What's in your 72-hour kit?

Jeff Gurney is a guest blogger for the month of September. He will be writing about preparedness and discussing tips and tricks on being ready for anything! Below is Jeff's first post this month. Enjoy!


By Jeff Gurney

Everyone should have some kind of Emergency Kit, the Red Cross calls it a 72-hour kit butI like to call it a, “Bug-out-bag.” This is the kit that can save your life and make a bad situation a little more tolerable.

I am going to tell you what’s in my “Bug-out-bag” so that you can get a better idea of what you might need. I am diabetic so I have modified mine to better fit my needs. You can also modify yours to fit any special needs you may have
I have chosen to put all my stuff in an Army LC-2 rucksack, this makes it very easy to just grab-and-go. This particular pack has a lot of room and lots of pockets making it easy to find stuff as I need it. Get a bag that fits you and is comfortable to wear.
Here are the contents of my bag:

• Bivy tent (Small one person tent)

• Sleeping bag

• Gore-Tex sleeping bag cover

• Water proof tarp (ground cloth for tent)

• Cook kit (stove,pan,windscreen,lighter)

• First aid kit

• Bath kit

• Army p-38 can opener

• Safety whistle

• Compass

• Water (enough for three days)

• Food (M.R.E's for three days)

• Water purifier

• Spare pair of shoes

• Two changes of clothes

• Jacket

• Two pairs of socks

• Head lamp w/extra batteries

• Small AM/FM battery powered radio

• Small LED flashlight

• Extra water bottle with duct tape wrapped around it

• 100 ft Para-cord

• 120 ft of climbing rope

• Leather work gloves

• Sunscreen and lip balm

• Good quality folding knife

• 4 Emergency blankets

• 4 plastic poncho's

• 2 2 liter water bags (to carry water in)

• Important documents (in a waterproof zip-loc bag)

• Extra medication and insulin

• Small hand sized Bible

• Extra pair of eye glasses

These are the things that I have in my bag. You can modify yours to fit your needs. Remember that you have to carry this bag, so really think about what you put in there.
Some of the things in your kit can save your life. Others will just make a really bad situation a little more comfortable. Make sure you have copies of your important papers in a Ziploc bag. Documents like a copy of your birth certificate, driver’s license,

Social Security card, insurance cards and any other documents that you think you may need. You may not get a chance to grab those documents in case of emergency or disaster.
Each person in your household should have a kit. If you have small children you can combine their stuff into one bag that either rolls or is easy to carry. You can modify its contents to suit the child's needs. Remember to add a few things like coloring books and crayons or a few books for them to read. These things will keep them occupied if you are taking cover in a shelter or the power goes out.
Remember that it does not hurt to be a little over prepared but it can be deadly to not be prepared at all.

Check out the Red Cross store to purchase your own 72-hour kit. Use the promo code PREPARE and save 10% on your purchase.