Mar282010
Don’t Leave Home Without It: the Vehicle 72-Hour Kit
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image by Alan Vernon
Soccer moms, football moms, cheerleading moms, whatever they call us, “chauffeur” better describes what we, Survival Moms, do every day. In my world, it’s not unusual to have a kid’s dentist appointment, a field trip, and a swim meet all on the same day, transported by our trusty Tahoe. Now, if that Tahoe ever broke down or for some reason we couldn’t get home as planned, what would we do?
My answer is the Vehicle 72 Hour Kit. If you were well and truly stuck somewhere, this Kit could see you and your family through at least 72 hours. That’s three days. It wouldn’t be luxurious living, that’s for sure, but it would be survival, and that’s what we’re talking about here.
I consider the Vehicle 72 Hour Kit to be an essential part of being prepared for emergencies.
To get started on your own Vehicle 72 Hour Kit, you’ll need some type of container that will fit in the back of your minivan or SUV or in the trunk of your car. I chose a Rubbermaid clear plastic bin, the type that is designed to fit under beds. It’s the perfect width for our vehicle, and I like the fact that I can see what’s inside. It also holds a lot.
The typical 72 Hour Kit, sometimes called a Bug-Out Bag, is stored at home and ready to grab as you run out the door in case of an evacuation. Since we’re building a Kit for your vehicle, we want it filled with items we’ll need if stranded somewhere.
You can find numerous lists online of what should be in a 72 Hour Kit, but since I’m a mom, and I pretty much always have the kids with me, my own list is a little different. Here’s what I’ve packed. A lot of these items are available through The Ready Store, and I’ve included links.
Sanitation (With kids, you just have to start here.)
- A 4-pack of toilet paper, flattened (Take the center cardboard tube out to make it as flat as possible. Can hardly imagine civilized life without toilet paper.)
- Baby wipes
- Small box of Kleenex
- Hand sanitizer
- Bar of soap
- Clorox wipes (Germs never take a vacation.)
- A few plastic grocery bags stuffed into another grocery bag
- Toothbrushes and toothpaste
- Dental floss
- Tampons/feminine protection (With my luck… :::sigh:::)
- paper towels
Sustenance (Kids will quickly panic if they think you’re out of food, but whatever you pack, make sure it’s something your kids will eat.)
- Beef jerky or something similar
- Trail mix
- Shelled sunflower seeds
- Small cans of food, such as fruit, ravioli, tuna
- Protein bars and granola bars
- High calorie energy bars (Handle these with care. High energy may be the last thing your kids need!)
- Hard candies (Offer a prize for whoever can make their Lifesaver last the longest!)
- Packets for flavoring water
- Can opener, unless all your cans have a pop-top
- Plastic forks, spoons and knives, one set per person. (Check out this handy set at PamperedChef.)
Entertainment (After everyone has eaten and gone to the bathroom, then what??)
- A read-aloud book ( Should be something entertaining for the whole family with plenty of chapters. I packed Journey to the Center of the Earth and Charlotte’s Web.)
- Small Bible (This is more for my own sanity than that of the kids!)
- Paper and pens/pencils
- Deck of cards. (Think “War”, “Go Fish” and math flashcards. If you’re stranded for very long, your kids will invent their own games!)
- Single-use digital camera (Not only good for entertainment, but it might come in handy to document your emergency situation.)
- Small binoculars
- Sharpie (Drawing fake mustaches on each other should keep the kids busy for a couple of minutes, and you’ll be grateful for this if you have to leave a note on your vehicle.)
- Glo-sticks (Great value: entertainment and emergency light in one!)
- Ibuprofen (For me.)
- Ear plugs (Again, for me.)
Hard-Core Survival
- Emergency blankets
- Fleece blankets (Cheapest way to get these? Buy two yards of any fleece print at a fabric store. Instant blanket. Bulky, but can be stowed beneath a seat.)
- Light sources (Headlamps are worth their weight in gold, but also have a traditional flashlight or two. These can be stored in a glove compartment or other niche in your vehicle.)
- Rain ponchos
- Duct tape
- Hand and foot warmers (Small, stashable)
- Rope (Check out brand name Paracord for top quality.)
- Knife (A cheapie pocket knife is better than nothing, but you’ll be grateful if you pack something sturdier.)
- Battery/solar-powered emergency radio
- Ground cover (I packed two large heavy-duty plastic tablecloths.)
- Work gloves
- Extra batteries for anything battery powered in your Kit
- Umbrella
- Waterproof matches
- Whistle
- Water purification tablets
- Small portable water filter
- Mirror for signaling
- Small, sturdy shovel (Check out a collapsible shovel if space is tight.)
- Two heavy duty black trash bags
- An emergency radio (If your car battery is dead, you’ll have no way of keeping up with weather reports or road updates.)
Medical Emergencies (With kids, need I say more?)
- Basic First Aid Kit from Wal-Mart, price $9
- Children’s pain relief medication and dispenser
- Adult pain relief medication
- QuickClot (This product quickly stops bleeding in the case of a serious wound.)
- Benadryl
- Aspirin
- Small bottle of bleach
- Thermometer
- Sunblock
- Medical gloves and face masks
- Tweezers
- First Aid reference book
- Super Glue
Miscellaneous
- Ziploc-style bags (Just store some of your items in different sized bags so you’ll have them already packed.)
- Rubber bands
- A bungee cord or two
- A cell phone charger. Unless you know that you know there’s one elsewhere in the car.
- Comb/hairbrush
- Small scissors
- Sewing kit
- Cloth sheet
- A couple of compact nylon bags and a nylon backpack (If we have to leave our vehicle, we’ll need something for carrying our supplies.)
- Money in small bills, along with plenty of change (If nothing else, this will help greatly with bribing your children to be nice to each other!)
In addition to storing things in the plastic bin, I took a long, hard look at the Tahoe to find other nooks and crannies where I could put additional supplies. A large city map book, along with maps of neighboring states, is in a back seat pocket, and there are two Gymboree baby blankets rolled up and stored beneath the back seat.
I also have several 2-liter bottles filled with water stashed beneath the back seat. I’m not so sure the water/plastic bottle/heat is a good combination, so when we leave the house, I always make sure we have a handful of fresh water bottles with us. However, if the stored water was all we had, we’d drink it until we could get fresh water. Even if we don’t drink the stored water, it can be used for washing grubby hands and faces.
It’s recommended to have a gallon of water on hand per person, per day. It would be pretty difficult to keep that much water stored in your vehicle. One option, in addition to the 2-liter bottles, is a 5-gallon collapsible water bottle or two.
What about a change of clothing for each person? It depends on how much space you have in your Kit and in your vehicle, but a clean shirt, pants, underwear and socks shouldn’t take up too much space. If you have Space Bags, or something similar, clothing and items like the fleece blankets will take up even less room and can be stored beneath the back seat.
For warmth in extreme cold condition, check out this homemade heater demonstrated by Erich over at Tactical Intelligence. If you use this, be sure to roll down a window for ventilation.
Finally, not to be a fear-monger, but there’s always the chance you’ll be stranded far from any bathroom facilities. A 5 or 6 gallon bucket, equipped with a portable potty lid is a big improvement over squatting by the side of the road. Be sure to include toilet bags and there are even chemicals to have on hand that keep the odors down.
You’ll be surprised by how quickly your own Kit comes together once you get started. I was able to finish mine in just a day or two. I actually had most everything on hand already. You may never need this Vehicle 72 Hour Kit, but I’ll bet it will bring you and your family peace of mind just knowing it’s there.
© 2010, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.
(24) Readers Comments
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A Review of the Diva Cup: Not for the faint of heart. (Men, avert your eyes.)
I did the same thing! LOL
A Review of the Diva Cup: Not for the faint of heart. (Men, avert your eyes.)
Here, Here! Made the switch a few months ago and never looking back.
Advice for new Survival Moms from those who have been around a while
RE: TP storing enough toilet paper for a short term emergency makes s
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Guest
A small ham radio could also go a long way to ensure that help comes before your supplies run out.
SpaceSavers
Hi there,
Glad to hear that Space Bags helped build your 72-hour kit, though I hope you never need to use the kit! Did you know that if you submit your success story on our online community you could win free Space Bag product? Feel free to use the "contact us" form, at http://spacesaverscommunity.com, if you have any questions.
Best,
Space Savers community correspondent
Moss Walker
A couple of items that I recommend, a wool cap and an extra pair of wool socks…….Keep your head and feet warm and dry, you'll feel a lot better!
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L P
We made a get home bag for all of our cars and trucks. They are very basic and work on the water /food /shelter focus.
Each is built in a pack with a hip belt and shoulder adjustments for wlaking out of…. wherever.
3 liters of water in 1/2 liter bottles. Makes grabbing just a small amount of water easy, and the whole can be broken up to fit the packs where best.
sports bottle with water integral filter
water treatment tabs
Mainstay lifeboat rations. They're about $6 for 3600 calories, and they do not induce thirst. These are the only lifeboat rations that exceed Coast Guard psecs.
3 MREs for variety and extra calories (about 1200 per) They include heaters. $5.88 ea.
peanuts for salt and protein /variety
cocoa mix
utensils and cups
Poncho, emergency blanket, gloves, socks and undies.
Compass
wet tinder and firestarters
saw
first aid kit with Celox as a blood stop
travel-sized dental hygiene kit, small sample shampoo, baby wipes
small folding knife
OFF bug repelant
my pack includes a folding shovel….. (dad carries more weight…), extra food for the others
The purposes of our packs are to get home when vehicle travel is impossible due to one of many reasons.
In the event where we are disabled in the hills, we have the option to sit tight until found.
Whether we need to walk out, walk home or migrate (Lord forbid), we have at least 3 days food, and the means to carry and /or find water.
Sara
What do you do about keeping food in your car all summer? The heat where we live would degrade anything we put in our Go bags pretty quickly. Anybody find any good survival items for car storage in the summertime that lasts?
TheSurvivalMom
Here are a few ideas: high calorie energy bars (Mainstay is one brand.), almonds, gatorade mix, peanut butter/jelly/jam cups, cups of applesauce/fruit, tuna in packets, pilot bread, Triscuit crackers, freeze dried meals, shelled sunflower seeds, dried fruit, jerky, trail mix (no chocolate!), rice cakes, dry cereal, lollipops, cans of V-8, and Gatorade drink. Even with these choices, you'll still need to check on your food periodically throughout the summer. I had 3 or 4 Slim Jim meat "things" in my vehicle kit, and within a couple of months they were completely dried out. Their packaging didn't have a long shelf life. (The Slim Jims themselves would probably last through Armageddon.)
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Harold
I love the mom's point of view here. We guys to tend to forget much of this because we have relegated it to our "better half" Being Mr. Mom. I've come to understand these ninja skills that moms have.
Pepe
I always plan to have to set up a kitchen out in the middle of nowhere. My Kitchen kit consists of:
Sun Shower- Solar heating water bag for dishes, showers, melting snow
A large plastic cutting board- The thin kind that take almost no space
Kitchen utensils and knives- Filet knife, the longest tongs I could find, large wire strainer w/ handle
A self standing fire grate- Can cook directly over fire or hold pots and pans safely
Fire starters, hatchet, lighters- Disposables lighters from Dollar Store 3 for a buck
A tiny butane backpacking stove- Extra fuel cans are stuffed in small spaces
A folding camp table- Heat resistant for cooking on, meal prep, eating, playing games etc.
Kitchen sink (wash basin) sponge and dish soap- For dishes, faces, water collection
Funnels- For filling bottles, reloading, pouring from large to small vessels
Spices- Make crappy food taste better
Rosary candles- In the glass tubes, burn continuously for days, cheap, reusable glass
Pepe
Other stuff:
SUV size Fix a Flat, tire patch kit, road flares
Luggable Loo Portable 5 Gallon Toilet- $14.99 at Amazon. Put 2 tall kitchen trash bags inside. Use dirt or sand and cover as you go. When it’s full you pull the bags and put in 2 more. Easier than digging a pit and more comfortable too.
Surgical tubing- Multiple use rubber tubing
Word In Motion
WELL DONE and thank you for sharing and educating others who may otherwise not even think of what you so kindly shared. I too have in place a "Vehicle 72 Hour" Kit with just about everything you listed and some but added what I feel is one other important item. While researching the ration bars and MRE's it is better for them to be stored in a cooler climate so I dug out my HUGE ice chest that hardly gets used and put my "Kit" items in there. Helps with the temperature changes for the food items as well as keeps it contained and out-of-site. While researching I also found water pouches that are 4 oz size that can withstand extreme hot and freezing conditions. God Bless.
TheSurvivalMom
That is an excellent suggestion for an emergency kit container. Thanks!
Devin
Some of the links aren’t working
Specifically, work gloves, portable water filter, and homemade heater
V.
I am still working on deciding what all I’d like in my kit. However, I like the idea of using a large cooler (regulates temp, and keeps things dry… nice). Plus, a case of water will fit nicely in the bottom, and be out of sight from the family (we see bottles of water, we just gotta drink them–the way some families drink soda products.), which would ensure their presence when we really need them. I’ll probably pack nearly everything in its own zip loc baggie.
My family found our selves in a tight spot recently. We used a large stock pot, two plastic grocery bags, and a few layers of news paper as a potty (I’ve always got grocery bags and TP in the van, since I’ve got 2 kids under 5)… Our stock pot was a sturdy one, so we could even sit right on it. After someone used the facilities, we just tied up the bags, and replaced them w/ a new set. Worked out really well, but then, we had a place to dispose of the waste so that the smell didn’t drive us all batty.
Thanks for the site. It’s good to get info. from someone has already been there-done that.
Victoria
BVM
Dear Lord! My dear you have written the Survival Article that I have searched the whole net looking for. I had despaired of finding someone who shared the same problems with survival packing that I have and you not only did it well, but cheaply! Kudos! I will be integrating your Vehicle BOB with my own immediately. THANK YOU!
-SoCal BVM
Ready Dude
I just noticed alot of your links to The Ready Store are not working…. please relink the Hard-Core Survival items so I can view them.