What's In Your 72 Hour Emergency Kit?

Discussion in 'Other Advanced Survival Skills' started by Jennifer Branch, Jan 30, 2017.

0/5, 0 votes

  1. Jennifer Branch

    Jennifer Branch Expert Member
      153/173

    Blog Posts:
    0
    Hey there! I feel like it would benefit my family greatly if we all have a 72 hour kit packed for the just in case. What would you suggest be in it?
     
  2. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
      525/575

    Blog Posts:
    7
    I don't see the point in a 72 hour kit, how can you possibly know how long the crisis will last for?
    Keith.
     
  3. Jennifer Branch

    Jennifer Branch Expert Member
      153/173

    Blog Posts:
    0
  4. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
      525/575

    Blog Posts:
    7
    Sorry Jennifer, I did not intend my comment to put you off getting a kit together for your family, but I do think that you should think more long term. If you have two kits each, a 72 hour & one for longer term, what happens to the second pack if you have to leave home? Can each of you carry two packs? I just think it is easier to have one main pack each that you can grab & leave that will sustain you long term, or at least sustain long term as much as any pack can. You will never be able to carry enough water & food, so sooner or later you will have to find these, but with a well planned & equipped pack you should be able to leave the area & survive comfortably for a couple of weeks food wise. The pack does not have to be heavy if you choose the right contents.
    Just my opinion, others may think differently.
    Keith.
     
    Old Geezer likes this.
  5. Michael TQS

    Michael TQS Expert Member
      123/115

    Blog Posts:
    0
    72 hours gives you breathing room to deal with the unexpected and get everyone in the family together.

    72 hours gets you from where you are to a meetup point, or home.

    72 hours gets "most " emergency services up and running- hopefully

    72 hours is a good base to start from. 72 hours, then 7 days, then 30 days, then a year.

    I would suggest 2 bags per person, or a 6 month repack for warm and cold weather. Id avoid all the threads about the "what if" and take a hard look at what you use on an average 3 day length of time. I run very little in my bags, I know from real life carrying too much means you are dumping gear you could have stored in a safe place

    I have

    4 prs of socks
    1 set thermal merino wool, with knit cap
    1 set of goretex top and bottom
    2 ponchos
    poncho liner
    heavy weight space blanket
    freeze dried food
    stove and fuel bottle
    Cook pot, stove and bottles ride inside
    MSR water filter
    2 steel Klean canteens
    2 1 gallon Nalgene canteens

    The Nalgene bottles/bladders thread on my water filter, if you've ever tried filling a container holding the hose in the water while pumping a filter you will understand why I run this combo

    I have a Prius stove and bottles, and an aluminum pot

    Any more than that and you are carrying too much crap

    Learn from those who do and ignore the 100lb BOB talkers because they have NEVER carried it. If someone hasn't walked from where they work, home, with all the crap they say they have ,put them on ignore because their advice will kill you

    I did a long series on the BOB concept on my page http://quietsurvivalist.com/category/survivalbobinch-bags/
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2017
    Morgan101 likes this.
  6. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
      525/575

    Blog Posts:
    7
    I don't agree with the 72 hour pack principle, I see no point. One might just as well rely on the main pack for all occasions. If you need something to get you home from work, fine, but you would have to be a long way from home to need a pack.
    I do agree with the size & weight, one chap told me recently that his pack weighs 60 klg. My pack will last me a lifetime with no modern gadgets & it weighs 9 klg. The more you use your main pack the better. You will get used to what you need & what you don't need.
    Keith.
     
  7. Jennifer Branch

    Jennifer Branch Expert Member
      153/173

    Blog Posts:
    0
    Thank you guys!
     
    Keith H. likes this.
  8. poltiregist

    poltiregist Legendary Survivalist
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    I would suggest a wool blanket colored to be inconspicuous , Home made hard tack /ship biscuits and a small personal water purification bottle . It would be light cheap and able to sustain someone for a long time . A small camouflage tarp might be handy . As for as myself I don't have a bug out bag because I am already bugged in and nothing much short of a full military attack would cause me to bug out . However I do have a freighter frame back pack I use for hunting . It would take only a few minutes for me to pack my bag and be gone .
     
    TMT Tactical likes this.
  9. kilo4okc

    kilo4okc Expert Member
      176/230

    Blog Posts:
    0
    Keith, I and my wife have "72" hour bags in our vehicles....they are our get home bags. Most of the time we are within that time/distance from home where our main supplies are at, if something would happen we would use those bags to get home. they are only for that purpose they are not for the extended problem, just to get us home. from reading your posts you are probably at or near home most of the time, but some of us have to still go to work or have other duties that keep us from being where we need to be for the long haul. I agree with most everything you write here and long much from your knowledge but I think on this subject you may want to take another look at it and see what the OP had in mind. I think it was developing bags similar to mine 3 days to get someplace more secure, not to last forever.

    kilo4okc
     
  10. Morgan101

    Morgan101 Legendary Survivalist
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    I agree with this concept completely. A 72 hour bag is probably only enough to get you home, and not much more. It is woefully inadequate for most emergencies. Let's not forget it is a start. Most of us probably started with a 72 hour bag. If nothing else it puts you 72 hours ahead of most of the sheeple.
     
    TMT Tactical and poltiregist like this.
  11. lalakai

    lalakai Well-Known Member
      97/115

    Blog Posts:
    0
    lighter, matches and tinder vacuum sealed, water purification straw, naglene bottle (filled), flashlite, fixed blade, assorted bandages, antibiotic cream, migraine headache tabs, benadryl, gauze, first aid tape, hand sanitizer, bandanas, gloves, GI can opener, spork, tuna pouches, spam, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, socks, shirt, underwear, signal mirror, light weight tarp, parachute cord, fishing line and hooks, small hand crank emergency radio, zip lock bags, deck of cards, gum, chocolate, $50 in assorted bills. For the winter I add a wool blanket. Like Morgan101 said, the bag allows me to get back home, or if I'm stranded in a vehicle with the kids, we can get by for a bit. I go through it every other week, change the water and chocolate.
     
    TMT Tactical likes this.
  12. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
      525/575

    Blog Posts:
    2
    Heck, Keith, my wife works at two dental offices, one day each. One is 55 miles away and the other is 70 miles away. Before she retired from the State she drove 45 miles each way every day. I worked in Houston for three years and drove 95 miles a day each way. That is pretty common in Texas. The best paying jobs are in the bigger cities but many of us refuse to live in those cities. I refused to have my kid exposed to the crud of big city life.

    There are a lot of uses for a 72-hour kit. It is small enough to carry and not weigh you down and gives you the necessities for a short term problem. When a storm hits and tears up your world you don't need to try and carry a 50 lb pack. Many people flat couldn't do that for long enough to get anywhere. 72 hours will allow you to be reasonably comfortable in a refugee camp until the Government can mobilize and get to you.

    A 72 hours kit is not to help you survive the end of the world. It is to offer you some of the things that you might need if your house was flooded, a tornado tears your little town all to pieces, an earthquake causes the power and utilities to be shut down. A hurricane might make you have to evacuate. I KNOW people that were stuck in their cars for more than 3 days in stopped traffic on the highways trying to get out of Houston when Rita hit.

    My 72-hour type bag addresses the needs you might have in situations like this.

    I have a tube tent for each member of my family. These will keep you dry and out of the wind.
    I have a couple of cheap ponchos for each person.
    a couple of space blankets each
    paracord (endless uses)
    Matches, lighters, and ferro rods
    a personal water filter for each person
    a flashlight and batteries for each person
    a 3600 calorie meal bar for each
    Heavy gloves you may have to dig yourself or someone out of the wreckage
    several dust masks
    A small medical kit for each and one more comprehensive one for the group
    Toilet paper...Even during a disaster $hit happens...
    a knife for each person
    at least one gun and ammo for the group
    A fishing and snare kit in each bag.
    a button compass for each bag
    a wire sow per person
    A trenching tool for the group
    a hatchet or hawk and folding saw for the group
    a canteen with cup cover and water tablets
    A mess kit for each
    I usually have a small radio so you can keep up with the rescue efforts

    CASH!!

    This will fit in a small bag and when spread out among several people limits the weight to no more than 5 to 10 pounds per person. A one-person version is a little heavier but the main purpose is for it to allow you to be mobile and then get out of the weather when you are someplace safe and wait for help to come.

    Don't confuse this with an end of the world bag.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2019
    TMT Tactical and Morgan101 like this.
  13. Morgan101

    Morgan101 Legendary Survivalist
      515/575

    Blog Posts:
    0
    Texdanm: I think my kit is almost identical. Dave Canterbury's 5 C's are a good start: Combustion, Container, Cordage, Cover, Cutting. A fire kit. A first aid kit. A water purification kit. Sleeping system. Cooking system. Food. Water. Self Defense.

    I do have a small travel toiletry kit for personal hygiene, and the seasonal extra clothing hot or cold. A wool blanket for everyone. Right or wrong I would be reasonably comfortable if I was stuck in the car, or trying to get home for 72 hours.
     
    TMT Tactical likes this.
  14. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
      525/575

    Blog Posts:
    2
    I actually have a comb, scissors and a toothbrush in my kits and usually a small book. I was just trying to cover the basics in my list. As you noted I try to cover all the must-have things. I use the rule of threes about what can kill you and cover those bases.

    I can actually cover all the bases in a kit that is the size of a man's wallet. It won't last for long but will get the job done for a few days. I've actually gone into the woods with one of these tiny kits and tried it out. For two days I was very comfortable. I probably could have gone for another week or two without much trouble.

    The only thing other than the tiny kit that I carried was a nice sized knife. I didn't use my swiss trekker knife. I cut some firewood with a wire saw and whittled stuff to feed the fire. I REALLY missed my hawk but I wanted to see how I would do with only what other people might have if they had an unexpected situation. I don't count people that don't habitually carry a knife in Texas. There are no laws so why wouldn't you have a knife? I actually include one of these credit card folding knives in the kit but I ALWAYS have better on me.

    I know that these little kits won't carry me through the end of the world but if I can survive for 3 days I can get to someplace where I can add to my kit. Where I live there are going to be guns and dead people all over the place and most any house will have knives, blankets, a pot, and tools.

    When I was young I could have gotten along with just the clothes on my back. I'm old now and want my small comforts.
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2019
    TMT Tactical and Morgan101 like this.
  15. TexDanm

    TexDanm Shadow Dancer
      525/575

    Blog Posts:
    2
    The purpose of a small kit is to have something small enough that you will actually carry with you. It is like wearing a seat belt. You might be safer if you wore a helmet and leathers with a 4 point harness system when you go to the store but nobody in their right mind is going to do that every time they get in a car. The seat belt is not a great deal better than nothing in a highspeed crash but it will help you survive a fender bender.

    My pocket-sized kits are in every vehicle and boat. I often carry one and a few other things in a fanny pack and don't give a fat rat's patootie if it isn't stylish. It isn't for long term survival. It is to improve my comfort and survivability until I can get better equipment or the problem is resolved.
     
    TMT Tactical and Morgan101 like this.
Loading...
Similar Threads Forum Date
Determining What's "essential" During Quarantines News, Current Events, and Politics Nov 7, 2020
For Starts, What's In Your Bob? First Time Preppers and Survivalists Jun 19, 2019
What's Your Plan For Preserving Meat Or Fish? Food Storage - Canning/Freezing/Butchering/Prep Feb 21, 2019
What's Your Greatest Achievement In Life So Far? General Q&A Jul 19, 2017
What's The Most Ridiculous And Embarrassing Way You Have Hurt Yourself? General Q&A Jul 18, 2017
What's In A Name. A New Religion!!! The Hangout Jul 15, 2017
What's Your Favorite Herbal Tea? Herbalism - Medicinal, Practical, and other Uses Jul 4, 2017
What's Your Specialty General Q&A Jun 10, 2017
What's The Most Essential Item To Have During A Storm? Newbie Corner Jun 2, 2017
What's The One Thing You Absolutely Can't Have In Case Of An Emergency? General Q&A May 30, 2017

Share This Page