Buy or Build?
One of the biggest questions people first ask when starting to think about a 72-hour kit is "should I just buy a pre-built one?" There are a lot of good reasons to buy a pre-built kit, and a handful of good reasons not to. This is even more true due to the vast number of differing kits out there.
In this short guide we'll try to help you decide whether buying or building is right for you, and help you make an educated decision if you want to shop for a pre-built kit.
If you build it...
Generally speaking, we recommend that most people build their kits since you can do a little at a time at your own pace and you can hunt around for the exact gear that you want. You can use a backpack you already have, perhaps some hiking or camping gear that you used to use but is mostly left on the shelf now, etc. For most people, it's simply more practical to start by using the things you've already got lying around the house. Plus, at the end of the day you have the satisfaction of being familiar with the items in your kit.
Consult our getting started and must-haves guides for bootstrapping your home-built kit.
Shut up and take my money!
There are times, however, that buying a ready-made kit might suit you better. For example, if you want to prioritize getting a kit fast over taking your time to build one, this might be the way to go for you.
If you are interested in buying a kit, here are some thing to look out for:
Avoid "bargain basement" kits that promise a whole lot for a very little price. Frequently corners are cut in these kits by supplying hardware (knives, flashlights, etc) that are extremely cheap and are more prone to fail.
Avoid "kitchen sink" packs. The are lots of places ready to sell you a kit that has everything. Fishing line, sinkers, small animal snares, tactical pens (?), etc. Do you know how to fish and then clean and cook a fish? What about small animals? Do you know how to properly rig a snare and then skin and field cook a rabbit? Do you know what seasons are and are not safe for doing so? These are the kind of things that frequently end up taking up space/weight/money and never get used or, worse, they just get thrown away.
Similarly, avoid packs that are too slanted towards a specific use. Some kits are very heavily oriented to survival in the great outdoors, while others are more geared towards "weekend warriors" who are planning to fight their way to the evac shelter. For your main kit, focus on something that is well-rounded.
If you're certain you want to buy, focus on the fundamentals we've talked aobut elsewhere on the site so that you can get a kit with most of them and then still be able to customize a bit. Also, look for companies that will work with your budget and let you customize your kit. readytogosurvival.com even promises that if you can build your kit cheaper than they can, they'll match your price. We can't vouch for that, but we do (generally) like the gear they pick.