Camping gear being included in home disaster kits

OSAKA — With outdoor recreational activities becoming more popular, the number of people including mountain climbing and camping equipment in their emergency kits has been increasing as such equipment is usually lightweight and compact.

Some stores specializing in outdoor goods have added sections with items that can be used in emergencies. Workshops teaching people how to survive in the event of a disaster are also being held.

At the Links Umeda outlet of retailer Ishii Sports Co. in Kita Ward, Osaka, a section has been set up to display goods that can be used in the event of a disaster.

First-aid kits by The North

Face and lanterns and other lighting equipment by Logos, plus emergency food, gas burners and portable power sources by about 30 other brands, are being sold.

The section was set up last year, and was initially meant to remain for six months, but the store received positive feedback from its customers so it plans to keep the section throughout this year.

According to customer Ryoichi Narita, 65, a company employee from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, he is always prepared for a disaster because mountain climbing is his favorite hobby so his equipment is always ready to go.

“My headlamp leaves my hands free, and my gloves protect my hands from the cold,” Narita said. “[The equipment] is light, easy to carry and is highly functional.”

Outdoor equipment manufacturers have begun developing goods that are meant to be used during a disaster.

Mont-Bell Co., a leading manufacturer of outdoor equipment based in Osaka, has provided or lent tents and sleeping bags to disaster-hit areas since the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.

Prompted by the damage caused by the tsunami during the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the company developed a “U Cushion” (floating vest), which costs ¥5,238 including tax. The item can normally be used as a cushion, but it can then be converted into a life jacket in an emergency.

Mont-Bell has also developed “RISOTTa,” a freezedried risotto that can last for more than five years. The emergency food costs ¥421 including tax.

“Emergency-preparedness goods were selling well, especially around January and March, when the major earthquakes occurred, and around Sept. 1, which is Disaster Prevention Day,” a Mont-Bell official said. “But lately, they have been selling well all year round.”

When the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, many people needed to learn how to make a fire to cook, set up a tent and keep themselves warm.

Since the disaster, workshops are have been held nationwide to teach people how to survive during an emergency by using mountain climbing or camping equipment.

Sunny Side Outdoor School, which is based in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, allows customers to try outdoor recreational activities.

In 2019, it started a course in which participants learned to make a fire and cook rice using an empty can at a campsite.

“With a massive earthquake expected to occur in the Nankai Trough in the near future, a tsunami disaster is highly likely to occur,” said Hirokazu Nagata, 52, chief director of Plus Arts, a Kobe-based nonprofit organization that holds classes on disaster preparedness. “As the world has become more convenient, our ability to survive has degraded, making it necessary for us to relearn how to take care of ourselves in the event of a disaster.” (March 26)