I think this is the first time an area of the house feels finished. It’s a tiny wall in a makeshift um, hallway? Alcove? I’m not even sure what it is. But its on the way out, which is key. These bags always ended up on the nearest empty space on the floor of whatever room we happened to be in when we got home. Sometimes they even made it all the way to the bedroom (which is in the back of the house). Great for proximity in case of emergency, not great on my toes that seemed to always be in pain from stumbling to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Major problem. Yong & I decided that right outside our bedroom would be best. They’d be on the way out but not in the way should we ever truly need them.

So I picked up some drywall hooks from Amazon or Home Depot or one of those amazing places that sells things like these. They can be installed on drywall only, drywall + wood stud, or wood stud only. The weight limit depends on the installation you choose. Although our bags don’t weigh over 30 lbs. (the limit for drywall only), we decided to go with drywall + wood stud just in case (45 lbs. weight limit).

The hooks have these great tiny hooks on the back that allow you to tack them on to the wall before you start placing the screws. Which helps (a lot!) when you accidentally place one higher than the other (even after measuring!) and only notice when you step back.

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[heading size=”4″]So what exactly do we keep inside these bags?[/heading] Well, the simple things we take for granted that could possibly save your life. Among those: first aid kit, water or water purifying tabs, protective gear (like a poncho), comfortable shoes, food bars, flashlights, flares, fire starters (do you really want to remember how to successfully rub two sticks together when you’re freezing?), batteries and much more. But if you want to build your own basic kit, here’s what you’ll need.

Basic kit includes: First Aid kit, 3600 calorie food bar, emergency water packs, LED light stick, emergency blanket, hand warmers, poncho, flashlight, batteries and a whistle. Click here for more information on cost and what to look for. Oh and of course, a bag to hold it all. For information on what you should look for in a bag, click here.

[heading size=”3″]Stay safe, folks![/heading]