There are a lot of lists on the internet for what to include in a 72-hour kit so I won’t duplicate that info here. Just remember to keep your particular environment and your family members in mind when you put yours together. I.E. You won’t need much as far as winter clothing if you live in Arizona.
Each member of my family has one. For the little kids, I have them in rolling suitcases that I picked up from Goodwill for cheap, because there’s no way they are strong enough to carry them (food and water are SO heavy).
Three things I’ve learned:
#1 Keep items of a similar category together in a gallon ziplock bag. For example, all first aid supplies together. This also helps to keep things clean in case of a leak or water damage. It’s also way easier to find what you need. I have bags for first aid/hygiene, light/warmth, food, clothes, things to do and a roll of TP in a bag.
#2 Only include canned goods (make sure it’s a pop-top) IF your kid can open them by themselves. Include a spoon as well.
#3 label the food with the date you put it in. I didn’t think it had been that long since I swapped the food out of our kits but according to the dates on the granola bars, it’s been 3 years.
Pro tip: For a child’s 72-hour kit (especially if they are young and don’t know or couldn’t communicate the info effectively) have a paper with parents’ contact info, emergency contact info (instate & out-of-state) with a family photo, name and individual photo (write the year it was taken), lists age, allergies, medications, etc. Basically, anything an adult would need to know to help a child if they were found alone and couldn’t or wouldn’t communicate.
How do you organize your 72-hour kits?