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Stitchawl · 10-20-2010, 02:51 AM

OK... KindleKitten asked me for a run down of my bug-out bag so here we go. Please keep in mind that this was assembled to be used in a 'URBAN EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY.' If I were assembling one for rural living there would several differences, additions and changes. Same goes for desert emergencies. I'll try to fill in some of those changes as we go along. Needless to say, staying alive has been important to me, and so far, so good. Also, although most of this equipment can be found in your local Wal-Mart, Target, and camping stores, I'll also link to some Amazon sites for them, as well as to some YouTube instructions for usage.

Survival usually breaks down into component areas; shelter, fire, food and water, and communication. Each area needs to be addressed. Also, an important tenet of survival is 'redundancy.' Two fire makers are better than one. Two flashlights are better than one. It's easy to lose one in a crises situation, but much more difficult to lose two. Being part of 'couple,' my wife and I multiply our redundancy to become redundantly redundant!

Four lighters, two stoves, four whistles, etc.

For our personal earthquake scenario, walking around in rubble is a very distinct possibility so our first though is for foot protection.
Boots with heavy soles (walking barefoot through ruble is the pits!)

Solid leather soles and leathers uppers covering our ankles and calves. If we were in the jungle instead of the city we'd probably opt for something with more nylon than leather.

We can figure that if the buildings go down so does the electricity, so finding our way in the dark becomes a problem to be addressed. I prefer LED flashlights that use Lithium batteries. The bulbs last 1,000 longer than regular bulbs and put out an amazing amount of light. The lithium batteries have a 10 year shelf life. Powerful LCD flashlight

Signaling for help is the next consideration. We can only yell for about 2-3 minutes before our voices give out. We need a more reliable way to make noise. This Storm whistle has been tested and proven to be the loudest whistle on the market today. On the sea, it can be heard almost half a mile away. (We keep one always attached to our BCD jackets when scuba diving in case the boat leaves without us!) This whistle can even be blown and heard underwater as it is 'pea-less!'

1 Thunderstorm whistle

http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/D16567

For the sake of redundancy as well as the fact our second whistle is a two-tone sound, having a whistle with different sounds makes it easier for searchers to home in on your location if you are trapped under a rubble pile.
1 Police style whistle

http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/V16568
If were were planing for desert emergency, jungle, or water emergencies we'd include a small signal mirror as well as strips of fluorescent colored nylon 10-15 feet long and 3-4 inches wide for attracting attention from the air.

We figure that if there is an earthquake, McDonald's probably will close so we need to cook. We don't need to cook anything fancy, just boil water for our freeze dried foods and some coffee and tea. This stove does that easily without fuss or bother. I usually call it a Triox, which is a diving term, but the stove's real name is a Hexamine fuel stove.

Stove and fuel for three days and two liter cook pot

The foods we choose for this are right off the shelves of camping stores, are tastey enough and easy to use. Each meal comes in a sealed foil pouch and has the food inside in a large heavy plastic bag. Just add boiling water right into the bag, stir and wait five minutes, and dinner is served.
Freeze dried food for three days http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/E16571

For lighting the fuel tablets for the stove above, or making a fire to stay warm, easy is better. Nothing like a Bic to get the job done... unless the flint in the Bic gets wet and doesn't work when you need it too. So have another one handy is helpful. A firesteel is a great spark maker for lighting a fire, but it's a good idea to practice using one 'before' the crises. You can buy tinder, make tinder, or find tinder, depending upon your skills and inclinations. I like to do all three. Redundency.
2 Bic lighters, Firesteel, tinder.

(Edit: The fellow refers to the 'mishmetal' striker made by GoingGear.com. ALL ferro rods are mishmetal, including the ones that strike a spark in a Bic lighter. Those little bitty flints are made of mishmetal, which means... mixed metal! And had he torn the cotton pad exposing some loose fibers before he started, all of the devices would have struck fire on the first sparking.)

As I said before, I like a fancy flint striker myself. Something like this. But not for survival situations...
Striker

Now we get to a really difficult part of the plan. Water. In the city you can 'usually' find water, but it may not be potable. In the woods you can usually find a water source but it ALWAYS needs to be treated to avoid the risk of Giardiasis. In the desert, you can usually find water but only if you know HOW to find water in the desert. Mt wife and I carry one liter each of water in collapsible water bottles. If were were planning for a desert crisis we'd have a hell of a lot more. We also carry two different types of water purification tablets. In past years I've used common household bleach to purify my drinking water, ordinary iodine, as well as using backpacking filters. For our emergency kits we prefer the tablets. There are plenty to choose from and all work very well.
1 liter of purified water plus a bottle of water purification tablets

Water purification tablets - online. http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/J16569

If I were planning a kit for desert emergencies, I'd include two one liter hard plastic bottles, a 1 meter square of black heavy plastic sheeting, and a three foot length of 1/2 plastic tubing. If you have those three, you can NEVER run out of water in the desert!

I chose a Spyderco Endura pocket knife for our kits as it is robust, takes an excellent edge, (comes with an excellent edge for those who don't know how to sharpen a knife,) large enough to skin a deer but small enough to fit in a pocket, and cheap.
large folding knife and 600 grit sandpaper for sharpening. http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/J16570

The nylon poncho is a great all around cover for body and soul. It can snap together with another one to make an improvised tent, can wrap around one person and keep them bone dry in a heavy downpour, and can even double as a carrying bag if one needs to go out foraging.

Having a Mylar emergency blanket takes care of the temperature problems. I forgot to include on my original list a backpacking roll of duct tape, but it's in the bag, an with this and a couple of blankets, you can keep several people warm and dry
nylon poncho and Mylar emergency blanket
http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/B16573
http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/G16572

I think the radio speaks for itself. (No pun intended) But be sure to buy one in your home area. Not all radios cover the same frequencies. The FM band in Japan is different than the FM band in the US.
pocket radio

This same holds true for pocket transceivers.

You can find these pretty cheaply in Radio Shack or Wal-Mart

$200 cash

First aid is another subject that will generate a lot of debate. First aid kits for a day hike for one person are very different from a group leader's first aid kit for a two-week canoe trip through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Ontario. Our 'quake kit' first aid pack has more large sponges and steri-strips as I figure falling buildings might cause larger wounds. This one below covers most of the needed items, but not necessarily in the amounts that "I" want to have with me. Your kit needs to include any personal medications that you might need too.
First aid kit http://www.nols.edu/store/product.ph...282&bestseller

My wife's bag also has a hair brush, some lipstick, and wet-tissues. If she can clean up a bit, brush her hair and fix her face, she will be in a much better frame of mind and able to cope with the difficulties of survival. Mine has a harmonica. Hey, Nero had his fiddle.

KK, I hope this is in line with what you were asking for. I figured doing it in this form, with better photos, would be of more value than seeing a jumble of gear on the floor.

Stitchawl

10-20-2010, 02:51 AM	#167
Stitchawl Opsimath Posts: 12,344 Karma: 187123287 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand Device: Sony PRS-650, iPhone 5, Kobo Glo, Sony PRS-350, iPad, Samsung Galaxy	OK... KindleKitten asked me for a run down of my bug-out bag so here we go. Please keep in mind that this was assembled to be used in a 'URBAN EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY.' If I were assembling one for rural living there would several differences, additions and changes. Same goes for desert emergencies. I'll try to fill in some of those changes as we go along. Needless to say, staying alive has been important to me, and so far, so good. Also, although most of this equipment can be found in your local Wal-Mart, Target, and camping stores, I'll also link to some Amazon sites for them, as well as to some YouTube instructions for usage. Survival usually breaks down into component areas; shelter, fire, food and water, and communication. Each area needs to be addressed. Also, an important tenet of survival is 'redundancy.' Two fire makers are better than one. Two flashlights are better than one. It's easy to lose one in a crises situation, but much more difficult to lose two. Being part of 'couple,' my wife and I multiply our redundancy to become redundantly redundant! Four lighters, two stoves, four whistles, etc. For our personal earthquake scenario, walking around in rubble is a very distinct possibility so our first though is for foot protection. Boots with heavy soles (walking barefoot through ruble is the pits!) Solid leather soles and leathers uppers covering our ankles and calves. If we were in the jungle instead of the city we'd probably opt for something with more nylon than leather. We can figure that if the buildings go down so does the electricity, so finding our way in the dark becomes a problem to be addressed. I prefer LED flashlights that use Lithium batteries. The bulbs last 1,000 longer than regular bulbs and put out an amazing amount of light. The lithium batteries have a 10 year shelf life. Powerful LCD flashlight Signaling for help is the next consideration. We can only yell for about 2-3 minutes before our voices give out. We need a more reliable way to make noise. This Storm whistle has been tested and proven to be the loudest whistle on the market today. On the sea, it can be heard almost half a mile away. (We keep one always attached to our BCD jackets when scuba diving in case the boat leaves without us!) This whistle can even be blown and heard underwater as it is 'pea-less!' 1 Thunderstorm whistle http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/D16567 For the sake of redundancy as well as the fact our second whistle is a two-tone sound, having a whistle with different sounds makes it easier for searchers to home in on your location if you are trapped under a rubble pile. 1 Police style whistle http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/V16568 If were were planing for desert emergency, jungle, or water emergencies we'd include a small signal mirror as well as strips of fluorescent colored nylon 10-15 feet long and 3-4 inches wide for attracting attention from the air. We figure that if there is an earthquake, McDonald's probably will close so we need to cook. We don't need to cook anything fancy, just boil water for our freeze dried foods and some coffee and tea. This stove does that easily without fuss or bother. I usually call it a Triox, which is a diving term, but the stove's real name is a Hexamine fuel stove. Stove and fuel for three days and two liter cook pot The foods we choose for this are right off the shelves of camping stores, are tastey enough and easy to use. Each meal comes in a sealed foil pouch and has the food inside in a large heavy plastic bag. Just add boiling water right into the bag, stir and wait five minutes, and dinner is served. Freeze dried food for three days http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/E16571 For lighting the fuel tablets for the stove above, or making a fire to stay warm, easy is better. Nothing like a Bic to get the job done... unless the flint in the Bic gets wet and doesn't work when you need it too. So have another one handy is helpful. A firesteel is a great spark maker for lighting a fire, but it's a good idea to practice using one 'before' the crises. You can buy tinder, make tinder, or find tinder, depending upon your skills and inclinations. I like to do all three. Redundency. 2 Bic lighters, Firesteel, tinder. (Edit: The fellow refers to the 'mishmetal' striker made by GoingGear.com. ALL ferro rods are mishmetal, including the ones that strike a spark in a Bic lighter. Those little bitty flints are made of mishmetal, which means... mixed metal! And had he torn the cotton pad exposing some loose fibers before he started, all of the devices would have struck fire on the first sparking.) As I said before, I like a fancy flint striker myself. Something like this. But not for survival situations... Striker Now we get to a really difficult part of the plan. Water. In the city you can 'usually' find water, but it may not be potable. In the woods you can usually find a water source but it ALWAYS needs to be treated to avoid the risk of Giardiasis. In the desert, you can usually find water but only if you know HOW to find water in the desert. Mt wife and I carry one liter each of water in collapsible water bottles. If were were planning for a desert crisis we'd have a hell of a lot more. We also carry two different types of water purification tablets. In past years I've used common household bleach to purify my drinking water, ordinary iodine, as well as using backpacking filters. For our emergency kits we prefer the tablets. There are plenty to choose from and all work very well. 1 liter of purified water plus a bottle of water purification tablets Water purification tablets - online. http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/J16569 If I were planning a kit for desert emergencies, I'd include two one liter hard plastic bottles, a 1 meter square of black heavy plastic sheeting, and a three foot length of 1/2 plastic tubing. If you have those three, you can NEVER run out of water in the desert! I chose a Spyderco Endura pocket knife for our kits as it is robust, takes an excellent edge, (comes with an excellent edge for those who don't know how to sharpen a knife,) large enough to skin a deer but small enough to fit in a pocket, and cheap. large folding knife and 600 grit sandpaper for sharpening. http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/J16570 The nylon poncho is a great all around cover for body and soul. It can snap together with another one to make an improvised tent, can wrap around one person and keep them bone dry in a heavy downpour, and can even double as a carrying bag if one needs to go out foraging. Having a Mylar emergency blanket takes care of the temperature problems. I forgot to include on my original list a backpacking roll of duct tape, but it's in the bag, an with this and a couple of blankets, you can keep several people warm and dry nylon poncho and Mylar emergency blanket http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/B16573 http://www.tinyurls.co.uk/G16572 I think the radio speaks for itself. (No pun intended) But be sure to buy one in your home area. Not all radios cover the same frequencies. The FM band in Japan is different than the FM band in the US. pocket radio This same holds true for pocket transceivers. You can find these pretty cheaply in Radio Shack or Wal-Mart $200 cash First aid is another subject that will generate a lot of debate. First aid kits for a day hike for one person are very different from a group leader's first aid kit for a two-week canoe trip through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Ontario. Our 'quake kit' first aid pack has more large sponges and steri-strips as I figure falling buildings might cause larger wounds. This one below covers most of the needed items, but not necessarily in the amounts that "I" want to have with me. Your kit needs to include any personal medications that you might need too. First aid kit http://www.nols.edu/store/product.ph...282&bestseller My wife's bag also has a hair brush, some lipstick, and wet-tissues. If she can clean up a bit, brush her hair and fix her face, she will be in a much better frame of mind and able to cope with the difficulties of survival. Mine has a harmonica. Hey, Nero had his fiddle. KK, I hope this is in line with what you were asking for. I figured doing it in this form, with better photos, would be of more value than seeing a jumble of gear on the floor. Stitchawl Last edited by Stitchawl; 10-20-2010 at 03:05 AM.