72 hour kits and bug-out bags

Keep this stuff in your car for when disaster strikes to get you by for a few days.
This stuff is convenient to have with you even for life's everyday emergencies.
Updated 14nov21
 
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You will probably be near your car when disaster strikes. So keep one if these kits in the trunk of all your cars. It has what your family needs to get by for a few days.

These kits will be used for small, helpful purposes many times before you need them in a real emergency. They provide emergency sweaters for the unprepared, emergency changes of clothes, and the ability to stay overnight on a whim.

The kit shouldn't take up too much space and should be portable away from the car, so put it in a backpack or little suitcase. Some people have a separate small backpack for everyone.

Remember that it could be hot or cold, wet or dry. Pack accordingly.

FEMA says to plan on being cut off for 3 days. This may be optimistic. It could be a week or more.

Most people will face the emergency of jumping in their car to help a friend or relative. Most of them start the trip by driving an hour in the wrong direction to spend an hour packing. And they forget essentials because they packed in a hurry. Keep a 72-hour kit in the trunk of your car. You don't want to show up 3 hours late with half of what you need.


Kit essentials


Kit suggestions (your needs may vary)

If your kit is big enough to hold all of this stuff, it is probably too big.



Water notes: You should have drinkable water in your car for you and for the radiator. Swap it with fresh sealed containers every 6 months or less.

Food warning: Replace everything annually. The trunk of a car is a harsh environment. You won't want to eat any food left there after the second summer. Hard candies will leak sticky. Anything with a pull-tab will blow it's seal and leak.

Battery warning: The trunk of a car is a harsh environment. Batteries left in it won't last long. They will probably leak and ruin everything nearby.

Scented item warning: Anything with a scent will eventually scent everything else. The toothbrush will taste like the soap, and so forth. Avoid scented items.

Annual warning: Check your kit every year. Kids grow out of clothes, babies need different supplies, and documents get out of date. Light sticks only last a year in the trunk.

Zip-kit warning: This document assumes there is a family zip-kit in the bug-out bag (see separate zip-kit document). Everything in the zip-kit is a "must-have".



  See also

Readiness in the car Prepare to evacuate
NBCS kits Emergency kits for home
Zip kits Where to buy stuff

This information was downloaded from http://www.FamilyReady.org