Okay, so last Saturday I set the timer for 10 minutes and told the kids we had to evacuate for our mock emergency! (I pre-warned them that I would be doing this sometime on Sat., they just didn't know when). I told them they could bring ONE personal item, put on their socks and shoes, and meet me in the car.
In the meantime, I grabbed our emergency box and emergency backpack (I purposefully packed these so that I could carry both myself, though inside the box, each child has their individual backpack) and loaded them in the trunk with the 5-gal water barrel (I'm thinking of filling these with less water, 5 gal is really heavy!). Since I had a few minutes to spare I decided to load some of our nicer camping equipment in the trunk too (tent, sleeping bags, camping chairs). Even though we had everything we "needed" in the box/pack, I wanted to see what we could get in the 10 minutes.
The kids were so excited about doing this, they were already in the car with their item. My youngest brought her favorite stuffed animal, her sister brought a picture of Jesus, my oldest brought his bow & arrow and his brother brought his scriptures (I have the cutest kids!)
We met a friend and drove up to the mountains to test out our stuff (and to use up the food that was nearing its due date). I unloaded everything and we had a lovely picnic of freeze-dried fruit, beef jerky and water.
On a positive note, I loved having individual water bottles for each kid, and the wet-wipes my friend brought were so convenient (definitely adding some to our supply!) But what could I have improved on? I have to admit that I was pretty proud of everything that was in there--we even have topo maps (we've worked on this a lot over the years). However, I found our supply of warm clothing and other means of getting heat were suspiciously lacking. Living in AZ we don't think much about staying warm -- yet in the desert at night, staying warm is one of the biggest concerns. I only had sweatshirts for the kids and emergency blankets -- I need to rethink how we'd stay warm in case we have a fall/winter/spring emergency.
We also lacked clothes that FIT and (oddly enough) food that the kids LIKE. I assumed that in an emergency they'd actually EAT what I brought, but on Sat. they wouldn't even take a bite of the beef jerky (my favorite part)! I'm wondering if they would even touch the MRE's I have in there? One of these days I'll have to serve those for dinner to find out!
I always thought that if you're hungry you'll eat anything. Let's hope I never have to find out.
I'm not a big proponent of bringing electronics with me out in the wild (though quite frankly, having a means of communication can be a lifesaver). But with all of our dependence on technology today, it seems impossible to avoid. If you're without electricity for more than a few days though, those electronics are useless. Enter the 13 oz foldable portable solar panels! With a USB and 12V DC charging port (includes 12V female cigarette adapter) it's perfect for charging cell phones, mp3 players, cameras, etc. Or hook up this battery pack to charge AA & AAA batteries! I can't wait to try mine out! 
It is very similar to wheat, but is in fact higher in protein than wheat and has a nutty and slightly sweeter flavor. It is a common wheat replacement and DOES contain gluten. Grind it as flour, toss in a salad, or cook in soups and hot cereal. 
A few years back we a bought a 55 gal., 30 gal. & 20 gal. barrel. They came in handy last winter when our pipes froze. They take up a large amount of space in our garage, but we put a large board over them and use it as another (lightweight) shelf. We also have some 5 gal. barrels that can be lifted into the car (excellent for campouts, day trips, or in case of an emergency). Think how well my 100+ gallons of water would fit in the garage if I had these water bricks (each holds 3.5 gal & stackable!)
A few more suggestions: Rotate water every 6 months. Be sure to use the heavy duty food grade blue barrels that allow minimal light to enter (bacterial growth thrives on light). Don't use the milk jugs or the large bottled water containers you buy from the grocery store -- THEY WILL CRACK. For non-drinking water (ie. laundry), store water in an empty laundry detergent container.
