Gourmet 60-Serving Grab And Go Food Kit
The Wise Foods gourmet “Grab and Go” kit makes a nice change from conventional rice, wheat and beans. This 60-serving container with stroganoff, chili mac, lasagna and chicken potpie, among others, is a handy size for either at-home storage or a quick getaway on sudden, unplanned road trips. The kit’s 25-year storage life combines with its lightweight and a carry handle for good utility at $119.99. (wisefoodstorage.com; 800-393-2570)
WaterBrick Stackables
Blue or tan BPA-free plastic WaterBricks are available in two sizes, 3.5 and 1.6 gallons. They stack easily for storage, break down into individual Grab & Go
containers and strap
down through interior
columns for secure
transport. These
strong containers are
excellent for either
building large “cubes”
or tucking away sin
gularly in odd nooks
and crannies; several
can be packed in a
typical car trunk, and
they’re equally good
for dry food storage
of items like grains.
Pricing varies from
$15.49 for a single
1.6-gallon container to
$179.99 for a 10-pack
of 3.5-gallon containers. Spigots are extra,
at $14.49. (waterbrick.org; 877-420-9283)
WaterBrick Stackables
Blue or tan BPA-free plastic WaterBricks are available in two sizes, 3.5 and 1.6 gallons. They stack easily for storage, break down into individual Grab & Go
containers and strap
down through interior
columns for secure
transport. These
strong containers are
excellent for either
building large “cubes”
or tucking away sin
gularly in odd nooks
and crannies; several
can be packed in a
typical car trunk, and
they’re equally good
for dry food storage
of items like grains.
Pricing varies from
$15.49 for a single
1.6-gallon container to
$179.99 for a 10-pack
of 3.5-gallon containers. Spigots are extra,
at $14.49. (waterbrick.org; 877-420-9283)
Potable Aqua With PA Plus
If you can’t take water with you, the next best thing is to use what you can find along the way. One of the smallest and most portable methods of treating questionable water, if you don’t have a filter and can’t boil it, is the old standby Potable Aqua, here with 50 tablets per bottle to treat 25 quarts for $5.99. Fatal to water- borne bacteria after a 35-minute activation period, it does leave a detectable taste; a sidekick bottle of PA Plus tablets removes that taste if it bothers you. The combo runs $8.99, and either bottle, or both, takes up very little space in your car, pocket or pack. (portableaqua.com; 800-558-6614)
Tactical Medical Solutions Raid Bag
If you’re part of a larger family or neighborhood group that may need more than six Band-Aids and a bottle of iodine, the comprehensive Tac Med Raid Bag is worth a look. Designed for heavy- duty responses, the Raid Bag can be stored or travel easily in a sturdy case that can be worn as a backpack or a shoulder bag. Well organized and accessible, the bag can handle light to severe hemorrhages, airway management, burns, penetrating chest trauma, splinting and eye injuries, among other injuries. While it’s expensive at $336.99, the Raid Bag is all pro and ready to go. (tacmedsolutions.com; 888-822-6331)
Echo-Sigma Get Home Bag
Most survivalists and emergency prep agencies will recommend a good 72-hour
kit to keep on hand, ready to grab on the
way out the front door when the ground starts to quiver, the river overflows its
banks exponentially or a brush fire marches up to the back porch. The Echo-Sigma
Get Home Bag can work either side of the road—stashed regularly in the office or car,
it can serve to get you home from work
or weekend shopping if you’re caught out during a sudden earthquake just as well as
it can facilitate a hurried evac from the
house. With light food and water supplies, matches, an emergency blanket, a multi-
tool, a compass, a first-aid kit, water tabs, a signal mirror, respirator masks, a tube tent, an emergency poncho, duct tape, lightsticks and other gear pre-packed, this one’s road-ready as it comes in a rugged Condor Outdoor Assault backpack, at $249. (echo-sigma.com; 424-241-3246)
Streamlight Pro Tac HL
Whether the power grid deserts you or you have to leave it behind, portable lighting is a must, and it needs to be both bright and reliable. Streamlight’s handheld, lithium-powered Pro Tac HL operates on two CR123A batteries in a rugged aluminum body to produce a choice of three light levels (including strobe for signaling a rescue or for disorienting a looter) that tops out at 600 lumens for a beam reach of 253 meters. This high-performance, 5.5-ounce pocket flashlight with a 50,000-hour LED bulb is a bargain at $135. (streamlight.com; 800-523-7488)
SureFire Lithium Battery Six-Pack
The advantage to lithiums is a bright run and an extended storage life. The disadvan- tage is that they may not be available at the corner convenience store. It’s always a good idea to stock up in bulk, and SureFire offers a known name with some of the best pricing around. The Lithium Six-Pack comes in its own pocket-sized container suitable for easy transport or stor- age, at a very reasonable $19.99. If you’ve got multiple lithium-driven devices, buy several, toss them on a shelf and replace them in 10 years if you haven’t had to use them by then.(surefire.com; 800-828-8809)
Midland Emergency Crank Radio
Maintaining a link to the outside world to monitor weather or listen for “all clear, go home” updates is worth a few dollars, in this case $59.99 of them, with Midland’s Emergency Crank Radio. This water-resistant, lightweight, multi-power source, AM/FM radio can operate off replaceable AA cells, an internal USB-chargeable battery, a solar panel and/or a crank to hear what’s going on in
the big picture as well as operate the onboard LED flashlight feature with high and low brightness set- tings. (midlandusa.com; 816-241-8500)
Leatherman Super Tool 300
A decent blade for at least small cutting chores should be included in anybody’s bug-out bag, and when you can toss in the multi-tasking capability of the Leatherman Super Tool 300 that can add 18 other tools to a small 9.6-ounce, stainless steel package to ride in its nylon belt pouch or the side pocket of your pack for $79.99, it’s also money well spent. This pocket toolbox is corrosion- resistant and well built with two knife blades, a file, four screwdrivers, pliers, a wire cutter, can and bottle openers, and a small saw blade. (leatherman.com; 800-847-8665)
Coleman Toilet Paper
The advantages of having TP with you are well documented and quite obvious. Coleman’s three-roll pack of biodegradable two-ply eliminates the cardboard spindle-hole in the center to considerably reduce the space needed to stockpile or transport. You could rewrap your own into smaller dimensions, but packed in the re-sealable, waterproof bags they come in, these are well worth the convenience they offer at $4.99, and they’ll stay dry between uses in most weather extremes. (coleman.com; 800-835-3278)
