It's really not that hard to assemble your own 72 hour survival kit. After a few minutes of reading here you will be prepared to start gathering items. Some items you may already have others you will be able to get readily. Let's get started.
Items In The 72 Hour Survival Kit
First we will consider what is in a standard "deluxe" kit and then we will assemble our own.
- A Backpack or Duffel Bag To Carry and Store The Kit
- A 3-in-1 emergency light
- 8 hour light sticks
- A folding stove with 8 fuel tablets
- A box of 50 waterproof/windproof matches
- emergency sleeping bag
- emergency poncho
- body warmers
- tube tent
- 5 utility candles
- 4 3600 Calorie US Coast Guard approved Food Bars with a 5 year shelf life
- 24 US Coast Guard approved Water Pouches (125ml each) with a 5 year shelf life
- Water purification tablets
- Lexan bottle (1L)
- Multi-tool knife
- 5-in-1 survival whistle
- 50 ft. rope
- Work gloves
- N95 masks
- First aid kit
- Hygiene kit (4 toothbrushes, toothpaste, comb, washcloth, 10 tissues, 24 wet naps, shampoo)
- Toilet paper
- Note pad
- Pencil
- Sewing kit
- Emergency preparedness guide.
The first item is a backpack or duffel bag to store the kit. I prefer the back pack bag because you may have to do a lot of walking in a disaster. If you plan on driving out then a duffel bag may work better. You could also improvise with a plastic storage box (just make sure you can move the box easily and easily fit it into a auto if necessary). Remember this is your personal kit so you can be creative to fit your needs as long as it will hold your supplies securely and be moved easily.
A multi use emergency light. This multi use light will serve not only as a flashlight but as our miniature power station, information center and entertainment all in one. Our light should be able to: provide adequate light to see, not be bulky, have a Am-Fm radio, be crank powered and be able to charge your cell phone. Here is an example
I recommend the Red Cross radio below, it receives Weatherband channels and does all the other things you need. It is of higher quality that what you will usually find in a kit.
American Red Cross FR150 Microlink Solar-Powered, Self-Powered AM/FM/Weatherband Portable Radio with Flashlight and Cell Phone Charger (Red)
Here is another example
Kaito Emergency Hand Crank Dynamo 5-LED Flashlight with AM/FM radio
If you prefer to use items you already have then you will also have to think about the size of the items and if they can be moved easily. Here are some guidelines of we will need
1. A bright flashlight. Provide adequate bright light to see well in a dark room at night and is bright enough to light your path and surroundings at night. Extra batteries if the light doesn't crank to charge itself. (you should always keep a good flashlight handy)
2. A radio that will pick up well where you live. The radio is much better if it receives NOAA weather channels. The radio should also be small enough to pack or readily move during a emergency and be powered (extra batteries if it isn't a crank radio).
Light sticks, light sticks are a neat idea you can add a few, they are very inexpensive, I would add a small led book light and batteries also.
Folding Stove and Tablets below is a link so you can see the type of stove used. They are very inexpensive and work well.
Folding Emergency Stove
Waterproof/Windproof matches A package of good lighters works well also but matches are sometimes more useful for a fire. To make your own, dip good matches in hot candle wax to seal them. You can also buy a waterproof match container.
Water Proof Matches
Match Box
Emergency sleeping bag Not a very comfortable thought spending the night in these. Plan to take a real sleeping bag it's bulkier but you might actually be able to sleep in it.
Sleeping Bags
Emergency ponchos. These are emergency rain coats. They are made of very thin plastic. I suggest you purchase a couple of these at a department store if they are available or better yet get a decent rain coat and hang or pack it with your survival gear. A large trash bag with holes torn or cut on the bottom for your head and holes at the sides cut for your arms will also work. (DANGER - Remember plastic can suffocate, do not use or allow small children or infants around plastic bags or rain coats!!!)
Body warmers These can be purchased in the cold season. They are the shake up body warmers. Here is a link. Keeping a few of these is nice if you are stuck in the cold but remember, you need to know how to start a survival fire.
Body Warmers
A Tube Tent. A Tube tent is just a piece of plastic to sleep under/ in. it has no ends, just a 6 foot or so long tube of plastic sheeting. This is suspended using the rope between two trees. If you need a tent, get a inexpensive 10'X10' tent. Here are some Tube Tents.
Tube Tents
Utility candles Keep plenty of candles available and HOLDERS so that they can be burned safely without tipping over. Any type of candle will do as long as they have holders or can stand safely on their own without tipping over if bumped (Read very safely if you are in a earthquake zone!!). Remember candles can be used to start a camp fire, but they will also start a house fire!
3600 Calorie US Coast Guard approved Food Bars with a 5 year shelf life
You should always keep a food stock on hand. These food bars are special and easy to pack. There are also other types of emergency food such as MRE's.
Emergency Food
Water Pouches Keep one gallon of water per person per day (3 gal.) This water can be purchased or stored in clean soda bottles. (NOT Milk Containers) Purchasing water bottles in cases is the easiest method of keeping and using the water in a emergency in my opinion. Here are some pouch links,
Emergency Water Pack of 6 Pouches for Survival Kits
Emergency Water Case of 64 Pouches for Survival Kits
Here is a link to a survival filtering straw.
Emergency Water Water Filtering Straw
Water purification tablets
Water Purification Tablets
Learn other methods to purify water for survival here.
Multi-tool knife
Get a good (Large) pocket knife for this part of the kit. A small tool kit is also a nice edition with a hammer, screw drivers, jumper cables, a utility razor knife and a large crow bar. These will have to be kept in a separate bag.
5-in-1 survival whistle
survival whistle
50 ft. rope Small rope is what comes in a kit, 1/4" rope is good.
Work gloves
N95 masks These are the minimum respirator masks needed to provide protection from infectious particles in the air. Don't use regular dust masks. THEY MUST SPECIFICALLY STATE ON THE PACKAGING THAT THEY ARE N95 compliant or approved.
N95 Masks
First aid kit
First Aid Kits
Hygiene kit Toothbrushes, toothpaste, comb, washcloth, tissues, wet towels (baby wipes), shampoo
Toilet paper Don't underestimate the value of this addition to the kit.
Note pad
Pencil
Sewing kit
A travel sewing kit or emergency sewing kit. It is a good idea to keep plenty of safety pins, large and small in the kit.
Emergency preparedness guide
Remember that if you need to evacuate these are basics but you also need clothing etra food or other items for your comfort. Think ahead about where you would go, make sure that you have plenty (a full tank) of gas and plan what personal items you will need to take for each person and how they will be packed. Think about this ahead of time so that if disaster strikes you will be prepared. If the survival kit is for more than one person then increase the items in the kit to accommodate the number of people(one radio is enough but food water and other items must be duplicated and don't forget toys for the kids).
Survival Information
© 2008 By Charles Gibson All Rights Reserved.
