The Best Survival Kits

Survival kits have been a hot-button topic for many years now, but interest in them has especially increased during the COVID-19 paramedic. Although the term survival kit is broadly defined, the sale of commercial survival kits is a relatively new concept. A proper survival kit is worthless without crucial items. These essential items differ according to an individual’s needs and their location at the time. As the adage goes, hope for the best and prepare for the worst - and ensuring you have a quality survival kit embodies this saying.

The History of Survival Kits

Survival kits have an interesting history. For most of human evolution, people have had to persevere through seemingly insurmountable conditions. In the centuries past, survival kits and essential supplies were transported on ships and horse-drawn wagons. Nowadays it’s hard to imagine enduring these kinds of hardships to survive. Fortunately, we now have access to modern-day survival kits that would amaze our ancestors.

The modern framed backpack was invented in 1886 - and eventually became what today’s preppers call “bug-out bags”. The modern framed backpack vastly increased the portability of survival items. As a result, people were able to transport life-sustaining materials over long distances. Hands-free traveling with essential items allowed for the exploration into new territories, as the odds of survival increased.

The modern framed backpack even allowed for the expanded exploration of terrains with some of the harshest conditions. A well-known early example of this vastly increased ability to explore and discover new ground is sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. In May of 1953, Hillary and Norgay became the first-ever climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.  became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

Who Needs A Survival Kit?

Those of us who love to explore the outdoors might find ourselves in a survival scenario that is hundreds of miles away from the nearest hospital. Hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, skiers, campers, and all outdoor enthusiasts need a survival kit. You can pick up your own handy personal backpack survival kit from More Prepared here.

The bottom line is that everyone could benefit from having a survival kit, not just the outdoorsy type. No one is immune from a potential disaster or emergency, no matter how well-prepared they are. In a time like the COVID-19 pandemic, it is recommended - and in some locations even government mandated - that people stay home if at all possible. Organizations like the Red Cross and FEMA are using resources to fight the virus, meaning that less help could be available in the event of an emergency. For this reason, giving yourself the ability to sustain your family during an emergency is one of the best things you can do. And to the most efficient way to do that is to purchase or build a survival kit. Self-reliance in the event of a disaster is one of the most important skills a person can have.

Most Important Items to Add to Your Survival Kit

When it comes to building your survival kit, we will break down these items into two categories: crucial, recommended. The Red Cross says that you add a gallon of water per person per day and enough at least two weeks to your home survival kit. Two weeks’ worth of non-perishable foods is also essential. For survival during an evacuation, add enough for three days. Here are some other crucial items to add to a survival kit:

Crucial:

• First-aid supplies - joint wraps in the event of a break, gauze, hydrogen peroxide, bacitracin, and so on.
• Flashlights with extra batteries.
• A radio that doesn’t need batteries, such as a hand-crake.
• Medications and individuals need supplies like and epi-pens.
• Multi-tools.
• Copies of personal documents like birth certificates.
• Maps of the area in case mobile access is unavailable.

Recommended: 

While these items aren’t necessarily life-sustaining, we highly recommend adding items to your kit like:

• Rescue whistle.
• Ponchos.
• Extra blankets.
• A tent.
• Matches.
• Personal sanitization items.
• Sealed liquid bleach for sanitizing.
• Duct tape.
• Extra clothing and durable shoes.
• A spare set of keys to your home and vehicle.
• Pet supplies.
• Entertainment and games for the kids.

Since the Spring of 2020, the CDC has recommended that Americans add sanitation and other related items to their survival kits to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Antibacterial soap, hand sanitizer, rubber gloves, and face coverings are among these additional recommended items.

4 Main Kinds of Survival Kits

Survival kits are essential for schools, at home, in the car, and the workplace. Each of the four requires different items as what is needed for survival in each location changes.

• • Home Survival Kits

Home survival kits will prepare you and your family to survive natural disasters. The bare minimum of what a home survival kit should include is enough emergency food and water for 72 hours as well as a first aid kit. Emergency scenarios in our homes often involve the loss of electricity, so home-based survival kits usually include a light source as well.

Don’t forget your pets! Add some items to keep your dogs and cats as happy as can be as well. Contact a shelter or the ASPCA and ask about evacuation scenarios evolving pets and what to do. If you must evacuate and can’t bring the pets with you, doing this could save the life of your pet.

• • School Survival Kits

With most schools operating remotely through 2021, classrooms are sadly empty. However, schools will always be the most important locations to have stocked up on the right survival items. School survival kits make good fundraisers and a great alternative to selling candy bars. It’s also never too late to educate kids about emergency preparedness. School survival kits of up to 1,000 people are available here.

• • Car Survival Kits

Finding yourself in a disaster scenario in your car is different from the other 3 because you have no roof over your head. This is why car survival kits must be small enough to fit in your car and convenient to carry if you need to evacuate. You also won’t want to keep anything in your vehicle that could be susceptible to high heat or cold - depending on where you live. Every carpooler, daily commuter, or truck driver should keep a survival kit in their vehicles - it could save their lives or the lives of their passengers.

• • Office Survival Kits

For a business owner in a workplace-based survival scenario, the lives of your employees are at risk. Since employees are the company’s best asset, a proper workplace survival kit is essential. Employers are responsible for the safety of their employees in the workplace, and this is especially true in an emergency. Every worksite, office, or retail store should have a quality office emergency kit.

Survival Kits are In Demand for a Reason

Those of us who remember Y2K can look back at how funny it is how so many people thought a massive disaster was coming because of a computing limitation. January 1st, 2000 came and went, and life went on. The good part about Y2K is that people got interested in emergency preparedness through Y2K. Preparing one’s home with long-term food storage and growing food has also seen a resurgence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The more we increase our ability to be self-sustainable, the more we increase our chances of survival in a disaster scenario.

Whether a threat is real or simply perceived, it’s always important to be prepared with survival kits. We all need to survive, and everyone wants to feel safe. Peace of mind is priceless. This is why high-quality survival kits will always be in demand.

Survival Kits Are Not Just for Disaster Preparedness

Survival kits are essential to staying alive in the event of disaster scenarios like earthquakes, hurricanes, and massive floods. However, the contents of a well-thought-out survival kit will make it easier to deal with common occurrences like running out of fuel on unknown roads or losing electricity in our homes. It’s not uncommon to injure ourselves only to find we used the last of the adhesive bandages. While these occurrences are certainly not disasters and put us at relatively low risk, getting through them can be made easier with a survival kit.

More Prepared: High-Quality and Affordable Survival Kits

At More Prepared, we’ve been putting the satisfaction of our customers as our top priority for over 15 years. We are in the business of people and helping save lives with emergency kits and supplies. In our warehouse, we stock thousands of essential survival items. In addition to our survival kits, you will also find a wide array of other emergency preparedness items. Our emergency kits deliver quality that is directly from the manufacturer. We pride on speedy deliverers and delivering great customer service. We are happy to customize your survival kit to tailor it to your needs.