A few years ago, Dave Sheets (President of Emergency Essentials, Inc.) asked me an interesting question while I was helping him with a preparedness fair:
“What is the most important thing to have in an emergency kit?”
Being the beginner prepper I was, I quickly answered “water.” He followed up with another question, “Would water be the most important in the dead of winter when it is only 5 degrees outside?” He had me thinking about my response and I learned a little wisdom that day. The right answer should have been “it depends”.
Anyone and everyone will give their opinion on what the right answer is to this question. The simple truth is that they are all right. Each inpidual has a different circumstance that calls for a kit that is personal and the best fit for them. There is no cookie-cutter emergency kit that can fit the needs of every inpidual.
Of course, there are definite advantages to buying a pre-built kit; in fact, I recommend it to save on the overall cost and get the basics that will be important for anyone in an emergency situation. The important thing to remember is that you still need to personalize that kit to your own needs (and those of your family). Here are a few suggestions to help with adding that personal touch:
- Look over an emergency kit checklist and note the things you are missing; add them to your kit.
- Discuss possible needs with your family and add items to your kit to provide for those needs.
- Add to your kit as you learn more about different preparedness ideas
- A personalized kit will change as the demographics of your family change as well.
As a simple example, diapers, water, and formula are the most important things in my daughter’s kit. Insulin is the most important thing in my cousin’s kit because he is a diabetic. It is important to know your kit and to be able to adapt to needs as they change or arise.
Thankfully I have now learned that water is not always the best answer when asking yourself what is the most important thing in your emergency kit. My good source of warmth and shelterwill come in handy if something were to happen when it’s cold outside.
What are some items you feel are important in your kit? Let us know in the comments.
--Rob
12 comments
Unknown
I would say that the answer changes, but in general you can ask yourself what would sustain your life. This could be water in the summer, heat in the winter, and so forth. Having a collection of life-sustaining items in your kit is easy to do, and worth the effort.
Emergency Essentials
Great comments, everyone. This definitely reminded me of some things I should add to my kit!
—Sarah
Joe
Great question and good answers. Unfortunately "It depends." is really the best answer.
Generally speaking, I consider the following three items in my kit nearly indispensable: a good knife, a fire steel, and a metal container for water.
gwhipple
As for our family we added some comfort food along with drink mixes for the water. We hope to have a little comfort if there is an emergency.
Anonymous
I've taken time to really think about this question and it's impossible for me to name just one thing that's THE most important. I will say that as I've gotten older and vision isn't what it used to be, I would consider myself severely impaired without my (#1.50) reader glasses. I'm definitely adding these to my BOB. Thanks for the reminder.
flowerchildgranny
OK So it looks like everyone but me is being practical and are being serious… As for me…. THE #1 most important thing to have is DIET SODA. A semi truck load should do it.. After that, Chocolate, a toilet, and a second semi truck load of Toilet Paper.
Tammy
Like anonymous, I recently added my old glasses to my kit. Being a Southern California girl, I also have a bottle of sunscreen and a hat.
Anonymous
I recently added our old eyeglasses to our first aid kit. I have a water filter in the car and feel it is important also..H2O good stuff.
Mr Miser
A calm and sober Mark1 brain! Is the most important assets in any emergency kit, situation, or prepped/nonpreppers inventory!
Anonymous
It depends on where you are and what time of year, but for most folks, the most important item would be a stainless steel water bottle filled with water, and some water purification tablets to refill with drinking water when needed.
lfhpueblo
Definitely water and ibuprofen, antihistamines for me.
Andrew Kolb
All the food water and shelter in the world will not help with an anaphylactic shock episode and people in my family are very allergic to many things so Epi pens and antihistamines are close to the top of the list for us