Personal Emergency Kit - Take 1

My goal here was to assemble a small kit that covered all the basic categories, but was small enough to pack into a day bag or purse or the side pocket of a pair of cargo pants. I'm treating this assembly of items as a first draft because the final package was a little larger than I intended which makes it more likely that it won't be carried. An emergency kit that you don't have with you is no good at all. I tried to imagine what I would need if I had to survive for a day or two in the wild with items small enough to fit into this form factor.

Shelter - A large, contractor black trash bag (3 mil) can be used as a tarp by slitting the sides of the bag. If it is filled with leaves it can be a mattress, pillow, or blanket. Since the thick plastic is already fairly insulating, it can be used as a sleeping bag.

Water - This kit is too small to carry water, but I've included ways to collect, store and purify it. I've included a gallon and quart Ziploc freezer bags, which can be used to collect rainwater, or used in various survival applications to line a solar still, wrapped around branches for transpiration, etc. The trash bag could also be used to collect rainwater, either directly into the bag itself or by shaping it to funnel runoff into the gallon Ziploc. The two MicroPur tablets from Katadyn will purify 2 liters of water. The orange bandana can be used to filter sediment from collected water. The square of heavy duty aluminum foil can be shaped into a cup to boil water to purify it.

Food - Not much can go in this pack, but I included 2 sticks of Juicy Fruit gum and a Dum Dum lollipop for a bit of sugar and a psychological boost. There's also a small packet of electrolyte replacement powder (black cherry flavor) which could also mask the taste of collected or chemically purified water. I'd love to find room for a tea bag and some Splenda packets.

Warmth/Clothing - The black trash bag can be used a poncho. Just tear or cut a hole in the center near the bottom for your face. You can also make armholes if you need to use them while wearing the bag, but you'll stay warmer if you don't. There's a single-use handwarmer to keep your hands or feet warm for a few hours. The bandana can be used as a do-rag to keep the sun off your head.

Light/Fire - There is a flat LED flashlight and a mini Bic lighter. A cyalume glowstick will provide some longer lasting light with a lanyard hole to hang it if needed. The antibacterial gel will burn and can be used to help start a fire. The tissues and 3x5 notecards can be burned as tinder also.

First Aid - In a snack-sized Ziploc I've put 2 bandaids, one liquid bandage swab, a Neosporin packet, a moleskin for blister prevention, and 2 moist towelettes. I have some chapstick with SPF 15 to prevent lipburn.

In another little Ziploc I've put 2 acetaminophen 500mg tablets for pain, 2 diphenhydramine 25mg tablets for allergic reactions or as a sleeping aid, 2 loperamide 2mg tablets for diarrhea, 3 aspirin 325mg tablets for pain, 3 ibuprofen 200mg tablets for inflammation, and 2 antacids. The bandana can be used to secure a dressing or splint.

Signaling - Besides the ability to send smoke signals with a fire you build or flashing people with the LED flashlight, I've included a thin orange marine whistle. Three short bursts is the international distress signal. The orange bandana can be waved or placed outside an emergency shelter to help rescuers find you.

Money/Barter - I put in a $20 bill and 4 quarters for emergency purchases or phone calls. A prepaid phonecard would be a good addition.

Hygiene - I've included a partial package of travel Kleenex and a thin bottle of antibacterial gel.
Tools/Misc - My secret weapon in this kit is the thin but versatile Victorinox Swisscard. The black case has a red LED, a magnifying glass, and a ruler built in. It houses a small knife, a pin, a pen, tweezers, scissors, and a four headed screwdriver (upper right in the photo) that works surprisingly well. I've included duct tape because it can be used to repair clothing, bandage skin, secure the knife to a pole to make a small hunting spear, shelter construction, etc. It is so useful and versatile that you will likely discover an unintended use in an emergency situation. Mine is wound around a small piece of cardboard that I have attached a couple of safety pins to. These can be used to repair clothing, secure a bandage or can be left open to form a small fishing hook. I've included a rubber band and 2 zip ties for miscellaneous fastening needs. I've also included 12 inches of paracord, but this actually gives me 8 feet of cordage. Each length of parachute cord has a tough outer woven sheath and seven strands of nylon inside that can be used separately or tied together. If I need a really thin thread, these strands can be untwisted to form 3 threads each. I'd like to include a little more, but I'm bursting at the seams as it is. The note card is for, well, notes.

The black trash bag provided one other unexpected benefit - when folded to fit in a quart Ziploc bag, it creates an accordion-style partition for the bag that allowed to separate these items. I tried fitting it into a wide-mouth Nalgene 1 liter water bottle and could almost get it all in, but not quite. Even this package was bulkier than I intended. I'm going to have to lose something - I'm not sure what yet. Nevertheless, it was a fun exercise to get all of this into a small bag. This fit easily into a fanny pack that I owned with room to spare. I need to get it small enough that my wife would carry it. Keep an eye out here for future modifications.

Listening to Katrina

I found a great website, called Listening to Katrina, that has changed my perspective about preparing for emergencies and emergency kits. The site author describes it as a blog, but it is more of an extended essay describing his evacuation from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and what that experience has taught him about preparing for emergencies.

One thing that he mentions in there is that if you need to suddenly leave your home and set up shop in another town or another state, you need to be financially prepared. Not just having some cash tucked away for the road, but being able to access you financial accounts, proving who you are, proving your qualifications to work in your field. I am a liscensed physician in Ohio, but if I had to evacuate into Michigan or Indiana, it could be months before I could work there, IF I had all of my paperwork in order.

The other big brain shift I had reading this article was that I was not prepared to suddenly evacuate my house in the event of a fire. I can live out of my basement for a few weeks in the event of a blizzard, but if I woke up to the fire alarm, I'd get everyone out of the house with very little clothes and watch everything go up in flames. I need to have personal information scanned onto a memory stick and a set of clothes, flashlights and an emergency cellphone in a bag under my bed that I can grab on the way out.

He breaks evacuation strategies into leaving in under 1 minute (i.e. house on fire), leaving in a hour (i.e. wildfire approaching the house), leaving in 12 hours (i.e. hurricane approaching the region), and staying in place. He also chronicles his efforts to put his family's life back together after being suddenly relocated to Texas. Worth a read and it will influence future blog posts here.

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.