Basic Items to Survive the first 72 Hours after SHTF Moments

Hi guys, I am trying to build a grab and go bag for emergencies and I hope you guys can help me. The following are what I have in mind. Canned goods that would maybe last for 3 days for 2 people, gps, insulation like jacket and gloves, flashlight and batteries, first aid kits, fire starters, knife, water, and something for emergency shelter.

I am aiming for something that when put together in a bag, would be light weight as possible.

Now, in cases where you deplete your water supply, I was thinking of something like LifeStraw as a backup. What do you have in your kit for this one?

Now for the emergency shelter, if you were to choose something that is quick to setup and can be used for many other purposes as well. Would you prefer a tent or a tarp? I was thinking of getting a canvas tarp as it's durable and chances are it's water repellant or resistant as well.

Looking forward to your ideas. Was hoping this would all fit into one 35 to 50 liters of backpack and of course will just roll the item for shelter on top of it and not in it. 65 liters might be too heavy for me.

 

I am also open to being corrected if I really need to compromise going over 50 just to make this possible.

 

Never make 1 pack for 2 people, each should have their own. If one is lost or stolen there will still be resources, and if you become separated each will still have supplies.
Next, tailor the bag to the mission, If it is a get home from work on foot bag like mine it will be small. If it is a run out the door bag it will be larger. I won't try to tell you what you should have but will offer what is in my "Get Home" bag:
2 liter soda bottle with water in it. They are tough plastic with light weight. I change the water every week or two and this satisfies the water requirement.
A fleece hoodie, pair of rain pants, 2 emergency sleeping bags, 1 contractor size trash bag, 3 lighters, bottle of cotton balls soaked in Vaseline. This takes care of my heat and shelter.
1 MRE and $4.00 in change for vending machines, 1 pack of peanut butter crackers. This is my food. I change out the MRE monthly during hot weather.
1 cheap headlight and 1 Streamlight 2 AA Pro Tech light. Change the batteries in January and July,
1 Lifestraw
1/4 roll of toilet paper in a Ziplock bag with 2 of the lighters and old electric bill (to prove address).
Last expired Drivers License
9 mm and 2 magazines
Phone charger and small battery bank.
Basic black 5:11 pack (30L)

Knife, wallet, and phone are EDC items so I always have those.

My goal is getting home possibly on foot and maybe at night. 14 miles by road with a crossing of the Intracoastal waterway. The pack stays in the car so it will be a help if I am further away than the office. Always travel with cash in various denominations in case you are able to obtain goods or services, like paying someone for a ride. Always have change in case there are vending machines operating. Remember, you can't take everything so whittle it down to just what you must have to supply the basic needs of Water, Shelter, and Food for the amount of hours you determine you will need it. Comfort and self defense items are up to the end user. My pack is very fluid and always changing as my perceived needs change, so this list is right now and may be different 2 weeks from now.

Hope this helps!

 

It’s been awhile since I’ve looked inside my backpack. I’ll tear it apart this weekend and review, add, subtract and etc.

 

Take a look at this pinned thread:
A DIY disaster kit. A twelve part series to make your own kit.

 

Hi Tempstar,

I appreciate the time you spent getting that response altogether. It’s really detailed. That makes sense when you said, each should try to carry their own weight for security purposes as chances are you get separated. I just learned that I can use the cotton ball and petroleum jelly as a fire starter. I got a TrustFire T10R though and it’s small, waterproof. However, I am unsure if it’s sufficient as I have used it during power interruptions. While it’s really bright, it heats up really bad in highest beam (there are three beam modes). I’ll check your suggestion.

I also did not thought about proof of billing. Is this for, like floods?

A follow up question though. There’s three of us. My wife, me and my child. I am unsure they can carry as much weight needed for 72 hours survival so I will have to take some of the weight. So maybe a small bag for my kid with food, water and clothes. My wife would be like 70 percent of what I carry but still has the essentials. Now here’s the thing, the weight of carrying the emergency shelter will be on me, so it’s better we have something like a tent or a tarp and rope for quick set up that will fit the three of us. I think tent will take time to set up and take some time to dismantle so I am imagining my option is a tarp that will have a rope run underneath then it will be fastened with tent stakes.

I think canvas will not fall into the “light-weight” category but I think due to its water resist or repellant feature, it will be the most ideal. What do you think?

I think once I built this kit, I'll probably bring it with me most of the time, like in the car. It's mostly cool in Michigan so worrying about food stock spoiling faster is maybe not top priority but will have to make sure they are still good to eat when SHTF! hahaha

 

Thank you for this one! I'll give this a read. 'ppreciate ya'll.

Thanks for helping this newbie prepper. I got interested in prepping and while I regretted I just started and not long ago, I'm still happy that I am getting started.

 

I'm interested to know what you got in there.

 

In my get home bag I just keep a new plastic jar of peanut butter for food. It provides sugar and protein which is really all you need for a couple days and there is little else that has the calorie and protein density as PB for both weight and volume. If new and unopened, it has a great shelf life, is very convenient to eat and closes up nice. Crackers are nice but not really needed. I have more like 15-20 dollars in coin I keep in the truck as you might need to grab a few days worth of Snicker bars from a vending machine.

 

I keep a pound of organic peanut butter and a tiny little bear of local honey as well.

That eliminated all the cooking gear and requirements like fuel, pots, utensils (beyond an MRE spoon), and using my water to add to food.

 

I'm usually never more than 10 miles from home, so getting home isn't usually going to be a problem, just a small bag with some water, prescription medication, a few candy bars, wet/cold weather jacket, etc.. The biggest thing would be to keep informed about local conditions that could affect your safety and ability to get home, which in my case would mostly be weather related (tornados and winter precipitation) but could include social unrest/protests (not here in Alabama, of course)! Also, have the good sense to temporarily shelter in place or take a detour, when conditions warrant it...you don't have to go home right now!

 

Many hikers would question canned goods due to weight, but they do have some advantages.
1) No need for added water. Saves your precious drinking water.
2) No need for cooking. Any canned food is already cooked and can be eaten from the can. And no stove/fuel means saved weight, as well as weight dropped as the cans are disarded.
3) If necessary those cans can be used as containers/drinking cups for water.

I'd go with a good nylon three-person tent myself. And the basic headlights with LED bulbs give good light for a long time, and leave hands free.

Just a few things to consider.

 

If you're trying to keep a low profile a fire, for any reason, is a really bad idea, especially for something as unnecessary as cooking!

 

Plastic tarp, bundle of para-cord for shelter, Peanutbutter, tortillas honey, water, Cliff bars, Life straw, TP, Knife, small LED flashlights, batteries.
Fire kit: 3-4 lighters, two taper candles cut in half for storage size, dryer lint in pill bottle.(lotsa stuff around here for tender). Compass and map for longer trips. Extra set of hiking clothes, hat and boots in vehicle. Firearms as needed. A .22LR rifle and copious ammo for game meat up to size of deer.

 

I use th FS-TFC portable reverse osmosis water filter. https://www.aquaskyusa.com/product-...ter-filtration-system-0-0001-micron-super-hig

 

Amendment for MATTU94:
Proof of residence is often required to gain admittance to areas affected by tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires, etc.

A lightweight nylon tent is your best bet.

If you have family then make sure each person carries a picture of all of you together, especially the child.

A vacuum sealer will work well to compress and waterproof clothing and make for a smaller pack. My truck has a shirt, underwear, and pair of socks compressed to the size of a paperback behind the seat.

 

But you need more water to rehydrate all that dried food. And often a way to heat it.

 

If I understand it right, water used to rehydrate dried food doesn't contribute well to body hydration. It is all used up in processing the meal through digestion.