Although much of our on-the-go society’s attitude is that there is never enough time in the day, 72 hours can become an incredibly long stretch for maintaining safety, health, and even sanity when faced with a survival situation.
This also brings up some important considerations when prepping your bug out bag essentials during any disasters or during camping, making sure that you have backpacking food storage ready or your emergency kitand be ready to know bugging out.
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Along with having the resources to survive an emergency, it can also mean having the resources to emerge back into a sense of normalcy.
So today, I’m going to break down everything you need to have in your 72 hour kit.
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72 Hour Kit Must Have #1 - Your Trusty Pack
Although it may seem a given that any 72 hour kit should include a means of easy transport, this is often overlooked in a practical sense.
While you might be conscious of gathering bugout essentials for your emergency kit, there can be a tendency to forget that traveling with these supplies can also be necessary.
For this reason, family bugout bags should be evaluated for their:
- Portability
- Strength of design
- Features such as waterproofing and collapsible storage pockets
- Overall size
Without the most functional pack to carry your 72 hour kit, it can be challenging to use your accumulated resources.
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72 Hour Kit Must Have #2 - Essential Tools
In the importance of traveling light, multi-purpose tools can be one of the best resources to keep in an emergency kit.
This provides versatility for usage, along with a compact format that will not require extra gear.
A secondary camping or hunting knife should also be included with your bugout essentials since the larger blade is more durable when it comes to digging or cutting saplings for creating shelter.
Hunting and camping knives can also incorporate a compass and storage space in the handle for flints, tinder, and even waterproof matches.
72 Hour Kit Must Have #3 - Light And Heat
Although some heat and light sources have been mentioned with bugout essentials, it is also vital for a 72 hour kit to have specific supplies to meet these needs.
The number of extra resources in your emergency kit can depend on the approach.
- Lightsticks
- Candles
- Flashlights
- Camping Lanterns
These can all provide illumination, and while candles and some camping lanterns can also provide heat, this may not be sufficient for the circumstances.
To this end, cans of Sterno, hexamine tablets, and Kodiak fire starter can also be necessary for light and heat.
72 Hour Kit Must Have #4- Food And Water
Any 72 hour kit should have sufficient food and water for the three days.
This equates to around six meals of at least 2000 minimum calories to survive for a single person, so compact long-term food storage kits and ready-to-eat meals can be ideal in terms of transportability and the nutritional support they provide. Don't forget to account for your special dietary needs. If you need a vegetarian emergency food kit or some gluten survival food, an emergency isn't the time to tank your digestion.
While having potable water in your emergency kit is also essential, it can be more functional to utilize storage and filtration canteens.
This also adds an element of sustainability to this vital resource.
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72 Hour Kit Must Have #5 - Health And Safety
Every emergency kit should also include at least a first aid kit, but people who need regular medication to ensure that these health supplies are present.
A general camping first aid kit can be appropriate, especially as wound attendance can be a significant concern.
Still, medications that will address acute or systemic infections and inflammation are also a fair inclusion.
One frequently overlooked aspect of health and safety in an emergency is mental fatigue and stress.
To this end, the inclusion of diversions, such as small puzzle books and non-electronic games, is also a part of the health bugout essentials since lowered stress levels also mean that more incredible energy can be utilized to survive and thrive through the disaster.
Conclusion - 72 Hour Emergency Kit
Life’s too short not to be ready for an emergency.
Your first step in preparedness should be to have a 72 hour kit full of all of the bugout essentials needed for survival.
If you don’t have these, you are putting yourself and your family at unnecessary risk, you should know how to signal for help.
You never know when danger will strike, and having those bugout essentials in an easy-to-find and use emergency kit is a must for any self-respecting survivalist.
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They’ve got everything you and your family need to survive a food emergency.
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