Whatever the emergency or disaster situation, it is important to have good survival gear to enhance your chances of survival based on the disaster(s) that your region, climate, or society is most susceptible to. The survival gear that would be needed in terrorist attack prone areas like Iraq, Syria, Libya, Israel or Iran will defer from the survival gear needed in places like Japan or California that are very prone to earthquakes. However, there are different types of emergency gear that everyone should have regardless of the country or region you live in.
A bug-out bag brought across emergency zones and should contain essentials that will help you survive an emergency situation for at least three days pending evacuation or rescue. Such necessities are tarp for building emergency shelter; magnesium fire lighter; a small multi-tools box; map and compass; LED flashlight; ropes; hand cranked radio to help you get information; water, water filter and high energy but low weight food; charcoal if you need to make fire and spare clothing materials like socks, blanket and shoes. There are different types of bug-out bags and sizes. While building or buying your bug-out bag, ensure it is what you can easy carry comfortably, and only contain things that will make you self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.
Survival food good for short disaster periods should be foods that require little or no preparations. Such foods can include canned meats, canned vegetables and fruits, noodles, dried herbs and spices, and coffee or tea. These types of items can stay for a long time without going bad. Thus, your survival gear should have the in a sufficient quantities to survive at least 72 hours or a little more before help comes. The contents of the canned food and meat would depend on what is obtained in your region that is suitable for disaster situations.
Again, ensure your emergency gear has space for a little first-aid kit. The kit should contain items like bandages, antibiotic ointment, necessary medications, etc. The spare clothing should include hand gloves, a shirt or two, socks, a blanket, sweater, raincoat or poncho, and sturdy (but comfortable) foot wear like boots. A sleeping bag is a must-have in cold climates. For security and self-defense heavy duty pepper spray, knives and a gun should also be in your disaster gear.
Your emergency gear must also have an emergency communication radio. There are different types of emergency radios available in the market but the one I would recommend is a hand crank radio. The reason for this is that crank radios do not need store-bought battery to function. All you need do is to spin a hand crank and this generates electricity that charges an internal battery. During emergency, you might not have access to electricity power thus hand crank radio becomes helpful. Another reason why a hand crank radio is better during disaster situations is that they have features and tools like sirens, compasses, flashlights and thermometers that can help your rescue.
During disasters one of the major challenges people faces is lack of safe and clean drinking water. In many cases, like periods of hurricanes, floods, etc. there will be water available. However, the water would not be safe to drink as it could be contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, organic and inorganic chemicals. So it is important to stock your emergency gear with water bottles and water filter tablets or pitchers. The severity of the disaster will determine the type of water filter to use.
There are a plethora of survival gear suppliers to choose from online but not all are created equal which is why we only buy from Survival Frog. They are the only online survival supplies dealer that gives you full six months to put your gear to the test before deciding you want to keep it. If we've ever needed anything their customer support has quickly taken care of it. You just don't get that kind of service anywhere else so we highly recommend you check 'em out! They are also on Facebook and Google Plus.
