Our beautiful world can be a scary place sometimes. You never know when an emergency situation will occur, or disaster will strike. Severe storms, natural disasters, wars, epidemics, and pandemics, or getting lost in the wilderness are a few of the times when a survival kit can mean the difference between life and death. Are you prepared?
Every household should have at least a 72-hour supply of food and water, and more is better. Flashlights, tools like survival knives, axes, extra prescription medications, and a first aid kit are basic to a good survival kit. Putting one together takes a lot of thought and time.
At A Glance: Our Top 4 Survival Kits
Our collection of the best survival kits can help simplify the process. Choose the one that’s best for you and your family and then personalize it to meet your needs. Don’t delay. Do it today because you never know.
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![]() | Best for Natural Disasters
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![]() | Best for Wilderness Survival
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![]() | Everything You Need
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Best for Roadside Emergencies
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![]() | Best for Shelter in Place
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The Ready America Emergency Kit sustains two people for 72 hours with food bars, water, and basic survival supplies packed in a handy backpack. It includes a survival blanket for shelter and warmth, emergency ponchos for each person, 12-hour light sticks, and an emergency whistle.
The 33-piece first aid kit can be used to dress wounds and treat minor injuries. Each person gets a dust mask and nitrile gloves to protect against respiratory illness and other diseases.
The food bars in Ready America are tasty and packed with nutrients to keep your immune system strong against diseases that often accompany disasters. They contain no cholesterol and have a shelf life of five years.
Overall, the Ready America Survival Kit is a good starter kit for individuals or couples. Add to it as your family grows or needs change by adding items like flashlights, batteries, tools, and a battery or crank radio. You’ll also need to add more water. Keep one at home and at the office.
The Complete Earthquake Bag by Redfora emergency kit is designed for three-day sustainability for two people after earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and major issues.
It includes 3600-calorie food bars, 24 water pouches, two hydration bags with straws, and 20 water purification tablets for a plentiful source of water.
The Redfora Earthquake Bag provides light, shelter, and warmth after an emergency. A hand-crank flashlight, a 30+ hour candle, 12 one-hour light stick provide hours of light. Stay warm with Mylar sleeping bags and keep a fire lit with waterproof matches.
A two-person tube tent is included for worst-case scenarios. An included radio allows you access to local information.
In addition to a basic first aid kit, the Complete Earthquake Bag includes a personal hygiene kit. Tools such as work gloves, 50 feet of nylon rope, goggles, and a sewing kit are included. An emergency poncho keeps you dry and hand and body warmers help keep you toasty.
Stay safe and warm with off-the-grid light and communication after a natural disaster.
Overall, this is one of the better survival kits for disasters.
The Blue Cooler Survival Kit features emergency items for one person packed in a well-made, triple-pocket grab and go backpack
It includes a three-day supply of highly-nutritious 2400-calorie food bars and five 4.22-ounce drinking water pouches with a shelf life of five years. Other important emergency gear includes an emergency blanket and rain poncho and dust mask for respiratory protection during wildfires and other situations.
A crank-powered flashlight ensures light during the power outages that often follow storms and a natural disaster. A combination whistle/directional compass makes the Blue Coolers 72 good for camping trips and as an addition to you emergency car kit. A 36-piece basic first aid kit is included.
Simple and versatile, the Blue Coolers 72-hour emergency situation / disaster kit gets one person through the critical hours after hurricanes, floods, and other emergencies until first responders arrive. It’s inexpensive and the backpack has extra room to add more emergency gear.
The CHAREADA Emergency 36 in One Survival Kit is an excellent addition to your camping and hiking gear and the tools included can be used to help survive displacement after a natural disaster. It includes 16 survival tools, 14 medical supply items, and six tools for fishing.
Wildnerness tools in the tools in the CHAREADA kit include a tactical folding knife, wire saw for cutting wood or bone, fire starter/lighter, folding pliers, tactical defense pern, and bottle buckle. A compass and 120-decibel whistle give assurance for getting lost.
Other survival accessories include a thermal blanket that retains 90 percent body heat, flashlight, and paracord bracelet. Use the 6-piece fishing kit for sustenance near lakes and rivers. Medical supplies treat minor injuries and include a bandage triangulaire for binding broken bones.
With a waterproof case that is lightweight and compact, the Emergency Wilderness Kit is a must-have for the avid outdoorsman.
The Everlit Survival Kit with military Molle EMT pouch is created and tested by U.S. armed forces veterans. You’ll be well-prepared with 250 pieces of first aid supplies along with important survival gear.
The EMT bag is military-grade and made of durable, water-resistant 600 D nylon. It has three large compartments for adding other gear yet it’s compact at 8 x 6.5 x 5 inches and weighs only 1.9 lbs. Use the Molle feature on the back to attach other bags or to fasten on a belt.
The Everlit’s first aid supply exceeds the guidelines set by OSHA for one family and includes items from butterfly bandages to sting relief pads and a CPR mask for cardiac and respiration arrests. Take care of first aid and emergency needs for family and friends during outings.
Survival gear in the Everlit includes a 3-mode tactical flashlight with strobe, survival knife, flintstone, and a multi-functional saber card tool.
It also includes the basics like a poncho, mylar emergency blanket, and glow sticks. Campers and hikers will appreciate the paracord bracelet with a hiking compass and whistle.
Overall, the Everlit is a complete and comprehensive survival and first aid kit for families.
The Sustain Supply Company Comfort4 is a four-person 72-hour sustainability survival kit. In addition to four liters of premium quality water and tasty emergency food a step above the usual food bars, it includes a water filter system so you can use nearby water sources without fear of contamination.
In addition to the large, high-quality backpack, food, and water, you get eight Cyalum snap lights, two flashlights, two LED lanterns for plenty of reassurance in darkness. There are four emergency blankets, so all four people will have their own. No rain ponchos are included.
Prepare hot meals with the portable stove. The kit also includes a Morakniv knife, bowls, and utensils and comes with a fire starter and Instafire tinder.
The Sustain Comfort4 is useful for shelter in place crises and is easy to pack and transport for evacuations. It’s one of the pricier survival kits but has lots of good features.
The Emergency Zone Go Bag is a multi-purpose survival kit for two people for bugging out to a shelter or sheltering in place at home. Be prepared for emergencies such as disasters, civil unrest, or pandemics.
This 72-hour emergency kit comes packed in a non-descript red backpack and is designed to be lightweight and compact with room to add personalization items such as clothing and baby and pet supplies.
The go-bag includes calorie-dense food bars approved by the US Coast Guard. They need no water to rehydrate and are non-thirst-inducing. It comes with 12 4.2-ounce water packets and water purifying powder with a container and instructions sheet.
In case of an emergency that leaves you vulnerable to the elements, each person will have a reflective sleeping bag, poncho, and hand warmers. A two-person tube tent is included.
Stay out of the darkness and stay informed with the flashlight, light sticks, and AM/FM/WB radio.
The kit includes first aid and personal hygiene kit, and several tools such as a multi-tool knife and GI can opener. The Emergency Zone Go Bag comes with a very informative guide that covers a variety of emergency situations.
If there are only 2 of you, and you want to include everything you need for your emergency preparedness plans, the Premium Survival Kit is complete and reliable. It includes a 3-day supply of food and water for each person. This is ideal, as we all know the first 72 hours of an emergency are the most critical.
On top of the food and water, all of which have a shelf life of 5 years, you also get all the tools you need to cook and filter water as well – so cooking utensils, cooker and knife. So, in essence, this kit is intended to cover the basics of food/water/medical.
You get a lot of extra light too, which is a plus as the power is usually out or not available in an emergency. This survival kit has a flashlight, Ferrocerium rod, SnapLights and an LED lantern. However, if you are in the outdoors, it also has tinder and a fire starter, which is critical for warmth.
Additionally, there is are two emergency blankets, just in case you can’t get that fire started! And, a full first aid kit to cover any issues that come up along the way.
If you take long road trips in out-of-the-way places or to visit family and friends, the Roadside Assistance Emergency Kit is specialized for auto-related emergencies. The 142-piece set comes in a compact bag for easy stashing in the trunk or back seat.
It has all the items you need to stay safe during car breakdowns.
The Roadside Assistance Survival Kit includes 8 ft wire jumper cables, a reflective warning triangle, a self-powered flashlight, and a rain poncho in case it’s raining when you break down.
Other useful emergency equipment includes a window breaker/seatbelt cutter, a handy tool kit, and a strong tow rope. (Be sure to keep the window breaker tool in the vehicle’s cabin).
Note: The one thing it is missing is a first aid kit, so be sure you buy one of those separately or check out the other options above.
A roadside survival kit has features that other survival kits don’t have. The Roadside Assistance Emergency Kit gives you peace of mind for road trips and makes a great gift for first-time car owners.
The Rescue Guard Survival Kit has food and water for two people for 72-hours or six days for one person. Survive disasters like earthquakes and pandemics with N95 masks, gloves, sterile wipes, bottled water and more.
The survival backpack has room to pack personal items for evacuation. Supplement it with identification, water purifying tablets, a pocket knife, cash, and clothing. It includes a well-stocked first aid kit and a squeeze-powered flashlight.
The Rescue Guard is a basic kit for sheltering in place or evacuating. Build on it with additional items or upgrade to the advanced Rescue Guard for more survival items including a tent, ponchos, sleeping bags, thermal blankets, and a fire starter.
Emergencies and disasters are unexpected and can happen at any time. Smart, savvy individuals and families must have a system of emergency preparedness. While you may just survive without one, a survival kit will make the hours or days until help arrives more tolerable.
Most include non-perishable food and water for, at least 72 hours, along with accessories for sheltering in place, getting through power outages, evacuating, roadside emergencies, and getting lost or stranded in the wilderness.
So, when deciding what goes in your survival kit, here are some key things to think about.
Your location and geographic region is a big influencer on choosing the best survival kit. Some areas are more prone to hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and earthquakes.
Civil unrest can be a problem in some parts of the world at times, and pandemics know no geographical or social barriers. A car survival kit is a must for those who drive long distances, and hikers and campers need gear to survive in the wilderness if necessary.
The 3-3-3-3 rule applies to survive a disaster. That means you can live 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter in sub-zero conditions, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food providing you have shelter and water. This is the minimum. For more peace of mind, purchase a family-sized kit for one or two or add on to the kit you have.
All of the survival kits in our collection have a range of accessories to make getting through a disaster safer and more comfortable. Some great must-have tools to look for include
Your purpose will influence the accessories that appeal to you. Most have basic first aid kits for minor to moderate injuries.
There are lots of options for an emergency preparedness kit, but these are some of the best we have found.
The Complete Earthquake Bag by Redfora provides food and water for two for three days plus plenty of light, shelter, and warmth if you’ve lost your home.
The Rescue Guard Survival Kit sustains two people for 72 hours or one person for six days and includes a first aid kit and N95 masks. Shelter in place for natural disasters and pandemics or supplement it with items for an evacuation bug out bag.
The Chareada Emergency 36 in One Survival Kit includes 16 wilderness tools, 14 medical items, six tools for fishing along with thermal gear, compass, and extra-loud whistle.
The 142-piece Roadside Assistance Emergency Kit has everything you need for a roadside emergency from jumper cables to a window breaker/seatbelt slasher tool.