eHelpfulTips™    How To Advice & Thrifty Tips     

Main Page

Electronics & Computers

Home Projects

Gardening

Health & Fitness

Outdoors

Education & Kids

Automotive

Food, Beverages, Recipes

Pets & Animals

Money & Thrifty Tips

Business and Employment

Travel and Leisure

Thrifty Living Books 

Links To More How - To Articles

Search Amazon.com  

Unconventional Disaster Survival Kit Items

Recently we have seen that even highly organized societies can fall into chaos in a short period of time due to a major event such as an earthquake.  Having a proper "bugout bag" (or gear to help you survive for more than three days) is something that every family should consider in order to be prepared for a doomsday event or ordinary natural disaster. If you will be remaining in your home following a disaster a pack with essential home preparedness gear is a good idea.  You may also want to consider some unconventional survival gear for events that could happen in your area. Each part of the country may require a different kind of home survival kit, depending on such regional events as earthquakes, hurricanes, nuclear plant disasters, etc. Let's take a look at unconventional disaster survival gear ideas that you might not have thought of.

Things To Barter and Trade With After An Economic Collapse

"The economy" does not just refer to Wall Street but the whole process of how we work for money, use it to pay for food and shelter and trade with individuals. During a major disaster the local economy often collapses. When this happens, ATM's, credit card terminals, banks, and other means we count on to get the money we need no longer function. You should always keep on hand enough cash in small denominations to conduct business as usual, including buying food if it is available. There are many survivalists out there who have preped for a total economic collapse by keeping on hand gold and silver to use as currency, as well as other things to barter with. A recent article on survival in Popular Mechanics even suggested  that you keep on hand things such as beer, which you can use to trade for favors such as the help of neighbors. A blend of both cash, barter items and precious metals may not be a bad idea, just don't make it obvious that you have much of any of them, or you could become a target of thieves. Having a large, strong safe that is well hidden in your home is also a good idea.

Unconventional Survival Gear, Defense and Hunting and Fishing

It may become necessary at some point during a major disaster to protect your home and loved ones. Depending on your views about guns, you may want to own one, keeping it stored in a safe place with a trigger lock. If you live in a rural area or have access to places where there are wild game, a gun or compound bow may be useful if you have to resort to hunting for food after a total economic collapse. Fishing gear may also be useful to help feed your family if a body of water is nearby.

If you don't want a gun in the home, consider large pepper spray canisters, like the ones used against bear attacks or a stun gun. Another unconventional survival gear item you might consider is some type of night vision gear that you can use to see what is happening in your neighborhood and around your home at night, since streetlights will not be functioning. After hurricanes many coastal residents will form volunteer, neighborhood watch groups to protect their property from looters. Having a two way radio (see below) and night vision gear may be useful for neighborhood surveillance as part of a volunteer group.

Unconventional Survival Gear For Disasters: Communications

After a major disaster such as a hurricane there will  most likely be no working cell phone towers or land lines  still in operation. You won't be able to place a call to anyone, even a 911 call. For most people, one of the most useful emergency communications gear items would be a pair of FRS-GMRS  radios to use in communicating with family members and neighbors. FRS (Family Radio Service) channel one is the unofficial national emergency channel for civilians to use. In addition, a portable CB radio, such as a handheld one or one that plugs into a cigarette lighter  plug, is recommended. CB's are still widely used by truckers, tow truck drivers and some law enforcement officials such as county sheriffs.  Channel 19 is the most commonly used channel and channel 9 is sometimes monitored by emergency service groups. For more on using a CB for emergency communication see: CB Radio, Not Just For Truckers. Ham radio, which allows for worldwide communication is probably the best overall communications gear for major disaster survival.  As a ham radio operator of 21 years, I recommend to anyone who wants to have  the ultimate in backup emergency communications gear to become a licensed amateur radio operator.  Along with these kinds of backup communications gear for disasters, you should have some means of making the electricity that you will need to charge cell phones, run lights, radio and TV. You can get by with batteries and candles in an emergency, but for long term survival you should have a generator or solar panels and a battery bank and inverter to  use for operating small hand tools, appliances, water wells, etc. Consider having a generator of at least 3KW or larger.

More Ideas For Unconventional Disaster Survival Gear

Having a way to cook food and boil water is especially important. Many homes are all-electric these days, so when the power is out you can't cook anything. A camping stove with several canisters of propane fuel can come in handy.

You should also keep on hand an ample supply of food, especially things such as baby food and formula. Don't forget Fido and Kitty. Keep at least two weeks of pet food on hand in your home in case supplies become unavailable.

Recently we have heard a lot about potassium iodide tablets, a supplement that can help protect you from some kinds of radioactive fallout. These are a good idea for anyone living within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant to have on hand.  If you live deep in a forest and may face evacuation due to forest fire, consider respirators and fire retardant clothing for each member of the family to wear as you make your escape. Aside from food, shelter, medicine and communications for your family, a large part of surviving disasters is just staying sane until the situation returns to normal. Keep things like books and board games on hand in case you will have to stay put in your home for several days. In addition, keep a wide variety of tools so that you can fix whatever may need repairing around the home. A good chain saw, and knowing how to use it, can be an essential tool to use in the aftermath of a hurricane.  Also, a good survival book can be useful to help you learn how to do things in an emergency. While you may think you know everything there is about how to survive in a crisis, there may be things you forget during times of stress. Knowing things such as how to drain fresh water from your hot water heater's tank could save your life.

Cheers.