72 Hour Kits

After years of procrastination, I decided it was finally time to check our 72-hour kits.

I hate 72-hour kits. 

To me 72 Hour kits equal the seven layers of Hell.

Other than coveting I'm pretty sure, being prepared is the hardest commandment for me.

(Its true, I covet things, like jeans that aren't too short, and my neighbor's new exterior paint job.  I'm trying to be better, but its so very hard... :(

That being said, 72 hour kits could potentially be life saving, so a necessary evil.

I decided to finally act on the advice of going through 72 hour kits every 6 months, during conference.

I would have failed without my husband's gumption.

But they could be so life saving.  After Katrina, Ike, and Sandy, I know we need something! 

But we started! I now I have a change of clothes for everyone, three pairs of underwear, and a pair of wool socks.

Here is what we've done so far:

1. Unload the old backpack kits
2. Pray mice aren't inside 
3.  Cry
4.  Watch my husband laugh at how ill prepared we are
5.  Cry
6.  Laugh
7.  Cry
8.  Decide what the purpose of our 72 hour kit is. This is what my husband decided:
1. Keep Warm
2. Keep Dry
3. Stay fed
4. Stay informed
5. Stay Safe
6. Stay Hydrated
9. Cry some more
10. Facebook and Instagram my sorrows
11. Research online, I went to pinterest, Brent went to forums and threads 
12. Throw away all the nasty good that has been in there since 2005.  
13. Have a real discussion,-- my conclusion:  I never ever want to be anywhere like the super dome.  Three possible scenarios, 
1. We are locked inside our house for a week or so.  (Mental note, we need a honey pot if that happens, and water stops. We need a generator. Oh I feel overwhelmed.)
2. We have to evacuate, if we have enough gas to get out of town, we try to make it to a grandma's house.  Need gas for that, which is why I always fill up at a half a tank.  Talk about the possibility of storing an extra can or so of gas in the garage that we cycle every 6 months.
3. Red Dawn-- We have to hike to the hills. Pray that doesn't happen, if it does, pack up backpacking gear.   
14. Tell my husband I know cotton kills, but all the kids have is cotton clothes, and cotton clothes are better than no clothes, so decided to start there. (When roughing it outdoors you don't want to be in cotton. Wool, synthetic, etc are where its at.  But cotton is cheap, and that is what my children's dressers are full of.)
15. Realize I can't prepare for everything, so focus on number 2.  If that is the case, we have to get out of town as soon as physically possible.  That is where a shelf in the garage with water and backpacks is useful. Start on scenario #2
16. Get a change of clothes for everyone, three pairs of underwear (yeah we still have accidents in our family), pajamas, and wool socks. 
17. Smile. Tell my husband, I feeling so much better, I can do this, I can be prepared.  We can do this, I feel accomplished. I feel like this is the farthest I've made it in five years.
18. Decide we need case of emergency/luggage tags for the 72 hour kits with our vital information.  One of the useful things I read from pinterest, is the lady decided she wanted her kids to be prepared if worse case scenario they got separated so all of her food was stuff the kids could eat without a stove or can opener.  So I made matching tags for everyone thanks, to Avery's Free Template Downloads. 
1. Name
2. DOB
3. Allergies or No known Allergies
4. Fully Immunized (Since my children are)
5. Mom's contact info, name, cell #, email
6. Dad's contact info, etc
7. Both Grandma's phone numbers, who live in different states
8. (Normally I don't like all my info out there, but if something is happens more info is better.)

That is as far as I've gotten.  But I feel like I can do this now! Here is my future steps

1. Get diapers and wipes for baby kit
2. Get two gallon ziploc bags, put clothes in one, food per day (or meal) in others. Then put in backpacks.
3. Store water in each backpack.
4. Finish making luggage tags, laminate them
5. Date Night, 72 hour food shopping.  If Brent bought the food he would get great survival food, but my children would never touch it, and the only worst than being displaced is being displaced with whiny kids.  If I went shopping by myself, my husband would look at what I bought and say are you nuts?  So for our next date we are going together, and agreeing before we get out of the car, that we will both be mature, rational, and patient as we try to accomplish our task.
6. Clear of a shelf in the garage for 72 hour survival.
7. Get two or three more cases of water to store on garage shelf.
8. Store family backpacking tent with water and backpacks
9. Fret about lack of sleeping bags. (You can't store sleeping bags stuffed in stuff sacks or their loft/warming ability disappears.)
10. Compile a more in-dept list of emergency contact information and other stuff, for inside the backpack.  Laminate.  Place in the backpacks.
11. Change clothes, by the time I finish all that, it will probably be October and time to go through it again.

Oh my goodness, I feel like super woman.  I have never before had a game plan when it came to 72 hour kits.  I've always felt like hiding under the couch instead.  I see all these lists and wonder what the heck, why does every member of the family need a Book of Mormon for 72 hours? Really my genealogy on a USB stick, no no. Those lists are not for me. Those lists have more stuff than would fit in my car. A case of TP? really? 72 hours a case?! I can't work off those lists. My kids are picky eaters, and clothes that fit are more important than a Ham radio. So I've decided to work on the basics. Clothes that fit, every 6 months and food my kids would eat.  Like craisins, fruit snacks, granola bars, dry ramen noodles (yes, cooked would be better, but they will eat dry if the stove doesn't work.)

And an emergency contact luggage tag, if the worst would happen and they got separated from me. I'm not trying to build a bunker underground, I'm just trying to insure my children's survival.  That is a goal I can work on.

I'm also working on a car kit.  I live where it snows, snow boots in the car if something happened would be invaluable   Even if they are just cheap boots from walmart.  Or the lame older one that you pulled out of the goodwill bag in my case.  Thankfully the bag had not been dropped off yet.