what I would want if I were in this situation

[bearded fellow]

food: a good staple of any pack is trail mix. that being said beans n rice and also pork will always be present at most logging, mining, fishing, and hunting locations. salt to cure meat with and help prevent dehydration.

carrots potatoes onions and apples  all stuff you might find in someones kitchen pantry or root seller.

missing structures/locations: Sharif department, where you will find ammo a gun cabinet (with a better rifle) locked but you could get the key from the Sharif's corps.

forest service department, you should find maps and maybe a compass here. also the rangers truck that can be fixed and driven maybe a truck like the one in the movie Dante's peak

road maintenance depot, where you could get rock salt, tools a torch.

a general store, to find fishing tackle and bate food cooking and camping supply's candles sporting goods like snow shoes cross country skis, Glaser glasses.

missing items: it makes no sense that there is no fire wood stacked up outside some homes and cabins if not most all of them. also every cabin and even the small little trailers should have a place to make a fire. otherwise the prier inhabitants would have froze to death.  animal fat (and lye) to use for cooking to make candles and as a fuel to use in lamps.

it also makes no sense that every pot pan coffee pot cant be taken and used as such. it makes sense that you have to have water to make coffee but you should also have to have a  pot to boil the water in.

a chain saw plus gas and oil to run it, to cut down some of the dead trees (called a snag) around the map to increase fire wood.

a sled so I wouldn't have to carry too much on my back and if I couldn't find one which would make little sense up here in the north (someone would have a dog sled or at the very least a kids sled) I would rip the hood off a car or truck turn it over and attach a rope to it. ( we did this with a VW bug trunk lid when I was a kid living in northern WA so we could bring water and shopping up to the house 1/4 mile from the road and hall fire wood.)

a pack animal (could be a wild dog you got as a puppy) that could also serve as a companion. a tent, either one you make  from a found tarp and animal skins or found.

you should be able to fix some if the cars and trucks maybe taking parts from others. I would like to see a few international scouts around the map

maybe one that is so beat up that it has no heat, the steering locks up from time to time. and the only way the door stays shut is if there is a bungee cord  holding it shut, it should also have a gun rack.

snow mobiles should be a thing.

bungee cord would be very useful for holding the door shut on the fishing shack that would normally blow open during a storm.

 

sorry if this was long I love this game even though I know it can be better.

[cekivi]

Welcome to the forums @bearded fellow!

Remember though that a lot of these areas likely won't have a dedicated sheriff's (or in our case RCMP) office due to the remote nature and low population. A ranger station (without firearms) is more probable. Vehicles are also a little contentious as there is no word yet whether any vehicles will ever work again within the cannon of the game.

[MarrowStone]

@cekivi basically covers it with the technology not working and sheriffs lack of prescence, 

trail mix and firewood outside some houses is a good idea. 

Pets are kinda iffy cause of the geomagnetic disaster causing irritation and aggression.

Oh and btw, I love Dantes peak, that was a good movie!

[Docterrok]

you can tell this guy is from the country! Look at that spelling!  

I'm joking of course, but on a serious note,  make sure to keep posting! look forward to seeing your new and creative ideas!