Emergency Preparedness Kit

The first step in building an emergency preparedness kit is to select a good bag. When choosing a bag, look for these three traits: Durability, versatility, and size. There are many bags out there in the world, but when selecting a bug out bag, you need to make sure that it fits you in particular. I'm referring both to the size of the bag in relation to your physical frame, and also your particular needs. Your needs might differ from the person next to you, your neighbor, and the guy sitting in his recliner all the way across the country. What is the general climate like in your area from season to season? Does it ever snow? What about rain? Excessive heat or dangerous wildlife? No matter who you are or where you live, your needs may be different from those around you. Take your health, for example. Are you diabetic? Do you have a child who has special needs, or is still in diapers? Considerations such as these need to be taken into account when you sit down to design your gear kit. I'm not going to design your entire bug out bag for you, but I am going to give you some guidelines and a basic framework. The rest is up to you. You decide what you need, and stick it in your bag.

The Bag Itself

The bag you choose for your emergency gear kit should be a tough one. There's one simple reason for this: You don't want it to fail you at a critical moment. Your bag should be rugged, constructed of strong materials, and have the ability to take a beating and not fall apart. No $20 bag from some discount superstore is going to cut it. Price is relative, but if your bag costs less than $50, you might need to shop around. Better bags cost more money. That being said, used military gear is easy to come by, cheap, and tough. I'm not talking about aftermarket knockoffs that cost $15 new, but actual military issue (surplus, used, etc.) gear such as ALICE packs or a CFP- 90. Theses bags are tough, abundant, and affordable. You can also get great civilian versions of these bags, but then you get into the price to quality issue. This is not a liferule, but if something is cheap, it's probably cheap (as in poorly constructed and might fail you when you need it to help keep you alive). Whatever it is, the bag you select should have enough room to carry your gear. How much gear you need will be determined by your own individual needs, but there are some general guidelines you should follow. Typically, a bug out bag should hold enough gear to sustain you for three days. This is usually enough time to get out of a troublespot, even on foot, and find a safer place to wait out whatever disaster landed in your area.

Remember when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans? Did you watch the news when that was going on? I remember seeing an aerial shot of thousands (I didn't count, but it looked like thousands) of people were just milling about on a freeway overpass. These people were just sitting around, waiting for help. Don't be like that. Help yourself instead. Had I been in that situation, I would not have stuck around and waited for rescue. Situations like hurricane Katrina is when the bug out bag should come out and go on your back, be in your hand, etc. Do whatever you have to do to get out of there. People get angry and dangerous when there is a crisis going on and they have no food or water. If all of those people had a Emergency Preparedness Kit, then maybe there would have been fewer stories of violence during the refuge and rescue time frame. Don't be one of those people stuck in a bad place. Make sure you have enough gear to get out. The same advice applies whether you were in hurricanes Katrina or Irene, or fleeing the disaster after the Japan quake that killed thousands. When there's a disaster, you might need to leave in a hurry, so it's important to have the gear ready. How Big of a Bag Do I Need? The size is subjective to your needs, wants, and personal style. Generally speaking, you should pack for at least three days. Some people will need quite a large bag, while others can get by with something as small as an average school backpack. Your environment will also affect the size of our bag. For example, if you live in a very cold climate, you will need to pack some weather appropriate gear into your bag. If disaster happens during the winter, you don't want to freeze to death while bugging out. Make sure to account for such possibilities when deciding on the size of your bag. You might need room for a jacket, a wool sweater, and extra socks, while someone in a very warm climate might only need a light jacket.

Watch this helpful Emergency Preparedness Kit Video:

Clothes aren't the only things you're going to put into your emergency preparedness kit. I'll get into the specifics later, but you'll need such items as food, water, tools, shelter, first aid items, and more. Is your bag – or the one you plan to buy – big enough for all that? Another consideration, directly related to the size of the bag, is the comfort of the bag. Fortunately, most modern hiking and outdoor equipment is designed to be as ergonomic as possible while still doing its job. This goes for military gear, too. Backpacks with frames, padding, and modular attachments are the norm, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding one that can hold your gear and not strain your back too much. The bag you choose should be as large as necessary to carry the gear that you determine you'll need according to your particular situation. It should be comfortable and durable, and should withstand the elements as much as possible. The bag you choose can be of either civilian sporting origin or military applications. Just make sure it isn't some cheap knockoff. Do not spend your money on a bag that will fall apart when faced with the slightest stress.