How to Turn Any Handbag Into an Emergency Kit

Believe it or not, friends, getting prepared for everyday disasters doesn’t require a bunker, expensive equipment, or tons of space…in fact, all you really need to get started with emergency readiness is a purse (handbag, man-purse, whatever).

My name is Liv, and I am the Survival Mom’s daughter. I’ve written for my mom before (check out my review of Red Cross’s babysitting course here), and now I have the privilege of writing my own post on how to turn any handbag into an emergency kit.

Down to business

Getting caught off-guard is not fun.

If you’re anything like me (and my mom) you like to have a few emergency back-up items on you, just in case you need them. Now, call it what you will, prepping, planning ahead, or common sense, it’s not that hard to be ready when any type of emergency strikes, and creating an emergency kit is as easy as one, two, three, and you don’t need any special equipment at all.

What is an emergency kit?

An emergency kit is a small bag/purse/backpack that you keep handy in the event of an emergency (duh), and it can contain food, water, clothes, fire-starting kits, important documents, or whatever you may need if you have to get out quick and don’t have time to pack.

Now, I have a big emergency kit in my closet, put together by yours truly, and it’s all ready for when I have to run. It has all sorts of little prepper goodies inside, and I’m quite proud of it. You can check it out at this link.

However, it’s quite heavy, I don’t have a car to store this in if I’m out-and-about when disaster strikes, and it would be no fun to lug that thing into the library or grocery store. My solution? The mini-kit.

Let me make this clear: There is no definite outline of what goes into a mini-kit.

It just holds whatever you might need for a small emergency, or a short-notice one, and it keeps you going until you can get to your other supplies. There’s no specific size or packing list, because it differs from person to person. I’m just going to give a quick description of mine, and then you can go and put one together of your own.

I keep my mini-kit in my Baggallini Cinch Backpack, which has several nice, deep pockets inside which are good for holding my emergency supplies. My mom and I favor Baggallini bags because they are made of nylon, are durable, and machine washable. She owns three of them in different styles and colors. Once, when she was between purses, she carried her bright orange Baggallini backpack everywhere. It got to be embarrassing after a while. (This, but in shocking orange. She even carried it to church every Sunday.)

Now, since I stay at home most days and don’t do much dangerous stuff, my kit is pretty simple:

• ID card
• Swiss Fire Knife
• Several Band-Aids
• About 10 matchsticks
• Small flashlight
• Smith’s Pocket Pal – a small, handy knife sharpener
• Extra set of batteries
• Small plastic bags in case I need to waterproof something
• Pocket Bible (Reading material, in the event I have to wait in one place for a while and get bored. Also a good stress-reliever.)

I managed to squeeze these things into an inside pocket of my backpack.

The knife clips nicely to the side of my bag. See? Easy-peasy. So, you just have to think, what emergency is most likely to happen, and how can I do some small-scale prepping for it?

For me, thunderstorms are frequent where I live, therefore a lot of power outages, which is why most of my mini-kit contains light sources. Also, sometimes I run to the grocery store or library by myself (I’m so grown-up), which is why I have the knife–something to defend myself if I feel threatened. Someone who lives in a drier climate might want to carry a pouch or bottle of water, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Someone else who lives where it’s cold might want to add a pair of gloves, wool socks, or hand warmers.

Depending on the design of your handbag, designate specific pockets for specific items, and make sure those items are returned to their assigned space each and every time. In an emergency, when your nerves are frayed already, that’s no time to be digging through one pocked or another trying to find the one item you’re in desperate need of.

You can turn any bag into an emergency kit.

Feel free to make it as heavy-duty and long-term as you please. The point is that you don’t need one of those army-grade rucksacks with a zillion little compartments in order to prepare yourself for a disaster. Use a designer purse. Louis Vuitton, even. Any handbag can be transformed into your very own emergency kit!

~Liv

The post How to Turn Any Handbag Into an Emergency Kit by Guest Poster appeared first on The Survival Mom. Be sure to check it out!