There are many scenarios in which you might need to leave your house in seconds or minutes at best. You are probably in somewhat of panic and won’t be able to grab all the bare essentials you need to survive for days or weeks away from home. There are many pre-made packs out there which are filled with low quality goods to keep the price down which would be better than having nothing. We recommend you build your own to fit your needs and become familiar with what is in there.
Evacuation Kits
An Evacuation kit, also know as a bug-out-bag, is the best way to begin building up your resiliency in the case of a major environmental or man-made disaster. Depending on the likelihood or severity of disasters in your area you may be compelled to prepare your kits for different extents of time. The benchmarks that we recommend for evacuation bags are 5 days and 2 weeks.
Beyond two weeks you are unlikely to be able to carry all you need on your person without resorting to living off the land or bush craft methodologies. However, if bulk transportation methods are still open to you, such as the use of a wheelbarrow, bike cart, or a car: You may be able to plan for up to 60 days worth of supplies.
The events that call for the use of such kits are numerous but are geared for the event of having to evacuate your area and/or finding yourself without proper shelter or access to food, water or utility services for an extended period of time. As a benefit, the supplies included within an evacuation kit will function just as readily as a stay home kit should you not need to evacuate your area.
5-Day Evacuation Kits
A basic 5-day kit is a small pack that contains the most basic of necessities. These kits often forgo a lot of creature comforts that you may otherwise be accustomed to, but if you expect help to arrive within 5 days, most can rough it for that duration.
Basic 5-Day Kit Components:
Food and Drink
- Freeze dried food packs
- Granola/ Protein bars
- 10 X 4.227 fl. oz. Water Pouches
- Life Straw
- Stainless Steel Cup / Canteen
- Portable Stove (Including Fuel Tablets)
- Pump water filter (.01 micron or better)
First Aid and Hygiene
- First Aid Kit
- N95 Dust Mask
- Wet Naps
- Surgical Gloves
- Waste Bag
- Nano-silver sol (immune boost, water treatment)
- Hygiene Kit (Toothbrush/ paste, Floss, Nail clippers, Feminine supplies, toilet paper etc.)
- Ibuprofen
- Bar of soap
Tools
- Flashlight/w batteries
- Waterproof Matches/ Lighter
- Mylar Blanket
- Emergency Poncho
- Gorilla tape
- Small rope
- Multi- tool
- Large knife
- Collapsible hand saw
- Work gloves
Visit our shop to find what you need for your bag.
Additional Items to include:
There are of course other considerations that may expand the breadth of your 5-day kit beyond these basic items. At Resilient Living we are not proponents of doing the bare minimum and we suggest that you take the time to consider including some of the following items in your kit:
- Robust Shelter (One Large Tarp or Tube Tent per 2 people; Rope and poles as needed)
- Copies of important documents (Drivers license, Insurance policies, Bank records, Wills, -Immunization records, Social Security cards etc.)
- Cash (ATMs may be unavailable and Credit/debit card authorization impossible)
- Change of Clothing (Tailored to your climate)
- Hand-crank radio
- Navigation (Compass, Maps)
- Pistol and extra ammunition
- Prescription medications / Glasses
- Walki-talkies for each member of family
- Playing cards
14-day Evacuation Kits
The 14-day Evacuation kits are largely expansions upon the 5-day core. Scaling the consumables (Water, food) to match and perhaps adding more creature comforts to accommodate the longer recovery period. Additional food and water requirements should also be addressed as extended exposure to a lack of these resources can severely hamper ones physical and mental ability to cope in potentially dangerous circumstances.
You may also wish to start including more high-quality items within your packs (Bush craft knifes, clothing, Hiking tents, improved fire-starters etc). As is often the case most “bargain” supplies can’t handle the stress of constant, hard use and will quickly fail you if you’re relying on them day in and day out.
RL Recomendation:
Always keep in mind weight when building a personal bag. Buy a bag that holds all your gear and fits you comfortably on long walks. Then take a few mile hike to see if you need to reduce your load.
Car Kits
Keeping an emergency kit in your car is certainly a wise precaution to take. With the number of hours, the average American spends commuting every year it is a distinct possibility that when a disaster hits, it could happen while you are away from your home. Aside from your immediate needs or the (possible) need to be rescued, having supplies on hand while away from your home could prove integral if you hope to get back home to your family in a timely manner.
Purchase items for your car kit.
Car Kit additions:
- Small bug out bag
- Water
- Water production (Ability to filter, boil to purify)
- Blanket
- Tarp
- Toilet paper
- Larger first aid kit
- Freeze dried food
- Small propane stove
- Crank Radio
- Shovel
- Full Change of clothes for every member of family (you don’t want to get caught in loafers or heels)
- Flares
- Nano-silver sol (buy in our Store)