There’s a bunch of different options when it comes to what your emergency kit could be stored in. You can see what those options are here.
I think different options work better for different types of kits.
In this post I talk about what I’m going to use and what I think works best for me and the location I’m going to store all of these item in.
I’m Going with Plastic Storage Containers
They have a bunch of different names. They could be called storage totes, plastic containers, storage boxes.
They are my go to when it comes to the household emergency kit I am currently building as well as many other things, especially down in my garage.
Why plastic containers are great for a household emergency kit?
- They are sturdy
- Come in different sizes
- Able to be stacked
- Have lids
- Can be used for other purposes like storing water
- Waterproof/ish
- Can be used as a seat
Not all storage boxes are created equally
Like anything there is varying quality when it comes to storage boxes. Here’s some features I don’t like.
Plastic storage boxes that go brittle or easily break.
This comes down to the type of plastic that has been used in the manufacturing process. Some seem good initially, but over time they can get brittle or break. In my experience a big culprit in crappy products is any that is made with a clear or translucent plastic. That doesn’t happen to all containers that are, but it’s happened enough to me. Funnily enough it’s always been containers someone has given me.
Plastic containers with poorly designed handles
Most plastic storage containers don’t have an actual lifting handle. You actually pick the container up by holding under the edge of the container. What a lot of them do have is a locking handle that clips over the lid to hold them on. Some are mounted onto the lid and clip down onto the box, or are mounted on the box and clip up onto the lid.
If you are rough with your storage boxes handles may be bumped. Poorly designed handles can break off. Meaning they are not able to be used to secure the lid. Ones that aren’t solid like above can break easily.
Plastic containers without lids
I like to think of containers without lids just large totes. They are handy and some like fish bins can be either stacked inside each other, or if turned around can be stacked on top of each other.
But items could still fall out if they tipped over. So a lid is a must for me.
Plastic storage containers with wheels
Some plastic storage boxes come with wheels built into the bottom. The idea is that you can easily wheel them around if needed. From experience over time one of the wheels break, or falls of and you are left with a box with 3 wheels.
Maybe the higher quality boxes have better wheels. Maybe I was being too rough with them. Or maybe they aren’t a good idea and over time they just break.
I’m not a fan of them. Also if the box can roll by itself on an incline, I’m not keen on that.
The Plastic Storage Boxes I’ve Gone With
Plastic boxes while light can be bulky, so buying any from online usually come with a huge shipping cost. That happens a lot in this part of the world. Who knew living on a small island nation at the bottom of the world would have high shipping costs.
We do have some specialist stores that sell storage solutions. This sort of stuff is industrial quality. Which comes with a hefty price tag. Also with them being located only in one location, or online shipping it’s very hard to see the boxes in person before buying.
Getting them from the Hardware Store
Hardware stores are in my opinion the best option. You can go check out what they offer easily enough. While online reviews are OK sometimes, you really need to see things yourself and judge things with your own eyeballs.
They also have a good selection, and wide range of prices. More so than any other store.
They also seem to stock the same brand for longer. I’ve been caught out in the past where I’ve purchased some boxes only to return 6 months later to get more to find they no longer exist. If you can buy all the boxes you need at once, do that. It means everything will be uniform and work well together.
The boxes I went with – Inabox Heavy Duty Container
After having a look around at the various sizes and styles of boxes available I settled on a brand called Inabox which is sold here at Bunnings. They make a heavy duty container.
You can get them in 55l, 80l and 100l sizes. Interestingly on their website they have a 25l a 40l and no 80l. I’d be keen to get some of those smaller sized ones. Hopefully they start selling them here soon.
To start with I went with the Inabox 55l heavy duty container. It fits well in the space I have available.
What I like about the Inabox containers
- They are solid
- Being all black means no light can get into them
- The handles lock the lid down tightly
- They lock together really well when stacked
- You can get insert trays for some of the sizes
- They have no wheels which is great
- They have an app that helps you keep track of your containers
What I don’t like about the Inabox containers
- They make different sized ones currently not available at my location
- The app works with “most android devices” (I’ve got one it doesn’t work on)
Organizing the Insides
I’ll do posts on this later as I go along an add items to the boxes. One thing I do like about the Inabox Heavy Duty Containers is they make the insert trays for them. This gives you a life out tray that can help you with small items. Great for an emergency situation.
For other items in the box I might look at small storage containers or zip lock bags to keep things together.
I’ll look into that more once I have more items. It’s all about keeping things together but also accessible.
How Many Storage Boxes am I Using for my Household Emergency Kit?
My initial thinking is I just need 2 to 3 of the 55l sized boxes. Food and other items will be split between the boxes. How this all works out I’ll find out once I’ve completed building this emergency kit.
What am I Leaving Out
Will everything end up in a storage box? Probably not.
Clothing and footwear will probably end up in the grab and go bag. My thinking around this is if I am at home and things are OK and I just need the household emergency kit I should be able to access everything normally. If I need to leave in a hurry or get out of the house I’ll be grabbing my grab and go bag.
Currently the water I do have stocked up is stored behind the storage boxes. There’s no need to add them to a container. It would be too heavy with no benefit.
What are you using?
For your household type kits what are you using? What have you found that works well for you. Let me know by leaving a comment below.
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