72 hour kits

In the case of an MRE, the word "cracker" is very much a pejorative.

Man said that people would jostle for the "good" MRE's at basic training. He once witnessed someone buy a small bag of M&M's for $50. Money had no meaning there, and candy in the hand meant everything.


I don't even remember when Man and I bought this case of MRE's. I have no idea how old they were when we bought them, but I do remember that we were living in Kansas at the time which means they've been through at least 4 moves and extreme temps over at least the past 3 years. They have a shelf life of 10 years in optimal storage, 3 years in 80°, and these things have been in temps that melted one of our computer monitors. There are no visible expiration dates either.

So, out they go with the garbage.

I've been browsing this awesome website, Food Storage Made Easy. They have a series of checklists you can sign up for (free). They claim that if you follow them for a year, you'll have your 72 hour kits stocked up, your 3 month supply of food ready to go, and your year of essentials tucked away. I'm sure that you'd have to have a raging fire in your belly to get all of that done in a year, but I'm taking a plug at it anyway. Couldn't hurt, right?

So, tonight we're starting with an FHE (family home evening, it's an LDS thing) featuring 72 hour kit assemblage. I took the simple formula from their 72 hour kit list and (not following the recipe!!!) customized it for my family.

Here's what I came up with: (and I make no nutritional claims! don't you dare sue me over this as I'm a lay person!)

Day 1
Crystal light
1 pkg instant oatmeal
1 granola bar
1 bag fruit nuggets
1 can of stew, pop-top
1 Lipton instant noodles

Day 2
Crystal light
1 pkg instant oatmeal
1 granola bar
1 bag fruit nuggets
1 can pork'n'beans, pop-top
1 oz beef jerky

Day 3
Crystal light
1 pkg instant oatmeal
1 granola bar
1 bag fruit nuggets
1 oz beef jerky
1 Lipton instant noodles

Some things to keep in mind:
I don't have a pot I'm keeping with this. We'll just have a couple of Sierra cups and canned fuel for warming things. We also already have mess silverware, so no plastic spoons. The two littlest girls won't eat some of this stuff, but I figure whatever they don't want can go into my hungry Man. Crystal Light is replacing Tang. Crystal Light doesn't have nearly so much Vit C, so bear that in mind. The fruit nuggets I'm talking about are these great, natural, 100% fruit thingys I found at Costco. They're a high energy snack that doesn't take up much space.

I also have small first aid kits, a multi-power source flashlight/radio, utility gloves, compasses, very basic hygeine kits (can't be fleeing for my life without a sample sized deodorant!), a small package of diapers and wipes, and small phone cards.

It's a fun thing to get out the 72 hour kit food and have a picnic at General Conference (every 6 months). It keeps it rotated and we can also make sure that what's in there tastes alright. (no, I've never tried those Lipton noodle things. I'll have to try them in Oct.)

5 cases of bottled water round us out.