Survival Gear

Mobile networks fail in exactly the events you need them for. Here is what each alternative actually does, ranked by how often it earns its place — starting with the cheapest.

Every plan on this site fails the same way: it lives on a phone with a flat battery. Here is the paper version — nine short lists, on the fridge, where they work.

Almost all preparedness advice assumes a garage, a shed and permission to drill holes. Here is the version for a rented flat — one crate, under a bed, moves with you.

Lighting is where emergency kits fail most quietly: bright torches with two hours of runtime, four different battery types, and candles as the backup. Here is what actually works for three d…

Freeze-dried buckets are expensive food you will never eat. Here is a fourteen-day plan from the supermarket, with the energy and cost arithmetic, built to rotate itself.

Water is the heaviest and most important thing in any kit, which is why most households skip it. Here is what to store it in, how much, where it fits, and how to rotate it without thinking.

Pre-made first aid kits are optimised to look full, not to treat anything. Here is a kit built from what households actually present to emergency departments with, and what to add to a shop-…

A car kit in Australia has to survive a 70°C boot and cover distances where help is hours away. Here is the suburban version, the road-trip version, and the items that quietly degrade.

Most kit lists assume you have $400 and a spare Saturday. This one is a buy-order: what to get with the first $50, the next $50, and the next — from shops you can walk into today, with weigh…