Be prepared! When I mention “preparedness” to my friends, they initially ask, “are you planning on the end of the world?” You don’t have to wait for the end of the world to be prepared. There are plenty of reasons to have an emergency bag prepared just in case you need to exit your home quickly. Any time spent gathering important things should be spent getting the hell out of whatever danger you are escaping from. If a house fire breaks out you don’t have a lot of time to root around for your shit. Grab your emergency kit and leave. You should also consider a “bug out bag” if you live in an area that is prone to flooding, wild fires or earthquakes.
I’ve had a personal emergency kit built for about two years now. I have used it several times — but never for an actual “disaster.” Having the emergency cash is great for financial emergencies, too.
“Okay, DrFaulken, I’ll think about this bug out bag idea. What should I put in it?”
Well, here’s what I have in mine. Keep in mind that I am planning for a little bit more than just a short jaunt from the house and have some things you may deem unnecessary.
If you already have a bug out bag built, take time to review it. When I pulled mine apart to write this article, I noticed a lot of holes in my setup and/or outdated items. For example, I didn’t have any vet records for Pearl in my “personal documents” pouch. I also noticed that I have a toothbrush, but no toothpaste. I have soap but no towel or way to dry my hands off other than toilet paper. I also feel like I don’t have enough N95 masks, and probably not enough nitrile gloves. Oh yeah, some first aid stuff might be useful in a disaster situation (rolls eyes). Take your kit apart every now and then, you may be surprised at what you missed.
On to the laundry list of stuff in my bag:
- 1 N95 respiration mask
- 6 nitrile gloves
- Cash
- 100′ of 650# paracord
- Metal camp cup
- Metal camp bowl
- Set of camping utensils
- 2 hand warmers
- 4oz bottle of contact lens solution
- Contact lens case
- Folding knife
- Emergency bivvy (sleeping) bag
- 2 cotton t-shirts
- 1 pair of cargo work pants
- 2 pair of wool/coolmax socks
- 4 AA batteries
- Bic lighter
- Spark-Lite survival lighter
- 10 burn-o-balls
- 55 yards of duct tape
- Toothbrush
- 2 pens
- Sharpie
- Notepad
- Compass
- Fox 40 emergency whistle
- USB charging kit
- 6 33 gallon trash bags
- Hand sanitizer
- 1/4 bar of soap
- Lexan water bottle
- Light stick
- Water purification tablets
- Deck of cards
- Big ass tarp
- Personal documents such as identification, insurance information, and pet vaccination records in case they need to be boarded
I keep all that stuff in an external frame hiking back pack. Some among the preparedness set use military surplus or tactical bags, but I would rather look unassuming than paramilitary in a disaster situation.
You don’t have to plan for the end of the world to have a basic emergency kit. Put some cash, copies of personal documents, and base necessities and you’re much better prepared than most other Americans. It only takes a little bit of time, and if you ever need to get out in a hurry, you’ll be glad you spent the effort to get organized and prepare.
What about a hand-crank short wave radio?
-BushPutin
Great suggestion — I have several hand crank radios, and should definitely be included in the event of an evacuation. For some circumstances, like fleeing a house fire, you probably wouldn’t need it. A radio is probably optional if someone is building a bag for the first time, or don’t have a concern about longer-term preparedness.
Either way, if someone already has a bag built they would have the time to decide to take a radio (or other “optional” equipment like a firearm) instead of just scrambling to get the fuck out.
For the lazy shopper, The Ready Store has some pre-built kits. http://www.thereadystore.com/emergencykits.php?load=new
I have a personalized kit at home and keep a 4-person kit from TRS in the trunk of my wife’s car.
In addition to keeping a copy of important documents, I scan and save them on a secure flash drive. I keep one drive with me and one in a secure, but reasonably accessable location.
Great post
-duke
I am stunned that you didn’t have a towel. That is all you really need. I mean, a towel man…
hey there!
great article!
saw your vids on youtube..left email to you over there…
another idea..keep copies of everything in your wallet… in case wallet is lost in confusion…
stay focused, of course…
good reading: Gonzales, Laurence: “Deep Survival – who lives, who dies and why”
here’s the link to the book:
http://books.google.com/books?id=PHa3GVgsx1gC&dq=survival+gonzales&pg=PP1&ots=B1bD6WHsn5&sig=w33cc6-daenkVrUdywLBtDyzCCA&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result
What about food? And underwear? And a way to cook the food you want to eat with your camping utensils? How about dishwashing liquid (I prefer Dawn myself)? Not just for washing dishes but also clothes in a disaster situation it can be very difficult to get anything clean. I’m debating how to carry it, in some kind of sealable jar I suppose. What about a warm hat, and a poncho? Or if you want to go the other way, a floppy hat and sunscreen? Glasses in case you can’t get more contact lens solution or you run out of disposable contacts. Deoderant. A first aid kit like you mentioned but also extra bandaids. Immodium!! As someone who has worked in a few hurricane evacuation shelters stomach trouble is a huge concern, and most aid workers and organizations can’t dispense medications, not even Tylenol. All they can do is call an ambulance and ask the paramedics to help you. No good if the paramedics are busy on emergency calls.
Did I mention extra socks? And if you have room then a pair of cheap flip flops for communal showers. And a bike chain and lock might come in handy. In a shelter situation it is really easy for someone to just pick up your pack and walk off with it. Locking it doesn’t help because they’ll just take the whole thing with them and figure out how to get into it later. If you chain it to a pole or something, it is less likely someone will steal from you, and more likely you or your friends (make friends with neighboring people!!!) will catch them. Yes they could always cut the pack straps, but that is such suspicious behavior that someone is bound to notice. It is easy to say you just won’t leave your pack anywhere, and harder to do when all you want to do is run somewhere for “just a second”. Not to mention that you have to sleep sometime.
Wow that was long!! Sorry bout that! Guess I just really like thinking about this stuff. Thanks!
Thanks for the info! I’m loving getting prepared and ready to run when/if the need arises!