DECKED x Uncharted Supply Co. D-Bag Emergency Kit Review

A blizzard strikes, and you are stuck in your car on the highway. A tornado rips through your town, and you are left with nothing. Each of these situations are a possibility in places where I’ve lived. More recently, almost 1000 homes and businesses were lost in a few hours in a freak wildfire here in Colorado. Most people during this time did not even have time to pack anything; they just grabbed their family and got out. This is why having an emergency kit that is easily accessible is a good idea. 

Now for the survivalists, the bug-out-bag pros, the grunt bros, and naysayers, this review is an option for people. People often say that they will build out an emergency kit or a bug-out bag, but they never take the time to do this. It takes research, then sitting down to order each item, and also thinking of a bag or how to pack it. So is building your kit better and possibly cheaper? Yes. But for those who are not going to take the time to build their emergency kit, is a pre-fabbed kit better than nothing? Absolutely yes.

Uncharted Supply Co. has been around for several years and has gotten recognition for launching its Seventy2 Survival System. Over their time in the market, they have partnered with Yeti to create their Basecamp Collection. Taking the Yeti GoBox and packing it with items you would need and protecting your survival essentials from bears and other wildlife. Recently, Uncharted Supply Co. partnered with DECKED to create a go-bag utilizing DECKED’s D-Bag to build a survival system for your house or vehicle. 

Do you need to have a DECKED Drawer system to utilize this bag? Not at all, but the D-Bag is designed to fit inside the DECKED drawers, so you have a nice protected place to store the bag. 

But the bag also comes with removable straps, so you can carry this bag as a backpack if needed. 

So What Is the D-Bag?

The D-Bag is a weather-resistant, military-grade, hybrid hard/soft bag. This means that the top and bottom of the bag are thermoformed EVA foam. The foam is heated and shaped to create the sturdy shape needed to protect your gear. The foam is coated in ballistic nylon so it can take a beating and survive.

The soft sides of the D-Bag are TPU-coated nylon, which was designed to give the bag a slight bit of compression/expansion. The standard D-Bag comes with a removable tool roll and mini duffel bag to sort and organize your gear.

What Is Inside the Emergency System?

The kit is designed to keep two people alive for the first 72 hours of an emergency. Many naysayers will complain about specific items in the kit, but these items and quantities are recommended from many reliable sources. Yes, 2400 calories is not that much, but this is an amount to keep you alive, not give you a full meal. If you want a full meal, hunt a deer, forage for vegetables and cook them up after a hurricane, tsunami, tornado, or while stuck in a blizzard. All of these items are about survival, not about comfort. 

For someone like myself who lives in Colorado and now has a fire season, having the air and vision items is a good feature if we have a local fire and need to get to safety while the air is thick. If you travel in an area that receives snow, having a cold-weather emergency kit in your car is a must-have. The DECKED x Uncharted Supply Co. kit supplies all these items.

One of the items that this kit contains that other prefabbed emergency kits do not is a portable power station that you can use to jump-start your vehicle or charge devices. The Zeus Portable Jump Starter can jump-start your car, charge your phone, or even be used as a flashlight. Not many people would think to have this in their car emergency kit, but it could keep you alive when the time comes.

A few other items that are included that are nice to have in this kit are the items in the Warmth pouch. The rule of 3’s for survival states that a person can survive 3 hours without shelter. This rule can be thought of more as maintaining your core body temperature. This also depends on the environment, but keeping items in your kit to keep your body warm is key to survival. If you are stuck in your car in a blizzard, you can use the gloves, hats, hand warmers, and even the emergency shelter to maintain your core body temperature to survive until help arrives. 

The Good

As far as a prefabbed emergency kit goes, this one has it all plus more. The D-Bag is very well constructed and will take a beating. The quality of the items is standard for the kitted emergency industry. Keep in mind that these items keep you alive when a disaster strikes. If you want a top-of-the-line knife or different food, then take the time to build your own kit or supplement this one.

I love the Zeus portable jump starter and the multiple options for starting a fire. The pack also contains a good-sized water bottle that you can use to store the water that you filtered with the Sawyer filter or boiled over a fire. 

The Not So Good

This kit is heavy. So taking it as a bug-out bag would be a bit much. But, leaving it in your DECKED Drawer system or the trunk of your car will provide you with the security you need when on the road. The kit is expensive. The main added cost for the kit includes the Zeus, which alone runs you about $159. While the bag and the zippers are strong, the zipper pulls, which are custom, are lacking. One came off the first time I opened the bag. While this is not something that would bother me personally, I know many would be frustrated with this happening. 

Who It Suits

As a blanket statement, it could suit anyone in need of a vehicle emergency kit. But you would benefit by having a DECKED System in your truck as a secure way to store your D-Bag. Uncharted Supply Co. carries plenty of other options for those who need an at-home kit.

Who It Doesn’t 

If you are looking for a simple kit for hikes or home use, this might be a little overkill. While you could take items out of this vehicle kit and move them around, that is not recommended as you might forget to put them back and miss them when the time arises. Also, if you are a DIY-minded person or a survivalist, this kit is probably not for you. 

Verdict 

Overall, the DECKED x Uncharted Supply Co. D-Bag Emergency Kit is a great vehicle emergency kit if you are someone who wants to have that peace of mind or knows that they won’t take the time to build out their emergency kit. It’s everything you need, all wrapped in an easy-to-use and good-looking carry solution.

It is always good to do your research and know what emergencies you might face in your region when it comes to preparedness and survival. Know what is in your kit and how to use it. Practice where it is in the bag, where the items are, and how to use them, so if you are in an emergency and shit has hit the fan, you can operate without hesitation and save your life and those around you. 

Stay safe, and adventure far.