So, preparedness kits usually run from those it is generally recognized that everyone should have (basic first aid kit, car bag, 72 hours worth of food and water, at a minimum) to those that no self respecting PREPPER would be without (bug out bag, get home bag, two weeks or more worth of food and water, et cetera) and of course small kits within kits, like a fire starting kit and sewing kit in a bug out bag.
I am starting this thread to discuss any unusual types of preparedness kits people have come up with that fall outside of those basics, why you have them, and what you consider essential items for them. It can be kits for minor emergencies, or kits that address oft-neglected aspects of a full blown TEOTWAWKI scenario.
I will go first with just one of my own (I like putting kits together)
A few years ago I put together an "after tornado kit" focused on the fact that when we do get severe storms here they often come with a dramatic drop in temperature (80s and sunny to 40s and raining within the span of an hour, for example) and because the area is heavily wooded, can leave roads impassable for a few days. I put it together because I have had the experience of getting soaked before making it to the house, then coming out of the basement to cold rain, no electricity, impassable roads, and a lot of cleanup work. Fortunately, my house was still there so I was able to change into dry clothes, check fence-lines, make sure the neighbor's houses were still standing too, change in to dry clothes again, and have a hot meal before getting to work on cleanup. My after tornado kit is focused on things we would need that day or the next if the house was NOT there, and is as much about comfort, morale, and helping everyone deal with the shock as it is about literal life and death survival. (Important legal documents, irreplaceable photos, et cetera are a separate issue in my mind, and could be dug out of the rubble later if stored in the basement file cabinet, or copies retrieved from a trusted relative's home.) The "after tornado kit" is small enough to grab and climb out with, and is stored in the "storm bunker" part of the basement, where we take shelter. It includes:
-Warm clothes
-Rain gear
-Dry socks
-Boots or shoes - reasonably warm and waterproof, but just an old pair (I spent no money putting this kit together)
-A single, small blanket
-A small, very basic first aid kit
-A hot breakfast (oatmeal) for the first morning after
-A hot dinner (canned soup) for the first evening after (I let each member of the household choose their own and write their name on it - we can cook them up one at a time in the same pot.)
-Can opener
-Camping bowls, spoons, mugs
-Relaxing herbal teas
-Enough coffee to make a big pot and share with the whole neighborhood (they will need their own mugs, though)
-Said big enamel coffee pot
-A saucepan for cooking breakfast and dinner/heating tea water
-A small can stove, with enough dry fuel for at least the first few uses
-Matches and lighters
-Canned dog food to help any animals currently in the household or caught as strays after the storm drink enough water during a stressful time
-Pet dishes
-Spare collar and leash for tying up the spare dog that inevitably shows up lost after any storm (once it was a horse, but I don't have a spare halter and lead for the kit, so would just have to make do somehow.)
-Two flashlights that let's face it, probably won't work when we need them
-Candles for a more reliable source of light/a bit of heat for warming hands
-A whistle in case we are trapped in the basement under rubble
-A "We're okay back here - no help needed" sign for the end of our very long driveway through the woods, so emergency workers don't waste time trying to clear it and reach us.
Should probably include but doesn't:
-A good tent
-Sleeping bags for every member of the household
Since I was both putting this together from things we had around the house, and trying to keep it reasonably compact, certain bulky items had to be left out. For shelter I would count on finding something to use - maybe the house is gone but barn or shed still standing, one of our cars made it through undamaged, or a neighbor within walking distance still has a house and lets us sleep there the first night. Even in the worst case scenario, their should be debris like metal roofing lying about that we could rig into a simple overhead shelter.
Oh, and if anyone is wondering why I've left out the obvious - water - it's because we would have a reliable source of it here even after a tornado.
Have you come up with your own unusual kits? Please share!