How to Build a Survival Kit

Monday September 19, 2022

September is National Preparedness Month, meaning it’s the perfect time to talk about building an emergency survival kit. We’ve touched on this topic before with our roadside emergency kit blog but we didn’t cover how to build a survival kit that can be kept in your home. Having a kit for your car and a separate kit for your home is essential to being prepared for disaster. In this piece we’ll be covering how to pack your home kit and suggesting some of the best items from our online store.

When preparing a kit, items should be prioritized based on needs. The first list of items are the absolute basics that everyone should have, the second list includes optional items that may be useful but aren’t necessary.

Necessary Items

1.     Long Shelf-Life Water: 1 gallon per person per day

2.     Non-Perishable Food: easy to prepare and long shelf-life

3.     Flashlight

4.     Extra Batteries

5.     Weather Alert Radio (Hand Crank if possible)

6.     Family Sized First Aid Kit

7.     Medications and Medical Items (1-week supply)

8.     Multi-Purpose Tool

9.     Hygiene & Cleaning Items

10.  Copies of Personal Documents. (Medical Information, proof of address, deed to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies, etc…)

11.  Cell Phone Charger

12.  Family Contact Information

13.  Extra Cash

14.  Emergency Blanket

15.  Physical Maps

Optional/Additional Items

·      Whistle

·      N95/Surgical Mask

·      Waterproof Matches

·      Poncho

·      Towels

·      Work Gloves

·      Water/Gas Shutoff Tool

·      Extra Clothing

·      Plastic Sheeting

·      Tarps

·      Duct Tape

·      Scissors

·      Entertainment Items that don’t require power

·      Blankets/Sleeping Bags

Other items may be necessary based on your specific situation, know if you live on a fault line or if your area is prone to wildfires or other natural disasters. You should also know how to prepare your home itself, read more about that here.