march30–april12, 2020 | newyork 39Ready America
Emergency Kit ($49)
Thisis anexcellentstarterkit,especially
giventheprice,buttomakeit yourown,
start bydumpingthebag(itlookslike
somethinga third-gradermighttake to
school)andmovingallthegearintoa larger,
ideallymoretechnical,backpack.Thegearis
very similartowhatyou’dfindina Judy, but
fora thirdofthecost,andwiththeaddition
ofmoreoutdoorsyproductslike iodine
tabletstohelpcleanwateranda tubetentto
provideshelter.That’snottosay everything
is greatquality. I broke themultitoolthefirst
timeI openedit,andthoughthekithastwo
masks,it’ s notclearif they’reN95orjust dust
masks.Theflashlight-slash-radiowasalso
somewhat flimsyinmy hands.
UnchartedSupply Co. ($350)In many ways, the bag from Uncharted
Supply Co. is the most technical. The pack
has a proper lumbar strap and an adjustable
chest strap. The first-aid kit is the only one
that contains an elastic wrap for sprains, and
Hobel was excited about all of the tools
included, like tweezers and surgical-style
scissors. It is the only kit we bought that
comes with a water-filtration system, rather
than packets of water, and a knife (though
Hobel noted that it’s not exactly the right
blade if you want to go hunting in the
woods). There’s an Eton hand-crank radio,
which is the brand that’s recommended by
the American Red Cross. It’s also the only kit
that addresses warmth—it contains two
acrylic hats. The trouble is that all the gear is
very heavy and requires a good amount of
knowledge to use correctlJUDY THE MOVER ($150)
Judy is best for those who know they need a preparedness kit but are coming to it with little prior
knowledge. A lot of the gear could be better (the first-aid kit has no elastic bandage for sprains) and,
moreover, needs to be added to meet fema recommendations (which include a water bottle and
filtration system), but the Zip Code–specific guides provided by Judy mean there is enough
information to start a conversation about what preparedness should look like for your household.