Building Your Own Survival Kits

Why should you build your own survival kits?   You can buy commercial survival kits from emergency preparedness companies and military surplus stores that provide the basics.   Military survival kits are usually designed for combat situations and assume a soldier already has certain basic equipment so you may have to buy additional components for it to be complete.  Commercial survival kits are usually general purpose, intended for home or office use.  All of these can be a good starting point, but ultimately you will want to customize even the most complete kit to meet your specific requirements.  You will also want to have more than one survival kit to fit different situations. Your home or office survival kit can contain a lot more tools and supplies that what you would take camping, hiking, or back packing.  I suggest most of us would benefit from at least three or four survival kits: a large, home or office kit for major disasters; a vehicle kit for problems on the road or at work; and a small, easily carried kit for camping and off highway activities. You might also want a personal kit at work, depending on what your employer might already have -- or not have. Popular Mechanics has nice set of printable instructions for  three main types of kits at PM Survival Checklist.

Commercial survival kits may offer convenience and often a savings over buying individual components.   However, carefully review the contents to be sure 1) you know what you're getting and 2) it is relevant for your needs.  Sometimes commercial kits may contain stuff you won't need or don't know how to use.  Sometimes they will include things you may not have thought of.  Often you can assemble your own survival kit for less cost by getting only what you need and watching for sales or other good prices on necessary items.  What you need in YOUR survival kit depends on where you are (or expect to go), what kind of activities you're involved in, and what kind of skills and experience you already have.   Decide what you need in your kit and stock up on non-perishable items when you get the chance.  When you build your own you also have a better chance of remembering what's in it too!  Make sure you know how to use everything you put into your kit.  The best water purification system isn't going to do you much good if you don't know how to use it.  Fancy field medical kits can be life-saving -- IF you know how to use them.  What good will sutures do you if you don't know how to sew up a wound, including how to properly clean and prepare it first?   Will you have the medicine and knowledge of how to anesthetize the wound so it can be sutured?  Do you even know enough to be able to tell when sutures are needed?

Home or office survival kit.  Your home survival kit may be a 5 gallon bucket filled with survival supplies, a trunk, a plastic tub, a duffle bag, or just a section of your closet or pantry, or even under your bed where you keep your survival supplies.  What you need will depend on where you live, how many people in your household (and their ages), any special physical or medical requirements, and what kind of threats there may be around you.  Your home kit may be needed to sustain you and your family for an extended period of time (weeks, months, or even years!) after some disasters.  Most emergency preparedness plans recommend you start with a 72 hour kit and build up to at least 2 weeks worth of supplies.  If you live in hurricane country, you may want to include a supply of 4x8' plywood or OSB (Oriented Strand Board, also know as "chip board") panels to board up your windows but you probably wouldn't need them as much in earthquake country -- at least until after the fact!   Likewise, the tools you might need will depend on where you are, the type of structure you are in, and what you need to shut off utilities in an emergency.  Natural gas can usually be shut off at the meter using a special wrench or just a pair of slip-joint pliers, an adjustable wrench, or a pipe wrench.  You should only shut your gas off if you smell or hear gas leaking.  One distinct advantage to specialized wrenches are they are made of non-sparking materials. Ordinary adjustable wrenches, pliers, and pipe wrenches are made of steel and could create a spark -- NOT a good thing if you have a gas leak!  To avoid a spark when using steel tools, tape the jaws or put a rag between them and the valve.  You usually don't need any special tools to shut off electricity, just know where your panel is and how to turn off the main switch. There may be more than one location, especially in older buildings.   City water supplies usually need a special, long tool, to reach down into the ground to the shutoff valve, especially if you live in an area that gets freezing temperatures.  Your home or office survival kit should include some heavy duty tools, like crowbars and hammers and some sturdy leather work gloves.  Dust masks would also be good to have since many kinds of structural damage will create dusty conditions.  You can get detailed guidelines for home survival kits at FEMA Build A Kit. Your kit should include enough food, water, and other basic supplies to take care of you and your family for at least 72 hours.  See Build a 72 Hour Kit for more information.  And don't forget your pets and/or livestock. You'll need emergency supplies for them too.

Basic supplies in a home or office survival kit should include at least the following:

     * Food
     * Water
     * First Aid Kit
     * Splints or material to make them
     * Prescription Medicines
     * OTC pain relievers
     * OTC stomach preparations
     * Flashlights and extra batteries
     * BIC lighter
     * Candles
     * Leather work gloves (at least one pair per person)
     * Latex or nitrile gloves (a whole box)
     * Hammer
     * Pliers
     * Adjustable wrench(es)
     * Axe or Hatchet
     * Hunting knife or multi-tool
     * Water purification kit
     * Extra clothing
     * Toilet paper
     * Paper towels
     * Trash bags
     * Portable radio and extra batteries
     * Emergency contact list
     * Sewing kit
     * Duct tape
     * Manual can opener
     * Feminine hygiene supplies
     * Paper and pencil
     * Pet and livestock food and supplies
     * Some cash and coins

Some additional tools you might need if your structure is damaged:

     * Sledge Hammer
     * Crow bar
     * Fire extinguisher

Exercise extreme caution working in or around a badly damaged structure.  Even C.E.R.T. teams are prohibited from entering badly damaged structures.  You may be strongly motivated to attempt a dangerous rescue if the victims are family or close friends, but chances are you will just make things worse, perhaps causing them further injury or hampering their rescue or becoming a victim yourself if you are not properly trained or don't have the proper equipment.

You will want to include a "Grab and Go" or "Bug Out" bag that contains essential items if you have to quickly evacuate your home.  Long term disaster supplies can be conveniently stored in the basement, garage, in closets or under beds.  Your "Grab and Go" or "Bug Out" bags should be readily accessible on the way out of the house.  I like to make my Bug Out bag and home supplies self contained.  That way, if I have to evacuate, I'll have everything I need in my Bug Out bag and when I return I'll have everything at need still in my home supplies -- if they haven't been looted.  To save money you could use your Bug Out bag as an integral part of your home survival kit.  Just remember to bring it back with you when you return!

Vehicle survival kits are intended to provide emergency supplies if something happens while you are "out and about" or at work and help you get home.  The goal is to have what you need to be able to take care of yourself long enough to get home safely.  Typical commercial kits include food bars, water packets and a first aid kit.  You will also want a flashlight and extra batteries and you should keep a pair of good walking shoes in your car.  Ladies' high heels are definitely not good for long walks and even men's dress shoes will be inadequate and uncomfortable after a few miles of roughing it.

Basic supplies in a vehicle survival kit should include at least the following:

     * Food bars
     * Water
     * First Aid Kit
     * Prescription Medicines
     * OTC pain relievers
     * Flashlights and extra batteries
     * BIC lighter
     * Candles
     * Leather work gloves
     * Latex or nitrile gloves
     * Hunting knife or multitool
     * Toilet paper
     * Sturdy, comfortable walking shoes








     * Jacket or sweatshirt
     * Paper and pencil
     * Sturdy walking shoes
     * Emergency blanket ("space" blanket)

In winter weather be sure to include:

     *Shovel
     *Blanket
     *Warm gloves
     *Kitty litter -- non clumping (aids traction on icy surfaces)

If you have room for it, you can certainly add other items from the home survival kit list.  The main difference between your home and vehicle kits will be size.  Stock a few food bars instead of the bulky foods you might use at home.  Your vehicle kit needs to fit easily in your vehicle and be fairly easy to carry with you if you have to abandon your vehicle.  When I lived in southern California I counted 133 freeway bridges between my house and my place of employment.  Any or all of them could fail in an earthquake and I would have had to walk 50 miles home.  I observed places near my home where the road had fallen 6-8" where it connected to a bridge after one earthquake.

Camping or personal survival kits should be light weight and compact so that you are comfortable carrying them during camping activities like hiking or riding an OHV.  It should fit in a fanny pack or small backpack.  A camping or personal survival kit should be designed to supply you with basic tools and supplies to facilitate wilderness survival.  It is not intended to be everything you need.  You usually won't carry a lot of food or water.  Keep in mind you should always have a canteen or hydration pack for hiking, dirt biking, horseback riding, etc.

Basic supplies in a camping or personal survival kit should include at least the following:

     * BIC lighter
     * Flashlight
     * Small pocket sized first aid kit
     * Knife and/or multi-tool
     * Flint and steel (and tinder)
     * Water purification tablets
     * Pocket packet of facial tissue
     * Space blanket or large plastic garbage bag
     * Prescription Medicines
     * OTC pain relievers
     * Whistle
     * Paper and pencil
     * Packets of honey

Creative and resourceful people have demonstrated that it is possible to survive without these preparations, but your chances of success and your level of comfort will be greatly improved if you are prepared.  Keep a BIC lighter and/or flint and steel fire starter in your pocket or fanny pack whenever you venture into the wilderness and you'll never face the frustration of trying to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together.  The only time I want to star a fire rubbing two sticks together is if one of them is a match!

No survival kit is going to be of any use to you if you don't have access to it when you need it.  Home survival kits won't do you much good if they're in the basement of a collapsed house.  Your vehicle survival kit must be in the vehicle you are using to be any good.  A personal survival kit you leave at home or in camp isn't going to help you much if you're injured or stranded out on the trail somewhere.  Store your home kit where it is safe and is likely to be accessible even if there is major damage to your house.  Put vehicle kits in EVERY vehicle.  Make sure you grab you personal survival kit whenever you venture into the outdoors.  You might put basic survival supplies in the tool bag on your OHV or watercraft and keep some in your saddlebags if you're into equestrian activities.  Your personal survival kit should be small and light weight.  Ideally it will fit in your pockets but you can carry it in a small backpack or fanny pack -- just remember to put it on!

Be a survivor!