Kids' Go Bag

My three young daughters recently confronted me in a unified group, demanding that I help them build "go bags" for emergencies. I conceded immediately. Here are the contents:



Starting from the top left:

• Thrunite Ti 1xAAA flashlight (3/60 lumens model)
• DX "fauxton"
• Yellow emergency poncho
• Purell wipes (x4)
• Sunscreen wipes (x2)
• Small first aid kit (bandaids and BZK wipes)
• Mainstay bar
• Bug repellent wipes (x2)
• Heatsheets 2-person emergency blanket
• Fox 40 Micro whistle
• Laminated emergency contact card (face down under the whistle)
• Small pack of facial tissue
• Water bottle (not shown)

I'll probably put the fauxton on the lanyard for the whistle. I'm thinking I could also punch a hole through the edge of the emergency contact card and put that on the lanyard as well.

The girls will be adding a change of clothes, a small toy, and a stuffed animal to each one.

This isn't meant to be a wilderness survival kit, it's meant to be a small, easy to carry kid-specific bugout bag to give each of them a degree of self-sufficiency.

Your thoughts and suggestions most welcome.

I would add a couple more mainstay bars, just in case.

I like the looks of this. This kit should galvanize their interest in being prepared and boost their self-confidence!

How old are the kids?

+1 on adding a comfort item unique to each girl that can ease their mind in a stressful situation.

Add a laminated contact list of people & #s for the girls that they can call or if a someone else finds the bag, allows them to contact the parents to notify them. Keep the bag as light as possible because kids aren't very tolerant of carrying extra weight and are likely to put it down and leave it if it is a burden.
Stitch their name or label each item or add a little flower stick on to decorate things. Situation example: if they are lost/separated and use one of the items and then leave it behind, it helps trackers to know that it was theirs. Also, having their name on it settles arguements between the girls as to what belongs to whom! It gives them a sense of "this belongs to me, maybe I should take care of this!"

bandana...head covering, towel, ground cloth for head

hard candies

grease pencil so they can leave message on most any surface

spare lithium AAA cell

scissors

section of orange survey tape

chem light

They are 11, 8 and 6. It has not escaped my attention that in seven more years I will have three teenaged girls in the house.



Under the whistle.



That's why I stuck with a single Mainstay bar. I want them to have something to eat (and all three of them really like Mainstay bars) but as you say I have to keep it reasonably light or they're going to ditch 'em.

My kids get very little candy or other sugary foods, but there's a sesame honey bar that they really like, I could add a couple of those without adding too much weight or making them act like a bunch of ferrets on speed. They also store well.



That is a really fine idea. I'll break out the label printer for this.



True.

Bandanas are on the way, I forgot to include them in the list. They're going to be bright red.



For my kids, maybe not the best idea .



That's a great idea. What might work better for them would be a small pack of crayons and a little notebook.



I originally decided against this but I'll reconsider.



At the ages they're at now, I'm going with no sharps.



With all the brightly colored items already included, I don't think this would be worthwhile for them. In an adult's kit, or if I expect them to be moving around and marking their trail, sure, but they're trained to hug a tree and blow their whistles if they get lost.



Not a fan. I'd rather give them another AAA battery; the runtime of the Thrunite Ti on low is rated for 125 hours, and it's way sturdier than a chem light.

My sympathies! Know any hair restoration experts? You might need them.



Oh, I missed that. I was thinking it was a fresnel magnifying lense for some reason.

A way to make more water. For their ages Fire and Chemicals are out of the question i would guess but maybe a filter? A filtration bottle or a Filtration straw more likely then a full on pump.

I think screaming pink bandanas would be more appropriate - maybe. Or their favorite color in neon.

I get the trail mix that has M&M's in it, they pick the M&M's out first but eventually eat the rest.

Very inspiring! I really need to get one made up for my daughter. Finally got my own done, and I just sort of combined her into mine. What kind of bags did you use for your girls? Just a regular backpack they liked... or did you go for something more durable/quality?

I'd suggest against putting the laminated card on a lanyard. You feel the corners of that thing? I bet the first time they get stuck, they'll take the whole thing off and be done with it.

Keep the card in the backpack. If you feel the need to label your children, try a regular dog tag.

Very nice Chaos. But wheres the camera phone and hi cap handgun every bug out bag needs? LOL just kidding. Nice job on the kit.

I agree with Frisket. Maybe an aqua mira frontier filter straw, or one of those water bottles with the filter built in? Ferrets on speed was funny.

nicad battery ingestion in kids

the fauxton has an ingestible nicad battery or 2 on board. cadmium is more toxic than lead, and the batteries have caused fatal erosion of the esophagus and aorta (!). Probably the kids, even in enhanced ferret mode, will not crack the light open and eat the battery, but still...

They're all old enough to not eat flashlights. The fauxtons can be opened for battery replacement, but I can't see any of them doing that.

When they're older, they'll carry their cellphones and handguns with them -- I'm raising them right .

As they get older and learn more, I'll probably add some kind of water disinfection. Probably at about the same time they get sharps.

Well done Chas! When you consider an intro of "sharps" (soon I think for the oldest), you may want to consider a small EMT shears. Blunt tip even passes most (but not all) anti weapon school policies. As to water filtration ( again, when appropriate ), take a look at the Seychelles advanced purifier straws and bottles. Great utility for a good price. With the bottles, you can store the filter unit in a verysmall zip seal bag, until needed. That allows use of the bottle as a day to day water supply.

TP or a small pack of flushable wipes?

There is a package of facial tissue, which can be easily adapted for use at the south end.

Great kit, Chaos. Perfect for hug-a-tree!

One suggestion: i always clip the little lights to the lanyard with the whistle. Helps keep them close to hand.