Batteries and power stations
+15.2%What a portable power station or battery bank costs to make.
Prices have risen faster than commodities generally.
January 2025 → August 2026 · BLS series WPU3012
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What preparedness gear costs
Prices for the things this site covers, read straight from published federal data.
These are Producer Price Index figures published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — what it costs to make this kind of gear, which is what eventually moves shelf prices. We track five categories — batteries and power stations, water containers, packaged food, medical supplies, and radios — and show how each has moved against prices generally, so you can tell what’s a real shift and what’s just normal drift. We report what has already happened and link every row to the source. We don’t predict prices, and nothing here is a reason to hurry.
Plastics and containers
+10.2%The raw material behind water containers, jugs and bathtub liners.
Prices have risen roughly in line with commodities generally.
January 2025 → August 2026 · BLS series WPU061
Packaged food
+3.2%Shelf-stable and freeze-dried food, at the producer level.
Prices have risen more slowly than commodities generally.
January 2025 → August 2026 · BLS series WPU02
Medical supplies
+1.3%First-aid kits, dressings and the instruments inside them.
Prices have risen more slowly than commodities generally.
January 2025 → August 2026 · BLS series WPU0638
Radios and comms gear
+30.9%Emergency radios, two-way radios and related equipment.
Prices have climbed much faster than commodities generally.
January 2025 → August 2026 · BLS series WPU1178
For comparison, every commodity BLS tracks moved +11.9% over the same period (January 2025 → August 2026, series WPU00000000). A category near that number is simply moving with everything else.
What to do with this
Not much, most months — and that’s the point. It’s here so you can check whether a category is doing anything unusual before you spend, instead of taking our word for it. When you’re ready to buy, the reviews are where the trade-offs live.