Lady friend wants a emergency kit? Build or buy?

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Glock26

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Nov 3, 2009
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Hi all, my lady friend wants to keep it simple this Christmas. Meaning she just wants some practical low dollar gifts. For this reason she really wants a emergency kit for her vehicle and to bring along with her to places out in camping trips. My question for you folks is do you suggest buying a kit or just piecing one together like through amazon.com, they carry water and food etc. So in the end, should I just piece together a emergency kit or buy a kit?

Sincerely,
 
build it to fit your situation... if you build it, you are not trying to make a profit, so better quality equipment can be provided... there are some excellent examples on this board... and some excellent videos on you tube...I like those by beast 1210
 
Glock26, can't really speak for everyone else, but all the "pre-made" kits I have bought in the past I have ended up replacing most of the items which either broke or were the "inexpensive" kind. I would sit down & make a list of the items that she will need, & then put a kit together from that. There are a boatload of suppliers (REI, Base Gear, BPTS, Camp-Surv, Going Gear, Cutlery Shoppe, etc.) to get almost all of what you will need. I have ordered from all the above & have got excellent price & service. Good luck with your shopping "trip" . . :)
Be safe.
 
How much money are you talking? That might limit the size/quality of the kit.
You can create one based on the existing gear that she has, and environment that you guy frequent.
What gear does she have now? The Dajo knife is kind of a survival kit, for about $40.
If she has a knife, fire starter, whistle, then make a bag/pouch to fill in the gaps for the environment.
 
Thanks guys, I'm glad you guys aren't giving my smart asss answers. I think she wants something to leave in the car, because the truth is throughout the week we're almost out and abouts not at home. So it'll be a good idea i think to build a car survival kit.
 
Definitily build your own. That way you can customize it to fir your lady friends needs. But when you mention vehicle kit, im thinking tow rope, snowshovel, extra blankets, etc.

Is that what you mean, or do you mean a hiking kit thats stored in the car?
 
It all depends on what her needs are. Based on that, I would take a look at your basic surival kit at Walmart or Dicks or Target. If it's cheap enough, buy one. Then, start making one for her. I bought a basic First Aid kit at Walmart, an Ozark Trail model, that was on clearance.

Wasn't going to use any of the meds in there. Wasn't going to use any of the needles in there. Antibiotic ointment was junk. Two abdominal pads, some butterfly bandaids and regular bandaids. A pair of scissors and a whistle. The whistle fell apart after using it in the backyard a few times. Scissors were extremely dull. Didn't take to sharpening well.

Go to your local Walmart pharmacy, and get a list of what you found in those kits. Supplement it with what she would need. My emergency kit is now based around my ailments. Diabetes and atrial fibrillation. I also have some fire making supplies, and should really cover those more.
 
the basic $20-30 car kit from Wally that includes 1 yr of roadside assistance is a decent deal.
It gives you a good idea of what to have in a kit, and as components are used they can be replaced with better gear. It's not going to be a very good camping kit, but again - gives you some ideas and depending on which one you get, you can add a folding shovel or hatchet to the bag.

for an emergency hiking kit, get a small shoulder bag, first aid kit, spare socks, roll of vet wrap & some athletic tape, altoids PSK, etc...
 
I built kits for XMASS 3 years ago, for every household in my family, and I just could not find a pre-packaged kit that didn't seem to be filled with just the lowest end junk they could find.
 
The best gear in the world is useless without the education & familiarity to use it effectively. With that in mind, I suggest spending some time together to research what to buy, and building the kit together.

You don't need to spend months and become survival experts to do this. But giving some thought to what's being accomplished will put your lady friend in a much better frame of mind for any potential survival situation she may encounter.
 
Built it. I get most components for my survival kits at Walmart. Only when Walmart doesn't have what I'm looking for, or what they have is of substandard quality do I go to Amazon, EBay, GoingGear, Rei, Cabelas, Bass Pro Shop, Dickie, or Academy. Looking online first helps to define what you are looking for. Then it's just a matter of comparing prices.

A pre-made first aid kit is a good idea. Getting a good simple one and supplementing it is usually cheaper than starting one from scratch. If you want to make your own, I go to a crafts store and buy small plastic craft bags in different sizes. Those I use to hold pills (smallest bags), bandages, triple antibiotic foils, Alcohol swab foils, iodine swab foils (medium bags), and put everything in a larger bag. Making your own first aid kit this way is more expensive, but makes sense if you are going to make more than one.

Building your survival kit also gives you the opportunity to personalize the kit, specially since it is a gift for someone special. You know her, her skills, preferences, how long her average hike lasts (if she would actually use it for hiking and not just to keep in the car), and where she usually goes. You need to take these issues into consideration when selecting size, weight, and components.

Now, do you know what you want to include in the kit, or would you like ideas on what to include?
 
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Turn her on to this forum and do some fun research. Like these folks said, there are lots of good threads on this subject with lots of post of really good gear, bags, etc:
Its nice that she is interested. I would build the kit myself and put quality gear in it.
 
build it up while bearing in mind your friends needs and capabilities.

that will result in a far better and more useful kit than some cookie-cutter off-the-shelf job.
 
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