by Kate Spiller – It’s not as exciting and adventurous a feeling as purchasing a fancy tent, kayak, or even hiking boots with all the bells and whistles. However, there is an extremely important item that we should all have in our gear arsenal to prepare us for the unexpected.

As outdoor families, we have an immense amount of respect for mother nature. With that also comes the realization that our safe and comfortable world may change without a lot of warning. A Sustain Supply Co. Comfort 4-Person Supply Bag ensures that when an emergency situation or natural disaster strikes, your family is well taken care of and supported.

What is Sustain Supply Co.’s Comfort 4-Person Supply Bag?

The Comfort 4 is 72-hour emergency kit designed for 4 people. In addition to a large backpack that holds all supplies, its contents includes:

24 Food servings from Mountain House (freeze dried meals)
48 packets of Datrex Water (individual servings, purified water)
1 Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter
8 Cyalume SnapLights
1 Morakniv companion knife
2 LED Lanterns
2 Flashlights
1 Basic First Aid Kit
4 Emergency Blankets
2 Packets of Bath Wipes
1 Portable (non-gas) Stove
4 Collapsible Bowls, 4 Multi-Use Utensils
1 Ferrocerium rod (fire starter)
4 Instafire Tinder packets
4 Whistles

What We Love about the Comfort 4-Person Supply Bag

Makes Emergency Preparedness Easy

Instead of doing all the research (spending a lot more time and money) to figure out exactly what goes into an emergency supply bag, Sustain Supply Co. just does all the work for you. With the exception of personal items (documents, medications, etc), all necessary items are included.

Effortless Organization

Sustain Supply Co.’s Comfort 4 Supply Bag is made up of several zipper pouches, compartments, and sleeves. This makes the bag easy to pack, and repack. As I was learning about the contents of the bag, I just unpacked compartment by compartment, and never got overwhelmed with putting it all back!

Durability

The bag itself is made to last! Made of tough nylon with reinforced straps and handles, I know that we can drag the bag around, throw it in the back of the car, and not worry about it ripping or tearing.

Mountain House Meals

Knowing that we have high quality, high protein meals ready to eat, and easy to prepare is extremely reassuring. Sustain Supply Co. chose a freeze-dried meal company, Mountain House, with an excellent reputation, history, and story. Included are meals that I know my kids will enjoy. In fact, though I won’t, I’m tempted to bring a meal or two along on our upcoming camping trip!

Premium Quality Gear

Just a few of the highlights and features of the chosen gear and supply items inside the Comfort 4 Supply Bag:

Durable and Sturdy Flashlights that convert from pinpoint to spotlight
Multi-use and long-lasting snaplights
Easy to use Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter
High Quality Survival Knife with comfort grip handle
Handy meal kit supplies (multi-use utensils and fold-flat bowls)
Emergency blankets work for both keeping heat in, and reflecting it away.

More than Enough Room

Yes, the Sustain Supply Co. Comfort 4 Supply Bag is jam packed with 23 pounds of gear, but amazingly enough, the backpack still has empty compartments and pouches. These open areas, allow us to personalize the bag with contents specific to our family.

Notes on the Comfort 4 Supply Bag:

Make sure you get to know your emergency supply bag! Even though it can seem overwhelming, it’s important to unpack each pocket and compartment (I suggest doing this one at a time), and learn about each item. Like we were, if you aren’t sure how to operate the stove or water filter, take some time to practice!
In addition to adding your family’s personal items (documents, medications, etc), you’ll want to add AA and AAA batteries for the lanterns and flashlights.
Some items are better off in their original packaging or ziplock bags. However for others, we think, especially considering you’ll be using this in an emergency situation, it’s best to unwrap cellophane and other wrappings.
Visit the Sustain Survival Blog and the FEMA website to download an emergency kit list to complete and personalize your emergency bag.

Our Improvement Suggestions

While we are overwhelmingly impressed with the Comfort 4 Supply Bag and its contents, we do have two small suggestions for improvement and usability:

Guide or Map with photos and corresponding captions of bag contents. Even if we could print from the Sustain Supply Co.’s website, it would be helpful to have some sort of infographic, especially if other family members (less familiar with the bag) were to use the kit.
We found the stove a little puzzling, and tricky to put together. Though I’m sure it would be simple once we figured it out, a small card with instructions and best practices would be helpful!

Author’s Bio

Kate is a former elementary school teacher, turned stay-at-home mom, writer and blogger. Her blog, WildTalesof.com is all about outdoor adventure and travel with kids. She wants to pass along little tidbits that she’s gathered in her short life as a mom, wife, and adventurer. Inspiration, tips, helpful hints, how-to’s, are shared…all to make family life a touch easier, a touch wilder, and a touch more adventurous.