In ttyymmnn’s post re Costco’s TP/Water status, there was some discussion around emergency kits or “prepping” if you wanted to call it that. I posted my Emergency Kit(s) and someone asked me to post a more detailed list. If you have ideas/input or criticisms, I’d love to hear them.
I wasn’t going to write this, but the shelves at the grocery store this morning were decimated of TP and other items.
Obviously, there is a lot of digital ink out there on the interwebs about prepping, so I will keep this pretty short on the topic as a whole. My advice? Don’t prep. Just have an emergency kit for a few days.
The most likely disasters for people in life are usually the most boring. Housefires, storms, localized flooding, or car accidents in remote areas. In Metro Vancouver (and Seattle) we also run the risk of a major earthquake. I know it is very exciting to pretend you’re preparing for nuclear war, the plague or some other apocalypse, but people tend to not realize the peril they face on a day to day basis.
My work experience really shaped my being prepared. There are lots of scenarios where your life could be turned upside down and there be no safety net. That storm/landslide I was called out on? There’s no insurance coverage for that, you’re now homeless and have no insurance.
I’ve seen lots of people’s homes burn down and, regardless of coverage, there isn’t much that can be done if you find yourself and your family without a home, food, clothing or belongings at 2am 3 days before Christmas.
So, without further this is what I have in my kit. It is all stored in a waterproof (drybag) backpack.
- 2 litre water bottle
- Lifestraw
- Water purification tablets
- 4 packs of Datrex rations (about a week of food for 2 people)
- N95 masks
- 3 first aid kits
- 2 ponchos
- 2 blankets
- 4 light sticks
- Utility belt
- Gerber machete (for forest/brush)
- Gerber Ghoststrike
- Gerber paraframe
- Flint/steel
- Rain jacket
- Rain pants
- Hat
Additionally, there are some products/things I’d like to draw attention to. My favorite thing in the kit is my Helio which offers over 700 hours of light, solar charging and provides external power. I also have an Eton Scorpion II which has a radio, solar charging, hand crank charging and can provide external power.
The most important thing though? A Kingston Datatraveler (DTLPG3) which is an encrypted USB that holds copies of important receipts, health records, insurance documents, titles to my cars and home as well as scanned copies of my federal and provincial ID. In the event of a fire/disaster, you lose all your important documents and your computers. This, in my opinion, is CRITICAL to your post incident recovery.
If you’re looking for a deal, I found a lot of this stuff subsidised by the Canadian Red Cross.
In addition to my bag, the Kia carries protective boots (steel toe/waterproof/shockproof), a respirator, more N95 masks, gloves, booties, black trash bags, a shovel, coveralls another first aid kit and some other misc. safety gear.
TLDR: Make yourself an emergency kit, plan for shitty things in life.