Basic preparedness questions

[zzzippper]

Where can I get a good two-person survival kit (food, water, etc.)? The Red Cross lists a kit on their site but they don't have it available. Also, what do you do about prescription meds? Do you hoard them as you refill? What about shelf life? How many days worth is recommended? I'm reading One Second After and thanking God that neither of us has diabetes.

[buffalobo]

ZZ, read the threads in this forum. There is a ton of good info.

Part of the answer is dependant on your circumstances and how you plan to deal with whatever you are prepping for.

You wanting general preparedness, bug in, bug out?

Sent from my electronic ball and chain.

[funkymonkey1111]

Where can I get a good two-person survival kit (food, water, etc.)? The Red Cross lists a kit on their site but they don't have it available. Also, what do you do about prescription meds? Do you hoard them as you refill? What about shelf life? How many days worth is recommended? I'm reading One Second After and thanking God that neither of us has diabetes.

you need to define the parameters of a "survival kit."--you're asking the right questions, but one person's survival kit is a year's worth of storage, the next person's is a 72 hour kit. remember, some folks don't have more than a few days worth of food in their house. some folks have 6 months and that's not because they're prepping.

what i've done with meds is just try to short refill--24-25 days on a 30 day scrip and you can build up a supply pretty quick.

[Great-Kazoo]

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[TheGrey]

You might be better off putting one together yourself. You know your needs best; you also know your likes/dislikes/allergies/medical needs best. A two-day kit isn't too hard; take a look at what you might use in two days that you're kept away from home.

Try this: Imagine your house is rendered uninhabitable for a couple of days, due to a small disaster (fire, water pipe breaking, mudslide, etc) and you must stay somewhere that has the minimal amenties. What do you need to be relatively comfortable and calm for two days? If you have medications that you must take daily, find out from the pharmacist what they would suggest you take in the case that you lose your pills or forget them somewhere. Once you have that information, put together a small kit that contains things such as aspirin, antacids, bandaids, neosporin and so on. You don't have to have all sorts of bottles and such; you're not going on an airplane. Office supply stores have very small envelopes that you can utilize, just label them clearly and out a date on them. Check your medicine cabinet for things you need. Don't forget things like sleep aids, caffeine pills, eye drops, ear plugs, tissue and a small jar of vaseline (makes for excellent lip balm, smoothes chapped skin and has a thousand and one uses.) Take a trip up the aisles of stores that have travel-sized packs- there's more than shampoo and toothbrushes. (PS- pack shampoo and toothbrushes and toothpaste.)

Next time you're at the grocery store, take a look at the various foods and try to find things you could make a meal out of (a relatively healthy meal, not a college-kid "I can eat that whole bag of bugles and drink a Dew and be fine") without benefit of heating it up or keeping it cool. I guarantee your eyes will be opened to possibilities you hadn't thought of. Don't forget to pack a can opener.

Pack twice as much water as you think you'll need.

Clothes. If you have clothes that you can deal with not seeing except in times of emergency, pack them. Jeans or khakis. A few shirts that are plain and that can be layered. A weatherproof jacket. Is it winter? Hat and gloves if it is. Underwear and socks (pack extras of those, in case your two-day kit must be stretched to three or four) and comfortable shoes with good treads. It sounds like a lot, but it's not. Here's a packing tip: Stuff your extra socks and underwear into your shoes, and fold your jeans in half legthwise. Roll your shoes in your jeans, roll your shirts into small bundles and set them both inside your jacket. Zip the jacket, bring the bottom up to the top and tie the arms around the bundle, securing it. Make use of pockets in the jacket. Stuff your clothing bundle into a laundry bag or pillowcase and then place the bundle into your larger bag along with food, medicines and water.

Those are the bare necessities. Now you have to tailor the rest to what suits YOU. What do you need? Books? A travel pillow? A phone charger? A list of emergency contacts? Towels? Blankets? Don't forget money.
It's up to you how much you can do with or without. A store-bought kit is convenient, but lacking in personalization.

[ChunkyMonkey]

^ Listen to thegrey..she knows what she is talking about.

[zzzippper]

The Red Cross has this available http://www.redcrossstore.org/item/321405 Generally looks good but 16 ounces of water seems way low.

[Wulf202]

Water container holds 3.5 gallons

I think you're supposed to fill that up...

Build your own kit

[blacklabel]

The Red Cross has this available http://www.redcrossstore.org/item/321405 Generally looks good but 16 ounces of water seems way low.

Read up on the subject, get familiar with what most include and then tailor it to your needs. You may not, make that won't, come out cheaper but you'll know what you have and that it will work for you and yours.

[henpecked]

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