200 skills for the first 72 hours and every day after: water, heat, food, first aid, repairs and the outdoors, one picture-led page at a time. We are writing it now, and the waitlist hears the date first.
The planned spec is a wire-o spiral book that stays flat on a counter or a workbench, with your hands free for the job.
Spiral bound, lies flat
A laminated card front and a rigid board back, so it stands up on the counter too.
About 264 pages, 8.5 x 11 in
Letter size, portrait, full colour on matte paper throughout.
The same layout on every skill
What you need, numbered steps with a picture each, the common mistake, a safety box where it applies, and the finished result.
A source on every page
Each skill ends with a "Checked against" line naming the public guidance behind it.
Planned extras
A coloured tab edge for each chapter and a tear-out 72-hour checklist card at the back.
Inside
Ten chapters, twenty skills each
Chapter one starts with what to do first. The rest cover the days after, from the water supply to the garden.
Chapter 01
Hour Zero: the first 72 hours
What to do in the first minutes, the first day and the first three days, from shut-offs to the go-bag.
20 skills
1.01
The 72-hour plan: what to do in the first hour, the first day, the first three daysOne spread that tells you what to do in the first hour, then the first day, then day three.
1.02
Shut off water, gas and electricity at the main (and when not to)
1.03
Build a 72-hour home kit for your family, by person
1.04
Pack a go-bag you can carry for a day
1.05
Keep a car kit for being stuck overnight in winter
1.06
Make a family meeting plan and a contact card for every pocket
1.07
What to do in the first minutes of a power outage
1.08
Keep the fridge and freezer safe in an outage (and what to throw out)
1.09
Run a portable generator without carbon monoxide risk
1.10
Shelter in place: pick and seal a room
1.11
Leave in 10 minutes: an evacuation drill for the household
1.12
Practise the night-time exit with a flashlightEvery bedroom to the meeting spot with the lights off and one flashlight.
1.13
Get news with no internet: a hand-crank and battery radio
1.14
Charge phones with no grid: car, power bank, small solar
1.15
Protect papers and money: the waterproof document pouch
1.16
Care for pets in an emergency
1.17
Look after an older or disabled relative when the power is out
1.18
Flood: the hour before, the hour after
1.19
Wildfire smoke at home: a box-fan air filter
1.20
Signal and leave a note if you have to go
Chapter 02
Water
How much to store, how to make it safe and where to find more when the tap stops.
20 skills
2.01
How much water to store, and how to store a year's worthThe gallon-a-day rule, the containers that work and how to keep a year of it fresh.
2.02
Find the hidden water already in your house (water heater, pipes)
2.03
Make water safe by boiling
2.04
Disinfect water with household bleach: drops per litre and gallon
2.05
Build a gravity water filter from two bucketsTwo stacked buckets, plus the step that makes the water safe to drink.
2.06
Solar water disinfection in clear bottles
2.07
A three-barrel rain collection systemThree linked barrels, so one downpour fills them all.
Pull drinking water from the air (dew and fog collector)A mesh rig that catches water from fog and morning dew.
2.12
Distil seawater with a pot and a lid
2.13
A charcoal and sand filter from a bottle
2.14
Rotate and label stored water
2.15
Wash and keep clean with a gallon a day
2.16
Make a hand-washing station that needs no tap
2.17
Thaw frozen pipes safely
2.18
Stop a burst pipe until help comes
2.19
Water for the garden in a drought (greywater basics)
2.20
Test well water and what the results mean
Chapter 03
Power, Heat and Light
Light, warmth, cooling and cooking when the grid is down, with the fuel and carbon monoxide rules.
20 skills
3.01
A small solar power box for lights, radio and phonesA box that runs lights, a radio and phone charging from a small panel.
3.02
Size a battery bank for what you actually need
3.03
Keep one room warm in a winter outage
3.04
Insulate windows for the night (blankets, bubble wrap, film)
3.05
Cool a house without power: cross-ventilation and night flushingWhich windows to open, and at what hour, to pull cool night air through.
3.06
Store fuel safely: gasoline, propane, kerosene
3.07
A rocket stove from tin cans or bricksCook on twigs and small sticks with a stove made from cans or bricks.
3.08
A solar oven from a box
3.09
A haybox (retained-heat) cooker to save fuel
3.10
Cook safely on a camp stove indoors and out
3.11
Light without power: candles, oil lamps and safety
3.12
Make a long-burning emergency candle
3.13
Heat water with the sun (bottle and hose heaters)
3.14
Use a wood stove or fireplace safely, and keep the chimney clean
3.15
Season and store firewood
3.16
Split and stack wood with less effort
3.17
A Faraday box for spare electronics
3.18
Reset a tripped breaker and find the fault
3.19
Keep warm in bed: layering and hot-water bottles
3.20
Hand-crank and pedal power for small devices
Chapter 04
Pantry and Preserving
Food that keeps: a rotating pantry, canning by the USDA rules, drying, fermenting and cold storage.
20 skills
4.01
Build a 3-month pantry on a normal budget
4.02
First in, first out: a rotation shelf
4.03
Water-bath canning, start to finish
4.04
Pressure canning low-acid food safely
4.05
Can meat in jars for the shelf
4.06
Dry fruit and vegetables (oven, sun, dehydrator)
4.07
Make jerky safely
4.08
Pemmican, the trail food that keeps for yearsDried meat and fat, made the way it was before fridges.
4.09
Hardtack: the cracker that outlasts everything
4.10
Ferment cabbage into sauerkraut
4.11
Quick pickles and fridge pickles
4.12
Keep fresh eggs for months (water glassing)Fresh eggs kept in a crock of lime water.
4.13
Store flour, rice and beans for years (buckets, mylar, oxygen absorbers)
4.14
Render lard and tallow
4.15
Wax-coat hard cheese for storage
4.16
Store butter and oils without a fridge
4.17
Build a root cellar from a buried barrelA barrel set into the ground to keep roots cool through the winter.
4.18
Keep vegetables through winter in sand, straw and crates
4.19
Smoke meat and fish in a barrel smoker
4.20
Salt-cure meat the old way (and the modern safety rules)
Chapter 05
The Scratch Kitchen
Bread, dairy, broth and meals from staples, plus soap, cleaners and cast-iron care.
20 skills
5.01
Bread with no yeast: soda bread and flatbreads
5.02
Catch and keep a sourdough starterFlour, water and a few days of feeding on the counter.
5.03
Bread in a cast-iron pot over a fire
5.04
Make butter in a jar
5.05
Fresh cheese from milk and lemon
5.06
Yoghurt without a machine
5.07
Bone broth that sets like jellyThe long, slow simmer that makes it set in the fridge.
5.08
Cook dried beans so they digest easily
5.09
Grind grain and make flour at home
5.10
Make pasta and noodles by hand
5.11
Meals from the pantry: five recipes with no fresh food
5.12
Powdered milk and eggs: how to use them well
5.13
Care for cast iron (and save a rusty pan)Strip the rust, season it again and cook on it the same week.
5.14
Cook a whole meal in one Dutch oven
5.15
Make vinegar from fruit scraps
5.16
Sprout seeds for fresh greens in a jar
5.17
Make soap from fat and lye
5.18
Make a simple household cleaner and disinfectant
5.19
Honey, maple and sugar syrups that keep
5.20
Kitchen remedies grandmother kept (honey and lemon, ginger tea, garlic honey), traditional use only
Chapter 06
First Aid and Home Care
Bleeding, CPR, burns, breaks, heat and cold, and caring for someone sick at home.
20 skills
6.01
Stop severe bleeding: pressure, packing, tourniquetPressure, packing and a tourniquet, and when each one applies. Call emergency services first.
6.02
CPR and what to do until help arrives
6.03
Recognise a stroke (and act in minutes)
6.04
Recognise a heart attack
6.05
Choking: adult, child, baby
6.06
Treat burns
6.07
Clean and close a small wound
6.08
Splint a broken bone with what you have
6.09
Sprains and strains
6.10
Hypothermia and frostbite
6.11
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke
6.12
Dehydration: an oral rehydration drink
6.13
Build a home first-aid kit for everyday injuriesWhat goes in it, where to keep it and when to restock.
6.14
Remove a tick safely
6.15
Bee stings and allergic reactions
6.16
Keep a medicine list and a 30-day supply plan
6.17
Care for someone sick at home: fever, fluids, hygiene
6.18
Make an emergency toilet (two-bucket system)
6.19
Dental emergencies until you reach a dentist
6.20
Move an injured person safely
Chapter 07
Fix It Yourself
The car, the plumbing, the wiring you can safely touch, and the tools that do it.
20 skills
7.01
Jump-start a car (and with a booster pack)Cables or a booster pack, and the order the clamps go on.
7.02
Change a flat tyre
7.03
Change a car battery
7.04
Check oil, coolant and tyre pressure
7.05
Get a car unstuck from mud or snow
7.06
Fix a leaking tap
7.07
Unblock a drain without chemicals
7.08
Fix a running toilet
7.09
Replace a broken electrical plug or cord
7.10
Patch a hole in drywall
7.11
Fix a stuck zip and sew on a button
7.12
Sharpen a knife, axe and scissors
7.13
The ten tools every house should have, and how to use themA short list of tools, with the first job to learn on each.
7.14
Basic carpentry: measure, cut, join
7.15
Mix and lay concrete for a small job
7.16
Fix a squeaky or sticking door; replace a lock cylinder
7.17
Get rid of black mould safely
7.18
Weatherproof doors and windows against drafts
7.19
Repair a garden hose and a tool handle
7.20
Patch clothes and darn socks
Chapter 08
Grow and Raise
Food from a small yard or a balcony: beds, compost, seeds, greenhouses and backyard animals.
20 skills
8.01
A small food garden that feeds a family (plan by square metre)
8.02
Square-foot garden beds
8.03
Self-watering raised beds
8.04
Container vegetables on a balcony
8.05
A vertical pallet gardenA pallet stood upright and planted with greens and herbs.
8.06
Grow herbs on a windowsill all year
8.07
Test your soil in a jar
8.08
Make compost in 6 weeks
8.09
Save seeds from your best plants
8.10
Companion planting chart
8.11
Natural pest control (soap spray, nets, birds)
8.12
A low-cost hoop greenhouseBent hoops and plastic sheeting over a bed, for an earlier spring.
8.13
A cold frame from an old window
8.14
Grow potatoes in bags
8.15
Dwarf fruit trees in pots
8.16
Keep backyard hens: coop, feed, eggs
8.17
Raise rabbits or quail for meat (where allowed)
8.18
Start a beehive: what it takes
8.19
Forage safely: 12 common edible plants and their lookalikes
8.20
Prepare a garden for winter
Chapter 09
Outdoors and Bushcraft
Fire, shelter, knots, finding your way and being found.
20 skills
9.01
Light a fire in wet weather
9.02
Start a fire without matches (ferro rod, bow drill)A ferro rod and a bow drill, with the tinder each one needs.
9.03
Fire lays: teepee, log cabin, long fire
9.04
Make weatherproof fire starters
9.05
Five knots that do everything (bowline, clove hitch, taut-line, sheet bend, square lashing)
9.06
Pitch a tarp shelter three ways
9.07
A debris hut in an hourA stick frame under a deep pile of leaves that holds your body heat.
9.08
Find north without a compass (sun, stick, stars)
9.09
Read a map and use a compass
9.10
Signal for rescue (mirror, whistle, ground signs)
9.11
Cross a stream safely
9.12
Pack a day bag for the woods
9.13
A bushcraft camp kitchen
9.14
Snares and traps: the law and the basics
9.15
Fish with a hand line and simple traps
9.16
Clean fish and small game
9.17
Make cordage from plants
9.18
What to do if you meet a bear, a dog or a snake
9.19
Lightning and storms outdoors
9.20
Cold-weather camping without suffering
Chapter 10
Safe and Sound
A safer home, scams, fire and storm drills, calm under pressure and passing it all on.
20 skills
10.01
Make your home a harder target (doors, locks, lights)Doors, locks and outside lights, checked one by one.
10.02
A simple driveway or perimeter alarm
10.03
Hide valuables where burglars don't look
10.04
Spot and stop phone, text and email scams
10.05
Protect your money and identity after a disaster
10.06
Notice if you're being followed, and what to do
10.07
Get out of a car that won't open (or is sinking)
10.08
Get out of zip ties and tape
10.09
House fire: the plan, the drill, the escape ladder
10.10
Put out a kitchen grease fire
10.11
Tornado: where to shelter at home
10.12
Earthquake: drop, cover, hold, and after
10.13
Stay calm under pressure: a 60-second breathing reset
10.14
Say no and hold a boundary without a fight
10.15
Calm an angry person (de-escalation basics)
10.16
Negotiate when you hold no cards
10.17
Spot a manipulator early
10.18
Talk to children about emergencies without scaring them
10.19
Neighbours: build a street plan
10.20
Pass it on: teach one skill a month to the next generationOne skill a month, taught to a child or grandchild.
Planned bonuses
What comes with it
Three digital guides made the same way as the book, plus the app.
The 72-Hour Family Workbook
24 fill-in pages: household info, contacts, meeting places, kit lists and a log of your drills.
Wild Food and Garden Herbs Field Guide
40 pages on 30 plants and their lookalikes, from public-domain botany and extension sources. Traditional uses appear as history only.
The Bug-In Home Guide
40 pages on making your home the safe place for two weeks: water, heat, sanitation, security and morale.
Includes the Fallback72 app
The app's family plan, kit checklists and 120 offline guides come with the book. About the app.
At a glance
The book in one table
Detail
Plan
Pages
About 264
Binding
Wire-o spiral, lies flat
Size
8.5 x 11 in (letter), portrait
Colour
Full colour throughout
Chapters
10
Skills
200
Planned price
$39 plus shipping
Status
Waitlist
The spec and price are plans for the first print run and can change before launch.
Waitlist
Hear the launch date first
One email when the book is ready to order, with the date and the launch price.
Questions about the book
When does the book ship?
There is no date yet. We are writing and checking the pages now, and the waitlist gets the date before anyone else.
How much will it cost?
The planned price is $39 plus shipping. It is not final until the print quote is in, and the waitlist hears the real price first.
What's inside?
200 skills in ten chapters, from the first hour of an outage to water, heat, food, first aid, repairs, the garden and the outdoors. See the full list.
Is it for beginners?
Yes. Each skill lists what you need and walks through it in numbered steps with pictures, and a time and difficulty mark tells you what you are taking on.
Print or digital?
The book is printed, so it works with the power out and the phone dead. The planned bonuses are digital.
Where do the facts come from, and who checks the risky ones?
Every skill is checked against public guidance such as Ready.gov, the CDC, USDA canning rules, extension services and the US Army survival manual, and names it on the page. Skills with heat, blades, electricity, gas, food safety or medicine get a separate safety read before print. How we research.
Can I return it?
We will publish the returns policy with the launch, before anyone can order.
Chapter 01
