The power went out an hour ago, your phone battery is dropping, and the flashlight in the kitchen drawer turns out to be dead. If that’s the moment that sent you searching, this letter is for you.

I write The Urban Survival Kit under a pen name, Samuel T. Loomis. There’s no team behind it. It’s just me, based in Vietnam, and this site is one of more than 200 small ones I run, each kept to a single subject.

I’m not an emergency responder, and I have no medical training. In a real emergency, the instructions from your local authorities come first, ahead of anything you read here.

Every post begins as an AI draft. I read it from top to bottom and fix what doesn’t hold up before it’s published.

Most of what’s here sits in Survival Skills: bug out bags, flashlights, radios, solar generators, fire safety and finding north without a phone. Security covers home safety and protective gear. A good place to begin is Best First Aid Kit: 10 Top Picks for Home, Car and Outdoor Use.

The pictures are AI-made illustrations of a kit, a piece of gear or a setup, and not one shows equipment I own. Borrowed pictures, if any ever appear, will name the sharing account’s @handle and link to its post.

Generators, camp stoves and lithium batteries come with storage and ventilation rules, and a generator never runs indoors. Gear links usually lead to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The AI Disclosure has more on how drafts are made.

If you find a mistake, a dead link or advice that’s gone stale, write to [email protected].