A few years ago I decided to make an emergency preparedness kit. They're definitely good things to have, and Chris is always adding things to ours whenever he finds something useful at Wal Mart or wherever. It's also a good idea to check them from time to time, just to make sure things like batteries and canned food are still good.
It's by no means complete. We have all our bottled water in the bottom two shelves of the bathroom closet, and we have extra blankets in another plastic underbed box. I just put the HK on top for effect, we actually keep it in another safe but easily accessible location.
roll of 100 4 gal. plastic garbage bags
roll of toilet paper
small bottle of clorox bleach
box of 48 AA batteries from Costco
super duper first aid kit, from Wal Mart
diamond Strike-A-Fire thingies
box of diamond matches
survival book
4 green chemical light thingies (getting more)
Off insect repellent
5 cans of Spam
2 dust masks
heavy duty gardening gloves
pack of Sternos
compass
whistle
snake bite kit
Swiss Army style knife
big ol' Swedish pocket knife
hand crank combo radio/flashlight/cellphone charger
plastic poncho
pocket led flashlight
A word about that flashlight. I love it because it's super bright and only uses one AA battery. Led is better than flashlights that use bulbs because they take less power and you don't have to worry about needing extra bulbs. Most pocket led lights use two batteries, but look for the ones made by Coast. I have this one. Its all metal and really solid. I think I got it at Wal Mart.
Since our kit is a work in progress, it's heavy on toys but light on essentials. Some things I'd like to add are a small lantern, rope, maybe a lightweight tent, one of those silver blankets, and more compact food products. We should have two weeks worth of food for two people, so I'm not sure what would be the most efficient way to do that. Maybe Top Ramen, but then you gotta worry about water. Lots of Powerbars too probably, but I hate Powerbars. Also: dental care and feminine hygeine products, aspirin and antibiotics. I have bleach for purifying water, which is important after a big earthquake, but I'd like to get one of those fancy osmosis filters too. I'm also looking for recommendations on pepper spray and walkie talkie brands.
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You guys are way ahead of me, thanks for the reminder. It really is an on-going project, one everyone hopes is complete before it is needed.
One thing I have, and you don't mention -- is THE essential emergency tool for any Californian -- a good quality crowbar. Particularly great for getting out of closed doors with shifted door frames (or worse) after a quake.
Posted by: Moxie at November 03, 2008 08:40 PM (vxQAH)
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in our "bug out bag"
we always include cash, small bills lots of them....
always keep ammo on hand lots of it
always keep alcohol (it is good for trade), as is tobacco!
Also keep about 50 gallons of water, just in case.
Posted by: awtm at November 03, 2008 09:21 PM (0ugVz)
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Lol, amateurs! I'll have to revisit this when I'm sober. For starters, get two cases of MRE's, they're light and have long shelf life. That's 24 meals, and you can get by on one meal a day since they're stuffed with cals. A 50 lb bag of rice and a big container of olive oil will do too for plenty of sustainability. You'll need a plastic container with a lid for the rice to keep the rodents and insects out. A gallon of soy sauce will help with the rice. Multivitamins. You need a rifle. SKS's are cheap, and you can get a thousand rounds of FMJ for $100. Solar stills are the shit. You can make water out of anything organic. Never let your gas tanks get below half full. You only need to make it to Coronado. I'll give you the passwords when the time comes. Shalom Aleichem Mutherfucker.
Posted by: Casca at November 03, 2008 11:10 PM (PlgyR)
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Don't forget nausea and heartburn pills, sleeping pills, and a pain killer.
Oh, yeah, and a big stick with a hook on the end of it. Those always come in handy.
Posted by: kyle8 at November 04, 2008 10:45 AM (CwFbX)
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great suggestions. I like the alcohol one. : )
Posted by: annika at November 04, 2008 10:46 AM (kKccv)
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Sadly, I flaked this past week and my bug out kit is not so complete.
But I do have an AK. That counts for something, right?
Posted by: Sarah at November 04, 2008 11:08 AM (TWet1)
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Only if you have ammo and spare mags.
Posted by: Casca at November 04, 2008 04:26 PM (PlgyR)
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Where do you store your emergency preparedness kit?
Posted by: TinyElvis at November 05, 2008 08:03 AM (6J+P7)
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Drop the snake bite kit,compass; get food like canned tuna and tuna helper. Manual can opener, camping pot to boil water/cook in. Biggest thing is a better container, a duffel bag or backpack, the plastic bin will be too clumsy if you're on foot. Weigh it when you're done and think about carrying it for a couple days. Then get a small scale and start weighing the individual parts. Pack like you're going on a multi-day backpack trip.
Biggest problem is that the time you will need to have it, you won't be where its at, unless its in the vehicle.
Posted by: wobots at November 09, 2008 09:15 PM (pLBNs)
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This is a fairly well-equipped set; I assume you have it in a backpack or other heftable container. Water purification filters should always be micro-filtration that gets out viruses, protozoa, etc.
These 3 day emergency food bars that stay good for 5 years from the Coast Guard should be a part of your kit as well. Very high nutrition-to-weight ratio.
I would also copy your important documents and have those with you (drivers' license, passport, titles of any kind, insurance policy, etc).
Posted by: will at November 10, 2008 10:51 AM (h7Ciu)
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