How to Maintain

Checking and maintaining your survival kit on a regular basis is essential to ensuring the usability of your survival kit in the event of an emergency. Always check the items in your kit for expiry dates.

Following shows a list of items that should be in your survival kit and their corresponding standard shelf lives.

Food and Water

Water

Change water every six months to a year as packaging can leech into the water and the water can become stale.

Generally Available Supermarket Foods

Please select high energy foods such as peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars, trail mix, etc; Avoid foods that will increase thirst (e.g. chips, pretzels, etc.)

6 months to one year

Convenience Store Snacks

Dry food, such as candy bars, dried fruit, jerky and crackers

6 to 9 months

Survival Specific Meals

MREs, IMPs, Survival Bars (2 – 3.5 thousand calories variants)

3 years

Pet Food

At least one ounce per animal pound per day

1 to 2 years

Note: Some survival retailers sell “Emergency Dog Food” which has a 5 year lifespan.

Always store food in a cool and dry area to maintain shelf life!

Fuels

Camping (Naphthalene): Unopened 5 – 7 years, if opened 2 years
Propane: Sealed propane cylinders last indefinitely
Petrol: Degradation after 2 – 6 months, if stabilized (“Sta-Bil”) 1 year
Diesel: 1 year un-stabilized
Kerosene: Sealed 5 to 10 years, if opened 1 year
Butane (C4H10): 3 years

First Aid and Medication

First Aid Kits

First aid kit usually contains bandages, sterile pads and gauze, first aid tape, tweezers, surgical razor, disinfectant pads, oxytetracycline tablets (for diarrhea or infection) and aspirin.

5 years

Medication

Always refer to the container for expiry; if it is a medical emergency and there are no other alternatives; medication can have up to 90% effectiveness even after 15 years, but only use if it is an emergency.

Light and Ignition Sources

Chemical Light Sticks

A safe source of light in the event of gas leak

4 years

Candles

No shelf life, but they will become brittle and more prone to breaking over time.

Flashlights

Remember to check the batteries every year. Change flashlight every 10 years as materials breakdown over time.

Flares

42 months by law (3.5 years)

Matches

Matches absorb moisture so always seal them in a air tight container

Replace when wet, or every 3 years

Lighters

5 years (“Bic”)

Water Purification

Water Purification Kit

5 years (“AquaTab”)

Bleach

6 – 9 months

Note: Bleach is very temperature sensitive; shelf life is as low as 3 months in hot environments. Use only regular unscented household liquid bleach that contains 5.25% sodium hypochlorite.

Other Survival Items

Fire Extinguishers

Although the mechanics can last 25-35 years, Inspection and Recharging should occur at least once a year.

Note: A poorly maintained Fire Extinguisher can be dangerous and deaths are still reported due to corroded Extinguishers.

Battery Operated Radio

Remember to check the batteries every year. Change radio every 10 years as materials breakdown over time.

Moist Towelettes and Baby Wipes (For Personal Hygiene)

2 years

Phone Numbers

Even phone numbers have a shelf life; test them every year.

Batteries

Disposable Batteries

(Based on average self discharge rates)

Common Disposable Alkaline: 5 to 7 years (brand dependant)
Disposable Lithium Cells: 10 years (Not to be confused with Lithium Ion)
Silver Oxide (Zinc): 5 years
Disposable Long Life Lithium: 15 years
Carbon Zinc: 1.5 years! (1.5 not 15)
Zinc Chloride: 2 years
Lead-Acid: 5 to 8 years (warranty dependant)

Rechargeable Batteries

(Based on sitting discharges rate)

Note: Rechargeable batteries are not recommended for your survival kit as they can lose up to 1.5% of their deliverable energy per day

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH): 2.5 months
Nickel Cadmium (NiCd): 10 months
Lithium Ion (Li Ion): 3 to 12 months (dependant on storage temperature)
Nickel Zinc (NiZn): 3.5 months

Note: Laptop batteries irreversibly lose approximately 20% capacity per year (Li-Ion) when they are left in the laptop and kept at a 100% charge.