Yet even a situation like these might lead us to circumstances where we have to abandon our vehicle or do not have time to pack everything we can. Maybe the situation has come upon us so quickly we can only grab a few items and run. Flood waters rising, chemical cloud drifting toward you or a wildfire is advancing toward your home. What can we do ahead of time to assist our family in the moments or days ahead?
Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance
Before we grab what we can and load up we need to figure out one very important thing, the most important thing. Where are you going?
Without a destination you cannot prepare. We have to know the goal, we have to give ourselves a destination and we cannot simply pack our car up to drive in some random direction. This is for obvious reasons, one not really thought about is a destination gives you a goal, gives you an ending to the journey and gives you something to focus on when confronted with despair or obstacles. If the group you are with or if you find yourself alone a goal, destination, will allow you to focus your efforts. This focus could mean the difference between life and death for you and your family.
Having a destination allows us to plan on how much we have to pack. We need to have a destination outside of the affected area. This might be Grandma’s house or a friend in another city, this location needs to be far enough away to actually be somewhere we can find refuge from the emergency. Odds are this means the worst case is we walk for a day or more? What do we really NEED to make this journey?
Imagine grabbing what you need in less than five minutes, putting it on your back and walking toward your safe location. Put your children into the scenario, your ailing parents………….
We need a bag we sling onto our backs as a last resort! Having a bag and nothing more needs to be our last resort. Even if we are fleeing with only a few minutes notice we need give ourselves tools to survive.
The first of these tools is identification. We need to be able to prove who we are. Even if we end up in a refugee camp having identification will allow us prove who we are and allow us to enter faster than those who have none. Our bag needs to pre-packed with copies of identification. This can be a copy of your current driver’s licenses with maybe an old one. Copies of birth certificates, passports or any other valid form of identification but please DO NOT keep the originals in a bag!! Keep them locked up!!
Water, we need a way to carry it and a way to purify any we find. There is no way we can carry in a bag enough water for a walk of several days. One gallon of water weights seven pounds!!! A suggestion would be a light weight hiking filter system.
Food, for simplicity one MRE has enough calories to keep you alive for one day. There are other options but these come pre-packaged with everything, including a spoon.
Shelter, pack at least one set of clothes. Complete with underwear and socks. If you are able and have the room in the bag pack more than one pair of socks. There is nothing better than putting on a clean pair of socks after hiking all day. Add a jacket and a hat to the bag. Our basic shelter comes from utilizing layering to keep us warm. Put an emergency blanket into the bag, the silver reflexing type. These are good no matter what, in most cases you get what you pay for and a good suggestion is to spend more than a dollar or two on these if you can. The higher priced ones are usually made to be used more than once. A tarp or even garbage bags can be used to make shelter and are excellent at just putting something between yourself and the rain. All of the items you pack for shelter need to be appropriate to the climate you live in. If you live in Minnesota your shelter needs are going to be different than someone who lives in Arizona.
Hygiene, pack a toothbrush and other items, do you absolutely need them? No, but it really helps with morale. You can go much longer without a shower or even brushing your teeth than most think they can. TOILET PAPER, is an absolute must!!!! You have to pack at least one roll per person!!! Ladies or fellas packing for ladies, pack items for that time of the month. Because odds are something bad will happen during that time period!!! You can pick up a lot of these items at the dollar store or any of the big box type stores for cheap. Pick up foot powder, fresh socks and foot powder will make you feel human again after walking all day!!!!
Tools, this is an issue of weight. A knife, good solid tang construction, nothing too fancy and something you won’t feel bad hitting with a hammer is the first thing you should pack for this category. With a good knife you can solve many of life’s issues. Fire starting kit with at least three different ways of starting a fire is a good suggestion. Again, with fire you can solve many of life’s issues!! Para-cord, with this you can build shelter, secure equipment and a host of other things. Just do not try and take a tool for everything you think might come up. Keep tools to multi use items, a multi-tool would fit this bill.
Medication or other special needs have to be planned for and packed for. If someone is allergic to bees they need to pre-pack a bee sting kit or medication they will need. This way they do not end up in a situation without what they need. Same goes for any other person requiring medication on a daily basis or with any issue which might require medication. If you have asthma ensure you pack an inhaler!!! Someone needs catheters; make sure they have some pre-packed. Everyone’s situation is different and you need to take your special needs into account.
A bug out bag should remain your last option! This last option should only be put into play once all your other options have been exhausted or cannot be used. This should be incorporated into your planning and thought of as part of a complete plan and not just your “plan”!!! Sure we could add to this bag, remember this is our last ditch item, we need to move and we need to pack only what we can carry.
As Always,
Stay Safe!
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