Emergency Blankets
Top priority emergency item, more important than a sleeping bag during the initial crisis period.
Emergency blankets are kind of like duct tape... have them handy, and you'll find a use for them. Their primary function is as an emergency, temporary, but very efficient shield against the elements. They are quite thin, so even the strongest of them can take only so much punishment. But they last a considerable length of time with care.
They are made to repel rain and snow and sun and wind, and help you retain much of your body heat. They help protect against hypothermia and snowburn on the one hand, and heatstroke and sunburn on the other. That's pretty good for an item that costs under $5 for the very best one.
You can also use them as a one-time-use tarp to put things on and keep them clean. Like your gear. If you have an extensive emergency first aid kit, you may want to quickly take things out so you can find the one thing at the bottom that you're looking for. The blankets are large enough so that you can also put the injured person on it, keeping them off the ground and helping shield against shock. The best emergency blanket is actually registered with the FDA as a Medical Device.
You can buy that superior blanket at Nitro-Pak
Laughably, it is $3.49. Even less each in the 12-pack. Perhaps the bargain of the century.
You can go to Wally Mart and get emergency blankets for a dollar, dollar and a half. But they are not made of the same materials, and are less durable. I'm embarrassed to admit I used to get those before I found this source. But even those have their use. I would infinitely rather have a Wally Mart special than nothing. But why go that route, if you can get the real thing instead?
If you have read much of this site, you will have noticed that I'm very deeply into backups. And you will have read a couple of the reasons why. At the top of the list is the hard fact that if you do not have something when and where you need it... you don't have it. So I have emergency blankets in all of our vehicles, usually two or three in the trunk, one in the glove compartment, and one in the little compartment between seats, if there is one. I have one or two in each of my first aid kits (I have six), and one in each gear bag. You may notice that I have them in everything that moves or could possibly move.
If you are kindly chuckling at this point, I understand. But if you suddenly find yourself in a situation where you desperately need an emergency blanket, what would you give to have one at your fingertips?
The balance between life and death is sometimes quite precarious. On occasion, a $3 item can tip the scales toward survival.