What to do when disaster strikes? Hopefully, you’ve already stocked up on all the essentials and made your own version of a disaster kit. For those decrying the – perhaps somewhat lacking – sex appeal of the average emergency box (not to mention the bulkiness), design studio Nendo has got you covered. In reaction to the Great East Japan earthquake, the team at Nendo created a stunning tube-shaped emergency kit for Sugita Ace, the Minim+Aid. It even comes with a strap, so you can literally swing it over your shoulder and run for shelter without being hampered by anything. It’s almost Hunger Games-esque.
The aluminium tube contains five separate numbered containers, which all hold some essentials. A poncho, a pouch of drinking water, a lantern, a wind-up radio which can also be used to charge your other appliances by USB, a case to hold medicine and other essentials… it’s all there. There’s also a whistle hidden in the cap, and the entire tube can float. On top of that, the Minim+Aid comes in a variety of simple shades (silver, black, white), with the canisters coming in different colours as well. If this sounds almost farcical for an emergency kit, we tend to agree, but the core philosophy behind it may make you reconsider: if you had a very stylish disaster kit, then you are more likely to remember where it is while in a panic, as opposed to remembering that old box dusting away somewhere – thereby infinitely increasing your chances of survival.
The Minim+Aid is reportedly scheduled to go on sale in June 2016 through Sugita Ace.
– By Kirsty Bouwers
– Photos by Kenichi Sonehara via Nendo