Offroad Family Emergency / Survival Kit
 

Im getting ready to put together an (Pelican 1600 suitcase sized) emergency kit that I can throw on top of the Jeep or Cherokee on the roof rack for when I am out exploring with the family.

Since our exploring is done out in the deserts and mountains of the remote West....what would you have in the kit?

Remember our summers can reach 115 degrees or high depending where we are..so the kit has to be stable for heat, plus its on top of the vehicle in direct sunlight.

The kit will be based upon two adults, me & the wife and two two year olds....

Both the Jeep and Cherokee have a full size Spare tire, tools, shovel, hi-lift, axe, air compressor....

What would you add for this kit and why?

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Example of the size with a gallon of milk

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Vehicles...

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Really all you need is a full first aid kit some mre's and the max you can carry in water.Maybe carry a tent and warm clothes in case it gets cold at night.

Maybe an LED torch/lantern with a blink mode to attract help at night (Some of those things run for days) and some form of smoke generator to do the same during the day. Mini-flares or smoke grenades?
Do you have a CB?

Extra ammo?

Ham radio (with ham lic) since your cell probably won't work and cb has short range.
GPS so you can give your coordinates if needed and see where you are. Topo Map.
Tire plug kit.
Water, food, first aid kit.
Tool kit, elec. tape, duct tape, elec wire and hay bale wire, gun/ammo.
Tell a couple of people when/where you are going and when you expect to return.

A couple of guys went to Death Valley way off road one day and broke down. They used a hand held ham radio to call a friend in Pahrump to help them. They were lucky in that the radio hit a repeater 120 miles away and they were able to give GPS coordinates to the friend that was able to buy parts and go rescue them. Most hand held radios are 5 watt and most mobile radios are 50 watt so go with mobile. I have a mobile with APRS which sends out a GPS signal so I can be traced on the internet or by another radio with APRS.

I throw my wife's and my Bug Out Bag in the jeep when we go out. Each bag 4 days rations, water treatment, first aid, extra clothes, speaking bag with hammock and tarp, snare wire and fishing gear.

You could stretch the food and survive quite a bit longer than 4 days with a properly constructed Bug Out Bag. Plus it's a lot more mobile than the suitcase your starting with.

I agree with this 100%. Bug out bags can be cheap, I found two tactical backpacks for $5 at a yard sale one time. A lot cheaper and more mobile/lighter than a Pelican case. I have a Henry Survival Rifle that can fit a bag, which would be an ideal gun to have around. That was $250 new, just found a used one for $100. Here's a list of stuff I always have in my Jeep: Knives, seat belt cutters, flashlights, glow sticks,note pad, pen, sunglasses, flares, matches, lighters, map, compass, hatchet, machete, folding saw, water bottles, snacks, 550 cord, phone chargers, rain coat, poncho, trash bags, and an e-tool. (Probably forgetting somethings, need to make a list) Most of these things are really cheap.

Obviously you know how cold the desert can get at night. So warmer clothing and some kind of thermal or reflective blanket would be wise too.

There's about a million threads and YouTube videos online. I myself use hybrid ALICE packs with customs frames I make. The Alice packs are super durable and really cheap.

Here's mine

Attachment 320405

My biggest problem is food and water. Both times I have needed it, it wasn't in there because it was removed from either freezing or afraid it would spoil in heat. Both times were just in my DD commute and others getting stuck and blocking up the roads forced me to sleep in the car for the night.

It's very difficult to store water in a vehicle, plastic bottles and cars don't mix.

Mres for food are good and keep for a long time. You can also get pouches of water to store too.

Can you elaborate why plastic bottles and cars don't mix? I imagine a small cooler of water bottles or a 5 gallon jug would be good for the OP's family.

I agree that a Bug Out Bag for each family member would be a better option, especially if you end up having to walk any great distance. Make sure you have a couple of snake bite kits. Lanacane and/or burn spray/ointment. Fire starting supplies. Signaling supplies. Some kind of shade cloth or tarp that can be toed to the roof rack rails and used for outdoor protection from the sun. A gun and ammo or at least bear spray/mace to keep the coyotes off of you. Off bug spray. Spare radiator hoses and serpentine belt and tools to change them. GPS with topo maps, or if you have a Windows Phone, you can download maps for free, store them on the phone, and you don't have to be in range of a cell signal to use the GPS with them. And a Spot Personal Locator Beacon.


Another suggestion... With just a few dollars invested in some 6" diameter PVC pipe and some fittings, you can create a water container that will go up in the rack of either of your vehicles that will hold about 8-10 gallons of water. Permanent glued cap on one end, threaded cap on the other with some teflon. Make the tube as long as what will fit down inside the rack(s) and strap it in. Durable as hell, reusable, and cheap. Using a funnel, you can pour out of it into smaller containers, or rig up some kind of spout to it.

During one trip out to the back woods of Arkansas, about 6 hours from where we live in DFW, Texas, I threw a two-wheeled toddler cart like what you hook up behind a bicycle. Figured if we got stranded and had to walk a ways i could throw supplies in there and have an easier time carrying stuff. picked mine up used on Craigslist for $30. It folds up and easily fits in the roof rack.

The can of dip is a necessity haha. But on a serious note id make sure to have lots of high energy foods. Meal replacement bars are small and theyll fill you up well enough. And then id make sure to a radio of some sort and a means to get food if you ran out ie fishing/hunting equipment.

When the plastic bottles get hot they leach chemicals into the water, or so I've been told.