1 800 Prepare Review

Tuesday, March 21st

2023 Survival Gear Store Reviews

1 800 Prepare

• Impressive options for pre-made kits
• 30-day return policy
• Backpacks, buckets, and even automobile survival kits

Created by two emergency responders, 1 800 Prepare offers disaster preparedness products and kits for natural and man-made emergencies and disasters. With 1 800 Prepare, you can create your own emergency preparedness or survival kit from individual items in the online store, or you can purchase pre-made kits.

Nice selection of products

On 1 800 Prepare, you'll find a thorough selection of first aid kits, survival tools, food and water, radios, flashlights, and all other kinds of items for either everyday use or for emergencies. The store is divided into four main categories: backpack kits, bucket kits, automobile kits, and food. You can also read the blog for useful tips on how to maximize the survivability of various possible disasters.

Impressive selection of backpack kits for individuals and families

The backpack kits are for when you need to flee a disaster with only a backpack full of items. They come in a range of sizes, from one- and two-person kits to family blackout, child, hiker, and hunter kits. However, if you have a larger family, say six or eight people, you will likely need to purchase multiple two-person backpack kits. There are no all-inclusive kits for larger family needs. One fun item found in nearly every kit is a deck of 52 survival poker cards, which have educational information printed on each card about how to survive various situations.

Good shelter-in-place bucket kits available

For shelter-in-place disasters, especially with flooding that might ruin a backpack kit, 1 800 Prepare sells sealable bucket kits that can withstand watery weather conditions and protect the items inside. There are 2-, 4-, 5- and 10-person bucket survival kits that will cover your needs for 72+ hours. Items are packed into 5-gallon buckets and include items for food and water, light and communications, shelter and warmth, tools, hygiene and sanitation, and first aid. Each bucket has a toilet seat lid and toilet bags with chemicals to treat human waste before being disposed of. Other bucket kits are more specialized for automobile, hurricane, and classroom lockdown scenarios.

Don't forget a kit for the car

The two automobile kits 1 800 Prepare offers are designed for storage in a car trunk, SUV hatch, or truck bed. They include various assortments of roadside emergency items, such as a reflective triangle to signal other drivers about your disabled vehicle, jumper cables and other automotive tools, flashlight, survival blanket, food and water.

Food options limited to energy bars

1 800 Prepare offers food in the form of 6-packs and cases of 144 energy bars of assorted flavors, including cherry, vanilla, tropical fruit, raspberry, orange, lemon, coconut, blueberry, and apricot. Food is shelf-stable for up to 5 years.

30-day return policy, steep restocking and shipping fees

There is a 30-day money-back guarantee on all 1 800 Prepare products that are returned in new, unopened, unused condition. Returns for mistaken orders or unwanted but undamaged products incur a 20% restocking fee. And, they do not pay for the initial shipping and handling cost or the cost of shipping to return the product.

Good but not great

No customer satisfaction reviews or BBB entries were found for 1 800 Prepare. That lack of feedback, along with the store's 20% restocking fee, no free shipping, and a limited 30-day money-back guarantee makes it difficult to rate 1 800 Prepare any higher. But, we like what they have to offer for ready-made kits, so if you don't find them with a more established survival gear store, 1 800 Prepare is a good alternative.