Prepare Yourself: The Seventy2 Survival Kit
OutdoorHub Reporters 08.30.18
Survival kits of all sorts can be found almost everywhere. Ranging from survival kits in a can to the high end SEVENTY2 survival system, there are kits for almost every real and imagined survival scenario you might find yourself in.
FEMA and other disaster relief agencies recommend having a survival kit that will last you at least 72 hours. With that in mind, we are going to look at the SEVENTY2 survival system a bit more closely to see why it is perhaps the ultimate 72 hour kit, and how you can improve on it a bit.
Not all survival kits are created equal. Some are little more than cute gimmicks that look like somebody gave up halfway through reading an old Boy Scout handbook. Others appeal to “tactical” minded people who think survival equates fighting hand to hand through the zombie space alien apocalypse. Others simply repackage a few basic, and minimalist tools, stick them in a fancy bag and charge a high price for something you could assemble in a few minutes at a low end sporting goods store. The SEVENTY2 is none of these things though. Reasonably priced at about $350, it is a true professional grade survival system that provides all the key resources you need in a 72 hour kit, while allowing for a personalized touch.
We don’t have the space to go into a full, in depth examination of this amazing kit, but as you can see, it is a very in depth survival system. And really, survival system is an excellent way to describe the SEVENTY2, because it is more than just a simple collection of gear. Survival kits are built around the idea of providing the food, supplies and tools you’ll need in an emergency- typically a natural disaster. While it is romantic to envision being lost in the woods, and only having your trusty emergency kit standing between you and the howling savagery of the wilderness, reality is far less sexy, and the SEVENTY2 addresses that.
Equally at home in the wilderness related emergency of your choice, or the middle of LA after the big one hits, the SEVENTY2 is all practical. Free of silly gimmicks like questionable fishing kits, overgrown knives rejected from the set of Rambo, and compasses that can’t quite find magnetic north, the SEVENTY2 instead features useful things like a folding shovel that actually works, well thought out selections of basic first aid supplies, gloves and a hat to keep warm even when sleeping with minimal shelter, fire starting supplies and perhaps the best assortment of hydration devices in any survival kit.
Because water filtration technology has gotten so advanced, and so affordable, it is easy to ship a quality water filter in a kit, and increasingly more important as natural water supplies become more polluted, and survival in an urban disaster likely means running across all sorts of unpleasant water. If you can filter and make your own clean water, you are ahead of the game.
Now the SEVENTY2 has a couple of weaknesses that are universal to pretty much any survival kit or system, and that is ok, because it is these areas where an individual needs to step up and see to their personal needs. The first aid supplies in the SEVENTY2 are adequate for common bumps and scrapes and such, but won’t treat anything more serious than a sprained joint. One should probably upgrade the first aid supplies to their skill level of first aid treatment. If you have advanced first aid training, the first aid kit in your emergency survival gear should reflect that.
