Pono was extremely helpful, educated and answered all my questions and helped me make the right purchase. Reasonable prices and good assortment of emergency items without having to deal with shipping delays from mainland ordering. read more

My family and I are so grateful to have a place to have access to get quality emergency food and supplies in Hawaii in case we need it for any emergency. Pono helped in teaching us how to have a great water treatment system that was easy to use... as well as many great tools that you may need such as solar lights and solar units. We highly recommend this great place called be ready. read more

This place opened up about a month ago. I heard of this place from browsing through the internet to stock up on emergency supplies. It's supposedly Hawaii's first emergency preparedness store. There are a lot of other stores that might carry similar things but this place specializes in being ready for emergencies. Some of their products are available online and might be a little bit cheaper. But the convenience of having a local store here is great. You won't have to worry about shipping. If you've ever watched the TV show Doomsday Preppers on NatGeo and became obsessed with the possible economic downfall or a global apocalypse, then this is a great place to start off. Be Ready Hawaii is located down the road from Costco Waipio next to Maui Off-Road. There isn't a lot of parking stalls but there is a lot of street parking. It's located in a warehouse. Walking into the place, I saw a lot of their workers sitting down and talking story. One of them was helping a customer, but the rest were just talking story. When I walked in, they just glanced at me for a second and went back to talking to each other. Right off the bat, horrible customer service. One of my marketing professors from college told me that if he walks into a store and isn't greeted or asked if he needs help with anything within a couple of minutes, he would walk out and never come back again and tell other people not to go there. Customer service does go a long way. I wasn't greeted or asked if I needed help with anything for over 5 minutes. They were just busy laughing and talking to each other. I'm not really anal about this but this can rub someone the wrong way in any business. Other than that, most of their employees seemed pretty knowledgeable with everything. I thought this place was actually going to be a big warehouse with a lot of stuff but it's a small and pretty simple place. It is run by a family with over 25 years of experience in emergency planning. It's a casual place with some of their employees wearing surf shorts, t-shirt, and slippers. They have things ranging from: Water storage/filtration: -55 gal water drums -stack-able water bricks -larger water storage containers (125, 250, 650 gal) -WaterBob tub water storage -AquaPail water treatment system -water filtration bottle Emergency Food/Storage -Thrive; Shelf Reliance Freeze Dried foods with a shelf life of 10-30 years (also available on the Costco website; it might be cheaper at Costco considering you're going to be buying in bulk) -Food storage containers -Food storage racks First Aid Kits Tools Solar Power kits Propane Stoves Lanterns, Flashlights, Radios Kenwood 2-way radios 72-hour kits Gasoline Storage containers (Also check out Walmart for this. It's the same brand. They told me that the Walmart quality doesn't come close to theirs and it's probably worse but it's the same thing... minus one for talking crap before doing their research.) They've also teamed up with the American Red Cross to help the community to be trained and aware of possible disasters. Thrive, their product for long-term food storage seems like a great asset to your emergency food supplies. But the thing that rubbed me the wrong way with them was that they seemed really against MREs. They are filled with preservatives and may not be the best for you but I don't think that means that you shouldn't have it in your emergency cache. The convenience of MREs are by far still a great asset to have in your arsenal. MREs aren't meant to be eaten for more than 21 days straight and is not a long term resource to be eaten every day. That's where their Thrive product can be handy. But if you have to Bug-out and go to a different location for whatever reason, MREs are probably the best thing to pack away in your bug-out bag. Of course they don't sell any guns or ammunition. This of course can play a vital role in emergency preparedness. During an emergency, there will be a lot of looting and breaking into homes for food and supplies. You're going to have to be ready to defend your supplies and your family. For the most part, I think Be Ready Hawaii is definitely a must for every household to come check out. Every household should "Be Ready" for a possible disaster especially in Hawaii where we are so reliant on external sources for our food and supplies. At least get started and let your prepping grow little by little if money is tight. Final Comments: Come check this place out. Preparing isn't cheap and it may seem like this place is pretty expensive but there really is no price for you and your family's safety. Some of their products are pretty competitive, cost wise. Take several dollars from your monthly budget and re-prioritize it to stocking up and preparing. Overall Rating: "EXCELLENT" Even though their customer service could be better, that should not deter you from prepping. Will definitely be back here soon. read more

Be Ready Hawaii - Be Ready Hawaii located in Waipio - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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I have always searched the internet looking for emergency supplies, only to be disappointed that they charge such an absurd amount of money to ship. So I was really excited to read an article that this store was going to open on February 1, 2012. It just took me awhile to get there and check what type of emergency supplies they carried. After grabbing the attention of a male emplyee and asking some questions, he suggested that the first thing I should consider getting is a water filtration system. He suggested getting the 2000 gallon system which cost was a $175.00. Sounds kind of expensive, but when an emergency such as a hurricane comes around, what's everybody running to the store for? Water, it's definetly one of the first things people grab. So, I plan to get that the next time I go. Besides water to survive, the next thing to get would be FOOD for sure. They carry the THRIVE brand here in 10 pound cans. Shelf life is 25 years unopened, or once you open the can it has a year to a year and a half shelf life. They have some samples, so be sure you try some. I was suprised how sweet the corn was. I don't know, but my mom was saying she wasn't going to buy anything unless she tried it. My thinking is, I'm going to buy it irregardless, because I'd rather have something to eat than having nothing. After watching Andrew Zimmerman from Bizarre Foods, I'm for sure buying this stuff. One of the things that was mentioned, is the quality of the Thrive product line is really good. So he suggested buying a couple of cans of vegetables and using them in my cooking. He said the cost per serving was really cheap and the taste was there. So I ended up buying potato chunks $14.95 and instant milk $23.95 (he swears this stuff tasted better than powdered milk). The desserts in the can looked pretty tempting too! I will probably pick one up the next time I go. They have a website:www.bereadyhawaii.com They also carry food storage containers, as well as various sizes of water containers, including those big water drums. The have a 72 hour emergency backpack, glow sticks, plastic fuel containers, waterproof matches, keychain whistles, can opener, a first aid kit? solar powered lanterns, flashlights, radios, a tool to turn off the gas. Emergency meal bars (3600 calorie per bar). They also have a bunch of other things, sorry, I just can't remember them all. Coming soon, would be their solar powered outdoor ovens. So don't wait till our next state emergency, slowly start building your emergency rations/supplies. It's so much better to be prepared than being caught off guard. Since I can't afford to buy everything I need in one trip, I'll probably stop by once every 2 weeks until I have enough of what we need. Think about it, if some national emergency happens what happens to us? No ships will be sailing here to deliver the things we take for granted (goods, such as food and the basic necessities). We don't have enough food on this islands to sustain the needs of all who live here. This is one of the reasons me, as well as my family will contine to support local farmers market, North Shore Cattle Company and Ulupalakua beef that I buy when I'm on Maui. Not to mention some of my family members have started growing their own veggies via an aquaponic system. At least they can be a little more self sustainable. Anyway, I welcome this store and hope they'll be adding more things to their inventory. Hint: bathroom things, such as bucket w/portable toilet top, bags to line the bucket and pellets to break down waste. Shower bags that can warm in the sun, etc..... read more

Overall: The best dedicated survival store for building up your kits or supplementing your food storage that I've been to. Whether you are looking for solar ovens, water storage or filtering devices, or other survival stuff, I highly recommend Be Ready Hawaii. The staff: Pono is very knowledgeable and could answer my questions and point me in the right direction - very friendly and easy to talk to. I've been looking for a practical and economical survival water tool for a long time. He was straight to the point about Aquapail and we had a lengthy and almost philosophical discussion about the benefits and ease of use of the system...and of course the understated importance of water. I didn't catch the female staff's name, but she was also very helpful and assisted me in buying a very good (solar, crank, battery, outlet) lantern. The store: My first impression was that the store was a little bare, however, they had a lot of items that I really wanted for a long time. The easiest way to put it is they don't have anything superfluous. Every item looks like it is of quality and can be of good use. Note: I found my dehydrated instant rice for a decent price :) I say it is good for supplementing your survival food kits mostly because of my current perspective on food storage. I have been buying the bulk meal kits as my staples mostly because of cost effectiveness. Be Ready sells a lot of quality Thrive #10 cans. For food rotation it is great too. But philosophy of use wise, I like them for adding more starch, veggies and/or meat to my main setup. I saw that they also had some bug-out kits, med kits, and some other nifty tools too. I will be back to this store to purchase more items soon :) read more

I have been waiting for a store like this in Hawaii for years, I am very impressed with their staff and store, they have a great selection of food storage and supplies Pono was very helpful and knowledgeable. He was very good on education and sales! read more

Just so happen to see the store as I exited The Bike Factory, so I decided to walk in and take a look. Right off the bat I make eye contact with the gentlemen sitting behind the counter and no "Welcome" or greeting at all. Walked around the store and saw all the interesting items that they have to offer. And not once the guy working came and asked if I needed help or had any questions. If the guy working is the owner, go learn some customer service and interpersonal skills. If any of you need preparedness items better to get them online as its cheaper, or go there get ideas and make your own. read more

Great for stocking up on hurricane supplies like food and cooking alternatives. Hand cranked radio and flashlight is a must. Water catchment, first aid kit and dehydrated items also available. We purchased food items that warm themselves. Funny because they also sell MRE. Uh, after hurricane Iniki, I do not suggest buying MREs as the National Guard will offer these at no charge. Very friendly customer service. Clean and easy to find items. Prices are for those not on a budget. 2 & 1/2 days of self heating meals were $53.00 I would go back again to get other items. And I suggest you check it out for your emergency preparedness. Or if you are like the doomsday prep family or single person. Parking was limited. After a couple minutes we got a stall. Thank goodness as the food was heavy and bulky for my mom and I to carry. read more

I work for a corporation that requires that I update my Emergency Kits every year. This is the best local business that offers this opportunity. It feels greener to buy local because this way I don't have to pay for shipping twice on each product. Less waste and I help save climate change. I was able to pick up some emergency water filters in case some kind of a sewage spill happens. read more

Got lots of prep products for emergencies I would come here for your supplies. Very knowledgeable experience the owner always recommends or advises things to do or to store for emergency situations. He even let us try his new water storage bottles puravai which I would recommend getting since it can stay in the sunlight or heat and not change integrity or taste. read more

Went to check this place out the day before hurricane Iselle hit. I was looking for a lantern and some other necessities which all the other box and hardware stores were sold out of. Ended up picking up a solar hand crank lantern w/USB charging. Got it home and it did not work. I called the next morning and he said to come by any time for a replacement and despite my better judgment (and Mayor Caldwell's), I drove there on that Friday morning. And yes, he was open with the hurricane coming. Without question, he gave me a replacement and a little something else for my troubles. Awesome customer service and a gem of a shop for all the local Hawaiian Preppers out here. If you are in the area (near Waipio Bike Factory and Maui Off Road) you need to check out this shop and consider the solar lantern and the "go bag" of survival/first aid stuff... especially if you live in an inundation zone. http://static.pdc.org/tsunami/index.html read more

Been here at least twice and I always leave feeling better prepared and informed about my emergency kit. Nice, helpful and honest. Thank you

They have all the necessities to prepare in case of a natural disaster. The staff: Pono, Mark & Megan have the BEST customer service. Always willing to take the time and explain their products and answer ALL of your questions. They NEVER make you feel rushed and they are very knowledgable about all the products they carry. We've been coming here since they opened in February & have been a regular here ever since. If you're looking for items to help prepare in case of any sort of natural disaster I HIGHLY recommend checking them out. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. read more

I have not visited the store yet but I have called twice and asked a list of questions. Both times the staff members who answered the phone were polite, informative and very helpful. One person being "Pono", whose family owns the business. We talked about food storage and the difference between dehydrated vs. freeze dried, the various food storage companies, and the can rotation system. I thought Pono would tell me he had to get off the phone but he didn't and I appreciated his service. I will eventually go to the store and check out all the products. We are fortunate to have a store like on Oahu. I want to be prepared and am working on it. Being prepared is one hobby that will pay off! read more

Just attended a Thrive event impressed with enthusiasm and youth Looking forward to more good things to come from this group Check them out it's worth your time read more

We bought several things at BeReady in the last six months, including a 55 gallon water barrel, hand pump, and bung wrench, an AquaPail 1000 water purifier, plus 3600 calorie emergency food bars for our vehicle Get Home Bags. The latter are a lot like a sugar cookie, but packed for 5 year storage in both hot and cold conditions. This is a good store, and Pono, the manager, is quite knowledgable, friendly, and patient. The only reason I knocked off a star is for some fairly high -but not outrageous- prices on some things. If you have Amazon Prime, you can do better on some things. That isn't a big surprise: very few places can compete with Amazon on prices, so they have to make it up on service and product knowledge. I think Be Ready does that. The prices for water barrels in a variety of sizes seem very good compared to Amazon when shipping is taken into account. Being able to examine products in hand before buying can be very useful, and I hate doing so at a store, then going to buy at the on-line guys. It is also useful to have a knowledgable person with whom to talk over options, and I have no problem paying some premium to do do. If we don't support a place like this, it will disappear. When I went in the first time, we already were decently prepared for most things, except for water storage and purification, so we didn't stock up on a lot of things there. The water barrels are a good deal, and they have a lot of other stuff which people ought to have in Hawaii for hurricanes and earthquakes, as well as the less likely problems. Water storage is especially critical here because the Board of Water Supply is not well prepared: I emailed them last year, and was told that none of the system's 200 pumps is in a hurricane resistant building, and neither are the four back up generators- which are inadequate to power the system in good times. Also, they will not be able to re-fuel the generators until the streets are cleared of debris. If the problem is a major hurricane, houses which are destroyed will snap off the water laterals, making it impossible to refill the distribution tanks. This is particularly a problem in the older areas with single wall homes. They will just blow away. We could end up with an island of 900,000+ people with no drinkable water. That means we must have water storage at the home level, and be ready to purify water from home and community swimming pools. Water trucks can't get through debris filled streets, and we could end up with a lot of people dying of dehydration. So water storage and purification are key. Be Ready is a good place for what we need. They provide a lot of options and the prices are reasonable. read more