Field-Test Improvements to a Go Bag, by Todd S.

In September of this year I took my JanSport Trail Series external frame backpack, aka “Go Bag” into a controlled field test. It was a 2-day, 1-night, hike and camp excursion into a rainforest in the Olympic National Forest in Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. The purpose of my trip was to test my Go Bag as thoroughly as possible. What I learned surprised me and two days worth of practical experience greatly enhanced my previous two years of “theoretically” planning. The concept of a Go Bag for me is not “bugging out” or leaving my home for greener pastures. A home “bug-out” scenario is a whole different ball game and generally requires a different plan. Rather, a Go Bag for me is an emergency backpack which will help me survive at least a week if I am stranded without a vehicle and/or away from home in some sort of catastrophe or civil/environmental emergency.

The primary theme for this article is that there is always a way to improve a Go Bag or make it leaner. I went into this field test with a 40 lb bag and quickly found out that this amount of weight was too heavy for me. It didn’t allow for good foot travel without some significant exhaustion and muscle pain. Each person has their own limits for weight and comfort and I certainly found mine during this experience.

Although I endured the trip for a total of 12 miles, it was not without a lot of discomfort. I lugged my Go Bag plus a full water bladder, a handgun, extra cartridges, and two knives along a mostly flat path through the forest next to a river in great weather (~70 degree Fahrenheit afternoons, and shady). During this time, I learned several invaluable lessons about the importance of keeping a Go Bag light and practical. With the changes described below, I was able to reduce the weight of my Go Bag by over 7 lbs and at the same time improve its usefulness and the quality of the contents. In a ‘real-world’ emergency…..mobility and practicality are everything.

Night Vision Monocular: The concept of having “special ops” capability during an emergency on-foot situation is enticing but not very realistic. The unit I have (although smallish) was too heavy and too ineffective for practical use. The attached IR illuminator does help the night vision ability but the battery that powers it is an unusual type and always needs to be fresh….and mine wasn’t. In contrast, my 130 lumen, waterproof, AA battery, LED, adjustable power flashlight lit up the dark forest like it was daytime for a long distance – good enough for me to see what might be lurking out there. If at some point in the future, a small lightweight thermal sensing unit becomes affordable I might go that route. However, for the time being my philosophy will be if I don’t see it, I won’t worry about it.
            Net Weight Change = -17.8 ounces

Socks: I wore regular white athletic socks inside my hiking boots and hauled in an extra pair along with a vacuum-packed pair of high-quality moisture wicking hiking socks ($15). I quickly learned that I didn’t need 2 extra pair of socks. The high-quality socks are the ones to keep in the Go Bag. The athletic socks were too light and caused a major blister. One pair of moisture wicking boot socks in addition to the ones I’m already wearing will do the trick.
            Net Weight Change = -1.6 ounces

 

MREs: During the hike I packed in 3 A-Pack MREs (with heaters). Although these were relatively satisfying meals, I came to the emotionally tough conclusion that multiple MREs are too heavy and too wasteful [of space] for their survival value…..by weight. Some of the components in the MRE were not eaten and/or not used: old raisins, marginally edible cookies, plastic utensil, orange drink powder, salt/pepper, etc… Even though each little item was fairly lightweight, they were all wrapped in plastic and every extra ounce of weight adds up. I’ve spent a lot of money purchasing MREs and will continue to store them away at home for future use and to give to others but for Go Bag purposes it just boils down to the weight-versus-value comparison. Going forward, I will only pack 1 MRE and supplement it with other vacuum packed dry foods (eggs, chili, soup) that weigh less and keep the nutrition-to-weight ratio where it needs to be.
            Net Weight Change = -43.4 ounces

Small (1” x ½”) Soaps Sheets: This is a ridiculous item and the silliest item I’ve ever bought for my pack. The moisture in the air and on my hands clumped the sheets together and an individual sheet was so thin it was only enough to clean about 1 finger. These sheets were hard to extract with wet hands and the small container is not waterproof and easy to lose in a big pack. This was certainly a ‘boneheaded’ idea so going forward I’ll carry a small bar of non-scented soap in a plastic travel case and call it good. Bears will alert on almost ANY scent (not just food) so using unscented or low-scented soap is very important.
            Net Weight Change = +5.5 ounces

Water: DON’T pack bottled water. Fill what you are carrying from a jug of water in your car or from another source before you start. I filled a bladder for my pack before I left and again several times along the trail from streams using my Kuryakyn portable water pump/filter. I did have a couple small bottles of water in my pack that I eventually drank but I later realized that I shouldn’t have hauled them in. I also used the filtered water in my pack bladder for cooking. Don’t head out without some ability to carry & filter (or treat) your water.
            Net Weight Change = -12.0 ounces

Cook Stove: One of my “luxury” Go Bag items is a small butane hiking stove that collapses into about the size of a tennis ball. Yes, I had to also haul a small canister of fuel but I won’t be making a change to my pack here – the stove is portable, fast, small, and lightweight. In a true emergency situation, I’d not use the canister fuel/stove combo unless absolutely necessary. In my opinion, this is one of those items that is still worth the weight to haul.
            Net Weight Change = 0

Batteries: I packed 6 extra rechargeable NiMh batteries but learned within a few hours that all of the spare batteries were dead or weak. I forgot to recharge them before I left (I guess I was just too busy planning for the trip). The lesson learned here is that no amount of batteries will help if they are not fresh and/or you do not have a good recharging or replenishing strategy. From now on, I will only bring 2 extra rechargeable AA batteries and rotate them in and out of my pack to ensure that they are fully charged at all times. My approach to power requirements is that any electronic device I carry uses only AA batteries so I can use the same set of batteries across multiple devices if I need to.
            Net Weight Change = -3.8 ounces

Charger: The cheap & inexpensive solar battery charger that I took with me on this trip has since been replaced with a better model. The cheap charger had too many wires to connect, it was not waterproof, contained cheap components, was too bulky, and it took too long to charge the batteries. My new one is a lightweight, flexible, efficient, fold-up solar array designed primarily for charging AA’s. This new unit only weighs 6.6 ounces WITH the 2 AA batteries and can charge them to full power in 3-4 hours in full sunlight. If you want to plan for relying on batteries for days or weeks without access to power….do not go out and buy a cheap solar charger like I did. Spend the extra money and get a good one.
            Net Weight Change = -2.6 ounces

Tent: I purchased a 2-person tent for my Go Bag because I thought that I needed the extra room. What I learned was that it only added pounds to my pack and required a larger area to set up. At the end of the day, I let others in my party use my 2-person tent and I used a small, high quality 1-person tent which was lighter and smaller in profile. I had no problem fitting into it even with my lightweight portable Ultralite cot (2 lbs, 7 oz) and sleep sac.
            Net Weight Change = -32.0 ounces

Insect Repellent: I had no idea how many bites and stings I received until I got home and was miserable for several days afterward. I had packed a small “tube” of repellent but didn’t use it enough, although even if used properly it would have only lasted 1-2 days. The lesson here is that more is better when it comes to insect repellent. In my opinion carrying a few extra ounces of repellent in the pack is a good idea. Sure, there are many “natural” solutions that don’t add weight to a pack, however getting all “Bear Grylls” and rolling around in the mud to protect my skin just doesn’t work for me.
            Net Weight Change = +2.0 ounces

Communication: My Yaesu VX-7R Ham transceiver that I carried can operate at low power on a 2AA battery adapter and is also waterproof. With my low-profile, tree-drop antenna it is worth its weight in gold to me in an emergency situation. If you have a HAM radio license, a portable transceiver is one of those items I suggest you DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT. If you are not a HAM, a small pocket-sized waterproof AM/FM radio is still a very important tool to have with you.
            Net Weight Change = 0

Fire Starting: I thought I had this part of my preparation covered in spades before this trial run but I quickly learned otherwise. My “waterproof/windproof” matches were hard to start and the striker component to my magnesium fire starter went missing. Although I finally got an occasional match to light, it really made me realize how serious this issue could have been in a real emergency. After returning home I went out and purchased an outdoor-rated micro butane torch lighter to use for my primary means of getting a flame going. This little unit is super small (1.1/2” x 2” x ½”), lightweight, refillable, windproof, waterproof, shock proof, and reliable. It uses a piezoelectric starting method so batteries and flint are never needed and will last 30 minutes (continual flame) on a full tank of butane. It cost me about $40 but I am betting that this is money very well spent. I’ll probably use this little gizmo on other occasions also. Obviously, if I find myself in a “Mad Max” environment, I’d likely not get the opportunity to find a butane refill bottle anywhere. However, 30 minutes of continuous hi-pressure/hi-heat flame will last months as long as I’m frugal.
            Net Weight Change = 0

Utensils / Cook Set: One of the most obvious lessons I learned during this experience (other than that my pack was too heavy) was that the “boy scout” type cook sets are unnecessary where pack weight is a primary concern. This was one of those items I originally thought would be an “essential” Go Bag item but I have since changed my mind completely. It occurred to me during the trip that I could actually use a very large coffee cup as a cooking pan, a bowl for eating, AND a drinking cup. For utensils, my cheap plastic spork worked okay but it was flimsy and I worried that it would break over the long haul. I have since removed the cook set and the plastic spork and replaced these items with a ceramic coated X-large coffee cup, a titanium spork, and a hi-heat resistant mini-spatula.
            Net Weight Change = -11.1 ounces

Other Food / Snacks: I tend to vacuum pack everything from clothes to food to whatever else I don’t want to get wet. So my trail mix and beef jerky packed into small individual sized packets worked well as snack food. I also purchased, packed, and consumed some high quality powdered eggs and some little beef sausages for breakfast – a winning combination for taste and weight-to-calorie value. Another home run idea was to pack some little single servings of instant coffee from Starbucks (VIA). However, my lesson learned in this category was to include a couple of those little plastic clip bag sealer clips for keeping the food fresh in the vacuum bag after it is initially opened. Unfortunately, I didn’t think about the bag clips on this trip but I certainly have them in my Go Bag now. Ziploc baggies are also good for this purpose but that requires taking empty baggies and then risking that they get lost, torn, or dirty.
            Net Weight Change = +1.0 ounces

Sleep Sac: A normal full-sized sleeping bag is too heavy of an item to carry in an emergency hiking scenario especially if you already pack a “space” blanket like I do. However, I felt I needed something more than just a tinfoil sheet so I purchased and hauled a “sleep sac” for my field test. The sleep sac compresses to about 1/3 the size of a regular bag but when unfurled fits a regular sized person and is good down to about 40F. In fact, I actually packed my sleep sac inside of my Go Bag because it is small enough to fit and I want to make sure it stayed dry. This trial run was my first chance to see how the sleep sac worked and it worked well on all accounts. A winter scenario however might be a totally different ball game.
            Net Weight Change = 0

Entertainment: At the end of our first day my party found ourselves sitting around the campsite (no open fires were allowed) after dinner in an awkward “down-time” moment that seemed to last forever. Our bear-line was up, tents made-ready, food and utensils cleaned and put away and we just sat there without much to do. I have since purchased a set of full plastic playing cards for this type of contingency.
            Net Weight Change =+4.2 ounces

GPS: Carrying some sort of tracking device is always a good idea if you can afford the extra weight. During my hike, I found that using my DeLorme PN40 not only reported my speed, distance, track and ETA but it also gave me something fun to do when trudging along on the trail. My only concern was battery usage. Its two AA batteries died on the hike out the next day so now I know that checking my GPS screen every 15 minutes is WAY too frequent for that type of scenario. I also learned that even with a 40 lb pack on my back and a blister on my foot, I was hiking at 2.5 to 3.0 MPH which gives me a good reference point for the future.
            Net Weight Change = 0

Rope: I actually added a little weight to my pack after this trial and bought a better rope (stronger and longer). For the trip I had packed and carried a small bundle (15’) of 3/16” rope not wanting to burden myself with something heavier. The trail and camping spot on this hike were located in bear country, but fortunately the park service had already installed bear wire systems so using my own rope was not required. If it had been required I would not have had enough rope to do the job properly. I really needed at least 30’ of rope to get my “smellables” out of ‘bear reach’. The thought also occurred to me that the rope I was carrying did not have enough load capacity to suspend my own weight had I needed to do that. The lesson learned here: don’t spare the money or the weight when it comes to rope and having too much rope will only hurt if you’re bungee jumping.
            Net Weight Change = +6.3 ounces

Clothing: Planning a hike into a rainforest naturally triggered me to haul my thin rubber raincoat and waterproof hiking boots. On this particular trip I found I didn’t need either of these items. Additionally, I forgot that I had already stashed away a small plastic poncho in my Go Bag which would have worked fine in a rainy situation. This for me was a lesson in redundancy and why it is so important to memorize every last item that I’m hauling. For urban Go Bag scenarios, a good pair of running shoes might be a much better idea than big ‘ol hiking boots. Since I live near the mountains, I’ll keep the waterproof boots and the raincoat in the trunk of my car but they won’t be ‘normal’ pack items. My raincoat and boots were not usual go-pack items for me so they didn’t actually add or detract from the weight of my Go Bag.
            Net Weight Change = 0

Weapons: For protection I carried a full-sized 10mm Glock (G20) with an extra 15-round magazine, a 12” survival knife and a large pocket knife. In retrospect, I didn’t need the pocket knife and the extra magazine. In a life-threatening situation, if I can’t kill it in 16 rounds forget about another magazine. If I can’t kill it with a survival knife after shooting at it 16 times, the pocket knife won’t do me any good anyway. Keeping it real, I’ll only carry the 10mm Glock with 15+1 rounds and the survival knife from now on. I could get by with a lighter, less powerful weapon but I don’t ever want to haul something that may not do the job. My Glock 20 can do the job no question about it. On a side note, carrying bear spray for trekking through the woods or mace for trekking through suburbia is always a good idea. Here is my rule of thumb for self defense in order from first to last: 1. Walk away slowly (avoid the confrontation) 2. Use your brain for alternatives (i.e. hide or stand still) 3. Use a non-lethal deterrent 4. Use a lethal weapon as a last resort only if your life or the life of someone near you is seriously threatened.
            Net Weight Change = -18.7 ounces

In Summary
Aside from being a great outing and just having a little fun and camaraderie, this Go Bag trial was an invaluable experience and I’d recommend the same for anyone looking to optimize their preparations. For the record, this article doesn’t speak to everything I’ve stuffed into my Go Bag (first aid, duct tape, fishing kit, cot, tarp, etc….). I simply reported on the items that I felt I learned the most about…… good, bad, or otherwise.

Total Go Bag Weight Change = -7 lbs. 12 ounces

My next go bag trial will likely be an overnight urban session in the wintertime where the conditions are radically different from this field test.

JWR Adds: I do not recommend using tall, high-riding backpacks for Bug Out Bags/Go Bags/G.O.O.D. kits. Any pack that extends more than a few inches above your shoulders greatly limits your peripheral vision and makes you vulnerable to attack from behind. This explains why Patsy Packs are so rarely used by military forces.

Letter Re: Uses for Colloidal Silver

Sir:
I have seen a lot of things online about colloidal silver being an option to protect yourself from the barium aerosol chemtrails being sprayed over my city. I don’t know how I feel about the idea of inhaling silver particles into my lungs. Do you have an opinion on this subject? Have you used a colloidal silver inhaler system yourself? I trust your advice and I await your response. Thank you,
– Diana X.

JWR Replies: First, I must mention that I’ve concluded that chemtrails are an elaborate myth. (An example of Urban Folklore that has been debunked.) The technology needed to somehow infuse poisonous chemicals into the exhaust of jet engines would be impossible to hide. Ditto for the transport and decanting of the umpteen tanks of toxic chemicals. The legions of mechanics and truck drivers needed to carry out this alleged conspiracy out would have surely seen it, and the equipment would have long ago have been photographed. Those photos would be all over the Internet. We need to put this myth to rest, once and for all.

Second, colloidal silver is for treatment of viruses, bacteria, and fungi.  It does not detoxify your system of any chemicals.

Lastly, do not take colloidal silver other than brief periods of time, for acute ailments. Long term use is detrimental and will turn your skin blue.

Economics and Investing:

Liquidity crunch, ahead? CME increases margin call; markets will be under pressure. (Thanks to C.D.V. for the link.)

Greek Tragedy, Act II: Der Bild reports that some businesses are getting ready for reintroduction of the Greek Drachma. TUI rechnet schon in Drachmen:
PLAN B WIRD AUCH IM FINANZMINISTERIUM BEREITS BESPROCHEN. For non-German readers, here is a rudimentary translation. This might not be “Das Ende der Welt, wie wir sie kennen.” But it might be The End of the Euro As We Know It.(Thanks to S.B. in Holland for the link.)

Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) recommended this over at STRAFOR: Special Series (Part 1): Assessing the Damage of the European Banking Crisis

R.L. sent this: Bank Of America Derivatives Timebomb Shows System Is Corrupt To The Core

K.A.F. sent this: Back To European Sovereign Exposure: Moody’s Will Downgrade Austria’s Erste Over Attempt To Hide Billions In Sovereign CDS

Items from The Economatrix:

Those Who Know Will Understand

Situation is Ultra-Bullish for Gold & Silver Bullion and Stocks

Greek Government Teeters on Brink of Collapse as Crisis Deepens

Job Market Improves Modestly as Unemployment Falls

Odds ‘n Sods:

G.R. in Texas was the first of several readers to mention this product from Australia: Dentist In A Box

   o o o

Not so fast–we’re furious. Fast and Furious: NRA to Launch National Campaign Calling For Holder’s Resignation

   o o o

K.A.F. sent this from The Washington Times: Feds concerned about hackers opening prison doors

   o o o

F.G. sent this: New book details starvation during the siege of Leningrad

   o o o

Tempers flare over six days of Connecticut power outages. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Oh, the wonders [the gospel] will accomplish! It wipes guilt from the conscience, rolls the world out of the heart, and darkness from the mind…It will put honey into the bitterest cup, and health into the most diseased soul. It will give hope to the heart, health to the face, oil to the head, light to the eye, strength to the hand, and swiftness to the foot. It will make life pleasant, labour sweet, and death triumphant. It gives faith to the fearful, courage to the timid, and strength to the weak. It robs the grave of its terrors and death of its sting. It subdues sin, severs from self, makes faith strong, love active, hope lively, and zeal invincible. It gives sonship for slavery, robes for rags, makes the Cross light and reproach pleasant; it will transform a dungeon into a palace, and make the fires of martyrdom as refreshing as the cool breeze of summer. It snaps legal bonds, loosens the soul, clarifies the mind, purifies the affections, and often lifts the saint to the very gates Heaven. No man can deserve it; money cannot buy it, or good deeds procure it; grace reigns here!" – W. Poole Balfern, 1858

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Ultimate OSPEC in Your Underground Shelter–Or Just Do Your Best, by Charles D.

I needed a road trip to clear my mind and consider my G.O.O.D. route while on a road trip.  My Saturday journey was west on I-70 from Denver on a sunny fall day.  Around 60 miles up the hill from Denver is the gateway into the Colorado Rockies which is the Eisenhower / Johnson Tunnels that cross under the Continental Divide into the Summit County. These tunnels help avoid the winding but beautiful Loveland Pass that is often closed due to snow and poor conditions in the winter. They send the Hazardous Material trucks over the pass when the road is in good condition. When the conditions are bad the Colorado DOT closes off the tunnel to regular passenger traffic and allows the Hazardous Material trucks through at intervals. Heading home several years ago to the Denver area from a Utah Canyon Lands visit we were heading east through the Johnson Tunnel we came upon a car engulfed in flames. Tunnels and fires are not a good mixture as most know. The owners were no more than 30 feet from the rear of the vehicle and the fuel tank. They were also between the car and oncoming traffic. The exit of the tunnel was only 300 yards from the entrance in front of them. In a dangerous situation it’s about situational awareness, escape route and common sense. The last is not so common anymore.  The area these tunnels allow access to is a popular winter and summer recreation area for many of the Golden Horde in the Front Range Denver metro area. Denver is now a micro Los Angeles with gangs of all types and all the ills of any other major metro area.  Interstate 70 is often jammed with traffic on any Friday, Saturday and Sunday of any week of the year with recreating families, working folks and many trucks. Often it’s a 90 miles of traffic jam coming from or returning to the Denver area.  One small storm or accident and this trip can take more than four hours to complete. It would be my last route of choice if any occurrence was to take place in the Front Range. I have been told the civil defense officials have plans to close off this and other major routes into the mountains to all that are not residents in the mountains in the event of a biological or nuclear incident. I could just envision every weekend warrior would have their family loaded in the SUV with all the guns and supplies they could carry heading into the mountains with visions of surviving off the land. The subsequent shooting gallery and the short lived numbers of game animals would be decimated in short order.  Maybe a trip east to the plains and river valleys of Colorado you would give you and your family a better chance of survival.

After descending from the tunnels into the crossroad town of Silverthorne my intended location of the journey was at the business of Cook’s Welding, now called Security Disaster Shelters. Owner Riley Cook is now active in the ultimate shelter business.  His now completed shelter, cache unit and sample tunnel segment sits prominently in the yard of his fabrication shop.  These are massive structures ready to be placed in excavations to be removed from sight or thought of the Golden Horde. The main shelter’s structure started as a reclaimed molasses tank and is at least 40 feet long and 10 feet in diameter. Two heavy entry hatches on either end protrude upward over ten feet over the top of the horizontal structure. Several air intakes are at each end of the vessel. A pseudo tree stump covers one intake to illustrate the stealth possibilities that could be employed in it’s final location.  Each air intake has lever valves to be utilized as blast suppression.  A German air filtration system is placed on the input of the intakes to remove biological and radioactive particulate. Intakes are also provided for a generator and separate battery storage pod. The intakes have traps that are slotted to provide contaminant drains in case a liquid is introduced down an intake. The living quarters provide several beds, a galley, dining area and ample storage above and below the false floor.  It feels like a submarine inside but well light with a white interior and a well laid out living situation. This unit is impressive to say the least. It would be the ultimate retreat and a substantial investment for the ultra survivalist.

In addition to the shelter a separate vertical conical shaped structure stood in the yard.  It’s a food stash that stood 16 feet tall with a robust hatch on top. This unit started out as a reclaimed concrete truck mixer drum. The ample size hatch had a ladder within it and many shelves to place your food and supplies. Lifting lugs are welded on it to handle and lower it into its secure location. Next to it was oval access tunnel segments to be bolted together to add horizontal and easy movement to alternate entries, the side entrance of the caches or additional shelters.  A limited number of preparation minded could afford these elaborate facilities. It would not be impossible to construct smaller less expensive versions of these storage caches. All these structures intrigued me since in my past life I was a welder and tradesman.

Informative preparedness seminars were provided by a local Volunteers of America leader. The discussion of Community Emergency Response Training (C.E.R.T.) was presented.  Along with this training and American Red Cross training the credentials provided could get you on either side of the yellow tape. To some extent that would be good to have the skills and training to help those in need and in the throes of disaster but it also puts you in the harm’s way. Your personal values and the situation would have to dictate the level of commitment a person would involve themselves at the time of crisis. We discussed the fact that some safety response individuals don’t show up during catastrophes ( e.g., Hurricane Katrina). They are taking care of themselves and their families

Enlightening discussions with some of the other attendees followed the seminar. The exposure the locals have in this active mountain town on a major route of the displaced and traveling Golden Horde was discussed.  They are painfully aware of their exposure to this possibility.  It was refreshing to be with like minded folks with the same concerns. I have all but given up talking to others from work and other aspects of life about preparedness issues. My family is aware but still live life as everything will remain the same.  At this point of the game those that opened their eyes have and those that have not are in the “normalcy bias” as described by Porter Stansberry.  It’s unfortunate so few have opened their eyes and ears to the coming storm.  I hope the lord will have mercy on us all.  I discussed food storage and supply needs with Bob Farris owner of Farris Survival LLC. He has a store in Englewood, Colorado for over seven years.  Business has been good for him. When he started it was slow at the beginning. I visited his booth back in September at the Denver Preparedness Fair and it was also helpful. We talked about the Pharaoh’s dream that Joseph interpreted. We both concurred that we may be entering at least seven years of dearth. It unfortunate our current Pharaohs did not have a Joseph to gather corn and plenty while we have had it available to us. Ethanol maybe a curse to all mankind  in the future and seem foolish in hindsight. It just seems questionable to be converting food stuffs into fuel. We have to be our own Joseph for our own tribes now. Sandy Tidell, an independent Consultant for THRIVE foods in Siverthorne had samples of a couple entries in crock pots. It was a big improvement over the rice and beans I have in my storage.  I think some variety is essential in your food storage.
 
I’ve effectively resigned myself to sheltering in place south of Denver with my supplies and guns.  I have provided supplies to family members at slightly more remote mountain locations to help them and give an alternate retreat location for other family members and possibly myself. I know this might be a fatal error to shelter in but I just don’t have the resources to buy a retreat location since my home will not sell in this economy. My neighbors are all struggling and have a spirit of apathy. I have offered my rototiller, heirloom seeds and fertilizer to a next door neighbor that has an open and large backyard. His wife was interested but he did not have the will to receive the offer.  I’m not sure  what more I could do but to set an example but with the danger of injuring my OPSEC.
 
It’s a precarious situation that we are all in. Living in a bedroom community between two major metropolitan areas is almost a worst case scenario short of living in the hood. This will be an area were the traveling groups will stop off at to resupply as they make their way back and forth to the cities. The town has the town police, county police and state police offices within it. I still don’t believe they will be able to quell the violence of TEOTWAWKI. They will be protecting their families and I don’t blame them. You just have to prepare the best you can for the worst and hope for the best. Do something every day no matter how insignificant or large. It will all add up to a better situation for you and your family. I wish the best for all.

Letter Re: Buying Spare Deep Cycle Batteries

Mr Rawles,
In the past I have read articles on people wanting new batteries on hand such as car, tractor and deep cell as part of there preparedness plan. one of the problems was they were unable to purchase dry batteries without the sulfuric acid in them. I recently had to purchase  a few new sets of batteries for my tractors and learned that John Deere stocks their batteries dry and when you purchase them, they add the acid and give them to you. I’m sure you could buy them from them dry. Now where and how you would get the sulfuric acid later I don’t know, haven’t researched that. I asked if John Deere made deep cell batteries and they do. Expensive. maybe all deep cells are. They said makes their own batteries and likes to ship them dry for better shelf life. seems to be the only ones who do this. The local Case IH dealer gets theirs from Exide (or should I say Exide makes them for Case [to sell under their brand name])  and they come wet also.  Hope this helps. Thanks for all you do. – Mike E.

JWR Replies: Thanks for that great tip. It is noteworthy that simply spinning a battery dry (as most makers do when they sell “dry” batteries) will not stop the plates from gradually sulfating. If a battery has been tested at the factory, then ipso facto it has been filled with acid. For true long-term storage, a battery’s cells should be rinsed several times and the battery thoroughly dried before it goes into storage.

Carboys of battery acid are available from many industrial and marine battery dealers. WARNING: All the usual safety precautions for handling strong acid (around 6 molar) apply!

Two Letters Re: A Different Perspective on Packing a Bugout Bag

Jim:
F.J.’s BOB article was dead on – Kudos!
 
We tend to approach things head on as opposed to tackle out problems at angles.  Why do I say it this way?  I challenge any of your readers that have issue, first, in a calm environment to take a pleasant – stress free hike in both the summer and the winter.  Leave on a Friday afternoon, and come home on a Sunday.  Be somewhat adventurous – Hike in Friday night, set up camp, then Hike 10 to 12 Miles Saturday.  Then Sunday Hike out another 6-8.
 
Pick a date two months in advance and go with a friend or a group – and don’t change it. (Yes, this probably sounds like the Boy Scouts of America planning.)
 
Have fun and report back.
 
“Huh you say? What’s the point?”
 
Well – -you don’t know what the weather will be like, you have to think about what to pack, you hopefully will know your water sources but should have a full hydration pack starting off with and at least two Nalgenes.  Then when you get back, lay out into two piles everything you used in one pile, and everything you did not in the other.
 
I’m 220 pounds, over 40 and out of shape , and thought I was going to die – but I did it that weekend, 22 miles in 2.5 days.  I figured I could buy a new sleeping bag when I was schlepping that thing across that mountain vs. my beloved cliff bar – oh but my very cool 7 inch survival knife…..looked cool.  I felt like Don Rickles in Kelly’s Heroes and wanted to pay someone to carry that for me instead of carrying it – or the extra set of tent stakes I had, or the silly camping hammer I carried (now I look at rocks in a totally respectful manner!)
 
It teaches us something  about ourselves if nothing else – and that is what is essential and what is not.  One of the other dad’s went on to tell me the following week how his son did the entire AT with a tiny pocket knife (we were friends, but he helped me learn an important lesson).  Again, putting things into perspective – yes in a TEOTWAWKI time and place, my 7 inch survival knife will be much better than cool – it may be the line between life and death- but so may the decision between taking that versus 200 rounds of .45 ammo and humping it maybe two miles  before collapsing from a coronary – again providing we know ourselves.  That weekend I learned a lot – and hopefully will lose a lot more. – “Charlie-02”
 

 

Dear Mr. Rawles:

I had to reconsider my BOB when my wife tried to move it off the bed in the guest room and realized she couldn’t even lift it, let alone carry it for miles if needed. I had a small bag packed for her too, but her’s is mostly clothes while mine carried a lot of the “common” gear. If anything happens to me she’ll need to be able to grab my bag. I also had to consider that I’m no longer able to carry that much very far anyway. My solution is to use a large rolling Stanley FatMax toolbox, instead. I found a nice one – with big wheels – at the local big-box home improvement store for less than the cost of a decent pack.

I was able to pretty much combine both of our two packs into the tool box and managed to add more food. I still keep a pack too, but it’s a lot lighter now and has the just the essential stuff I grab all the time for short hikes, overnight camping trips, and such anyway. I can still manage to lift the box into the back of the truck or get it into a car by myself if needed. But I now know that I’ll use a lot less physical effort rolling that box along than trying to carry it all on my back if I have to. – Deputy Dan in Georgia

Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog’s G.G. flagged this: Many States Already Worried About Running Short

The descent into the abyss continues: Unable to pay bill, Michigan city turns off lights

K.A.F. sent this: Guatemala’s trash ‘miners’ risk lives to find gold

Charley S. forwarded this link: ‘He has a right to speak,’ said the cop to the banker

Items from The Economatrix:

Economy Picks Up But Hiring Outlook Stays Cloudy

Retailers Report Solid Gains In October

Greece In Turmoil Over Debt Plan, Markets In Limbo

Oil Prices Rise On More Encouraging Economic News

Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. flagged this: Five days later 435,000 still remain without power in Connecticut

   o o o

When seconds count, the police are only 30 minutes away (in downtown Detroit):  DDOT Drivers Refuse To Work: ‘They’re Scared For Their Lives’. Thanks to Todd G. for the link.

   o o o

Just a few preps would have meant the difference between life and death: Couple Found Dead Two Hours Before Power Restored. (Thanks to C.Z. for the link.)

   o o o

Largest Sunspot in Years Observed on the Sun. (Thanks to Bret S. for the link.) And speaking of outer space events: Quarter-mile-wide asteroid coming close to Earth. One troubling quote: “The asteroid stretches a quarter-mile across. Smaller objects come close all the time, Yeomans noted, but nothing this big will have ventured so close since 1976. And nothing this large will again until 2028.” Troubling, because that only accounts for known (cataloged and tracked) asteroids. There are often big, uncataloged ones that escape attention until after they have passed by Earth.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Once the euphoria of the initial announcement faded and as people have begun to closely examine the details of the European debt deal, they have started to realize that this “debt deal” is really just a “managed” Greek debt default. Let’s be honest – this deal is not going to solve anything. All it does is buy Greece a few months. Meanwhile, it is going to make the financial collapse of other nations in Europe even more likely. Anyone that believes that the financial situation in Europe is better now than it was last week simply does not understand what is going on. Bond yields are going to go through the roof and investors are going to start to panic. The European Central Bank is going to have an extremely difficult time trying to keep a lid on this thing. Instead of being a solution, the European debt deal has brought us several steps closer to a complete financial meltdown in Europe.” – Michael Snyder

Notes from JWR:

We’ve recently expanded our Amazon Store pages, with lots of new items including tools and optics. Check it out. If you click on one of our Amazon links and then “click through” to order ANY product from Amazon.com (not just the ones listed in our catalog), then a modest sales commission will be generated to support SurvivalBlog. Please shop with our our paid advertisers first. (See the ads in the right hand bar of the main blog page.) But if they don’t have what you are looking for, then you can shop via our Amazon store. Please keep our store links in mind for all of your Amazon.com purchases. Remember that you need to click on one of our SurvivalBlog Amazon Store links first, for SurvivalBlog to get a piece of the action.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Getting Home in a Crisis Will Require Gear and Fitness, by Vin F.

My family is the most important thing in my life. I sometimes ask myself, what will I do if there is some event that will leave me stranded away from home? Maybe the event is minimal and my vehicle works, I just drive home. What if it is something more serious like an EMP disables my vehicle and I have to walk home, would I be able to make it home to take care of my family. This is why I have a Get Home Bag (GHB) and I try to keep myself physically fit. My main concern is the gear, the route selection home and more importantly the physical fitness that would get me home in one piece with energy to spare.

Gear

The things that are always on me when I am at work are a good pocket knife, a quality multitool, flashlight, money and a good pair of boots. What I have in the vehicle that I always drive to work is my get home bag, 1 gallon of distilled water changed out monthly, a blanket and a good pair of running/ walking shoes.  The gallon of water goes in my canteens; I drink the rest to get me hydrated before the journey. The running/walking shoes and the blanket go into the GHB in case I need to change shoes as a result of hot spots on my feet and the blanket is to keep me warm. My get home bag is a backpack that blends in well with a population that may be migrating home, not one that is camouflaged or tactical looking. I want to blend in with the sheeple so that an opportunistic predator will not give me a second look but one that is subdued so that if I need to hide someplace dark to avoid people, I will not stick out. The clothes that I wear at work are ones that are a dark color, durable and that you can work in without them causing too much discomfort. The gear I carry is in my GHB is very basic, the idea is to get home as quickly and down and dirty as possible, without too much weight but that still will still keep me alive if I have to hole up for a few hours up to a day.

  • 1 dark earth tone or camouflage-pattern 8×10 tarp
  • 75’ roll of cordage(the inexpensive kind that you can get for less than $5),
  •  Hank of 550 paracord (?25’)
  •  Shemagh,
  • Butane lighter(goes in pocket when I start moving)
  •  Magnesium fire starter,
  • Rubbing alcohol,
  • Penny stove,
  •  Small roll of duct tape,
  •  1 qt military canteen with cup, stove support and cover,
  •  Military grade chemical lightsticks (2),
  • Small first aid kit in a 1qt Ziploc type bag
  • Two 1gal Ziploc type bags and a 55gal trashcan liner,
  • Fire resistant aviator gloves,
  • 2% tincture of iodine,
  • A sack that used to hold drums of linked 5.56 ammo for the M249 SAW that will conveniently hold a 1 qt canteen with cover
  • 2qt canteen with cover and carrying strap
  •  Some granola bars, peanut butter and crackers packets, cliff bars or power bars
  •  Map of the area
  • Some seasonally appropriate clothing( Jacket, gloves, hat, extra pair of socks, etc)

I know that some of these items are tactical or military based but those items stay in the bag until needed and what can I say, you go with what you know and the military items are all high quality, durable items that are inexpensive and that you can get nearly anywhere. All of this including water weighs approx 15 lbs. This is a good weight because I know for a fact that depending on where I work I may have to travel between 15 and 25 miles to get home. For me that could take as little as 4 hours at an uninterrupted pace to days if I have to hole up or take the long way around to avoid trouble. That is why gear selection is so important but so is physical fitness.  You can have all the best gear in the world but if you cannot carry it two miles then it is doing you no good in getting you home. This is not a 72 hour BOB, this is an ultra light no nonsense pack that is to get you home in one piece. The items that I pack into the bag are intended to be a onetime use and inexpensive, (purchased at stores like Harbor Freight with coupons clipped from magazines or newspapers) so that if I lose them or have to ditch en route, it would not be a big loss. The other thing to consider when you are thinking about spending a lot of money on the kit that if you are in a foot race with someone who wants to hurt you, if you drop your gear as a diversion you might make a clean get away.  If it is inexpensive, you can laugh at how mad they will be when they find out that they only got a canteen of water and a pack of crackers. It is important to remember to keep your most valuable items on you or in your pockets.

Preparing to get home starts days, weeks or even years ahead of time. This comes in planning the route or routes home. How the roads are laid out?, do you anticipate many people on the roads?, where are there creeks or rivers in case you need to refill your water supply?, are the creeks or rivers crossable if bridges are out or blocked?, what are my alternates if any of your roads are blocked?, can you go cross country if needs be?, will I need to pass through bad neighborhoods?, what are some hole up areas if I do need to hunker down? What are some resources that I can utilize at work? Am I physically able to make the trip and will I be able to fight or think clearly when I get to my destination?

Fitness

There are four components of physical fitness with relation to getting home in a SHTF scenario. Endurance, speed, agility and strength. All of these can be accomplished with family in one way or another. This helps to build strong bonds and gives everyone an idea of the physical capabilities of the others in the family. Now the legal disclaimer: Your should not start an exercise program without consulting a doctor and you should discontinue if you feel faint or short of breath. You should also start an exercise regimen slow and gradually build up to where you want to be. If you try and do too much you increase the possibility of injury and then you are no good to anyone WTSHTF.

ENDURANCE. Being able to travel long distances over varying terrain with or without gear and with the possibility of little to no water or food. This is one of the things that will occupy the most training time because it is not something that you can build up twenty minutes a day, three days a week. This requires you to dedicate some real time, hours sometimes. One good way to incorporate a long walk or run a week is to involve your kids. Get them on a bike and let them ride while you walk. I recommend when you get to a decent fitness level that you start bearing weight and workout with more than you would carry in your get home bag. If your get home bag weights 15 lbs, carry 20-25 lbs, because if you can carry 20-25 lbs over long distances, you can carry 15 lbs over the same distance with less effort. If you intend to carry a sidearm while getting home but you may not want to draw attention to yourself while training, take a 2.5 lb weight plate and run your belt through the center home to simulate the weight of a sidearm. You can also take another plate and put it on the opposite side of the simulated sidearm to simulate magazines. Walk for time or distance, if you have an hour to spend, see how far you can go. If you only want to go 2 miles, see how fast you can do it. Build up until you get to a point where you can walk 75-80% of the distance hat you would walk if you have to walk home. If you require a 2 day walk to get home, cut the distance from work to home in half and use that as your goal.

SPEED. Being able to get to top running speed quickly when the need arises. This is a lot more fun to work on with your kids. Try having foot races with them; give them a head start if you are faster or start even if they are faster than you. It can also be incorporated into your endurance training, in the middle of your long runs or walks, pick a point in the distance and break into a dead run until you get to that point then resume your walking. It simulates getting away from a human predator, family dog or angry bull if you decide to cross the wrong pasture. Speed training is one of the most taxing forms of exercise; it requires a lot of energy and makes you work with more intensity. The good thing about this is that it gets easier as you build up your lactate threshold. Lactate threshold is that limit where your bodies can no longer remove the lactic acid as fast as it is producing it. This is the stiffness you feel in your legs when you are doing wind sprints. Speed training is an important factor in getting home because you may have to evade a human predator while on your journey. The quicker you can get to full speed and the longer you can sustain it, the better your chances of getting away. This type of exercise should be done no more that 2-3 days a week because of the toll it takes on the body.

AGILITY. It is being able to start, stop, turn and jump quickly. This is an important aspect of getting home because you may have to dodge a human predator, jump over a wall or log and move in and out of tree lines or around obstacles. The way to incorporate this fitness aspect with your family is play tag or a similar game with them. This is a great way to keep you and your kids quick and nimble. Other ways to get more agile is the exercises that you did in middle school gym class, suicides, run sideways, run backwards, box jumps or jumping rope. Agility training is also very hard on the body so you need to do this in moderation and like I said before, start off slow and build up.

STRENGTH. This is being able to lift or carry heavy objects possibly over long distances. This is the one thing love doing with my kids. I do pushups with the smaller ones on my back. Do squats with the kids on your shoulders or carrying them piggy back. Teach them to do a proper pushup. Core strength is very important and can be worked on in front of the television. Assume a modified pushup position but stay on your elbows and hold your body in a plank position. These can also be done on each side so your work your oblique’s. Another great place to go with your kids and get a workout is at the local park. Although these are usually designed for children, they can be used creatively to get some exercise. Monkey bars are great for pull-ups, varying types of pushups can be done on the apparatus, and reverse pushups can be done on a low bar; climb up and over rock climbing walls. Your kids will love doing this with you and you will have fun doing it. Once again start off slow. If you cannot do pull ups start off with negative pull ups, meaning, step on a box to get you to the high point of the pull up and lower yourself slowly. Also you can use a friend to hold your feet to assist you in doing regular pull ups. Over time you will be able to do pull ups without assistance. Another good way to gain strength is frontier skills. Cutting, splitting and stacking wood by hand will make you strong in a hurry. The feeling of strength or power you get when you can split an oak log with one shot cannot be beat. There is no gym out there that will get you in shape like digging post holes, splitting wood, and carrying odd shaped objects, or hoeing the ground by hand. These last few exercises are not just for getting home but being able to work for an extended period of time doing manual labor in a TEOTWAWKI situation.

The last thing to address is being able to think under pressure and when you are tired. When you finish a physical task how is your thinking? Is it clouded from the effort or can you put the physical exhaustion aside and think clearly? I have come up with ways to train yourself to think under pressure. The physiology of adrenaline pumping through your body and the after effects of exercise are similar. What I try to do when I have done something exhausting like exercise is to do something that requires a higher level of thought, and I do not mean philosophy. What I mean is after exercising do an easy crossword puzzle, field strip your weapons or do simple arithmetic. These activities will help train you to keep your thinking clear when you are tired, during a high pressure situation or when the fog of war sets in.

The question that you need to ask yourself when judging when you are physically fit enough to get home is, will I have the energy to fight when I get home? Will I be able to chase someone or a group of people away when you get home or if you get home and there are roving bands of looters in the area, will you be able to pull an all night guard duty after traveling from work a great distance? The crux of determining whether or not you are where you should be in your physical fitness quest, are you able to go to the limits of your mental strength and fitness for 24, 48 or 72 hours?

The last thing I want so mention about getting home is that there are going to be a lot of people on the road trying to get home, help those that you can, but if there are people that mean you harm and you cannot get away, then strike first and with violence of action.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave or forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6

Four Letters Re: A Different Perspective on Packing a Bugout Bag

Greetings to you Mr. Rawles,
Thank you for the blog, which is much appreciated here in the UK. I wanted to share just a few lines on the matter of bug-out-bags (BOBs) in the light of my recently re-established contact with some friends in Libya.

A discussion of the politics there would not be appropriate for your site, though I would ask you and your readers to consider the possibility that they may have been lied to by the mainstream media and their bankster chums.

My friends, decent, middle-class people (an engineer and two doctors) had no involvement with politics at all. Unfortunately they did share a tribal name (similar to a surname) with the despised leader and target of recent aggression. And that was enough.

Life was progressing normally, there were a few demonstrations about not-very-specific complaints, youths having run-ins with the police: You don’t pay that much attention, do you? Then one night a friend phones and says: “Get out, get out NOW, the killing has started and they’re coming for you.”

So you grab your stuff and get the h**l out of Dodge: no time to pack, the women still in their pajamas, you drive to a more friendly town. What did you grab? ID documents, laptop and mobile phone, cash. You aren’t going to live off the land, there is no land, only desert.
So you stay in the friendly town, but over the next few weeks that gets bombed, blown up and it falls to the opposition also, so you run again. Only by this time its only the womenfolk running: the men have been captured, fighting, defending themselves. You don’t know what has happened to them, last you heard was that they were in custody (the extra-judicial killing has toned down a little because of the presence of the world’s media, but the gang-rape of women with the wrong name continues.)
But the womenfolk have run, this time giving false names and bemoaning the “loss” of their IDs in all the confusion and fighting. They get through, and are now living in the house of a sympathetic distant relative. There, blood is still thicker than water. But they cannot go out. At all. Day after day inside the house, staying away from the windows. That was up till two days ago, my last contact.
I don’t know how it will end. Badly I suspect.

So, lessons to be learned? The most valuable things in a jam are cash and communications: call your friends, your family, your comrades, get news, pass on news, negotiate.
Internet and social media, Twitter and texts all got shut down quickly, but the mobile phone network itself was kept running because that’s what everyone cant do without.
Its worth thinking about, having a mobile, a spare in the car, maybe another in the BOB.

Of course, there’s a tendency to think “that couldn’t happen here, not to me” and maybe it couldn’t, not in exactly the same way: but we have differences of colour, of religion, of politics, of gang, of social class. You might not believe me, but all the trouble I describe is just because of a surname, that’s all, nothing more, nothing hidden. Just your name.

The more I think on the subject, the more I feel life could get very ugly very quickly given the right amount of stress.
My best wishes to you and you readers. – The Old Bladerunner.

Mr. Rawles,
As I see, you are already receiving responses to the BOB article and I wanted to chime in.  The main reason for my BOB, which is in the trunk of my car, is so that I could attempt to get home in the event of a disaster while I’m at work.  My office, in Memphis, is about 26 miles from my home, in northern Mississippi.  If it’s not possible to get the car out of the parking garage, or even it I could only get a portion of the way by car, it would take many hours to walk all the way home, especially in an earthquake scenario, or if there is local, civil unrest.  There would be many unsafe areas to travel through in that event.  So, yes, my BOB is heavy, and I might end up having to abandon some things; but if at all possible, I want everything I can think of that it would take to get me both safely home and provide some comfort if (which is likely) I had to be out in the dark of night on the way.  I have flashlight and batteries, lighter, freeze dried and other small food items, water, poncho, rope, small knife, radio, a flare, extra ammo, and other items.  Since so many hours of every week day are spent at work, it seems to me quite likely any disaster event could occur during the workday and I want to be prepared so I can try to make it home to my husband where we have longer term supplies at hand. 
Thanks for all your good work.  I appreciate you. – Theresa L. in Mississippi

 

Jim,
Thanks for all you do to help get people prepared. I know I’ve found this blog invaluable in getting my own preparations underway.

I have seen many responses to the Bugout Bag article from last week. I would say that for me, the weight of the bag is less an issue because my entire kit is not in my bag. Items I need most (flashlights, spare mags, knives, that sort of thing) are on my belt, or drop down bags attached to the belt and strapped to my legs. Many other quick access items are in pockets or hooked with carabiners to my MOLLE compatible vest, or in the pockets of my heavy duty cargo pants. The camping equipment, bulk food, and stuff I don’t necessarily need at a moments notice are in the MOLLE bag on my back. My medical kit is in a detachable bag on my MOLLE bag. Having my equipment distributed over a greater area of my body makes the overall kit much more manageable than having all my stuff crammed into the large bag. It’s also far less strain on my back. I would suggest to your readers that not everything needs to go in one place, and thus the weight of the bag is less of a major issue. Bulky items and heavy things go in the bag – little stuff can go just about anywhere. – Miss T. in Ohio

Dear Mr. Rawles,
A few thoughts on winter bugging out:
In the frozen north, the middle of winter is an unlikely time that anyone would choose to “bug out” of their house or anywhere else in -40 weather unless some major catastrophe forced them to do so in such extreme weather conditions. It would not be smart to leave the protection of having four walls and a roof around you even if the grid electricity and heat no longer works.
 
That being said, I do have an extreme winter BOB It currently weighs in at 50 lbs. The core basics of the bag contain the following (in no particular order):
 
1 – Katadyn hiker water filter.
2 – Various ways to instantly start a fire, including some “canned heat” gel fuel cans.
3 – Multiple knives of various types along with multi-tools.
4 – Ice fishing kit, sling shot and pellet pistol.
5 – Enough food to last me at least 3 days with a small mess kit.
6 – Rope, tarps, and heat reflecting blankets.
7 – First Aid kit.
8 – Winter clothing of various types which includes quick drying items.
 
The above list is only a fraction of what I can fit in to a 50lb winter survival bag and there is much more inside than what I listed above. In my opinion and experience, heat, water and food will be the first priorities to seek in a bug out winter environment (in that order).
 
There are some obvious problems with a winter bug out. It’s useless trying to carry water since it will freeze in no time and adds a huge amount of weight to any carry situation. You would need to melt snow or ice along the way for water needs. And of course, filter it before drinking.
 
As with water, any canned food that contains water can burst open once it freezes. In winter conditions you really don’t have a choice about the food you pack. It will have to be dry goods that can be cooked in boiling water from a fire or other heat source. You will have to find water along the way and be able to convert ice and snow into potable water.

I have to assume that I would already be wearing my daily winter gear if I ever needed to bug out during a -40 cold snap. It would be impossible to pack such thick back up clothing inside a large bag that already weighs 50lbs. I would literally be leaving with the clothes on my back and the other items in my bag.
 
Batteries for flashlights and other items quickly become useless in extreme cold unless you can carry the items next to your body to provide a constant heat source. A cell phone would be useless in a couple of hours and would be nothing more than extra weight and annoyance you have to carry. In a real crisis the cell phones probably won’t work anyway.
 
Lastly, in a winter environment, heat is the #1 priority. You can’t boil water or cook food if you are freezing to death. Your hunger pangs will turn to joy and you will have plentiful water… once you get the heat going.
 
From The Frozen North, – Mike M.