72 Hour Kits - Mobility

Getting you and your kids out the door is a challenge on the best of days. An emergency is not going to be pretty. Let’s look at survival in a disaster from the same stand point of taking a car trip. Loading the car is a pain! Getting everyone and their stuff in the car and on the road is stressful! Now imagine having to do this in 15 minutes or less with only the essentials. You need to be able to get everyone and thing into the car in as few trips as possible. One regular backpack for each child really means that you’ll be hauling 5+ backpacks out to the car. Not going to go smoothly, especially if you have infants or young children. Here are some tricks for increasing the mobility of your 72 hour kits and therefore yourselves.

 —The Tub – a rolling tub that holds the families backpacks (individually or collectively). Individual packing is good if you have older kids who may stay home by themselves and will need to get out alone, but won’t be able to drag the tub out. Collectively is good for young families, where really mom and dad will be doing this.

This tub contains 5 kits. It has rollers on the back and handles. Personally I find this cumbersome to move around, but it would take less time than numerous trips.

Suitcase – Once again this is a collective kit and is a smaller variety of the tub, However I have seen my own children are able to pulling a heavy suitcase out of the house though.

This has 3 kits in it. It moves really easily. My 7 year can move this pretty well on his own (better than one back pack)

Fisherman’s vest kit – Instead of a backpack have a vest for each family member. Just plan to meet at the closet, slip on the kits and file out the door. It would still need a larger water solution, but works ok. This one would be uncomfortable carrying if you had to walk a long distance, but let’s face comfort isn’t going to be found in carrying anything around unless you’re used to that. Be sure to find vests with 26 pockets and carrying loops. So far I’ve only found one company online that carries actual children’s sizes.
                 ·          www.jmcremp.com – the only place I was able to find online with children’s fishing vest. The others all say youth which is not small enough. Theirs also has the clips and 26 pockets.

If your chld can carry a backpack with most of what they need in it, I recommend that option. It gives a sense of security when they know where their things are and that they have everything. The above options of mainly for those with younger children.

A child can carry 20-25% of their body weight. So I recommend weighing their packs- for all ages, and take into consideration the fitness level of your kid. If they’re not there – get them there. Also the individual pack will be something you’ll want if you’re child has sensory needs as that weight and pressure will actually help them cope with the serious stimuli they will have encountered and the help levelize their already heighten awareness, this includes children with ADHD/ADD.