Survival kits are exactly what
they are meant to be - kits that are made up explicitly for the sake of
survival. They are put together for use in times of emergency, so they are
not going to have all the comforts of home. Rather, only the essentials you
will need to get by till help arrives, ie, food, water, shelter, warmth,
contact to the outside world, and so on. While a mylar space blanket, for
instance, will not replace your comforter - it will, however, reflect about
90% of your body heat and in return keep you from freezing to death. Believe
me, you will be glad it was a part of your survival kit. So don't
underestimate the potential of some of these inexpensive items.
One thing to keep in
mind...kits are made up of tested reliable products that will suffice the
situation and are put together as inexpensively as possible, so as not to
break the wallet, but still provide ample protection. It takes a lot of time
and gas to put one of these kits together for yourself, as you may have
already encountered. This being from experience. So, many prefer to have the
peace of mind in knowing that this has already been taken care of. Thus, we
provide the basic and most essential products needed for survival in any
disastrous situation. But it is up to you to supplement these kits with the
necessities that personally suit your needs. So we may suggest that after
you acquire one of these kits, you add to it things of a more personal
nature that you feel would work better for you in an emergency situation.
For instance a small pillow, some medications to add to the first aid kits,
or an extra pair of windshield wipers for the autos.
Some of the supplies in these kits, such as
food, batteries & first aid often have a 3-5 yr. shelf life, so these items
should be updated. Here's what you should consider:
Start
with the best survival kit you can afford and add to it whenever possible,
keeping in mind the major groups: Water, Food, Shelter, Communications
(light, signaling, radio, etc.) Fire and Warmth and First Aid. Also included
should be a good Knife and/or protective devices.
Under
ideal circumstances, a larger tent would be a good place to call home in an
emergency situation - whereby you are suddenly displaced from your regular
home. However, even a small 2 man tent will shelter you from the elements in
an extreme emergency.
Remember,
an emergency poncho and solar bag or blanket could mean the difference
between freezing and keeping warm and dry. They are small and very
inexpensive and for that reason alone should always be a part of the the
kit.
Valuable as
gold, is the next item on the list. Can't say enough about water. Emergency
water is a must. Keep some packets or Aqua Blox boxes with you at all times
and always have a some type of back up water purifiers and/or filters for
filtering water.
Include
some type of food in a "grab to go bag" that hold you over anywhere
from 1-3 days. This could include one or more of our emergency food bars.
These will provide you with enough calories to maintain your strength for at
least 3 days and they also taste pretty good - considering it be only for a
short span of time!
Visible
means of communications include having a signal mirror, good whistle and an
LED flashlight at the very least. An LED flashlight, because of it's range
in light, little use in battery power and no light bulbs to burn out. Dynamo
or wind up flashlights, especially those with built in radios, flashers,
cell phone chargers, etc are especially good to have in your kit.
A
for the fire starters, they are almost as valuable to have as water. Fire
means warmth and protection against the elements, light at night, the
ability to purify questionable water and cook a potential meal, and keep
animals and harmful critters at bay. Always have more than 1 means of
starting a fire- a butane lighter, magnesium starter, wind-waterproof
matches, etc.
Lastly,
but not least, you will need First Aid Supplies. In the category of
first-aid, do a little research on the different kits and purchase the most
comprehensive kit you can afford and then add to it personal medications.
etc. Be sure to have supplies that will be able to stop major bleeding
and splint major appendages.
Many
feel that a good Knife is an invaluable part of any survival kit. They are
generally left out because the price range and quality vary so greatly that
it is not practical to include one. And particular taste in knives also vary
greatly. While Swiss knives and multi-tools are commonly included,
because there should obviously be some type of knife, a good quality "fixed
blade" survival knife should be included also. The best knives of this
nature have a full tang; meaning the knife blade and handle metal are made
from one solid piece of metal and are not pinned, screwed or welded
together. Even if you cannot afford a more expensive knife, a lesser quality
is better than nothing.
Usually a blade length between 4 to 8 inches is
preferred and considered by many to be ideal.
Once
you have acquired these items, it is also very important that you check out
the supplies in your kit and make sure they work and that you know
how to properly use them beforehand. What good is a survival kit that has
tools which do not work. Plus you do not want to go through an educational
o.j.t. (on the job) learning process in times of emergency. Try to
start a fire using several means and work up to what you think you could
handle in a dire situation. Check out your survival fishing and snare wire
trapping material and research what is involved... if these are things you
think you might have to rely on. Get familiar with your knife or multi-tool
Don't
underestimate the importance of having a survival kit with you at all times.
Most likely this will be in the vehicle you normally use in your daily life.
When your home, at work or at play, it will normally be there with you, so
this is the best place to start putting together a kit. Chances of getting
deadlocked on a highway during a disaster are good. There will be many roads
jammed and many accidents that could possibly keep you stranded there for
quite some time - maybe overnight or longer. Again, you may even be forced
to abandon your vehicle. Evacuation from biological or chemical attack could
mean evacuation from the area. Make sure this survival kit has the
necessities to keep your auto mobile and running (Tools, jumper cables, tow
rope, tire inflators, etc.).
A flat tire with a non maintained spare
could be a real setback in times of emergency. This is where a can of tire
inflator sealant is invaluable. It will have you on your way in minutes.
Note: while a can of tire inflator sealant is great for an emergency, it
should not be a replacement for a well kept spare. Once you get back to
safety and take your tire in for repair, many tire station owners will tell
you that this sealant is very hard to remove and there may be an extra
charge for doing so.
Also you will want to try to include some type of
strobe light or warning light in case of an accident; or for working on the
vehicle or guiding someone to you when your off the road. You might also
consider a shovel for getting out of snow or mud stuck areas, and an axe or
saw for clearing trees from an obstructed road.
Eventually,
your luck could run out and you might find yourself faced with some type of
emergency situation. Natural disasters such as tornadoes, storms and floods
could wash away bridges, knock down trees and power lines and make driving
impossible. Freezing blizzards could force you to have to stay in your
vehicle for a day or two until things break and you can get help.
In more serious situations, such as the Katrina disaster,
your only means of shelter might be something outdoors, along side where the
homeless are forced to survive, without even so much as a blanket... or you
could be guided to large gymnasiums or even abandoned buildings where you
are forced to survive with what you have on hand. Remember there will
probably be no electricity, running water, sanitary restrooms, or places to
eat, and even if there were, credit would be non existent and you may not
have the cash to buy any food. And what if the food was no longer safe to
eat? And of course fresh potable (drinkable) water would be extremely hard
to find.
The more knowledge you obtain about survival and the more
"hands on" practice you acquire, the better your odds are of surviving a
dangerous catastrophe without any severe repercussions.
One final thought: If you think that you will
never need these items or that such an emergency would never confront you,
you might be playing a deadly game of "Russian Roulette". While we hope to
never use these items, it is comforting to know that your prepared -
If not, the odds may be against you.
