Popular Mechanics; Courtesy Sustain Supply
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What to Consider
The first thing to nail down is the type of kit—or kits—you need, along with the number of people who would potentially use it. There are basic and premium first-aid kits, along with more comprehensive kits that include first aid plus enough food, water, and other supplies to sustain, one, two, or four people for 72 hours—the amount of time most experts agree is likely sufficient for the majority of emergency situations. Still, it's generally a good idea to have a two-week supply to cover every member of your household, plus pets, if applicable.
There are bare bones kits with first aid, rations, and things like water purification tablets, and upgraded general purpose kits with comfort food entrees and extras like playing cards. There are also emergency kits made for particular activities, such as camping and boating, and specific situations, like hurricanes or car breakdowns.
How We Selected
Our selection includes preparedness kits for various emergency situations, and we aimed to feature options across multiple price points to suit all budgets. Every kit featured below has an average customer rating of 4.5 stars or more, and several kits have 4.7-star ratings or higher. During our research, we compared the contents of every type of kit for quality and to determine how well it covered basic essentials, and weighed that against cost. We also considered things like durability of backpacks, zippered pouches, and other storage bags and containers and if items inside were well organized.
For more ways to stay prepared, check out our coverage of the best emergency food kits, first-aid kits, and car emergency kits.
1
Best Overall
Premium Emergency Survival Kit
Sustain Supply Co. Store
$199 AT AMAZON
Key Specs
Pieces: 72
Dimensions (L x W x H): 16.8 x 11.2 x 20.4 inches
Weight: 16.5 pounds
One of the best things about this all-in-one emergency kit is the comfort food, with meals including mac and cheese, and pasta with chicken. There's also a portable stove, a lantern, a fully stocked first-aid kit, and survival straw water filtration systems.
All 72 pieces are carried inside a rugged—and attractive—backpack, with padded should straps and a mesh back to keep you cool. There are enough supplies to cover two adults with essentials for three days, but a larger pack is available to sustain four people, plus there's a less expensive basic pack for two people.
2
Best Value
72-Hour Emergency Kit
$78 AT AMAZON
Key Specs
Pieces: 107
Dimensions (L x W x H): 9 x 12 x 16 inches
Weight: 18.5 pounds
This emergency kit has calorie-dense food bars instead of entrees, and no portable stove or lantern, but it's a great value for three days' worth of the basics to cover four people.
The 107-piece kit includes survival blankets, rain ponchos, leather work gloves, and light sticks, plus a well-organized first-aid kit housed in a bright orange zip case. There are also food and water supplies included that have a 5-year shelf life.
3
Best Roadside Kit
Car Roadside Emergency Kit
$50 AT AMAZON $65 AT WALMART
Key Specs
Pieces: 57
Dimensions (L x W x H): 13.4 x 7.5 x 4.7 inches
Weight: 5 pounds
Being prepared on the road is just as important as having a survival kit on hand for camping or any outdoor adventure in the wilderness.
This lightweight roadside kit includes 57 pieces for various auto-related emergencies, from breakdowns to accidents. There are jumper cables, a tow rope, and safety gloves, along with a basic first-aid kit, mechanical flashlight, reflector triangles, and a ping hammer-belt cutter combo tool. Everything fits inside a handled carrying case that's just over a foot long and weighs 5 pounds.
4
Best All-Purpose First Aid Kit
All-Purpose First Aid Emergency Kit
First Aid Only
Now 35% off
$20 AT AMAZON
Key Specs
Pieces: 298
Dimensions (L x W x H): 9.3 x 2.9 x 7 inches
Weight: 1 pound
This best-selling, value-packed all-purpose emergency first aid kit features an impressive 298 pieces to treat everything from cuts and scrapes to swelling and burns. All supplies are organized in clear plastic slipcases, and come packed inside a soft zippered pouch that weighs a mere pound.
It's perfect to take with you on long bike rides or stash in a deck box near the pool. The kit gets high marks from reviewers, with an average 4.8 stars from more than 58,000 customers.
5
Best Premium First-Aid Kit
Premium First Aid Emergency Kit
Surviveware
$126 AT AMAZON
Key Specs
Pieces: 200
Dimensions (L x W x H): 10 x 7.5 x 5 inches
Weight: 3.3 pounds
If you need a comprehensive emergency kit that has basic first-aid supplies and items to treat sprains and broken bones, this option is your best bet. It's from Surviveware, a company that specializes in first-aid and survival kits and other emergency preparedness products.
We love the look of their bright red water-resistant cases, made of durable 600-denier polyester. This one has a removable Velcro strap to secure it to a car's headrest, plus two padded handles to tote it around.
Inside, there are 200 pieces that cover basic lifesaving and first aid, including 7.5-inch shears and an 18-inch splint. At just over 3 pounds, the emergency kit is incredibly portable, plus it gets an average 4.8 stars from more than 3,000 customers.
6
Best for Camping
Survival Emergency Kit
$40 AT AMAZON
Key Specs
Pieces: 250
Dimensions (L x W x H): 8.5 x 6 x 4.5 inches
Weight: 1.9 pounds
Serious backcountry adventurers need extra supplies for emergency situations in the wilderness. This kit is housed inside a durable, water-resistant bag with “molle” straps (that’s short for modular lightweight load-carrying equipment), which allow you to attach it to other molle-compatible pieces so you can customize gear.
Inside, there are several essential survival tools, including a folding pocket knife, a paracord survival bracelet, and a high-lumen tactical flashlight, plus an 11-in-1 tool and first-aid supplies.
7
Best At-Home Kit
4-Person Deluxe Home Emergency Kit
Mayday Industries
$115 AT AMAZON
Key Specs
Pieces: 71
Dimensions (L x W x H): 24 x 16.5 x 14 inches
Weight: 23 pounds
Keeping a basic shelter-in-place emergency kit at home is a must for preparedness in addition to having water and food with a long shelf life on hand. This one stores inside a neon yellow waterproof bucket that holds everything from calorie-dense food bars to water purification tablets to toilet disinfectant.
In terms of tools and gear, the kit features one for gas and water shutoff, a combo flashlight radio, a utility knife, and a pry bar. There's also a small 54-piece first-aid kit included.
8
Best for Natural Disasters
Disaster Emergency Survival Kit
Rescue Guard
$150 AT AMAZON
Key Specs
Pieces: 95
Dimensions (L x W x H): 10 x 14 x 20 inches
Weight: 3.5 pounds
This is the emergency kit you'll want in your possession for earthquakes and other natural disasters. The 95-piece kit is housed inside an ultra-lightweight survival backpack, with enough supplies to cover two people for 72 hours.
Highlights among features include a tent and bivy sacks, food rations and drinking water, plus a lantern-radio that's also a charger. As for tools, there's a utility knife, axe, wire saw, and a multitool, along with a travel-size first-aid kit and playing cards to keep you occupied until help arrives.
9
Best for Boating
Waterproof First Aid Emergency Kit
$23 AT AMAZON
Key Specs
Pieces: 116
Dimensions (L x W x H): 2.36 x 3.74 x 10.24 inches
Weight: 12 ounces
Anyone spending time on the water this summer should have one of these stowed in their boat. The 116-piece first-aid emergency kit is completely waterproof with sealed seams and a roll-top closure, and includes an emergency blanket, scissors, compass, whistle, and tweezers, plus a ton of adhesive bandages for wounds. All supplies are stored in a folding case inside the bag, and at less than a pound, the kit certainly won't weigh you down.
10
Best Satellite Survival Kit
ResQLink 400 GPS Survival Kit
$380 AT AMAZON
Key Specs
Pieces: 5
Dimensions (L x W x H): 11 x 4 x 7.5 inches
Weight: 2 pounds
This emergency kit may be pricey, but it's well worth considering for peace of mind if you're ever lost in a remote area or get caught too far from shore. It features a personal locator beacon with global coverage (including GPS and the EU's Galileo GNSS) with no subscription required, plus it talks to a satellite-aided international search and rescue program with 45 member nations.
There's also a USCG-approved strobe light and whistle, along with a daytime signal mirror. All items are stowed inside a waterproof pouch that doubles as a dry bag.
Rachel Klein Rachel Klein has been a professional editor and writer for more than a decade, with a background in digital media, publishing, and journalism.
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