10 Old-School Emergency Kits That Look Wild by Today’s Standards
These vintage emergency kits were packed with oddball supplies that somehow made sense back in the day.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
Before sleek go-bags and tactical gear, emergency kits were often clunky, unpredictable, and downright strange. From rusted can openers to crackers that outlived your grandparents, these kits offered a glimpse into the survival mindset of decades past. Here are 10 old-school emergency packs that, while well-meaning, would make most of us do a double take today.
1. 1950s Civil Defense Survival Kit
Joe Mabel on Wikimedia Commons
This Cold War-era box was stocked with biscuits, toilet paper rolls, and water ration cans that looked more like paint tins. It was meant for fallout shelters, but everything inside felt like it had been stolen from a scout camp.
2. Vietnam-Era Military Survival Pack
Gregory Skylar454 on Flickr
This kit, meant for soldiers stuck in the jungle, contained fish hooks, matches, a mirror, and—oddly enough—a packet of chewing gum. The mix of tools and snacks felt oddly casual, considering the circumstances.
3. 1970s Airline Lifeboat Kit
The Central Intelligence Agency on Wikimedia Commons
Packed for passengers who crash-landed at sea, these kits came with sea-sickness pills, shark repellent (yes, really), and survival rations that could break a tooth. The design was basic and orange, like a safety cone stuffed with oddities.
4. Cold War Nuclear Family Kit
Jonny Gios on Unsplash
This pack, marketed to suburban households, included powdered milk, a Geiger counter guide, and a whistle for post-blast communication. Everything came in dull gray metal tins and was eerily sterile.
5. 1980s Car Trunk Emergency Set
Ildar Sagdejev on Wikimedia Commons
This kit assumed your car could break down on the moon—complete with flares, thermal blankets, and beef jerky. Stored in a bright red plastic case, it smelled like rubber and fear.
6. Boy Scout “Be Prepared” Kit
Red Cross on Wikimedia Commons
This iconic pouch was stuffed with iodine tablets, string, and a tiny manual on “wilderness first aid” written in alarming detail. The oddest item was a mirror that doubled as a signaling tool and, somehow, a spoon.
7. Soviet Bloc Civilian Survival Box
Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash
This kit came from behind the Iron Curtain and included charcoal tablets, gas mask parts, and canned meat of mysterious origin. Everything smelled like metal and glue.
8. Y2K Prep Kit
Mathurin NAPOLY / matnapo on Unsplash
Remember when everyone thought the world would crash at midnight in 1999? These kits were loaded with candles, freeze-dried soup, and printed maps—as if GPS would vanish.
9. NASA Apollo Mission Survival Pack
Steve Jurvetson on Flickr
Designed in case astronauts landed far from help, this kit included dye markers, machetes, and a bright orange inflatable raft—for space or Earth.
10. 1930s Train Conductor Emergency Box
Mathurin NAPOLY / matnapo on Unsplash
Old rail kits came with lantern fuel, bandages, hard candy, and a flare gun tucked into a wooden crate. The candy was apparently for “energy,” and the flare gun was just… there.