A few months after moving to Colorado, we took a day trip into the mountains. On our way home, we made one wrong turn and found ourselves relying entirely on our GPS and our limited knowledge of the local geography in order to get back on track. We were tired and thirsty and at least one of us had a wet diaper, but we were lucky: It was daylight, the weather was clear, and we made it home. Moreover, we learned a valuable lesson about being prepared, especially under much less hospitable conditions.
The Sequoia Survival Company makes products to help you be prepared, both at home and on the road. Our bloggers had the opportunity to check out the Vehicle Survival Kit, which resonates strongly with parents who travel great distances to visit family and remember the tragedy that befell the Kim family. We know what might happen and yet one blogger (speaking for too many of us, I expect) admits, “I’ve never taken measures to ensure safety while on the road aside from the car seat. We don’t keep extra food or water or blankets in our car. And shame on us.” As another blogger pointed out, we’re all quite sheltered from such circumstances, “but what if suddenly all those things we take for granted were unavailable? What if our water supply was compromised, or the electrical power grid blew a fuse, or there was no oil to fuel our cars or the transportation that brings the food to our local supermarkets? Then what?”
Once you start thinking about those what if’s, it’s hard to stop until you find a way to put your mind at ease. The Vehicle Survival Kit does exactly that. One blogger stated: “I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited by a product that I’ve reviewed for the Parent Bloggers Network as I am about this one.” Another blogger, a native Californian who has lived with the threat of natural disaster all her life, agreed: “I feel really confident that if something was to go wrong and I got stuck somewhere, this kit would definitely make itself useful. And quite possibly, could help to save my life.” Yet another blogger, who readily admits to being a worrywart, was reassured by the contents of the kit: “This kit contains just about everything I need - and in one handy, compact place - to ease my neurotic concerned mind.”
Her husband agrees - both about her neuroses and the completeness of the kit. Although his “idea of a Vehicle Survival Kit is a 24oz cup of coffee and a week-old piece of beef jerky hiding under the seat,” he “was surprised with the both the quality of bag in which the kit is packed and the quality of the most of the contents.”
Another couple went through a hilarious exchange of comments on the contents of the kit:
“Two thermal emergency blankets (silver and reflective)
She said: Perfect for a NY rave.
He said: If you’re trying to signal in the space shuttle, you’ve come to the right place.
She said: He loves these so much that he sleeps in them.
She said: Those aren’t pillows!
He said: If there are hand-warmers in here, this thing is the real deal.
She said: Paired nicely with the emergency blankets, you can get laid anywhere.
He said: Remember the wax matches? Much better.
Crank radio/light and cell phone charger
He said: What? No crank-up MP3 player? Seriously, easily the hit of the survival kit.”
Did the bloggers find that anything about the kit was lacking? Overall, no; “…all in all, it was hard to find fault with the Sequoia Car Survival kit.” But they did have a few suggestions to offer:
- “…a magnesium fire starter (it’s small, and helps to start fires quickly) as well as a sewing kit and a signal mirror.“
- “…more food. It comes with enough food for two people for one day and I simply don’t think it’s enough in a real and true emergency.“
- “A pen can dry up and run out of ink. A pencil could be sharpened with the neat little Gerber tool provided. The notebook inside is handy but I think it should consist of waterproof paper myself.“
- “…tampons are great for starting fires and for use in first aid care? Marines take them out in the field with them all the time.“
- “I would have liked a bit more room to pack a few things like a couple of diapers and wipes, a small package of dog food, and maybe some extra socks.“
And being parents, the bloggers were also concerned with family essentials: “What I would have liked to have seen in the kit (or had the option to purchase separately on the web site) were things that parents of young children can’t live without: diapers, wipes, kid-friendly snacks, ziplock bags for containing dirty diapers, and even a few kid’s books or coloring books and crayons. Yes, these family-friendly items are things that I could easily amass and throw into our car in a separate care package but the ability to purchase them on the site at the same time as the vehicle kit would save this busy parent even more valuable time.”
That’s the crux of the matter for many people - the time required to assemble such a kit and the completeness of it. One blogger praised the kit as a great value because “…it takes so much time to shop for all of these items and figure out where to store them. One of the things I like about the Sequoia kit is that I don’t have to think about or shop for these items - they’re all assembled for me in a handy carrying case.” Another blogger agreed: “I’ve been meaning to put some kind of kit together for the car, but the one I might have assembled wouldn’t have been anywhere near as complete as this one. I wouldn’t have thought to include half of the stuff Sequoia put in this kit, which retails for $99, a price that’s eminently reasonable given what it buys you: some peace of mind.” A third blogger summed it up perfectly: “I challenge anyone to find a pre-packaged survival kit like this for a comparable cost, and I credit the people at Sequoia for making it easier for insulated suburbanites like me to be prepared.”
More reviews are coming up - check the schedule below.
Mon 10/29 - Bananas and Toddlers and Marketing Mommy
Tues 10/30 - Seabird Chronicles
Wed 10/31 - Soul Gardening
Thurs 11/1 - Sunshine Reviews
Fri 11/2 - Gunfighter’s View
Mon 11/5 - Jumping Monkeys
Tues 11/6 - 24/7
Wed 11/7 - Little Bird Reviews
Mon 11/12 - Round-up review on PBN
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