The thing about disaster striking — forest fire, avalanche, earthquake — is that it’ll likely affect more than just you. which is not something that most bug-out bags deliver. The newest brand on the survival kit market is Rino Ready, which makes an all-encompassing 72-hour survival bag with enough food and water for two.
Rino, founded by Michael Reed in January 2019, makes the Rino Ready bag, which is being called the world’s most advanced 72-hour survival bag, or bug out bag. It quickly rose through the ranks on Indiegogo to become over 2000-percent funded. While survival brands tend to do well with crowdfunding campaigns (thanks, preppers), it’s hard for each [included] product to perform exceptionally well, Reed says. This is mostly because many of these kits in the past are filled with crap-quality goods. It’s why those with experience are more apt to design their own kit, rather than buy one backpack filled with generic equipment.
While there have been a few every couple of years that make people excited about preparedness (we covered Uncharted Supply Co., early last year), Reed says most pre-packaged kits are a disappointment. He points to the fact that poor quality won’t get you through the apocalypse. But, most companies can’t balance quality with keeping things under a certain price point. “That’s why we produce the products ourselves,” Reed says. To address this, Reed used Reddit to consult with volunteer firefighters, EMS and veterans — folks who DIY their own emergency kits. “The emergency response community are some of the most upfront, transparent and brutally honest people out there,” Reed says.
One thing Rino Ready did in addition to providing the best supplies — like U.S. Coast Guard-approved water and food — was to make sure this pack was dummy-proof. It has a how-to sheet that won’t evaporate or fade after spending years in your car or basement. “Guys in the military know what they have, where it is, how to access it,” Reed says. “[But] those who buy something online, they will not have that cohesive understanding of how to use each piece.” The waterproof, laminated sheet gives step-by-step instructions on how to use their goods to survive practically anything.
When naming Rino, Reed tried to fall somewhere between straight-forward and abstract with something customers might associate with the ruggedness and robustness of rhinos. “I was looking at what people identify safety and preparedness with and trying to align that with something memorable,” Reed says.
