Survival Kit: Why Have a Preparedness Kit?
You will never know when a disaster will hit. That is why you must have a handy and personally prepared survival kit with you. However, you need to personalize every item that you need to put in your emergency kit. And this is because having urban survival gear can surely make it a lot easier during all the survival situations. Having a survival kit is not enough; you need to have basic survival knowledge and training as they both play a significant part in the preparedness equation.
Recommended and Must-Have Survival Kits
Everyday Carry (EDC)
Everyday Carry (EDC) is the first type of survival kit that you need to keep with you at all times. It can fit into your pocket and consist of only essential survival items like a pocket knife, flashlight, and a multi-tool. But you can also add to your list these items:
- Pen or Pencil
- Pliers
- Watch
- Prybar
- Wallet/Cash
- Keys
- Notepad
- Phone/Extra Battery
- Flash drive
But you have to keep in mind that different environments will necessitate a different type of EDC kit.
Bug Out Bag (BOB)
This type of survival kit takes the RCD concept but it amplifies for a long term situation of surviving or at least 72 hours in an SHTF scenario. It is a larger version of Everyday Carry because it contains more of the items that you will need to survive during and after a disaster.
Your BOB should always be kept in a place where you can quickly access them during an evacuation as it is designed to grab at a moment's notice. It consists of:
- Water and food
- Stainless steel water bottle
- Water purification tablet
- Portable water filter
- Freeze Dried Meals
- Eating Utensils – Sprok
- Small Collapsible Cup/Bowl
- Hook, Swivel, Sinker Set
- Sewing Kit
- Safety Pins
- Quick-Drying Undergarments
- Tarp Shelter
- Paracord Survival Kit
- Waterproof Survival Matches
- First Aid and Medical Supplies
- Personal Hygiene Items
- Compass, knife, multi-tool, and so much more.
Also, consider the type of disaster that you are preparing when you are selecting your survival gear. Aside from that, there may be special consideration for a specific member of your family in preparing a survival kit.
Benefits of Planning for an Emergency
1. It can and hopefully not happens to you
No matter how big or small a disaster; you don't know when it will strike. And having a survival kit at hand can help or provide you with the tools to stay safe.
2. Peace of mind
Emergencies or disasters are part of the unknown that we all fear because we do not know what will happen. And having a prepared survival kit can provide us with a sense of security and ease our worries. It also lessens your stress in a difficult time because you know that you have available resources during an emergency.
3. Easy and affordable to put together
There are a lot of emergency kits/survival kits available online that you can buy or prepare. You can start building your survival kit by preparing items one at a time as well.
4. Handy Communication
There are times that disasters and the emergency will cut you off from the outside world. Your cell phone may not have a signal. Or the phone lines could be offline. And you have no way to contact your family or ask for help. But if you have prepared a battery-powered or solar radio and portable chargers for your cell phone, you can communicate with the outside world.
5. Your family will thank you
We must protect our family. And by having a ready-to-go survival kit, you can worry less about locating all the essential supplies that you need to carry. And you can focus more on taking care of your family instead. We have already learned from the disasters and emergencies that we have faced for the past years. And preparing urban survival gear can put our minds at ease.