How to Make a Bucket Survival Kit, 34+ Items to Add to Your “Bucket List”

As I’ve been having fun at making water bottle survival kits recently I figured it only made sense to try a five-gallon bucket survival kit. After all, I LOVE buckets and think one can never have enough of them. ๐Ÿ™‚ As you can see I was able to shove it all in there but to get the lid on required a bit of… persistence:

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Here’s what I was able to stuff and shove. I was going to number them but the numbers started to really get in the way so I’ll just list the items out roughly in order starting from the back and moving along like a page in a book:

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  1. Water bottles x 4 – I know I’ll take some slack for adding these but I find it hard to create any survival kit that I’m expected to take with me and NOT have among the most precious of resources as a part of the kit, that being water. If you knew that you would have a readily available water source then by all means ditch the water because it’s heavy and I’d hate for it to get punctured and spoil everything else. That said, these bottles were vacuum sealed to help with potential leakage issues.
  2. Freeze dried meals x 4 – I choose to include four freeze-dried meals, two by Mountain House and two by Wise Food. I could have added more but only if I removed other items. Personally, I think having a meal or two at the very least is a good morale booster. In the future I might have added small amounts of hard candies or gum.
  3. Tarp, 6×8 – Who knows why you might need a tarp but they’re super useful as a makeshift shelter. I choose a 6×8 because it fit well but I think I could shove an 8×10 if I tried. Get a ripstop tarp with grommet holes.
  4. N-95 dust masks – I’m not sure how truly useful these might be but they take up very little room so they got tossed in.
  5. Thermos king food jar, 16-ounces – I like my thermos and I refuse to leave home without it. ๐Ÿ˜‰
  6. Water bottle survival kit – This was discussed about a month back and includes several items such as Bic lighters, stormproof matches, a bandanna, firesteel, Potable Aqua, mini multi-tool, duct tape, whistles, water filter straw, etc. Click the link to see all that’s included.
  7. Toilet paper – Your rear end will thank you for including even a small, smashed roll such as this.
  8. Work gloves – Who knows what you may need to grab onto or touch. Get a quality pair of gloves that fit your hands.
  9. Cold steel Tanto knife – This is a serious workhorse of a knife. If you expect to do any buschcraft work or for whatever reason you might need a quality knife, this is a good one to get.
  10. Gerber sliding saw – Knives are great for many reasons but small folding/sliding saws such as this just make procuring firewood that much easier.
  11. Mini crowbar – Not quite sure why this got tossed in there other than because I could. ๐Ÿ˜‰
  12. Grundig shortwave radio (with batteries) – The ability to gather information about a disaster from local as well as far away sources is critical. Beyond that, if you can get some actual music from time to time there’s no harm in that either.
  13. Small flashlight (with batteries) – Lighting must be a bit more than a mini keychain light here. The Cree flashlights are great for the money, though, that’s not what’s included in this particular setup.
  14. Compass – Roads may be impassable or unrecognizable therefore forcing you off the beaten path. Use a compass to ensure you stay on course.
  15. Cyalume glow sticks x 4 – Though not my first choice, glow sticks can be a useful lighting addition. They don’t take up much room so I tossed in four. Go for green colors if you can as they’re best for use at night.
  16. Paracord, 25′ x 2 – Paracord, need I say more? I could have added more had I really tried and probably should have.
  17. Rain ponchos x 2 – What’s shown are some crappy ponchos from Walmart and, after thinking more about it, I should have included one for each person. I also understand trash bags can be used instead but rain ponchos are better if you can include them.
  18. Assorted medical supplies (and Israeli bandage) – There some disposable gloves, gauze, a few pills (such as Ibuprofen), and an Israeli compression bandage. You might also include any necessary Rx medications you or your family rely upon, at least a few days worth, if you can.
  19. 30-gallon trash bags, several – There are many uses for trash bags in a survival situation, including as a makeshift rain poncho. Adding several here shouldn’t be a big problem.
  20. Dorcy Headlamp (with batteries) – Headlamps are a super useful light source, especially for survival tasks. If you can afford it you should include more than one in your kits.
  21. Leatherman multi-tool – I much prefer the Leatherman Wave multi-tool as my EDC, what’s shown is something else (can’t remember which one it is). I guess you could choose to toss in some old hand tools instead as they won’t take up much room if you prefer but, most of the time, a multi-tool is the way to go.
  22. U-dig-it folding shovel – This particular shovel is great for camping or hiking. In this kit I might have tried to include a larger folding shovel but I started to run out of room.
  23. 2-way radios (and batteries) – These are great for keeping tabs on group members who may be off gathering wood, water, or whatever.
  24. Duct tape, flattened – It does everything. Buy quality duct tape at your local hardware store.
  25. Fire starting kit – This is out of one of my bug out bags and started out as a fire-starting kit but morphed into a kit to hold various small random items. Anyway, the fire-starting stuff includes things like Bic lighters, matches, a wallet Fresnel lens, fire-starting logs, and more. Yes, there’s a lot of fire starting stuff included between this kit and the water bottle kit.
  26. Pocket chainsaw – This probably isn’t necessary considering I already have the Gerber sliding saw mentioned previously but redundancy is always a good thing in survival and this particular saw comes in handy in some situations.
  27. Earplugs – This is a personal inclusion because I have a hard time sleeping, particularly in silence, but there may be other reasons to include ear plugs such as hearing safety.
  28. SAS Survival Guide – Is there a better wilderness survival book to reference? I’m not aware of one!
  29. The New Testament, pocket sized – If there’s ever a time to rely on scripture… it’s probably during/after an emergency.
  30. Strike on box matches, 250 count – Never hurts to have a lot of matches.
  31. Mylar blankets x 2 – I’ve never been a big fan of these blankets but they take up so little room I felt obligated to add them here.
  32. Candles x 2 – Similarly, I’m not a big fan of candles for emergencies since they’re a significant fire hazard. That said, they can provide both lighting and another way to sustain a fire, even a bit of heat if you’re desperate.
  33. Deck of playing cards – I can’t think of a better, compact way to pass the time than these if you have nothing better to do regarding keeping you alive.
  34. Needle, thread, safety pins – Used to patch or mend clothing, bags, tent, etc.

After looking over the list I realized I didn’t have any sort of sanitation supplies, such as soaps or wet wipes. That will have to be corrected in the future and wouldn’t take up much room. Moreover, I didn’t include anything to cook foods in (such as a pot or cup) or on (such as a folding camp stove) but I guess I could improvise by using rocks or whatever. This is especially necessary since I would have intended to boil water for the freeze dried meals. Other obvious items I’m missing would be clothing, weapons, ammo but I purposely didn’t try to add those. I think more batteries may have been good too.

Obviously, there are some items I could have removed and still be covered, such as the pocket chainsaw, headlamp, rain ponchos, etc. Similarly, there are items that are not 100% necessary, such as the playing cards, books, and thermos.

Overall, I’ve got quite a few supplies in a rather small space, more than I thought I could get in there. That, after all, is the beauty of making your own survival kits… you can include anything as you see fit. ๐Ÿ™‚ Heck, make two buckets and get everything you want in them.

Whatever you choose to include, this bucket could easily be tossed in the back of your vehicle or stashed at a friends house if you like. Have you ever tried such a kit? What would you include?


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Discover the 5 Minute Survival Blueprint course and get yourself prepared fast, easy, and inexpensively! It’s my gift from one prepper to another. ๐Ÿ™‚

Comments

21 responses to “How to Make a Bucket Survival Kit, 34+ Items to Add to Your “Bucket List””

  1. alildabldo

    You mentioned about storing buckets at a friends home. If using the plastic buckets you could also direct bury them in the ground at stratigic locations along a given route if you have to hike to a safe bug out site. As well you could use these locations as a meeting point for family members in case you are seperated.

  2. Daniel G Bartoli

    I always include a Bic lighter or three in any kit. I wrap the lighter with Duck tape, maybe 6 feet, any mpore and the lighter gets too thick.

    1. 6 feet of duct tape does sound like a lot to wrap around a typical Bic lighter… almost sounds like fun to try. ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Still relatively new to the survivalist lifestyle but learning more everyday. I have been reading through guides and websites and always find new things. Love the bucket idea and great list of stuff to stash into it. Think I will create my own bucket list soon and see what else I can come up with. Awesome website by the way!

    1. I’d suggest you use this list as a starter and add/remove items that makes sense to YOU. After all, you’re the one that’ll need to rely on it! Moreover, depending on what your plans are you may be better off with a relatively small Rubbermaid tote bin or something similar. Hope this helps.

  4. Irish-7

    Sorry, I am just now getting back to this. We gave the slingshots primarily because my wife’s family is from New Jersey, where the average person cannot just buy a gun. They are NOT for hunting. My family all have firearms, so I bought ammo for whatever their system is, ie my sister has a .38 SPL, my younger brother a 9mm and older brother has a .12 GA and .45 ACP. The survival canteens are the pre-made models that you can by from Cabelas or BUDK/CH Kadels. All the items fit inside and come out easily. We spoke about them on a previous RETHINKSURVIVAL article (13 JUL 14?). I really wanted to use the blue tarps with the grommets, 8’x10′ or 6’x 8′(like in the article above) instead of painter’s drop cloths. However, the idea to give these “Crisis/Disaster” buckets came from my wife. Her family was affected by Hurricane Sandy. But, I sort of “took over” the contents list, seeing that I build these as a hobby. I had to give in and let her make a decision!

  5. Doug Linn

    Oh and something to keep in your vehicle kit and bucket kit Hose clamps along with zipties, keep a couple of diffent sizes for blown hose etc. maybe some slightly larger hose cut in couple inch lengths then cut down its length. use that as a patch over the blow out on the engine hose then tighten in place with hose clamps, Duct tape if nothing else might work in a pinch.

  6. Marlene

    You could also include an extra pair of glasses. A roll of quarters is good also incase you can use machine dispensers

  7. Doug Linn

    another good cheap item for bucket kit http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-Retractable-Utility-Knife-60037/202051990 at 1.98 and get a few blades its something and cheap. there are other folding ones by Husky that are good but 7$ and up.

  8. RoyG

    i would include a sawyer mini water filter or at the least a life straw… but the mini is smaller and comes with a bladder.. also some large plastic bags and a bandana…
    Iv got 2 buckets the emergency one and the tactical one.. it has ammo, mags holster belt and chest rig for the system im thinking of taking when i put it together.. but most of the time 9mm and 556. advanced 1st aid kit plus the one on my belt IFAK and extra stuff as a supplement to the emergency kit… these two are capped and ready to go in case i have to evacuate for a hurricane along with the families stuff and the dogs.. so if i had to evacuate its grab the buckets, BOB’s including the dogs and a visit to the locker for weapons… than im out….

    this is a great post lots of good ideas and suggestions… i like to see what other people are doing because it makes me look at what iv got that i might be able to change because an item here might be able to perform sever different functions..

    1. As always, RoyG, you have great ideas to share. I did think about including ammo in the bucket but that’s assuming I’d also have a firearm on me which may not be the case…. yikes! Regardless, I did include a water filter straw as part of the water bottle survival kit that was included but it never hurts to have more water purification items/gear since clean drinking water is THAT important.

  9. Irish-7

    We made these to give out as Christmas gifts to our family in 2012. I will copy and paste the list below (if it fits):

    CRISIS GIFT BUCKET

    1. LOWES 5 GALLON BUCKET WITH LID
    2. BOTTLED WATER โ€“ 16.9 oz, I per person in group buckets, 2 per for single recipients.
    3. SURVIVAL CANTEEN โ€“ Containing: 10 band-aids, whistle/compass, flashlight with AA batteries, space blanket, poncho, D-ring, mini pocket knife and a box of waterproof matches.
    4. TOILET PAPER / WET WIPES โ€“ Roll of Cottonelle and small pack of generic baby wipes.
    5. HATCHET – small
    6. SURVIVAL KIT – Containing: Waterproof case, band-aids, whistle, candle, flashlight with AA batteries, mini multi tool and a box of waterproof matches.
    7. SLINGSHOT โ€“ small with a bag of ammo (ball bearings).
    8. FOLDING SAW โ€“ 9โ€ Locking blade.
    9. DROP CLOTH โ€“ Plastic. Use for shelter.
    10. LOCK BLADE KNIVES, LIGHTER, WATER PURE TABS, SLINGSHOT CORD- In baggie.
    11. TRAVEL KIT โ€“ MALE & FEMALE, includes deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, etc. Also, a tissue pack and 2 oz bottle of hand sanitizer. All items secured in a ziplock baggie.
    12. DUCT TAPE โ€“ Roll of gray.
    13. FOOD โ€“ GRANOLA BARS, SOS FOOD BAR, FRUIT SNACKS, TRAIL MIX
    14. PONCHO โ€“ Lightweight
    15. SPACE BLANKETS & SAS SURVIVAL GUIDE โ€“ (There is a blanket in the canteen).
    16. ELECTRICAL TAPE โ€“ 1 Roll
    17. SMALL FIRST AID KIT โ€“ Just a few band-aids, antiseptic wipes and some moleskin
    18. CANDLES & MATCHES โ€“ In a ziplock baggie.
    19. SURGICAL GLOVES IN A ZIPLOCK BAG
    20. HAND/BODY WARMERS โ€“ Disposable, 10 hour duration
    21. PARACHUTE (550) CORD โ€“ About 15 feet.
    22. AMMO – (Whatever systems they owned.)

    1. Interesting that you included items like a slingshot. Depending on who you gave these buckets too they may not have a clue what to do with it and if they did what to do with the rodent they just killed. I’m also interested to know how you shoved those items into a canteen and, more importantly, how they’re supposed to get them out of there. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  10. kdonat

    Heavy duty aluminum foil. Can be shaped into heatproof cooking/drinking vessels, waterproof covering for items, carry hot coals if you have to move them, make head covering to keep off rain.

    An assortment of ziplock bags and go for the contractor grade trash bags which are larger and heavy enough to use for ground cloth/tarp cover/raingear.

    1. How could I forget aluminum foil!? That stuff is super useful and likely wouldn’t take up much room at all. Thank you.

  11. Kathy Underwood

    As always I enjoyed your post. Your ideas are terrific, and definitely worth doing. I too, would probably do 2 buckets. Especially if you have a pet(s),so you could include a couple of items for them as well. Including a toy! My hubby makes fun of me for thinking and doing prepping stuff, but I think he would change his tune in a hurry, should the SHTF! So I’ll keep it up, and you too!

    1. Never thought about prepping for pets in a bucket like this. Along the same lines you can almost make a bucket for young kids too… like most plans it can grow fast. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  12. Good thought provoking article.
    I attended the Marine Corps cold weather survival school down by Bridgeport, CA. in January 1964, I believe.
    The only thing that kept the cold bearable at night, despite a Marine Cord cold weather mountain bag, was a lit candle.
    We used little stubs of candles and had to have a fire watch in case a candle might tip over. Now there are small candle lanterns that can be hung from your tent pole, or held between your legs, that serve the same purpose.
    I buy strike anywhere matches as opposed to strike on the box, and they do literally strike on almost any rough surface.I would include a very light Life Straw for drinking water, as there is no safe water in the U.S.
    Good job.

    1. Strike anywhere matches would definitely be preferable to any other match, no doubt. I did include a water filter (as part of the water bottle survival kit) but it never hurts to have more, especially a quality filter like the LifeStraw. Thanks!

  13. Doug Linn

    Im assuming this is a bug in situation of course, so I might also include a pack of cheap bic lighters,Fresnel lens as a reading tool for those of us getting older if you lose your glasses your in a tough spot, also a fire starter on a sunny day. Zip ties, various sizes dont take up alot of room and can be substituted for shoe laces in a pinch (small ones). roll of electrical tape. small ziplock bag of Rubber exam type gloves*, Pack of bungee cords*,( * denotes i have it in my bucket)though i do not have a tarp in mine but heavy 6+ mil plastic would work cut off a chunk about that size might take up less room. couple permanent markers, pack of wet wipes. The list gets larger than the bucket im making mine 2 buckets to insure i have most if not everything i might need. 2nd one would be food and firstaid supplies.

    1. You’re right that the list gets larger than a single bucket can handle. I did include bic lighters (from the water bottle survival kit) and the fresnel lens is definitely a good addition. Zips ties and other small items like safety pins and whatnot are all great additions and would take up almost no room. I did point out that I didn’t include all sorts of hygiene items and rubber gloves certainly fit into that category. Thanks for the input!

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