DIY/mustachian emergency kits

[cats]

Husband and I live in an area with some risk for natural disaster impacts (mainly earthquakes, though fire is also a concern).  One thing that has been on our to-do list is to put together an emergency kit for our home, and also to have one for travel (we do not own a car, but occasionally rent one for long weekend trips to remote areas).

My employer periodically tries to sell me a pre-made emergency kit but I guess a) there seems to be a LOT of plastic packaging and b) even with the "discount", this stuff seems way more expensive than it should be.

This month we have decided we really do need to make some progress on making an emergency kit, so I've started by compiling resources on what to include.  I'm curious if other forum readers have their own emergency kits and if so, what did you include and what hacks do you have to make the kits less expensive to put together/maintain?

So far the items we plan to include are:
-water (hoping to scavenge a 5 gallon container cheaply from...somewhere, plus some smaller containers that will be easier to carry if we have to leave)
-dehydrated food (we have a dehydrator so can make our own quite cheaply, we also make it semi-regularly for camping/backpacking so can cycle the supply in and out with some frequency)
-flashlight
-basic first aid kit


I also found this list at FEMA which is considerably more stripped down than some I have seen:
http://m.fema.gov/build-a-kit

I have seen some lists that suggest items like sleeping bags, blankets, etc.  It seems excessive to have these kinds of things JUST for a kit, but we happen to own a lot of them anyway.  So I am thinking our home kit should simply be stored near our (well organized and easy to access) outdoors and camping gear, so if we need to leave the house and take more than the basics, we can grab them easily.  I may also move some of our outdoors clothing to this location (instead of storing with our regular clothes) for the same reason. 

I am also debating creating a small kit to keep at my office.  We have a 3-day supply of water and "emergency rations" (I think they are basically cubes of flavored sugar...calorically adequate but I sure wouldn't want to be reliant on them for long) on hand, but I'm thinking I should have a pair of sturdy shoes, pants, and shirt, because I definitely don't want to get stuck at the office for 2-3 days wearing flimsy shoes and a skirt!  I already keep a pretty well stocked snack drawer so I figure that can double as my emergency food stash :)

[steviesterno]

if you already have a good supply of camping stuff (like we do) you can get double use out of it. keep your supplies at or near where you keep your camping stuff. a sleeping bag is great to stay warm even indoors when the power goes out. A good place to pick up supplies are local flea markets or yard sales. people sell one time used gear.

I picked up a water cooler for free from work, and bought some 5 gallons bottles from HD. now I can fill them for $1.75, have cold clean water on tap, and have gallons on reserve in case we need it. That, and some cheap rain barrels we use to water gardens. An old brita filter or small fire will clean that all up and I'm good to go.

[Noahjoe]

There's lots of interesting information on the internet when it comes to bug out bags (which is loosely what you're referencing). Avoid the crazies, but there is some wisdom to be gleaned from those guys. A simple principle - 5 C's.

Cutting - if you're really bugging out, you need a good knife.
Combustion - You also need to be able to start a fire.
Cover - And stay warm/dry.
Cordage - For 10 bucks, you can get 100 feet of paracord. There is almost nothing you can't fix with paracord. You can even break it down into strands and sew with it. Buy good stuff, not the cheapest one you can find.
Container - some kind of stainless steel water bottle. Easy to carry, and can be used to purify water in a pinch.

I've found that 100% of pre-packaged first aid kits are useless and expensive. You can almost certainly build a top grade version yourself for a fraction of the cost of a pre-packaged one.

A few things that I'd recommend that make life easier if you're planning a bug out (or even an "oops I'm stuck in the woods overnight" hiking pack).

-toilet paper
-Tylenol
-water purification tablets
-a reflective blanket
-pair of gloves/hat
-poncho
-knife sharpener
-compass/topo map of the area
-spork/foldable mess kit (you can get good/old military ones for a song)
-antibacterial lotion/bar of soap

[Vasilisa]

Good list, cats!

I'd also add a radio for emergency alerts and information.

I keep a headlamp in my car and emergency "kit area". I prefer those to a flashlight.

Thanks for bringing up keeping emergency clothing at work. Women, especially those who work in tall buildings who potentially might have to evacuate via many flights of stairs, need to keep a pair of sturdy shoes so they can safely leave if need be.