What kind of food in your 72 hour kit?

[Guest Alana]

So it's time to replace my 72 hour kit and I was looking at what I got in there and was wondering what other people used. I know some people only have high calorie bars.

Here's what I had in mine:

Cooked brown rice (ready to eat)

Oatmeal packets (cream of fruit kind)

Ready to eat noodles with sauce, pad thai and peanut (the noodles are already cooked)

Large variety of energy bars (cliff bars, promaxx, luna bars etc)

Canned peaches, pinapple and fruit cocktail

Canned soup (chicken tortilla)

Fruit leather and m&m's

Rice milk

water

caprisons

Crackers

Peanut butter

I'm thinking of putting in less sugary stuff.

[Misshalfway]

I used to put together a little menu in our kits very similar to the list you gave. And then I got sick of spending the money and watching it go stale and then replacing it every six months. So, I bought MRE's. They stay good for five years. They are a little heavy though.

[Generally_Me]

We pull our food and use it annually the week of April general conference. We have:

Canned stew

Cup o' noodles

Canned ham and canned roast beef

Soy milk

Water

Mini packets of Kool Aid and lemonade

Beef jerky

Dry strawberries

Chocolate bunnies (I did say we pack it in April!)

Oatmeal packets

Probably some other random snack-type foods too, sunflower kernels and whatnot.

[NeuroTypical]

Our 72 hour kits are in our cars, so the heat from sitting in a trunk in the summertime reduces their life. So we buy cans and boxes of stuff we eat normally, and then rotate it through every general conference.

Since we might need to walk in a situation that would have us using the kit, we don't carry much water, but we do each have a portable backpacking water filter.

LM

[will227457]

I have no 72 hr kit.....

Looks like ill be going hungery....

[pam]

Our 72 hour kits are in our cars, so the heat from sitting in a trunk in the summertime reduces their life. So we buy cans and boxes of stuff we eat normally, and then rotate it through every general conference.

Since we might need to walk in a situation that would have us using the kit, we don't carry much water, but we do each have a portable backpacking water filter.

LM

LM you brought up the possibility of having to walk. One recomendation that was given to me is to keep some good sturdy shoes in your trunk as well. For those that work in an office (especially women) who might not be wearing appropriate shoes for walking..this could come in pretty handy if having to walk a great distance.

[pam]

Just keep in mind that a 72 hour kit is something that you would grab in a hurry and might have to carry some distance. So try to keep things that could sustain you but not be too heavy. Alana you mentioned cans of things...those can get heavy over a period of time if you have too many.

[Misshalfway]

I honestly think mine are too heavy. I have a backpack for each family member and have packed everything from a change of clothing to portable tents. The little mini shovel and ax are heavy not to mention all the water. I don't know. I feel really prepared but only if I can though everything into the car. If not, I am gonna wish I had a wagon or a four wheeler to carry it all.

[pam]

Some other things to consider:

Roll of toilet paper

Whistle

Water (even if you just have 2-3 bottles of water)

Hard candies

hand and body warmers

Water purification tablets

Strike anywhere matches

Multi function knife

flashlight and batteries

There are also emergency ponchos and emergency sleeping bags you can purchase which are extremely compact.

[pam]

I got this off of an emergency preparedness site:

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First Aid Kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust Mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers

Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler's checks and change
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from Ready.gov - Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed.
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

FOOD

Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food.

Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking and little or no water.

Pack a manual can opener and eating utensils.

Avoid salty foods, as they will make you thirsty.

Choose foods your family will eat.

• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables
• Protein or fruit bars
• Dry cereal or granola
• Peanut butter
• Dried fruit
• Nuts
• Crackers
• Canned juices
• Non-perishable pasteurized milk
• High energy foods
• Vitamins
• Food for infants
• Comfort/stress foods

[pam]

I honestly think mine are too heavy. I have a backpack for each family member and have packed everything from a change of clothing to portable tents. The little mini shovel and ax are heavy not to mention all the water. I don't know. I feel really prepared but only if I can though everything into the car. If not, I am gonna wish I had a wagon or a four wheeler to carry it all.

Actually Miss 1/2...the thought of a wagon (like one of the kid ones) is not a bad idea.

[Guest Alana]

It is a pretty heavy. I have it in an army duffel bag and even with the water I can carry it, but nothing else.

I also have a blanket and clothes, diapers and wipes in it.

I'm thinking that since I have mostly high calorie things and so much sugar, and everything is fiberous, I'm going to replace some of the canned fruit with dried and some MRE. I don't have a tent or sleeping bags, but I keep putting it off because I don't have exactly what I want. I think I should just settle for less because in an emergency anything useful is better than nothing.

I also much admit that what I put in my kit is geared towards keeping the kids happy because I don't want extra stress from picky kids in a stressful situation, even though we know in an emergency their going to eat what they have or not eat.

[Generally_Me]

Ours are pretty heavy too, but nothing compared to some I've seen. Couple years ago, when we lived in Utah, we took our kits and hiked and lived out of them for 24 hours. Tell you what, the changes we made were swift and decisive! Those metal blankets are close to useless, and noisy to boot. Though since they are small and light, we still have a couple. Also, baby wipes are very useful; rather than bringing or worrying about cleaning/sanitizing water.

We should do this again, now that we live in New Mexico, there are probably some differences we should make.

[Guest Alana]

I love eating the food out of our kit when it's time! The soup with the brown rice in it is yummy. Plus, the noodles and sauce kits are so delicious. They are from trader joes, and you heat them up in the box it come in, which I figure is perfect for an emergency. Plus, the kids love getting to eat the cliff bars and fruit leathers, because usually they don't get such 'fancy' food lol.

[rayhale]

Pam’s posts that is posts #9-10 are too long to quote, but they mention many items, like toiletries, that most people will forget about in a crisis. Pam also mentioned shoes to walk, I will add to that, and say, if you live in a cold place, with snow, make sure that the shoes are snow shoes/boots, also keep a spare coat, or jacket in your car. If you have caned food, make sure that they are the pop-open kind, or keep a can opener tethered to, taped to, or somehow secured to the 48-hour kit. If you are at home, check with local emergency preparedness agency(s), like the Red Cross, to see what the most common emergencies are, like hurricanes, tornados, and one of the most common flood. Check also with your local church, they may have emergency ideas, even lists of what to in an emergency.

I would also add, make a list of emergency numbers, like the Poison Control Center; police/fire/ambulance; personal doctor(s); friends, family, and other people to call in an emergency.

[FairChild]

I need to make a care kit for my car this winter. I know I will need clothes and blankets and other such things, but I draw a blank on what kind of food to put in there. I need something I don't have to worry about freezing or spoiling or full of liquid. All I can think of is granola bars. Any ideas would surely help.

[Guest Alana]

I have a big variety of bars in our kit. Cliff bars, luna bars, promax bars. It's kind of fun picking them all out. On thing is that some of them last a long time and some do expire soonish (maybe ones with nuts) so do look at expiration dates. I also like them because when it's time to rotate, I have no problem with using those as snacks in kids lunches or eating them myself, they don't become wasted food.

[at2wooden]

My wife and I each have a USGI 3 day pack with 3L water bladders, water purifier bottle and tablets ready at all times.

Each pack holds 3 MRE's (the real kind) , a small package of Boullion, Raman noodles, hard candy, gum, 3 - 5 Hour energy drinks, and 4 Hooah bars.

HOOAH!

3 days of food to eat on the go.

Of course, we pack USGI P-51 can openers (just in case we run across canned food)

I keep additional food and a 6 gallon water container in the truck all the times.