72hr kit guide

[brut4c]

First let me introduce myself. I am a 9 year convert to the church and have a lovely wife and four wonderful kids. I like to feel useful which is why the bishop made me the emergency prparedness guy for the ward. I noticed there has not been a 72hr kit thread for a while so thought I would share what I have put together for members of our ward and stake. I have been told by many members that it was very useful and entertaining. Long but can't be helped. I am very open to suggestion and am not opposed to constructive criticism.


72-hour kits can be as simple or comprehensive as you like. The minimum requirement, in my opinion, is an easily transported (backpack) kit that will sustain life for at least 72 hours in any climate you may encounter, based on the idea that you have just been awakened and have no time to gather anything except the kit. There are two sayings that I feel work well as a guide: APrepare for the worst and hope for the best and ABetter to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
There are many factors that must be considered on a personal level--small children, disabilities, medications, etc.; however, for this guide I will be speaking of preparations for a healthy individual. You will need to tailor my recommendations to your own requirements.
I will try to reference products at both ends of the cost spectrum, but I will not recommend junk that doesn’t work. Also keep in mind that this is about survival, not fashion or comfort. As stated before, the contents of your kit can be endless if you have a way to carry it, and therein lies the problem. I don’t have endless funds to prepare with, so by requiring that I must be able to pack it several miles, I have automatically put a cap of sorts on what I’m allowed to purchase. Keep in mind, too, that I am not an expert on anything, so whatever I say here is subject to correction. This is only based on my own experiences.
I feel that your kit is an investment, and if it”s prepared properly to begin with, you should never have to replace anything other than a few perishable items. The saying I’m too poor to buy junk multiple times, so I buy the best once applies to me and is a guide that I always use when purchasing an item that may make the difference between living and dying. A common problem for me is the fact that some of the items I purchased for my kit also work well in my outdoor adventures. The problem arises when I pillage my kit and don’t put everything back. It’s great to use your gear--and in fact it should be priority, so that you know what is going to work and what won’t. But YOU MUST PUT IT BACK!!!!! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to grab your kit in an emergency and get down the road only to find you have no water. Perfect!!!
There are three areas that should be addressed before anything else when contemplating what to purchase first: (1) body temperature, (2) hydration, and (3) nutrition. Body temperature, for the purposes of this discussion, are regulated in basically two ways: shelter and clothing. Initially you should concern yourself with clothing, as that is the most immediate need. Hydration obviously means water and a way to store and carry it. Food is your third concern only after the first two are collected.
I will start by going through the various items necessary for an individual; but except for the first three, they will not necessarily be in order of importance.

Clothing

Clothing is first and foremost in my way of thinking. I could survive for three days without food or water, but in freezing temperatures I wouldn’t last a few hours without adequate clothing. Keep in mind that environmental conditions can vary widely and we need to prepare for it all. My worst case scenario is subfreezing temperatures and I am required to be outdoors for three days. I have several subcategories for this area, and I will address each.
Undergarments are your preference. Not much to say other than have at least one pair in kit.
Shirts and pants should be durable, fast-drying, loose-fitting, and suitable for hot or cold weather (in which case they should fit over long johns). The cheapest and best product out there is military issue warm-weather BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform). No need to spend a lot of money here.
Long johns are important, and you’ll find that they come in a wide range of prices. I have military issue polypropylene top and bottom. These are cheap and effective, although wool is best. If you want the best, buy Patagonia under layers. You don’t want long johns to be so bulky that you can’t fit your pants over them.
Socks I give high priority due to abuse and lack of circulation in that region. You should have one pair for warm weather and one for cold weather. Warm weather socks I like cushion-soled and boot-length. I have several pairs of CoolMax socks and love them. For cold weather only wool will do, and again I use cushion-sole and boot-length. Stay away from wool socks that are made in two layers, which tend to slide around on each other and cause blisters.
Boots, not shoes, are required. I have warm-weather and cold-weather boots that I swap back and forth as the seasons change. For those who are on a budget and need to cover all bases with one pair, I suggest a boot with 200-gram Thinsulate, hot in the summer but a life saver in winter. I use my boots regularly and can’t afford to have a pair dedicated to the kit, so I just leave my boots next to my kit. There are a zillion makers of boots, so I will just list a few that I have owned and liked: Danner Fort Lewis and garmont T6 boots are what I have now; other good brands are Asolo, Hanwag, White’s, Corcoran. Do not skimp here, as a good pair of boots that you wear regularly will last years and years.
Coat and rain gear are essential. Again there are a million choices here. I have military-issue ECWS (Extreme Cold Weather System) Gore-Tex coat and pants as they are effective, tough, cheap, and I have used them before. You can spend many hundreds of dollars here, but I don’t see the need, considering the availability of lower-cost options. These garments need to block wind and keep you dry. If you want to spend the big coin T.A.D. Gear is what your looking for. As a side note, I will be purchasing a wool liner which could be used separately or in conjunction with the coat.
Head gear is very important and even the good stuff is inexpensive. I have warm- and cold-weather head gear. For warm weather your preference. For cold weather you should have wool that covers the ears and with some form of face mask.
Gloves are also mandatory. I suggest a pair of leather work gloves of your choice and a pair of cold-weather gloves that are water resistant.

For me, my clothing choices will evolve as funds allow. For now I have stuff that I know works. The idea with clothing is layering; that way you can go from hot to cold weather with a minimum of gear. Thus endeth the sermon.

Water
Water is essential to sustaining life. I stated earlier that I could survive for three days without it, and I could; however, the pain and accompanying vomiting, diarrhea, hallucinations, cramping, and irrational thoughts would be most uncomfortable. For me, I prefer the free, all-natural version that I get from my home tap as opposed to the other kind. Seriously though, when it comes to water, there are some things that one must take into account, such as storage methods. I am of the opinion that you should store it in the containers from which you will drink it, and said container should be resealable, very durable, and small enough to carry in a pouch or backpack. In my view, this gives us about three choices: Mil Spec (Military Specifications) plastic one-quart canteens, one-quart Nalgene bottles, or one of the various kinds of CamelBak bladders. I can’t say which is best, which is why I have all three. I will say that the Nalgene bottles are far easiest to clean. If you don’t have water in your containers at all times then you’re at risk in case of an emergency. I store my water with about 6-8 drops of iodine in each quart. This helps to inhibit algae growth. You can drink it, but it tastes like crap. Each person should carry at least two quarts. Side note: If you have hard water, filter it before you fill your containers and do NOT store water with any kind of flavor crystals in it. You can add flavor later, but if you’re using bladders or canteens they will get really funky really fast due to the residue left from the flavoring.
One piece of gear that I consider vital for a survival kit is a water filter. Even for three days it would be difficult to pack enough water to be comfortable, especially in hot weather. I can’t fathom a situation where I could not find some type of water source from which I could filter water, whether it was a mud hole or leftover water in a toilet bowl. The good filters are amazing, and combined with purification additives, you won’t have to worry about getting sick if you didn’t boil your water before you drank it. It could be life saver for you or someone who didn’t prepare as well as you. The options are: the hand-pump style Katadyn, MSR, or First Need--no substitutes, period. I once heard a survival instructor say “I had better not find you next to a mud puddle dead from dehydration.” His point was most nasties in the water are not going to adversely affect you for several days or weeks. Better to drink and live another day. Food for thought.

Food
Food is another basic need that could be left out for a short period. However, insufficient nutrition will affect your energy level, body temperature, and thinking processes; so we need to have some in our kit. In my honest opinion, the MRE (military Meal Ready-to-Eat) is superior to all other survival food. It stores for up to 15 years, does not require any preparation, is packaged in durable pouches, and is actually quite tasty for short periods of time--with exception to the lemon pound cake, which I could eat every day forever. If you are not using MRE’s, then what you are using should store for at least a year at room temperature and require as little preparation as possible. In fact, if you have to do more than add water, you definitely need to buy MRE”s. Each person should have about 2,500 calories per day to be comfortable.

Other Equipment
Dry Bags

Dry bags are great and are a very small investment compared to the possible advantages. It was put to me like this: If I’m going to get up at 1:00 a.m., spend the next 16 hours putting on all my battle rattle, rig my parachute, lay on tarmac in either rain or hot sun, ride in a loud bumpy plane for another 16 hours, jump out of said plane, land in the ocean due to a missed drop, get shot at, walk/run/crawl for miles to get to the base of operations, the least I’m going to want is some clean, dry clothes. Sound advice for anyone!!!!
ADry bag is a broad term and can be anything from a garbage bag to a dedicated deep-sea diver’s bag. I have two kinds of dry bags. The first is a rubber-lined military issue bag that I use to line backpacks or store sleeping bags. These bags are cheap and fairly effective unless you are planning on swimming the English Channel and want dry clothes when you get to the other side. I also use Aloksack brand storage and transport bags, which are basically glorified Ziploc bags that are certified waterproof to 200 feet deep. They come in varying sizes, and I use them to store my clothes and any other small items that I really don’t want to get wet. I store each individual clothing item in its own Aloksack of appropriate size. This may be going a little overboard, but it makes me feel better. The idea here is obviously to keep your junk dry. If you use garbage bags, at least plunk down enough extra change to buy the heavy-duty model. It’s interesting to note that, packed properly, your pack will keep you afloat as you swim the English Channel.
Backpacks
Backpacks come in all shapes and sizes. I suggest an internal- or external-frame pack with at least 3,000 cubic inches of storage. For the money, it’s hard to beat the military-issue large ALICE (All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment) pack. I have a Navy-issue internal-frame pack that is good also. You can buy some pretty cheap packs on Ebay, but unless it was designed with military use in mind I wouldn’t own it. Rugged is what you are looking for here. The best brand is Kifaru, if you can afford it. If your kit is not in a backpack, you are once again on the wrong track. Get one for each person
Medical Supplies
For those who have the first edition of this guide please burn it. Since then I have taken an E.M.T. Basic course which taught me I knew exactly squat about first-aid. I am still no pro but I may be able to do some good in some situations. Medical supplies are one of those things you can’t have enough of. I am by no means an expert on anything medical, so I will just tell you what I have and why. If you want to take it further, then by all means do so.
Ibuprofen for general aches and pains. Any kind of pain reliever is good. I hate hurting under the best of circumstances (i.e., warm bed, quiet, no stress), so I definitely want to reduce pain in the worst circumstances.
Aleve, anti-inflmatory
Primetene mist, otherwise known as adrenaline for anaphylaxis.
Benadryl, for anaphylaxis and can be used as topical anesthetic.
ChapStick. If you don’t know why I have this, go stand in a cool, stiff breeze and lick your lips continuously for a few hours.
100mph tape is great for making bandages that will not fall off. It can also be used for stabilizing broken bones and sprained joints.
New-Skin is a great new product for cuts and scrapes. It is basically a glue that you put on the injury to seal it and protect it from infection.
Moleskin is a fabric that has a sticky back and can be cut into any shape to be used on blistered feet.

Sutures in a couple of different sizes are good to have. I purchased a kit which included foreceps and hemostat. I realize that the idea of stitching yourself up sans anasthetic is not appealing; but you don’t have to like it, you just have to do it.
2x2 and 4x4 gauze for wound dressing
Kurlex roll for wound dressing
Large trauma dressing
Crevats are like an oversized bandana and can be used for making, slings, bandages, splints etc.
NPA, OPA are airway adjuncts that help maintain an open airway.
Pocket mask, used for resuscitation and assisted breathing.
14ga 3.25” catheter for treatment of tension pneumothorax
A compression bandage/tourniquet is used for stopping bleeding up to and including arterial bleeding, which can be life threatening very, very quickly. I am using Cinch-tight brand bandage and TK4 tourniquet. As a side note: I have been told you can lose over a half gallon of blood before you’re in serious trouble. That is a lot of juice.
QuickClot ACS (Advanced Clotting Sponge) is a fairly new high-speed, low-drag clotting agent which is currently used by our armed forces and is designed to be stuffed into a wound and bandaged over with a compression bandage. I am told many lives have been saved by this stuff. Expensive as heck. Refer to quote on page one.
Water-Jel brand Burn Gel packets: I believe there are several kinds of these burn dressings. Recommended is the patch soaked type with the local anesthetic Lidocaine--although Lidicaine is not recommended for use on small children.
Iodine/Betadine for topical disinfecting and purifying water.
Tweezers, duh!
Scalpel. Because it works better than a pocket knife when carving on my own flesh. Short story is in order here: A man came across a car wreck and found a victim with a broken neck who was suffocating due to an upper airway obstruction. The man pulls out his pocket knife, slits the victim’s crichothyroid membrane just above sternum, and inserts soda pop straw. He saved the dude’s life. Moral of the story: A scalpel would have been better.
Caffeine tablets. Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking, and the truth is I DON’T CARE!! I used to drive all night five days a week, and that junk probably saved my life more than once. You never know how long you might have to go to get out of harm’s way. Did you know that a person who has been awake for 24 hours has the same reflexes as someone legally drunk?
Hydration salts or electrolytes are good for getting rehydrated. Hydralite rehydration solution is what I have, and it is supposed to help with the effects of dehydration such as nausea and diarrhea.
Side note: Dehydration is serious business. Do not think that since you’re not thirsty you’re not dehydrated. Some signs of dehydration are lack of sweat, dizziness, elevated temperature, vomiting, and diarrhea. Once the latter two take effect, it becomes very difficult to rehydrate simply by drinking water because it is going right back out one end or the other. If you don’t have IV capability, the best thing to do is rest and SIP water constantly.

I have seen a man die of dehydration. We were on a forced march, and for whatever reason he didn’t hydrate enough. He collapsed on the road, and by the time the medics got to him and stuck two IV’s in him, his core temperature was about 110 degrees. He went from healthy to dead in less than four hours in those conditions. Scary stuff.
If you don’t know what some of this stuff is you may want to consider taking a red cross first-aid class or first responder class. My E.M.T. class was quite a commitment but well worth it. The above is not my entire kit but it hits the high points.
That about does it for my medical kit; but again, it will evolve as new stuff comes out. Or as my own knowledge expands.

Continued in second post.

[brut4c]

Flashlight
Flashlights seem like a fairly straightforward piece of gear. However, there are lots of things flashlights can do that most people don’t consider. Flashlights can be used for things such as communication, defensive and even offensive weapons. For our purposes, I like my light to do a few things. First, it needs to be durable, which means shock-resistant and water-resistant. Second, it needs to have a bright white light. Third, it needs to have a low-output red led light for reading and for saving your night vision. My light is a Streamlight LED light which has all of the above and will run for about 120 hours on red LED and about 30 minutes on bright white. I like a compact light that uses as few batteries as possible. Mine cost about $40. The best are SureFire, but they run about $150. Did you know that your day vision works on cylinders at the center of the eye, and your night vision works on cones situated on the outer edges. It can take up to 45 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust from bright light to dark, hence the importance of the red LED. Also, your night vision is mostly peripheral, which means that you may not see things at night if you look directly at them.
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping bags need to be mummy style with stuff sack. I think the best are the down- filled bags. Ebay has good ones cheap. Make sure you get one that fits you, and I like to have a sub-zero weather rating. Bags can be layered like clothes to allow for various conditions. I will be buying a GoreTex bivy bag to put my primary bag into. This will allow you to sleep out in the weather if you don’t have a tent. You can get a military surplus ECWS-3 bag system that works great. I’m sure there are plenty of other choices as well if you want to spend the big money.
Other Items
Watches are great and come in many different configurations. I suggest one that at least is waterproof and tells time. I have an Origo Traverse Peak Weather Watch, which tells time, date, compass heading, altitude, and barometric pressure, and does a few other things too. I am not completely sold on these types of watches that seem to do everything. Accuracy seems to be marginal.
A camp shovel or entrenching tool comes in very handy. I suggest a military-issue folding type or a Glock Entrenching Tool. The Glock is better.
550 parachute cord is amazing and inexpensive stuff and can be used for way too many things to be listed. Find it at any military surplus store.
100 mph tape is not duct tape. It’s much, much stronger, and the only place I have found it is at military surplus stores. The uses are endless, and there’s nothing it can’t fix.
Leatherman Wave multi-tool. Has everything but the kitchen sink.
Write-in-the-rain pen and paper. The name says it all, and pencil is better.

Goggles. I know it seems weird, but have you ever tried doing anything in an ice-cold gale. If not, go for a drive one winter night while it’s snowing or raining and drive with your head out the window. It is then that you will appreciate this one. Wiley X makes good stuff, and so does ESS (Eye Safety Systems).
Spare batteries. Duracell, not cheapies.
Tracfone prepaid cell phone with solar charger.
AM/FM radio, compact and portable.
Cash, dough, greenbacks, quan, dinero--as much as you can afford to leave in your pack. Why? Google Katrina/WalMart: sorry, cash only.
Compass. Like I said, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I have a Cammenga Tritium lensatic compass, but I think the Silva Ranger is better and maybe even cheaper. You will need a coordinate scale/protractor, and to go with the compass and coordinate scale/protractor you will need a map. USGS 7.5 quadrangle topographic maps are second only to Department of Defense maps. If you know where to legally purchase the latter, please let me know. If you have no idea what I’m talking about and you find yourself alone in a situation where you think you may need to know this stuff, your best bet is to stay put and use the above mentioned items to survive until help arrives.
Tent. A geodesic design with rain fly is best. If you’re going to buy a tent, do some research and buy a good one. If you only want an emergency shelter, you can buy two military-issue ponchos, four plastic stakes, and two long bungee cords. You can construct many types of shelters using this stuff, and it’s very light and compact. I have both. My tent is a Cabela’s made by Eureka, and I have had and used it for years.
Waterproof matches or good weather-proof lighter. A road flare is also an excellent fire starter.

Closing Thoughts
As I have stated before, this is by no means the end-all list and I am in no way an expert on this matter, but I think this should get you started.
There is one other thing you will want to have with your kit: mental and physical preparation. More than anything else, it could preserve your life and it won't cost you a dime. Probably 99 percent of you reading this cannot fathom what you are capable of mentally and physically if you don’t give up. The human body and mind are amazing things, and while they seem fragile can actually be very resilient. Two examples: (1) A U.S. Navy soldier was shot twice in the neck, three times in the chest, and once in the guts. He continued to fight for another 30 minutes before bleeding to death. (2) A British soldier walked 130 miles across Iraq in subfreezing temperatures wearing light clothing and traveling only at night with nothing to drink or eat. He was hypothermic most of the time. He was finally captured at the Syrian border, where he was held for three weeks sleeping naked in his own excrement and being beaten unconscious several times a day. He never told them anything useful.

The difference between them and us is that they have spent years preparing for just such events. They new exactly what they would do in advance. More than anything else, they never quit. While we may never have to face such adversity, we still need to prepare for tough times. Even the poorest among us lead very comfortable lives, and it would not take much to challenge our mental and physical abilities. We all remember what we were taught as children to do if we ever caught on fire. It was drilled into us so much that to this day if I were to spontaneously combust, my first action would be to stop, drop, and roll without even thinking. The same thing applies here. You need to run scenarios through your mind and decide now how you’re going to react to each possible event. Done properly, it will be second nature when it counts.
Also helpful in emergency situations is understanding your body’s defense mechanisms and knowing when you are in trouble physically. Did you know that some of your body’s reactions to stress can put you in danger? For instance, you can experience loss of vision, tunnel vision, acute selective hearing, irrational thought, and loss of fine motor skills. All of these symptoms can be caused by something that happens to all of us: chemically induced increase in heart rate, otherwise known as adrenaline rush. To help combat these symptoms, you must be able to lower your heart rate. This is done simply by breathing deeply and staying calm.
Victims of hypothermia often don’t know they’re hypothermic. Knowing and recognizing the symptoms can be a critical factor. If you find yourself shaking uncontrollably, motor skills are sluggish, and slurring your speech, then you need to get warm fast. If the shaking stops and you feel tired and confused, then you’re in real trouble. Once you reach this stage, your body will not generate enough heat on its own to warm you back up. You will need to find another source of heat to bring your temperature up. The best is another person’s body heat.

And Finally . . .
I hope this has been informative and helpful to you in your decision-making process. I would be glad to talk with anyone who wants help or guidance on building a 72-hour kit. Also, I can provide you with some of the sources that I have used to purchase my items. I usually start with Bay.
As members of the L.D.S. church, we are expected to be a strong people. If we prepare now as we have been asked to, we will remain strong in adverse conditions. Also, as I have told our elders quorum, we need to have ourselves squared away because in an emergency we will be called on to help others. How can we do that if we can’t even help ourselves? I don’t know about you, but I’d feel pretty small bumming from someone who had prepared when I hadn’t. How happy would our Heavenly Father be if we were able to stand tall with our brethren and say to the rest of the world, Follow me. I know that would be a great day for me no matter the adversity. It may never happen, but you know what they say: Chance favors the prepared mind. One last quote. “ You will not rise to the occasion. You will default to your level of training”. Author unknown.

[kemct]

A ton of 72hour kit Info Brut4c, Great.

You mentioned in the food section of your post that MRE stores for 15 years. It would be a good to note that storage temperature can dramatically shorten the storage life of MRE.

At temperatures over 120 degrees F, like you might find in the trunk of a car in summer months, the MRE storage life can shorten to one month.

There is widely distributed chart by the military that shows a storage life of over 10 years if temperature is continuously below 60 degrees F and storage life at other temperatures;

http://longlifefood.com/images/mre_storage_chart.gif

[brut4c]

Thanks Kem your exactly right. I have never really tested it but I have eaten some ten year old mre's. Tasted no diff than a new one. I am going to be making a few small changes and reformatting to bullet points as suggested by forum members on another site.

Another project I have in the works is a ward med kit. We are a small ward(150) and we have 12 members trained in emergency medicine. Properly equipped we could provide a ton of assistance in an emergency whether its here or the surrounding areas. For you preparedness coordinators ask your stake for some funds and get trained people in your ward to build a med kit or two or ten.