Hello, all.

Any suggestions for kit(s) for a child heading off to a semi-rural college. I'm thinking car kit, dorm kit, EDC, camping kit for mountain park day trips as well as coastal beach/river kayaking.

I've pulled many good ideas out of the archives. Just wondering if anyone has additional ideas that may be campus-oriented.

Btw, he's only somewhat "preparedness-minded" by my estimation. He is a trained and experienced lifeguard.

How big a college? What is their rules? How rural is semi-rural? How secure can you make your vehicle, and what is your vehicle? What kind of dorm- two a room cell-style, two to a room in a suite, one to a room in a suite? How far are you from home? Buddies from home there, or will you be a stranger? Is your plan to stay at the school if SHTF, or head home?

A good FAK, with a bottle of Immodium in your desk (college food will kick your hoop for the first few weeks). At LEAST a week of real food, plus a bit more (college food will suck after the first few weeks), plus water and your carbonated/caffinated beverage of choice. Earplugs. Nitrile gloves, a box of them (some people are just slobs). Your own stash of real TP from home. Two hot pots, or a hot pot and an electic kettle. A Brita pitcher or similiar (never been on a campus where the water didn't taste funny) and sugar free flavorants. A good door wedge.

For the car, the basics. Add a small camp stove and/or a small grill to your trunk, with fuel and a cook set. A map that is marked with your primary, at least two secondary, and as many tertiary routes home as you can think of.

Condoms...lots of them.

I sent my daughter to school with a toolkit; hammer, pliers, wrench, screwdrivers, racket and sockets. She said that was the most useful thing I gave her.

I did make sure she had a car kit. Also a small emergency kit when riding her bike. She rides 10-25 miles a day for exercise.

make sure they want to carry it. A mistake often made is making stuff for other they don´t want.

Hmm, well, for an EDC, get them a leatherman wave, a sewing kit, a pocket sized fak, a refillable butane lighter, some duct tape, a book of stamps, a pre-paid telco card, a prepaid credit card with about $500 on it, a pocket LED flashlight, a metro card if they are in a public transit area and the indefinite use by option is available, with about a month's worth of trips prepaid on it, a 1 gig thumb drive, and instructions that all the prepaids are for "emergency use" only, and will be renewed periodically if not abused.

Sounds like you've got the basics covered, but I'd throw in some kind of trunk that your kid can secure with a lock and hide under the bed or in a closet. Things have a way of growing legs and running off on a college campus...

Go to a good knife shop and have them try the feel of the different brands & models for feel. Even different models from the same company may not be similar. It's a matter of personal preference. What feels right to me may not work for you. Mine is the Victorinox line. I EDC a Swiss Champ XLT & a CRKT M-16 locking folder. If I know I'm going to be using it working or going hiking I carry their Spirit model.

Edit

If you near this area you can get a look and good prices at Smoky Mountain Knife Works. SMKW

Hello and welcome Henry_Porter,
I am in my second year at Cal State Monterey Bay and so far everything mentioned sounds great. Something I would add is a good sit down talk about what you expect from the college bound student. Topics should include grades, sex, proper behavior, finances, drug/alcohol and any topics you feel are important. Also do not forget to tell them to have fun, make smart decisions and that you love them no matter what.

In addition to this, a really good mattress pad is a good idea. I just got a Geo-Pad by Span-America Medical Inc. it is the best thing ever. I think my dad got it from a Medical Supply Place. A good set of tools for the car that he never lends out and a cheap set, from target for the dorm room that he can lend out. Send a few good, microwavable dishes. 2 sets of sheets for an extra long twin mattress. Do not forget that space is very limited in the dorms and most of the affordable housing near campus. Make sure you let him pick out these things and be there willing to give advice. I remember my parents kept telling me what I should get and it was very frustrating.

Hope this is useful.

Good advice. My daughter swore that an iPod and a new Cell Phone were essential campus gear. I was skeptical but relented. You raise them to make good decisions, gotta let go sometime.

My daughter attends LSU/Baton Rouge. She has a car that is 1 year old.

In the case of TSHTF; she is next door to the 2nd largest refinery in this country, a major maritime crossroad (Mississippi River & The Port Allen-Morgan City Route), & a state capital.

She and her BF have a bike rack for the car, bicycles (secondary stage vehicles), 2 BOB's with 4 MRE's in each, as well as all the gear that each BOB should have, three routes out of town and back to home (depending on what happens and what the wind is doing), and plenty of water and a few extras.

She is survival oriented and he is an Eagle Scout!

All the Dorm and campus stuff has already been written below.

Does he carry kits now? If not, a guess would be things are not going to change so a few minimal gadgets might be all that can be expected. Suggestions for edc would be a keychain size Swiss Army with a light, a keychain whistle, mid-size Leatherman tool, and a keychain lighter. A good way to go for the car is a tool roll (including some “survival gear”) and a first aid kit. Both kits can be tucked in with the spare. These days remember to be careful about what is allowed on school property, especially in California.
Hope you can let everyone know what you finally decide.

Not really EDC items, but if the student's room is on the 2nd or higher floor, it might be a good idea to give him an escape ladder and something to break the window in the case of a fire (if the window doesn't open easily).

Thank you each for your suggestions and advice. Very helpful. It's also enlightening to hear lazermonkey's perspective as a current student. Thanks again.

Don't forget loads and loads of cash for tuition and expenses!

Being a college student, here are some of the things that have come in handy for me:

1. Multi-tool and small tool kit for the dorm (glues and tapes too)

2. Good flashlight with spare batteries

3. Large trash bags, ziploc bags, microwavable containers (I use these as bowls, then I just throw them out at the end of the year, or when I forget to wash them for a few days )

4. Good first aid kit (and vitamins/Advil/Immodium/Pepto/Benadryl)

5. Police scanner programmed with local police and school freq. (twice we have had major incidents on campus, and both times I was the only person who knew what was going on)

6. I have a small safe under my bed that is secured by steel cable to the bed frame. (I keep my camera, Ipod, some cash, and important papers in here)

7. A good digital camera

8. A good cell phone with an extended battery (keep the original battery as a backup), house charger, and car charger.

9. 8GB pocket drive. (I use this to backup my important files and some classes require some sort of a thumb drive.)

10. My Ipod (besides music I use it to backup pictures and other files that aren't really important, but I would hate to loose)

11. Good water-resistant slippers, especially if in dorm (it seems the fire alarm always goes off at 11:00am in the rain/snow)

12. A good sized duffle bag and sturdy back pack.

13. Ear plugs

14. An all-in-one scanner/copier/printer (being able to copy stuff right in the dorm has saved my butt a few times) Spare paper too, both regular and photo.

15. At least one spare blanket and pillow. A sleeping bag is even better.

16. A bigger garbage can (the one they gave us for the room was tiny)

17. TV with built in VCR and DVD. (People trade/borrow movies all the time or record shows off the tv)

18. A small dust pan and brush (and a small vacuum has come in handy)

19. Dress clothes (some Greek events require a suit/tie/slacks, but generally a few button down shirts and Dockers type pants are fine)

20. A good date book that they can carry with them. A lot of prof. will make you pick dates to present projects and such, so you need to know what your schedule is like.

21. Important things in wallet:

-Health Insurance card (remember too, that health insurance companies will drop kids from their parents insurance automatically when they turn 18/19 unless you show them proof every year that you are a full time student)

-Drivers license (copy of car registration and insurance kept in dorm too)

-Fake ID (Just kidding )

-Student ID card (remember not to loose it at the end of the year, since a lot of colleges make you reuse it ever year or pay for a new one) Also, some colleges ask you if you want to combine your debit card and student ID into one card, while it seems like a good idea don't do it. Everyone looses their student ID card at least once since it is in and out of your pocket 50 times a day. If you loose it the college can replace it instantly if it isn't connected to a bank account. If it is you also have to call the bank and that turns into a huge pain.

-Debit card (for normal spending). I go through around $4,000 a year including the ~$1,000 spent on books every year. I have a car with me and gas takes up a large chunk of that money as well. Some go through less money, others more, it depends on your spending habits.

That isn't including the money spent on tuition/rent/meal plan/ect. That's just basic spending money (going out to dinner with friends, going out to the movies, buying stuff for class, buying replacement school supplies, music, movies, going bowling, ect).

-Emergency credit card (If there is enough money kept on the debit card you don't really need this, but if not it can come in handy. However, it can be abused. A few of my friends are already in debt a few grand to the credit card companies.)

22. Laptop. Some guys have desktop computers, but having a laptop works out great since I can go do my work somewhere quiet. Make sure you have Microsoft office (PowerPoint and Word are all but required) Make sure you have a way to lock it to the desk. I also use my laptop as a stereo with a set of good speakers.

23. Good alarm clock

24. Post-it notes/Index cards to write down memos/To-do lists (my desk is littered with these things)

25. Tape dispenser and Stapler, pens, pencils, highlighters, whiteout, notebooks, desk lamp (spare bulbs), clothes hamper, laundry stuff, good desk chair, cleaning stuff, ect. (obvious, but people forget)


That's all I can think of right now. Not really survival stuff, but it's the stuff I use pretty often. If I think of anything else I'll put it up.

Thank you for this list, I will make use of it.

Very helpful list and practical insights, Paul810. Thank you.

Thanks also for good questions from Ironraven, J Michael and others regarding whether my son has a preparedness attitude and whether he currently has an everyday kit, etc. He is somewhat of the mindset but not disciplined. I'll take the advice to talk and maybe shop together to build up a better car kit as well as a dorm kit and EDC items.

"Back in the day I went to college....." Funny thing is... I'm not that old.....I had taken a class called College 101. Basically an intro to college. While many of my school mates had bad instructors...all they had them do were 'sriting type' exercises to determine how to better their writing.....my taught that an a whole lot more......

It is 1030 pm on a Fri and you are out of money.....where do you get free food?

Stuff like that......tell them to get to know the people that work at the campus 'deli'. Ours had to 'throw out' all left over food at the end of the night. They would glsdly just give it to you if you had 'hung out there' a few times over the year. They knew what situation you were in...they were in it too. they would bring food back to the dorms.

Also check out 'events' like concerts....they usually had free 'wine and cheese' type things....