Food Storage Goals 2012

It's that time again. Time to go through last years goals and kick ourselves for not doing them evaluate how we did, and make some new goals for the next year.

Last year my food storage/emergency preparedness goals were:  

1. Go through and "revitalize" the following:

• Car kit  Car Kit Revamped! Check out the post here.
• 72 hour kits  Not even close...although I did "go through" them and used all the cash for my kid's school lunches when money was tight this fall. I guess we can count that as rotating?
• 3 month supply menu plan  Yep, this didn't happen either.

2. Eat up current food storage

• Make bread often (eat only homemade bread) Well, I wouldn't say we ate only homemade bread, but we eat mostly homemade bread. It just tastes better.  I even have a new favorite bread recipe that I'm sharing this week for our Food Storage Friday recipe. It's delicious.
• Keep ground wheat flour in freezer for any cooking/baking Check! It's definitely easier to make the choice to have whole wheat pancakes, or healthy up a recipe when I have whole wheat flour already ground and ready to use.
• Eat the pantry and freezers clean I did a great job of this! I think we only moved one box of "pantry food" (maybe it was two) but it was mostly spices and things like that. Moving is good for cleaning out cupboards. Not great for much else.
• Make a 3 Month Supply Menu plan and grocery list (catered to our family) so that when we move into our new home I'll know exactly what to buy  This didn't happen, I have definitely not been on top of this.
• Buy as much of our food storage as budget allows when we move into our new home Due to some financial strains this fall, the budget didn't allow ANY food storage to be purchased.  But luckily, things are looking up and we should be back on the bandwagon soon.

Considering all that happened in 2011, I'm pretty pleased with my little attempts at my food storage goals. 2011 was a tough year for me, but 2012 is already looking great.  I'm very excited to get going and get my family prepared.

Here are my  

2012 Food Storage/Emergency Preparedness Goals

1. Write out a 3-Month supply Menu plan and grocery list and BUY IT!  No more excuses, just get 'er done.

2. Redo the 72 hour kits, adding the baby items, and replacing the money.

• Rotate the food in the 72 hour kits/batteries etc, every six months (or 2 times this year)

3.  Buy more candles/matches/flashlights/batteries and stock them where I can find them easily.

4. Make a family emergency plan and practice it with my family.

5. Can triple or quadruple the amount of salsa I made in 2011. Because I only have 3 jars left and it's only January.

What are your food storage and emergency preparedness goals for 2012?

72-hour kits: Making priorities

My sister-in-law texted me earlier this week, asking if she really needed everything on our 72-hour kit list.


It's up to you, I texted back.  Obviously you don't want to skip over the essentials like food, water, and a small first aid kit.  But is everything on our list really necessary?  Where should you spend your money first, and what things can you skip over to save money?  I personally think everything is needed, but it all depends on your budget and preferences. Let's break it all down and see what we can go without:


1 sturdy backpack (or rolling suitcase) per person: well, this isn't really up for debate, you obviously need something to put everything in.


1 change of clothes per person: well, I can see going without this, but I certainly wouldn't want to.  I mean, it's certainly not a matter of life or death, but if I somehow got soaking wet and didn't have a change of clothes, I wouldn't be too happy (and it probably wouldn't be too healthy either, if it was cold outside!).  I'm going to say that yes, this is a necessity!


1 set of scriptures per family: not life or death, certainly.  But these would provide a sense of comfort.  You could even get a very small copy to save space/weight. Personal choice, here.


1 flashlight per person: it's non-negotiable that you need *a* flashlight.  One per person is ideal, but 1 or 2 per family (or more, depending on family size) would probably be okay.


Small first aid kit: definitely a requirement!


Personal documents: Since almost everything is digital nowadays, this is mostly for convenience, especially if you have already sent these documents to a close family member or friend (always recommended, just in case something happened to your docs at home!).  But, it would be a good idea to have some form of i.d. on you if you had to leave your home quickly.


Water and food: Necessity, obviously.


$100 cash per family: This is important because in times of emergency, local banks and atm's are often not available.  You will need cash to buy anything.  You should keep some cash at home for emergencies anyway, so keep $100 in your kits.  It's not going to cost you anything extra, so I say just do it.


Ax & shovel, bucket, utility knife: Hmm... well this can be a toughie because these are heavier items and if you were going somewhere on foot, these wouldn't be very fun to drag along.  However, I can see them coming in very handy... what if you had to chop some firewood?  Dig a hole for something?  I always err on the side of caution so I've added these to my kits.  It's always good to have a knife.  And the bucket can be used for transporting water from a stream/lake or moving other things around.


Battery-powered radio and light: I can see going without these.  Obviously it would be ideal to have them (and everything else on this list!) but they probably wouldn't be a matter of life and death.  We personally own a solar/battery powered radio/flashlight/cell phone charger all in one.  It's great.


Small sewing kit: Probably not a life-or-death need, but certainly nice to have.


Toothpaste/soap/toothbrushes/shampoo: As gross as it would be to not brush your teeth for 3 days, it wouldn't kill you.  As long as you have something to sanitize your hands with, you could probably go without these. (But really... who wants to??)  But again, these items are so small and light that it's almost insignificant the amount of space and weight they take up.  So, just add them. Seriously.  Think of how much better you will feel after brushing your teeth, even if your whole body is dirty.  So much better.


Blankets/sleeping bags: If you live in a hot climate and the temperatures never fall below the 50s, it's probably pretty safe to say that you could go without these items.  Personal preference, people.


Camp stove/heat: Well, if you don't mind eating canned food cold (or whatever else you have packed), you don't really need this item.  It's certainly ideal since a hot meal can do wonders for your attitude in an emergency, but if you can't afford this item right away, don't worry.  Start a change jar and buy it someday.


Work gloves: Ideal, but not absolutely necessary.


Matches/candles: The matches are definitely a necessity, but candles probably are not.


Mess kits/disposable plates/utensils/cups: Pretty necessary, wouldn't you agree?


Aluminum foil, can opener, disinfectant, mosquito repellent, entertainment items: Again, most of these things probably aren't life-or-death needs, so buy what you can afford and save up for the rest (if you think it's necessary).


Pet supplies: If you have a pet, this is certainly something to consider.


One thing about emergency preparedness is that it's so personal, and every family will vary when it comes to needs and wants.  Decide what is right for your family, and make your list from that.  Buy what you need first, and then when/if you have some extra cash, get some of the non-essentials.


Anyone agree or disagree with my assessments of certain things?  Do you have any "luxury" items in your kits?  Share a comment and let us know!!

72-hour kits

72-hour kits are essential.  You should have a 72-hour kit for each person in your home, and if possible, one for your pet(s).  Kits include basic necessities that you would need to survive for 72 hours - food, clothing, medications, and other emergency-related things like blankets, flashlights, and matches.  For a complete list of items needed, check out our 72-hour kit list over on our "free printables" page.


Check out our other articles relating to 72-hour kits-
The LIST of things you need
Review: Adequate Nutrition During an Emergency
Dehydrated Foods
Keeping Your Kits Updated
How to Make Family T-Shirts (this would make a great Family Home Evening activity!)
72-Hour Kits: For Pets?
72-Hour Kit Distribution: Who Carries What?
My 72-Hour Kit Journey
Food for 72-Hour Kits
How to Use a Backpacking Stove
Open it up, try it out

Review: Adequate Nutrition During An Emergency

While perusing the Ensign this week, a monthly magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I came across this article written by a nutritionist on having adequate nutrition during an emergency.

I was immediately interested because the food in my 72 hour kits is mostly ramen noodles, peanut butter and saltine crackers. For review purposes, I am copying and pasting the article here, but please remember that the actual article was published in the October issue of the Ensign. My notes are in red.

Adequate Nutrition during an Emergency

Miriam Blackham Een, Nevada, USA

Miriam Blackham Een, “Adequate Nutrition during an Emergency,” Ensign, Oct. 2009, 70–71

If you have a three-day emergency supplies kit, does it contain nutrient-dense foods? During perilous times, your body would especially need adequate nutrition. As a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition, I have developed a simple, healthy emergency meal plan for our family. The items should be rotated regularly for best results.

My minimum calorie goal for the three daily meals is 1,200 to 1,500, with 60 to 72 grams of protein and approximately 40 grams of fat, a combination that enhances satiety. The ingredients for each meal plan are simple:

I had never given much thought to nutrient dense foods in my 72 hour kit, I’ve always been more concerned with just having food, and cheap food to boot. But think, during a disaster you could be exerting yourself physically and making sure your body can cope with these exertions is important. Your body needs protein to rebuild its muscles after exercise. Just something to think about.

Meal replacements and supplements. Include shelf-stable protein drinks, instant powdered breakfast drinks, powdered milk, and energy bars. You may want to use more than one type. Each should provide 250 calories or more. Look carefully at the labels; snack or cereal bars are not as high in calories and protein.

The main reason I like the idea of protein drinks is for space and weight. Think how much lighter my pack would be if it just consisted of powdered mixes. Its good to know that maybe the cereal bars aren’t what we are looking for. You aren’t necessarily looking at calories as much as you are protein content. The higher the grams of protein the better for the bar. While my kids eat clif bars like crazy, I don’t know how well they would like protein drinks. Although they love smoothies, so maybe I could focus on getting fruit flavored varieties and mixing the water with powdered milk first and THEN the protein powder just to make it more palatable for them. The older they get though, the less taste will be an issue. And with all children, when they get hungry, they will eat.

Dried fruit. Raisins and other dried fruits are good.

Raisins are easy and my kids love them. I would love to find dried fruits in little snack size packages—not the boxes, but in little pouches. Does anyone know where to find those?

Peanut butter. This is a great shelf-stable source of protein. If you have peanut allergies, you could substitute it with another nut butter or small bag of nuts. Or find other shelf-stable protein foods.

Now, peanut butter I’ve got. I buy them in the small 18oz sizes and we have one in each pack, although that might be overkill. My kids eat PB by the spoonful, so I’m not worried about that being an issue.

Crackers. Include soda crackers or other crackers, preferably whole grain. You could also include granola if you won’t be using peanut butter to spread on crackers.

We also have saltine crackers in our packs. These crackers are easy to rotate because we eat them by the buckets when we are sick.

Drinking water. Ideally you should have about two quarts or almost two liters of water for each person to consume each day. Store what you can comfortably carry in your emergency bag, and add a portable water purifier so you can use available water sources.

So for one person you would want to have 6 quarts or 6 liters for the whole 72 hour kit. That’s a lot to carry. Mountain Man was happy to hear her suggestion of water purifying sources. We live by a major river and several lakes, and he doesn’t understand why I want him to carry 16 liters of water around in a pack. So I will be repacking our packs with Een’s suggestion of enough water we can comfortably carry and then a purifying system. Mountain Man has a system for backpacking but we generally keep that with our camping gear and it would be nice to have one JUST for our 72 hour kits, so if we had to really run, we could grab our kits and not worry about rifling through our camping gear to find the purifier.

I think I’ll look into the different types of purifiers and do a review post on them. I don’t know much about them, but I'd like to find which one would work for our family.

Utensils. Include one cup with a lid (to be used as a shaker for mixing powdered meal replacements) and a butter knife.

So this is something else I need to look for. Shaker cups with lids for the protein drinks—one for each person. Cuts down on the amount of utensils by using this meal plan too.

A sample meal plan for one person for three days would include nine meal replacements plus 1½ cups or a 12-ounce bag of dried fruit, peanut butter to provide at least six two-tablespoon servings, and about 40 saltine crackers or another cracker equivalent.

I love that Een laid out a meal plan for one person. So for four people (my family) I would need 36 meal replacements, plus 6 cups of dried fruit or 48 oz, 48 Tablespoons or 3 cups of PB (that doesn’t seem right? maybe my tablespoons are larger than others) and 160 crackers. Or one package of saltines/per person.

Calculate the food amounts needed for your family and round to the nearest convenient product size that is commercially available, taking care not to round down too much.

These emergency kits are easy to assemble with readily available items. The meal replacements are nutrient dense and fortified with vitamins and minerals so you can reach or approach nutritional adequacy and meet special dietary needs. They don’t need to be heated, and you can easily store everything in a moderate-size duffle bag or backpack. Best of all is the peace of mind in knowing you’ve prepared for your nutritional needs should an emergency evacuation ever occur.

I think I’m going to redo my 72 hour kit. I’ll have to do it slowly because protein drinks and bars aren’t cheap---but I’m excited to have this goal because I think it will be a space saver, and I’ll know that we’re getting the right nutrition. Not to mention this eliminates the need to have a stove or something to cook with.

What are your thoughts about 72 hour kit nutrition?

Dehydrated Foods

In the past, a lot of people have asked us what we think of dehydrated foods and other "just add water" meals for food storage.

Well, thanks to Food Storage Depot, now we can tell you. Food Storage Depot offers a whole line of "gourmet" food storage, and they sent us two "just add water" meals to try out.

I tried the Teriyaki Turkey with Rice. All I had to do to prepare it was add boiling water and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes. It was made with brown rice (yum) and included dehydrated veggies and some nuts for a nice, subtle crunch.

This was insanely easy to prepare and made the whole house smell delicious. And I have to say, the taste did not disappoint. Abbie was over for lunch and she thought was a little too salty, but I really like salty foods and I thought was just right. Even my two-year-old liked it.

Above photo: Teriyaki Turkey with Rice, from Food Storage Depot.

Abbie made the other meal, which she'll tell us about now:

Abs: I made Food Storage Depot's Beef Stroganoff dinner for my family one night. It was very easy to prepare--just boil in water. So nice for a busy night.


It tasted like a good casserole. It obviously wasn't as good as a homemade version of beef stroganoff, but it was pretty good for the amount of work you put in.

Above photo: Beef Stroganoff from Food Storage Depot

It's definitely a great option for those who's time is more valuable than their money.

All in all, I will definitely consider adding a few dehydrated meals to my food storage. The only thing is, I will need to be sure to have enough water stored up to actually make these meals, just in case I do not have access to clean water.

I (Hannah) am also seriously considering adding one of these Food Storage Depot meals to my 72-hour kits. I will need to pack a couple of cups of extra water in order to make them, but it would be well worth it in my opinion. The Teriyaki Turkey with Rice was pretty hearty and I know I would be very happy to sit down to a meal like that in a disaster (actually, I was very happy to have a meal like that in my own home on a regular day). One thing Abbie did point out, though, was that it takes a lot of fuel to cook something for 10-12 minutes. That's a great point. Like most foods, however, I'm sure it would cook up just fine if, in an emergency, I add the food to boiling water then just take it off the heat and let it sit for a while. Sure, it would take a lot longer, but if fuel is a hot commodity (haha), it would be just fine.

Have you considered dehydrated foods in your food storage, or in your 72-hour kits? Tell us about it!

Want to learn more about Food Storage Depot? Click here to visit their website. You can buy food storage by the month, or even a whole year's worth at once.

Keeping your kits updated

Ever since we started this blog last June, we've learned lots of things from our readers. One thing that many people have mentioned to us is that they rotate their 72-hour kits every General Conference weekend. Since General Conference happens every 6 months without fail, this is a great way to remember to do it!

For those of you not familiar with the LDS faith, every 6 months we have a "General Conference" which is broadcast via satellite (from Salt Lake City) to members of the Church all over the world. It occurs during the first weekend in April, and the first weekend in October.

So, here at Safely Gathered In, we're going to start doing that as well. Every General Conference time, we'll remind you all to rotate your 72-hour kits and your car kits. Of course, if you just finished your 72-hour kit with us a few weeks ago you won't need to do it this time around, but if you've had your kits done for a few years, it's time to open them up and see what you find!

Things that should be rotated are: clothing (sizes), diapers (sizes), water, and food. The water and food doesn't need to go to waste - you can just put it in your pantry and eat through it in the next couple of weeks (provided it's still good). If you notice that some of your food still doesn't expire for another year or so, you don't need to replace it if you don't want to, since you'll be doing this again in 6 months.

During this rotation weekend, you should also check the status of your flashlights and batteries, and any other items you think may need updating or checking.

Of course, this doesn't have to be done this weekend, but you should do it in the next few weeks. Then, at the end of September, we'll be reminding you all to do it again. Remember, a 72-hour kit (or car kit) full of expired food and dead batteries probably won't do you much good, so it's important to update!

How To...Make Family T-Shirts (for a 72 Hour Kit)

A good optional thing to have in your 72 Hour Kits, especially if you have small children, are matching family t-shirts.


In case you were separated from your family, it would be much easier to say: "Have you seen a small girl in a pea-green t-shirt with the number 4 on the back?" rather than saying "Have you seen a little girl, this tall, with ______color hair?"



All you need are some matching t-shirts and transfer paper. I found these shirts on clearance at JoAnn's for under $2 each.



Choose something to go on your t-shirts. I chose a family nickname for the front and numbers for the back (Mountain Man gets to be #1). Another family I know has a Dr. Seuss character plus "Thing #1" "Thing #2" and so on. Another fun idea is to buy fabric markers and have each child color on his or her own shirt (a fun FHE activity). It would provide a great opportunity to talk about stranger danger, or family emergency plans while coloring on clothes.

One caution: don't include your child's name on their shirt! I would go so far as to say, don't include your last name on your shirts. I hate to seem paranoid (actually I don't really care if I seem paranoid or not), but you don't want your kid to go off with anyone who calls out their name. Child predators are everywhere, even present during emergencies.



Just thought you'd be curious about my blog to-do list, someday I will do another Q&A.


After deciding on a text or image for your shirts, print out a practice sheet on regular printer paper. You don't want to waste valuable transfer sheets. Also, read the instructions on your packet of transfer paper. Some will have you reflect your image before you print it out. Mine didn't but I reflected it anyway---so the '4' will be backwards. If you see a child with a backwards '4' on a pea green t-shirt, please return her to me immediately.



Let the transfer sheets dry for at least 30 minutes after printing. Then trim them down to size. Some transfer paper will go on clear around the edges (just imprinting the image) and some will copy the white as well, so read the instructions.



All transfer paper that I've ever used has you use a hard surface (like a wood cutting board) for ironing, instead of an ironing board.


Cover the cutting board with a pillowcase and iron out the wrinkles on the pillowcase and the t-shirt before starting.



The iron should be on a 'no steam' setting. Position your backwards '4' where you want it to go, and apply as directed by your instructions.


Just for your information, this isn't the type of transfer paper I used this time, but it's the kind I prefer to use.



Put each person's t-shirt in their 72 hour kit so if an emergency situation comes, each person can don their own shirt right away to be prepared in case you get separated.

It's okay to hope that you never have to use them, I am.


P.S. I purchased adult 'small' shirts for my children even though they are small. I can tie up the shirt in a side knot 80's style until they are older and I don't have to worry about rotating them...ever.

72-hour kits: For pets?

A few months ago, we asked you to send in pictures of your progress, whether it was your 3-month supply, longer term storage, car kits, 72-hour kits, or whatever.

One of our readers, Jacki, sent us an interesting email of something that we hadn't really thought of before: 72-hour kits for your pets. Now, in talking with several people I've heard mixed opinions. A few people told me that in some emergencies, they would not take their pets with them; in most cases, it was because they have little kids and they could barely imagine carrying enough stuff for them, let alone a pet too (please don't come after me, PETA. I didn't say this. I don't even have a pet...). Other people have said that they would take their pet(s) with them no matter what. Whatever your opinion is, it's an important thing to think about if you have a pet. And even if you wouldn't take your pet in some situations, you should still think about stocking up some food and supplies for them for other reasons.

Anyway, here is a portion of the email we received, beginning with a list of what she put in her dog's 72-hour kit.

Backpack to keep it all in

Dog food

Water –he’s a big boy and drinks a lot!

Dishes for food and water

A stake and cable to secure him if I need to tie him out somewhere

Extra leash Muzzle (scared dogs bite!)

Wool blanket

Benadryl (he has allergies)

Paperwork

Shot record and veterinarian’s health certificate

List of contacts including the vet and kennel we use and family and friends willing to take him in an emergency (including 2 out-of-town contacts)

Brief summary of his quirks and instructions for feeding and medicine dosage

Not shown: plastic bags for disposing of dog poop

Since I took the photo I’ve added a towel to his kit. We’re still putting together the cat’s kit.

Also, for emergencies, his collar includes not just his license and rabies tag, but also a tag with my phone (land line and cell) and an out of town number just in case. He also has an embedded microchip should he lose his collar.

I had never thought about our pets in our emergency plans until one day while proudly showing off our 3-month supply to my daughter she made this observation: "What's Hunter going to eat? If we have to share this with him, it's not going to last three months!"

Thanks again for your email, Jacki. This is valuable information for anyone who has a pet!

72-hour kit distribution: Who carries what?

A few weeks ago, someone asked us how we determine what goes in each person's 72-hour kit. Who carries the food? Who carries the money? Does everyone need to carry some of everything?

So, Abs and I spent a couple hours last week making sure our kits were complete, and packing them according to what we thought was important. The kits we are putting together here are for 4 people - two adults and 2 small children. This was a bit challenging because obviously kids can't carry much in their packs. So, keep their packs light for two reasons: 1) so that they can carry them as much as possible, and 2) you could carry it easily in a free hand if necessary, without weighing you down too much (assuming you are carrying your own pack on your back).

There are a couple things to consider when you put together 72-hour kits. In our worst case scenario, we figured that we would need to carry our packs and be on foot. So, we only packed the ESSENTIALS in these 72-hour kits (pretty much everything on our list on the blog).

First things first: Abs pulled out everything she needed in her kits. She hadn't been actually filling her backpacks yet because she was waiting to have everything collected.

We dumped all the food on the floor and separated it out. We thought it was important that each person at least had SOME food in their own packs, so we took out the snacks and packed them into little white plastic mugs (the mugs are what they will eat out of for the 3 days). We also put 6 packs of oatmeal (the breakfasts) in each person's pack. Additionally, we added a stack of saltines to each person's pack.  As for the rest of the food, we put it all in Abs' pack. She still needs to get the rest of her dinners bought, but there was room left over for that (Abs and Mountain Man each have a large backpacking backpack for their kits).

We put the small entertainment items in the kids' packs.  These included some crayons, pens, and coloring books, and a couple decks of cards.  We also put the toilet paper and diapers in with the kids' packs, since it's so light and would have taken up valuable space in Abs or Mountain Man's packs.

Everyone carried their own set of clothing, emergency blanket, and a baggie of plastic utensils.  Each pack should also have a flashlight, a small hand sanitizer, some water, a garbage bag, and a light stick.  Everyone should also carry their own prescription medicines.

Besides food (lunches/dinners/candy), Abs is also carrying the set of scriptures, sewing kit, diaper wipes, candles/matches, feminine products, shampoo, disinfectant, mosquito repellent and sunscreen.

Mountain Man's pack consists mostly of the water (which Abs still needs more of).  Yes, it's heavy, but thankfully Mountain Man is a backpacker so he can handle it.  He is also carrying the solar powered radio, and camp stove.

A five gallon bucket can be carried and will hold the ax and shovel and the work gloves.

Abs and Mountain Man split the money between them - each has $50 in their packs.  This consists of small bills and rolls of quarters.  They also each have copies of their important documents.

Of course, you can pack your 72-hour kits differently - this is just how Abs did it for her family. Finally, here are some points to consider when it comes to 72-hour kits:

• Assume the worst: to us, that is that we will be carrying our packs, and that you will be leaving in a moment's notice.
• If you ARE carrying your packs, bring a stroller and/or wagon, if you have them!  Kids can ride in the strollers for part of the time, or you can load your packs onto them for some relief.
• Empty out your boxes.  We saved a lot of room in the backpacks by taking things out of their original packing (take the bag of crackers out of the bulky box!)
• Don't worry about the non-essentials.  For example, if you DO have the opportunity to bathe in the 72 hours, you don't need to condition your hair - shampoo is fine.  In fact, you could even just pack body wash and use that for your hair AND body.  That would save even more room.  It's an emergency, people!
• Have a "supplemental" box in case you are able to leave in your car.  For us, this includes some extra food, sleeping bags, a heavy dutch oven, extra blankets, more entertainment items, a tent, etc... all the little "luxuries" that don't fit in your backpacks but would be really nice to have.
• You can also make a little list of things you could grab to take with you if you have time to gather it all.  For example, if we were evacuating for a forest fire, hurricane, etc., we would have some time to prepare to leave.  Besides our 72-hour kits, I would load my car with family pictures and mementos.  I'd also bring my sewing machine, which is about 70 years old and was a gift from my mom.  Make a list of where these important things are so you don't waste time searching the house for them, and so you don't forget something.
• Along those same lines... don't worry about your things.  It's just STUFF.  Assuming you have homeowners insurance, stuff can be replaced.  Don't waste time packing up your plasma TV, all your computers, or your Bosch.

Do you have any other tips for 72-hour kit distribution?

My 72 Hour Kit Journey***Warning: My Opinion Runs Rampant Throughout This Post!

Getting a 72-Hour Kit together can be a daunting task. I know—I put it off for years. Then, I put off rotating it for years. I just barely cleaned out and started over, and only because of the guilt I felt for contributing to this blog and not having a working 72-Hour Kit. Guilt can sometimes be a good thing, apparently.

I hope to share a few tips to help you in your own 72 Hour Kit quest. (Keep in mind this is only my opinion, so you may actually have to think for yourself. Bummer, I know.)

I. An emergency evacuation plan:

Why are you creating a 72-Hour Kit? For what purpose? How will you transport it? I plan for the worst possible situation because I'm a pessimist. In attempts to lighten up my attitude I have added expecting the best to my repertoire. I’ve learned that planning for the worst and expecting the best is often the most practical scenario.

Planning for the worst would entail me carrying my 72-Hour Kit somewhere. Therefore, it must be easily transportable. I chose backpacks because my husband is a backpacking fanatic and we had two extras lying around. If I had to carry one of them I could. I'm hoping for the best, which would mean I could use the car. Well, the best would be not to have to use it at all right? But, if I needed to Mountain Man could carry one backpack (the heavy one, ba ha) and I could carry the other.

If I needed to evacuate my area and there was a car available, I could throw my kits in the back of my car and go. But where would I go? Does it matter, you ask? Yes. You should look at a map and find out how far you can go on your tank of gas. Research evacuation stops in each of the four directions. You never know what will come at you (hurricane, earthquake, a nuclear something etc.) so you should know escape routes in all directions. When you make your perimeter, look for areas where you could stay. Mountain Man and I would head for a state park as far as we could get on our tank of gas. A state park would have water available that we could filter and use and it would be a place to pitch our tent and stay a while. Make a note of where you would go and keep it in your car with your atlas. You should have an atlas in your car (my opinion).

2. Meal Plan:

Most of the items on the list are self-explanatory but the food is left open to interpretation. I made a plan for our family based on what we could fit in our kits and what we like to eat. Also, I have a couple of backpacking stoves that I can rely on to cook. Make sure you have fuel for the stoves.

I made a menu plan, planning for 3 meals a day with two snacks (worst case scenario remember).

Day 1

Breakfast: Instant Oatmeal

Snack: Goldfish crackers

Lunch: PB&J and crackers

Snack: Granola bars

Dinner: Ramen (high in calories and very light. Plus, I like it!)

Day 2:

Breakfast: Pop Tarts and fruit (in the little plastic cups--applesauce/cut fruit)

Snack: Fruit snacks

Lunch: Tuna fish and crackers (Spam for Mountain Man, he hates tuna.)

Snack: Trail mix/dried fruit

Dinner: Dry soup packets and crackers (most likely goldfish)

Day 3:

Breakfast: Instant Cream of Wheat packets

Snack: Goldfish (we have a ton of goldfish, can you tell?)

Lunch: PB&J and crackers

Snack: Beef Jerky

Dinner: More Ramen!

Wow, no veggies...oh well. I'm not really worried about having nutritiously balanced meals. I'm worried about surviving (remember this is my opinion.) But I do have a bunch of dehydrated veggies in Mountain Man's backpacking cupboard I could throw in.

Do you see how this is going? I'm planning my menu based on what WE eat and on what's available to me. We don't have a lot of money so I'm not going to go out and buy special emergency food. What I am going to do is pick foods that are easily transported, high in calories, easy to prepare, don't require refrigeration, and yummy.

3. Put your kit together:

Oh, brother. This is where it gets tough for me. I'm really good at making lists, not so good at following through. What I did was go through my house and gather everything on the list (72-Hour Kit and my menu plan) that I already had in my house. I dumped it all on my guest bed two weeks before my in-laws were coming, thus giving myself a deadline. I measured out the necessary water and then packed everything I had into my backpacks.

I didn't/don't have everything on my list. I printed out my list (from the printables on the sidebar) and crossed off things as they went into the backpacks. I wrote my menu plan on the back of the paper so I wouldn't lose it.

Here it is, and you can see I've highlighted the things I don't have in yet. But I put it together anyway, because some food is better than no food! You ought to put a copy of this in your kit so you know what food you have without having to dig through your backpack or Tupperware.

I'm going to have to finish gathering items and do a repacking job, or enlist Mountain Man to help, because, quite frankly I'm not so swell at packing. But I loaded it all up anyway. Why? Because it's better to have something than nothing.

Obviously not everything fits in our backpacks. So I made a little list to tell me where everything is. If I got a call that I had to be out of my house in ten minutes or less I would probably be freaking out, understandably. So I am posting this note in my kitchen, on the pantry door, where I am most of the time (kind of sounds like I like to eat, eh?) and also by my 72-Hour Kits in the guest room closet. I guarantee that I won't be thinking clearly during an emergency, so I want to make it as easy for me as possible.

I had a Relief Society President who once handed out an emergency sheet she used. It had a list of items she would grab from her house depending on the time she had. I wish I could find it to scan it in. But basically she had a list of things she would grab if she had ten minutes (72-Hour Kits, etc). If she had 20 minutes she would grab more things, and so on. I think this would be a great FHE activity. Determine what is vital for survival, then what would be helpful, and finally, maybe some things that are important to each family member IF they had the time to grab it. Knowing the location of these items would also be helpful.

After sticking everything in you have, make a wish list of the things you need still. Start with the cheaper items at the top and chip away at it when you can. Ask for the larger things for Christmas gifts if you want. I think I'm turning into a food storage nerd.

To reiterate: Make an emergency evacuation plan, make your meal plan, and put it all together. Don't wait until you have everything!

P.S. Don't forget to rotate your food, clothing, and batteries...

Food for 72-hour kits

Ok, it's time to delve into the food portion of our 72-hour kits. Here is a list of what I am going to put in my kit. Of course, you don't have to store the exact same things, but make sure you store enough food and that your family will eat it. It also needs to fit into your bags, so remember that when you choose your foods.

1 lb dried fruit or trail mix per person
2 pkg soda crackers AND graham crackers per person (there are 4 pkgs per box)
4 granola bars per person
2 cans meat per person and 2 cans beans per person (chicken, tuna, etc and chili, etc.)
4 sticks beef jerky per person
1 pkg chewing gum per person
2 packets hot chocolate mix per person
2 instant soup packets per person
1 roll of toilet paper per person (tip: unroll the t.p. and put it into a ziploc bag. This way, it won't get crushed and it will stay clean. It also takes up less room)
1/2 lb dried milk per person
hard candy / lollipops

Consider your family and what you think you will need (whether it be more or less food). And, this is probably a lot to gather in one week, so do what you can and just add the rest to your future grocery lists, and look for sales. Don't forget that this food also counts as your food storage! And, don't forget to rotate it - we'll remind you about every 6 months to rotate.

How To: Use a Backpacking Stove

Abs: Mountain Man guest posting here on various types of backpacking stoves and how to use them.

In planning for an emergency situation, it is a good idea to be prepared for the very worst. In the case of cooking, we need to be prepared to go without the microwave and gas/electric ranges.

One of the best ways to be prepared in this area is to purchase a small backpacking type stove. They are light, and thus very portable. They are small and easily stored. They boil and heat very efficiently, cutting down on the amount of fuel that you must purchase.

There are many types and varieties of stoves. Most stoves use either a liquid white gas, or a butane/propane mixture that comes in a canister (I think these are the best, for what its worth...). Any of these can be found at REI, Sierra Trading Post or Campmor. I have also found many good deals on eBay. Keep in mind that the price is for the stove only--fuel is sold separately (usually $3-5/canister--1 canister usually lasts 60 minutes of cooking time).

I have two different stoves that I use, and my backpacking friend has let me borrow his to example another.




Example 1: Jetboil

The head screws into the gas canister,



And then the mug screws into the head.



Push-button ignition. Pretty simple. Boils water really quickly. Not great for cooking in, but you can also buy a bigger pot that is better for cooking. This unit is best for just boiling water really fast. Pricey.


Example 2: Camping Gaz Bluet Micro Stove

The head screws into the gas canister,



Turn on the gas,



This stove does not have an automatic ignition, and needs to be lit with a lighter or matches. I have cooked everything on this little stove, from pork-chops to risotto. The scouts invented the delicacy known as "candied spam" on this stove.


Example 3: Brunton Raptor

The head screws into the gas canister,



turn on the gas,



Push-button ignition. Really simple. Really effective. Boy scouts cook with this one once a month. If a twelve year old can cook on it, so can you.


The Brunton Raptor is similar to the giveaway stove, the MSR Pocket Rocket: