Today, the family began gathering the materials for our 72-Hour Bags. After my honey and I spent a date night compiling our many supply lists into one, we realized that it will take some time to get all our supplies gathered and purchased. Tonight's adventures began with discussing our plans with the children during dinner, then we all headed outside raid our camping supplies. It wasn't until I took this photo that I noticed our fondness for blue bags!
At this point, we only have one frame backpack. We are now on the prowl for additional ones so we can upgrade everyone's bags with something sturdier and ... roomier. I have a confession: I Am Not A Light Packer. It's a problem, really. Any time we take a trip (camping trip or road trip), I bring along more books than there are hours to read, and more knitting projects than there are hours to stitch. Packing one bag to last me 72 hours is quite a daunting task! Logically, I comprehend that I would not have time or inclination during a flee-the-house scenario to either read or knit ... but on the other hand, what if my hands weren't occupied during a crisis? Wouldn't that exacerbate the problem? I can envision myself crafting clothes out of the duct tape and dental floss that I scrounge from the bottom of our packs! I have promised myself that when I have completely filled my pack with necessary items then I can sneak in a couple of knitting needles and a ball of wool. In the meantime, thank goodness the sewing kit is considered "necessary"!
Part of my Organizational Disorder means that I love zipper bags and Sharpies. Imagine my delight this evening as I was in charge of making our supplies accessible and organized! I created a mini medical kit for each bag, a mini hygiene kit, and a bag of ... bags!!! Truly, there is one zipper bag filled with a trash bag and more zipper bags! Silly, probably ... but I hope it would prove useful in an emergency.
Following is a list of the contents we are planning for each pack:
- safety mirror
- space blanket
- duct tape and rope
- flashlight and batteries
- 2 liters of water
- pocket knife
- $10 in quarters
- $10 in ones
- flannel sheet
- rain poncho
- waterproof matches and lighter
- toilet paper
- deck of cards/small game
- iodine tablets
- sunscreen
- shake flashlight
- whistle
- bandanna
- sewing kit
- glow sticks
- toothbrush/toothpaste
- mosquito repellant
- work gloves
- garbage bags
- notepad and pen
- compass
- hygiene bag
- washcloth
- soap/shampoo
- deodorant
- first aid bag
- safety pins
- plastic bag
- ponytail holder
- tissues
- cough drops
- aluminum foil
- band-aids
- tylenol
- benadryl
- hydrocortizone
- pepto
- neosporin
- tweezers
- food bag
- dried fruit
- trail mix
- graham crackers
- granola bars
- candy/gum
- 1 can beans/soup
- can opener
- clothes bag
- socks (wool)
- t-shirt
- unders
- pj bottoms
- hat/cap
- footwear
- mittens
- rain poncho
- $50 in five-dollar bills
- folding shovel
- big tarp
- personal documents
- ax
- crank radio
- spare glasses/contacts
- crank flashlight
- female products
- prescription
- $50 in five-dollar bills
- personal documents
- collapsible bucket
- Bible
- tarp
If you see any glaring omissions ... or if you have any suggestions ... I would greatly appreciate your comment!
I give you an A+!!
ReplyDeleteVery smart in using SMALL currency - you don't want to be flashing the big bucks around.
Another thing is to keep CASH stashed away in your home too (savings account) incase banks are shut down for a bit. Keep your gas tank full (if possible) at all times. Like the old saying goes, don't keep all your eggs in one basket.
You are inspiring me! I've been doing this for so long, I tend to get lazy and your enthusiasm is just the nudge/reminder I needed!!
Looks good to me! You're way ahead of me if you have camping experience. The last time I camped was when I was like nine!
ReplyDelete