After catastrophic events like Haiti earthquake, a lot of people start considering their personal survival capabilities. How long can one survive when civilization facilities are temporarily suspended? The answer is not equal for everyone: it depends on personal abilities and resources, location and duration of the emergency.

I’ve evaluated a 48-hours emergency plan to survive in an urbanized environment and prepared a set of life support tools for two people. The base criteria is portability: heavy-weighted backpacks are difficult to carry in suboptimal situations and to store where needed.

Emergencies lasting more than 48-hours may require additional items like K-rations and hydration systems. My advice is to define a secret randezvous point in nearby area where these items are securely stored.

Here you can find a survival kit checklist you can adapt to suit your own needs:

1. Military Shoulder bag bought from combat-gears eBay store. It’s sturdy, easy to carry and internal storage space is well-organized.
2. Ultimate survival technologies deluxe survival kit with hard case: it features a wet fire tinder, a saber cut saw, a fire starter, a whistle and a signal mirror, all packed in a small, hard carrying case.
3. Leatherman Skeletool CX. Carbon fiber handle multitool and knife, basic and light.
4. Windmill Delta Stormproof Lighter. More resistant than other gas-filled lighters.
5. Brunton 54 LU Compass. Has direct sighting support and a small scale for map use.
6. Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight & Watertight .7. Packs essential first-aid supplies. Complement with your specific drugs and remember to check expiry dates.
7. Yaesu VX-6R (in Europe and Asia VX-6E) two-way VHF/UHF radio, tri-band transmitter on 144/220/430 Mhz and 1.8-998 Mhz receiver. Rugged and lightweight. A soldering mod exists to make it quad-band. I’ve also selected two useful accessories: a tiny rubber SMA antenna to keep it small and a backup batterypack for AA batteries to extend battery coverage (AA batteries lower max output to 3 Watts). Write down local emergency frequencies and repeaters on a plastified card.
8. Two 400-calorie energy bars. Use them when you’re at least halfway.
9. Two 12-hour lightsticks for setting waypoints in dark environments and outdoor.
10. Dynamo led flashlight. Some models offer charger capabilities for additional tools (mobile phone, radio, etc), so consider your own needs.
11. A black tactical balaclava. In case survival includes engaging hostile forces, hiding your identity may help flight.
12. A couple of thermal blankets to keep warm and dry overnight.
13. A tactical knife like Spyderco C36GPSBK “Millie” Military knife (or a cheaper Columbia River’s M16-14SFG with Veff Serrated Blade). Use it as primary weapon for short-range.
14. Optional: Caffeine chewing gums to fight sleep deprivation (not for me, I don’t sleep anyway).

If you already have a survival kit at home, please use comment box below to share details. Next week, I’ll publish a detailed checklist for items you should store in a backpack to survive for longer periods.

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