Since most survival situations do not last longer than 3 to 7 days it is prudent to start your preparations here. Your Secondary items, generally take you a step or two past primitive. They are not intended to make life cozy in a survival situation. Remember that you have to be able to grab your kit on the run. It shouldn't be larger than necessary. Often it is secondary items that can make a kit burdensome. Plan for secondary items to do multiple tasks. This will lighten the load while increasing the importance of the item.

• Dry Clothing: An extra shirt, pair of pants and socks may not seem like a big deal and many may scoff at the importance of these items, but when you are wet and shivering after setting up your shelter in the driving rain they will be worth more than gold to you! Remember that clothes take up a fairly large area so only one shirt, one pair of pants and one pair of socks per person.
• Hygiene/Sanitation: Women will want to include basic feminine products in the kit in keeping with the needs projected for 3-7 days. Prepackaged wet-napkins should be included to keep hands clean before eating or first aid procedures. Toilet paper will be like gold in a disaster. Don't overpack this item, but don't leave it out either. Take a roll that has been at least half depleted and flatten it, then place it in a zip-lock type bag.
  A word on sanitation: A hole in the ground perhaps blocked from view by plastic sheeting or a tarp is more than sufficient in emergency situations. Locate it away from water sources. As time goes on in your makeshift camp you will have to designate a place for the 'hole' and fashion some sort of seat. All users will need to be instructed to cover their leavings with some dirt that was excavated from the hole.
• Protection: This subject alarms many people, but we must face facts. Disasters usually render law enforcement impotent for at least hours to weeks at a time.
  Where legal, a handgun will be indispensable. Other options besides handguns are short rifles that 'breakdown (fold)' and are easily storable. Some of the latest trends in these rifles include their ability to use handgun ammunition and the materials used are more resistant to the elements. You do not have to go out and buy the most expensive firearms. Think compact and powerful enough to stop an aggressor or your supper.
  NOTE: Unless you are a Special Forces member you will probably not depend on a knife for self defense. But a knife is still a defense option that should be included in your kit. Knives are also excellent tools in survival situations and will be used in many different ways. Spend the money for a good knife. The materials should be impervious to the elements. The blade should be able to hold an edge for a reasonable amount of time before resharpening. It should have at least part of the blade serrated for cutting small branches, cordage, etc. A good knife will be a good friend in a disaster. Try to find a knife that has other tools and uses built in. The Swiss Army knife is a great idea and will do in a pinch, but I advise something with a larger blade that locks in place.
• Light: There are two categories to examine and address here: Spot lighting and area lighting. Flashlights are a good example of spot lighting. Their light is focused onto a small area in a beam. With LED lights now the rage on the market these lights can come in some pretty small packages and their light can last a long time. Other spot lighting options use alkaline batteries, solar regenerated batteries, hand dynamo regenerated batteries and 'shakelights.' Your spot light should be your primary light source in your kit. As such it should be one that will be very long lasting on the batteries it uses or able to generate its own power via the sun or human effort. It should be waterproof and durable. Your money will be well spent if you buy quality spot lighting.
  Area lighting is a general type of lighting meant to light the area around it, such as a lantern, rather than intensely in one place. For short term survival scenarios lanterns are not advisable because of their energy requirements, size, weight and expense. I highly recommend 'glow sticks' for general area lighting. Glow sticks are basically a clear or translucent plastic tube that contains two chemicals separated by a barrier. When you bend the tube sharply the barrier inside breaks mixing the two chemicals. The mixture then gives off a glow. Most glow sticks last about 6 -12 hours and then are disposable. They are great for the general lighting of small areas, such as inside a small tent. I recommend at least 3-7 of these sticks for your kit.
• Communication: Communication for survival purposes takes several forms. Your kit should contain some sort of basic AM or AM/FM radio in order to follow weather, civil defense messages, disaster updates, etc. Most American homes have at least one cell phone. If you can afford one then it is a good investment for emergencies and they have been attributed to saving many lives.
  You may find yourself in a situation where a cell phone isn't available or won't work. If rescue aircraft are in your area you need to signal them where you are. There are lots of fancy strobe lights, emergency beacons and the like out there, but they add weight, batteries and expense. A must for your kit is a quality emergency signaling mirror. Good ones will signal even on cloudy days! They are not expensive and do not need batteries. Don't be intimidated by them, they are easy enough for a child to use once shown.

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