While we often talk a lot about the amount of food and water that we need to have in an emergency kit, there often aren’t a lot of guidelines around other items, such as linen, blankets, towels, etc. How many of these items should you make sure that you have? Here are some guidelines to help you be prepared.
In general, you should pack one blanket, one towel and one sleeping bag per person in your family for your emergency kit. However, if you live in a cold climate or on a climate where it gets cold in the winter, you will want to double or triple that amount as needed. Dry towels can be used as extra insulation in sleeping bags, as well as being used for bathing. You can also fold up towels and use them as pillows.
Figure out how many blankets your family members will need if you lose power or find outside somewhere without an artificial heating source. Because temperatures can get below freezing as early as December here, I know that we will need to add a few extra items to our kits.
The amount of blankets you will need may also depend on how insulated your sleeping bags are. Most sleeping bags have ratings on them that will tell you how well they will be able to keep you warm. They will be rated by temperature, so for example, you might find a sleeping bag that is rated to -3 degrees.
If you live in a cold climate, it might be worth the investment to get higher quality sleeping bags and blankets for your emergency kit. These better quality items tend not only to keep you warm but to be less bulky and of a lighter weights, important qualities when you need to take your emergency kit with you.
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