Outfitted: The ultimate survival kit for the worst case scenario

From the time I started driving at 16, my dad always insisted on me having an emergency bag in the back of my vehicle. Being in Ohio at the time, that bag usually consisted of jumper cables, a knife, a couple cans of beans, some bulky coats, snow pants and some brown sugar Pop Tarts for a pick-me-up. Maybe I’ve read too many survival memoirs, but after living in the mountains for nearly 20 years, my bugout kit has gotten significantly more robust.

With a “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst” mission statement, Uncharted Supply company prides itself on the ability to access adventure with safety. The founder’s vision came from being stuck in a blizzard on a Colorado highway (something many of us around here can attest to) and seeing dozens of people stranded and hunkering down for a cold night. From that disaster was born the idea for a survival system that’s compact, complete and accessible to anyone.

The SEVENTY2 Survival System is a comprehensive 72-hour survival kit created and tested by experts such as doctors, first responders, special forces operators and mountain guides. There are systems available for 1-4 people with a handful of different options for how the items are housed.

For an even more tricked-out kit, Uncharted Supply partnered with the Decked company, maker of customized drawer systems for adventure vehicles, to house the items in a beefy, military-grade bag. This is the system I’ve tested. Interestingly enough, I discovered that Decked manufactures all their products in Defiance, Ohio which is about 30 minutes down the road from where I grew up. The D-Bag is designed to perfectly fit into their tailor-made drawers, but is great as a stand alone as well.

The bag is a versatile, hybrid soft and hard shell that is water-resistant with straps that can convert to a backpack, briefcase or shoulder sling. Easy-to-grab aluminum handles are on both ends and a reinforced lid makes a sturdy bag that won’t rip or tear. The best feature is the horseshoe access panel that fully opens the bag’s main compartment with glove-friendly zipper pulls. On the back side of that zipper pull is a large panel describing all the items in the kit as well as some medical instructions. Each of the numerous items are organized into easy to find packages with clearly marked info on the outside.

For this particular kit, Decked threw in the Zeus portable power station that serves as a jump starter, USB charger or flashlight (although there is already a separate flashlight in the main kit). With 20,000 mAh, it can even jump large trucks. This little box gives me so much peace of mind when I’m out and about in sparse civilization. However, you need to always remember to keep it charged before you head out or it will be useless.

The price of this whole set-up is salty to say the least, but the potential life-saving abilities, thorough organization and peace of mind is brings helps justify those extra pennies. Let’s just hope you never have to use it.

Decked X Uncharted D-Bag is available at decked.com for $650. Uncharted has its other 72-hour survival systems at unchartedsupplyco.com for $399-730.

Meg Simon is an Aspen-based freelance writer, graphic designer and founder of Simon Finch Creative. She can be reached at meg@simonfinchcreative.com.