When this big box arrived on our doorstep, I had no idea what awaited our family. Inside was a truly awesome survival kit, fit for four people to keep a family sheltered, informed, fed and watered for three full days. Rescue Guard, available on Amazon, offers different sizes, but this is the biggest and the most complete. Whether you are preparing for the zombie apocalypse (grin) or a real-life emergency, Rescue Guard’s 361-Piece Survival Pack is going to fit the bill for sure.

Let’s cover what it comes with first:

1 Deluxe First Aid Kit (212 pieces)

1 Travel First Air Kit (60 pieces)

2 Squeeze Powered Lights

1 Emergency Lantern Radio/Flashlight/Charger

1 Deck of Playing Cards

1 Survival Knife

1 Survival Axe

1 Multi-Function Tool

4 Emergency Ponchos

4 Emergency Blankets

4 Bivy Sacks

2 Leather Gloves (2 pairs)

1 Duct Tape

4 Tissue Pack

12 Pre-Moistened Towelettes

4 Dust Masks

4 Exam Gloves (latex-free)

4 Biohazard Bags

4 Light Sticks (2 per pack)

1 Survival Whistle / Compass

1 Backpack

1 Firestarter Flint & Steel

1 Wire Saw

2 Emergency Tents

1 Emergency Plan/Contact

4 Emergency Food Rations 2400

24 Emergency Drinking Waters

That is a lot of items and a great set-up for any regional weather emergency like a flood, hurricane, blizzard, fires, or earthquake. If you have watched the news in the last few years, you can easily see the need for such a backpack. We live in a relatively catastrophe-free area (Sacramento, CA), but we are certainly in danger of fire or possible flooding, depending on the strength of our local dam. It is just a relief to know that at a moment’s notice, I have something I can grab that will help us in any situation where we might need to flee. The fires in our area have been so fast-moving that people had no time to grab anything but what they had on them or right by the front door. We are keeping our survival pack in the entryway closet, so we will always know where it is, and will always have what we need if we find ourselves living in a tent in the Walmart parking lot for a few days. This exact scenario happened to many families in the Paradise, CA, fires.

The Survival Pack includes S.O.S. Emergency Good Ration 2400. Each of these thickly shrink-wrapped packets contains six fortified food bars that provide 400 calories per bar that includes: 18 g of fat, 53 g of carbs, and 6 g of protein. It contains wheat and corn so if these are an allergy issue for any in your family, you will want to add something for that person to the pack. These emergency rations are U.S. Coast Guard Approved and have a shelf life of five years. Directions are to eat two a day. Along with the food rations are 24 individual 4.227-ounce emergency packets of water. These are also U.S. Coast Guard approved. These are thickly packaged so as not to be easily punctured in travel. Directions are to drink at a minimum, two packets a day. So, you can see that these are indeed emergency rations.

The only thing missing from our kit was the Emergency Plan/Contact. I am not sure what that looks like, but that should be something your family already knows, and is not found in a backpack anyway. My kids have all memorized our phone numbers and should we be away from each other during an emergency, we have a place where we can meet. My children are all older teens now, but we had a safe word we used with them all growing up. If the person coming to get them was not their family, they would need to know the safe word in order to be able to do so. We highly recommend this.

A note on the quality of the ax, knife, and the multi-function tool found in the kit—they are solid and well-crafted. I was a little surprised as I did not expect a ready-made kit to include higher-quality products, but this one does. The lantern also has a radio, flashlight, lantern, and charger, and all in good working order. Initially I was unclear on why four dust masks might be included, but after watching the footage of the Paradise fires, I now see why. These are also high-quality thicker dust masks that would be extremely helpful during an escape from a fire. The backpack is also made of thick canvas and while the pack is heavy with all the included equipment and supplies, it is easy to put on ones back and the weight is distributed equally when you do.

This 361-Piece Survival Pack by Rescue Guard is a very solid purchase that will certainly give you peace of mind knowing that if you needed to flee for any natural or manmade disaster, you certainly could and would be able to survive as well as thrive until you were settled. Great buy!

-Product review by Lisa Stanfield, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, December 2018