Helpful Links for 72-Hour Kits for Families
Hi there!
If you have made it to this page, I just have to say:
You. Are. A. Rockstar. Huge virtual high five for putting your family’s safety first!
Let me know if you have any questions!!!!!
Step 1 - Notes, Ziplocs, & Sharpies
Set of Mini Screwdrivers – Super small, lightweight, and inexpensive.
We also have a set in our kitchen because it’s so handy!
Jumbo Hefty Bags– get the name brand on these
Ziploc BIG Bags – these have a wider base, so they can hold a lot!
Step 2 - Packs
I bought rolling backpacks similar to these ones on Amazon for our younger kids.
If you like the idea of having a RED backpack for your kids, this one is similar to the one linked above
Step 4 - Prepare Your Lists
NONE!
Step 5 - Personal Bags
Disposable pads/placemats or these are the same ones – a clean surface to put food on, etc.
Step 6 - Survival Bags
Work gloves – 12 pair, making them each about $3.50 a pair
Bandana – less than $1 a piece when you buy a dozen
Poncho – I go cheap on these (about $2.50 a piece). The nicer ones are bulky, and space is at a premium here. However, I do think it’s worth getting the ones with sleeves and a drawstring around the hood. This set has 4 adult and 4 kid ponchos.
Survival blanket – this is SO much better than the little foil blankets you think of when you hear “emergency blanket.” These combine the quality of reflecting body heat with the durability of a thicker, tougher blanket.
Emergency Sleeping Bag – this 2-pack is a great price
Handwarmers and toe warmers – these 40-packs are the best value for sure! I have 5 packs of each in each person’s survival bag
Pepper Spray – not only for protection from people, but also animals
Compass/Whistle/Mirror/Waterproof Match Holder/Fire Starter/Necklace Thing
Notice the money-saving 3-pack. Or heck! If you buy 30 of them they are dirt cheap. Get some friends together and split the 30-pack!
Sparkie Fire Starter – watch the video on Amazon – very cool!
Fuel Discs – Small and lightweight
Super Glue (these singles are great for one-time use) – in fact, this is the only way I buy Super Glue now. That way the lid doesn’t glue itself shut. Just open it, use it, and throw it away. Get a fresh one the next time you need Super Glue. Genius!
Screwdrivers – already mentioned in Step 1. Helpful to open battery compartments on anything that requires batteries in your pack – make sure you get the appropriate tips that you’ll need.
N95 Masks– MAKE SURE they are N-95 to filter out particulates for smoke from wildfires
Step 7 - Clothing Bags
Jumbo Hefty Bags – get the name brand on these
Ziploc BIG Bags – these have a wider base, so they can hold a lot!
Gloves – these turn out to be a little over a dollar a pair. Total steal! I have a few pairs in our car and a few in our baseball wagon, because they’re so cheap!
Step 8 - Random / Fun Bags
Dice for Yahtzee (normal) – (these are cool black ones)
Official Rules of Yahtzee – I printed this out, folded it up, and included it with the scorecards in each 72-hour kit
Step 9 Loose Items
Comfort food (favorite nonperishable snack)
- Make sure you select the pantry can size. **NOTE: the Snackies Pouches and Snackies Singles have a much shorter shelf life than the pantry cans (most of the Snackies are more like 2 years as opposed to 25 years). All of the freeze-dried fruits and yogurt bites have a shelf life of 25 years in the pantry cans (and the cans have a pop top).
- Any of the yogurt bites are awesome. Our family favorites are strawberry, pomegranate, and vanilla.
- The freeze-dried fruits are delicious. Our family’s favorites are the banana slices and the strawberries.
- The freeze-dried corn is bomb. I know that might sound weird, but it is SO DANG GOOD!
- Each member of our family got to pick one freeze-dried fruit/snack to put in their pack.
Step 10 - 5-Gallon Bucket
For a 5-gallon bucket toilet, this one is a good price and has a funny name 🙂
Here are the sanitation bags to go with it
This pop-up pod is really awesome for privacy, should the need for a bucket toilet ever arise.
This link is a good option – it has the bucket, liners, toilet seat, plus a couple other things. I have gotten this multiple times for a Classroom Lockdown Kit for my kids’ teachers.
Crank/Solar Weather Radio/Flashlight/Phone Charger – This is the one we have and we are totally happy with it! The radio is pre-loaded with all 7 weatherband channels and you can also set weather alerts for your area. It has a battery, solar, AND a crank-powered option to power it up. It also has a USB port to charge electronics. It also has a flashlight and red blinking light built in. Very cool!
Shovel – super compact, but attaches in just a few seconds to have a more usable length of a handle. Has several other tools built in. Comes with an instruction sheet inside the carrying case, so no additional instructions are needed.
Lantern – I like these lanterns because they are fairly compact and have a ton of hooks to hang them any way you want (from a loop inside your tent, or in your car, or from a tree, etc), as well as a magnetic bottom, allowing you to stick it to anything magnetic (like the hood of your car). These particular ones also have a flashlight option and a red blinking light. Most other lanterns like these don’t have the concentrated light in the form of a flashlight on the end, so these are extra cool.
These go in and out of stock, so if they are out of stock right now, check the recommended similar products – we have two different kinds and they’re both great!
Step 11 - Water
Ready-to-Drink Water
Water Tank – I mentioned that we have a 500-gallon water tank for our home water storage. This is obviously not something we could load into our car and take with us, but since I mentioned it, I wanted to give you the info here in case you wanted it.
WAter Filtration
Lifestraws – After researching a bunch of options, I like Lifestraws because they are small and can filter a lot of water for how small they are. They are also highly effective, filtering out almost anything you would ever need to worry about. Notice I said “almost everything.” Still not 100%, but dang close!
Water Filter – Having something larger than Lifestraws isn’t a bad idea. We have a Crown Berkey water filter and LOVE it. The awesome thing is, we use it every day in our home, but it is also our emergency water filtration plan. I love it when things can double up with everyday use and emergency use! Use code PLANFORAWESOME for 10% off!
Step 12 - Food
Mountain House Camping Food is my favorite.
CAN OPENER! – this is my favorite – doesn’t go dull after a month, and it does a smooth, clean job. I am confident this will last well past 72 hours! I actually have a couple of these in my long-term food storage as well.
SWINGAWAY CAN OPENER! This is a great add for anyone with #10 cans in their long-term food storage. It gets around the large diameter of a #10 can so much quicker than a regular can opener does!
Disposable pads/placemats or these are the same ones – a clean surface to put food on, etc.
Freaking awesome spork/knife– here is a 3-pack of different colors, to help keep them straight, and another 3-pack with 3 MORE colors (I got one of each pack and am seriously considering throwing all our silverware away and using these on the daily)
Camping Stove – This is the one we got. Very reasonably priced and easy to use (the case is a piece of crap though). However, I was not able to order the butane (fuel canisters) on Amazon because they wouldn’t deliver it to my address. So we just got our fuel at a physical store. Note: you should not use a butane stove indoors. The fumes can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Always use these outside!
JetBoil – Boils water SO FAST! Great for 72-hour kits and/or backup cooking method for power outages.
Step 13 - Separate Big Items
NONE!
Step 14 - PETS
This is THE CUTEST STINKIN’ 72-Hour Kit for DOGS. I am in love with the looks, durability, and functionality.
Use code PLANFORAWESOME10 for 10% off! You’ll need to add a few essentials like food, and water, but this gets you started with some basics.
Pet First Aid Kit – the one I linked to before is unavailable but here are some options if you want a pre-done first aid kit.
There are also pre-done entire 72-hour kits for pets ready to go if you don’t want to have to piece your kit together. Since there are so many different pets out there, here is a list to get you started, but a more narrow search may be better for you, if you type in the specific animal you are looking to cover.
Step 15 - DIY First Aid Kit
Tackle Boxes
- Assorted Band-Aids
- Knuckle Band-Aids
- Neosporin
- Steri-Strips
- Alcohol Pads or Iodine Wipes
- Liquid Bandage
- Contact Solution
- Trauma Shears
- Gauze
- Eye Pad
- Coband (Self-Adherent Cohesive Tape)
- Dermoplast
- Burn Jel
- Bee (and other) Sting Kit
- Bug Spray
- Anti-Itch
- Moleskin
- Icy Hot
- Puke bags (I bought a pack of these and split them between our first aid kits, our cars, our 72-hour kits, and our travel tote)
- First Aid Book/Manual
- Instant Cold Packs
- ACE Wraps
- Sam Splint
- Popsicle Sticks – for finger splints (Standard or Jumbo)
- CPR Mask (here is a link to a CPR Mask on a keychain)
- Compression Bandage – this link has a 4″ option or 6″ option. If only getting one of the sizes, I would go with the 6″ because it would cover a larger wound.
- Celox
- Trauma pads.
- Vent Chest Seal
- Glucose Tabs
- Thermometer
- Hydrocortisone