Even if you don’t live in a northern or rural area, having a few essential items, beyond a pantry, is a great idea if the power fails, you get stuck in a winter traffic disaster, or retail shortages get even worse.
In no particular order, here are a few items to consider adding to your emergency kit.
Having a multiband radio may be your only means of communication if the power goes out. Batteries are essential but they do die with age. That makes a combination crank powered, solar powered, USB rechargable radio important. For about $50 it’s a handy item to have in your emergency kit – along with ear buds.
The one pictured above can also be used to recharge your phone.
Have a concealable pistol, a box of ammunition and two extra magazines set aside for your kit – apart from your every day carry or nightstand gun. You may have to throw your kit into a vehicle and go without any time to think beyond hastily reacting to an evacuation notice.
And make sure you can conceal it well enough for no one to be tempted to jump you to get it. Something like a Ruger MAX9 is an affordable, dependable concealed carry pistol that costs about $500. These days, that’s considered affordable.
https://www.ruger.com/products/max-9/models.html
Have at least one Life Straw in your kit. You never know what quality of water you may be forced to drink in an emergency like flooding. For about $20 it’s a must have item.
Having a means of boiling water is essential for everything from rehydrating food to making hot drinks when you need to thaw out from a freezing night.
The Primus camp stove is designed to fit in a backpack but I’d still get the bigger propane can for emergencies. For $25-$30 its utility is priceless if all the stores are closed. You may end up using it more than you expect.
Having a warm jacket in your kit that rolls down to nothing is a very handy thing to have, even sleeping in a car on a summer night because it also makes a great pillow if you don’t need the thermal protection.
The old school MA-1 flight jacket by Rothco USA is only $60 and is a lifesaver that anyone can afford to add to their kit. I’d get the olive drab, military surplus color, not to confuse anyone into believing you’re part of some violent subculture.
https://www.rothco.com/product/rothco-ma-1-flight-jacket
You can quickly overload your kit until you can’t lift it so you have to be judicious in what you include.
There are three levels of kit:
Your home kit, which is extensive, without weight consideration;
Your car kit, which is a subset of your home kit, designed to be thrown into your car trunk when traveling in winter weather (or if you have to evacuate), and;
Your carried kit, A.K.A., your bug-out bag, a subset of your car kit, designed to be thrown over your shoulder to travel on foot. The lowest possible weight is its most critical consideration.
Each of those kits serve a particular purpose and should be judiciously designed to serve their anticipated purpose.