Emergency Food Bar

I was looking for lighter and easier food options for my 72 hour kits. I bought a couple emergency food bars to test and see if the family liked them before I bought a lot and filled our kits. I bought the Mainstay Food Bar and the S.O.S Food Bar.

They both came vacuumed sealed in a mylar bag. They both have a 5 year shelf life. And they both have a 'tear here' notch making them simple to open with no tools.

S.O.S Emergency Food Bar 1200 calorie

The SOS bar has 3 individually cellophane wrapped 400 calorie bars. Making it very easy to have a bar a meal. When I first opened it, I was very skeptical about how it would taste, but I was quite surprised. It tastes slightly of coconut and has the texture of a cookie or dry biscuit, without being dry. There is a slight grit to the texture, but it is pleasant. There were a few crumbs, but breaking a bar was simple and nearly crumb free. I had a bar for lunch and found that I was satisfied and didn't need to drink a gallon of water after. In fact, I didn't even have a drink with that "meal".

Mainstay Emergency Bar 2400 calories

The Mainstay bar was not sealed inside the mylar bag, but was portioned out. Breaking a square off was simple and relatively crumb free. The description says a 'pleasant lemon flavor'. It must be very mild, as I didn't notice lemon at all. It was like biting into a sugar cookie. It was very rich and turned slightly creamy as you chewed reminding me of cookie dough. I had intended on having this also for a lunch (on a different day), however after the second bite I started to feel like I had eaten too much raw cookie dough and couldn't finish eating it. I didn't feel hungry or thirsty though. It was too sugary/rich for me.

Then came the real test- The kids

                                                       WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!

                                  The SOS food bar was the clear winner for the kids.

The Mainstay bar was much thicker than the SOS and the kids couldn't get their small mouths around it. They had to bite the corners and that made for a lot of crumbs.

Both of the bars had great taste, but the S.O.S 3600 calorie is the bar that will be joining our 72 hr kits. I will be putting them inside a ziptop bag to keep them from getting wet or lost once opened.

72 hour kits 6 month rotation

General conference is this weekend and that is my reminder to look at my 72 hour kit.

 Food- Here is all the food that needed to be rotated in my kit. I also needed to add baby food back into my kit and change the type of food I had for my toddler.

 Here is the food that is in my kit now. I divided the food up by days in plastic zip top bags.
For the adults- Day 1  Breakfast- Oatmeal
                                   Lunch - Bumble Bee chicken salad with crackers
                                   Dinner- Mountain House Chicken and rice
                                   Snack-  Clif bar, 2 werthers original, jerky
                        Day 2  Breakfast- Oatmeal
                                   Lunch- Bumble Bee tuna salad with crackers
                                   Dinner- Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with noodles
                                   Snack-  Nature Valley Protein Bar, 2 werthers original, jerky
                       Day 3  Breakfast- Oatmeal
                                   Lunch- Bumble Bee tuna salad with crackers
                                   Dinner- Mountain House Chicken with noodles
                                   Snack- Mojo bar, 2 werthers, jerky

The Mountain House are just add water meals and the pouches I bought are a 4 person serving.

For the kids- Toddler- Day 1 Breakfast- Oatmeal
                                               Lunch- Chicken salad with crackers
                                               Dinner- Sharing the adults Chicken and rice
                                               Snacks- Zbar by clif bar, 2 fruit snack pouches
                                     Day 2 Breakfast- Oatmeal
                                               Lunch- Tuna salad with crackers
                                               Dinner- Sharing the adults Beef Stroganoff with noodles
                                               Snack- Austin peanut butter crackers, 2 fruit snack pouches
                                    Day 3 Breakfast- Oatmeal
                                               Lunch- Chicken salad with crackers
                                               Dinner- Sharing the adults Chicken and noodles
                                               Snacks- Zbar, 2 fruit snack pouches
 For the infant I have a variety of jars and pouches of baby food. I am going to replace the jars with all pouches though since they are lighter. I will have a total of 9 pouches of food. He is still nursing also.

Water- I dumped out the "old" water and refilled my bottles with fresh water.
Clothing- I replaced winter clothes with summer clothes and I vacuum sealed them to create more space in my kit. I vacuum sealed the diapers as well.

Medicine- I rotated any OTC medicines that were near expiration. I added infant gas-x, and rotated children pain medicine. I rotated our vitamins as well. Take a look at your first aid kit and ensure that those items are still fresh and sterile.

Entertainment- I rotated the toys that I had for the kids to age appropriate items.

                                I replaced the pocket rocket stove, fuel, and pots and pans for a Jetboil

             The Jet boil is lighter, takes up less room and can boil water faster than the pocket rocket.

As always my diaper bag is stocked with toys, diapers, some food, blankets, and a change of clothes.

72 Hour kit Rotation

General Conference is this weekend and that is your reminder to pull out your kits and update them. Things to rotate are the food, water, clothing, and medicine.


Food- go through your pack and check the expiration dates. Anything that will expire before October should be taken out and replaced. Food items I replaced this time were: granola bars, fruit leather, hard candies, tuna pouches, oatmeal packets, and jerky. I also added toddler friendly snacks and food pouches.  Now I can enjoy watching conference with some additional snacks :)

                                                  Food I added for my 15 month old.

Water- I was using a "milk jug" looking water bottle, but found that it was not sturdy enough and was leaking. I replaced that jug with old juice bottles and they are working a lot better. Use your "old" water to water your plants or fill up the pets water dish. Don't want to waste precious water. 

                                                             Juice bottles for my water

Clothing- Time to take out the winter clothes and put in summer clothing. Make sure that your clothes fit well.  For my child I added two onesies, a light jacket, and a pair of light weight pants. Also every time she changes diaper sizes, I restock the kit.

Medicine- Check all expiration dates on any medication or vitamins you have in your kits. Make sure that nothing will expire before October, when you will update your kit again. Items I added to my kit were prenatal vitamins, children's acetaminophen (Tylenol), and adult acetaminophen,and tums. I personally don't like to take Tylenol, but since I am pregnant, I am limited to that.

Also now that my child is older I added a few new "cheap" toys that she has never played with before. I also keep her diaper bag well stocked with diapers, snacks, and a few toys.


Check your car kits and rotate items from there also.
Remember to place your kit in an easy to access area. My kits are next to the bed.

72 Hour kit -6 month check

General Conference is this weekend and that is your reminder to pull out your kits and update them. Things to rotate are the food, water, clothing, and medicine.

Food
The granola bars and other items that you are rotating are perfect treats for children and yourself in between sessions of conference. In my pack there are food items that I don't normally have around the house and I look forward to rotating my kit, so that I may consume them. It's the small things in life that keep me happy.  I also included some baby food jars now that my baby is eating solids.

Water
Replace the water in your kit and make sure that it is not leaking.

Clothing
Now that the weather is starting to get cooler it's a good idea to replace the clothing that is in your kit with winter appropriate attire. Make sure that the clothing fits too.  Every time I change diaper sizes for my girl I check the clothing size in my kit and replace the small size diapers.

Medicine
Check the expiration dates on all medications in your kit. Check the items in your first aid kit to ensure they are not going to expire in the next 6 months.

Also check your car kit too. Many items from there don't tolerate the heat from your trunk and will "go bad" faster.
Remember to place your kit in an easy to access area. My kits are next to the bed.

72 Hour Emergency Kit

 A 72 hour kit is designed to help you survive a disaster until additional help can arrive, which is usually within 3 days. You can purchase pre-made kits from a variety of websites, however most of the things you will need are already in your home. Here is a sample of some of the things in my kit. Feel free to customize your kit for your families needs.


I purchased two carry-on size luggage to keep the adults kit in. You want to make sure that you can move this kit easily if you need to evacuate, so keep that in mind when choosing a container.

Food and water

I have :Mountain House freeze dried meals (3- 2 person servings)

Oatmeal packets (3/person)

Tuna pouch (3/person)

Idahoan instant potatoes (1/person)

Beef Jerky (1/person)

granola bars, trail mix, and werthers hard candy (comfort food)

1 gal of water person plus a water filter

Clothing, rain coat,baby items- diapers, wipes, blanket, personal care items

Flashlight, can opener, spork, knife, lighter, Sterno, matches, axe, kindling, reusable hand warmer

                           Water filter, pocket rocket stove, fuel, duct tape, aluminum pot/pans

Here is the checklist I used to make my kit.

• Update your kit every six months ( General Conference is a great time) to make sure that: all food, water, and medication are fresh (not expired), clothing fits, personal documents and credit cards are up to date, and batteries are charged.

• Small toys/games are important too as they will provide some comfort and

entertainment during a stressful time.
• Older children can be responsible for their own pack of items/clothes too.
• You can include any other items you feel are necessary for your family's survival.
• Some items and/or flavors might leak, melt, “flavor” other items, or break open.
Dividing groups of items into individual Ziploc bags might help prevent this.

Food and Water

(3 day supply of food & water per person

when no refrigeration/cooking is available)
_ Protein/Granola Bars
_ Trail Mix/Dried Fruit
_ Crackers/Cereals (for munching)
_ Canned Tuna, Beans, Meat, Vienna
Sausages, etc (“pop-top” cans might leak/
explode & Jerky can “flavor” other items)
_ Canned Juice
_ Candy/Gum (Jolly ranchers can melt &
mint gum might “flavor” other items)
_ Water (1 Gallon/4 Liters per person per day)

 Bedding and Clothing

_ Change of Clothing (short and long
sleeve shirts, pants, socks, jackets, etc.)
_ Undergarments
_ Rain Coat /Poncho
_ Blankets and Emergency Heat Blankets
_ Cloth Sheet
_ Plastic Sheet

Fuel & Light

_ Battery Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps)

_ Extra Batteries
_ Flares
_ Candles
_ Lighter
_ Water-Proof Matches

 Miscellaneous

_ Bag or Bags to put 72 hour kit items in

(such as duffel bags or hiking back packs carry-on size luggage)
_ Infant Needs (if applicable)
_Coloring book and colored pencils (Child entertainment)

 Equipment

_ Can Opener

_ Dishes/Utensils
_ Shovel
_ Radio (with batteries!)
_ Pen and Paper
_ Axe
_ Pocket Knife
_ Rope
_ Duct Tape

Personal Supplies & Medication

_ First Aid Supplies

_ Toiletries (roll of toilet paper—remove
center tube to easily flatten into a zip-lock
bag, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc)
_ Cleaning Supplies (mini hand sanitizer,
soap, shampoo, dish soap, etc. Warning:
Scented soap might “flavor” food items.)
_ Immunizations Up-to Date
_ Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen,
children’s medication, etc.)
_ Prescription Medication (you may not be able to keep them in your pack, just make sure they are easily accessible)

 Personal Documents and Money( I scanned all documents onto a SD card)

(Place these items in a water-proof container!)
_ Scriptures (miniature ones are lighter)
_ Genealogy Records
_ Patriarchal Blessing
_ Legal Documents (Birth/Marriage
Certificates, Wills, Passports, Contracts)
_ Vaccination Papers
_ Insurance Policies
_ Cash
_ Credit Card
_ Pre-Paid Phone Cards