I’m a HUGE proponent of keeping an emergency medical kit and/or a bugout bag in your car. Terrible things happen all the time, and being prepared to meet any challenge is part of staying alive. It’s the same mentality that keeps me tooling up with a 1911 every morning. It looks like Brownells is trying to cash in on the Ebola epidemic by offering a slightly upgraded version of their existing first aid kit with some extra gubbins, and while I prefer rolling my own it’s not half bad. Presser after the jump . . .
Brownells now offers two Emergency & Survival Gear Essentials Kits specifically designed for pandemic preparedness.
Both the Pandemic Kit and the Ultimate Pandemic Kit contain filter masks, nitrile gloves, first-aid kits and hygiene supplies in an organizer bag with an ESG hook-and-loop patch for instant identification.
In addition to protective gear for the user, the Pandemic Kit also contains waterproof NDUR Safety Matches for easily starting a fire to boil water. The kit retails for $54.99.
The Ultimate Pandemic Kit has a Zippo Emergency Fire Starter along with a JetBoil Zip – a self-contained camp stove designed to quickly boil water – and a can of fuel. The kit retails for $119.99.
“It just pays to be prepared,” said Matt Buckingham, President/COO of Brownells. “You never know when a widespread disease outbreak could strike. Our kits are designed to help meet some basic needs for protection against pathogens and the very important ability to sterilize gear and equipment.”
These two kits are the latest in the Emergency & Survival Gear preparedness kit line. All of Brownells ESG gear kits and products can be viewed by visiting Brownells.com/ESG.
Wow, except for the fancy stove that looks like stuff you’d find in my vehicle from doing remodeling and landscaping jobs!;) As a grab&go kit the prices are not too bad.
Be ready. Thats a broad statement!
Anymore I’m just glad to see someone with jumper cables in their car. A first aid kit is asking a lot of people.
The last four times I’ve helped jump a car the owner had no idea how to do it. All were male. It’s at that point that I call my dad and thank him for raising a man.
About a month ago, I blew a tire. First flat tire I’ve had in probably a decade. So I called AAA, because I figured I ought to get some use out of the card my mom has been paying for and sending me for 20 years. During my 20 minutes on hold, I suddenly had a thought, and it went exactly like this: “I’m a man and I have a spare. Why the hell am I calling someone else for help?” So I got out, in a steady drizzle, and changed my own tire. I’m glad I know how to do things.
One of the things I made my daughter do after buying her first car was change a tire. Twice. In gravel.
It took her a while, but she did it.
After cranking professional speed jacks, single sided jumper cables that hook up to a quick release on a patrol car, and impact wrenches, I much prefer the mechanic stuff to the wee car jacks made out of recycled beer cans. That and splitting multiple pairs if uniform pants.
Still, using those crappy little jacks and whatnot is definitely a diminishing skill. Just taught my son how to jump start, guess I’ve forgotten the tire change.
Lots of cars don’t even come with spares anymore, to save weight/space. Cadillacs, the marque with which I’m currently most familiar, come with a “self-inflator” (and even that is an option), which is a fancy name for a small air compressor that also can inject some fix-a-flat type stuff. You can order a spare tire/wheel, but you have to also order a cover for it, because it just lays in the trunk. There’s no provision for it under the trunk floor.
Meanwhile, I saved my own ass with a 21-year-old spare tire that’s still in like-new condition.
It occurs to me that I shouldn’t be so proud of something as dead-nuts simple as changing a tire, but then I remember how helpless most people are today.
Growing up my dad ran his own 24/7 road service company, mainly for trucks, so I can change tires on a vast array of vehicles. Taught Boy how to do the basics for cars. That said I call AAA because the sad a$$ed excuses for jacks in most cars today are sad a$$ed excuses for a jack. Besides, AAA has saved us several times while traveling on the interstate, plus all kinds of happening discounts on stuff. I have changed other people’s tires on the road, jump started quite a few, even helped a lady get her dog out from under the seat where he had jammed his head, and got people gas. In the American motoring experience you gots to be able to multi-task!
I can change a tire on the side of the road. In my poor hoopty driving days I performed all sorts of emergency surgeries on the side of the road. But I have better vehicles now and AAA. And I’m older.
Changing a tire on the side of an active CA freeway is a dance with death. The more time you spend there the more chance for disaster. CHP loses many more officers to stupid CA drivers than they do to criminal violence.
If a flat occurs I try fix-a-flat first. It’s quick, it usually works and the tire will get me to the nearest exit and the tire shop. If that fails I drive on the rim to the widest, safest spot on the shoulder and call AAA. Those guys are getting paid to take the chances.
My spare, a full size, is for remote areas that have bad cell phone reception.
REALLY good idea to try this in the sunlight on a nice cool day where there is no mud, so you can see if the jack and tools provided with the vehicle are pieces of useless junk or if they will actually work. I have added a Sears scissors jack, a 4-way lug wrench, tire gauge, and a plug-in (accessory socket) $20 air compressor to the tools that came with my truck. The last item is due to the fact that most spares have about 10lbs of air in them when you really need them. Oh yeah, a dozen road flares, some warning triangles, a blue tarp for those snowy/muddy road conditions, gloves, kneepads for my old-fart knees, and a can of instant spare tire just in case. Add a piece of old rug if you live in Phoenix or someplace where the pavement will fry an egg in the summer. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. I have changed a lot of flat tires over the years, and it seems they tend to occur in the worst possible conditions. Oh yeah, add some good lithium-battery LED lights so you can see what you are doing in the dark.
Hey, it’s a pickup truck – might as well stock it up.
The majority of new cars no longer include a spare tire, hence most millennials have no experience changing tires.
The cars now have doughnuts. Don’t know any car sold without them. They are ugly but will get you 50/100 miles.
I think you’d be surprised at how many don’t have one. Most Cadillacs don’t, and neither do many/most of the other luxury brand models. New Escalades don’t come with any spare at all.
My 2013 Hyundai Veloster came with no spare, just a patch kit and a micro air compressor.
I’m with you. I’d rather roll my own.
An emergency and survival kit without a bottle of Bourbon whiskey is a sham and a disgrace.
Just one bottle of hooch?
Geeze, that oughtta be a disgrace…
Florida hurricane supplies routinely have at least 1 case of adult beverages…
Just one bottle of hooch?
Per night.
Better pack Advil and Gatorade if your gonna drink at that pace. Not that I ever have, but I, uh, read that it helps. And greasy scrambled eggs with hash browns and OJ.
@Accur81
That sort of morning calls for a big bowl of menudo, it’ll cure what ails you.
Sorry, but ammo > booze unless we’re talking single malt Scotch.
You are the kind of guy I want to bug out with — because you’ll keep your paws off my Bourbon.
Bottle of Jamesons and a least one can of Spam.
Oh, heck yeah.
The Hawaiian bug out bags are well stocked with Spam.
Ever been to Spam Jam? One of the Greatest street parties on the planet.
Bah. Everyone knows a real survival kit has single malt Scotch in it.
After all, the word “whisky” is an anglophonic corruption of the original Gaelic for whisky which translated as “the water of life.”
Bourbon is what you use for scraped knees.
Single malt you use for life-threatening situations.
The cheaper stuff is good for oiling the hinges on the heels of some of your survival ‘companions’…
Florida saw a surge of ‘Hurricane Babies’ 9 months after the 2004 triple-hurricane season…
There was a lot of ‘Suck’ to embrace that year. August heat and 100 pct. humidity and no power for even a damn fan…
Not hardy what you’ll need. http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=biological+suit&tag=hydsma-20&index=aps&hvadid=40465492074&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7022358419575397150&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=m&ref=pd_sl_280im8zgac_b
Where you going man, Africa?
119 bucks? I bet I can put that kit together for half that at wal mart. Brownell’s is wanting to fleece some sheeple.
Actually, that pretty little stove runs about $80. I prefer my torch bottle heater/burner attachment.
For people trying to get it together these are not bad starter sets. Lots of people really don’t have a clue, and I would rather Brownells get their money than some fly-by-night intrawebs scammers. 😉
My kit has a stainless steel sierra cup and stainless steel 2 qt. pot with frying pan lid. The pot is full of ziploc baggies with lentils and some with oatmeal. My stove is whereever I can spark a fire. 80 bucks will buy a lot of useful items. A stove with one canister is not that useful. Unless all your shtf episodes are one nighters. 🙂
Damn, troop, you sound like me! I keep a field bag(medium Alice pack) with a combo stove(trioxan,wood,paper) 5 MREs, 2 liter water bottle, packet soups, various clothing items and assorted other daily use gear. Add to that the various tools and equip just from working, plus my poggy bait and water bottle cooler with Grundig Yachtboy radio and packs of extra batteries of assorted sizes that lives in the left hand rear corner, I am fairly well set on a day to day basis.
One of the reasons why gunsmiths do so much business with Brownells is that if we have a problem (part doesn’t fit, isn’t correct, etc), Brownells will take it back. They place a very high priority on customer satisfaction, and they have people who answer their phones, during business hours, who speak American english as their first language, who know the business we’re in (ie, guns).
I love Brownells, never had a problem with them. That stove still runs around $80, even at Campmor. Not saying thats bad, is what it is. I still prefer my cheapy torch bottle heater/burner, and for the real shtf times I have several multi-fuel type stoves, plus canteen cup “stoves” in all our canteen sets.
I just got the newest AR-15 Brownell’s catalog, and they had a emergency bag for $700. I was hoping that price was a typo, because it is way overpriced.
Live in Florida, an I think if a pandemic breaks. We may need more supplies like food, water, an arms. We may be told to stay home, or restricted to areas. I would fight my way home. Some medical supplies are a plus.
But if we are speaking about Ebola it wont come to suiting up in hazmat suit. Carriers dont know they have Ebola at the moment till about 21days. Everyone IMO may have it before they know what hit them.
I think I could have Obo’ the Obama sicknesses. The known thing, that would help is if him an his cabinet were gone.
All our cars and truck BOB’s as well as a filter water bottle and MIOX unit. MIOX is fantastic and I’m glad I bought them before they were discontinued. For stoves I used the same wood burner stove I use for backpacking. That way there is never a fuel issue.
Definitely was gonna check out MIOX but discontinued FTL, Im a huge fan of the Berkey sport bottle and Lifestraw as far as water preps go.
For price, functionality, and weight, try the mini Sawyer squeeze for a water filter. Simply awesome.
Not even joking, my wife is at a ‘survival party’ right now. Just as women have jewelry/clothing/sex toy parties in which a sales person comes to a private home and makes sales, this party is for survival gear. I am proud of her for going and thinking proactively, but I am also pessimistic about her finding anything worthwhile. Maybe she will surprise me with hazmat suits for the whole family, including the cat (He’s a fatass kitty, the suit probably won’t fit him)! Hopefully she’ll find some good stuff, but at worst I get a night of drinking beer and watching football alone! It’s all about the little things…. Right?
For urban force recon, you can plus this up on the cheap with:
1. home depot safety goggles,
2. a military surplus camo rain poncho with hood that has the heavy duty grommets to hold sides together like sleeves, and drawstring to seal face, some elbow length,
3. heavy duty rubber gloves good for slaughtering feral hogs,
4. a couple heavy duty contractor weight trash bags for your feet and lower legs, also good for bringing those hog quarters or roadkill home,
5. and duct tape,
And voila! You are at suburban zombie operator tacticool for the Ebolapocalypse at darn near close to WHO healthcare level 3 PPE for patient care…
And room for quick draw from OWB at four o’clock.
What all the best dressed Neighborhood Watch Stander and Cul-de-sac blockimg SUV barrier Volunteers,
and
Moms Demanding Krogers Action will be wearing to the grocery aisles in 2016….
Say, Nick…numbers guy…hows that formula for rate of infection work? 2 to the nth, every 30 days?
Hmmm…
October Surprise, 2016!
” . . .And voila! You are at suburban zombie operator tacticool for the Ebolapocalypse at darn near close to WHO healthcare level 3 PPE for patient care…”
The problem is getting infected when you a live virus on your spacesuit. Health car workers are getting infected as they begin taking off the protective gear. That may be what happened to the nurses in Dallas.
Two words. Use. Clorox.
Thanks to EPA and OSHA hospitals have been using piss poor cleaners for 20 years, hince the steady increase in infections picked up while IN hospitals. Saw an interview with some former NIHer and that was the first thing out of their mouth. Chlorine Bleach. In spite of the lies spewed by environazis it does kill all viruses, bacteria, and germs it is used on. Lets try it on ebola.
One “kit” isn’t going to get anybody anywhere in a real emergency, ebola or otherwise. Work with others, family and/or community, to build cooperative relationships and skills for survival – as well as supplies.
Having isolation or first aid supplies won’t mean anything if you don’t know how to use them effectively and frugally.
Fire extinguisher and shovel are both needed. Thing everything in my kits has been used at least once. You could add a good “space blanket.” Both for an injury but when you need to roll around on the ground (change a tire)
I’m grateful every day that my grandparents taught me to be independent at all costs. It’s entertaining to no end when I help a guy out on the side of the road (daylight only). When a random girl stops to help out a burly man with a tire, you’ve got to laugh. I’ve changed alternators, tires, repaired deer hit damage, and everything else on the side of the road. I keep a bug out bag, truck gun, change of clothes, and first aid supplies behind the seat of our pickup and it’s all gotten used. I used to keep a real jack in there with my old SUV but the Ranger I drive now won’t let you jack it up with anything other than the bottle jack it came with.
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