72 Hour Kits - The Beginning

This week I have taken on the task of creating 72 hour kits for my household, including me, my brother, and our two cats. I realize this will take longer than a week, but the faster I can get it done, the better I will feel.

To begin, I scoured Pinterest and found every list of what others have put into their 72 hour kits looking for ideas. Some of my favorites are:

• A Bowl Full of Lemons
• Get Pretty With Laura
• Soda Pop Avenue

I quickly learned that there is much more to a 72 hour kit than easy meals. There are also first aid kits, basic supplies,WATER, light, important documents, money, and clothing.

Goals

1. I want food in my kit that does not require me to add water. And if a food item contains water, that is even better (soups, fruit cups, etc.).
2.  I don't want to have to rely on heating up food. Some things would taste better warm, but would still be fine cold (pork & beans, soups).
3. I want things to take up as little room as possible, and be as light as possible. I plan to fit in a lot, but I need to be able to carry my case if needed. If I'm using it, I probably won't be at home. And I will have a cat carrier too, and traveling will need to be as easy as possible in the situation.
4. I want to make my cats as comfortable as possible. They are indoor cats and can be somewhat skittish by outside noises. And one is somewhat claustrophobic. I need to make sure I have anything I can
5. This kit will be kept in my house. I have a separate kit that I keep in my car.

 Plans

1. First is my carrier. I've seen people use backpacks and/or totes. One site (sorry, I can't remember which one. If I find it again, I will link it) suggested using rolling backpacks so if you got tired of wearing it, you could roll it instead. I decided I wanted something larger, so I am going to use rolling duffel bags. Large ones. This will give me the space I want to store everything, plus the added benefit of wheels. And if I need to carry it (such as the terrain is too rough to roll it), then I have straps to carry it too.
2.  My brother and I will have full kits in each of our bags (including the items for 1 cat). Some prefer to make one large kit, or have their own personal items and food and one pack that includes some of the items that can be shared (like stoves). In case we are separated for a short amount of time or the entire time, I want to make sure we each have everything we need.
3. I will be using a lot of zip top bags. They can separate groups of items, keep things like food protected from other things like shampoo. Also, they will store easier in the duffel bags than items in boxes or harder containers.
4. I am making a spiral bound book for each of us (me, my brother, and probably my other immediate family members) that will include:
1. A list of everything in the duffel.
2. Instructions on how to use some of the less know items. I also want to include lists of the many ways that some items can be used (paracord, trash bags).
3. Contacts for family, friends, health and insurance providers, etc.
4. First aid care tips.
5. Our important documents (or copies of them).
6. Photos of all of us (including the cats).
7. An envelope containing money in small bills, and extra keys to our home and cars.
5. My categories for supplies include: Food, Water, Pets, First Aid, Clothes, Supplies, Light, and Hygiene.

I plan to write a post for each of my categories, as well as include the printables that I make to help keep myself organized (because when I don't have it written down, I get very overwhelmed feel out of control).

I will also keep an ongoing post of the best tips and ideas that I find for emergency prep. I want to keep it mostly on a 72 hour kit level, but might throw in some from longer term survival also.

I want to encourage everyone to also get prepared. Start a little at a time. Just buy a gallon of water or a few extra cans of food on each shopping trip. Maybe a package of band-aids or other first aid items. It will add up over time. I am not able to get the type of duffel bag I want for my kits at this point, so I have a large box where I am starting to collect the items that will eventually go in the bags. I have started sorting them into smaller bags so they will be ready to just put into the duffels when I get them. I collected things that I already have around the house; you might be surprised with what you already have. There are also a lot of things you can purchase at dollar stores (I found a whole basket full of necessary items at the Dollar Tree this morning). I might make a list of those things too.

Let me know if you have any other great ideas for 72 hour kits! I'm always looking out for new things I haven't seen or thought of before.