Urban survival is not wilderness survival.
One of the keys to survival training is knowing the difference between wilderness survival and city survival.
The basics are the same, as you will need food, water, etc.
But for urban survival, you have to deal with a lot more people.
Some of those people are very desperate, and you need to learn a few more tricks to make it in the urban survival world.
One of those tricks is to create a good urban survival kit in case of an emergency.
Without it, you may be one of those desperate people.
3 types of urban survival kits
You may not realize it, but when catastrophe strikes, you will have three options.
Each one of those options will require a survival kit to help you make it through the disaster.
1. Everyday kit
This kit contains all the items that you can carry with you.
Whether it be in a backpack, pockets, or purse, you will need these items to help you make it through the day.
2. Get-home kit:
This is an emergency kit that helps you get from where you are stuck back to your home.
You can use a gym bag, backpack, or similar bag to carry emergency items.
3. Bug-out bag:
When you need to leave your home, this kit helps you survive till you get where you are going.
Everything on the upcoming list will not fit in every bag, so use your best judgment and pack the most essential items in each one.
Each kit has to be about you, so you pack what you think you will need.
There are basics like food and water, flashlights, mobile phones, and so on, but do not support something someone else does just because they said to do it.
Pack what you need and go with that.
Emergency kits for kids
One of the best ways to help your children survive is to get them involved in building emergency kits.
Then, you can help them build a kit just for them.
They will need communication devices, food, water, and so on, and it is best that they have their own kit in case you separate.
Their kit can be stored in a backpack.
That way, you can build two kits at once.
One would be the everyday things your children would need, and the other would be their bug-out bag.
If it isn’t too heavy, your kids will be ready to bug out if the situation calls for it.
The different items in their kits, like first-aid kits, can be used as teaching moments where your kids are taught how to use first-aid items, etc.
Then, when everyone is at home, you can give your kids different responsibilities or duties to keep them involved and interested.
Making them a part of your emergency planning and teaching them what to do frees you up to do more important duties.
Teach your children what to do during a blackout and where the flashlights or extra batteries are.
There is a lot your children can do if you give them proper instruction.
Building your urban survival kit
You can pick and choose which items you think are the best ones to put inside your different emergency kits.
The following list is simply to help you get started on the right track.
Build your emergency kits to fit the situation you are facing.
Here are some good ideas to consider:
1. Communications:
You need to stay in contact with each other and your relatives.
Besides a mobile phone, you can use satellite phones, walkie-talkies, GMRS radio, ham radio, or a CB radio.
2. Food and water:
Make sure you have enough of each in these kits.
But be careful; you do not want to weigh yourself down too much.
3. Knife and fire starter:
You need to be able to open packages, cut small pieces of wood to start a fire, or defend yourself.
Plus, the fire starter will help you get warm if you do not make it home in time.
4. A stun gun
It may be the only legal defensive weapon you can carry in some parts of the country.
Protecting yourself is important, and a good stun gun can keep animals away.
Getting home unharmed is essential, and having some sort of protection is vital.
5. Multi-tool and flashlight
Both will come in handy at different times.
The flashlight will help you get home if you are out at night.
The multi-tool has many applications that are very practical.
6. Paracord
This is a great self-defense item that can be used for advanced warning if someone is trying to break into your home.
It can also be used to tie doors shut for the same purpose.
If worse comes to worst, you can secure the thief while you wait for help.
7. A first-aid kit
This is one of the most important items in any emergency kit.
You never know when you will get hurt, and even minor cuts can get infected.
The following items should be included in this kit, but this is not an exhaustive list:
- an assortment of bandages
- antibiotic cream
- hand sanitizer
- latex gloves
- Aspirn
- Ibuprofen
- And more…
8. Emergency or space blankets
These little blankets are designed to keep your body warm when you are injured or wet.
They are lightweight and very durable.
When it gets cold at night, it pays to have an emergency blanket on hand to help warm you up.
9. Personal water filter
When you are out and about, you can run out of water.
You won’t be able to trust the water sources in the city, so you need to carry something to help purify the water you get away from home.
10. Safety goggles and gloves
You do need to protect your eyes, as airborne pollutants can cause a lot of damage to your sight.
Then the gloves will protect your hands from those hidden sharp objects you did not see at first.
Protecting your hands makes sure you can continue working on surviving without hurting them.
11. Rain Poncho & Maps
You need to keep the rain, snow, and moisture off of you and those maps.
This is one good way to do it.
Plus, the rain poncho is very lightweight and won’t make the bag heavy at all.
Then make sure to have an up-to-date map of your city.
An out-of-date one will cause you nothing but trouble.
12. Respirator mask and duct tape
The air in the city is not going to be that clean, depending on the disaster.
You will need to protect your lungs so you can remain healthy.
Duct tape goes a long way to sealing up tears, rips, and holes, plus it is a good security tape when you need to hold things together.
Miscellaneous items
There are a lot of items you may not think about, like cash, because you no longer use them every day.
Over the years, you may have upgraded to using your plastic cards.
However, in an emergency, bank machines, credit card networks, etc., may not be working or hardly working.
It pays to stock up on cash, as cash will be king in a disaster.
Just do not carry all your cash on you and find several hiding places for it just in case someone finds your stash.
Here are other miscellaneous items you may not think about when you are building your emergency kit:
A USB stick can hold scanned copies of important documents and other necessary information.
Spare batteries are needed for the flashlights, phones, and other communication devices.
An emergency whistle may be your best option to summon help.
Pepper spray always comes in handy when your gun or stun gun is not available.
Can or bottle openers always come in handy when you least expect them to.
Creating a paperwork ‘bag’
This bag should be waterproof as well as fireproof because it will hold all the important documents you will need.
Here is a short list of those documents that you need to keep safe at all times:
- Identification
- Insurance
- Deeds
- Proof of Ownership
- Birth Certificate
- Car registration
- Bank statement
- And more…
This bag does not have to be big or awkward to carry.
It just needs to be able to hold all your documents safely without damaging them.
Plus, it should be able to fit in your urban survival kit with ease.
Make copies of essential identification papers so you can always prove your identity when the time comes.
Before You Go
Assess your urban situation and build your emergency urban survival kit according to your family’s needs.
Having an item and not needing it is a lot better than needing it and not having it.
Then teach your kids and your wife how to use different emergency items so they can feel involved and help out when the time comes.
Plus, give them duties to perform when the emergency hits, so they know what to do and not be scared.
This is a cool resource: https://www.ready.gov/kit if you want to take things a bit further.
Originally posted 2023-02-11 00:24:38.
