5 Milwaukee Packout Tools And Kits That Will Come In Handy During An Emergency

The thing about emergency situations is that you never know when and where one is going to strike. This is why it's important to have various tools and utilities on standby just in case. Even if you're caught off guard by a sudden development, if you've got the right gear ready for action, you won't be left floundering.

While you can get all kinds of good emergency equipment from your local Home Depot, if you're looking to stay in a single ecosystem of products, you may benefit from browsing the Milwaukee brand's line of Packout tools and kits. The Packout line is intended primarily for jobsite and workshop convenience, utilizing lids and bases that clip together in a sturdy stack. However, whether you're on the job or at home, resilient, multifunctional equipment is definitely useful when an emergency strikes.

Here we've listed five Milwaukee Packout tools and kits that will be of use in an emergency. More information on how we selected the products can be found in our methodology at the bottom of this page.

A very common type of emergency situation is a sudden power outage, whether due to grid problems or bad weather. If you don't have power, then the food in your refrigerator is officially on a time limit, to say nothing of more important things like perishable medicine. Whether you need a cool place to store snacks or medicine for a while, the Packout Cooler Bag has it handled.

The Packout Cooler Bag is made up of 1680D tear-resistant ballistic fabric, ensuring it'll stand up to whatever punishment you subject it to while protecting its contents. The internal food-grade leak-proof liner can hold ice for up to 24 hours, which means you can stash temperature sensitive snacks and medicine for just as long. The bag has a sturdy shoulder strap, and is light enough to easily carry around if you need to travel somewhere on foot. However, its molded, impact-resistant base also allows it to clip securely onto a Packout stack. This can be handy if you're in the car and need to make sure the contents of the bag stay level.

The Milwaukee Packout Cooler Bag is available at Home Depot for $74.97. This bag comes recommended by Brian of WorkshopAddict, who makes extensive use of it both in a professional and personal capacity. 

Another common emergency situation is a sudden injury, so it's very important that at least one person in each family has first aid training so they can get a handle on all kinds of injuries and ailments until more complete treatment. A vital component of the first aid process is a stocked toolbox of bandages, ointments, braces, and more. If you want such a medical toolbox, the Packout Type 3 First Aid Kit is a quality choice.

This Class B first aid kit is stuffed with supplies for all kinds of medical emergencies, and in large quantities. The total item count adds up to 193, including bandages, antibiotic ointment, antiseptic wipes, cold packs, tourniquets, and much more. All of this is packed up into an IP65 waterproof-rated impact-resistant shell, guaranteed to withstand sudden drops and prevent any liquid ingress from rain or puddles. The kit is sealed by a locking clear lid, allowing you to easily see what's in each compartment, while the base can lock onto any Packout stack.

The Milwaukee Packout Type 3 First Aid Kit is available at Home Depot for $144.97. Scott Wadsworth of YouTube channel Essential Craftsman recommends this first aid kit, not just for its resilience, but for the vital addition of the included usage instructions. He notes that even if you eventually exhaust the medical contents of the kit, the box itself would still be exceptionally useful to have around.

It's bad enough to have an emergency strike during the day when you can see what's going on, but it's even worse if it happens at night. If there's a nighttime power outage and you can't see anything, you're going to need some resilient, reliable lighting, and in a hurry. While you should have some battery-powered lighting available at all times, like a flashlight, it definitely wouldn't hurt to have the M18 Packout LED Light as a supplemental option.

This big block of illuminating power features three independent rotating light heads, providing a cumulative 3,000 lumens of TrueView high definition lighting output. Whether you clip it to a Packout stack or just leave it on a bench, it'll sit properly and proudly. With the help of one of Milwaukee's M18 REDLITHIUM battery packs, you can get up to 31 continuous hours of operation out of this light. As an added bonus, it has a compartment for storing small objects, as well as a 2.1 amp USB plug for charging small electronics.

The Milwaukee M18 Packout LED Light is available at Home Depot for $199.00. Stan Durlacher of Tool Box Buzz gave this light a 4 out of 5 star rating in his review, praising how easy the device is to transport and the quality of the TrueView lighting.

In emergencies like storms, it's very important that you have a way to receive vital news updates like weather forecasts and travel advisories. Unfortunately, if there's a power or internet outage, you won't be able to get those updates from a TV, computer, or smartphone. Luckily, we still have the classic option: good old fashioned radio. If you're looking to stay tuned in, the M18 Packout Radio/Speaker can deliver. 

This surprisingly beefy speaker setup is just what you need to receive the news of the world in the absence of other options. Its built-in AM/FM tuner can receive most standard radio signals, either tuning manually or with 18 station presets, while its ten-speaker setup ensures you'll hear the news in full 360-degree clarity. It's also equipped with Bluetooth 4.2 functionality, allowing you to wirelessly connect another device for audio up to 100 feet away. The rubber overmold of the Packout connectors protects the delicate components while allowing you to hook it onto a stack or holding base. For added convenience, there's a weatherproof storage compartment, plus an integrated USB charger, as well as an AC cord for recharging the attached M18 battery pack.

The Milwaukee M18 Packout Radio/Speaker is available at Home Depot for $299.00. Clint DeBoer of Pro Tool Reviews scored this device a 9 out of 10, praising its impressive output volume and quality, as well as the built-in charging features.

Whether it's for the gadgets we've mentioned here or other helpful Milwaukee tools, it's important that you have a stack of charged batteries ready for action in case an emergency suddenly manifests. After all, if you don't have any batteries, your Packout radio and light won't be able to do much. If you're specifically planning on using your Milwaukee batteries for emergency purposes, it'd be wise to keep them all in one place, such as on the Packout M18 6-Port Rapid Charger.

This Packout stack-topping charging cradle has enough space to comfortably fit up to six Milwaukee M18 battery packs. The packs are charged two at a time at a base charging speed 40% quicker than Milwaukee's standalone chargers, with the device keeping each pack firmly latched in place. The integrated handle means you can easily tote the whole thing around if you're on the move, then unfurl the AC cord when you're in a safe place to charge the packs up again. There's also a pair of small caddies on the sides, perfect for holding smartphones while they charge up from the built-in USB-A charging port.

The Milwaukee Packout M18 6-Port Rapid Charger is available at Home Depot for $249.00. Returning to Brian of WorkshopAddict, he calls it an excellent choice for those who already have a Packout stack and want to charge large quantities of batteries quickly.

Just as it's important to have a variety of tools and implements in an emergency situation, it's also vital to know that your tools are of a high quality. This is why, for our recommendations, we stuck to products with recommendations from either accredited hardware publications or hardware-focused YouTube channels with at least 200,000 subscribers.