendable arm for larger vehicles. Smaller brush/scraper snow removal tools could be kept in each car, but try to get the snow off the roof and hood of the car, not merely the windshield. Snow on your roof can ice over and then suddenly fly off the top of your car days later when you’re on the highway, turning into a potentially dangerous projectile for cars behind you. Or slide down over your own windshield if you slam on the brakes, or just generally getting all up in someone’s business at the wrong time.

Cold Weather Gear

I won’t get into an exhaustive list of clothing and accessories here — maybe in another post — but at minimum you should invest in:

• A pair of tall winter boots to keep your pant legs dry if you’re shoveling or working in foot-deep snow. And maybe a pair of shorter, mid- or ankle-height slip-on muck boots for tasks like filling your log rack, where you might have to come in and out of the house a lot and need something more convenient.

• Waterproof insulated gloves for shoveling

• A warm knit beanie for your dome or full-on hunter’s hat that covers your face.

Snow Blowers

Our driveway is about 700 feet, curves around, down, back up again, it’s generally a nightmare unless we need to protect against a zombie invasion, in which case it’ll serve a nice tactical purpose. But during snowstorms it’s rough. We’ve had snow plows get stuck in the bottom of our driveway and need to get towed out, or else their blades rip up our driveway, so — in part for the exercise and in part because we’re stubborn — we often just hand-shovel two tire tracks the entire length of our driveway, and hope that once it gets a little sunnier the heat will reach the blacktop and burn off the rest of the snow fairly quickly.

But we’ve been burned before and eventually purchases this battery-powered Greenworks 24” 60V Snow Thrower. During the colder months especially, I don’t love using gas-powered machinery that tend to need tune-ups or other repairs (and I don’t realize this until we’re snowed in). This battery-powered machine can run for about 40 minutes on a single charge. It’s best for clearing 2-3” of fresh powder, as opposed to thicker, wetter chunks of snowfall that’s started to ice over. Multiple 60V batteries (get at least a 4.0 Ah, the 2.5 Ah batteries aren’t quite powerful enough to move much snow, in my experience) allows me to charge one (takes about 50 min for a full charge) while the other is in use.

Chainsaws

Like I said, we live in the woods around lots of trees, so inevitably some of them come down in a snow storm. We’ve invested in the Greenworks 60V system already, where many different tools can share the same rechargeable battery, so while I have a STIHL gas-powered chainsaw for tougher jobs year-round, I tend to prefer this lightweight 16” brushless Greenworks chainsaw for basic winter tree/limb removal tasks.

Safety First: If using any power tools, familiarize yourself with their operation before the first snowfall, and make sure they're ready to go. If using battery-powered tools, you may not need fuel but you may still need oil or other bar and chain lubricant (look for eco-friendly, biodegradable stuff), a spare chain, or other accessories.

Beyond the Basics: Community Preparedness

Remember, true resilience comes from community connection. If you know a storm is coming and it's easy to relocate, there's no shame in hunkering down with friends or family in less-impacted areas, or those who have whole-house generators or other provisions. Hanging out in groups during power outages and storms can help with co-parenting, resource-sharing, and i. it’s typically way more fun than going it alone. Consider these additional steps:

• Create a neighborhood communication plan for emergencies. Buried deep in my Rolling Stone article, "Journal of a Progressive Prepper," is a link to a Google Form survey that I developed as a template for neighborhood mutual aid. People can add their basic info as well as the resources/skills they have versus those they might need during an emergency. Extra food/water is great, but this isn't simply about typical survival skills or stuff. People in your neighborhood or community might need translation services or a ride to the pharmacy or childcare. Think broadly about what skills or stuff you might be able to offer to others in a time of need, and start developing a network for resource sharing so people know where to turn for help if disaster strikes.

• Organize a skill-sharing workshop on winter preparedness. During a non-emergency situation, consider gathering people in your neighborhood or friend group to share knowledge.

• Check on elderly or vulnerable neighbors during storms.

Winter Preparedness Checklist

Winter storms can be challenging, but with the right preparation, they're manageable and even enjoyable. By taking these steps, you're not just preparing your home — you're contributing to a more resilient community.

For a handy guide that you can print, laminate, and reference year after year, download our interactive "Thunderbird Disco Homestead Basic Winter Readiness Checklist" HERE.

Stay warm, stay safe, and stay connected!

What's your go-to winter prep tip? Share in the comments below, and let's build our collective knowledge!