What are the Different Types of Emergency Kits?

You could have just the one and be done. But would that help with your preparedness? Having one has to be better than having nothing.

But… I think it’s better to have a couple of different type of kits.

Why Have More Than One Emergency Kit?

Having more than one means you potentially have access to things more readily when you need them. You might not know when an emergency situation is about to happen.

Depending on where you are and what you are doing, I don’t think it makes sense to have just one emergency kit. Having one that is available and near you is important, due to the unpredictability of when an emergency or disaster could happen.

While it might seem like a pain or an added expense to have more than one kit. Be prepared can help you a lot.

Types of Emergency Kits

This is what I am creating and putting together. You might agree or disagree, which is totally fine.

You might also get some ideas about what you want to create.

This is just a brief overview of the situations I see the kits working in. I go into more detail of what the kits contain exactly on the individual kit pages.

I should also note that there are many names people use, these are the names I use.

What Type of Emergency Kit Do I Need?

Only you can answer that question. But here’s the ones I think you should think about.

Household Emergency Kit

This is my main kit. It’s the largest out of all of them, and it’s for the whole household. I feel this is the starting point in creating an emergency kit.

Think of this kit being used for a natural disaster where staying at home is OK. There might not be any power or the ability to pick up items from a store. We might be on our own for 3 days or even more.

This set of gear is portable, but only if it was put into the back of a vehicle.

This kit will contain at least:

Water
Food
Lighting
First aid
Radio
Personal items
Protection items
Toilet items

This is the type of items your local government will advise on having on hand.

I break down what can go into a household emergency kit and the different ways I think about the items in the household emergency kit list page.

Grab and Go Emergency Kit

Known by many names, Bug Out Bag, 72 Hour kit, Grab and Go.

This emergency kit is made at an individual level. One for each person in the household. It’s for you to grab and get out of the house in a hurry, not knowing when and if you will be back.

It will help you get through the next 72 hours and should be well rounded with food, water, clothing, first aid and everything else you need.

I have a list of items for a grab and go kit here.

Vehicle Emergency Kit

This type of kit will live in or on your vehicle.

It’s up to you on just how portable you need this to be. It’s also one of the kits that I think has a lot of variety.

This kit will help you in emergencies that involve your vehicle. It can easily be combined with the other types of kits to provide maximum coverage.

My list of items for a vehicle emergency kit can be found here.

Work Emergency Kit

This kit type is what I like to think of if I got stuck at work overnight for some reason.

It’s also the kit that not everyone needs. Depending on your situation and work conditions, you might not need this. Your worksite might have options that could help you out if you got stuck there.

If your work sites are varied and you are in your vehicle a lot, then making sure your car emergency kit is well rounded and stocked could serve as a work emergency kit.

To go more in depth about the Work Emergency Kit and what it can contain, head here.

Get me Home Kit

This kit as the name states, is to get you home. This is sometimes the same as a work emergency kit.

There will be enough items contained within it to get you home. It can be a simple kit and might actually just be something you have with you most days.

I talk more about a get me home kit here.

Everyday Carry (EDC)

You may or may not class this as a emergency kit.

It is items that you carry with you every day that can help.

Some people might class one of the kits above as an everyday carry item. If you can carry a bag with gear in it every day, into almost every situation and location, then I guess it counts.

For me EDC revolves around what I have on me 99% of the time, and what I can take into 99% of all daily situations.

You may have seen nice looking photos of people sharing their EDC online before.

I talk about everyday carry kits in more detail here.

Other Emergency Kits

There are all sorts of kits you can put together for all sorts of scenarios.

From small children to pets, there is a wide range you can class as an emergency kit.

Some of these will be addition to an already existing kit, some might be standalone. These kits might also be for a very specific event or situation. They could also be a one off type of kit.

I talk about these on the other emergency kit ideas page.

In Conclusion

There are many scenarios and locations you could have an emergency kit.

They only work if you can get to them when you need them and they contain items that are useful to you in that situation.

Don’t get overwhelmed with all of the types. Just start with one.

Next>> What to Have in Your Emergency Kit