Difficult to make, useful, but currently very cheap

[jansman]

Work gloves. I always have half a dozen pairs in stock. I will go with the reading glasses too, I am like Deeps and stash them all over the place as without them I am knackered! Fishing hooks too , sizes 6 to 22, and some trebles for pike. Monofilament fishing line, 15lb, 10 ,6,4,3 and2lb. Kept in a tin in a cool place it lasts forever. And split shot. With those consumables, my fishing would not be disrupted. .22 air gun pellets, .410 and 12 bore cartridges too.

[redskies]

Disposable rubber gloves. A couple of quid for a box of 100, they could be a lifesaver in the unlikely event of a new illness appearing.

Also re-usable rubber gloves. They can be sterilised and re-used till you wear through them. I bought some from Tescos recently £1.25 a pair they were half price. They were triple protection rubber gloves that are even thicker than the garden ones they do.

ermm I'll add the mask filters for N95 masks, technically if you had the right materials you could make them...if you know what I mean.

Also - sounds stupid but I was wondering this afternoon, can you "make" charcoal...for filtering water?

Yes. Charcoal isn't so hard to make, and there even used to be at least one course I know of that would teach you how to make it. Have a look online in general, YT in particular.

[ForgeCorvus]

Also - sounds stupid but I was wondering this afternoon, can you "make" charcoal...for filtering water?

Most water filters use 'Bone Char' (I'm told its pretty much the only thing that will remove Flouride) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_char, its not the easiest thing to make.



Stuff for the stash:
How about Sodium hypochlorite (aka pool shock), its the stuff you make bleach from and unlike bleach it doesn't break down (and get weaker) over time

[jansman]

Water filters. Buy Sawyers. Looked after and kept from freezing, they will filter thousands of gallons. At about £25 a go, it’s worth stashing a couple. I have one in use and two in their packets.

[jansman]

Charcoal is easy to make. Dig a pit, set hardwood alight in it until it’s really going then put a metal sheet over it, cover it with soil, and leave a tiny air gap. Leave for a couple of days and, boom! Charcoal.

[Deeps]

Charcoal is easy to make. Dig a pit, set hardwood alight in it until it’s really going then put a metal sheet over it, cover it with soil, and leave a tiny air gap. Leave for a couple of days and, boom! Charcoal.

Yup, you can even rub it off the end of burnt sticks too.

Water filters. Buy Sawyers. Looked after and kept from freezing, they will filter thousands of gallons. At about £25 a go, it’s worth stashing a couple. I have one in use and two in their packets.

I'm not an expert and not tried them all but aye, I'm another Sawyer fan. I have a few, some unused but they're small, easy to use and that huge capacity to filter.... what's not to like.

[grenfell]

There's a further process if one wants to make activated charcoal but that's also doable. https://m.wikihow.com/Make-Activated-Charcoal
I've wondered about the original question and i reckon we have to add cost into this equation. If i'm honest i struggle to think of anything that comes solely from china . The chinese do seem to be able to produce things cheaper and in bigger volumes. I like a lot of people have a cheap electrical tool that's a fraction of the cost of a european one and the same applies to pretty much most things. If we really want something currently sourced in china we will probably still be able to get it just at four times the price.
The question came up with the whole brexit thing and the imposition of tariffs. I brought some German and Belgian beer as a hedge against possible price rises. Some but not enough to last me the rest of my life. One prep we all need is to be prepared to do without something or other in the future.

[Catweazle]

One prep we all need is to be prepared to do without something or other in the future.

I'd really miss reading glasses. I have a very well equipped workshop and plenty of raw materials, but I'd struggle to make lenses.

[Dutch_Uncle]

At the risk of being redundant, I'd add socks and underwear to the list along with temporary tooth filling kits which are readily available for a few quid from stores like Home Bargains.

[Dutch_Uncle]

Oh, how could I forget? Soap!

I remember watching a TV show years ago where a group of academics were charged with the task of making soap without mass-production methods and equipment.
It seemed to me a distinctly laborious and difficult process and it left me with a deep appreciation of being able to saunter into a store and buy as much as I like for 70p for 4 bars.
I also recall reading that soap actually improves and becomes better for the skin with age.