Book Review - Build the Perfect Survival Kit

If you buy only one book to help you prepare your own disaster/emergency/survival kit, pick up a copy of Build the Perfect Survival Kit by John D. McCann, published in 2005 by Krause Publications. This book does an excellent job at breaking down the "what" and "why" for kits of different sizes, ranging from a mini-kit to keep in a pocket or purse to a large kit to stick in a small airplane in the event of a crash over the wilderness.


His category breakdown is similar to mine - Fire & Light, Water & Food, Shelter & Protection, Knives & Tools, Medical, Multipurpose, Miscellaneous. He gives advice for finding the right container for your kit from big to small and then tips for assembling and maintaing the kit. He also provides easy-to-use checklists and great resource lists and websites to help you get prepared.
Even if this book inspires you to keep a few emergency supplies into your vehicle or carry a mini-kit in your purse, it would be worth giving it a read. Once you're done though, you'll find yourself wanting to assemble a small fannypack kit or a medium backpack kit to throw in the car. It cost me $13 at Bass Pro Shops, or you can follow this link to get it at Amazon.