Gun Digest Book of Survival Guns

I like the Food Insurance kit—a lot. It doesn’t contain anything nonessential, gimmicky, or cheap, like some competing systems do. I particularly like the water purification system. With this, you don’t have to carry loads of water with you, something that will weigh you down—big time. A small, on-hand amount of sealed bottled water will suffice unless you’re traveling through desert area in the American Southwest, where an empty purifying bottle isn’t going to be of much help. For that situation, you’ll have to load up on the bottled water and use the purification system as backup.

^{A town in the Midwest after a devastating tornado. Some have lost all, some not much, but it’s almost a sure thing that the entire community is without the essentials of food, fuel, water, and power. Are you prepared to face this if your house is still standing? Are you prepared to face it if it’s not? You have to think through all the scenarios to be fully prepared.}

For $50 you can upgrade and get the Emergency Plus Kit. This adds a small first aid kit, multi-tool, and hand crank radio/flashlight combo. I have not been able to check into the quality of these upgrade items. From the photos the multi-tool appears to be Leatherman in style, but the brand is unknown. Knowing the company’s other kits, I’d guess that the quality of these extra items is adequate, but I wouldn’t say this about kits that claim to cover every aspect of survival situations. So, while I have no fear that the Food Insurance tool is of acceptable quality, I’d rather pick out my own tool, such as a Gerber Multi-plier, than blindly order one as part of a kit.

^{Properly canned food can last years and a supply like this is a great one to have if you’re sheltering in place. But no one in their right mind would want to backpack glass jars if they have to evacuate. For surviving on the run, think Army MREs and other more portable food sources that can be prepared with little more than water and some sort of heat source.}

^{When stocking up on food, water, and first-aid/medical supplies, remember your pets. This is especially true if you have service animals, such as the author’s wife’s seeing eye guide dog.}

Multi-use electronic items are another “survival kit” feature you’ll find out there. However, you can’t rely on all of them to meet all your needs. For instance, in my somewhat younger and more naïve days, I purchased a multi-use electronic survival radio. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It had an AM/FM radio, an eight-inch screen black-and-white TV set (that was before broadcast signals were changed from analogue to digital, so that equipment would be of no use now), and a removable, incandescent (that’s all that was available then) flashlight. I didn’t really purchase this gadget for true “survival needs,” I purchased it to keep from going stir crazy after the great ice storm of 2004, when our power was out. The unit was only about $60 at the time.

Don’t waste your money on stuff like this. If you want a good radio, buy a good radio. I have a 15-year-old Radio Shack battery-operated AM/FM shortwave radio that my wife and I got a lot of use from during this summer’s major storm-induced power outage. It really kept us up to date on the situation. Radio Shack still has a large selection of this type of radio available, including hand crank models. In any event, don’t rely on one piece of equipment to serve all your needs. Obviously, if you already have all the components you need for your food-related survival kit, e.g. lights, first aid kits, and multiple use tools, then I would bypass the upgraded kit.

^{A first-aid kit is a must, whether you’re staying or going, and it should include more than a seven-day cache of prescription meds. Too, everyone in your survival convoy should have a grasp on the basics of CPR, tourniquet use, making a splint or neck brace, and other emergency medical aid. Training for such things can usually be found through the Red Cross and other like-minded organizations.}

One last thought about food and water, and that is you’ll need to remember that your pets or service animals need those, too. We have a total of three dogs, two are pets that also serve as our intruder detection system and the third is my wife’s seeing eye guide dog. Since most people will want to take their companion animals with them in the case of an evacuation, we need to provide for them, both out of love and necessity. The only pet food that is easily stored is canned dog food, so my wife and I started stockpiling that. It should last for a long time under the right conditions, plus it can always be rotated out. You may also want to have flea and tick treatments on hand.

^{Flashlights, batteries, candles, matches, radios, food, and water are all essential items to have ready and close at hand when facing an emergency situation. Keep a supply in your home, your car, your office, and your luggage when you travel (if possible). You never know when disaster will strike, but you will be prepared to face it when it does.}

Medicine and Other Supplies

As one gets older, one relies on more and more medications in order to keep the body functioning at levels that would have been unheard of just 50 years ago. When I engage in vacation or business travel these days, I never carry just a seven-day pill-minder-type supply. I take the entire bottle so that, in the event I’m delayed, I will have the meds I need close at hand for up to two weeks. That’s prepared, but I also know that, when the crisis occurs, I’ll need much more than that.

If you can’t get large enough prescription fill amounts locally from your doctor or insurance, there are other avenues available online. I am not recommending that you do this, as it’s possible the medications you are ordering may not contain what is advertised, I am simply saying it is an option to be explored. Some unused prescriptions may be beneficial to hold onto for potential later use, such as narcotic pain pills. I would hate to be caught without them in case of a kidney stone or some other such unpleasantness.

Clothing and Sanitation

These things are bigger issues than you might think. You’re going to need clothing that is durable, but also that will assist you in packing along the supplies that you need, This means you should have on hand cargo-type shirts and pants, especially the pants. The 5.11 brand makes some of the best and its garments are commonly used by cops. They hold up quite well, and the basic pant has spare pistol mag pockets on both sides in addition to the cargo pockets; you can use those for cell phones right now, but perhaps not in the future. In any event, you won’t want to carry everything you need in a pack. You need pocket support.

One other clothing issue to think about. What time of year is it now or will it be soon? The German Army made this lack of forethought a decided mistake in WWII, as they advanced into the Soviet Union without the benefit of winter clothing. Yea, it was nice when they started, and because of their arrogance and overconfidence they expected to conquer all the Soviet Union before winter set in. Were they ever wrong. Think ahead a little.

Sanitation is an even bigger issue. I experienced the lack of flush toilets for five days, the longest period yet, when the big storm of 2012 came through and we lost power, which included power to our well. I had prepared for such an eventuality by stockpiling 30 or so gallons of water. I got darned tired after awhile of filling up the toilet tank for each flush. My wife, city girl that she is and even though she is an experienced camper, really didn’t like being Amish for five days (and no disrespect there, we have considerable admiration for their hardiness). In the aftermath of the storms, we purchased a generator for the next round.