Emergency Kits - What you need to know

In this article we will discuss what an emergency kit is, what to put in your kit, what are the bare minimum essentials, how to carry it all, how to assemble all the needed items without breaking the bank, and how to know if what you have is sufficient. Let's get started.

What is an emergency kit?

An emergency kit, also known as a disaster supply kit, survival kit, or 72-hour kit, is a collection of essential items and supplies that are assembled in advance to help individuals and families respond to and cope with the initial 3 days following an emergency or disaster. Usually these are used for when you have to evacuate your home quickly (e.g. fire spreading through the neighborhood, hurricane coming). However, they can also be used for when you need to shelter in place, or experience any other kind of disaster where these items would be helpful. The purpose of an emergency kit is to provide basic necessities and support immediate needs when regular sources of supply may be disrupted or unavailable. Here are the key supplies typically found in an emergency kit:

1. Water: Store at least one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation purposes. Consider additional water for pets.
2. Food: Non-perishable food items that can sustain you and your family for at least three days. Choose foods that are easy to prepare and do not require refrigeration or cooking.
3. First Aid Kit: A well-stocked first aid kit that includes essential items such as bandages, gauze pads, adhesive tape, scissors, tweezers, antiseptic wipes, pain relievers, and any necessary medications.
4. Flashlight and Extra Batteries: A battery-powered or hand-crank flashlight with extra batteries. Consider including a headlamp for hands-free lighting.
5. Battery-Powered or Hand-Crank Radio: A NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries or a hand-crank radio to receive emergency alerts and information.
6. Whistle: A whistle to signal for help in case you become trapped or need assistance.
7. Dust Mask: N95 respirators or dust masks to filter contaminated air and protect your respiratory system.
8. Moist Towelettes and Sanitation Supplies: Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation purposes.
9. Wrench or Pliers: A wrench or pliers to turn off utilities (like gas or water) if necessary.
10. Local Maps: Maps of your area, including alternative routes and evacuation locations.
11. Cell Phone Charger: Keep a cell phone charger in your kit to help you communicate with emergency services and loved ones without running out of battery.
12. Important Documents: Copies of important documents such as identification, insurance policies, medical records, and bank account information stored in a waterproof, portable container. Realistically I don’t want this information just laying around my house. So I keep it in a flood / fireproof safe and know to grab it when we’re evacuating. You could also store it on a password protected flash drive and keep the flash drive in your emergency kit as long as you can remember the password. Do not store it on any cloud based online system. That is the easiest way to get your identity stolen and then you’d be in a whole other emergency situation.
13. Cash: Include small bills and coins in case ATM or credit card systems are unavailable. No one is going to have change to keep small bills and coins. 
14. Personal Items: Include personal hygiene items such as toiletries, medications, glasses or contact lenses, and infant formula or diapers if applicable.
15. Extra Clothing and Blankets: Include a change of clothing and blankets or sleeping bags for each family member.
16. Pet Supplies: If you have pets, include food, water, medications, and other necessary supplies for their care.

It’s important to customize your emergency kit based on your family’s specific needs, including any additional items that may be necessary due to medical conditions, disabilities, or specific dietary requirements. Keep your kit in an easily accessible location that all family members are aware of. Regularly check and update your kit to ensure that food, batteries, and medications are not expired, and replace items as needed. Also check to make sure the clothing still fits and it’s seasonally appropriate, this usually requires checking every 6 months (schedule it in your calendar on your phone or else, if you are like me, you will forget). Having a well-prepared emergency kit can significantly increase your ability to stay safe and comfortable during emergencies or disasters.

How do you carry it all?

Most people assemble their emergency kits in backpacks because they are easy to grab and go, but that is not a requirement. I keep my family’s emergency kits in school backpacks that the kids are no longer using. It cost me nothing. When I was growing up, my parents kept our emergency kits in plastic grocery sacks. It cost them nothing. So find what works for you and do it that way.

A helpful tip: Some people have bought into the notion that it must all fit in one bag. While this might be ideal, let’s be realistic, 3 gallons of water is not going to fit into 1 backpack and if you have little kids there is no way that you are carrying all of your stuff, all of their stuff and them. Not to mention the potty bucket, tent, and sleeping bags you want to bring for comfort. So don’t limit yourself to 1 bag. You still want to be wise about it because you want to carry as little as possible, but you also want to bring that sleeping bag because you don’t want to die from exposure. That emergency blanket, that the sales person sold you, that can fit in your pocket and looks more like tin foil than a blanket will not keep you warm in the dead of winter when it’s cold outside. Use it as a ground cover to put your sleeping bag on top of, or a cover over your head, but don’t go without something warmer than that tin foil blanket. 

I have a brother that’s a marine and sister that’s in the national guard. I love their service, their influence and their ideas, but let’s be honest, if I wanted to rough it like they do, I would have joined the military. My point is, do what’s realistic for you. I’ve watched so many videos of marines or special forces telling you what you should have in your survival pack, but half of the stuff would be useless to most of us civilians. Most of us would have no idea how to tie a noose with wire to catch a squirrel and if we did catch a squirrel, we wouldn’t know what to do with it after that. Not to mention I have a better chance of catching the neighbor’s cat in a snare in my backyard than catching a squirrel. We just don’t have squirrels around here. So let this be a disclaimer that you do what is realistic, what works for you, and what you know how to use. If you find something that would be useful, but you don’t know how to use it, learn. I’m all for educating yourself, that’s the “ready” part of Ready & Prepped. Knowledge is half the battle, but let’s be ready and prepped realistically. 

On that note, what do I do? For my family, each of us has a backpack, and we also share one large plastic tote on wheels. Whatever doesn’t fit in the backpacks goes in the large family tote. If we can only grab one thing, we grab our backpacks first, but if we have time to grab the tote in the garage and throw it into the car on the way out then we will be so much better off. The tote contains a tent, a 5 gallon potty bucket with a toilet seat, sleeping bags, a kettle and small stove, some tools, lantern, and a few other things. Please note that I did not spend money on these things. We go camping, so we already had these things. I just gathered them and put them in a tote to keep them all together. If we go camping we take what we need out of it and be sure to put it back into the tote as soon as we get home.

Bare minimum essentials

You may want to make an emergency kit, but you don’t have the ability to purchase everything you need to right now. Do not let this paralyze you. First pack what you have available to you now, if you can only purchase one or a few things to start, here are the most essential items:

1- Shelter of some sort

2- Clothing (seasonally appropriate)

3- Water

4- Food

Why are these the most essential? Because you can live 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, but only 3 hours without shelter if you are exposed to extreme elements. So when we talk about needing shelter, that could be as simple as a tarp thrown over paracord tied to trees and anchored at the corners, it could be a tent, a camper or trailer, a hotel, a neighbors house, a church building, community center, or designated shelters specifically for that emergency. Whatever will work best for your family, figure out how to work shelter into your emergency plan.

When we mention food, there are a ton of different kinds of emergency prep meals. Ideally these will require no prep, but take into account what your family will eat. Do not think that if they are hungry they will eat anything, because that is not the case. If you buy an MRE or other ready to eat meal be sure to buy one first and taste it before you fill your packs with it. Some are palatable, but others the dog won’t even eat. 

When it comes to water, I know that I am not going to be able to carry that much water for me and all my kids, so I store a case of water in the trunk of all my vehicles, a few bottles of water in each pack and a few ways to filter and purify water in each pack.

My kids love the “just add water” oatmeal with fruit pieces. So that’s one of the food items that I have in our packs. It does require us to carry more water, but at least I know that my kids will be eating. The expiration date doesn’t last very long, so I make sure to rotate them out every 6 months. 

Creative ways to acquire supplies without breaking the bank.

Acquiring supplies for an emergency kit doesn't have to be expensive. Here are some creative ways to gather essential items without breaking the bank:

1. Start with What You Have: Begin by gathering items you already own that can be repurposed for your emergency kit, such as spare blankets, flashlights, and basic first aid supplies. Growing up our emergency kits were kept in plastic grocery sacks. Guaranteed we would have been grateful that we had a bag of something in an emergency even if it wasn't a backpack. Don’t let the thought of all the things you need overwhelm you to the point of preventing you from doing anything.
2. Utilize Dollar Stores and Discount Retailers: Dollar stores often carry a variety of basic supplies such as batteries, first aid items, non-perishable food, and personal hygiene products at affordable prices.
3. Look for Sales and Clearance Items: Keep an eye on sales, especially after holidays when emergency supplies like flashlights, batteries, and canned goods may be discounted.
4. Buy in Bulk: Purchase non-perishable food items, water, and other essentials in bulk to save money per unit. This is especially cost-effective for items that have a long shelf life.
5. Use Coupons and Discounts: Take advantage of coupons, promotional codes, and loyalty programs offered by retailers to save on emergency kit supplies.
6. Shop Secondhand: Visit thrift stores, garage sales, or online marketplaces to find gently used items such as backpacks, clothing, and camping gear that can be repurposed for your kit.
7. DIY and Repurpose: Create your own emergency supplies where possible. For example, make your own fire starter using dryer lint rolled in petroleum jelly (until it's soaked through but still solid) and stored in a ziplock bag or an Altoids tin, or create a DIY first aid kit with items from your home.
8. Trade or Barter: Consider trading items with friends, family, or neighbors who may have surplus emergency supplies or different items you need.
9. Free Resources and Samples: Look for free samples of emergency supplies such as first aid items or personal hygiene products offered by companies or at community events.
10. Community Resources: Check with local community organizations, churches, or emergency preparedness groups that may offer free or low-cost emergency supplies and resources.
11. Repurpose Everyday Items: Identify everyday items in your home that can serve dual purposes in an emergency, such as using a backpack as a go-bag or repurposing a water bottle for storage.
12. DIY Projects: Take on DIY projects to create essential items for your kit, such as making your own emergency food bars or water purification tablets.
13. Share Costs: Pool resources with family or friends to purchase items in bulk, sharing the cost and quantity of supplies needed for each household.
14. Gradual Accumulation: Build your emergency kit over time by gradually purchasing items as your budget allows, prioritizing the most essential items first.

By using these creative strategies, you can gradually build a comprehensive emergency kit without overspending, ensuring you and your family are prepared for various emergency situations without financial strain.

How do I know if what I have is sufficient?

Do you want to know if what you have in your kit is sufficient? Put it to the test. Go camping for 3 days with only the items in your emergency kit. If you can do it then what you have is sufficient. Be sure to replenish the items you used. If what you had in your kit was not sufficient then figure out what else you need and add that. 

Realistically I’m going to try to find a hotel to stay in, so I have to ask myself “do I have enough cash in my pack to pay for gas to get me 100 miles away and then also pay for a 3 night hotel stay?” If I can’t get gas for whatever reason, or the hotels are full, I’m going to have to camp. So it’s best to prepare to camp even if that’s your backup plan.

So there you have it, a run down on emergency kits. Yes, they are important, but only if you will use what you put in them. So customize your kits to what is important to you to live for 3 days and you will be just fine. 

To learn about all things related to water prep click this link.

To learn about food storage check out this link.