I personally had an interesting experience with this when I went on a trip to visit my oldest child. Instead of going by myself one of my younger children was going to go with me this trip!!! Going through my stuff I quickly realized my kit was good for taking care of one good looking, older fella but not one good looking, older fella and a five year old little lady!!! I had to sit down for a minute or two and figure out what I would need to adjust in order to cover the mission at hand.........
Now matter the situation which might arise I would have to take the little lady into account. Flat tire - do I have the things I need to make sure she does not get stuck for to long on the side of the road? Traffic accident - did I pick the right place to put her carseat and did I put it in properly? Food - do have snacks for her while driving? Clothes - how many changes of clothing does a five year old need? The list just keeps growing if you think to hard! Whatever happen I did not want to come home to an angry Boss Lady because I screwed something up!!!!
I had to decide if I went all "The End Of The World As We Know It"
Or maybe tone it down a bit. Either way I would have to tailor my gear to the reality of the situation. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, be realistic!! Which means plan to cover as many things with the minimum amount of stuff. We can not plan for every event but we can plan to give ourselves flexibility, good foundation of equipment and knowledge to use both.
Of course I packed the car with all of the regular stuff kids and adults need for a trip covering a few days and a couple of hundred miles. After the Boss Lady packed the youngsters gear I started to pack my gear and adjusting things for the current situation. If you have never seen the supply train for a little one.............. Take what most women pack on a trip and double it!!!! (that ought to get me in trouble)
My stuff in the pockets really did not need to change. I had my wallet, lighter, cash, flashlight etc etc. I did add a few things.... Every Day Carry covered!
My Bail Out Bag!!! Ok here I was stuck for awhile. My bag is packed for me, for what I would need if I had to jump out of the car and boogy. Now I had to figure out what I needed for the Little Boss if we had to bail out!!! Dumping the pack on the table I went pocket by pocket and item by item. This took me longer then you might think. Some of this was easy, identification, extra money, GPS, charging cables for phone, fire starting gear and water purification. A lot of the stuff went back to where it lives in the bag.
I had to figure out how to pack extra clothes for the both of us. Which I did with a compression sack, just barely! I had some medical stuff for me but a five year old can not live on ibuprofen alone. Repacking the medical items I added children flu medicine and a box of band aids with her favorite cartoon characters on the band aids.
I then realized I missed something........ TOILET PAPER!!!! Not just the amount I would carry for me but, remember this part guys, enough for a five year old to use!!!! After shifting items around I loaded some up and added a kids poncho for the little lady.
Ladies you may skip this part..... guys, we have to remember the special needs of the fairer sex when we are putting stuff together OR you could have more issues to deal with than just the alien zombie invasion!!! OK ladies come back.
Tossing in some MREs and a case of water I thought I had everything covered. Until the Little Boss Lady reminded me we had to take her favorite Teddy Bear with us!! DUH, I am an idiot!!! A few other items were packed away and we were off on the GRAND ADVENTURE!!!
Remember your situation changes from time to time and we need to review what we have to fit the task at hand. Having a solid base of items and skills makes this much easier. If something is easier odds are we will do it, Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!!! Before we hit the freeway I had already mentally gone over what I would now have to grab if I bailed out. My B.O.B., the Little Boss Lady and the teddy bear!!!
As Always,
Stay Safe.
(P.S. the trip went beautifully!!)
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