When we say ‘survival kit’, most people imagine being stranded in the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on their back. But why is it necessary to have a survival kit if you’re not Bear Grylls? Because survival kits are not just for ‘preppers’ or ‘survivalists’ anymore. In fact, we’ve got 6 irrefutable reasons survival kits are set to go mainstream. And 6 more reasons to double down on getting one, if you’re lucky enough to be in Australia. By the end of this post you’ll know WHY you should have a survival kit. And where to get one and get prepared for any emergency. All in under an hour.

Why is it necessary to have a survival kit – no matter where you live

Whether it’s climate change, over population, pandemics or the inability of nation states to get along, we live in worrying times on a worldwide scale.

None of us has been left untouched by recent global events.

So here are 6 irrefutable reasons that make it necessary to have a survival kit today, no matter who you are or where you live:

1. To stay in control, in uncertain times – Life seems pretty uncertain right now. If it feels like there are more natural disasters and emergencies – more risk of human peril – the numbers are starting to back this up. For example, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says natural disasters are happening 3 times more often than 50 years ago. The Emergency Event Database also shows more disasters occurring worldwide.

2. Emergencies and natural disasters don’t discriminate – your capacity to deal with them is what sets you apart, for survival and recovery.
3. Compounding events – weather, conflict, disease, socio-economic unrest, food supply emergencies, cyber attacks on critical infrastructure – you name it, we’ve all seen news of it somewhere. And disasters are compounding with changes in climate, global demographics and geopolitics. When SHTF all at once, a survival kit can be the difference between life and death.
4. More people needing rescue, so help is harder to get – as natural disasters get bigger and the population grows, more people find themselves in the ‘line of fire’ and need help.
5. We’re ‘out in nature’ more – looking to escape the hustle and bustle of our everyday stressful lives. Adventuring can bring big physical risks – if you’re not prepared.
6. As we urbanise, we lose practical survival skills – once upon a time we knew how to fish, find food, start a fire with two sticks. Not anymore. The United Nations says urban dwellers have increased from 751 million to 4.2 billion in 70 years globally. Survival tools – ferro rods, space blankets etc – help compensate for our lost survival skills from all that ‘city living’.

Attention urban dwellers. If you are caught in an emergency, a survival kit will help you:

• stay warm and dry;
• attend to medical issues;
• stay mobile and relocate if necessary;
• have access to food and water;
• signal for help when you need it
• maintain hygiene if there is no running water;
• protect your family;
• care for your pets.

Because when a disaster hits, you’re left fending for yourself. YOU are responsible for making sure you’re watered, fed, warm, and out of harms way.

Preparing a kitbag with everything you need in an emergency empowers you and gives you peace of mind to sleep at night. Especially true if you live in a bushfire zone, flood zone, earthquake prone area, or by the coast on the Pacific Ocean.

But even if you don’t, a survival kit can help you feel ready for any ‘unexpected events’.

Why is it important to have a survival kit in Australia?

To live in Australia, you need to know how to survive BIG WEATHER.

This big brown land is prone to natural disasters.

On top of this, Australia has warmed 1 to 1.5 degrees since 1910. All of our weather systems are getting warmer.

So the weather here, according those who know, will keep getting bigger. Here’s what the experts predict, based on where you live:

With that in mind, here are 7 very Aussie reasons to have a survival kit ready if you live down under:

1. The intensity and the scale of floods and bushfires is increasing. We should be preparing for hotter summers, longer fire seasons, more intense storms, and more damaging storm surges, according to climate scientists at the CSIRO and BOM.
2. QBE says Aussies are typically underprepared for now, let alone the future. Being prepared means you’ll have a better chance of survival and recovery (while the SES tries to help everyone who isn’t prepared).
3. More of us are in the impact zone than ever before. Land that hasn’t flooded is flooding. Bushfires are invading city limits as we urbanise. If you think you are beyond the impacts, think again.

4. It’s a big brown land out there. Help may not reach you for hours or even days due to your location, remoteness or road access.
5. As disasters intensify and compound, SES rescue capabilities will get thinner on the ground. Help may even come too late for some. A survival kit can empower you to be more self reliant in this situation.
6. Australian’s are 5 times more likely to be displaced due to a disaster than people that live in Europe. We need to evacuate to survive. A survival kit like a Go Bag is designed to help you do that in time, with a lot less panic.
7. So you can help others! It’s a very Australian thing, to muck in when the SHTF and help those in need. If you have a survival kit, you’re in a better position to look after yourself and pitch in to help your own community too.

The importance of being prepared for any situation

We’re all about being prepared. 1.5 degrees of climate warming is unavoidable and even half a degree more is incredibly significant. We’re at a cross roads. We need to step up our resilience to big weather and other disasters, or keep suffering the consequences.

It’s up to us. To empower ourselves, and our communities.

Because state government and local councils are unequipped to help all of us, at the one time. So are essential service providers like power networks and water utilities.

If you want stay safe and in control in the face of adversity, or even just stay alive, it’s time to take matters into your own hands.

You can start by just learning how to meet your own basic human survival needs with a survival kit.

It’s one of the most important steps you can take for yourself and your loved ones if you are faced with an emergency.

In fact, we’ll get you started right now.

What should be included in a survival kit?

What you have in your survival kit really depends on the type of emergency or natural disaster you’re likely to face. Use the How to prepare Australia map up above to understand some of the climate projections for big weather and natural disasters where you live.

Here are the different survival kits to chose from, based on the big weather near you:

1. Essentials Emergency Kit – budget emergency kit to meet basic human needs for all emergencies.
2. Everyday Carry Kit – handbag or man-bag kit for unexpected events on the go.
3. Car Emergency Kit – A get home bag if you break down or are stranded on the road.
4. Emergency Go Bag – A ‘shit hurry’ evacuation kit for refuge in an emergency centre or shelter.
5. Bug out Bag – A GTFO kit to get you to your bug out location.
6. Family Survival Kit – A family size Emergency Go Bag.
7. Bushfire kit – A custom kit to help survive a bushfire.
8. Flood Emergency Kit – A custom kit to help survive river, flash or coastal flooding.
9. Cyclone Kit – A custom kit to help survive a tropical cyclone.
10. Bush Survival Kit – For adventuring in remote locations with limited infrastructure.
11. Relocation kit – An extensive evacuation kit for unexpected damage making your home unliveable.

Survival at home

Natural disasters and emergencies can also strand you at home. Roads can be cut off in floods, bushfires or cyclones. You may be stuck at home for days. Without water, power or access to food. If this could happen to you, think about having a Home Emergency Kit too.

A Home Emergency Kit will provide enough food, water and back up power to get you if your home is cut off or isolated by floods, bushfires, landslides, or damaging storms.

How to put together your own survival kit

Use our survival kit supply guides! It’s as easy as that.

You don’t need to spend hours researching and making checklists for what to put in your kit. And then wasting even more hours sourcing the best supplies available.

We’ve done that bit for you.

Instead, use our resources to get prepared in under an hour. Here’s how:

1. Find the right survival kit
2. Click on our ready made supply guide for that kit
3. Decide which items you need – you can customise everything in our supply guides
4. Gather your supplies
5. Get the right backpack, bag or storage for your survival kit
6. Store your kit and keep it up to date.

We’ve also made a free downloadable checklist for each survival kit. If you’re not ready now, just download a checklist for your preferred kit. Use it when you are ready.

That’s it!

How to stay safe during a natural disaster

Follow our practical step by step summaries!

There’s no need to wade through pages and pages of scientific and complicated information from the Authorities. We’ve done all that for you! And summarised what the experts say.

Because preparedness doesn’t need to take over your life. It just needs always be there, like a mum’s hug, when you need it.

Know how to stay safe in a natural disaster, with these 5 minute reads:

• How to survive a tsunami (our Aussie Surf Lifesavers want you to know this!)
• How to prepare for a bushfire in Australia (the 5 minute expert round up)
• How to prepare for a cyclone in Australia (the 5 minute whirlwind read)
• How to prepare for floods in Australia (a tale of Brisbane flooding)

Conclusion

You might be thinking, “I don’t live in a disaster-prone area. I don’t need a survival kit.” But the truth is, and the data shows, that no one is immune to disasters. A survival kit can help you face more frequent hazards from our changing climate, whether it’s a natural disaster or an unforeseen emergency. And if you do happen to live in a disaster prone area like many Aussies do, your chances of getting through unscathed are better with the right supplies on hand. So no matter who you are or where you live, use our supply guides to get the right survival kit, and get prepared today.