A Yuppie's take on emergency survival kits

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

The mainstream is finally giving a modicum of thought to emergency preparations.  The following list was published as an ideal roadside emergency kit.  Read through it and tell me whether I'm the only person who sees some glaring omissions, as well as some outright factual errors...

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/8810;_ylt=AspfDaEt7tlibX3HazqtWuwrLpA5

    *  ER Bar Emergency Rations - These are cookie-like bricks that provide thousands of calories in each small pack. They don't taste awful and, in the event of an emergency, can keep you alive for a week or more.
    * Water Purification Tablets - It isn't feasible to tote enough water to keep a family of four hydrated for a long period of time (I keep several gallons of bottled water in the garage), so I sub in water purification tablets for use with melted snow or river water. There are dozens of brands on the market, and they're very inexpensive.
    * First Aid Kit - Make sure you get a good-quality one and check it periodically to make sure the medical supplies have not expired.
    * Waterproof Matches and an Outdoor Lighter - It's a good idea to keep multiple means of fire-making. This is critical for keeping warm and for making signal fires. The lighter is windproof and filled with butane.
    * Survival Knife and Small Hatchet - These are important for a variety of uses, from preparing food to cutting tree branches for fire.
    * Swiss Army Knife - Always handy.
    * Emergency Blanket - This is a reflective silver blanket that provides a little warmth but, more importantly, offers a six-by-six-foot square of reflecting material for creating a good emergency signal.
    * Plastic Rain Poncho - Simple, good for wet weather when you have to leave the car.
    * Flashlight - Just a small but bright Maglite with new batteries. I threw a couple of glow sticks in the kit as well.
    * Pen and Paper - Whether leaving a note for rescuers, creating a trail, or getting a fire started, pen and paper are always good to have. Also good for entertaining small children.
    * Whistle - For signaling for help.
    * Compass - These are often built in to other survival gear, too.
    * Wristwatch - If you are on foot, it is easier to measure distance by keeping time than by mileage. ("I'm walking one hour that way.") A windup watch is best.
    * Hand Mirror - Primarily for signalling for help.
    * Roll of Duct Tape - Better than rope.
    * Pair of Gloves - Tough leather ones.
    * Small Fishing Kit - Mainly includes some fishing line, some lures, and weights, but weighs just a few ounces.
    * Cell Phone Charger - The Clipper Gear Cell Phone Charger uses regular batteries and connects to just about any kind of cell phone. You can also find hand-crank versions (try the Sidewinder), but this AAA-powered gadget is supercheap and tiny.
    * Portable GPS - Along with the cell phone charger, the only high-tech item in the kit. I have it loaded with as many maps as it can hold, mainly of areas where I'm foreseeably likely to drive to. Fresh batteries are inside, too. I have a Garmin iQue M5, but you may want to shop around for a good deal on an inexpensive model that you won't feel bad about storing in your trunk.
    * Book: "How to Stay Alive in the Woods" - A great resource on survival in extreme conditions. Read it before you pack it in the kit.

[K Frame]

But where's he domestic, not too expensive white wine?

How can I survive without a domestic, not too expensive white wine?

[charby]

You know that a survival kit varies from person to person. This really isn't a bad start to a vehicle kit.

In my car I just keep a sleeping bag, pillow, toliet paper, mittens and a stocking hat. This works for me on my two times a week commute to Des Moines (30 miles one way)

When I hunt I take matches, cellphone, whistle, couple bandanas, two 10' ropes and extra high calorie, high protien food, but I also don't stray more than a mile from a road, it is very hard to get more than a mile from a road in Iowa.

When backpacking I pretty much am surviving out of my pack, so I am covered there.

I also figure people crossed mountians wearing a heavy coat and pocket full of bisquits (John Muir)

Best survival kits is between the ears.

-C

[SpookyPistolero]

Hehe, fun stuff. I really like the signal mirror. I wonder if they're planning on running from the downed vehicle and into the forest?

The only thing more fun to watch would be someone using the 'fishing kit' for the first time'...

Guess it's good to get a start on being prepared, even just a little.

[Twycross]

* Survival Knife and Small Hatchet - These are important for a variety of uses, from preparing food to cutting tree branches for fire.
    * Swiss Army Knife - Always handy.

The only knives I have seen marketed as 'survival' knives are way too long, and rarely sharp enough. A regular 3"-4" folder will do. And I would take a Leatherman multi-tool over a SAK any day.

* Flashlight - Just a small but bright Maglite with new batteries. I threw a couple of glow sticks in the kit as well.

IMHO, a headlamp is much more practical.

* Roll of Duct Tape - Better than rope.

Better than rope? Yeah. Right. When hell freezes over.


I don't think the cell phone charger is really any good. If you don't have signal, there is no point in keeping it on all the time. If you do have signal, then call and tell some one where you are!

What I see missing is some sort of .22. Either a pistol or take-down rifle would work. Also missing is any mention of extra clothing or sleeping provisions.

I've never heard of the 'ER Bar Emergency Rations.' Do they really have "thousands of calories in each small pack?"

[cosine]

* Emergency Blanket - This is a reflective silver blanket that provides a little warmth but, more importantly, offers a six-by-six-foot square of reflecting material for creating a good emergency signal.

You know, if you're someplace where it's cold, (i.e., half of the United States in winter), you're going to want real blankets and extra clothes, not a piece-of-foil "emergency blanket." 

[K Frame]

* Emergency Blanket - This is a reflective silver blanket that provides a little warmth but, more importantly, offers a six-by-six-foot square of reflecting material for creating a good emergency signal.

You know, if you're someplace where it's cold, (i.e., half of the United states in winter), you're going to want real blankets and extra clothes, not a piece-of-foil "emergency blanket." 

Funny, but those piece-of-foil blankets' were technology developed for use in the suits worn by American astronauts in space. I don't recall seeing Neil Armstrong get out of the Eagle lander with an LL Bean Maine Warden's Parka...

If used CORRECTLY, which really isn't as a blanket, those blankets are INCREDIBLY effective as ersatz shelter. With some string or a smooth pole, a few rocks, and a candle you can make an extremely warm shelter.

Even with just your own body heat you can do a very good job of staying warm in a shelter made from such a blanket.

[cosine]

* Emergency Blanket - This is a reflective silver blanket that provides a little warmth but, more importantly, offers a six-by-six-foot square of reflecting material for creating a good emergency signal.

You know, if you're someplace where it's cold, (i.e., half of the United states in winter), you're going to want real blankets and extra clothes, not a piece-of-foil "emergency blanket." 

Funny, but those piece-of-foil blankets' were technology developed for use in the suits worn by American astronauts in space. I don't recall seeing Neil Armstrong get out of the Eagle lander with an LL Bean Maine Warden's Parka...

If used CORRECTLY, which really isn't as a blanket, those blankets are INCREDIBLY effective as ersatz shelter. With some string or a smooth pole, a few rocks, and a candle you can make an extremely warm shelter.

Even with just your own body heat you can do a very good job of staying warm in a shelter made from such a blanket.

I stand corrected.  But, don't you think you'll want more than one, especially if there's normally more than just you traveling?

[brimic]

Roll of Duct Tape - Better than rope.

Duct tape makes better bandages than rope, but that's about it, and rope even works when its wet.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

There's no water!  There are purification tablets, but no water bottle or other container.  You can't gather or collect any water without a bottle.  And you can't dissolve the tablets into the water if you don't have a bottle to put the water into.  What's this guy gonna do, drop a tablet in the first convenient mud puddle ans then slurp it all up?

There's no warmth!  No blankets, no sleeping bags, no warm coats, not even a warm hat.  That space blanket won't provide any insulation whatsoever.  Those blankets are supposed to be used as radiant heat reflectors, not as insulation.  If you wrap yourself up in one, like the pictures and directions say to, you'll actually lose more body heat because the metalized blanket will conduct heat away and dissipate it like a radiator.  But how many people know this?  And as a shelter?  Why on earth would anyone leave the shelter of their vehicle to huddle under a flimsy, noisy, undersized sheet of plastic film that tears at the slightest provocation?

There's no sanitation.  No disinfectant, no toilet paper, no soap, no baby wipes, no hand sanitizer, nothing.  If you get stranded for a few days with no way to keep yourself clean, you WILL get sick.  Having diarrhea is bad enough when you're safe and sound at home.  In an emergency it's dangerous.  In an emergency where you have no source of drinking water because you forgot to pack water and/or water bottles, it'll get you killed.

There's no shovel!  A shovel is probably the single most useful item to have in your vehicle in the wintertime.  Odds are that if you're stranded it was because you got stuck in the snow.  A winch might be nice too, and maybe a tow strap or some stout rope or something.  Duct tape is not "better than rope."  Then of course there's a set of jumper cables...


The guy who wrote this list needs to spend less time thinking he's Daniel Boone and more time thinking about what would be handy in a real roadside emergency.  "Fishing kit" my left arse cheek.

[crt360]

Where's the fully equipped AR and 10 extra mags? 

Definitely needs some TP - there are some things that duct tape just can't be substituted for.

Salt, pepper and a small bottle of hot sauce.  You never know what you might have to eat.

Unless he can fight like Rambo with that survival knife, he should consider at least some pepper spray.

Despite what he thinks about duct tape, throw in some rope.

[Perd Hapley]

So the ER Bar will "keep you alive for a week or more."  Notice that the author thinks you will die if you don't eat for "a week or more," and that he puts a low-priority item, food, at the top of the list.  

The next few things seem good enough for a beginner, although he should elucidate what is meant by "survival knife."  It is also unfortunate that he doesn't seem to know about the Leatherman tools.  

The space blanket idea is good, but dreadfully incomplete.  First, take more than one.  Second, if you expect cold weather and you have the room/weight, pack some regular blankets and wear, not pack, appropriate clothing and footwear.  Oh, and the Mike Irwin Space Blanket shelter will probably be a non-starter unless our intrepid explorer brings something rope-like.   And a candle would be a pretty basic item, too, that won't take up much weight or room.  

No extra batteries for the AA cell maglite?  Big omission - bring several.  How do I use pen and paper to create a trail?  And a wind-up watch is NOT best for short-term survival.  Watch batteries last a while, so you're more likely to forget to wind your watch than to run out of juice.

* Roll of Duct Tape - Better than rope.

 That's just nutty.

* Book: "How to Stay Alive in the Woods" - A great resource on survival in extreme conditions. Read it before you pack it in the kit.

Forget about it.  If your survival advice consists mainly of this article and one book, "extreme conditions" will have their way with you.  

[Perd Hapley]

The toilet paper IS one of the big ommissions there.  And he said something about "gallons of water," but didn't seem to be taking any.

We could also learn from Mr. Kim.  Besides the folly of wandering around in the snow, we should also learn that tennis shoes are for the tennis court, dress shoes are good for commuting to work, but if you're really traveling, get thee a pair of boots and some good socks. 

[BakerMikeRomeo]

Holy crap. Look at the comments on the article linked. More than 60 pages of 'em.

And before I noticed the proliferation of comments, I was gonna suggest that y'all with better ideas might-could email them to the person who wrote the article, in hopes that he'll improve it and those improvements could help people who are taking his advice. Being a smartass is only useful if you get the snarky word out to the masses whose hindquarters aren't as clever as yours.

~GnSx

[Tallpine]

   * Survival Knife and Small Hatchet - These are important for a variety of uses, from preparing food to cutting tree branches for fire.
    * Swiss Army Knife - Always handy.

OMG!  Scratch those items off the list.  You might hurt yourself with them, or worse yet - decided to go on a rampage.   

* Roll of Duct Tape - Better than rope.

Just all depends on what you use it for ...... 

[K Frame]

"Oh, and the Mike Irwin Space Blanket shelter will probably be a non-starter unless our intrepid explorer brings something rope-like."

Uhm...

Let's see, did you notice where I said smooth pole?

Let's see.... OH! I KNOW! A TREE BRANCH OR SEVERAL!

You've also likely got shoe laces.

If you follow the list you have fishing line.

If you're REALLY in dire straits, you can tear a piece of extra clothing into strips and make a decent rope.

Or, if you're in a vehicle, you have upholstry or even wiring.
.


"But, don't you think you'll want more than one, especially if there's normally more than just you traveling?"

Sure. They're lightweight and take up very little room. An extra one or two would be good.

There are other uses for those things, as well. You drive some branches in the ground in a semi-circle, tie the blanket to them, and sit between the blanket and a fire. You've just made a parabola that will reflect heat back at you, warming you all around.

I've done that at scout camp. It's very effective. It also creates a wind break.



If you really want to take something ropelike that won't take up a lot of room but which is very strong?

A flip box of unwaxed dental floss. 100 yards long and VERY strong. Can be used to sew clothes, set snares, hold up your ersatz shelter, and keep Gollum from running off.

[Matthew Carberry]

I'm going to walk an hour in this direction...

Which direction is that?  If you have a GPS it will keep track of your movement distance better than a watch and some idiot who has no idea about pacecounts.

If you don't have a GPS, you go ahead and just time your walk.  You'll be an hour away from somewhere.

Compass and a map (topo if possible) .  There's places your GPS can't see a satellite.

Most of all, there'll be a bunch of idiot city folk who will load this crap up and never bother to even read the book, much less practice building a fire in the woods.  But they'll be "prepared".

But, you know, all those hillbillys do it, so how hard can it be? 

[Perd Hapley]

Oh, I'm sure folks could improvise, Mike.  Your shelter idea is fine.  I was really complaining about the silly yuppy failing to put any rope in his pack.  Duct tape better, indeed!

There were a lot of good suggestions in the comments, but then there was the fellow who suggested a "fart sack."  Must be a lot of people scratching their heads over that one.    And then there's this guy who's never seen a signaling mirror.  Mine's at least a 1/4" thick.  I'd like to see him break that by accident. 

Rather than carry a mirror which can break, I would use a blank CD as a signaling mirror. You can look through it to aim and it's virtually indestructable.

[K Frame]

Duct tape isn't a bad idea, as long as it's GOOD duct tape and not that crap most places sell these days.

You can patch a radiator hose with duct tape, mend clothing, and believe it or not, duct tape makes a damned fine pressure dressing.

[280plus]

Any kind of tape makes for good emergency bandaids/dressings.

Duct tape isn't a bad idea, as long as it's GOOD duct tape

The brand would be Nashua.

[Art Eatman]

The deal is "roadside", or so it said.  How about one of those little tire inflator deals?  Tow chain?  Spare gas?  Basic tools for minor repairs?  Some mechanic's wire?  Spare fuses?  Fan belt?  Radiator hose?  Hose clamps?

Sure, northern areas in winter, cold weather stuff is good.  But I'd stay inside the vehicle, snug in my sleeping bag.  But you're not gonna find my happy *self* up north in winter, nossir.

But where in hell is anybody going that a wilderness survival kit is needed?  This is some sort of SHTF thing?

, Art

[Chris]

You know, reading things like this makes me wonder if the author has any kind of qualifications, or he was just some guy they threw the article idea at to fill space.  And the guy did some minimal research and came up with this list.  I'd imagine that if asked, each of us would come up with a different list of items for a car kit.  For instance, some basic tools and vehicle repair items.  But, I guess you'd need to know what to do with those.  Everyone here would likely include a firearm of some sort, if not more than one.  Necessary?  No, but I don't really want to find a need for my Smith 586 while it sits in the safe at home.

[ilbob]

Its a lot better than nothing.

I don't think a swiss army knife is all that useful. A leatherman is a much better choice. a hatchet is pretty much useless weight IMO. A good knife will do anything a hatchet will and is useful for other things.

I have never thought the little mylar foil blankets are much more than a one use tarp. They are not useful as a blanket, but are not too bad as an emergency shelter. Better to have a nice wool blanket or sleeping bag.

food bars are low on the totem pole in reality, but they might make you more comfortable in an emergency setting.

[Mannlicher]

reading his list is almost as much fun as reading the putdowns his list gets here.

[mfree]

I just had a really, really strange thought.


Do you all remember the little slip-in gag exhaust whistles, the ones that let out an ear-piercing screech when you started your engine? Couldn't that be something to throw in an automotive emergency kit for the backwoods? If you get yourself stuck where the car's still running, like the people in oregon last week, you just jam that in the tailpipe and everytime you start the car for warmth you get a nice 130+db wail that can be heard for miles...