The subject of this post is building a Get Home Bag, the third ‘tier’ or link in our emergency planning. As stated before each bag or set of equipment you put together needs to be tailored to the task and purpose built. Not everyone is in the same situation or faces the same issues. Each of us has to tailor our equipment to our own needs and abilities. If you have a medical condition this needs to be taken into account when putting items together. Of great importance is your physical condition.
You can have the most complete, everything you could ever want included and expensive pack ever made……………… but if you cannot carry the pack a hundred yards you have collected a lot of equipment for someone else to use!!!!
The bag in the photos is the one keep stashed in my truck. It is purpose built to my needs and abilities. For me the average distance I might have to walk home, in worst case scenario, is 66.1 or 66.7 miles depending on which mapping system I use to check the distance. First thing you might notice is my bag does not have everything you could possible need in it and you would be right! My bag has room to add things and somethings I might take out if I felt no need for them. The point is I have the items on hand to use should something come up. I also plan on incorporating my Every Day Carry (EDC), Bail Out Bag (BOB), other items in my truck and anything around me to help me get home. For me the odds of driving through the Sahara Desert, Alaskan tundra, Detroit or some other area void of resources is slim. Again bags need to be tailored to the environment you most likely will find yourself in.
Not everything I plan on using lives inside the bag. There is just not enough room inside the bag. This is how the items live in the turck. I do not want someone to look into the truck and see a fully packed bag with pouches and attachments all over the place. Instead this stuff looks like a bunch of "stuff" just sitting in the back.
Remember worst case you have to walk home during an emergency. A pair of broken in boots is the best choice for footwear. Keeping them on the outside yet attached to the bag saves space on the inside of the bag for other items and makes sure they are there if you pull the bag out!The waterproof bag contains extra clothing and items to use if the weather is cold. Remember the bag is tailored to the area, heavy winter items are not usually needed to deal with the weather here. The rolled up bedroll can easily be strapped to the bag and also works to cover up young ones when they fall asleep in the truck on long drives. Adding this to a “ranger roll” is living the high life for an old grunt!
These next items cover emergency medical issues, water filtration, fire starting, knowledge and you can never have enough hand sanitizer!! The medical kit would be strapped on to the outside of the bag and can handle simple cuts to gunshot wounds. There is a water filter straw, with the directions attached and some iodine, with directions written on it. I try to leave directions with items because you never know who you might be with during an emergency. Sure you know how to use the equipment but does your better half or the girl from the office you are walking home with? The SAS survival book is also included because there really is no way to know everything unless all you do is training for emergencies and survival every day!!!
The next group of items covers medication, sanitation, extra lighting and some food issues. Hard candy is a great thing to have with you. It gives you the sugar rush and can calm upset children. A can opener is a must! Last thing you want is to have a can of food and no way to open it!!!
Next come another medical bag which contains items for blisters, sprains and other injuries like these. Not life threatening but things you need to address to keep moving. A pair of binoculars, something not everyone needs, this is a item I choose to carry. Cooking gear; small stove which does not require gas, some pots, inside of which is some food items. The last item is a pack cover/rain cover I can put over the entire pack. Why? Because if it is raining I want my stuff to stay dry and I also want to conceal the ‘military’ look of the bag if need be.
I choice this bag for the way it can open up and lay flat as you can see by this photo. Very easy to get to what you want when a bag opens like this. Included in this picture is a pair of gloves and a N-95 mask. Essential if you are in an emergency with rubble and dust. The mask is also good for biological, flu, situations. There is also a plastic water bottle with duct tape and para cord wrapped around the bottle. Neat trick I picked up and not my own idea!!! You can also see several MRE's, poncho and poncho liner.
Last picture shows several water purification systems, roll of duct tape and some garbage bags. I do not plan on carrying a lot of water on me so I have to be able to make what I find safe to drink. Again this is fitting the bag to you!
The key to this bag is to have resources on hand I can use should something happen. Do not over load yourself! I plan on moving quickly and a heavy bag filled with everything for any situation would just slow me down. Once you pack a bag take a walk with it. Try walking two or more miles with all your equipment. Be honest with yourself and see if you could really carry what you have packed. If you can not........ adjust the gear and/or work on your physical abilities. Remember the bag is to help you get home not run into the woods and live for the next twenty years!!!
As Always,
Be Safe!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment