Questions about 72 Hour Bags...

[purstrength]

Dh and I are working on getting some 72 Hour Bags together. I think most of my questions revolve around food and water. :think

So far we have for each of us:
- 3 Clif Bars (I plan on 3 more - Kroger has them on sale for $1 each this week. Is that a good deal?)
- 1 Can of vegetable soup
- 1 Can of corn
- 1 Can of green beans
- 2 Cans of Spam
- 2 Bottles of Grape Juice
- 2 Fruit Leathers
- 3 Packets of Emergen C

Would you take any of those things out? Would you get more of any of these things in particular?

I'm wondering if we should limit the number of cans of veggies since they weigh more. I figure the Spam is worth its weight. :shrug

How much water would you have in your bag? The list I looked at says only a gallon. That seems like a lot to carry, but not enough for three days. :scratch

I know I want to add a bag of nuts to each of our bags, but how much food do we NEED for three days?

[AdrienneQW]

If you're talking about basic survival for three days, all you need is water and calories. I opted for premade 3,000 calorie bars - lightweight, so we can carry more water. I bought an extra one and cut it up for each person in our family to try; they're not super-tasty but nobody had any trouble taking a few bites. In survival mode, they will more than suffice. :yes

I'm glad I saw fruit leather on your list; that will make an excellent addition to my bag because they're very stable and weigh next to nothing. Just lay a fruit leather right on top of the nutrition bar to make it more palatable! :rockon

I'm sure you've thought of this, but I read your list and my brain was shouting "Remind her to bring a can opener!" :giggle

[purstrength]

I'm sure you've thought of this, but I read your list and my brain was shouting "Remind her to bring a can opener!" :giggle


I've thought of it, but I still need to get some! :giggle Hopefully we don't need the bags anytime soon! My mom told me to get some from an army surplus store, but I need to figure out where one is located. :think

And I think I might drop the cans of veggies...but keep the spam.

[purstrength]

I found these neat little packets of organic peanut butter...like individual servings in foil packets. :rockon They were 10 for $5.99 or you could get them individually. So not exactly cheap, but we only need one box to split between all three kits. :tu

[AdrienneQW]

That sounds great Kat - did you find them online or locally? I'd love a link if it was online. :kiss

[ArmsOfLove]

I'm so glad I read this today :think

We can't eat most "bars" but there are some at TJ's that I can get for us. I'll have to find out what their shelf life is.

I would actually add more emergenC :think

[Singingmom]

I don't think there's enough nutrition or calories in canned corn and beans to justify the weight if carrying the bags is part of the plan.

[JoyGal]

That's a pretty good list and I love the EmergenC idea :tu I'm going to add that to my list. I also like your peanut butter packets!!


I just posted my entire list if your interested :)
http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/mb/index.php?topic=212842.msg2331616#new

[JoyGal]

As for water, I'm not quite sure yet either. We always have bottled water on hand, but transporting that in an emergency is beyond me right now. Maybe having a duffel bag along with the emergency kits to load up with water last minute :shrug

[Herbwifemama]

I'm referring to this video when I make mine- they're going to look really similar to hers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8zrkENy9QM

Water isn't included in those. But I saw Jenny Hatch's 72 hour kits on her blog, and she's got these gallon containers with a strap. I like those! You can grab your milk jug of food and strap your gallon of water and go! (I know that's not enough for 72 hours, but it's something.)

Crystal, I'd be interested to see yours since I know you have special dietary needs. :yes

[purstrength]

That sounds great Kat - did you find them online or locally? I'd love a link if it was online. :kiss


I found the peanut butter packets at Whole Foods, with the peanut butter jars. :rockon


I'm so glad I read this today :think

We can't eat most "bars" but there are some at TJ's that I can get for us. I'll have to find out what their shelf life is.

I would actually add more emergenC :think


As long as the shelf life is about six months, you should be good to go. That is as long as your family doesn't mind eating some bars every six months when you update your Kits. :giggle

How much EmergenC do you think is good? Right now, I have a pack a day per person. Maybe two a day? Or three? :think


I don't think there's enough nutrition or calories in canned corn and beans to justify the weight if carrying the bags is part of the plan.


Very true... :yes They are out of the packs now anyways. They went in the first day, as I walked around the house to see what we had already that could be used!


That's a pretty good list and I love the EmergenC idea :tu I'm going to add that to my list. I also like your peanut butter packets!!

I just posted my entire list if your interested :)
http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/mb/index.php?topic=212842.msg2331616#new


Thanks for sharing your list! I like the exact number you use. That helps my brain! :crazy I read a link that said the "pop top" cans may not be a good idea, if storage will include extreme temperatures. http://lds.about.com/b/2007/08/15/72-hour-kit-warning.htm (Is it okay if I don't break this link?)


I'm referring to this video when I make mine- they're going to look really similar to hers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8zrkENy9QM

Water isn't included in those. But I saw Jenny Hatch's 72 hour kits on her blog, and she's got these gallon containers with a strap. I like those! You can grab your milk jug of food and strap your gallon of water and go! (I know that's not enough for 72 hours, but it's something.)


That's an awesome video! Very creative! :rockon Thanks for sharing!

[saturnfire16]

I wouldn't have any cans. Too heavy. We have some lara bars, some nuts, and are getting some Mountain House dehydrated food. We have water to carry and I'm researching what kind or water filter I want to get. We also have some water purifying tablets. We also have a lighter, flint and steel, rope, a tarp, and a few other things. Food, water, fire, and shelter.

[Herbwifemama]

With the video I linked to- the can of beenie weenies is to cook the other stuff in, so that's why there's that can.

[JoyGal]

That's a good link Kat, thanks. :)

We keep the kits in the pantry, so I think after 6-12 months (or expiration date) they should be good. I've seen cans buldge in the hot car though, so I guess the pop-top kind would just be easier to explode.

ITA about the gum though (explained in the link). Sometimes if I put snacks in my purse and there is gum then it all tastes minty, ugh, so keeping it seeled in an extra containor or something might work better in a kit.

I just saw individual packets of honey in an ad from yesterday so I want to go check them out and see if they are any good. If so, then I'll replace the sugar packs with honey packs.

Herbwife, have you checked out the heating stoves that work for the cans yet? They are only a few dollars aren't they? I want to see about getting some too.

[Herbwifemama]

I checked it out- they're under $5. Very affordable,a nd the f uel is cheap too. :yes

[thomer]

DH and I have been talking about this too, and I've started collecting things for our bags.
We also have a place picked out that we will go if everything falls apart,and plan to save enough gas to get there if we need to (it's several hundred miles away). And put $50-$100 in our bags (which is good for general emergencies anyway)

[purstrength]

How much cash do you plan to have for each person's kit? In the general car kit?

I'm thinking $20 in each and $50 in the car kit, but :shrug

[JoyGal]

I think as much as you feel comfortable with. Maybe run through a few scenarios of emergency evacuation and guestimate how much you would need to get to your destinations or whatever. Something we do is when we have extra cash, a few dollars here, ten or twenty there, we just pop it into our little case. That way it has added up over a longer period of time without making a big impact to start with. This is for our evacuation bag though, I should probably divide some money up between each kit too, thanks fo reminding me :) There have even been times that I have had to borrow out of it and was super glad of the little money stash.

How do you think is a good way to keep money in the car? Right in the kit? Another spot? :shrug I know we should leave some money in there but I'm always so scared to. :shifty I'm hoping you have a good idea on this one :mrgreen

[AdrienneQW]

We have $400 in our bug-out bag and $100 in each car kit. Each is a mix of denominations (ones, fives, tens, twenties).

[purstrength]

How do you think is a good way to keep money in the car? Right in the kit? Another spot? :shrug I know we should leave some money in there but I'm always so scared to. :shifty I'm hoping you have a good idea on this one :mrgreen


I hadn't thought about that. My mom used to find hiding places in her car...in one it was under the ashtray, and in another she happened to find a little spot behind one of the plastic panels.

So far, I've been doing the same as you - a few dollars here and there...I'm just not sure when is enough...I'll do the scenario idea though. Thankfully, our closest "safe" place is only about an hour away.

[CakeLady]

So what's the difference between the 72 hour kits, evac kits, and car kits? Just curious. There has been so much talk about these recently it's peaked my interest...


ETA: What would you add differently for an infant? Just a pack of diapers/wipes? Baby will be nursing, so food's not an issue.

[purstrength]

They are the same, I think. The 72 hour bags are something to grab if you need to run, go to a shelter...just short term provisions. The car kit for me will be basically the same...it'll be extras on top of what's in our bags. I'm making individual bags in case we are unable to take the car. Possible scenarios I forsee just for the car kit would be getting stranded or not being home and learning that I need to run without the time to go home.

If I were nursing, I'd pack some extra food in my bag, so that I have the extra I need to provide baby's nutrition. Extra clothes, blanket (light one for sun cover and thick one for warmth. I'm not sure what else. :think

[JoyGal]

For baby:

Pre-made formula, bottle -or- powdered formula and extra water (These are emergency back-ups incase mama is not able to nurse for some reason due to stress, injury or separation.)

Insulated bottle bag (if room allows because will help keep temperature of formula safe)
Diapers
Wipes
Diaper Cream (or a good calendula cream)
Disposal bags
Pacifier
Infant fever/pain reducer
Baby food (I would add in 3 jars per day and some longer shelf life baby crackers or zweibacks)
Thermometer
Hat and warm socks
Change of clothes (3 or as many as will fit comfortably)

I would also put in all of the same emergency contact info and family pictures, hand warmer pack, emergency blanket.

Also, don't forget to calculate in water for baby.

I just thought that a little can stove would be good to help sterilize the bottle nipple since in an emergency situation, cleaning and sterilizing most likely won't be ideal, so something like a nipple would need to be made sure it was extra safe for a tiny baby. And a bottle could be held above the can to be sterilized with steam.

[April G]

This site has some pretty amazing kits... Just thought I'd share as I got some great ideas! This one in particular is for 10 people so it is a lot more comprehensive, but they have single person kits as well...

http://www.survivalgearfirst.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21/products_id/36?osCsid=e454e2cd70558abc4de3ec005c38511a

[Maggie]

Is there something that happened or is predicted to happen that raised interest in these?

[JoyGal]

Is there something that happened or is predicted to happen that raised interest in these?


Yes and no and a little of both ;)

For families who live in potential natural disaster areas it is highly recommended to have kits like these, and 72 hours is generally a good base time to get to a good shelter, away from an area or some good help. Natural disaster could be anything from hurricaine, tornado, earthquake, tsunami, blizzard, fire, flood, etc. Now, also with the times changing, biblical predictions, war on terrorism, etc., families are feeling led to have emergency plans for possiblity of attack or something of the like. It never hurts to be prepared :yes

It is always wise to keep them in the car as well because you never know when they might be needed for anything from a traffic accident, storm (I know of people who have lost their way home during heavy snow storms,) getting lost, or the need to evacuate a home when not at home.

[Maggie]

Thanks, JoyGal. :heart That's kinda what I thought, but I wasn't sure if there was something more specific. :hug

[JoyGal]

This thread, and some others, I think have been kind of spun-off from other threads due to our economy, changing times and possible Biblical relations. Which in turn have spun-off threads on food storage and disaster preparedness. They all keep getting a little more specific as we all keep thinking of ideas and such :)

[purstrength]

Is there something that happened or is predicted to happen that raised interest in these?


I agree with what has already been answered. We live in an area that is prone to tornadoes, severe storms, earthquakes, flooding, snow storms, ice storms... I've been very stressed out and anxious and realized that we were not prepared for any of these situations.

Personally, I have felt much better since beginning to make sure we have things on hand if we were unable to get to food, water, etc.

[April G]

We live in an earthquake zone and should have emergency kits ready... We also live in an area that gets frequent power outages in windy or rainy weather (which we get a LOT of!), so we try to stay prepared for being without power... :yes

[Lantern Light Mama]

This is a fantastic idea! When we travel I was planning to just take a cooler with a bunch of food but maybe I should do 72 hour bags anyway!

[Heather Micaela]

will read this thread later. What goes in a CAR kit per person?

[purstrength]

will read this thread later. What goes in a CAR kit per person?


The bags are my top priority and I will focus on the car kit more later, but mainly I'm doing double as there are two of us. Although some things don't need to be double. Once its a priority, or someone else posts a link :shifty , I'll figure out the details that need to be added.

[purstrength]

So I'm still working on my kits... and I'm trying to decide if this below will be enough food. I'm going with the same meals each day.

Breakfast
- 2 packets of oatmeal
- 1 fruit leather

Lunch
- 6 oz. Spam
- 6 Crackers
- 1 Clif Bar

Dinner
- 1 can/cup of veggie soup
- 1.15 oz. packet of peanut butter
- 6 crackers
- 6 oz. Spam

Snacking/Fillers
- 1/3 lb. cashews
- 1/3 lb. raisins
- 2/3 oz. honey
- 10 fl. oz. juice

That seems like it should be enough, and fairly well balanced. Its just hard to imagine to know exactly what we'll need or want. :shrug

[Joyful Melissa]

I'm referring to this video when I make mine- they're going to look really similar to hers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8zrkENy9QM


I can't locate the wing tip stoves anywhere that she mentions on this video. Has anyone bought them? How much did they cost?

[Herbwifemama]

I found some, but I forget where. They were under $5, though. I'll link to it if I find them. :yes

[Garland]

:popcorn

[PurpleButterfly]

I'm referring to this video when I make mine- they're going to look really similar to hers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8zrkENy9QM


I can't locate the wing tip stoves anywhere that she mentions on this video.


http://www.shelfreliance.com/product/view/p209

[PurpleButterfly]

Fuel pellets look cheaper at www.EmergencyEssentials.com

[Joyful Melissa]

http://www.shelfreliance.com/product/view/p209 I am ordering ours now.

:rockon Great price! I ended up finding some that were similiar that were rather pricey. The lady in the video put one in each kit. Do you really think that is necessary?? I see that they hold up to a gallon size pot :tu

Be sure to get the fuel pellets much cheaper at www.EmergencyEssentials.com plus free shipping with code: newstarget
:rockon Thank you!

[PurpleButterfly]

:popcorn

[purstrength]

You reminded me Purple Butterfly....where do you keep your kits?

Dh and I only have one car, so one of us is usually at work without the car...do you just take you kit with you everywhere? :shifty

[PurpleButterfly]

This is my first 72-hour kit experience! :)

[purstrength]

But the thing is, I'm usually at work when dh has the car at work... Right now I'm just hoping he'll be able to get to me. He works on the edge of the city, our apartment is a few miles from there, and then I work further out several more miles. :shrug

[Herbwifemama]

I don't drive, and dh is usually at work away from me during the day. So, I'm thinking of having two- a car kit with supplies that you'd need in the car, as well as 72 hour food and water kits in the car too. And then having another set of 72 hour kits at home too. If we're at home, then we'll have two sets of 72 hour kits either to share or to use for our family, and if we're on the road, we can take the extras as well.

[Joyful Melissa]

I placed some orders and am excited to get our kits made. After 9/11, we threw together some stuff but they were no where near being "complete" kits. We live in the northeast(upstate NY) and were hit bad with an ice storm in December right before Christmas. We were without power for 8 days. It was horrible. We had a horrible time coming up with decent meals and I vowed that I would make sure we were better prepared if it ever happened again. I have been trying to buy stuff for emergency kits and stock up our pantry ever since. We normally have a pretty well stocked pantry but it had been such a crazy year preparing for us to adopt(house projects, paperwork, homestudy, etc) that I became a bit disorganized with keeping track of what was in the pantry. Normally, we would stock our pantry 2x a year & just shop for parishables every couple weeks. In the fall, we never got a round to stocking the pantry for the winter. I'll never let that happen again. I'm so glad I found this thread... I got some great deals!

[crunchymum]

i'm interested in doing this... but i'm not sure where to start or where to store them or what we need... i think it's always a good idea to have extra food and water JIC, but often we are totally out of food by grocery shopping day! :blush

[JoyGal]

Jen, how I physically started to do this was to grab a backpack for each person in the family and start tossing in things from my list. I keep the backpacks in my pantry, so they are easy to add stuff to and that is the best place in our house to keep food.

There are some lists in this thread and some links that go to other 72 hour kit lists. They are all good and definitely something to start with. Altering and tailoring your family's kits might be needed when comparing, but it can definitely be done :yes You can start small, then work up from there, or, do it all at once.

[PurpleButterfly]

:hug