An In-Depth Guide To Selecting The Right Survival Kit

Disaster strikes without warning, and catch you completely off-guard. Although you can't expect the unexpected, you can, however, diligently prepare for it. This situation is where a survival kit comes into play. No matter whether you are an experienced camper or not, a traveler, etc. you have to be ready for the worst.

The term survival kit is pretty self-explanatory. It is a bunch of super necessary things and components that can help save a life and get you out of a bind. On top of that, a quality kit can help come in handy in case of a natural disaster. Flooding, earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes are all devastating natural calamities that take thousands of lives each year.

Just imagine driving across a forest and a landslide totals your car. What do you do? You are stuck and can’t unbuckle your seatbelt – you have kids crying in the back – what would you do if you don’t have a survival kit? Nothing.

With a kit nicely secured under the dashboard or one of the passenger seats at the back, you can quickly cut the belt with a knife, assess the situation and get your family to safety.

Moreover, these kits contain first aid items you can use to treat deep gashes, minor cuts, and bruises and whatnot. It is a remarkable thing to have. You can store one in your car, one in the house, one in your boat, to always be prepared for the worst.

Types Of Survival Kits You Can Opt For

There is a wide variety of emergency kits you can browse through on the market. There are kits designed and meant for specific purposes. For example, camping survival kits may not have components that a boat survival kit may have, which is why it is important to identify your needs and requirements before buying anything carefully.

In light of this, mentioned below is a comprehensive list of emergency kits you can buy:

Car Survival Kits

There is no telling where and when you might get stranded in your car in the middle of the road. Factors like heavy snowfall and torrential rain can also stall your car, which can turn into a harrowing ordeal, especially when you have your family with you.

In this situation, you need to have the right tools and components to make the best out of the situation and get everyone to safety. Car kits for survival are compact. You can easily store them in the trunk or under one of the seats. There are advanced kits that come packed with a spare tire, jumper cables, a knife, screwdrivers, and wrenches.

Look for car survival kits that come with first-aid, flashlight and batteries, and power supplies.

Military/Government-Issue Survival Kits

These kits are all-purpose and feature everything you need to survive in case something happens on your camping trip or if you get lost in the wilderness.

The best military kits come with waterproof packing, Swiss knives, survival blankets, compass, and water bag for drinking, waterproof matches, signaling mirrors, flares, and first-aid supplies. The kits can come in mighty handy if you get lost during a camping trip or meet with an accident during your hike in the mountains.

You can build a fire to stay warm, and you can use the knife to cut small prey to cook and eat. Military kits are perhaps one of the best when it comes to all-out survival.

Winter Survival Kits

These kits come with a wide assortment of tools and components and are quite similar to a car survival kit. They contain everything you would need in case your car breaks down in the middle of the road.

The winter survival kits are portable and come with items like jumper cables, windshield fluid, a blanket, first-aid supplies, maps, shovels, flares, bottled water, high-energy protein bars, coffee and other non-perishable food items, etc. Plus, you can easily store the kit under the seat or the trunk.

Boat Survival Kits

If you live in a coastal region and own a bit, there is nothing important than to be ready for an emergency. Boat survival kits contain all the essential items and components you need to overturn a bad situation in your favor.

Quality kits contain items such as bottled water, a water bottle sling, waterproof flashlight with batteries, granola bar, and other nonperishable food items to stay energized, small first-aid supplies, knife, signal mirror, compass, paracord, etc.

Wilderness Survival Kits

Wilderness kits are smaller compared to a traditional survival package or a disaster-prep kit. The primary use of these kits is to complement all the tools you already have. For example, these kits come with water filters, paracords, first-aid supplies, a knife, etc. Wilderness emergency kits are ideal for avid campers, inter-city travelers, hikers, and hunters.

Earthquake Emergency Kits

If you live in an earthquake-prone region, there is no question you already know how prepared you should be at all times. However, earthquakes are natural disasters that can strike without warning anywhere, anytime.

Emergency kits designed for earthquakes come with essential items such as flashlights, waterproof blankets, and non-perishable food in case you cannot leave your home.

First Aid Kits For Survival

First-aid survival kits are designed to help with a medical emergency in any situation. Whether you are gone camping, fishing, boating, and what not – a first-aid survival kit can help save your life. The kit comes with a variety of important medical components.

The package includes items like antiseptic wipes, tweezers, sutures, surgical tape, antibiotic ointment, painkillers, disinfectant, splint, etc. While it is important that you have one stored in your house and car, but these kits are suitable for campers, hikers, and hunters.

Survival Kits For Camping

Emergency kits for camping are ideal for one purpose and one purpose only – and that is to help you get through multiple ordeals in the great outdoors. These kits consist of items like warm and cozy sleeping bags, blanket, a tent, flashlight, bug repellent, first-aid supplies, fire-starter, knife, etc.

Survival Kits For Pets

A loving dog or cat parent, it is your responsibility to keep your four-legged furry companion safe and out of harm's way. A pet survival kit bag is just what you need to keep your pet safe. The kit comes with numerous items such as first-aid for pets, alcohol swabs, canned food, etc. Moreover, never forget to pack allergy medications for your dog when you’re taking him camping or hiking.

Disaster Survival Kits

These kits are manufactured to help you stay safe during natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. These calamities are nightmarish and can deprive people of a clean source of water, shelter, cooking, and heating. The kit will consist of items such as blankets, fire-starter, knife, water, clothing, clothing, etc.

The 72-Hour Survival Kit

This emergency evacuation survival kit, known as the 72-hour kit, consists of tools and components that can help you survive the worst of situation. Although by design, the kit is suitable for a single individual.

However, you can repurpose it and add more supplies to cater to the needs of your family. It contains things like sanitary supplies, shelter, knife, first-aid supplies, water, etc.

Important Reasons Why You Will Always Need A Survival Kit

There is no doubt that survival kits can help you prepare for disasters and emergencies. They are the perfect thing to have when facing a harrowing situation such as landslides, earthquakes, car accidents, losing your way during camping, accidents during a hike, etc.

Nothing can prepare you for a disaster; all you can do improvise and survive – turning every disadvantage into an advantage. And the only thing that can help you do this is an emergency survival kit.

In light of this, mentioned below is a list of reasons why you will need one:

Earthquakes

Everybody knows the devastation these natural calamities can cause. Apart from the destruction they cause, as a survivor, you have to be prepared for a mass food, water, and power shortage.

Without clean drinking water and food to eat, proper clothes to wear, proper boots, and inadequate supplies to march through the elements, you won't make. Disaster survival kits contain all the necessary supplies you can need to stay alive. You will have a bit of water, some food, a knife to cut through obstacles in case you’re stuck, a warm blanket, etc.

There is no question storing a disaster emergency kit at your home is a wise idea.

Camping Gone Wrong

Camping is an exciting and refreshing adventure. However, bad weather, poor navigation, and injury can cut your fun short. Not to mention, there are many campers attacked by bears, bitten by snakes, etc., depending on their location. An injury can slow you down, dehydrate you and eventually kill you.

And if you're out with family, things can get even worst. That is why it is imperative to keep an emergency supply kit handy. Camping kits for survival contain drinkable water that could last you a day or two. It contains a fire-starter you can use to build a fire, a knife to hack through wood and prepare your meals and compass to guide your way.

But you can also customize the kit and add batteries for the flashlight, additional painkillers, and allergy medications.

Car Accidents

Car accidents are common, and if you don't know what do when your car is totaled, and you're stuck, things will quickly turn grim for you. This reason is why car kits for survival are so important. You can use the knife to cut through your seat and get out of the car. You can use the first-aid supplies in the kit to nurse bruises and scratches.

Apart from accidents, there are many factors your car might break down, leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere. An emergency kit for cars contains mini fire extinguishers, portable jumper cables, wrenches and tools and first-aid.

Bug Out Bags And How They Can Help You Survive

A bug out bag is essentially a package that contains all the necessary medical supplies, food, water and other accessories that help you survive for 72 hours after an emergency. They are designed to help you get through a disaster, and some bug out bags are made to last longer than seventy-two hours. You can also build your bag.

These emergency bag packs contain things like a couple of bottles of water, food, medical supplies, and tools. However, water is by far the most important element. You have to understand that your body cannot function for more than 72 hours without water.

But you can go without food for at least three weeks. So, a bug out bag with a 3-litre to a 5-litre bottle is a must.

Next, comes food. The food in your bug out bag must be non-perishable. Fill it up with a protein bar, canned food, a can opener, fuel for your portable stove, etc. After food, you should focus on medical supplies. If you're asthmatic, be sure to buy a couple of inhalers and store it in your bag. If you have diabetes, store additional insulin and so on and so forth.

Necessary Things That Should Make Up Your Survival Kit

Although emergency kits consist of things you need to survive, it is important to check for the items mentioned below and make sure that you get them too:

Maintaining Your Survival Kit

Smart people never procrastinate and wait until the last moment to prepare their emergency kits. They do so well in advance and keep the bag up to date with important items. The best way to maintain your kit is to ensure it has everything in it a couple of days before you head for camping or hiking or any other type of adventure.

Check the emergency kit in your car to ensure there aren't things missing. If the food is near expiration, replace it with fresh food.

5 Imperative Survival Kit Buying Tips

Here are five essential tips to keep in mind when you're out shopping for an emergency kit.

1. Your Kit Should Be Compact And Light

In an emergency, your priority is to retain as much strength and stamina you can. That is why carrying a heavy survival bag isn't a smart idea. You may have to walk for miles and through harsh terrain – which is why you must go for something light and compact.

There are kit bags that come with survival bracelets, which contain many tools like fish hooks, paracords, a small blade, etc. all in one place.

2. Adequate Supplies

This factor is important where you're going for camping with your family. You will need extra food, water, and medical supplies to cater to every person.

3. The Shelf Life Of The Food

During the emergency, nothing be worst than eating food that has long passed its expiration date. This reason is why it is important to check everything every month or so to see what food has expired. However, survival kits and bug out bags come with food that has a 4 to 5-year shelf life, but still, there is no harm in checking.

4. You Will Never Know How Long Your Ordeal Is Going To Last

When it comes to disaster emergencies, there is no way of telling how soon you will get help. That is why we recommend that you go for kits that have enough supplies to last you a week or three full days at least.

5. Waterproof Components

Being submerged in water or getting soaked in the rain is inevitable when you're lost in the woods or are in any other emergency. This reason is why it is so important to buy a bug out bag or a survival kit that is waterproof and will keep all your supplies nice and dry no matter how wet you get.

Never-Ever Forget These Items!

An Emergency Blanket To Keep Warm

In an emergency, nothing can be important than to keep warm during the cold night you have to endure. The only way you can do this is to have an emergency blanked store in your bug out bag. Moreover, these blankets will help you cover yourself from the merciless glare of the sun, keep warm during snowfall and stay dry and warm during a thunderstorm.

A Survival Whistle

In case you are badly injured and can't move or walk, the only way to call for help is whistling. These whistles are loud, which means you can quickly attract attention. It is an important survival tool. Did you know that blowing an emergency whistle three times is a clear call of distress? Don’t forget to pack these whistles with you.

A Quality Paracord

Paracords are vital components. The cord can come in mighty helpful when you repel down from a clip or tie your tent or perform a multitude of other tasks. However, it is important to ensure you get a cord that can easily support your weight. Some cords come with a 550-lb weight limit. So, if you're buying a bug out bag or a camping kit for survival, make sure the para cord is of high-quality and doesn't easily damage.

Thick Netting To Prevent Mosquito Bites

The most annoying thing you can suffer through your ordeal is getting bitten by countless mosquitoes. Not only is annoying, but you will also stand a chance of developing symptoms associated with malaria.

Not to mention, there are so many other creepy crawlies that can be an annoyance. So, to protect yourself from insects, be sure to get a thick mosquito net.

Bottom Line

Irrespective of whether you are going out for camping or a vacation – a bug out bag or a survival kit is the only thing that will come in handy in case you fall prey to a disaster. Emergency kits are very simple to use and can your life. That is why it is imperative that you don't compromise on the quality of our emergency kit.