Emergency Box

DrMoab

NAXJA Forum User
If you were to build a box of stuff to keep in your Jeep. Say one that was 10" high by 12" Deep by 24" long that had emergency rations in it to keep you alive if say...your Jeep broke down and you were 500 miles from anything. What would you put in it?

This isn't a thread about keeping the zombies away. Just normal human survival stuff.
 
Basics: Water & purification tablets/filter, flashlight & extra batts, TP, power/clif bars, knife, 1st aid kit, blanket/jacket, matches/lighters.
Also nice to have: Maps, cell, gps, hat, suntan lotion, bugspray, gloves, poncho, snake bite kit, mirror/emergency flasher.
 
Small takedown .22 rifle
Box of .22 shells
Road flares (marking location, starting campfires in damn near any weather)
Roll of bright colored surveyor tape and a Sharpie (for marking time/date/status and tying off to trees/vehicle if I decide to venture out. Keeps your route visible and helps any rescuers know how you're doing)
Food bars
Shelf-stable water
First aid kit (I'll spare the contents)
Super glue
Wool blanket
Spare clothes, warm stuff included
I keep a small nylon tent in mine. Could have a nice tarp substituted though.
Hatchet or heavy knife (I use a Ka-Bar)
Parachute cord (you can use the internals for all kinds of crap)
Hurricane tape (stronger than duct tape)
LED headlamp with spare batteries
GLOVES, heavy work gloves...not some thin POS
Spare boots and socks!!! (forgot these...I use my old Army boots)

There's more stuff, but that's off the top of my head.;) *edit* This stuff is in a large ALICE pack that's typically strapped to the front passenger seat. If I were to go off the road, it's reachable and if I have to hike out, I can put it all on my back.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Phil, thats what I'm looking for. It's funny. I have a kit but it isn't complete. Everyone I ask has a differnt idea of what should be in one and they are all different but important too. I wouldn't have thought of parachute cord, thats a great idea.
 
I think everyone is different based on their training/experiences...and especially their terrain. I tend to go with things I'd use up North because that's where I live. :D

FWIW, my kit is always evolving. Some things can be substituted for multiple items. You just need to sit and look at the contents to decide what can be used for other things.

The surveyor tape/sharpie and even strapping the pack to the passenger seat came from Chris Wood (from AEV) when he worked at ARB. I got him to put on an Overland Driving Seminar at NWFest a couple years ago. ;) VERY informative class...
 
my search and rescue pack...eksjay pretty much covered it. but it's a 1911 in there instead of a 22.
 
my search and rescue pack...eksjay pretty much covered it. but it's a 1911 in there instead of a 22.

A gun is probably out. I'm planning on using a waterproof box and securing it to my rack. I don't have room inside for it.

Besides, I always have something like that under my seat. :D
 
Can't add much to what was already listed above except:

light sticks and a string, swing one in a circle at night and it really helps you get spotted from the air
starting fluid (reseating beads, flame thrower for animal defense and fire starter :)
wrist rocket sling shot
Magnifying glass (start a fire)
poncho (even a cheap one is better than none)
Biggest heavy duty trash bags you can find (one inside another can make a good emergency sleeping bag when lined properly as well as dry sleeping)
Coffee filters (filter the big stuff out of water, passable dust mask when used with tape or a package of cheap resperaitors will do both too)
Tampons or sanitary napkins (if stranded with a female and she needs them she will be extremely gratful and they make good large capacity bandages)

I could go on and on but here are some good links:

http://www.bestglide.com/index.htm Good source of materials, small aircraft related stuff, take a look at their articles page and print some of there info, throw it in your kit, when under stress just being able to read something can help your thought process a lot.

http://www.quakekare.com./ another good source of shelf stable water and ration bars, cheapest I found when assembling my home and vehicle kits.

Use your imagination and keep your eyes open, I find stuff on close-out and on the dollar rack at target and wally-world all the time! Goodwill is a good source for cheap bags for storage and other stuff. I once scored 72 hour survival packs for my cars complete with stabilaized water pack and food bars for 2.98 ea. Found them on line for $30.00 so it pays to keep your eyes open.

Actually it can be fun putting this all togather.
 
Ecksjay's list is very good one- although I prefer the backpacking dehydrated foods over the power bars and such- they're bulkier, but have a good shelf life, and a good hot meal will do a lot for your overall mindset when you're isolated/stranded/cold and wet. If you can heat a cup or two of water, you're set. A little alcohol tab stove will do that, store for a while, and take up almost no space. If you go with flares, you won't need the stove.
 
Go pick up some MREs. they may not taste the best but they do have a long shelf life.

Coast guard-approved "lifeboat bars" don't taste as good as MREs (they're edible,) but will last even longer and are much more compact. Make your primary food source those, and throw in an MRE or two so you have some variety if you like.
 
I have a large Ammo box full of supplies. Its more of a 50 mile box than anything else. Also has basic car stuff. Tow strap, jumper cables, extra quart of oil, folding shovel for digging out, gallon or so of water, basic med kit, basic food, 30ft of rope, pocket knife with one serrated blade, one strait.
That should get my out of most situations i think...
 
My car stuff is taken care of. I carry a full supply of tools, straps, belts hoses, axles shafts, a spare driveshaft that will fit the front or rear, a full supply of electrical stuff and all the different oils.

If I'm 200 miles in the middle of nowhere and put a piston through the block or the tranny takes a dump none of that stuff is going to help me. I got thinking the other day that my survival supply is in a bad way and it needs to be overhauled and thought out better. Right now that is what I am looking to build.
 
My car stuff is taken care of. I carry a full supply of tools, straps, belts hoses, axles shafts, a spare driveshaft that will fit the front or rear, a full supply of electrical stuff and all the different oils.

If I'm 200 miles in the middle of nowhere and put a piston through the block or the tranny takes a dump none of that stuff is going to help me. I got thinking the other day that my survival supply is in a bad way and it needs to be overhauled and thought out better. Right now that is what I am looking to build.

Just remember that survival is a matter more of mindset than anything else - know how to use your gear, and be willing to make sacrifices now so you can be alive later.

The best gear don't mean spit in Hell if you don't know how to use it. Contrariwise, if you know what you're about, you don't need much gear to keep going.

Having a kit is - by no stretch of the imagination! - a bad idea, but food and water in the kit (for instance) should be used for when you can't find anything "off the land" instead, and your kit should be built with an eye towards long-term sustenance while you're out in the Bush. I would rate a knife and paracord as probably the most useful things you can put in there. A short roll of rubbish bags would be next (as mentioned, you can use them extensively; as a sleeping bag, as a rain fly (with some duct tape, you can make a serviceable tent,) you can use them to set up a solar still for recycling your water, ...

A good strong mirror won't go amiss - you can signal an airplane (or a ship) a good 50-60 miles away. Casting about with a signal flash can get the attention of things you can't even see!

Get a couple of current-issue BDU belts (with the frame buckle) to throw in your kit - they roll up small, and make some useful straps for various purposes.
 
Just my $.02 is that you buy your self a CamelBak, motherlode, and then work from there.
Water is about the most important thing, IMO. From the pics you posted of your trip with your son you were way out in the desert. Get stranded out there, with no water and your up a creek without a paddle. Its pricey but gives you lots of room to pack stuff and the bladder holds 100z.

MOTHERLODE

I guess after that just some basic small things, much like everyone listed. MREs get my vote too. They are getting better in the flavor department, but more importantly they pack the calories! Something like 1200-1500 in a meal. If your worried about room, you can field strip them down to save room.
Maybe get yourself a Survival Manual too, some handy tricks in it.

FM 3-05.70
 
Back
Top