72 Hour Kit Ideas Week #16: Tools

Welcome!v

Welcome to week #16 in the “72 Hour Kit Ideas: A week by week approach” series.

This series is all about making it simple and do-able to get a 72 hour kit put together for you and your family.

Creating such a kit can be overwhelming and financially difficult to do all at once. But through this series, I’ve broken it down for you into 26 small steps! You can see all the steps here. Just take one small baby step each week and in 6 months you will have a well stocked, personalized kit!

You can even go through the series a few times over a year or two adding just the most basic supplies the first six months and then a few more “extra” supplies each time you cycle through it again.

Want even more help?Build a robust, personalized 72 hour kit one week at a time over 26 weeks

This series is also available as an e-book. Purchasing the e-book gives you a few additional benefits over just reading the free series:

  • Additional details and tips
  • The ability to print the entire book!
  • Pictures of my own kit showing just how I pack each week.
Download “Your Own 72 Hour Kit Plan” E-Book Now!

* Some links in this post are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may get a small commission if you make a purchase. Some links (those to Thrive Life) actually provide you with a discounted price. Thanks for your support in this way!

Last Week:

I hope all of you were able to get some communication devices in your kit last week!

Week #16: Tools

The idea this week is to add a few basic tools that will ease the stress of a difficult situation and /or save you and your family’s lives in the event of a disaster.

Don’t get too carried away in this department, especially the first time around. Many tools are heavy and would be difficult to pack. Many are expensive. You do not need each and every tool and many can have multiple uses: especially if you get creative.

Consider the area you live in, the disasters you would be most likely to face and be sure the tools you choose to add this week will be most helpful in your situation.

 

What we have done in our family:

We have a fold-able shovel, a compass (combo tool with the adult whistles we have), a sewing kit, multi-tool (includes a screwdriver, knife, pliers etc.), gas shut off tool, duct tape, paracord, work gloves, zip ties, grocery bags, a large garbage bag, and scissors.

How About You?

Leave me a comment and tell me what you will be adding to your kit. Why? What light sources do you need? What do you already have?

Skip to:

 

Week #15: Communication Week #18: Other Random Tools Week #1: Packaging Your Kit Series Into: Survival Kit Series, A Week by Week Approach

 

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Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.

124 thoughts on “72 Hour Kit Ideas Week #16: Tools”

  1. I would put knives hatchets and shovels in a diffreant bag in case you are taken on a plane to Europe. fema has a plan to do it. they will take them away

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  2. I have most of the things on this list except the two things that are probably the easiest to get, but I just haven’t found what I want. Those would be the compass and maps. I really need to get on the ball and get them and then have a training course (or two) with my children so we can all learn to use them 🙂

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  3. This is probably the area where we have the least. We have a sewing kit and an army knife with a scissors, screw driver, etc. We did have duct tape, but then I decided that making a dress form was more important than whatever we would use duct tape for in an emergency. So this week I think I’ll replace the duct tape and try to get some rope and maybe a map of the area/state.

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  4. I’m pretty well set for this week. I like the idea of having local maps and I still need to add a hammer or mallet from the garage.

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  5. Okay as i emptied a #10 can pf long term food, I came upon an idea for my husband’s car emergency kit. -‘Mini-Preparedness Kit”! I put a small roll of tissue, hotel-size bar of soap, a wash cloth, ap box of matches , several various sized palstic bags, a zip loc blag with few candy canes, a datrex bar, spam, a small container of money, whistle, and disposable gloves and couple N-95 facemasks and a couple of bandanas, and finally mini-sewing kit. Think of the uses, of the can itself; You can pee in it , poop in, or puke in it. (okay you need at least another one)also carry fluids, cook in in. He loves it! It sits in his trunk along with the blankets and water, and rope and tarp already there. My daughter thought it was a great idea to place under each childs’ bed for her earthquake preparedness.

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  6. We already have everything in our kit except a compass and maps of the new area we live, both of which we will be adding this week.

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  7. I just ordered a few items from Amazon to get our bag started. I have some Mylar blankets and filtered water bottles on the way. Not tools….I’m not there yet, still a newbie here.

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  8. I have just discovered your blog and it is great. I will be ordering some things in the future. We are just starting to build our kits, but we have a good start since my son is in Scouts.

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  9. I’m wondering how hard it would be for the kids to learn how to shut off the gas. I think this will be on my weekend to-do list.

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  10. I was finally able to upgrade my compass, gave the older one to my son to learn on, and purchased a more detailed map, laminated this time too.

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  11. We really lacked in this area last time we did this, lol still hasnt changed much either. I did add another roll of duct tape and some gloves and a box cutter.

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  12. I have duct tape, rope, a good swiss multi-function knife (I also gave these as gifts to my daughter & son-in-law for Christmas), scissors & a sewing kit…still need to get a shovel, axe, wrench, hammer & also need a compass. I’ve never practiced with a map & compass, at least not as an adult, so I guess I should do that. Thanks for the tips!

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  13. I have will be adding gloves, duct tape, and rope for now. Will be buying a foldable shovel at some point…..they have some that are a shovel, a pick, and several other tools all in 1. Probably go with one of those.

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  14. This week I’ll be unearthing the folding shovel my hubby has SOMEWHERE in his camping gear to add that to his pack. I’ll also be looking for our duct tape. I don’t know why, but some brands of tape develop really sticky sides so I’m going to find a plastic container to put the tape in, just for storage. I doubt that in an emergency situation I’ll care too much about sticky, but I don’t want to damage anything else in our packs until then. I’ll also need to buy me some gloves!

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  15. I have a fold-up shovel, hand saw, duct tape, 2 compasses, knives and lots of paracord in my kit. I am hoping that my job in construction has prepared me enough to build any kind of shelter that we may need. Also, working for a few years as a logger prepared me enough to chop down any trees, if needed. Thankfully, I should be able to handle everything in this department for my family, just as long as I don’t ever get amnesia! : )

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  16. I just found your blog- thanks for the great info! I don’t have any of these tools so I will start with a multitool, a shovel and duct tape. I have a compass, somewhere. I like the idea of paracord as well, so I’ll look for some. Thanks again for the great information!

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  17. I recommend reading lots of reviews of multi-tools before purchasing. Folks that use these tools in camping settings can give a good idea of how effective they really are under pressure, and some seem to fall apart quickly, and others really seem to be widely liked. I recently purchased a collapsible shovel (More like a trowel, honestly) and a hammer multi tool – they both seem pretty sturdy, although I haven’t tried them on anything too challenging yet!

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