Emergency Survival Kit

Your Emergency Survival Kit; there are many different types (primary, personal, vehicle, backpacking etc.), but no matter what type of kit you need, you basically have 3 options:

1. Buy an off-the-shelf kit. 2. Buy an off-the-shelf kit and add your specific gear to it. 3. Build your own kit.

Which option you choose is largely a matter of how much time you want to invest, and how prepared you want to be. Here's some things to think about...

1. Off the Shelf Kits.
With off-the-shelf kits, the choices are almost infinite. In the wake of 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, and the asian Tsunami there are thousands of retailers and websites that offer these kits.

Some of these kits are good, some not so good, and the prices can vary wildly. It is also naive and frankly dangerous to buy an off the shelf survival kit, put it away, and think that you are now somehow "Prepared".... you are not.

HOWEVER... If you do not plan to pursue your survival and emergency preparedness planning any further, then BUY ONE. Having an off the shelf emergency survival kit is 100 times better than having nothing at all.

2. Buy a survival kit and add your own gear to it.
This is a good option for several reasons. For one thing, your medical needs are likely to be different than others. Do you require prescription medicines or special over the counter medicines? Do you need glasses to read ? Denture supplies ? Inhalers ?

Another reason you might want to add to a survival kit is because not everyone lives and works in the same environment. Some people pursue hobbies that might require a specialized survival kit, such as a backpackers survival kit or a Pilots survival kit . The point is, you must evaluate your own situation, and prepare accordingly. Think about your average week, where might you be when disaster strikes ? What is your potential exposure level ? When you put some thought into what you are actually preparing for, you increase your odds for survival significantly. Most people spend a lot of time in their car for example. You should keep an emergency survival kit in your vehicle at all times. First things first though, get your Primary emergency survival kit assembled in your home, you can worry about your secondary kits afterwards.

3. Build your own Emergency Survival kit from scratch.
Thinking about making your emergency survival kit from the ground up? Great ! Remember, for your home, start with the basics, Food and Water. Next, get yourself a good emergency radio and prepare a solid Family Emergency Plan.

Now that you have the essentials in place, you can concentrate on building a kit that is right for you. You have no way of knowing if you will need to evacuate, or shelter in place. For this reason, it is highly advisable to keep your kit together in a backpack or "Go Bag" of some type.

If you would like to learn about other specialized survival kits and survival gear please select one below:

Hurricane survival kits Pilots survival kit Backpackers survival kit Car survival kit