Stay ready for any emergency with this comprehensive family guide to building a budget-friendly 72-hour survival kit.

When you start the transition from traditional to ultralight backpacking, survival gear is usually the first thing to go. Signaling mirror? Extraneous. Extra paracord? Too heavy. Fire starters? Pshh.

The best survival kits are like insurance policies you hope you'll never need, but when disaster strikes, they can make all the difference. Packed with essentials like food, water, first aid supplies ...