Epic Escapades Await: Ensuring You’re Geared Up and Good to Go
Is it too soon to stock up on what you need, such as survival supplies and gear for an impending disaster?
Having a general understanding of what can and may happen during a natural disaster, a survival kit, and a survival plan in case of an emergency are going to give you the peace of mind necessary to ensure you’re not living every day in fear of what could go wrong.
What are you waiting for?
I have seen it happen all too often in my part of the world and others. The long lines of people waiting to obtain basic survival needs such as water, food, clothing, first aid supplies, etc., all after the fact.
So do you really have to ask the question, ‘Is it too soon to stock up on survival supplies and gear?’
Do you want to get in line?
Disaster can strike at any time. Instead of fearing what could happen (but statistically, most likely won’t), being prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws our way is a much better and less anxiety-inducing way to live our day-to-day lives.
Let’s take a close look at what you can do in advance of an emergency to ensure you are prepared.
Epic Escapades Await: Ensuring You’re Geared Up and Good to Go
Emergency kits are a vital part of any survival preparedness plan.
In the event of a natural disaster, you will want to be able to access vital supplies that will help to ensure your safety and survival until help can come. You can purchase pre-made emergency kits in-store or online, but we recommend building your own.
Not only will making your own kit allow you to personalize what is happening inside of it, but it’ll also likely end up being cheaper in the long run. You will want to include several items in your kit regardless of how you choose to buy it.
– One gallon of water for every person in your family per day. Plan to have access to three days’ worth of water
– Food that isn’t going to spoil. Think canned goods with long shelf lives. Think about supplying your kit with three days worth of food as well.
– A manual can opener so you can open those canned goods
– Wind-up flashlight and radio
– First aid kit
– Emergency whistle
– Dust masks to help protect your lungs if the air were to become contaminated
– A tool kit so you’re able to turn off your utilities
– Warm clothes and extra blankets
– Fire extinguisher
– Water purification kits
If you aren’t wild about having canned food in your emergency kit, survival food kits are available for purchase online. These kits often contain many servings and boast a long shelf life.
They’re easy to prepare with just water, so if you go this route, you must remember to have extra water on hand for food preparation as this is the most important ever to several people.
Suppose you have pets, a health condition, or a baby in the family. In that case, you will want to consider adding other vital necessities such as your prescription medications, solution for your contact lenses, baby formula, diapers, food for your pets, extra water for your pets, and copies of important family documents (such as your identification and insurance).
We recommend marking your calendar one year from the day that you fill your emergency kit so you can go through and replace any food or medication that might be getting close to expiring. Just rotate them out.
Nature’s Curveballs: More Survival Gear You Didn’t Know You Needed
There is plenty of gear on the market that you can purchase well before a survival situation to help give you peace of mind were a disaster ever to hit. Look at our guide to survival gear below and see what we recommend investing in.
Generators
A power generator can help give you extra power if the electricity shuts down during an emergency.
You will probably want access to your smartphone, if not to notify your loved ones, then to keep track of what’s happening and if help is on the way.
Some generators on the market can provide over 100 hours of power to keep your smartphone juiced up. You may also consider using an electric blanket if it’s winter and the heat is off. LED lights are another great survival gear that a generator can help extend lifespan.
Remember this important fact: Your generator should be started at least once a month to keep it in good operating order, and you know it is working. With it just sitting idle for months on end, the working parts of the carburetor will ‘gum up’, causing a non-starting situation or a rough, inefficient engine.
Nothing worse than having a non-starting generator after the power goes out. Been there, done that.
Communication Devices
In the event of a serious emergency where phone lines are down and your smartphone is rendered useless, you will want to be able to have some communication device to keep in contact with the outside world.
We recommend investing in an emergency radio. These are designed to be functional when there are power outages and run with minimal or renewable power sources. Many options provide power through a hand-cranked generator and a rechargeable battery.
One great feature of several different emergency radios on the market is their ability to broadcast alerts through the Emergency Alert System. This would become useful in the event of a fast-breaking emergency.
Another handy communication device to consider is a two-way radio. These are a reliable means of communication for emergencies and a worthwhile investment if you consider yourself an avid hiker or outdoorsman.
A two-way radio might be your only way to access your friends and family during an emergency when the power grid is down. These devices aren’t expensive anymore and are usually ruggedly fashioned to be put through the wringer and still functional.
Weapons
Though your first thought in an earthquake or tornado might not be, “Better grab my gun!” some weapons would be handy in an emergency.
Multi-tools are useful because they’re compact and versatile for a home preparedness solution. Some are equipped with tools like saws and electrical crimpers. All-purpose survival tools often combine several helpful tools into one rugged and badass companion.
These tools can include weapons like a curved ax, hammer, pry bar, and lever all in one. Survival hatchets are another weapon you may want to invest in. Though it might not be as useful as a multi-tool, having one dedicated tool in your arsenal might prove helpful.
A survival hatchet can be used for chopping trees to start a fire to keep you warm or if all hell does truly break loose, a self-defense weapon.
Backpack
Though you might not immediately consider a backpack an essential piece of survival gear, once you consider how much you may have to bring with you in the event of an evacuation, you will see how vital this equipment can be.
You will want to invest in a high-quality, rugged backpack with several compartments to easily stay organized. You’ll want your backpack to have zippered pockets to keep your essential gear safe. It should be made of breathable material. Mesh is a bonus!
Fire
While you can’t very well bring fire with you on the go, you may want to have a way to start one for emergency preparedness.
Fire can not only keep you warm but will provide you with a way to prepare food and hot beverages if you’re stuck outside for an extended period of time.
You may not be starting any fires after a natural disaster, but if you’re hiking and get lost, you may need fire if inclement weather or nighttime creeps up.
There are several fire starter tools available for purchase. You could also invest in the old’ go-to – matches or lighters to start your fire. These will take up virtually no room in your backpack and provide a reliable way to get a fire going in an emergency.
Lighting
You’re going to need a flashlight. This is Survival 101.
Should you get a rechargeable flashlight or one that requires batteries? Typically, survivalists will come together in agreement that you should avoid flashlights that require the use of alkaline batteries.
These batteries are easy to find in a non-emergency situation at nearly any corner store or gas station, but if an emergency strikes, they’ll be the first thing to go in a ransacked store. They tend to leak and don’t even last that long before they start losing power.
Typically, survivalists recommend lithium batteries if you must have a flashlight that requires a battery source. They’ll hold a charge longer than alkaline batteries and provide more power overall.
Rechargeable flashlights are our number one recommendation, however. They are available in several different battery properties and can be charged just about anywhere.
Remember how we recommended a powerful generator earlier in our article? This is where having one of those will come in handy.
Gas Masks & Biohazard Gear
I saved these harder-to-accept supply and gear items for last.
Because they are scary things to consider.
Escape respirators and gas masks are designed to help protect people against terrorist threats that use biological or chemical substances.
When used correctly, they can reduce the exposure you would receive without the mask. An important thing about gas masks is that they’re only going to be effective under the right circumstances – you must use the right respirator, it needs to be on hand when the situation arises, you’ll need to know when and how to wear it, and you have to ensure that it’s stored correctly and systematically checked that it’s in working order before a situation arises when you’ll want to wear it.
Your gas mask or respirator will be entirely useless in an emergency if you don’t educate yourself on how to use it properly.
Preparedness Plans Before Supplies
Before your survival and gear list are formulated, your first step to creating a preparedness plan is to think about the emergencies that could possibly happen in the area that you live in.
Tsunamis, for example, will not be an area of concern for somewhere that is landlocked or well inland. You will need to talk with your family about the best course of action and how to respond to emergencies that are unique to the area that you live in, like volcanoes and tornadoes.
You may need more than one emergency plan depending on where you live and what natural disasters have been known to strike that area. Emergencies that require you to take shelter in your home, such as a winter storm, will have a very different preparedness plan than emergencies that require evacuation, such as a tsunami or hurricane.
You’ll need to discuss with your family what will happen if you’re separated when disaster strikes. If your child is at school and you are at work, for example.
You may want to plan to meet outside your home or outside of your neighborhood together if you are unable to return home in the event of an evacuation.
In the event of an evacuation, you will need to discuss where you will stay and how you will get there. Some cities have disaster response routes that are meant for use by emergency personnel in the event of a disaster.
You should take these routes into consideration and plan your route accordingly so as not to disrupt the work of the emergency authorities. Just as students practice fire drills at school, practicing your family’s evacuation emergency plan may not be a bad idea once or twice a year.
In the event of an evacuation, what will you do with your pets? This is another area of concern for families with fur babies. If it’s not safe for you to be at your home, it’s not safe for your animals.
Consider having a list of pet-friendly hotels or shelters that might be along your evacuation route. If leaving them is out of the question, you must ensure you have resources to keep them safe and healthy during the evacuation.
Putting This Survival Idea Into Practice
While disasters can potentially become devastating, they can be made less so with the right survival supplies and gear for proper preparedness.
You can’t predict when an earthquake will strike, and there isn’t anything you can do to prevent a volcano from erupting or a tornado from touching down, but you can control your reaction to the emergency.
Having your gear ready will give you the peace of mind necessary to properly take action with minimal panic if a disaster ever strikes.
Ready, Set, Survive: Equipping Yourself for Every Eventuality
Nature is unpredictable, but with the right gear, you don’t have to be caught off guard.
You’ve journeyed through the ins and outs of top-tier survival supplies; now, it’s time to put that knowledge to use. First step?
Inventory your current stash. Toss out those worn-out items and make a shopping list of what’s missing. Every adventure, whether it’s a forest expedition or a city blackout, deserves your best preparedness. You’ve got this.
Remember, it’s not just about surviving but thriving in challenging situations. So, what’s holding you back?
Step up, gear up, and embrace the confidence that comes with readiness.
Let’s make your next adventure the safest yet!
