Emergency Survival Bag - Survival Supplies On The Go

You never know when disaster may strike. Therefore, it is important to have a stash of supplies with you in an emergency survival bag. Keep it at work or in your vehicle so that you are prepared at all times.

What should be in the emergency survival bag? There are several basic needs that must be met to ensure your safety and survival. Your emergency survival bag should contain items that will satisfy each of these needs.

Emergency Survival Bag

The first basic need is potable water. The human body needs water to survive. Have in your bag one or two bottles of clean water. While more would of course be better, water is heavy and putting a half dozen bottles in your bag will make it difficult to carry. In addition to bringing water with you, your emergency survival bag should have items that will help you purify additional water you may find on your journey to safety. These could be water purification tablets or perhaps a water bottle fitted with an internal filter.

The second need is food. Calories are fuel for your body. The food you put in your bag should require little to no preparation before consumption. In other words, food you can eat on the go. Examples of this would include things like dried fruit and nuts, granola bars, protein bars, hard candy, and crackers.

The third need is warmth and shelter from the elements. Hypothermia can kill and it can sneak up on you. Your emergency survival bag should have items that will assist you in building a fire, such as strike anywhere matches, butane lighters, and tinder. The tinder can be as simple as a ziplock baggie filled with dryer lint. You want to have dry tinder available to you, no matter what the weather may be. For shelter, make sure you have at least one or two emergency blankets, sometimes called space blankets. While not ideal, they will work to keep you somewhat warm and dry. A small, folding rain poncho is also a welcome addition to the bag.

Your emergency survival bag should also contain signaling gear so you can help rescuers find you if need be. A small whistle can be heard at a much greater distance than the shout of a human voice. You may also consider a signal mirror, though these obviously won't work after dark. A light stick, sometimes called a glow stick, can be tied to the end of a length of cord, then twirled around in front of you to create a large, glowing circle that can be seen for quite a distance.

The last items for your emergency survival bag are related to navigation. A good map of the area as well as a compass, along with the knowledge on how to use them together, will do wonders for helping you find your way back home or to another safe location.

With all the possible dangers around us today, it is just common sense to have an emergency survival bag with you as you travel.