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Having a carefully stocked bug out bag in your car and in your hall closet is a great way to be prepared for an emergency. But how can you be ready if a crisis strikes while you are away from home? Having some basic supplies in your purse can help you survive any time disaster strikes.
Here is a list of survival items that are small and light enough to carry in your everyday purse.
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1. Multitool – A Swiss Army knife can help you in many survival situations. A basic multi-tool has a large blade and a small blade, scissors, can opener, tweezers, and a nail file.
2. Flashlight – Having a source of light can be life-saving in a disaster. You can find keychain and clip-on flashlights as well as larger styles, depending on how much room you have in your bag.
3. Bandana – Just for starters, you can use this lightweight essential as a face mask, tourniquet, sling, sweatband, washcloth, and more. Don’t leave home without one.
4. Lip Balm – A tube of Chapstick is small but mighty. Yes, you can use it for your chapped lips, but it also works as a fire starter, a short-term candle, to help stop bleeding, as a lubricant for things like stuck sippers, and many other things.
5. First Aid Kit – Pack a small first aid kit that includes a few band-aids, anti-bacterial ointment, and pain reliever tablets. Skin moisturizer and sunblock are also good choices, no matter what the season.
6. Moist Towelettes – Moms of young children know how essential wipes are for cleaning hands and other items when you are on the go.
7. Hand Sanitizer – Although this item has been hard to find in stores during the pandemic, a small bottle is a handy item to have in your bag at all times. Since it is flammable, hand sanitizer also can help you start a fire.
8. Whistle – You can find thin but powerful emergency whistles that are small enough to fit on your keychain or purse strap for easy access when you need it.
9. Lighter – A disposable Bic lighter or a pack of matches – or both – can help you start a fire during an emergency.
10. Water – Filled water bottles are heavy and take up space. Consider packing a collapsible water bottle or water pouches in your purse. Some preppers recommend zipper plastic bags and even non-lubricated condoms as packable ways to carry water from a stream in a crisis. Water purification tablets or a filtration straw are also useful to pack. If you have room, a metal water container is optimal.
11. Food – Moms know to pack small snacks for their little ones. Consider high-energy packable snacks such as trail mix, dried fruit, and granola bars. Beef jerky is another good option.
12. Hair Ties – These are handy small items that do more than just gather up a ponytail. Easier to use than rubber bands, you can use them in a pinch for many survival purposes.
13. Tissue – A small pack of Kleenex can work well as temporary toilet paper.
14. Pen and Paper – Having a small notepad and a pen and pencil can help you communicate in an emergency and help you pass the time.
15. Deck of Cards – Speaking of passing the time, a small deck of cards or a puzzle book can help keep minds occupied when you are waiting out a crisis.
16. Dental Floss – Thin and lightweight but powerful, dental floss can be used to make a fishing line, to build a shelter, and many other things.
17. Cash – Carry small bills with you for emergency purchases. A credit or debit card may not work during certain emergency situations.
18. Poncho – A folded plastic poncho (available at the dollar store) can be used for its intended purpose or as a barrier liner in an emergency camping scenario. There are many other uses. A compactly folded trash bag will also work.
19. Feminine Hygiene Products – Once again, you can use tampons and pads for their intended purpose, but they also can be used as fire starters.
20. Mini Sewing Kit – In the days not so long ago, hotels used to carry these gems. However, you can create one yourself by attaching a few small safety pins and some thread and needles to a thin piece of cardboard.
21. Phone Charger – A phone charging cord and battery-operated phone charger could be a real life-saver.
22. Mylar Blanket – These fold up compactly and can be used both for shade and for warmth, depending on what you need. Here's a list of uses for Mylar blankets.
23. Pepper Spray – Pepper spray is a portable and quick means of defense.
24. Duct Tape – There are so many uses for this survival staple. If you don’t want to carry a whole roll with you, try winding some strips of duct tape around your lighter or a plastic first aid kit. Here are some other uses for duct tape.
25. Paracord – It’s easy to have paracord with you in the form of a keychain or a bracelet attached to your purse handle. Here are just a few makeshift uses for paracord:
- Clothesline
- Shoelace
- Leash
- Belt
- Bottle carrier
- Tourniquet
- Fishing line or net
Whew! That may seem like too long a list for an everyday purse, but you’d be surprised at how many of these items you can fit in a small handbag.
Empty Altoids tins are great for storing small items. Zippered make-up pouches also can hold many of the things on our list and help keep them organized and handy in your purse.
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