Having said that… some people think this is necessary, while others do not. I won’t try to convince anyone based on the many examples out there. I’ll tell you this: If you bother to stockpile anything, be prepared to protect it. Your moron neighbor might not have any food for his family, but he might have a gun. Friendship fades quickly when your family is starving. Just a thought.

I ordered one today as a backup to keep handy. You may be prepared yourself, but wouldn’t it be nice to give to someone else when the need arises? Those of us who grew up with fallout shelters in the 60′s remember the hypothetical ethical dilemma posed by neighbors knocking at our door begging to come into our family shelter…..

The main thing that bugs me about the pre-packed kit is that very few the meals are MRE’s. MRE’s are MUCH BETTER than they used to be. The pop-tarts in them are a lot better now and are the best part of the breakfast MRE. You can buy them by the case for fairly cheap through camping stores.

Like other folks, quality camping gear is fairly easy to find and will serve people well without a “false sense of security in a box”. The main thing is that you need to know how to use this stuff before you need it and pre-packaging it does not facilitate learning. Putting together a Coleman stove and wondering why the canister shows frost is something that is easily understood if you take the time to do it before a crisis is occurring. Otherwise, it’s sure weird to see it for the first time. (I was a disaster and half pitching a tent for the first time as an adult. My friends just watched and laughed and then taught me to tie a trucker’s hitch to secure my rain fly.)

Other things I’d add:
Hand Saw
Axe
Hard soled shoes
Antibiotics
Feminine hygiene products
Appropriate supplies of chronic medications
Gauze and bandages (bleeding wounds need a lot of dressing changes. buy extra with your FSA at the end of the year.)

The shoes might sound crazy, but Northridge earthquake victims had lacerated feet because they ran out into the night over broken glass with barefeet. Accessible sturdy shoes can make a difference.

FWIW, there is nothing wrong with ‘sheltering in place’. But you have to know what you are doing.

- Completely insufficient first aid (needs pain-killers, look at the hard plastic splints, instant hot/cold packs and that’s just the start)
- No knives? You need at least two real knives + a sharpener.
- You live in the US, you’re allowed to own a gun, that’s probably relevant if not for the hunting then at least for the zombies
- Sterile, sealed water bottles

If you’re out for longer term, you want:
- Sewing kit (needles, thread, maybe some patches of material)
- Lots of batteries (for the stuff you scrounge)
- Some form of sterilization material method (not just for water)
- Gear actually intended for surviving inclement weather
- Backpacks if you don’t already have them
- Some form of survival guide
- Seed packets for common plants

Frankly, gear commonly used for hiking / camping is good starting point for this. I would compare the workmanship of something you find at North Face with whatever you find at Costco, if only to know the corners you’re cutting.

Honestly, this survival kit seems like the “Stay-at-home in case of emergency kit”. Which may or may not be what you need.

I havn’t bought a kit yet as after hours of searching, I realized that no kit is 100% perfect. It kind of depends on what you want to prepare for. The stuff you need for earthquakes are different from other disasters. So what I’m going to do is go to Emeryville. There is a store there that sells disaster preparedness stuff. Hoping I can pick someone’s brain to get a better idea of what I need.

Just think of recent natural disasters that caused people not to be able to leave their house: ice storm, flood, power outage, earthquake. All of these have happened in various parts of the country within the last 5 years.

What’s a few bucks for a “just in case” scenario.

If McCain gets in I might be tapping my survival kit for some basic needs.

Which particular end-of-the-world scenario are you attempting to prepare for here? Call me a skeptic and you can eat me when i’m dead wrong (literally), but there’s definitely a tendency to slippery-slope our disaster narratives. Think about all of the crazies in Nashville. The snow always melts in a matter of hours. Who doesn’t have enough canned/frozen food around for one meal?

So on overreacting: It is prudent to buy stocks in a recession, and also prudent to buy guns ‘n ammo / MREs? Surely there is a middle ground here…

Like I said, if i’m wrong, I’ll be dead, and you can eat me.

The post-modern atomic bomb apocalypse is probably going to be too big for CostCo to prepare you for it. We will probably all die anyways. Unless you live in Oklahoma.

One thing in addition to the gun, condoms. Make sure you rotate THOSE every few months. If there’s a long term crisis and resources are scarce, the last thing you want is a baby that does nothing but consume resources, including time and peace of mind!

http://www.peakoil.com/fortopic14183.html

With the above tools you should be able to trade for or “requisition” anything else you need.

But I would add: Don’t forget some important things.

Some cash in a ziploc bag. Power outages put out ATMs.
A few weeks supply of any prescription meds you take. Rotate them out each month.
A spare pair of prescription glasses… even if you wear contacts.
And don’t forget food and water for your pets.

water, food, heat, shelter, 1st aid are the basics. i’d look a little more closely in what kind of water filtration system is included; i’d definitely look at what comes in the first aid kit. rest of the stuff is fine.

This will give you more peace of mind defending yourself against wild animals / looting hordes / mutant zombies than that multitool will.

I might add:

Propane/kerosene camp stove
Charcoal/wood
Lighter fluid/matches
Cast iron skillets/pots or some pot that you don’t mind using for camping

Additional water filtration if necessary:
http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-.....d_sim_sg_5

http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-.....B0016A7DFI

Here are emergency kits that mix up some useful supplies:
http://beprepared.com/product......rgency+Kit

Other:

A couple of 5 gallon gasoline containers and a decent funnel (preferably a funnel head with a short flexible hose). Rotate the gas every couple of months and refill.

Firearms and ammo for it. Don’t forget to learn how to use it.

I didn’t think I had to be too concerned with natural disasters, since I live in north east Texas…maybe a tornado once in a while. Then a few days ago there were several earthquakes in this area, and that is quite uncommon.

Don’t forget your manual can openers!