72 Hour Kit and Car Kit

[Cowboy]

-Food for 3-4 days (MREs, survival rations, peanut butter).
-Water for 3-4 days. Also water purification supplies. Tablets are the most compact. A hiking water purifier would probably work great too.
-Candy (or other comfort food)
-Rain/Cold gear
-Spare clothes.
-Shelter. We put some 12x12 thick plastic sheets in our kits. You can use them as shelter or just to keep things dry. Jim Phillips uses them instead of a tent for snow camping. You just wrap your sleeping bag in the thick plastic and you stay dry (warm depends on having a warm sleeping bag).
-Money (small bills)
-Hygiene kit (soap, toothbrush + paste, washcloth + towel)
-First aid kit
-sunscreen
-insect repellant if that matters where you are
-Army style entrenching tool
-Multi-tool (like a leatherman)
-Good knife
-Compass
-Flashlight, spare batteries
-Radio (normal) and 2-way radios
-Hand sanitizer
-Toilet paper, tissues/handkerchiefs
-Hat
-Work gloves
-Duct tape
-Books or something to do like crossword puzzle or a game
-Notepad and paper/pencil (weather-proof would be nice)

Planned:
-foam sleeping bags (tied to outside of packs)
-Hand gun + small supply of ammo
-Backups of important documents.

I have tried to take sort of a modular approach to my emergency prep items. I tried to separate items based on how critical it would be for survival. So I have one bag with absolutely critical stuff, another with less critical, all the way up to comfortable, and I try to not have, say, critical stuff in with the comfortable stuff. This way if I have to make a decision about what to take, mostly is just depends on how much I can carry, and I just start with the critical and work up to my carry limit. If I have the van and a couple of hours, I can probably take everything. If I have to hike somewhere, then there are some bags I can't take but I probably won't have to repack anything. Also, I have some bags in my vehicles which aren't 72-hour kits (I never liked that as a goal), but more like concentrated survival packs.

I thought I would list here what I have in those backpacks. I also have a "car kit" which is a kit just for helping keep the car running and things specific just to road travel. I keep these kits always in each vehicle. I never use the items in these bags and kits, unless I absolutely have to. Then I immediately return items to the bags. I just count the emergency prep items as just spent money and I try not to consider it available to use during normal life. I usually buy the best items for emergency prep and use the cheaper stuff in regular life. I figured that when I really need to use my emergency prep stuff that's when I need quality, more than I do now.

The backpack is hard-backed with roller wheels and an extensible handle. The car kit is in a plastic tupperware-like container. I keep inventory lists for two reasons: so know what's in it when i go over all my inventory, and so that I can attach a prinout of the inventory to the bag itself so that when I actually need to use I don't have to guess what is in each bag or whether it has the thing I need.


Car Kit

Quantity Item
1 Blanket, emergency
1 Tire inflator
1 Flare beacon
1 Socket set, 40 piece
1 Tow rope
2 Flashlight, with batteries
1 Plastic bag, package 15
1 Brake Fluid
1 Oil, engine, 1 quart
1 Poncho, emergency
1 Tire repair kit
1 Screwdriver, phillips
1 Screwdriver, flathead
1 Tire pressure gauge
1 Compass, lensatic
1 Battery jumper with DC output
1 Battery jumper DC to DC cable
1 Battery jumper AC charger
1 Tape, duct, roll
2 Boards, wood
1 Map, Utah
1 Wrench, lug, collapsable


Backpack

Quantity Item
2 Thermal pads
3 Emergency poncho
4 Thin survival blanket
2 1 liter water bladder
1 Metal mirror
1 memo pad and mech. pencils
1 Flourescent nightlight
1 Mini LED falshlight
1 Thermometer
1 Flashlight, LED, keychain
1 50' nylon rope
1 Towel, camp
1 roll duct tape
1 AAA batteries, 8pack
1 Small adjustable wrench
1 Mosqito head netting
1 Leatherman tool
1 Fishing kit, survival
1 Baby powder
1 Roll Toilet Paper
4 Tampons
2 Maxipads
20 Qtips
7 Diapers
1 Baby wipes, 50pack
1 Cable backpacking saw
9 MRE packet
1 Folding shovel
1 Steel mess kit
1 Dust mask, 5pack
1 Camp fork,spoon,knife
1 Trash baga, small roll
1 Soap in plastic box
1 Contact solution
1 Contacts case
1 Shaving cream
1 Sunscreen, SPF 30
1 Hand sanitizer
1 Deodorant
1 Shampoo
1 Aerobic Stabilized Oxygen
1 Hairbrush
1 Comb
1 Dental floss
1 Toothpaste
1 Toothbrush, folding
2 Razors, shaving
1 Nail clippers
1 Tweezers
1 Sunbloack, SPF 30, baby, stick
1 Lip balm
4 Condoms (exp, Aug 2006)
10 Ponytail holders
1 Wipes, mosquito
1 Potassium tablets, KIO3, 200 count bottle (exp 2005)
80 Bandaids
1 Cloth tape
1 Sewing kit
1 Gauze roll
1 Ankle wrap
1 Medicine dropper
1 Snakebite kit
1 Moleskin sheet
1 Alcohol wipe
1 Antiseptic wipe
1 Gauze pad
1 Pain reliever, Acetaminophen, 2 count packet
1 Scissors, folding
1 First aid cream tube
1 Ammo box
1 Money, $100
5 Silver, 1 ounce bar
1 binoculars
1 stun gun
1 Map, Utah
1 Glowstick
1 Compass
1 Flashlight, headlamp
1 Sunglasses
1 Pepper spray
1 Matches, waterproof, box
2 Candle
1 Matches, waterproof, bottle
1 Lighter
1 Flint
7 Firestarter logs
1 Battery charger, solar
1 radio, AM\FM\TV\Weather, w\ headphones
1 Flashlight, rechargeable, handcrank
4 Batteries, AA, rechargeable
4 Batteries, AAA, rechargeable
2 Radio, Family band, two-way w\ batteries
1 Watch, windup
1 Water filter, ceramic

I put the electrical things and thing I don't want to get wet inside the ammo can.

[Toni]

Thanks for the extensive list. It is very much appreciated.
Toni

[mirkwood]

Good list Cowboy. The below is from my presentation and then below that is how I built mine.

72 Hour Kits?Are They Really Necessary?
Why are they needed? Many people think that 72 hour kits are suggested by the church. This is inaccurate, although the church has never said not to have them either. I always ask people why they think a 72 hour kit would be needed. I am going to go through the various reasons people give for needing them and my thoughts on each. For the area of West Jordan we live in I do not think they are necessary. There are places that I think they would be a good idea, I just think for our neighborhood a kit that will get you home is a better idea. I call this a Get Home Kit and you store it in your car. This is basically the same concept as a 72 hour kit, but will get you home in the event there is a major disaster and you find yourself walking home. I will talk about them more later on. First I want to talk about the typical reasons people want 72 hour kits and why I do not think they will work in those scenarios.
Fire: If there is a fire in your home, you are not going to have time to grab a 72 hour kit. You will be busy evacuating your family. There is the possibility that you would have time to grab the 72 hour kit on your way out, but it should not be a priority. Your first responsibility will be to get your family to safety. If your house burns down, you will have friends, family and the ward that will help you out. Your insurance company will also be providing you with a place to stay.
Flood: There is not a water source in our area that would cause a flood which would create a need to evacuate. There is the possibility of your pipes breaking and flooding out part or your entire house. In that event, you will have friends, family and the ward to help out. Depending on your insurance coverage, they will be providing a place to stay. A 72 hour kit might be nice, but probably unnecessary.
Earthquake: The area we live in is assessed as a low damage area, particularly a section of our neighborhood (http://www.ugs.state.ut.us/online/pdf/pi-76.pdf). Looking at the map we can see our neighborhood falls into the pink/purple and blue color categories. Checking the color coding it shows our damage ratings from 0.2 ? 0.6. The majority of our neighborhood appears to be in the 0.3-0.5 rating which shows low damage and does not include a collapse of structures. This information is based on a 7.0 earthquake. The information listed indicates that our damage will be low and leads me to believe that we will be able to stay in our homes in the aftermath of an earthquake. If you felt the need to leave you could grab a 72 hour kit, but you would also be able to load up on supplies from your storage.
Storms/power outages: If we face a storm that knocks out the power and other utilities, where would you evacuate to? If it is wintertime, would you rather stay in your home with your stores and warm clothing or pack up and leave? A county wide disaster will not leave you anywhere to go unless you have family nearby that you can reach. You would be better off staying home and riding out the storms. All your supplies and warm clothing will be in your home and anywhere else you evacuate too will probably have the same utility loss problems as your home. Unless there is some sort of hazard to your home you are likely to be better off staying home.
Terrorism: The Park Stake is a very unlikely target for terrorism. The most likely threat that we could face in a terrorist attack is a biological attack, dirty bombs or a car bomb. Terrorists would be looking for a target that would cause mass casualties like in the downtown area. Jordan Landing would be a large target, but not like the downtown area. Any attack of a terrorist nature in the downtown area is very unlikely to affect us. Radiation from a dirty bomb is unlikely to come anywhere near us, just as a biological attack is unlikely to reach us. Infected people from a biological attack would probably be quarantined before they could spread out of the initial attack area. If the contagion spread we could all quarantine ourselves in our homes. Car bombs in any area but our immediate vicinity will not affect us at all. Again for our area, the need for a 72 hour kit related to a terrorist attack would probably be unnecessary.
War: If an army was marching through Salt Lake County we would probably flee from our homes. In the unlikely event this happened, there would be forewarning and we would be taking far more then three days of supplies with us. I do not think this is a likely scenario.
The Prophet: If a call from the prophet came telling us we had a few minutes to grab some things and leave, a 72 hour kit would be good to have. However, any such announcement from the prophet would take time to circulate through the wards and stakes of the valley and you would have time to gather some things to take with you.

So What Would Be Better To Have?
A far more useful item for us in our area is what I call a Car Kit or Get Home Kit that stays in your car. The idea behind a car kit is having supplies that will help you get home in the event a disaster occurs while you are away from home. If you are at work or are out shopping when an earthquake or some other major disaster strikes it would be better to have a kit in your car that helps you get home. In the event of a major earthquake this county is going to be wrecked. An earthquake of disastrous magnitude will destroy the road system making it impossible to drive. If somehow the roads are still open, they will be so packed with traffic as to make vehicular traffic improbable. You would be better off by planning on walking home from wherever you are. I plan for a two day walk home. I believe a healthy adult can walk anywhere in the county in about two days. If you have small kids, you can plan on that taking even longer and should plan your kit(s) with that in mind.
The kinds of food items you want in your kit are things that can take extreme temperatures for an extended length of time without degrading their nutritional value. I have used MRE?s (http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_100) in the past, but over the course of a summer in the trunk they are cooking and cooling every single day. This quickly degrades the taste, texture and nutritional value of the food. The Coast Guard uses the Mainstay Calorie Bar (http://beprepared.com/search.asp?t=ss&ss=mainstay) as their emergency food storage on their ships. The biggest benefit to this item is the five year shelf life at any temperature between -40 deg F to 300 def F. They are also non thirst promoting. They come in three sizes, but I recommend the 3600 calorie bar. They can be purchased at Emergency Essentials for $6.95. One of these would give you two days at 1800 calories. Personally I have two in my kit plus a few Power Bars (http://www.powerbar.com). I make sure that I rotate the Power Bars regularly to maintain their nutritional value because I store my kit in the trunk of my car. Roughly every six months I have new ones in my kit. I also keep four 1 pint water bottles. I also suggest keeping a pair of durable pants, a t-shirt, a pair of shoes you are comfortable walking long distances in, a spare set of shoelaces, two pair of socks and a good fixed blade knife. I generally do not worry about winter gear because I will already have winter items with me if it is wintertime. If you do not normally have winter gloves and hat, I would suggest adding a pair of wool liner gloves which can be purchased at any grocery store for a couple dollars and a wool watch cap, which can be purchased at any department type store for around five dollars. These can be added into the kit and take little space. You could also add a woolen blanket to your kit. I like the fixed blade knife because it is a versatile tool which may come in handy.
I would also keep a small amount of cash inside the kit as well. A small zip lock baggie with $10-20 in one dollar bills would be a good idea. You could also use the mini M&M tubes to hold quarters. Each tube will hold about $14 in quarters. These are simple to store in the kit and provide some emergency cash. Small bills are a must so that you do not have to pay for a one dollar item with a twenty and not get any change back. Remember, if you are forced to use your car kit, there probably is not any power and your debit cards, credit cards and ATM card will not be working. It is also unlikely that a check would be accepted.
All these items should be stored in some kind of backpack. This keeps your hands free for any other activities you may have to perform. A school backpack is a poor choice but if that is your only option it is better then nothing. There are a great many options available that are highly durable. There are companies that manufacture packs for the military that are highly durable and have been tested in the field with good results. I like Blackhawk (http://www.blackhawk.com/category1.asp?D=D0064&S=&C=&N=1&pricestart=&priceend=), Tactical Assault Gear (https://tacticalassaultgearstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=10), and Camelback (http://www.camelbak.com/index.cfm). All three companies have quality products with good reputations. There are many other options out there, these just happen to be my personal preferences. There are also companies that manufacture packs for hiking and camping, again with good reputations. These are highly durable packs and will withstand the wear and tear of riding in the trunk of your vehicle. This may not sound like a big deal, but a school type backpack will be worn after a year or so of riding around in the trunk. This can result in dumping out the contents of your kit when you go to put it on. If you buy a $10 backpack that is what you will get. It is better to pay a little more for an item that will hold up in the event you need it. There are also a few less expensive options in packs that will serve you well, but lack some of the extra features in the more expensive packs. My choice of less expensive packs are the German Mountain Rucksack (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0026022516442a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=german&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=german&noImage=0) and the US Army ALICE Pack (http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/level4s.tam?xax=1534&M5COPY%2Ectx=7056&M5%2Ectx=3008&M2%5FDESC%2Ectx=Field%20Packs%20%2D%20Army%20ALICE %2C%20Tactical%2C%20LBE%20%2D%20Load%20Bearing%20G ear%2C%20Accessories&level3%2Ectx=results%2Etam&query%2Ectx=alice%20pack&backto=%2Fagcatalog%2Fresults%2Etam).
After you build your kit you need to try it on and walk around with if for a little while. This will give you an idea on the weight and balance of the pack. You need to make sure your pack will work for you. If it is too heavy you will need to make some adjustments so that you can actually carry your supplies.
Let me also add these final thoughts on 72 hour kits. I am not opposed to the idea of 72 hour kits I just feel for our neighborhood a Car Kit is a better idea. Personally I also have 72 hour kits in my home and I believe there are areas that a 72 hour kit in addition to a Car Kit is a good idea. You can find some good information on 72 hour kits on my website (http://www.rogmo.com/72_hr_kits.html), including how I built my personal kits (http://www.rogmo.com/100.html). Personally I prefer to build my own kits, but some people would rather go out and buy one. I have seen two sites where I thought the pre-made kits were any good. They can be found at Totally Ready (http://www.totallyready.com) and Emergency Essentials (http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_120_A_name_E_EmergencyKits). I like what I see of the contents a bit better at Totally Ready though I would still add the Mainstay Calorie Bar. The only thing I am unsure with both companies is the backpack because it does not list who makes them. If I had to pick between the two I would go with Totally Ready and add a Mainstay Calorie Bar.





Here is an example of how I built the 72 hour kits for myself and my wife. In addition to the items always contained with them we have the ability to add to the kits given just a few minutes of time. We can quickly add sleeping bags, grab our tent and more water. We have bottled water in our food storage next to the packs and it will only take a few seconds to throw them into the packs. The only reason I don't have them there to start with is I don't like to store the bottles inside the packs. I am always experimenting with the layout, so this set up is subject to change at a whim, but the basics you see here are pretty much a standard. I also carry a 48 hour/get home kit in my car with about 2/3 of the contents you see here. I carry that kit in a Hydrastorm Predator (http://www.blackhawk.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=4143&d=) As you can see I am partial to olive drab, but really the color is not as important as the pack itself.

--Jason



Phoenix Pack (http://www.blackhawk.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=1227&d=)


9 MRE entrees

9 MRE side dishes

2 3600 calorie food brick

2 Nuwick candles

emergency stove

stainless steel pot

small first aid kit

2 matchbooks

$30 (one dollar bills)

mini M&M tube with quarters (about $12)

2 t-shirts

2 utensil sets

toilet paper roll

tube Neo-sporin

LED flashlight

Bic lighter


3 Day Assault Pack (http://www.blackhawk.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=1201&d=)

9 MRE entrees

9 MRE sides

2 3600 calorie food brick

2 sets children clothing

1 box 9mm

4 packaged tootbrushes

2 utensil sets

$30 (one dollar bills)

mini M&M tube with quarters (about $12)

sheated knife

package of plastic army men

extra glasses

Bic Lighter

wind up LED light

4 water pouches

2 glow sticks

2 rolls toilet paper

2 matchbooks

1 Nuwick candle

1 wash cloth

tube Neo-sporin

wool blanket

LED flashlight

[Nomad]

Cowboy, I hope you have a couple of pack mules for all that stuff. It is a 72 hour kit not a years supply. I think you need to break it down to what would keep you alive for 3 days and no more. Some food (you can go for 3 days on very little food) water or better water purifier and things to keep you dry and warm. I can go for days in the same clothes if I must. I don't think it will be important to wash my hair or floss my teeth (use a hat). Simplify

Nomad the wonderer

[Laura]

From what I've been directed to do by the organizations and experts in my life, a 6 day plan is much safer. Yesterday, I had a nurse who teaches emergency preparedness for a local hospital that they are teaching 12 day kit.

Must be as portable as possible....

We have 6 day kits in backpacks...good backpacks. the kids have smaller ones that carry only their basics and sleeping bag.

[Toni]

Mirkwood, you said, "Many people think that 72 hour kits are suggested by the church. This is inaccurate, although the church has never said not to have them either."

I thought they were because we are often admonished to have them. In fact, our ward preparedness leader gets together an order each month for preparedness items for 72 hour kits. Are you sure someone hasn't said in a general conference somewhere that we should have 72 hour kits? (Harder to prove no one said it than to prove someone did say it, I suppose.)

[arbilad]

It is my understanding that the 72 hour kits are championed by FEMA, and nothing is said about them on a GA level at the church.
In fact, the new advice (3 month supply of normal food, water supply, and years supply of longer storing stuff) supersedes all previous advice. Nothing is mentioned in the new guidelines, to my knowledge, about 72 hour kits.

[Cowboy]

Your right about the directives from the church. It is still a good idea to have one in case of an earthquake or a situation where you may only need something for a few days.

[LarnaE]

I have a confession to make. I have nothing in my car as far a survival goes. The spirit has been giving me a few nudges to do something about this. I don't have the money to get everything all at once. If you could only get 10 things, what would they be?

[NRA]

I have a confession to make. I have nothing in my car as far a survival goes. The spirit has been giving me a few nudges to do something about this. I don't have the money to get everything all at once. If you could only get 10 things, what would they be?

More money, more money, more money, more money, more money, more money, more money, more money, more money and more money.

[LarnaE]

LOL! do you have any that you want to give me?

[NRA]

LOL! do you have any that you want to give me?

Sure! How many of those above do you want? Just cut a paste. Pretty simple.

[Earthling]

I agree with Mirkwood that a Car Kit to get you home is very important. I made custom kits for all of us for the cars that are a combination 72 hour/car kits in that it has stuff for the car such as jumper cables, tow rope, etc. plus survival items I gave them to them six months ago and every one of them has needed to use something in them and has been appreciative. The wool blanket saved my son when he was traveling through Wyoming in the winter and they closed the roads. He couldn't go anywhere and had to spend the night in the car along with lots of other cars & truckers.

One additional note - the most important thing to have is something to keep you warm such as a wool blanket AND coat. I always keep these in the car because you never know i.e. you left home and thought you didn't need a coat especially in the spring and fall or you left during the day and the temperatures turned cold or night came. Not to mention with a blanket you are always ready for a picnic (keep a tablecloth & some disposable plates & utinsils in there too)! It has been pointed out to me that this is the most important survival thing to have - you can go days without food, several days without water, other things are nice to have BUT cold temperatures can kill you before you even get hungry.

P.S. Solar blankets are nice - but I carry them in addition. They have a lot of uses. When it's cold I don't want a piece of tin foil on me - I want a coat, blanket & gloves - especially if I have to walk home. Also keep that pair of tennis shoes that are comfortable but starting to wear out in the car instead of wearing them until they fall apart. This is especially important if you find yourself stranded in dress shoes.

[LoudmouthMormon]

I have a confession to make. I have nothing in my car as far a survival goes. The spirit has been giving me a few nudges to do something about this. I don't have the money to get everything all at once. If you could only get 10 things, what would they be?Just this week, I went from nothing in my trunk, to bare essentials.

Line of thinking: I spend 8 hrs/day 25 miles away from my home. Half of these miles are through city, half of what's left is heavily wooded. There are only 3 or 4 viable routes from work to home. Likely events that would make it necessary to use my kit: Severe storm, blizzard, tornado, industrial accident/sabotage, infrastructure accident/sabotage, zombie uprising. (ok, maybe that last one isn't likely.)

So, any of these likely events except blizzard make it also likely that I won't be driving my car home. And the blizzard pretty much makes it impossible to get home until the roads are cleared, then there's no problem. Blizzards are common here. I would stay at work, or find a hotel room, or get to one of the emergency shelters that open up.

So my kit is geared towards making it possible to walk home. I figure it's an 8 hour journey at least.

Kit:
Small backpack
2 bottles water
1 box granola bars
1 pair cheap walmart boots (they only need to last me 8 hours, but 2 of those hours could be climing over felled trees or walking across pastures)
1 hat
1 rain poncho
$200 cash in $5's and $20's
side holster

The holster assumes I've got a gun to put in it - that's my next step in preparing. Currently I only pack when hauling my family around. I'm uncomfortable with leaving a gun in my car, and bringing it into work with me isn't an option. Not sure how to solve this one.

LM

[edit - after reading Earthling's post, I'm going to add a coat to the list. Walmart has them on the discount rack right now for $9. I think I'll get one.]

[bokbadok]

I need to get this done too. My husband would have a 55 mile walk home - so 3-4 days worth. At that distance, I think we'll go with the coast guard ration packs. He won't be wanting to carry any extra weight that distance.

[LarnaE]

I just figured out what we are doing for family night. Making a 72 hour kit for the car. At least will get started.

[sarge712]

I go light on my get home kit. I carry a Kelty pack with the following:

tactical med kit
6 Power bars (3 protein & 3 carb types)
multitool
3-4 bottles of water & water purifying tabs
pen & pad
spare pistol ammo, 50 rounds
spare rifle ammo, 50 rounds (if I have one with me)
nylon windbreaker / rain jacket
spare polypropelene boot socks
$50 in 5 dollar bills
small LED flashlight
matches & firebugs
550 cord & 6'x6' plastic sheet
4 small bungee cords

I add a watch cap, fleece pullover and gloves in the winter. I transfer as much as I can to my pockets like the multitool, cash, matches, flashlight, etc. It all packs pretty tight and light especially with the compression straps cinched down and won't get in the way if I can find a bike to ride. I plan on moving fast and getting home to the family ASAP.

As for 72 hour kits a lot of people around here are using them to salve their consciences for not having a year's supply.

[Toni]

So this thread got me interested in seeing if I could find something said officially by the church about 72 hour kits. I went to lds.org and did a search. Of course you already know what I found. Zip. Zilch. Nada. So interesting. I do agree it's a good idea to have them but I have definitely learned something from the posters on this thread. Thanks.

[Lucy]

True maybe about the church, but in our very mobile society having 72 hrs worth of stuff in our cars makes a HUGE amount of sense. We shouldn't need to be commanded in all things. :-)

[mirkwood]

Mirkwood, you said, "Many people think that 72 hour kits are suggested by the church. This is inaccurate, although the church has never said not to have them either."

I thought they were because we are often admonished to have them. In fact, our ward preparedness leader gets together an order each month for preparedness items for 72 hour kits. Are you sure someone hasn't said in a general conference somewhere that we should have 72 hour kits? (Harder to prove no one said it than to prove someone did say it, I suppose.)

Sorry Toni, I missed this or I would have answered earlier. This is directly from Provident Living:

http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7636-1-4104-1,00.html#question_14

What about 72-hour kits?

Church members are encouraged to prepare for adversity by building a basic supply of food, water, money, and, over time, longer-term supply items. Beyond this, Church members may choose to store additional items that could be of use during times of distress.



As I posted above, I believe in building a kit for your car to get you home and to your supplies/family. It could be used for a 72 hour kit as taught by FEMA, but I think a car kit is a better item.

[mirkwood]

I need to get this done too. My husband would have a 55 mile walk home - so 3-4 days worth. At that distance, I think we'll go with the coast guard ration packs. He won't be wanting to carry any extra weight that distance.


This item is what bok refers to: http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_FM%20R360_A_name_E_MAINSTAY%99+ 3%2C600+Calorie+Food+Bar

I'm a big fan of them.





MAINSTAY? 3,600 Calorie Food Bar


Click for larger image.

(1 customer reviews)



Mainstay? food rations are prepared under strict supervision in their own bakery to ensure consistent quality and freshness. KEY BENEFITS: *5 year shelf life. *Non-Thirst Provoking. *Withstands Temperatures of -40 deg F to 300 deg F. *Ready to Eat: Each package contains 9 pre-measured 400 calorie meals. *Individualized portions eliminate the messy breaking-up that occurs with other bars. *Allows for on-land emergency consumption in a high-stress active situation. *Contains no cholesterol or tropical oils. *Meets the US Coast Guard standards. It's new modern packaging even meets the stringent guidelines set by the Department of Defense. *Enriched with vitamins and minerals exceeding the RDA requirements. Mainstay? is Kosher and it meets the dictates for Halal. *Pleasant lemon flavor which appeals to everyone. Enough to sustain and individual for 24 hours.

[Toni]

Thanks, Mirkwood, for answering my question. You made it clear to me. I appreciate that.
Toni

[arbilad]

bump

[CurtisG]

Good bumpski so i dont have to start a thread about the Dec/Jan issue of MENews. They have a pretty good article about "emergency survival kits".
Probably just a rehash for most folks here but I bet its pretty enlightening for the general readership.

[threepercent]

one thing I see missed here. pack an extra meal, and eat it/ drink it before walking. it doesn't hurt to carry that extra weight in your tummy vrs a pack. you can always discard it if needed. but plan on "topping off" before "heading out" dont carry it.

[Toni]

Excellent advice threepercent!

[prairiemom]

This article was in Backwoods Home Magazine and I thought it had great ideas: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago117.html

That's why I really liked that Swisscard that I posted here a week or so ago--another compact, lightweight tool for emergencies.

[prevent_damage]

Thanks for the list of things to have in your 72 hour kit. Whenever I pack I feel like I am forgetting something and making a 72 hour kit is no exception. This is a good list to help that feeling go away in a small way.

[prevent_damage]

You might want some spare gas too. You never know how much gas you will have in your car when you need it most, or how far you will need to go.

[DMGNUT]

I always fill the tank when it hits 3/4. And I have 30 gallons stored too.