How to build an emergency kit the mustachian way?

[firelight]

Recent earthquakes and forest fires have finally spurred us to create a proper emergency kit for two adults and a toddler. I was looking up DIYing emergency kits for home and cars and realized we would never use 90% of them in day to day life even though really good kits cost $$$ to put together. Most of these can't be brought in thrift stores either (paracord, water filter, etc) as they are mostly single use or specialized enough though I'm open to trying that route if it would be safe to use. I'm trying to balance usefulness vs cost and want to know what tips and tricks you've used to build a mustachian emergency kit for home and cars? And maybe a super small one to carry every day (to office, grocery store, etc).

[little_brown_dog]

I have a small emergency kit in my car. It contains: a utility knife, cord, petroleum jelly, bandaids, feminine pads (cheap, great for large wounds), lighters, and a travel size tylenol  bottle (fever reducer). The feminine pads and bandaids I had on hand and just threw some into the pack. The petroleum jelly and travel size tylenol I picked up for less than 2 dollars from the cosmetic travel section at walmart, same for the bic lighters. You can get paracord for a couple bucks at a crafts store. The knife is the most expensive part, but you can skip that for now and just get the basic first aid stuff. You should be able to treat most minor wounds, burns/issues with everything I listed. The best part is all of this stuff will keep forever, except the tylenol which you can just rotate into your daily use before it expires. Put everything into a gallon freezer bag and store in the back pocket of a seat or under a seat. You should be able to create this for about 10 bucks total.
You could probably also throw some iodine in there as well, in an absolute survival situation you could use it to help purify water (obviously not the best way, but way better than nothing and it can also be used for wounds so it is dual-purpose).

[Guava]

I think you need to decide the purpose of your emergency kit. Is it to hunker down at home in the event something happens? Or is it going to be for the road if you need to leave in a hurry? Or both?

We planned for two adults and our kit is split between two backpacks. We have things like a change of clothes (unisex so either of us could wear it), multiple pairs of extra socks, good work gloves, a jar of peanut butter, rope, ponchos, mylar blankets, multi tool, knife, multiple firestarters, and a 3 day supply of water bottles. We also have a small homemade medical kit with things from the dollar store.

Since you have a toddler, your kit should also contain something for entertainment/distraction. Emergencies are hard on kids and a toy or crayons and a coloring book will be important.

[Cromacster]

This article takes it to the extreme, but it covers pretty much everything you might think you need.  You can pick and choose what you think would best fit your situation and needs.  You can fill in many pieces with stuff you already own and this article is targeted to the military esqe prepper.  Many of the items can be bought cheaper if you buy the camping targeted comparable.

Building a Bolt Bag: Being Prepared to Go At Any Moment

On top of having the right equipment, it is probably a good idea to have plans in place depending on the situation.  The needs are going to be somewhat different for a fire vs earthquake/tornado.

[Retire-Canada]

I'm trying to balance usefulness vs cost and want to know what tips and tricks you've used to build a mustachian emergency kit for home and cars? And maybe a super small one to carry every day (to office, grocery store, etc).

In my truck:

- large F/A kit I bought years ago [rarely used, but has lots of supplies in case shit hits the fan]
- knife
- LED headlamp
- electrical & duct tape
- a few zip ties
- hand sanitizer
- TP

At home:

- lots of camping gear [tents, sleeping bags, stoves, tables, chairs, etc...]
- 20L of bottled water
- dry/canned food for a week
- empty containers to capture another 100L+ of water before water pressure is toast
- lots of F/A supplies
- tools
- BBQ with extra tanks of propane
- battery lights and batteries
- two vehicles with 12V batteries that can be used to charge cellphones and computers as well as be driven for evac
- I'd like to get a solar panel [already have a deep cycle marine battery] to be able to charge cell phones and such]

Most of this stuff I have for other purposes [camping], but it will come in handy in an emergency. I did go out and buy the bottled water and spare food intentionally for an earthquake kit.

[Capsu78]

Since preparedness has come up on a couple of threads this week, here is a good forum site that gives a good deep dive into preparedness strategies without going full doomsday:   http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm

Yes there may be some mention of zombie preparedness but sometimes preparing for the zombies has some cross functionality!
(Never go into a cul de sac- Zombies gather there!)

[bobechs]

Yes there may be some mention of zombie preparedness but sometimes preparing for the zombies has some cross functionality!
(Never go into a cul de sac- Zombies gather there!)

I always thought 'zombie' was just a euphemism for people who use the phrase 'shit hits the fan' non-ironically.

[Metric Mouse]

Recent earthquakes and forest fires have finally spurred us to create a proper emergency kit for two adults and a toddler. I was looking up DIYing emergency kits for home and cars and realized we would never use 90% of them in day to day life even though really good kits cost $$$ to put together. Most of these can't be brought in thrift stores either (paracord, water filter, etc) as they are mostly single use or specialized enough though I'm open to trying that route if it would be safe to use. I'm trying to balance usefulness vs cost and want to know what tips and tricks you've used to build a mustachian emergency kit for home and cars? And maybe a super small one to carry every day (to office, grocery store, etc).

You'll have to define 'emergency'.  Do you want to be prepared for a house fire - a grab and go that will give you everything you need to survive a few nights in a hotel? Do you just want a medical kit for the off-chance you come upon a cyclist smeared on the side of the road?  Those answers will begin to guide your decisions on which scenarios you want to address and which ones you are unprepared for.