Good idea Chaos! As women, we've got a few different concerns that we need to prepare for.

For the average girl or woman, adding maxipads to your kits is a great start. (They make great pressure banadages too!)BTW - if you've got girls about the right age, it's a good idea to carry these regularly because it takes a few years to figure out your cycle and it can catch you by surprise. Speaking of surprises, extra underwear is a good idea too. (Extra pants and PJs, or at least dark coloured ones, are a good idea for BOBs, etc. because it can be embarassing to have a stain.) Keep plastic bags handy for disposal and laundry too.

There a gazillion different types of pads (thick, thin, short, long, wings, no-wings) and everyone has their prefence. I would think that in a longer-term emergency situation the bigger the better but that might just be me. (At the very least, finding time and space to change them could be challenging.) Find out what she likes and stock that. How many she'll need will differ as well. If she's old enough she'll know about how many she uses in a day and a cycle, if too young, maybe not. The rate changes with age but better too many than not enough. Rather than make her uncomfortable by asking, I plan a package a month for my DSD.

Tampons are a matter of personal preference, again, with many choices. If we're talking strictly emergency, I'm inclined to skip them in longer term planning. There are potnetial health risks with them and I'd rather not add that to an already tense situation.

Cleanliness is an important issue. You guys can write your name in the snow but it's more complicated for us. Things can turn uncomfortable quickly and that can lead to worse fast.

TP is always welcome and wipes (baby or feminie) are a great idea. Women who have had babies are often given a little squirt bottle. It uses little water but really helps if you're in a longer-term situation to be able to wash-up.

In the event that something funky does happen:

-powder helps with chaffing

-a tube of canesten or other OTC for yeast infections would be an absolute blessing. They come in pills and creams and make a good partnership.

-cranberry juice or pills can help with bladder infections

Pregnancy and post-partum bring an entirely different set of challenges!

Hope that's a good start and hasn't made any of you guys put your hands over your eyes.

The advantage with tampons is space -- they take up a LOT less space than pads. BUT you have to have clean hands, and it's better to just use them during the day and use pads at night. It isn't recommended to use them 24 hrs a day.

Also, the number of tampon-related toxic shock incidents dropped dramatically once tampons made from polyester foam and cellulose were taken off the market.

Having enough water is more crucial than just having enough to drink, so you need to plan ahead. I know many guys aren't awfully concerned with soap-induced cleanliness, as quite a few here at ETS have pointed out the ways of circumventing it.

But in longer-term survival situations, esp, you simply can't overlook the need for soap and water. Shortcuts in this area lead to health problems you don't need.

Another issue for women is abdominal pain during periods. Have enough OTC pain meds to allow for this.

Sue

When packing for a trip, making sure I have everything covered can be a pain. However, I EDC the medication. I don't even have to think about that other than to make sure I have enough.

Jeanette Isabelle

I find the DW ( dear wife) gets much colder. So I plan with extra fleece, hat, etc.

Excellent point Sue! Headaches too.

And just to lighten it up a bit, there's a few days each month when can immitate a homicial maniac if I don't get chocolate. Peanut m&ms always seem to do the trick. m;)

Good idea Teacher. Don't forget an extra bra too. They're like your boots though - a good fit is important and not all bras are built the same.

I respectfully disagree. Having a bra that fits is more important than the footwear.

Jeanette Isabelle

This ties in with the BOBWABUK thread. Have a toiletry kit always ready. Keep any kind of normal medication in it that you take, be it pain, allergy, vitamins, etc. When you run out of what your using out of the medicine cabinet, kitchen counter, wherever you normally keep it, you pull the new bottle from the toiletry kit, then buy a new bottle from the store and put it in the kit.
This way you never run out, as you always have a spare. Wife keeps zantec in hers, kids have childrens pepto, etc. Winter time I'll keep cough medicine in them, childrens Tylenol, etc. The toiletry kits hang on the wall where they can be easily put in a suitcase should we need to go or if the kids run out of something my wife just grabs the new from the kit then if she forgets to tell me I see the empty place in the kit and know to buy new. The gear in your travel kits never expires since it gets rotated out at you use your normal household. And you don't forget to pack things since its always there.
Expensive things like my electric razor I just leave in my travel kit, just grab it on the way to the bathroom in the morning and put it back when done. Beats leaving it on the sink anyway.
I just did this with my toothbrush last night, brand new one went into the toiletry kit, the one from there went into the bathroom because the one from the bathroom was worn out. Old toothbrush goes in the bicycle box as those are the best to cleaning.

LOL!! True enough. I was going for a relatable comparison