trail mix

today, august 31st is national trail mix day. who knew? quick explanation: trail mix is a combination of dried fruits, grains, raisins, nuts and sometimes chocolate (like m&m's), a snack food commonly taken along on outdoor hikes.

so what's so great about it? first of all, it's delicious, lightweight, easy-to-store, and nutritious. and with a good nutritional mix, such as the carbohydrates in the fruit and the protein and fats from the nuts, it provides a good quick energy boost.

it's a great item to add to your stash at home, and also for your 72-hour kits. you can buy it pre-made at any grocery store, or google it and you'll find all kinds of variations on recipes for making it yourself at home.

but a quick warning, it's not really appropriate for long-term storage as it will go bad, so use it in your regular rotation. and if it's in your 72-hour kits, don't forget to switch out the food every 6-12 months (many use the idea of rotating every general conference, which is just around the corner).

life caps

i don't know if anyone has used these before (and neither have i), but these could be a great addition to your 72-hour kits. according to their website, these pills can give you the life-sustaining nutrients that you need if no food is available. this could be super handy in an emergency and are in fact designed to be taken on an empty stomach and they take up hardly any space. for more information, see their website.

and since i always love a bargain -- who doesn't? -- the following code can be used at http://www.lifecaps.net/ to receive $10 off per bottle of life caps. the code is: Good Life.

72-hour kits: food packs

to decide what to include in my food pack for my 72-hour kit, i looked around online and looked at other people's lists and stuff and then used those to decide what my family would eat. i did do some variations depending on if the pack was for a kid or a grown-up. i planned on eating the same thing for all 3 days (that's the simplest).

here is the list for the kid pack:

• 3 fruit cups
• 3 jif mini peanut butter cups
• 3 boxes of raisins
• 3 mini chef boyardee raviolis or mac-n-cheese (make sure you get the pop-top)
• 3 packets of fruit snacks
• 3 mini power bars
• 2 twin packs of pop-tarts (which is 4 single pop tarts)
• 2 twin packs of "oats'n honey" granola bars (which is 4 single granola bars)
• 3 10 oz. bottles of cran-apple juice
  

this brings us to a grand total of 1,610 calories per day. and since i'm nerdy and save weird things, i had one of those little plastic cases that you buy sheets in with a zipper, i was able to pack it all neatly into one plastic bag.

the adult pack is basically the same, with a little more. contents include:

• 3 chef boyardee ravioli or spaghetti (make sure it's pop-top)
• 3 fruit cups
• 3 jif mini peanut butter cups
• 3 boxes of raisins or craisins
• 3 twin packs of pop-tarts
• 3 mini power bars
• 3 regular-sized power bars
• 3 twin packs of "oats'n honey" granola bars
• 3 packs of fruit snacks
• 3 powdered drink mixes
• 30 jolly ranchers
• 3 packs of gum
• i also included a single high-calorie meal replacement bar

this brings us to a grand total of 2,090 calories per day. i included plastic silverware in each pack and also hand sanitizer spray as most of it is finger food. oh, and i got it all at wal-mart.

so get gathering your food packs together and please note that the items i have listed here are not for long-term storage, but will need to be rotated every six months or so. it's a good idea to get into a routine so you don't forget to do so - general conference is a great reminder and with conference coming up this weekend, you'll be right on schedule if you get it done soon!

another option for food include MRE's ("meals ready to eat") which you can purchase with any of the companies listed on the post about equipment. the advantage to these is that they take up less space (and weight) and will keep longer. the disadvantage is that your kids may not eat them. so think about what would work best for your family as you build your kit.

sidenote: if you are looking for alternative ideas for your food packs, i have a pdf document that has a great menu for your 72-hour kits, and everything is broken down with all the nutritional information and will keep you in high-energy mode... but i don't know how to post it online. so leave a comment or email me and i'll email it to you if you're interested.

72-hour kits: equipment

the list of equipment and stuff to include in your 72-hour kit can be overwhelming and exhaustive. i feel like i've looked over trillions of them in preparing for this month's activity and building my own and have come up with what i feel like is a pretty comprehensive list of all the stuff you could want and should think about including:

1. Hooded Poncho
   
2. Emergency Heat Blanket


3. Flashlight


4. Extra Batteries


5. Candles


6. Flares


7. Lighter


8. Water-Proof Matches


9. Dishes/Utensils


10. Shovel


11. Radio (hand-crank or remember to pack batteries)


12. Pen and Paper
13. Axe


14. Pocket Knife


15. Rope


16. Duct Tape


17. First Aid Kit


18. Toiletries


19. Toilet Paper
    o Feminine Needs
    o Toothbrush & paste
    o Soap, Shampoo
    o Hand Sanitizer
    o Medication (Tylenol/Advil, etc. and a 3-day supply of any prescriptions)


20. Cash


21. Pre-Paid Phone Card


22. Paper Surgical Masks


23. Small lockbox or safe that you can carry all your documents in - for more details on this one, see the post entitled "72-hour kits: documents."
    

and you will of course need some sort of bag in which to haul it all. most people opt for the backpack, you could also use a bag with wheels that you can roll, a giant tupperware container (this one really only works if you have your car), or a duffel bag. keep in mind that if you are packing 72-hour kits for small children, they probably won't be able to carry it themselves. for that reason, my husband and i each used a backpack and packed a duffel bag with a shoulder strap for our toddler.

hopefully this about sums it up -- you can find most of it at wal-mart, target, in the camping section of any sporting goods store, emergency essentials or shelf-reliance.

72-hour kits: where can i just buy one?

ok, so you've read all the stuff before this and you really just don't want to make one yourself; just reading about all that gathering really did you in. the good news is that it's really easy to purchase a pre-made emergency kit and they're pretty affordable. you've got lots of choices, so here are a few:

(1) emergency essentials - to see their selection, click here.

(2) shelf reliance - they will even help you custom-build emergency kits for you, your family and your pet! click here

(3) nitro-pak -- these guys can get you a kit for your car, for the wilderness, or just a simple 72-hour kit. click here.

(4) the ready store -- this site also has a range of kits, and right now they are 20% off! click here to see the selection.

so those are some sites to get you started. if you don't like any of those, google it. you'll find more.

photo source