A dollar store survival kit

fixer27

fixer27

Joined
Nov 17, 2004
Messages
14,031
We all have a dollar store/family dollar store in our towns.

I walked around me area store and saw maybe 75% of a decent survival kit including:

A poncho
Candles
simple tools/a small chicom multi tool and screws etc.
A radio AA powered
cheap canned food
flashlights
personal hygene items (wipes, anti bacterial lotion, TP, etc)
Medicine iodine, super glue, guazes, advil

So in a pinch, what are the best and cheapest articles for a kit that can be assembled form a dollar store type enviroment for around $25 dollars?
 
Sounds like you already have a good list. Here's the changes I'd suggest:

Get a good poncho - the thin, plastic ones they sell are no better than a cheap trash bag - I'd rather have a good Hefty trash bag in that case but it's nice just to have one in your pack, just in case I guess.

Candles - go with votives, unscented, not tea lights. The votice actually burn for 8-12 hours each. They're usually 2 or 4 for a dollar at the Dollar Store.

The tools are kinda garbagey but you won't feel bad if you lose them. I'd prefer a good Leatherman/MultiTool in place of the junk tools and use the extra money on batteries and food.

The cheap radio is good to have - they work okay enough.

Instead of the canned food, though, I'd go with all the new pouch foods they have nowadays. They sell a lot there.

And go with a good flashlight - the Dollar Store ones are usually polystyrene and will crack at the threads just trying to put batteries in. Also the contacts are usually junk.

The first aid/hygiene stuff is a nice deal there. Check expiration dates on the medicines before you buy but they're usually good and a good way to rotate meds in your packs without spending a fortune.

Good place to get pencils and a notebook for your pack.

Make sure you purchase a "real" quality water filter for getting water for the pouch foods like the potatoes and soups. Make sure you buy the pouch tuna and chicken - they're pretty tasty.
 
fixer27 said:
We all have a dollar store/family dollar store in our towns.

I walked around me area store and saw maybe 75% of a decent survival kit including:

A poncho
Candles
simple tools/a small chicom multi tool and screws etc.
A radio AA powered
cheap canned food
flashlights
personal hygene items (wipes, anti bacterial lotion, TP, etc)
Medicene iodine, super glue, guazes, advil

So in a pinch, what are the best and cheapest articles for a kit that can be assembled form a dollar store type enviroment for around $25 dollars?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I just can't agree this is something someone should think about if they are seriously going to depend on it. Most of this stuff is junk and, its made to 'maybe' work, because if it doesn't, who cares, it was a dollar right? Wrong, the guy freezing his ass off in the wet with a flashlight that doesnt work and the lighter flint wheel broke off on the first try. I do agree that one doesn't have to spend a kings ransom, but the way to go as far as anything is concerned is 'Buy the best you can afford and cry only once' or another favourite of mine when talking about gear, 'There is no such thing as a bargain'
 
Temper said:
'There is no such thing as a bargain'
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

We have a saying in Sweden:
"Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder" which roughly translates to
"There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear."
 
Well it depends.. if your talking "survive the next Cat.2 hurricane", then that stuff works just fine. If your talking "the SHTF and I'm hiking to Canada!" then no, I wouldn't use anything from there other then the food and cheap meds.

A few other cheap Ideas.
EBAY!

get a good torch (flashlight) with high output. when factoring price, :jerkit: Inova, Surefire, Princeton, Stream light, and all the other "high end" brands. They're the best of the best.. but the name will cost you.
Head over to the nearest target, or wal-mart, and pick up one of these $12 US.. I own a few of them, they're great little torches. As powerful as most surefire, and a LOT cheaper. They run off of 123a, and despite what flashlight-reviews says, using Surefire bat's, this torch will run for about an hour before it looses any noticeable brightness. About 30 min after that, it dies.

I use them for EDC because if I leave it on the bus, subway, at school, wherever.. $12 hurts a lot less then $100+.
 
Taken from the site
UPDATE Oct 2005: I bought another one recently for some testing at the request of a reader. The good news is that since the original review, Brinkmann got rid of the junk batteries and are now including much better GE/Sanyo cells. The bad news is that it flickered badly during the start of the runtime test. Then it went out. Upon investigation I found that the pins of the bulb were not attached to the contact plates on the bulb assembly in any way except for friction. The original bulb had the bulb pins tack-welded to the contact plates. This one did not. If you purchase one, CHECK THE BULB PINS IMMEDIATELY UPON OPENING. If you can push on them with your fingernail and they slide around on the contact plates, return the light as defective and try another. The defective light was returned and the next one I purchased was assembled correctly. Oh, and you can now get this light for 16.99 at Target dept. stores and it includes a vinyl belt sheath.
Click to expand...

How many Surefire or Inova flashlights need a CQ check by the purchaser?

There is no such thing as a bargain, or even more plain sepak would be

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Period

If you life/comfort/safety is only worth 4 Coffee's from Starbucks then fine.
 
I own 9 surefires, and 4 of the brinkmans.. and given many more as cheap gifts.. never an issue with any of them.

So yea, I guess I'd rather risk having to drive the half mile back to target then loose a $100 torch. Although the risk vs reward there should have been a no-brainer. :)
 
OK, fair enough. I fear this is going to turn into a Sebanza/Rolex thread and I may be the guilty one for starting it.

So, suffice it to say that to me, I would rather pay more for a known quality than a bargain for up to 10% of the price
 
Yes please.. not another Flaming/fan-boy thread :(

But Fixer, if you need a budget torch, there's nothing wrong with the brinkman I linked. But as temper pointed out, poke it first :)
 
There is nothing wrong with assembling a half dozen or dozen cheapie survival kits as suggested. Good gifts to soothe the natives should the SHF or to introduce a new person to the notion and art of using a kit. Or to scatter in caches, should your primary kit be damaged, destroyed, lost, or inacessable, or even used up. Even cheap stuff you can McGuyver with is better than nothing!

I might add to the list:
Picture hanger wire
Kitchen matches (strike anywhere matches are still available at some)
mini-Bic lighters
HD storebrand foil
A cheap rigged fishing line
LED keychain light
Jello
instant rice packet
plastic cup
metal bowl

Codger
 
Fixer,

First, I really like the use of the phrase "chicom multitool". A blast from the past, very William Gibson. I'm going to try to use that more.

In any real SHTF situation, I'm sure that they have cheap hammers and screwdrivers that could get you into places were better stuff was at.

They often have powdered gatorade or at least, koolaid. Dried pasta, salt, olive oil. Cheap multi-vitamins that you can ground up and cowboy up to drink for the benefits.

Lighter fluid poured into a cheap plastic squeeze bottle. Cheap duct tape for stuff that you wouldn't be returning to, and cheap nylon rope for make-do rigging on non-load bearing stuff.

I seem them as more of a suburban SHTF way point than as a source of urban or backwoods supply.

Take Care,
Jeff
 
I'm not convinced that the dollar store has anything that I'd want, including candles. Most of the stuff is made in China and I don't trust em. Nuff said.
 
Hard to avoid alltogether nowdays. Turn over your keyboard and see where it was made. :eek:

Codger
 
Fair enough about the "Made in China".

I am running down to the store this afternoon. I'll take $25 bucks and see what kind of kit I can put together. There is also a Goodwill right next door to the Dollar Store so hopefully I can score a fanny pack or a better quality back pack. The Dollar Store ones are cheap vinyl and tear at a harsh word.

My priorities will be:

Iodine for water and medicine
A poncho tarp or trash bags for shelter
Two different fire starters and some kindling material (steel wool or cotton balls)
Maybe a mylar balloon for water
Baking soda, I love that stuff, from toothpaste to antacid to cleaning battery terminals a
great utility to weight ratio.

It would be great if I can find some sort of decent quality blade at Goodwill, we shall see.
 
BTW there is zero difference between cheap and expensive gear if I cannot utilize it in a proper manner.

So to me it isn't the tool it's the man operating the tool that makes it effective.
 
fixer27 said:
BTW there is zero difference between cheap and expensive gear if I cannot utilize it in a proper manner.

So to me it isn't the tool it's the man operating the tool that makes it effective.
Click to expand...

:thumbup: You're right, It's not the plane it's the pilot!
 
I agree on one hand that it's the man, not the tool but even an expert can't always make do with complete garbage. Some tools in your kit actually have to be quality. On that note, price doesn't always mean quality. It can cost a fortune and still be garbage.
 
Knowledge and mindset is key. A cheapo wal-mart survival kit is infinitely better than someone who doesn't prepare at all.
 
We are not really arguing 'skills' per se, we are saying that a cheap tool will more than likely fail when used in the manner for which it was made/marketed.

A cheap screwdriver for example might either twist, rendering it useless or round (in the case of a Phillips head) A cheap pry bar might just snap.

There is a reason they are cheap.

Its false economy, there is no other way to look at it. Yes you can buy 10 for the price of 1 'Brand Name' item but it wont even be 10% as good. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, I believe that kit that is intended to be used, should in fact be able to be used.
 
The quality of the materials is very important to the function of the tool.
But survival is the art of the practical not the theoritical. Any tarp can be used to make do, a cheap trash bag can work but it will also fail very quickly if it is mishandled.

I wouldn't plan on driving any phillips head screws, I believe that lashing things together would be much better and save weight as well.

After a return trip to the dollar store, I bought medicine, candles (votives) and canned food. The canned food is more useful than the pouches as I can make a Hobo oven out of a tin can. Electric tape was a dollar a roll.

The Goodwill store yielded a eastsport fanny pack and a decent backpack for the whopping sum of $2.00. There also was a bamboo can pole for 3.00.

I also found out that Nitro pak is carrying the water purifying straws for only $8.00. I ended up ordering four of them that is IMO a great deal on a water source.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top