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We're about a mile from the San Francisco Bay Area fault that experts say is probably the region's most hazardous. It's hard to forget we live so close with small shakes every few days. That's why the most-asked question in my household is, "Did you feel that?" I know I probably won't get much of a warning before a big earthquake, so instead I'm preparing for it.
My family and I have an emergency plan: Keep our car fueled up, have portable chargers and know how to shut off our gas. But maybe the most important things we have are our go bags, also known as bug-out bags.
One item I've included in all our go bags is this multitool by Gerber that includes pliers, scissors, screwdrivers, wire cutters and a knife. You can drop a lot of money on a multitool -- and some are absolutely worth it -- but because both price and weight were important to me, I chose the Gerber Dime 12-in-1 Mini multitool.
Normally priced around $30, this multitool is worth grabbing whether it's on sale or not. After Amazon's October Prime Day, you can still get the red version for $25, a 14% discount. If red's not your color, for a couple more bucks, you can buy the multitool in green or black.
It's also a great tool to have in general, like in your car or your desk drawer at work.
In addition to having bug-out bags at the ready, we keep an extensive earthquake kit in a big toy chest. With this big kit -- called a stay box -- weight isn't really an issue, and we can store enough food, water and whatever else we need to make it through a few days or even weeks. But in a go bag, each item has to be portable and essential, because weight adds up quickly. (This is the mini lantern I'm going with.) The Gerber Dime 12-in-1 Mini weighs just a few ounces and fits into the palm of my hand when it's folded up.