The tier map (2026 street-price ranges; Ch. 6 reasoning)
| Tier | Buys | Contents summary |
|---|---|---|
| ~$35 | All six functions, tin scale | Lighter+ferro ($8–10), PJ cotton balls ($4), whistle ($3–5), button compass ($4–6), tablets ($8–10), pouch ($3–4), 2 mylar ($4–6), wound basics ($4–5), tin ($0–3) |
| ~$100 | Speed and depth | + knife ($15–25), headlamp ($20–25), squeeze filter ($20–30), stormproof matches ($6–8), 50 ft cord ($6–8), poncho+blanket ($8–10), first aid depth ($10) |
| ~$300 | The layered system | + fixed blade ($40–70), 2nd headlamp/spares/bank ($35–50), bivvy or tarp ($40–70), first aid w/ real tourniquet ($45–60), vehicle-layer start (thrift/surplus) |
| Beyond | Shorter emergencies | Satellite messenger or PLB (Ch. 17); then courses, not gadgets |
The five zero-tolerance categories (authorized sources only, never price-shopped): tourniquets & bleeding control · water treatment · PLBs/messengers · the primary blade · anything dosed or medical.
Counterfeit tells (Ch. 6): price defies physics · weight defies claims · brand almost spelled right · seller untraceable · cordage without real inner strands. Test every cheap item the week it arrives.
Upgrade order when money arrives: water → light → blade → shelter → first aid depth → satellite. Frequency and consequence justify spending; nothing else does (Ch. 42).
The expiration table (Ch. 41; print and tape inside the home kit)
Water stored 6–12 mo · vehicle consumables 12 mo · chlorine dioxide tablets 4–5 yr sealed · ration bars 5 yr · retort/MRE 3–5 yr cool · freeze-dried 10–25+ yr sealed · lithium primaries ~20 yr · alkalines never in kits · power banks/jump packs recharged every 6 mo · lightsticks per date · OTC meds per label · ointments/adhesives 1–2 yr in vehicles · bleach ~1 yr · sunscreen/repellent 2–3 yr · infant formula/diapers months · flares per date · elastics 3–5 yr · documents/photos 12 mo.
Evergreen buying guidance by category
Fire: ferro rods 3/8 in (10 mm)+ for primaries; name-brand disposable lighters; stormproof matches in sealed vials. Light: established lighting brands, runtime charts over lumen claims, lithium primaries for storage. Water: hollow-fiber squeeze filters from the two or three market leaders; chlorine dioxide in foil; single-wall metal bottles. Blades: full tang, named steel, established makers, $40–100 does everything. Trauma: the widely fielded windlass tourniquets by name, from the maker or authorized medical dealers. Electronics: current-generation beacons/messengers from the established players; registrations kept live. Everything: spec sheets over adjectives; warranties as confidence signals; professional failure data over influencer enthusiasm.
Organizations and references worth knowing
- Ready.gov (U.S. FEMA preparedness portal): all-hazards planning templates, kit baselines, alert-app pointers. Your country’s civil-protection equivalent publishes parallel guidance.
- American Red Cross / national Red Cross societies: home preparedness guidance, first aid and CPR courses, shelter operations.
- Stop the Bleed (stopthebleed.org): the one-hour bleeding-control course; find local classes.
- NOAA Weather Radio (weather.gov/nwr): frequencies and coverage for the broadcast layer every home and vehicle kit assumes.
- The Mountaineers: origin and steward of the Ten Essentials systems list (Ch. 32).
- COSPAS-SARSAT and national beacon registries (in the U.S., beaconregistration.noaa.gov): free, mandatory-in-spirit PLB/EPIRB registration.
- Wilderness medicine schools (WFA/WFR certifications) and community emergency response teams (CERT): the training layer, locally delivered.
- State/provincial fish-and-wildlife agencies: the legal reality of Chapter 14 where you live.
- Transportation security authorities (TSA and international equivalents): the current-events rules of Chapter 38, checked per trip.
(A living version of this resource list belongs on the book’s website; organizations shift, and paper ages: which is, fittingly, the whole lesson of Chapter 41.)