When preparing for an emergency—whether it’s an earthquake, wildfire evacuation, or prolonged power outage—having a solid foundation is step one. Having adequate food rations, purified water, and comprehensive first-aid supplies is absolutely essential. Every piece of equipment in a Preppi kit goes through meticulous consideration and field testing before it earns a spot in our kits.
However, no pre-assembled kit can account for 100% of your personal daily life. To build a truly bulletproof emergency plan, you need to customize your gear to match your household's specific medical, financial, and family needs.
If you already have a Preppi kit, think of these items as the next layer of preparation. They are the personal essentials you should add to make it work specifically for your household.
If you have a Preppi GoBox, keep in mind that it is designed as a comprehensive emergency supply kit, but it is not intended to hold every personal item your household may need. We recommend packing an additional bag with these supplemental items so it can be carried alongside your GoBox in an emergency.
Here is a guide to the essential supplemental items you should add to your emergency kit today.
Quick Checklist: Essential Add-Ons for Your Kit
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[ ] Cash in small bills ($5, $10, $20)
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[ ] Hard copies of personal documents
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[ ] Written emergency contact list
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[ ] 7-day reserve of prescription medications & vision care
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[ ] Infant, baby, & pet-specific supplies
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[ ] Sturdy closed-toe shoes & heavy-duty work gloves
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[ ] Digitized family photos & backup drive
1. Cash in Small Denominations
When severe weather strikes or an earthquake disrupts municipal power grids, card readers and ATMs can go offline. In an emergency scenario, electronic payment methods—and even large bills like $100s—may be useless for buying immediate supplies or gas.
Add to your Preppi kit: Stash $100 to $300 in small bills ($5, $10, and $20) with your emergency supplies. Cash remains one of the simplest ways to make purchases when digital payment networks are unavailable.
For an added layer of protection, consider storing your emergency cash inside a Preppi Fireproof Dopp Kit, which provides a dedicated place to keep cash and other important items protected and together.
2. Hard Copies of Important Documents
Digital records on your phone won't help if your battery dies or if cellular service collapses. You should always keep physical copies of critical personal documentation in a waterproof pouch or protective case inside your emergency supplies:
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Driver’s licenses and passports
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Birth and marriage certificates
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Social Security cards
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Health insurance cards and key medical records
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Home and auto insurance policies
Add to your Preppi kit: Create a dedicated document pouch so these records are easy to grab during an evacuation. The Preppi Fireproof Dopp Kit is an ideal place to organize important documents, emergency cash, and other small valuables you may need to take with you.
3. A Hard-Copy Emergency Contact List
Most of us rely entirely on smart device memory for phone numbers. If your phone gets lost, broken, or drained of power, you need a backup way to reach your loved ones and out-of-state contacts.
Write down names, phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses for key local contacts as well as at least one out-of-state contact (as local lines often jam during emergencies).
Add to your Preppi kit: Use the waterproof notebook included in your Prepster to write these contacts down. The ink won't smear or run, even in heavy rain or water exposure.
It is also a good idea to keep a second copy of your contact list with your important documents in your Fireproof Dopp Kit.
4. Household-Specific & Special Needs Items
No standard emergency kit comes with every item your household may need. Audit your family’s specific needs and pack a minimum 7-day reserve of:
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Prescription Medications: Work with your doctor to build a rotating buffer of critical medications.
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Vision Care: Pack a spare pair of prescription eyeglasses and extra contact lens solution.
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Infants & Toddlers: Formula, diapers, wipes, and comforting items.
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Pets: Collapsible bowls, an extra leash, identification tags, and 3–5 days of pet food.
Add to your Preppi kit: Keep these personal supplies together in a separate bag that can be grabbed alongside your Preppi kit.
5. Sturdy Apparel & Closed-Toe Footwear
If an earthquake hits in the middle of the night, you may need to navigate broken glass, fallen drywall, or flooded streets. Walking out in sandals or bare feet is one of the common ways people can sustain secondary injuries during a disaster.
Add to your Preppi kit: Store a full outfit directly next to or inside your go-bag:
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Sturdy, broken-in running shoes or hiking boots
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Heavy-duty leather work gloves
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Moisture-wicking wool socks
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A complete change of weather-appropriate clothing, including a warm base layer
If your Preppi kit is already packed and there isn't room for additional clothing or footwear, keep these items in a separate bag stored directly alongside it.
6. Digital & Irreplaceable Family Memories
Some items cannot be replaced by an insurance claim. Physical family heirlooms and photo albums are often among the biggest regrets after a rapid wildfire or flood evacuation.
Spend an afternoon digitizing your most cherished photo albums and important family keepsakes. Transfer them onto a high-capacity, encrypted USB thumb drive and keep it securely stored with your emergency supplies.
Add to your Preppi kit: The Preppi Fireproof Dopp Kit can also serve as a convenient place to keep a USB drive containing important digital records, copies of family photos, and other small irreplaceable items you may want to take with you during an evacuation.
The 10-Minute Emergency Kit Audit
Every household is unique. We recommend sitting down with your family or housemates twice a year to do a 10-minute emergency audit:
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[ ] Check the expiration dates on your prescription medications and water rations.
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[ ] Ensure clothing and shoes stored with your kit still fit growing family members.
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[ ] Update your hard-copy contact list if phone numbers or addresses have changed.
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[ ] Make sure your emergency cash, important documents, medications, and other household-specific supplies are still where you expect them to be.
By taking a high-quality foundation like a Preppi GoBox or Prepster Kit and tailoring it with these custom supplemental items, you ensure your household is ready for whatever comes your way. Your Preppi kit handles the essential emergency supplies; these additional items make your preparedness plan personal to you.