As natural disasters become more frequent across the world, it is now more than necessary to be prepared to handle any emergency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides a comprehensive checklist for preparing a survival kit for homes. However, getting a pre-assembled survival kit is much easier for most people because it costs less and gives you a headstart in case of an emergency.
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What is the Best Survival Kit?
To find the absolute best survival kit we have searched through most of the available kit supplies for survival and read all the comments left by people who bought and used them. Then we compiled the list of the top 5 survival kits based on their pricing, specs and ratings by real users. Feel free to use the results of hours of our research now and thank us later in the comments.
Oh, and just so you know, there are also Buying Guide and FAQ sections below the top products that provide a handy overview of things you may need to know before and after you buy your new survival kit.
1. Sustain Supply Basic Survival Kit Supplies
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| Price: 💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 37 Pounds (16.8 kg) Size: 20 x 12 x 12 Inches (50.8 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm) Supplies for: 72 hours, 2 persons Food and Water Shelf Life: 5 Years |
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Of all the survival kits on my list, the Sustain Supply Co. kits are the best survival kits on the market. Not only are their supplies top quality with a 30-year shelf life, but they also provide well thought out items like freeze-dried food that you can warm with the portable stove to give you a little bit of comfort before you find safety.
Their survival kits come in three varieties and are all equipped to last 72 hours. Their most basic and lowest priced kit is the Essential 2-person survival kit that features ready to eat food bars and 12 packets of Datrex emergency drinking water that will get you through the first couple of hours before you get a water source. It also comes with a Sawyer Mini water filtration system, which is one of the most reliable water filtration systems for personal use.
Also included in this kit is a pack of 8 bath wipes to help you maintain hygiene, an LED lantern and four snap lights for illumination, a MoraKniv knife, reusable blankets and whistles for two people, and a 41-piece first aid kit.
The Comfort 2-person kit is an upgrade of the Essential-2 kit and costs a bit more. Instead of food bars, it comes with 12 servings of freeze-dried food packets that you can warm with the portable stove and serve in the silicon bowls provided. The kit includes a Ferrocerium rod to help you start a fire quickly with the InstaFire tinder that also burns in wet conditions.
The Comfort 4-person kit comes with extra supplies to cater for four people. All the kits come in high-quality backpacks designed for survival. On the downside, the backpacks are labeled with the company logo, which will make you stand out in a crowd, and mark you as a target. As with the other survival kits in this review, you may want to check our best bug out backpack reviews for a suitable backpack in which you can transfer your survival kit.
Pros
- High-quality supplies with a 30-year shelf life,
- Includes a variety of freeze-dried food servings,
- Comes with a portable stove and utensils,
- Includes a MoraKniv knife for survival and self-defense,
- Features water packets instead of water boxes
Cons
- The labeled backpack makes you stand out,
- Heavy to carry
2. Emergency Zone 72-Hour Survival Kit
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| Price: 💲💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 23 Pounds (10.4 kg) Size: 19.5 x 15 x 10 Inches (49.5 x 38.1 x 25.4 cm) Supplies for: 72 hours, 4 persons Food and Water Shelf Life: 5 Years |
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Emergency Zone is a family run business that caters to providing survival kits that help individuals and communities prepare for natural disasters. Their 72-hour survival kits are perfect for hurricanes, tropical storms, and wildfires. The kit comes in a discrete red backpack with multiple pockets to help you organize the items and add a few personal items.
I like that this kit is for two people, and if you need a 4-person kit, you would just need to add $40 to the price and get two bags. The items contained in it are also well thought out, and they have included shelter items like a tube tent with two sleeping bags, ponchos, and hand warmers. These will come in handy if you have to evacuate from your home.
Also included are food bars and water packets with a 5-year shelf life and five Chlor Floc military water purification packets that can purify up to five liters of water. It includes some light tools, a flashlight, and radio with batteries, 118-piece first aid kit, and the most comprehensive hygiene kit on this list.
On the downside, the food bars may be inadequate to last for 72 hours. Also, if you order the 4-person kit, there are some items such as the first aid kit and survival tools that will not be duplicated in both bags.
Pros
- Well packaged with plenty of essential items,
- Provides extra space for your personal items,
- Good quality and durable backpack,
- Includes shelter items for evacuations,
- Versatile 5-in-1 survival whistle
Cons
- Water and food may not last 72 hours,
- Water purification tabs have a chlorine aftertaste
3. Redfora Complete Earthquake Survival Kit
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| Price: 💲💲💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 23 Pounds (10.4 kg) Size: 22 x 11 x 13 Inches (55.9 x 27.9 x 33 cm) Supplies for: 72 hours, 3 persons Food and Water Shelf Life: 5 Years |
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When you go looking for an emergency survival kit, it is necessary to know what kind of emergency you are likely to face and so prepare well for it. Redfora provides a complete earthquake survival kit that meets the Ready Preparedness Guidelines for earthquakes. It comes in a variety of sizes, from the 1-person kit to the 6-person family sized kit, all made to last for 72 hours. The difference is in the quantities, but every item is top quality and reliable.
The Redfora kit features first aid and hygiene supplies, although they are not as comprehensive as the Emergency Zone kit. For instance, Redfora provides pocket tissues, while Emergency Zone provides a whole toilet paper roll, feminine pads, and bath wipes. Redfora kit comes with food bars, water packets, and 20 Aquatabs water purification tablets. Aquatabs are less reliable than Chlor Floc tablets, but they do meet the WHO standards approval.
This kit comes with a hand crank flashlight, radio, and phone charger combination that is a better deal than a battery-operated flashlight and radio. Interestingly, this kit comes with a small notepad and pencil as it would be the last thing I would think to have in an emergency kit. There is a sewing kit, masks, safety goggles, a multifunctional knife, and a 5-in-1 whistle that is also a reliable compass, signal mirror, a waterproof container to store your matches, and a fire rod.
The kit comes with a tube tent for shelter, body warmers, sleeping bag, and poncho. The backpack itself features a molle system on the front to attach items like a small pick or ax and is available in different colors and styles. However, it is the one thing about this kit that is not reliable, and you may have to transfer everything to a more durable backpack. Several users have also noted that the water pouches came leaking, but also all the items come packed separately, which keeps the water damage to a minimum.
Pros
- High-quality survival kit,
- Well thought out supplies included,
- Versatile use and available in different sizes,
- Compact and lightweight for easy carrying,
- The backpack provides extra space in the front pockets
Cons
- Leaky water pouches,
- Poor quality backpack
4. Ready America Survival Backpack
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| Price: 💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 19 Pounds (8.6 kg) Size: 16 x 12 x 9 Inches (40.6 x 30.5 x 22.9 cm) Supplies for: 72 hours, 4 persons Food and Water Shelf Life: 5 Years |
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The Ready America Survival Kits are the most affordable option on my list. The kits come in three sizes, the 1-person, 2-person, and 4-person kits. It is a lightweight kit, and considering the price, it just offers the bare essentials. You may need to consider boosting it with more necessary items to make it complete.
This 4- person kit comes with four packets of food bars and 12 water pouches. One thing to note is that they upgraded from water boxes, which were very unreliable and would leak inside the backpack, and that it does not include any water filters. It is one of the many items you will need to buy if you get this survival kit.
For lighting and shelter, the kit comes with four light sticks, ponchos, and blankets, and for hygiene, the kit provides bath wipes and biohazard bags. Other items included are nitrile and leather gloves, dust masks, safety goggles, and a whistle.
While this survival kit is equipped as recommended by the American Red Cross, it is under-supplied to be of good use in a real disaster. For example, the kit lacks a tent to shelter you in case of an evacuation, rope or paracord, flashlights, and communication equipment. You may find that buying all the extra items will cost just as much as buying one of the other more comprehensive kits on this list.
Pros
- Affordable starter kit,
- Compact and lightweight,
- The backpack has some space to add more items,
- Easy to carry and store
Cons
- Underwhelming number of supplies,
- Poor quality backpack
5. Monoki First Aid Small Survival Bag
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| Price: 💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 1.5 Pounds (0.7 kg) Size: 7.9 x 4.9 x 3.8 Inches (20 x 12.5 x 9.5 cm) Includes: 20 Pcs Survival Tools and 219 Pcs Medical Supplies |
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My final pick is the Monoki combination first aid and survival kit that features 219 pieces of emergency medical supplies plus 20 items of survival tools for your survival bag. This lightweight kit comes in a waterproof portable sized case that is compact and fits nicely into your survival backpack.
The medical supplies are premium grade items and include alcohol pads, adhesive bandages, cleansing wipes, and cotton sticks, among other medical supplies. The survival tools include a knife, multi-function pliers, stainless steel saber card, a compass keychain, fishing items, and a flashlight, among others.
Pros
- Features medical-grade supplies,
- Compact and lightweight,
- Versatile for survival and outdoor adventures,
- Great value for money
Cons
- Does not include other survival items
Verdict
We went through most of the survival kits available today and considered what people who used them are saying about these kit supplies for survival. We also looked closely at their pricing and specs to find that Sustain Supply Basic Survival Kit Supplies is the overall best survival kit out there.
However, Ready America Survival Backpack is a very good affordable alternative for those who want to get one of the budget kit supplies for survival.
For those who need the absolute best of the best, regardless of the price, Redfora Complete Earthquake Survival Kit is the premium pick.
What You Should Know Before Buying Survival Kits
Overview
A good survival kit will get you a dire situation and give you a better chance of making it through a disaster. While the items in your survival kit are necessary, it is just as important to know how to use the supplies you have.
No one kit will suit everyone, and most people will want to customize their survival kits, especially if there are children and pets involved. Regardless of whether you are buying or assembling one yourself, here are the important features to consider when buying a survival kit.
Size And Weight
A lightweight survival kit will be easier to carry and store. However, it also means that it will be missing a lot of the items necessary for a survival kit. Compare the Sustain Supply survival kit, which is comprehensively packed and therefore heavy, with the Ready America survival kit that barely covers the essentials.
The size of the survival is also determined by the number of people who are supposed to use it. A 4-person kit will be heavier than a 2-person kit, and one way to make it lighter is by distributing the weight into smaller backpacks where each person can also pack their personal items. Overall, you should ensure that every item in your survival kit is necessary, and don’t forget to pack for your pets if you have any.
Components
Survival kits feature some basic items which you should consider as the starting point of assembling a complete kit. If you have family, young children, pets, and the elderly, your needs will not be the same as an individual like myself. Therefore, ensure that the kits are sufficient for your particular needs and add any extra items that you think would be necessary.
For the basic items, ensure that the food and water packs have enough shelf life left and replace them before the expiry dates. Ensure that the water purification tablets are of good quality and effective in providing clean drinking water. The first aid kit is also critical, and if it is not well stocked, you should consider adding the essential medical items.
Shelter items like tube tents and reusable blankets are necessary in case you need to evacuate your home. Evacuation also means you will need survival tools like knives, whistles, radios, flashlights, lanterns or light sticks, multi-tool sets, paracords, and gloves.
Shelf Life
When you buy a pre-assembled survival kit, make sure to check the expiry date of the supplies. Most quality kits have food and water with a 5-year shelf life while the rest of the items will be longer. For example, the Sustain Supply survival kit non-food items have a shelf life of 30 years. Consider replacing your supplies every so often to keep them in working condition at all times.
If you get a survival kit with battery operated items such as a flashlight and radio, make sure that it includes the batteries in the pack and that replacement batteries are readily available. However, you should consider getting a hand-crank flashlight and radio combination because it works without batteries and you do not have to rely on solar to charge it.
Durability
Finally, the durability of the survival kit is an essential consideration because when that time comes, you will want to be sure that your kit is reliable during the disaster. Consider getting your kit from a reputable brand, and ensure the contents of the kit are also from reputable brands. Also, consider transferring your survival kit to a heavy-duty backpack that provides more space for personal items and can carry the weight.
Questions and Answers About Survival Kits
What is a Survival Kit?
Also known as an emergency kit or disaster kit, a survival kit is a pack that contains all the essential items one would need to survive natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, or wildfires. American emergency agencies like the American Red Cross recommend that survival kit supplies should last at least 72 hours.
Why are survival kits important?
Survival kits help you prepare for an emergency or disaster. While it might look unlikely to happen to you, natural and manmade disasters have become more frequent in recent times. Where such disasters were unlikely occurrences a few years ago, it is now common to watch people get evacuated from their homes because of floods, wildfires, earthquakes on the news. Most of these people were unprepared for evacuation, which made their situations even more desperate as they waited for assistance. Therefore, a survival kit helps you adjust quickly to unexpected situations and gives you the equipment you need to survive and stay safe until you get assisted.
What Are The Top 10 Essential Survival Kit Items?
A 72-hour survival kit should have the following essential items:
- Non-perishable packed food rations,
- Clean drinkable water with a water filter to clean more water,
- Hand-crank or battery radio with batteries for communication,
- Flashlight or lantern and 12-hour light sticks for illumination,
- Well stocked first aid kit,
- Good quality whistle,
- Tube tent or plastic sheeting and duct tape for shelter,
- Bath wipes, toilet paper, and personal hygiene items,
- Multi-tool set, knife, wrench or pliers survival tools,
- Dust masks to protect against contaminated air
