I receive products weekly, to test for SurvivalBlog, so much so, that as of this writing, I’m still about four months out on trying to catch-up. And, one thing that never ceases to amaze me is that, I receive a product in the mail or UPS or FedEx, and when I open the box up, there is no letter or anything included with the product. So please, in the future, if you are going to send me a product to test, be so kind as to include some literature and a letter, with the products you send to me. And, perhaps a contact person, if I have questions!
The product under review today is simply called the 4 Person Emergency Preparation Kit – and I had to spend some time on the Internet tracking down this company, or at least, the company that is selling this product. What we have is a sealed, red-colored, five gallon bucket, that is supposed to have survival supplies or preparations for 4 people, presumably, to help survive a disaster. The kit is advertised for 4 people – they also make a kit for one person. What I received was a kit clearly labeled for 4 people, however, it was missing a few items.
The bucket is supposed to contain “A Centralized all in one, preparation kit designed by a team of U.S. Military and Homeland Security experts who consult on chemical, biological and nuclear risk management. This kit will help you prepare and protect for Catastrophic Weather Events. Epidemics and Terrorist, Protect your family from an emergency before it’s an emergency.” That is what is says on the web site.
The contents of the red bucket are supposed to be: a hand crank emergency radio with flashlight with hand crank cell phone charger, bio-hazard bag, four thermal emergency blankets, 4 rain ponchos, 10 function tool kit, 2 whistles, 4 dust masks, towelettes, work gloves and a roll of duct tape. There is also a hard cover, 224 page “Prepare For Disaster” guidebook. That’s it! Only problem was, my 4-person kit only came with one emergency blanket, one dust mask, one pack of moist towelettes, and a small first aid kit. Whoever packed this kit, didn’t pay attention to its intended use and what was supposed to go inside of it. And, as already mentioned, the red bucket is clearly marked that it is a 4 person emergency prep kit. And, there was no mention of a first-aid kit on the web site, but it came with one – a very small first-aid kit.
The 224-page “Prepare For Disaster” book is a good starter book, so this was a worthy addition to the kit. The hand crank radio/cell phone charger was also a nice touch, as is the bucket it all comes in. The dust masks work gloves, duct tape are also handy things to have around, too. Rain ponchos – also a good thing to include, as was the little tool kit and the emergency blankets – if they had actually included 4 of them, instead of one. I believe the idea behind this little red bucket kit, is to have this stuff on-hand, and ready for an emergency – only problem is, what if you had not opened this bucket beforehand, and when you actually needed it, opened to only to find, you were missing items – items that your family needed in an emergency? Not good!
I would also have added some freeze-dried foods to this bucket, if only enough for one or two days for a family of four! Of course, this is something you can add yourself. I think a water filter of some sort would be nice to have, too. You could use the bucket for collecting water, but you’d have no way of making the water safe to drink, without a water filter of some type. Like I said, this could be a starter kit, if everything that was in the bucket, was actually in the bucket – it wasn’t!
I’m not often disappointed by a product I receive for testing, and if something isn’t up to SurvivalBlog expectations, I don’t usually review it – I send it back – at my own expense. SurvivalBlog readers deserve only the best of the best, in my humble opinion. Now, while this all-in-one prep kit, isn’t a bad starter kit, I don’t believe it justifies the $89.95 asking price. And, what if there had been a genuine emergency, and my family needed the items that were suppose to have come in the bucket – and I opened it, only to find I was shorted some of the items? That would be disastrous if you ask me.
I didn’t know who to return this prep kit to, when I received it, the return address was torn-off the shipping box. And, as I mentioned at the onset of this review, I had a hard time finding out who sold this kit – the web address on the bucket didn’t exist – or else it was misprinted…I had to do a search to find this product. I’m not sure if “Whitman” is the manufacturer or just a company who bought this kit and resells it.
If you want a kit – a starter kit – I guess you could start with this one, but don’t believe this red bucket has all you need for your survival – it doesn’t! You need to add to it – add a lot of things to it. So, that’s my take on the 4 Person Emergency Preparation Kit. I’m not sure I believe this kit was developed by U.S. Military and Homeland Security experts – just sounds like hype to my thinking. Then again, knowing our FedGov, it might well have been designed by those folks. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio
Pat’s Product Review – Whitman Four Person Emergency Preparation Kit
