|
So I'm putting together a bag for myself, honestly more as a talisman than because I think it'd actually help me. Where I live, if the situation becomes so bad that I have to try to evacuate on foot, the situation is almost certainly bad enough that I will not survive the process. But whatever, the cost of prepping is small compared to my income, so even if it just makes me feel a little better then it's worth it. I started out by making several of these kits and giving them away to friends and family members, as a feel-good for myself and for them:  Contents: 4 500ml water bottles ~2 pounds of assorted food bars 3-liter Nalgene bottle which almost all of the non-food items fit into Mora knife Wowtac A7 flashlight with USB cable for recharging Lifestraw water filter State map Utensil with can opener taped to it Ferro rod, waterproof container with 25 storm matches, 4 tinder cubes 4 zip ties, 3 wire ties, and 3 carabiners Tiny medical kit with antiseptic ointment, bandaids, alcohol swabs, superglue, and a couple of 4x4 gauze pads Whistle Mylar space blanket Not shown in the picture because they hadn't arrived yet at the time I took it: Wire saw 3 contractor-grade trash bags wrapped around the water bottle and secured with duct tape Building these was a learning process. The small items all go into the water bottle, the water bottle, map, wire saw, and some of the food go into the shoulder bag, and everything goes into the mesh bag, which you can throw in the trunk of your car or whatever so it's close at hand. Originally I planned on just having the mesh bag but carrying anything heavy in a mesh bag for any length of time suuuucks, and the shoulder bag distributes the weight better. You can wear the shoulder bag and the mesh bag simultaneously and with the mesh bag mostly unloaded, it's a lot less uncomfortable. Honestly I should have just bought a bunch of small backpacks from Costco rather than bothering with the mesh bag to start with, and the shoulderbag turned out to be way smaller than I thought it would be. I'll post more about my own kit shortly, that is still definitely a work in progress, and it's hampered by the fact that I've never enjoyed camping so I don't really know what stuff is good to have.
|
#
¿
Jul 19, 2020 17:52
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 22:48 |
|
|
So here is the pack I'm putting together for myself, I would greatly appreciate advice and feedback: Pack itself is an Eberlestock HiSpeed II. It's medium-sized, not enormous like the ILBE, but it does have a hefty hip belt and an internal frame, which should make carrying things a lot easier. It's divided into 4 main compartments and I was thinking to have one compartment dedicated to food and water, one to clothing and shelter, one to tools, and one to things that need recharging or other maintenance. 3-liter water bladder, it's the recommended brand by Eberlestock so it should serve well. Mora knife and Silky folding saw (this ended up being bigger than I expected, whoops). Two bricks of lifeboat rations. Will also add a bunch of Clif bars but I didn't take a picture of those. I'm prioritizing food that requires absolutely no preparation which is why I've got this instead of Mountain House pouches or equivalent. Ferro rod, container of storm matches, one dozen tinder cubes. Might be overdoing it with the fire-lighting materials since I don't have anything that requires cooking. Two 30-foot lengths of paracord. Will seal these in a ziplock. Vortex monocular - might take this out of the kit, seems of questionable value. Utensil and can opener. Sawyer water filter. Nalgene bottle for storing small items. Shelter - really in the dark here because I don't like camping and never have, so I'm picking items kind of blind. The big grey sack is this tarp kit which includes tent stakes and short lengths of paracord. Then there's a bivy sack, which seems to be a sleeping bag made out of mylar, and a regular mylar blanket. All these may in fact be garbage, I'm not sure how to evaluate them. Cleaning wipes. Three different lights - Wowtac A7 flashlight, Wowtac headlamp, Streamlight Siege mini-lantern. All of these use the same 18650 rechargable battery (I want to get some more of these batteries, anyone got a recommendation on the best quality ones?). USB recharging brick to top them all off. These are all going to get sealed in waterproof bags. Things I need to add: Compass Medical kit - already got the supplies to make a basic one, as in my giveaway kits. May add trauma stuff or buy an off-the-shelf trauma first aid kit. Dry bags, as were posted above Insect repellent Toothbrush and toothpaste Clothing - one shirt, one pair of pants, two pairs of socks and two pairs of underwear, all extras of the same type I routinely wear. Probably will add a set of long underwear, a hat, and a pair of gloves when it gets cold. Contractor trash bags - already have these, I'll wind them around the Nalgene just like in my giveaway kits. Things I might add: Multitool of some sort Inflatable ground pad to sleep on - sleeping on the ground sounds very uncomfortable. Some kind of small axe - probably not needed but, at heart, I want one. Camp trowel Crank-powered radio Again, I'd welcome advice and feedback.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 19, 2020 22:18
|
|
|
Thunder Moose posted:You can get an emergency tent off Amazon for like, 20 bucks. Is it great? Lol no. Is it better than no tent at all? You bet. They also tend to be very, very portable. I think the tarp kit I bought will serve as well or better than any of those tents, unless it is itself absolute garbage, which is difficult for me to figure out. I'll have to go out and field test it, I guess, when I have some free time. My questions are more like, do I need a sleeping bag? If so, what's a decent one that won't take up all the space in my backpack? (Looking at them, volume seems to be the problem factor much more than weight). What about a ground pad? I'd like one, I think, but which one isn't garbage? Or should I buy a hammock instead and hope that I can find two trees appropriately far apart? I live in Virginia so if I'm outside of an urban area I can pretty well count on having trees, unlike being in Arizona or something. And, most importantly, are there things that I'm entirely overlooking? What are the unknown unknowns that I need to be enlightened about?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 19, 2020 22:47
|
|
|
Rutibex posted:
How much do you want to be able to carry back to the wagon?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 25, 2020 02:23
|
|
|
Sorry, I was only making an Oregon Trail joke, I don't actually know anything about wagons 
|
|
#
¿
Jul 25, 2020 02:27
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 22:48 |
|
|
Rutibex posted:Also I'm in a fairly urban environment at the moment, my bag mostly is for getting me out to a more remote area. I don't want to carry everything I will need to live a survivalist life on my back just yet, I would try and pick up supplies like a rifle once I get out of the city. Carrying that around is also a good way to look threatening. I would take this particular thought out of your plans. Any situation in which you need to obtain a firearm is a situation in which you will be unable to obtain a firearm - nobody is going to be willingly parting with their firearms if they think they're about to need them. The sole exception to this is if you have a friend or family member who lives out in the sticks who says something like "If you can make it to my house, I've got an extra rifle waiting for you." This goes for other stuff too, honestly - food, equipment, toilet paper, anything that you plan on using or needing in an emergency, you should be sure to have on hand before the emergency arrives, because you are likely not to be able to obtain it after the fact. I'd just say this effect gets magnified for firearms specifically.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 25, 2020 20:40
|
|