I continue to expand my personal low cost emergency survival kit according to the list and plan I’ve developed. I’m working my way through the high priority items across 6 categories. The objective is to complete the items in each category list on an even basis relative to each item’s survival kit priority and potential value in the event that something happened tomorrow. I could have easily solved this with a low cost emergency survival kit but that would NOT have solved the larger problem. In some cases, I’m able to purchase what I need from my survival gear list. In some cases, I’m going to have to learn how to make survival gear. The most recent set of items added were in the Health Category. I consider the Health Category to be a high survival kit priority.
Low Cost Emergency Survival Kit Health Items
It might be easier to just go buy an inexpensive first aid kit to try and fulfill the items in the high priority health category but I don’t think I’d really get what I’m looking for. The goal with the high survival kit priority items is to build a kit that can sustain a family of four over at least two weeks. The pain reliever you can probably easily understand. The anti-diarrhea? Well consider that the food and water we’ll be eating may not be completely sanitary. Add to that, it will be different than what we’ve been eating on a daily basis for the last umpteen years. Lastly, consider that the main problem with diarrhea, after the complete inconvenience, is the body water loss associated with it – that could be devastating to the amount of daily energy a person needs to survive, not to mention potentially deadly if not actively managed.
A few more items in the high priority health category – more pain relievers, some antiseptic and antacids. Two kinds of pain reliever? Sure, why not – they are relatively inexpensive and effect people differently. I, myself, tend to just grab which ever bottle is closest but my wife and daughters clearly know and understand that they have different effects. A small bottle of iodine or antiseptic is not something that I’d normally consider but again, I have a wife and daughters and a large measure of the value of a survival kit is comfort and confidence. Also consider that it is possible that we’ll be living in an area out of our normal comfort zone – lazy boys and couches – and the likelihood of an increased number of dents, dings and scratches is higher. With that, and potentially less-than-perfect sanitation and a bottle of iodine starts to make more sense. Lastly, the antacid. While I’ve done all I can to make sure that the food in the survival kit is healthy and nutritious, I guarantee that it is going to be distinctly different than our usual diet. Thus, a little antacid can go a long way to relieving any stomach upset and supporting a good night’s sleep.
An Easy Every Day Survival Kit Builder
I love traveling – especially the scads of goodies that hotels provide so generously. This could actually be considered a very low cost emergency survival kit. I just can’t help myself from scooping up all of the “freebies” as I’m packing up to leave a hotel room. I collect them in a ziploc bag and just toss them into the survival kit when the bag get’s full. I have soap, shampoo, conditioner, sewing kits and who-knows-what-else. I particularly like them because they are small individual units and it will be completely OK if they get lost in the hustle and bustle of a survival situation. This little trick alone could be an important part of a 1 week emergency survival gear list.
Low Cost Data Survival Kit
I read an article on LifeHacker.com recently that highlighted data survival. What is data survival? Consider that you might lose your backpack or purse when traveling. If you have important travel documents – passport, drivers license, etc you’d be in a bind. Add to that the pain of quickly remembering and replacing all of your credit card information. This little Tuff n Tiny USB drive is quite handy. I scanned my important travel documents into a PDF file and then encrypted each PDF file and copied it to the little Tuff n Tiny USB drive. The USB drive is small enough that it can attach to my key ring or get tucked into a corner of my backpack or wallet very easily. Is it perfect? Probably not. Does it increase my comfort and confidence when I consider an emergency situation? Absolutely. I like to think of this as an important part of an every day survival kit with a small survival kit list.
Survival Kit Priorities
As I build my survival kit, I continually pay attention to the survival kit priority. I have a long list of survival kit items which include everything from a low cost emergency survival kit to some rather expensive survival gear. I started with a small survival kit list, researched on how to expand it and then continued my research into every day survival kits each month as I expanded my survival gear list.
Survival Gear List Summary
I’m quite enjoying building my survival kit. I am not building a low cost emergency survival kit. It does contain elements of an every day survival kit but also includes much more than that. I’m building a short term, medium term and long term survial kit from a well thought out survival gear list that will support a family of four no matter what happens. It gives me a great sense of confidence that I’m doing the right thing for my family – providing a low cost emergency survival kit, provides me with an interesting project that requires me to research, think and plan and, maybe most important, the freedom of having a back up plan in the event of an emergency situation has begun to free my thinking about how I want to live, what I’m responsible for and who I am.
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