I believe that the FEMA lists mentioned are here.

This is valuable info.

Living near Houston, tropical weather would be the biggest threat, so I'll probably prepare something similar for my wife and myself. We also have a small pair of walkie-talkies, and since cell phone channels can be jammed, they could be useful.

If you can't connect on a cell phone, send a text message - they are queued up and delivered when conditions allow.

Tums and Tylenol I understand, but why the Tic-Tacs? Unless that's a "so that your breath isn't hideous after three days without a toothbrush" item, rather than some medical use I haven't thought of...

Socks:

I was just at Costco, and at least at my local Costco, they are selling 4 pairs of good wool hiking socks for $9.99. Two weeks ago I paid $8.99/pair for identical socks at a specialty hiking store. They're thick, good-quality and very comfortable, and at least 85% wool. I recommend checking it out -- don't know whether Costco's inventory is totally nationwide, but I wouldn't be surprised. These are the socks I would want in a survival situation, especially a situation where I might have to walk for a long way.

Flashlights:

I like the LED ones that work off Faraday's Principle of Induction (as can be found at ThinkGeek). No batteries needed.

Also, I linked the jump kit page in a comment on Lifehacker recently (commenters were asked to weigh in on what they'd grab in 30 minutes in the event of a wildfire). I'm a hypocrite, though, because I haven't put together my urban bag yet.

My local Costco has windup LED flashlights in 4-packs for $20. One for home, one for the car, one for work ....

The comment thread at Lifehacker that Caroline mentions seems to be here.

It is impossible to have too many ZipLoc bags. They're up there with the LED flashlight as the most useful thing I carry with me.

Things I've really missed while in emergency situations on the road: My written prescription for my asthma inhaler, back when they first put through the liquids and gels ban and started tossing all prescription meds without attached prescription printouts. And warm clothing, during last year's October Surprise blizzard in Buffalo, when my rental car got covered in two feet of snow and I got to dig it out wearing socks for mittens and a scarf wrapped around my head as a hat. I've been carrying a spare pair of gloves and a fleece headband in my computer bag ever since.

Caroline @ 4: The induction-powered lights are great and really appeal to the geek in me but I am disappointed at Think Geek for not including the warning that the manufacturer, other retailers and reviewers mention:

NB: The charging magnet is made of anisotropic sintered ceramic containing neodymium, iron and boron. There are two other neodymium magnets inside the torch, one at either end of the case to provide a magnetic cushion for the charging magnet. Because these magnets produce such strong magnetic fields, you need to be careful around credit cards and magnetic computer media. Please read the warning information included in the box.

I doubt you'll be putting anything magnetically sensitive in your go bag prior to an emergency but I know a lot of people whose first response to the need to evacuate would be to grab the backup hard drive and shove it in whatever bag was closest. Putting the light into a pocket with a wallet containing credit cards would also be bad.

>I've figured out that there's no way I could possibly carry as many items as they list (I'd be dying from the weight of the bottles of water alone), and get myself and my cat and my husband out of the house in ten minutes.

Well, there's your obvious 1st answer; get the cat a rucksack...

And to add to Jim's lists: Condoms. Not for the obvious. They make great water carriers, can waterproof anything they'll stretch over and they'll stretch a loooong way, keep dust out of anything pipe-like, make great tourniquets... Only limited by your imagination and take up negligable room and weight.

Also, consider a pencil instead of a pen. They don't dry up, freeze or leak and write on a much wider range of surfaces than pen including wet ones.

Finally, a length of gaffa tape. Just make your own mini reel of it from any suitable core former: a ballpoint case, film can, whatever. Gaffa will repair ripped clothes, tents, in fact anything in a pinch.

I kill flashlights. Have managed to kill an induction one and also a AA LED one in the last two years. Don't ask me what happened, I pull them out of my purse to find the car in the dark, and... they don't.

The magnet in the induction on was good for picking Canadian quarters out of my change jar, though (Canadian quarters are magnet sensitive, US quarters aren't. I don't remember about dimes and nickels.)

This probably goes under prescriptions and other medications:

If you wear glasses, when you get a new pair, put the old one in with the emergency supplies. Also, those glasses repair kits are useful to have around.

I've got my stuff in a rolling small suitcase rather than backpack, as one of my shoulders is so messed up, a backpack is impossible. *sigh* If emergency evacuation happened, it'd be one hand for the suitcase, the other for the cane, and ghods help me if I need to walk more than three or four blocks, 'cause I can't.

Friends got me a two-burner propane stove for the holidays last year, after the several-days-of-no-power. If you can stay at home, but the weather's cold, having warm soup/drinks is not a bad thing.

(And yes, I do the rotate-the-prescriptions, but only every three to six months - they're still nowhere near the expiration date.)

Are wind-up LED torches available in the USA? Some of them come with a built-in radio, and have mobile phone charging connectors suitable for Nokia, Motorola and some other models. You crank the handle for a few minutes, and it produces enough power for about twenty minutes of light, one or two minutes of phone use, and so on.

Here are some windup flashlights: http://www.21st-century-goods.com/page/21st/CTGY/HCKP

Keep size and weight in your thoughts when you're selecting gear.

About the heaviest thing in my urban kit is the roll of quarters, but if you leave that at home you'll wish you hadn't. Other stuff ... use your best judgment.

A couple of nifty things you can pick up at your local army surplus - type store: water-resistant notepads and a large backpack with a hydration system. We have one of these packs that we use as a weekender. It holds an amazing amount of stuff, has a zillion pockets, multiple handle for various carrying configurations, and a built-in camel pack for water.
I'm from Oklahoma and have been through my share of tornadoes. My family always thought I was nuts because I would grab my purse and put on tennis shoes whenever the sirens sounded. Then we weathered the massive tornado outbreak in May of 1999. They realized the shoes protect your feet from debris after the storm, and that your body is much easier to ID if your wallet is on you. Morbid, but important. Also, it's much easier to withdraw money from your bank for a hotel, new clothes, and food if you have ID on you.

one AA flashlight...one AA transistor radio...one pre-paid phone card...lists of phone numbers

All of these (and GPS) are built into mobile phones - though a spare phone card (if there's still payphones left where you are) and a list on paper is probably good to have if (when) your battery runs out.

Relying on a mobile phone in a major emergency as a source of light or a substitute for a radio is great until its battery runs out. AA batteries are obtainable very easily - in a pinch they can be found (or looted) in any convenience store, supermarket, hardware store... etc. Power to recharge a mobile phone might not be so easy to come by.

Note that about $12 dollars in quarters fits nicely into an M&M Minis tube (the small one - the large one holds quite a bit more, but is unwieldy - the small one fits in a back pocket). The minis tubes are water-resistant, but not actually water-tight - they will survive casual water exposure, but dedicated submerging will eventually soak the stuff inside.

Roy Ovrebo #15 -
one AA flashlight...one AA transistor radio...one pre-paid phone card...lists of phone numbers

All of these (and GPS) are built into mobile phones - though a spare phone card (if there's still payphones left where you are) and a list on paper is probably good to have if (when) your battery runs out.

This presumes your phone is anything other that an expensive paperweight when the towers are down - some are, some aren't. It also presumes a level of mobile sophistication that is often lacking in most US-branded cell phones (US phones tend to stress smartphone tech over things like am/fm/weather receivers, or flashlights - and although the LCD on a cell can make a surprisingly effective impromptu light source, it's not very long ranged, bright, or useful for things like signaling, or putting a bit of light - right there.

The hand crank flashlights, radios, etc. are good for an evac kit (especially a more complete one intended to get you well away from the disaster site), or as part of your car's emergency kit (your car does have a separate emergency kit, tailored for your area's most common auto disaster types*, right?), but in your urban "get the hell home, and it's dark" - a micro-size multi-band radio and a pair of ear buds is likely more useful. And LED flashlights come in sizes ranging down to 'absolutely tiny' - I carry a pretty bright Inova in my back pocket (with my wallet and a Leatherman) - and it isn't even small, as such things go.

I would add another stash of money - maybe two hundred dollars - in the evacuation bag, along with another roll of quarters. Like many of the things on this list (including the bag itself) these may not be necessary - but if the situation is worse than "stabilize in a couple of days", that extra cash can make a difference between staying in a cheap hotel, staying in the public shelter - or staying nowhere at all.

*So mine has, in addition to the usual basic auto tools, spare fuses, full-size spare tire, jumper cables, and the like, a pair of winter gloves and a pullover hat, a change of footwear, wool shirt and socks, a sweatshirt, a container of ice-melter crystals, a small entrenching tool, some water, some gatoraid, a spare umbrella, and the like - covering rain, dehydration from events, and SNOW. I don't keep radiator fluid in the car, because the chances of a well-maintained auto overheating in the Rochester area is fairly minimal - but I have a jug of washer fluid, because you can go through it pretty quickly

I'm fairly sure that the mobile phone networks will overload in emergency; they don't have the capacity for simultaneous calls that the wireline networks have. Still, a day or two on, a mobile phone might be useful.

It has just occurred to me that in a major emergency mobile phone networks may be overloaded or damaged to some extent. CB radio may be the answer, but then we have the problems of weight, bulk and power requirements. Wind-up CB radio, anybody?

A normal watch or travel clock. I know too many people that use their cell phone to tell time and are screwed without it. Important to know the time for spacing the dose of some medications; also if the news reports storm to make landfall at 7pm.

Anti-chafing ointment: you can get the dignified stuff for grownups that Jim recommends; but the stuff they sell to prevent baby diaper rash, like Balmex, will work just fine -- and you can find it in every drugstore.

I don't know about wind-up CB radios, but I have a pretty small battery-operated hand-held one. It lives in the car. Tune to channel 9 for emergency transmissions.

Good lists. But not enough water.

I've realized lately that I'm less likely to need to take off to a safe place, and more likely to want to provide refuge for others at my house (way out in the desert). I keep thinking about generators. I'd like to get a solar generator for the well.

You definitely need to presume that the cell system will overload/get knocked out/be nonfunctional for other reasons in any major crisis - if you have one, great, but don't count on it. Same goes for local broadband service (especially wireless, for those places that have city-wide wifi) - don't count on the crackberry, wireless push on your smartphone, etc. Alternate communication systems - and even landline phones can get overloaded in a crisis (but they do work even if all other power is shot - unless you have a wireless phone, in which case all bets are off).

I'm thinking that if you can't carry the weight of water then how about the sanitizing iodine tablets for water and a good shatter proof container like a stainless steel flask.

Beth: like a photovoltaic array with battery backup? A decent setup could provide power for other applications as well (probably not enough for cooking or airconditioning).

By the time you're carrying a gallon and a half of water you're well into the Roughing It / Camping Out mode, and well away from Get From Home To A Shelter mode.

You can get little straws that have filters in 'em that'll allow you to sip darn-near any water, if that's what's on your mind. http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2005/05/lifestraw.html

Don't some of those windup radio/flashlight thingies have a DC-out plug? They could be used as an emergency battery (depending on voltage, etc).

The solar charger is a great idea as well, and less tiring.

If you're worried about infrastructure breakdown, then some kind of water filter is a really good idea. Someone just told me about one that works via ultraviolet - and it has a solar recharging option.

On water - my evac bag (coincidentally, also my camping backpack - kept topped off at all times) has both tablets and a small water filter - you can buy (semi-)expensive Katadyn filters like mine, or cheap disposable units that will clean up x gallons of water, at most camping/outdoors stores (certainly at Gander Mountain, or EMS, likely at Dick's). There are also water bottles with built-in filters (the nice folks at Britta make a water bottle with an activated carbon filter - I don't know if it will keep the giardia away, but it does a pretty good job of turning marginal water into drinkable water, and the filter is replaceable).

Nalgene bottles (made by Nalge plastics, here in Rochester, NY) are damn near unbreakable, don't contaminate water, etc. - highly recommended. They also make polypaper, which is damn near indestructible - you need a knife or scissors to cut it, it resists chemicals, even flame, but you can write on it with anything. Rite in the Rain makes a similar product, and is likely cheaper and more compatible with jump bag needs (the polypaper is available mostly in normal laser printer pages and scientific notebooks).

Thanks for posting this-- I'll probably get one together soon, just enough to get to shelter. I hadn't thought of triaging the bags like this; my zombie-apocalypse plan is 'get home to family' and I hadn't amended it to include any more plausible problems. This in spite of being rather inconvenienced by a few hours without electricity.

re: Teresa @ #21:

As a father of two under three, I recommend specifically Desitin Original over either Balmex or Desitin Creamy. For diaper rash applications the higher Zinc Oxide content (40% vs, I think, about 15%) works (I think) as a better moisture barrier.

I don't know for certain that that's better against chafing, but I promise you it's better against diaper rash.

On the batteries v mobile phones issue. One of the things I was very keen about in my antepenultimate mobile phone – an analogue Alcatel model I had to discard cos of the shift to digital – was the ability to fit it with ordinary AA batteries as well as the special rechargeable mobile ones.

I haven't yet found a more modern model with this feature in Australia. But I have used my phone as an emergency light, clock with alarm, timer, calculator, and container for useful info like names and addresses. It would be great if, even without a working phone system, I could put in batteries to keep it working longer.

This isn't about emergency survival kits, but about what you want to have with you if you have to leave and don't know if home will be there when you get back.

Make a list now of what you need to be able to grab quickly, or have in duplicate elsewhere, in those circumstances. Things like family pictures, financial documents, important papers like birth certificates and so on. Thanks to the wonders of the digital age, many of these things, like the family pictures, can be recorded and stored on things like flash drives, but that's no help if you haven't taken the steps to copy them.

Stop and ask yourself now: What paperwork is essential to recreating my life? What items are truly not replaceable? What can I do to make sure thse things can be saved if at all possible? Then do something about it.

FWIW, I live in the SoCal San Bernardino mountains, although we were never personally in danger from the latest round of fires. However, I took advantage of the situation to link to your previous treatises on preparedness (down at the bottom), including a link to the Doyle/MacDonald jump kit lists. Thank you so much for the info -- it does help when there's something you can do to prep for this sort of thing.

Jim, I'm obsessive about water: I live in the desert. We keep two gallons in each car at all times. A human needs a half gallon a day to survive out here, and you won't find anything to use tablets or straws on, unless you are very smart indeed about desert survival.

My survival kits have hats and sunscreen in them, too. A space blanket can be rigged for shade, as well as saving your ass in a cold night. I also recommend light rope for a car emergency kit, and string for a backpack kit.

Mez: you can use some wind-up LED torches as phone chargers -- they come with a set of mobile phone connectors. The "Nelson" models that you can buy at Woolworths seem reliable (I have several). The drawback is that you may be cranking the thing for a rather long time...

You'll find things like 100' of parachute cord in my wilderness pack. You'll naturally tailor your pack to your local situation and needs. Someone who lives way out in the desert will have a different loadout from someone who lives in downtown Boston whose biggest problem will be "How do I get to Cambridge (or, if the world really falls apart, Albany?)"

I'm looking for A Kit To Take if the Gas Company Guy says, "There's a Leak, Get Out!"

Umm, is there some particular reason this thread was posted now instead of some other time? Should I be panicking now?

I guess I shouldn't have watched that durned apocalyptic Nostradamus show on the History channel earlier this evening. heh.

De-lurking to second Fade Manley's question at #3--what is it with the Tic-Tacs?

I have one of those little gadgets that allows you to charge up a cell phone with 2 AA batteries. The charge lasts about a day. A car charger never comes amiss, either--and you can use it when the power's out.

Living reasonably close to DC for 37 years, I've always operated under the assumption that a crisis will either be instantaneously fatal or merely annoying. So far so good, although after various panics over the years I have a small stash of stale stuff I've never touched.

Beth, there aren't many people I think might need an area control device in event of serious social disorder, but you're one of them.

A generator would come first, though. Nothing matters more than water. Spare gasoline's also good. You're a long way from everything.

beth@22: I'd like to get a solar generator for the well.

A hot water heater holds about 30 gallons of water. It usually has a hose connection at the bottom for draining/flushing. That should make a pretty good water storage device for the house. At least to outlast a short term disaster that puts out your power.

Whatever happened to the old hand pumped wells anyway? I think my grandparents farm had one. No electricity required at all.

Scott Taylor @ 15:
This presumes your phone is anything other that an expensive paperweight when the towers are down - some are, some aren't. It also presumes a level of mobile sophistication that is often lacking in most US-branded cell phones (US phones tend to stress smartphone tech over things like am/fm/weather receivers, or flashlights - and although the LCD on a cell can make a surprisingly effective impromptu light source, it's not very long ranged, bright, or useful for things like signaling, or putting a bit of light - right there.

Fair enough - but for those of us in the rest of the world, it can be useful. And the torch and radio functions of many phones are obscure enough I suspect many people are unaware they exist.

Joy @ 39:
a crisis will either be instantaneously fatal or merely annoying

The last time we had a significant crisis in this part of Norway was from 1940-45, and there's no bag that would help for that...

There's a thought: the Grab This If Nazis Are Invading Your Country kit, containing a self-inflating rubber lifeboat and a Norwegian-English phrasebook with phrases like "Please help, the Germans have conquered my country!" (which will, of course, translate to "My self-inflating rubber lifeboat is full of eels!")

Found just now on ebay: a wind-up LED flashlight with built-in AM/FM radio, emergency siren, and mobile phone charger. Waterproof, natch, and it takes a 5v input if you want to charge it off a car battery or similar. Yes, I have a low saving throw vs. shiny, but this one looks useful enough that if it does as advertised, I'll be buying another one to keep in the car, and maybe a few more as seasonal presents. (I figure a present that can save your ass in an emergency is worth far more than any number of knitted socks and novelty Santas.)

I will confess to not keeping a go bag to hand, due to working in the place I live, right in the middle of a big city in a country with a temperate climate and few disasters in living memory. On the other hand, I know where to grab [nearly] everything in ten minutes flat ...

Thanks for the list, but I was wondering about those of us who use meds (in this case insulin, lantus, symlin) that need to be injected and temp controlled. Insurance being what it is, I never have much of a surplus on hand and if the power goes out and it is either summer or winter I risk spoiling the meds anyway. I can live without the lantus and symlin if I have to and use the rapid insulin more frequently and in higher doses. Of course, that assumes I don't run out of test strips or the meter doesn't die. And then there is the danger of lows.

I have always assumed that in the case of a long term serious disruption of services and supplies my diabetes will simply be uncontrolled.

That said, I plan to put together the urban (or suburban in my case) kits for work and home and to have stuff in the car as well.

In addition to the other chafing relief/prevention preparations, anti-perspirant also works in a pinch. The solids are best for this, I've found.

AA batteries: please do not store them in the device that uses them.*

*unless you have a spare device that is empty. I've had rotten, rotten luck for the longest time with leaving any kind of alkaline batteries in anything. Also, don't get smart and use rechargeable lithium batteries. Lithium is not water-compatible. (Though if you really, really, need to start a fire, and can breathe toxic gas...)

For cellphones in emergencies: turn it off as soon as the emergency strikes, to help extend battery life. Also, store important data on the SIM card, so you don't depend on the existence of a network to retrieve the data.

amysue, #45: use a backpack cooler for your meds--in summer emergencies, fill it with ice, in winter use warm water. If possible, head for a hospital; hospitals have their own generators.

This may not be the best place to mention it, but the Disaster theme reminds me of some TV ads I saw yesterday, for Wil Smith in a film version of I Am Legend. Has anyone else seen these, or did all of this crowd ignore the World Series? (Don't know how well it's adapted, but Smith certainly looks hot.)

As for the ads for the Beowulf adaptation, argh!!

And now back to your regularly scheduled serious discussion.

I saw the "I am Legend" trailers too. Smith living in a post-disaster NYC, competing with the escaped zoo predators for deer and raising crops in Central Park. Makes me wonder WTF happened since he describes himself as the only man in the city, though.

This might sound a bit silly, but I was wondering what it would take to have a wireless network running through an emergency? I'm thinking more of a city here, but how many transmitters would you need, of what density, and with what power source? I know nothing about it all, but can easily imagine a network of local wireless connections that overlap and can effectively replace the mobile phone services for a day or two until things get sorted out.

Paul Duncanson back at 8, you make a good point. Especially since I do have a tiny portable HD (on which I keep a bootable duplicate of my laptop HD) that I probably would take with me if I couldn't grab the laptop.

I'm trying to think of reasons that I might need to evacuate. Hurricanes are not likely, since we're inland, but in my lifetime there has been one (Fran) that made it all the way here still at Category 1. Power was out 8 days and most roads were blocked for at least a day or two. We just stayed at the house until the roads got cleared, although we did hike to the grocery store.

We do get ice storms, and I'm frankly expecting a doozy this winter because the weather has been so messed up here. You can't do a lot of evacuating in an ice storm, even though the power gets knocked out. Driving is a Very Bad Idea. Walking is almost as bad. I've got gas-heated water and a wood-burning fireplace, so it's chiefly important to keep wood around, and food I can cook over an open flame.

Both of those would come with enough warning that I would be at home rather than at work.

A meltdown at the nuclear power plant, if the winds were wrong, could force an evacuation. That would be by car. The important thing is to keep the gas tank full, which I do.

Currently impending emergency: The city is running out of water. At last count we had 67 days of water remaining, and no expectation of sustained rainy weather until next February at the earliest. I don't know what the worst-case is. I'm stockpiling cases of drinking water.

Roy G. Ovrebo (42):
The last time we had a significant crisis in this part of Norway was from 1940-45, and there's no bag that would help for that...
I don't know, let's see, minimum contents would be a large box of paperclips to share and a small, hideable, radio transceiver.

#52 ::: guthrie ::: (view all by) ::: October 29, 2007, 11:39 AM:
This might sound a bit silly, but I was wondering what it would take to have a wireless network running through an emergency? I'm thinking more of a city here, but how many transmitters would you need, of what density, and with what power source? I know nothing about it all, but can easily imagine a network of local wireless connections that overlap and can effectively replace the mobile phone services for a day or two until things get sorted out.

Depends a lot on how the network was originally designed - and the disaster in question. If it's all-wireless, with no/little cabling involved, and each repeater station had its own independent power source (solar panels with long-life battery backup?) then possibly. But I suspect most community-based wifi projects are not set up to be that fault-tolerant.

What might be more useful would be some sort of mesh networking system (maybe using a mix of devices - Skype-like "netphones", PDAs/laptops, etc. - possibly with centralized data repeaters, or air-droppable communication repeaters/sensors). This kind of ad-hoc network would develop organically (as devices come on line, they add to the overall coverage), and if things like the deployable repeaters are built cheap enough, could be quickly set up where necessary. You'd need to set it up so that devices not normally part of it could still tie in (set it up with an SSID, etc.) to allow non-repeater devices to connect, although ideally it would be a technology that would be incorporated into many different devices (possibly at the chipset level).

Ian 30: As a father of two under three

My first thought reading this was "isn't two always under three?" A couple of picoseconds later I realized what you meant, but it was an interesting couple of picos there!

Teresa 40: Beth, there aren't many people I think might need an area control device in event of serious social disorder, but you're one of them.

What is an area control device, and why does beth need one?

Caroline,

I went through Fran back then too, here in Raleigh. Lost power for about 36 hours, but by the morning after the roads were cleared of trees by enthusiastic chainsaw wielders; there was just no place to go.

What was worse was the sudden ice storm that hit Raleigh a few years ago. It was very cold (sub 20 degrees) that day, and the forecast was for "less than an inch" of snow. Except, every single flake that fell didn't melt, at least until it was run over by a car. Then it did, and instantly refroze into a thin but slick sheet of ice.

Instant chaos on every single road in the region. Commutes that took 15 minutes from work to home took 10 hours or more; many people just stayed at work and slept there overnight. Every intersection had a crash; every hill had a line of stuck cars. Anyone with an emergency situation were SOL because no one could get anywhere through the stalled traffic.

We were fortunate; I had taken my wife to the dentist for oral surgery early that morning, and we were already home when the snow fell. But, for all those trying to get home or staying at work having an emergency bag would have come in handy, especially for those with small children with them.

#54, John Houghton, and Roy G. Ovrebo (42):

I don't know, let's see, minimum contents would be a large box of paperclips to share and a small, hideable, radio transceiver.

Paperclips? Is this in reference to the national myth of Johan Vaaler and the paperclip patent?

I've spent a lot of time backpacking in remote areas and can chime in "foot protection!" here. Because it really sucks to have ten miles to go and you've got a blister the size of texas on the sole of a foot.

To prevent blisters:

Cover expected hot spots with a piece of duct tape -- i.e., if you know you're prone to blisters on your heels or the soles of your feet, slap a piece of duct tape there. This works amazingly well.

If you do get a blister, cover the moleskin Jim suggested with duct tape. Moleskin, at least in my experience, will come off eventually. Duct tape helps it stick.

I also wear two pairs of socks -- a hydrophilic (water-shedding) inner sock that is made of a synthetic material and is nice and smooth and thin, plus thick, comfy cotton outer socks. Note that most people should opt for wool for their outer socks but I'm allergic to it, so I use the thickest cotton socks I can find. Cotton is not as warm as wool and takes longer to dry out, but neither is a real concern in my neck of the woods ... I'm in Arizona.

Shoes should be broken in without being broken down. I keep a good pair of hiking boots in my car at all times -- they've saved my butt once when a wash was flooded and I couldn't drive through it (knee deep -- it could be waded through) and I had to walk three miles home and I had on heels. :-)

Also, for those of you including animals in your evacuation plans -- it bears emphasizing and repeating that you need a collar or harness, ID, leash, plus a carrier for small animals, for every animal you plan to take with you in an evac situation. Plus keep a copy of necessary papers -- rabies and shot records for dogs/cats, Coggins or brand inspection paperwork for horses, etc. in your go bag. Whatever you need to travel with the animal, have it ready. Microchips are also not a bad idea for valuable livestock or pets. It's not unheard of for animals to be "adopted" by "rescuers" who refuse to give them back later ...

And leave the critters behind if it comes to that. Human life is more valuable than animal life.

-- Leva

midori #58: I believe Norwegians wore paperclips on their lapels as a sign of solidarity and resistance.

Hello. Long time lurker, never posted before, but, what the heck. Umm... I'm not sure how to quote...

Guthrie at 52: This might sound a bit silly, but I was wondering what it would take to have a wireless network running through an emergency?

Don't know if this is what you mean, and it's been a while since I worked for a cell-phone company, but I know that Ericsson and Lucent at least both have emergency portable cell towers. I think they call them COWs (cell on wheels). I know they were deployed in the last biggish LA earthquake; I couldn't say if they were used in any emergencies later than that.

Well, there's my first post. Hopefully, not completely useless.

Er... we now return you to your regularly scheduled posters.

Not in the grab-and-run category, but something to think about: two or three days down the line you're in a shelter, and people are getting bored. What things are there which could help pass the time?

No computer games.

A guitar is a bit awkward. Nothing that depends on electricity. But something as disposable as a penny-whistle could easily be kept in your car, maybe even a jump-bag.

And remember that the people we usually hang out with are unusual. How many people, even in the boom-time of RPGs, would play D&D? (Though a simple set of rules combined with patience and imagination could help with a group of kids. Don't forget some dice.)

Basically, there's all sorts of things that would take up no more space than a road atlas, and could help keep you sane.

Cheryl 61: Quoting is manual, and you did it just right. And that was useful information, though I read guthrie as speaking of using wireless LAN connections to make a substitute communication network when the phone services are down. Rereading him I think I'm probably wrong, and you're right.

Anyway, good first post! Welcome to the Commentariat.

Thanks for the list, Jim. I'll bump "pack go bag" up on my to-do list; it's been languishing there at the bottom for a long time now.

The question about what would keep a wi-fi network going reminded me of this article at The Straight Dope. It's quite possible I originally saw the link here, but it turns out its also interesting as a re-read.

As far as entertainment, a skein of sock yarn or two will do me nicely. We used a similar question as our ice-breaker at my knitting group the other night: what luxury item would you pack in your emergency kit? It turns out we mostly want chocolate and the-internet-in-a-bag.

Regarding babes-in-arms, anything and everything you ever wanted to know about baby carrying devices can probably be found (or found as a link from) thebabywearer.com. You can find information on nearly every kind of baby carrying device, how to make them, where to buy them, how to wear them comfortably and safely and a responsive message forum.

One of the most popular types of carriers, the wrap sling, is nothing more than a length of sturdily woven fabric that you wind about yourself to provide a safe comfy place for baby to sit or recline. The high end german woven wraps like Didymos or Storchenweige are expensive, but if I could only grab one bit of baby kit for an evacuation, I'd grab my 5.2 meter Storch. The Storchenweige site actually has pictures of one of their slings used to tow a car out of icy slush. With it I can carry my baby on my back, my front or my hip, it fits both me and my husband, it's infinitely adjustable, and folds down much smaller than a stroller can. It can also do double duty as a changing pad, swaddle blanket, toddler tether, extra warm layer, sunshade, etc...

In an emergency, though, you can fashion a one-shouldered baby sling from a folded bedsheet. It doesn't have quite the same level of comfort, but it's much, much more comfortable than having your arms drop off from carrying your baby, and makes it possible to travel with relative ease and comfort through terrain a stroller finds difficult.

Dave @ #62: I carry a deck of cards and a set of miniature dice with me everywhere in one of those tins meant for CCG decks. You've got about a billion games right there, and there's still room in the tin for a Cheapass card game of your choice. (This is really more of a life-with-small-child rather than disaster survival tip, but hey, the two aren't always so different.)

Dave Bell (#62): A standard deck of cards allows for a number of games, of course.

Other small games that are usually in my backpack, not for emergency go-bag use but just because I'm too lazy to keep removing and re-packing them: No Thanks!, Fluxx (currently Zombie Fluxx), Wizard (the Amigo Spiele edition since it has better art), and Bohnanza (also the Amigo edition; it only plays 5 players but comes in a smaller box than the US edition).

These are all small enough to fit into a small sealable plastic bag for weatherproofing, also.

Dave 62: My friend Dave (not you, another Dave) invented a rule system called ERP! (for Easy Role Playing) that has very simple rules indeed. I ran a bunch of teenagers using it when I was in Houston. It requires a bunch of ten-sideds, and no other dice. Leaves a lot of decisions up to the GM, but that's by design; it's designed for roleplaying rather than realistic combat.

10 pages of rules, or less if you don't format them pretty like I did. Character creation fits on less than a (Letter) page.

As for music, drums are useful. They can be used as a warning signal, as well as for music. Natural-skin drums, while they give the best sound, are problematic in most disaster scenarios: if the humidity is too high, they sound like cardboard; if too low, they break unless you wet them periodically, which means they'll break if water is scarce. Fortunately there are several kinds of artificial heads which are pretty good. I have a doumbek with a mylar head that sounds as good as any natural-skin doumbek I've ever played. It's heavy, though (ceramic), but you could use a mylar head on a light metal body.

Also, any single-head drum takes up very little actual space (anyway less than it looks like) because you can pack things inside it. I can go away for a weekend with only my djembe to carry, because all my other stuff is packed inside said djembe.

I'm a great advocate of singing. I think everyone should be taught that they should sing, even if they're no more talented than Florence Foster Jenkins. I've had the experience of singing with people who I was feeling really angry at (verge-of-violence angry, a state I was in much more often when I was young), and by the time the rehearsal was over, even though none of the issues were dealt with, feeling warm toward those same people.

I think if people sang together more often (as they used to before radio and recorded music), there would be less violence in the world. Certainly in a disaster scenario it would be worthwhile.

I just got an LED flashlight that recharges itself (quickly) by squeezing a handle, thus being basically self-contained (and cheap).

And yet I note that Jim speaks of D cells and matching flashlights. ;-) Aside from not being heavy enough to club attackers with, how does my hand-charged light fail to moot the classic D-cell flashlight for emergency contexts?

I'd forgotten the potential of a deck of cards.

Or, for those of us of a more English persuasion, a Cricket Bag.

(Actually, you have a bunch of people stuck in a sports stadium for several days, possibly with lots of wind and rain--it seems perfect for a game of cricket.)

Steffan O'Sullivan produced an RPG called Sherpa about a decade ago, which was designed for play on the trail. Pretty much everything fits on 3x5 cards, and the randomizer used is a digital stopwatch (or any other digital readout with a stopwatch function). I'm not sure if it's still in print, but it's likely one of the most light-weight (in multiple dimensions of the word) implementations of a game system I've seen.

I have a dumb question. I've got a bad knee, so walking anywhere with a backpack (or anything heavy) is hard for me. I live in an urban area. Do you think one of those wheelie carts is a good idea for emergency pack or a bad one?

Xopher @ #56: My first thought reading this was "isn't two always under three?" A couple of picoseconds later I realized what you meant, but it was an interesting couple of picos there!

Thank you. I'm glad that construction had its intended effect.

Tomago @ #65 I don't leave the house without one of three different types of baby-wearing device, but it's to the level that I don't even think of "packing" it ... it's just what the girl and I wear. Because the (older) boy is so active, it's the only way I can manage to keep up.

That said, do you have a pointer to an illustration or diagram of how to do that improvised sling? I took a quick look at thebabywearer.com's Babywearing DIY links section and didn't see anything that looked promising ...

thanks!

For a game -- I've had an awful lot of fun with a folding fabric frisbee intended for a dog. Dog optional, as it can be used quite well for games between humans. Handy for running the energy off children. (Or dogs.)

The fabric frisbee is light weight, indestructible, too soft to cause any injuries, throws very well.

For quieter amusements, don't overlook the appeal of reading aloud from a book.

It depends on the size of the wheels, I guess. They'd have to be big enough to handle fairly rough terrain and fat enough not to be wedged in gratings. It would be advantageous if they were designed to negotiate stairs as well.

Ian #73, there are some good instructions for improvising slings out of other clothes at mamatoto, and instructions for using a bedsheet are here. I've never actually tried any of these methods - my improvised sling of choice is made by knotting the ends of an old pashmina together and using it like a ring sling.

Ian @ #73

There's a video tutorial on how to use a bedsheet as a baby sling and a thread (with photos!) about using bedsheets as carriers on The Babywearer.

Hope that helps!

"Sometimes called a fanny pack (and for our Brit friends, no, that's not what it sounds like)"

Brits will get it if you call it a "bum bag". Though quite what North Americans will make of that is something else again...

VM at 72, I think the thing to remember is what you're doing. If you have to hike from the urban center to a field somewhere, or vice versa, your priorities will change. This particular packing list seems to be for getting from wherever you are to the nearby place with more supplies-- work to home, home to next town over, and not cross-country zombie apocalypse.

blufive 79: Brits will get it if you call it a "bum bag". Though quite what North Americans will make of that is something else again...

A stuffed handkerchief on the end of a stick.

VM 82: I wasn't talking about a zombie apocalypse. For me, any walk is hard. Shopping in the grocery store is hard. I could make it from work to home, but it would take me a couple days, if I lost my car and public transit went splat.

VM, I think you're in the category of "persons needing assistance" in such a crisis. I remember the people who carried the wheelchair user down the stairs at the WTC, and so on.

Jim, any thoughts about things we able-bodied sorts might want to include to make it easier to assist those needing assistance? VM could probably be carried piggyback, but is there any especially efficient way to carry someone who can't assist at all, even by hanging on? Anything we might add to our own Go Bag to make it easier to do?

#84: "You're a lot likelier to survive by helping your neighbors and letting them help you than you are by waving weapons at people."

Amen. You beat me to it. I was going to write:

"The most effective survival tool is a functioning community."

In his blog, David Brin mentions that he spent part of Wildfire Week banging on doors as a CERT volunteer. The next step from "go bags" should be that sort of work, not an arsenal.

Jim, Interesting!

Re: Pocket knives. I carried one around for years, having spent large chunks of my life working around computers. Now, I can't. I can't have one when I work my part-time job at the airport. I can't have one when I fly. I can't legally bring one into some of the buildings I regularly go into.

In addition to a pocket knife, I'd also keep a non-electric can opener in a go-pack. And a battery-powered radio is a life saver.

Tic-Tacs/hard candy are both helpful when you don't have access to water - both can help relieve dry-mouth.

I'm not sure anyone mentioned having a First Aid book. I might not remember every detail of how to relieve shock or help immobilize a broken bone, but if I have a First Aid book, I'll be reminded.

As I've been reading your "list of things," I realize about half of those things are in a cabinet in the kitchen, about a quarter in master bedroom, and about a quarter of them with our camping gear. I think I'll grab the useful items from our camping gear and move them upstairs (we haven't camped in many years, but we kept everything).

Most of us have never had to evacuate, but most of us who live in the north have had to stay in place due to blizzards and power failures.

Laurie D. T. Mann @ 103
Re. pocket knives. I agree. Lots of times I've been "prepared" for stuff going wrong by having my Leatherman or Swiss Army knife with me. Now I'm not supposed to have even my tiny 1.5 inch folding knife or tiny tweezers with me when I fly, and I have to risk the Leatherman getting stolen from my hold luggage. It can't be part of my normal "carry everywhere" if I'm travelling. This is a real pain.

P J Evans @ 104
Embryotomy wire and two metal rings (flexible saw): lighter and easier to pack.

ema 136: There's no large dangerous animals

OK, suppose the aggressive and carnivorous Kangaroo Rex returned, and was preparing to attack your town? Wouldn't you want the mil there?

(OK, yeah, I'm joking. I just couldn't resist bringing up the Kangaroo Rex.)

I must say that in all my years of lying about dangerous Australian fauna, I've never heard of the Kangaroo Rex. But that's an excellent idea, thankyou :)

138 -

It's probably a relative of the vicious Drop Bear my friends warned me about.

If they haven't done one already, I'm sure SciFi will produce a terrible, boring TV Movie about Kangaroo Rex that features at least three decapitations.

(If they set it in the States, it will feature a potbellied redneck in a Skoal cap who gets his head bit off in the first scene.)

#139

The drop bear, of course, is absolutely real.

Stefan,

Yes, and they will call it, "ManRoo".

ema 138: It's not mine. It's from Janet Kagan's story The Return of the Kangaroo Rex. The critter is a sort of cross (you have to read the story for it to make sense) between a kangaroo and and a Tasmanian devil (IIRC).

Drop Bear wiki

CRV 142: Yes, and they will call it, "ManRoo".

No, no! They will do it as Anime and call it...Mangaroo.

*ducks shower of less-than-completely-fresh produce*

On the subject of Skoal caps:

Put a nylon baseball cap in your Go Bag.

Good against sun and keeps the rain out of your eyes . . . something a poncho won't.

* * *

A guy at the Portland Saturday Market sells a cute emergency item: A wooden handle with a rod of flint (?) and a rod of magnesium attached. You need a knife to use it. The flint produces sparks when struck; it your kindling is damp, you lace it with magnesium shavings first.

#144

I'll keep an eye out for it, thanks for the tip, Xopher.

#142: Careful hombre! Having written the title, you're in danger of being asked by the SciFi channel to do the script.

LOL, Xopher.

Will "Mangaroo" also feature horridly mis-cast American C and D-list actors for the English dub?

CRV 151: Featuring Dakota Fanning as the Mangaroo...Vin Diesel as Alice (the little girl who befriends the Mangaroo before it goes completely nuts and eats her)...

Oh wait, those are A-list actors.

Jaleel White as the Mangaroo. "Did I do that?"

Xopher: LOL!!!!!!

(said with Alice's blood streaming from his jaws, and her body parts all around him)

Xopher @ 155... Mangaroo vs Kangaraw?

Wow. This started off as a VERY useful thread on a topic of immediate concern to me. Then it devolved. I don't suppose there's any chance of heroically dropping "Interwebs Gun Debate Part MMCCCXVII" and getting back to the original discussion of go-bag recommendations?

I'm in Texas, and at least in the summer, a kit should contain both sunglasses and sunscreen. A hat's a good idea even if you don't normally wear one.

If you have a small Nalgene bottle full of unscented chlorine bleach, and an eyedropper, you can disinfect a lot of water at four drops per gallon. This can make you a hero to a whole thirsty group. I have read that a teabag per gallon will hide the taste. Never tried that.

I still want to hear about the Tic-Tacs and the area control device, and I am devoutly hoping that will be TWO answers and not one . . .

The current issue of Time magazine has an interesting article titled The Things Not Left Behind. It's an overview with photos of what people evacuating from the SD fires took with them, and what the current (non-MacDonald) thought is about what should be taken.

I would consider adding a cotton bandanna to that urban list. In addition to its use as a head covering (whether to conserve heat or to provide shade), it can also be useful as a dust mask, a tourniquet, a compress, or tinder, as the need arises.

From one of the SD news sites last week (bold mine):
EVACUATION TIPS:

If you have time to pack - what to bring:

Important documents (Social Sec cards, birth certificates, passports)
Legal & financial records (Deeds, wills, bank info, insurance papers)
Address book
Irreplaceable items (photographs, heirlooms)
Clothing & toiletries
Medications
Radio & flashlight
Linens, towels
Laptop, PDA (and charger)
Cell phone, camera (and chargers)

I can't walk much more than a block, so preparation for walking out is not much use for me. The condo is set for the cats and me for two months (except for meds because Medicare only lets you have a month at a time). The van has the equivalent of a go bag, but some of it is in the cupboard-like nooks and crannies. A couple of large things are loose (a collapsible chair, for example) and the rest are in a bag. I have another large bag that I can put all the essentials in, if needed.

I have a wind-up power for the cellphone in both places, plus three wind-up LED flashlights with radios (two in the house, one in the van).

I'm on the city's list of non-mobile folks who get priority in non-vehicle evacuation. Eight of us in our condo development now. I would grab the cats' go bag and the big carrier plus my meds and then make up the bag from the van, if that happened.

Diatryma, #90, I still have my hot glue gun although I'm not supposed to use it. Burned myself badly last time, but I wasn't able to throw it and the gluesticks out.

CRV, #123, two of my neighbors are police officers and another neighbor is a Secret Service officer (with dog). If any of them had a gun out, I wouldn't worry. But strange people wandering around with guns out would definitely worry me. A census/survey? In our development, I'm likely to be the center of that with able-bodied folks actually going out and asking and doing. Nobody in uniform or with guns. And btw, I grew up in the Navy and spent most of my career working for defense contractors. I'm not afraid of guys in uniform; I'm wary of guys wandering with guns.

Jeremy Preacher, #134, do you by any chance have three sisters also with J male names? Went to W-L?

Here in KC, the radio stations are frelliing useless in any kind of newsworthy way. We could have a tornado on the ground and you would not hear about it.

Seriously. All the stations, AM and FM are either Entrecom, Clear Channel, other syndicates or are religious-related. I have been out in the car, seeing wall clouds, rotating clouds, etc. and worrying about what the weather was doing and scanned channels hoping for help. I got none.

The worst thing about it is that our TV weather bunnies pretty much wet their pants when we have a thunder cloud or 1/2inch snow scattering show up. They pre-empt whatever shows for their bleats of terror over weather that usually ends up not being that bad.

Philomytha @ #77 & Tamago @ #78:

Thanks for the pointers ... guess I didn't do to well at looking for myself. (Note to self: if you're too busy, frex with managing the kids or writing a paper, to do a quick google, you're too busy to be posting comments on teh interwebs.)

With regards the the example in the video, looks like it'll function pretty much like the Taylor-made ring sling. I'll have to practice the knot a couple time before I need it, otherwise I'll never be able to do it.

I can't find the point someone made about parenting in some ways being an exercise in maintaining a go-bag, but I know that my habit is to pare down the stuff I'm packing for my own needs in order not to have to carry so much stuff, given that the kids needs pretty much can't be deferred. Maybe not such a great idea if a real go-bag situation actually arises.

#163: "a small Nalgene bottle full of unscented chlorine bleach"

Oooh, good idea. You can use another bottle to store the tea bags and eyedropper.

RE nalgene bottles, you can now get second-rate ones (the seal isn't great) for a buck. They're small, about big enough to slip into a car cup holder, which is where I keep one.

The guiding principles for all of my bags are these:

All the items are small, light, cheap, and multi-purpose. (A firearm is none of those things. And a ten-dollar bill will get you a nice lunch in the Chinese restaurant across the street from the bus station a heck of a lot better than a pistol will.)

So let's leave the macho fantasies and movie plots at home, and look at any of the real domestic survival situations we've seen in the past ... fifty years. Not a single one of them involved zombies, space aliens, or the Thunderdome. Lots of them have have required a ten mile walk, sometimes a night or two in a motel, and getting rained on. So that's what we want to look at.

For anti-chafing stuff that you can find in any store, Bag Balm is great. (Desinex is just nasty.)

Tic-tacs are because sucking on a candy can help if you're thirsty. Also, if you're out of toothbrush-range of a sink, they can help with Nasty Mouth. And if you get the ones with sugar, a little-bitty sugar hit. It's important to keep up your blood sugar.

I love the "Be Prepared" posts. But I'd really love to see a Red Mike review of Into The Wild.

I used to have stashes of the individual serving Oreos packages in places till they kept going missing by desperate thieving snackers. The car would be broken into every week just to steal the cookies from the glove compartment and nothing else. My portable first aid kit would be emptied of useful things by people looking for bandaids and not asking at work since using the official office supply meant having to fill out injury reports.
So where ever you keep your go bag check it regularly for stock levels. Little kids will help themselves to candy stashes as well.

Happy were the days
When CRV had resolved
To not pick fights here

For the rest of the thread, I'd swap out the curved scissors (because I never figured out how to use those) for a pair of toenail clippers. Good solid cutting action that works fine for moleskin etc, and also for hangnails! Also, possibly the best tool for getting rid of zip ties.

This summer I went on a 5-week-long vacation in London and Europe, and spent a couple weeks of that living out of a backpack. Things that were so awesome to have:

--A 3 oz plastic bottle (meant for shampoo) filled with Macallan (single malt scotch whisky). You walk all day surrounded by people you didn't necessarily choose, and then they want to gab at you all evening... The thought of Macallan is a powerful solace: by means of it one gets through many a bad night.

--A Tilley hat: hat that is wide brimmed all the way around, and made of fabric so it's easy to flatten and jam into bags, and has straps for your chin and the back of your head so it can't be blown off. Keeps your head warm and cool both.
--One of those microfiber towels: I was dubious, but they really do work to dry you off, and their lightness and flatness is so very worth it. They take awhile to dry, but it was nice to drape a damp one over my face and stay cooler and more bug-free while I slept.
--A $100 pashmina shawl... Of the sort that gave rise to myths of dresses that could be pulled though the eye of a needle. The lighter, the warmer, somehow; and it looks nice enough that even if you're grimy you feel ok.
--2 big binder clips, so I could clip curtains shut, or clip them on the edge of a shelf or table to create a point to hang my towel or stretch a clothesline to.

Stuff that is awesome in my day-to-day-life: I have a keychain thingy that has a 1" knife blade and a bottle opener folded into it. I never have trouble at airports, or when I have to open a bottle of beer in the house of a person whose drawers I don't want to dig through.

It's better to travel in groups. If you car-pool, is that a group that will be going to the same general place? Do the folks back home know who's in that group? Which home do you aim for first?

Even if your group has a vehicle, and traffic is moving, it's possibly best to settle on getting to one safe haven, as a first step.

James D. Macdonald @ 181

Lots of them have have required a ten mile walk, sometimes a night or two in a motel, and getting rained on. So that's what we want to look at.

Agree - walked most of the 15 miles home after 7/7 due to all the London rail stations being shut (my mother-in-law picked us up for the last part of the journey). Mobile 'phone couldn't get through most of the time - bandwidth was given to the emergency services. I did get through (to arrange that lift) on a pay 'phone. If you're organising something like that, make sure both parties agree on what route you're taking. Comfortable shoes help a lot (no blisters). And yes, it was raining.

Thanks - this is really well timed for me. Living in Phoenix I never worried much about a small emergency kit; we had camping gear, sunscreen, and extra drums of water where they were easy to grab and the pool for an extra emergency water source, but there was literally nowhere else to go that I could possibly walk to (especially in summer). However, I'm about to move to Taipei, which is prone to earthquakes, typhoons *and* tsunamis, not to mention those missiles China still has pointing at it. I think an urban go kit is a very very good idea; thank you for reminding me.

A few things it seems people haven't mentioned:

A headlamp (running off of AAA or AA batteries, whichever you've chosen for your other kit) is a wonderful thing. Most of the time that I really need bright light I am better off with my hands free. LED headlamps are fairly widely available and not much more money than a good torch. Alternately it's possible to get or make adapter kits designed to strap a light to your head or wrist.

It is possible to get "emergency charge" packs for mobile phones that basically consist of the appropriate connector and a battery pack that will take standard AA batteries. I think that these are a Very Good Idea.

My spare glasses are a pair of pinhole glasses; the past few years I've been wearing my glasses until they fall apart completely so I don't have any old ones to stick in as spares, but the pinhole ones, though not great in low light conditions and not sufficient for 20-20 vision with my -7 shortsightedness, are a lot better than nothing and have been very helpful (particularly, for example, the last time my glasses broke and I was waiting to get new ones). They're cheap, lightweight, reasonably sturdy and have the advantage that they can be used for just about anyone, or as sunglasses if your vision is good anyway.

Using a flint and steel is not actually all that difficult, and non-applicator tampons make wonderful tinder if you rip them apart a bit. Probably not worth packing in the small bag, and probably only worth putting into the large bag if you know how to use them, but they do have some advantages over lighters and matches.

I'd second the comment about latex condoms as being a very useful thing to keep in a go-bag.

A course of emergency contraception could be a very good thing to have on your person in case you or someone you care for has been raped. It's not a nice thing to think about but it could happen, and if things look particularly bad, it's not a good time to get pregnant.

I keep a selection of herbal teas (peppermint, chamomile, fennel, something citrusy and something fruity), they're lightweight and can be useful, especially if someone is afraid and upset but otherwise alright. Getting liquid in can be important, and herbal tea is a lot nicer than plain hot water. Normal tea, plus some powdered milk and sugar in a tin, is also useful. For the small bag, consider caffeine tablets; if you have a massive caffeine addiction then you don't want to be dealing with the effects of withdrawal during an emergency, and if you don't have a caffeine addiction you may find they help you keep going when it's crucial. Care is required in using them of course as caffeine is diuretic and doesn't agree with everyone.

If you smoke, consider that like a prescription medication. Again, you don't want to deal with nicotine withdrawal at the same time as whatever emergency is causing the lack of availability of smoking materials. Better yet, quit now so you're in better shape generally.

ok seriously, I was just thinking that a lot of the go bags were too complicated and frankly somewhat ridiculous, but then I realized that it was because I live in Denmark currently. They would be reasonable in an area hit with a hurricane/out of control fires/earthquake type disaster with likely to be incompetent emergency help but I think the most extensive go bag I have to worry about is if the house burns down and then the police or other public servants see to it I get to a good hotel.

hmm, damn taxes.

I've always considered the original go bag to be the pillowcase packed by Mrs. R. in The Swiss Family Robinson. She had minimal time to decide and pack, but what she packed turned out to be very useful indeed, and was praised multiple times by her husband. Interestingly, twine and thread were among her priorities (reminiscent of Sam Gamgee's appreciation for a good bit of rope). It is not recorded that a blunderbuss was included. (OK, that was snarky. The rest of her family was armed to to the teeth.)

Back to the present. I may actually pull together a go bag after this post -- already having most of the stuff is motivating -- and keep it in the car. The car is usually where I am, but that's just my lifestyle. Of course the potential temperature swings in a car may be problematic for meds, as well as other contents like batteries, adhesives...hmm. How often do you need to inspect/rotate the contents?

If you get the right sort of knife/multitool, it'll have a can opener and scissors in it too - saves space and weight.

A shamagh is a good idea - you can use it as a scarf, sling, ring bandage, pillow, infant carrying sling, shawl, flag or dust mask, and even dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough. Unless, of course, you're in the sort of area where there might be heavily armed nervous Army Reservists. In which case walking around looking like an Arab might not be a good idea.

One can also buy hand-cranked chargers for mobile phones which weigh about as much as a box of kitchen matches. Saves the AA batteries.

And ewt remembered the brew kit! ewt is everyone's new post-apocalypse best friend!

hmmm

on guns - if I have to evac, and can use the car, I will have guns in it. Locked up in cases, and likely with no ammunition save that which is already in magazines (which will be locked in a separate case. This is not because I think I might need them - but rather because I'm not willing to leave family heirlooms to an uncertain situation if I have any choice in the matter. If situation doesn't permit, I won't lose sleep, however - things are transient, people (especially this people!) are not.

If I were hoofing it out, they would likely get stuffed somewhere unlikely for them to be - but they would not be going with me. I might consider the .22 - but it would not be for crowd control purposes, or using on people at all - I'd be more concerned about critters, and it would likely spend the whole trip tucked away in the ersatz scabbard my backpack has.

I certainly wouldn't be hauling around half a dozen firearms with hundreds of rounds of ammo for any other reason than "this rifle is worth more than my entire computer assembly, was custom-made by Winchester in 1898, has been in the family for four generations, and still shoots" - unless aliens, foreign invaders, or zombies really do become a problem - which I find supremely unlikely, Omega Man et al notwithstanding.

On other - one of the important things in building an evac bag is prior planning/thinking -

1 - what is my egress plan - am I hoofing it? am I driving? public transportation? Other? If I'm physically limited in some fashion, what are those limits? If I typically am not where my main evac bag is, how do I get to it? (answers - probably driving, I'm about 6 miles from evac bag typically (work), somewhat out of shape, but not actually limited, and my walking is fine, even with sizable backpack)

2 - what am I likely to be facing, in terms of disaster? (upstate NY - snow, mostly, which means most of my preparations are situated towards "socked in for a week" possibly with no power for a couple of days or so, rather than "home gone". Apartment fires. Remote possibility of tornado. Very very remote possibility of hurricane. Exceedingly remote chance of earthquake serious enough to be damaging - although if there is one, I'm likely dead anyways.)

3 - where is evac destination (a hotel room far enough away from current disaster area to be out of "blast radius", close enough to act as rallying point for friends and family.)

4 - fellow travellers? (Brother, if I can get a hold of him, and reach him in time. If not, set up rendezvous location outside of immediate city area - Spencerport, likely, since we both know the village intimately). How are they mobilizing? (my car, or foot).

After that - prioritize based on most likely scenario, breaking down into four categories -

1 - basic necessities - the stuff you're absolutely going to need. You have to have a change of clothes. You have to have appropriate headgear, footwear, and outer layer protection for your season/climate. You need two sources of light, two sources of heat, and a source for cutting.

2 - situational necessities - water supplies as needed, replenishment as needed. If you're walking out, you need more than if you're just getting to a car. food supplies. etc.

3 - comfort - aforementioned decks of cards, books, child and dog-distracting devices, etc.

4 - long-term. hygiene supplies. documents and paperwork. rebuild and vital gear for "I'm out of the disaster, set up with semi-permanent shelter - now what?" - computers, data backups, tools of the trade, etc. communication gear (whether that be networked PC, crackberry, cell phone, roll of quarters, or any/all of the above).

The goal, as James says, is to keep this as lightweight and mobile as possible. Most folks aren't going to be needing to hike a hundred miles on this - they need to get to an emergency shelter or hotel, and start up personal communications. Likely radius of evac is probably under a hundred miles (and almost certainly under two hundred) for almost everyone reading here - gasoline is as much a matter of "stuck in infinitely long line of other people going nowhere" concern as it is "need three hundred miles of distance between you and former home before safety".

Lightweight. Small amounts, not vast quantities. My bag is my camping pack for sake of ease of deployment (and to prevent keeping two packed sets of largely overlapping stuff), not because I'm likely going to need all (or even most) of the stuff in the camping pack. On top of that is my laptop bag - which covers pretty much everything I need.

The bag you have and can manage is better than the bag you should have, but can't manage (for reasons of cost, mass, mobility, whatever) - if you can't get everything on the list, get what you can together - and make a list of what you don't have.

One of my favourite film lines ever comes from the ludicrously enjoyable Dog Soldiers.

Background: an army patrol on an exercise in Scotland is attacked and chased by werewolves through the forest. They are rescued by a local in a Land Rover and manage to hole up in a remote cottage. After getting everyone inside, the noncom in charge utters the immortal line to one of the squaddies:

"Put the kettle on - we could all do with a brew."

bryan - does Denmark (or your corner of it) flood? I live near a tidal river, so that's always a concern.

In the UK we're used to the armed forces helping with relief efforts (and providing cover when, for example, the fire service was on strike) but they don't turn up with guns, and they turn up in organised groups. You can also see this when the Royal Navy* help with disasters abroad - there's an article at the MOD with pictures of HMS Chatham in Sri Lanka after the Boxing Day Tsunami - sailors (and marines) in uniform, no guns in sight. (Admittedly there could be half a dozen guys with rifles behind the camera man, but I think the lack of guns in the picture shows the image the MOD wants to show of disaster relief operations).

* It's usually the Navy. When I was about 10 and Navy mad, I noticed that every time there was a news story about a hurricane in the carribean, a Royal Navy ship would turn up after a day or two to help out with rescue and relief efforts. It turns out that the Navy station ships out there during the hurricane season for just that reason**, and not because the Navy is always everywhere (as I assumed at the time).
** Amongst other reasons

Neal Willcox #212: The Royal Navy stations a frigate at St John's, Antigua for anti-drug patrolling and emergency services.

That is the last vestige of the West India Station. One wonders if Hornblower (did he actually exist) would recognise it. One of the last Hornblower books has Rear-Admiral Hornblower commanding it, I seem to recall.

Oops, that should be Neil Willcox. Apologies!

"bryan - does Denmark (or your corner of it) flood? I live near a tidal river, so that's always a concern."

I know there are global warming prognostications of problems but I believe they are over 15 years in the future.

How often do you need to inspect/rotate the contents?

Quarterly. (That is, every three months, at the turn of the seasons.)

Fragano @213 - that'd be the one (I had a feeling it was two, or two during the Hurricane season, but that might have been some years ago).

Captain Hornblower would undoubtedly have been pleased to command a frigate on detached duty in the Carribean; having it in constant contact with the Admiralty would probably please him less.

From the Time.com article linked above:

After Hurricane Katrina, John Sorensen and his wife Barbara Vogt Sorensen, both experts in disaster preparedness, went to Wal-Mart to conduct an experiment. They divided up the emergency-supplies list that FEMA had published, then started shopping. It took them 2 1/2 hours. It cost $343 for a family of two. Theoretically, a good number of the items would need to be replenished every six to 12 months. "A family that lives from check to check can't afford to do that. It was a real eye-opener," says John, who, with his wife, works at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. He piled everything into a huge duffel bag, and his wife couldn't lift it. "I think there is a need for prioritization," he says.

the noncom in charge utters the immortal line to one of the squaddies: "Put the kettle on - we could all do with a brew."

That line, right there, was the most realistic part of the whole film. ("28 Days Later", by comparison? All those troops holed up in that manor house, and no tea? Sorry, no.)

213: indeed. "Hornblower in the West Indies", in fact. Hornblower versus, successively, Bonapartists, pirates, renegades, and hurricanes.

A course of emergency contraception could be a very good thing to have on your person in case you or someone you care for has been raped

Keeping in mind that regular old birth control pills work as EC--I think it's take four of them a day for three days, starting from the beginning of a pack if it's the kind that has variable levels of hormones.

You'll be miserably sick (so make sure you have water), but if you've got somewhere to hole up or are still OK to travel with occasional puke breaks, it works.

Let me see what my little bag would cost if you bought it all new. I'm going to use Froogle to find prices.

Fanny pack (14x6x5): $6.59
AA Mini-mag flashlight: $9.49
AM/FM radio: $4.50
AA batteries (four-pack): $3.00
Moleskin: $2.13
Bag Balm (1 oz. tin): $4.79
Cuticle scissors: $2.95
Space blanket: $1.49
Disposable poncho: $1.19
Water (@ $2.50 for an eight pack): $0.32
Whistle: $3.25
Cash: $110.00
Disposable lighters: $0.50
Lifeboat matches: $3.49
Prepaid phone card: $5.00
Pen: $0.05
Notepad: $0.50
Inventory list: real cheap (can be in notepad)
List of phone numbers: real cheap (can be in notepad)
=======
Total is 159.24, of which most is the supply of cash-on-hand. Without the cash supply it's under fifty bucks. If you already have most of this stuff scattered around the house, it's cheaper still. I really do recommend having the cash.

The Mini-mag flashlight is the single most expensive item, and you can probably find a cheaper flashlight, but Mini-mags are Really Good Flashlights.

Total weight under two pounds, of which most is the water and the roll of quarters.

ajay: As a chap who seems to have had some first-hand experience of these things, what would be your minimalist brew kit?

Hexy stove, mess tin, teabags, powdered milk/sugar? UHT packs?

Come to think of it, what do they put in UK ration packs?

For a family of two, of course, that's (159.24x2) $318.48 which is about the same as the FEMA list mentioned in the article. One bag per person. But at least you should be able to lift it.

Yup, following 181 and 210, you're not trying to pack a bag that will enable you to survive the complete destruction of civilization. You're trying to pack a bag that will get you to a shelter or other place of safety, and you're operating on the assumption that help will be arriving and stability will return.

Carrie S. @ 223 -- Plan B, being over-the-counter now, may actually be easier to put in your bag than extra birth control pills for emergency contraception purposes. My insurance won't pay for me to have more than 3 months' supply of the latter at once, but I can go get a couple doses of Plan B at the local pharmacy and just hold onto them. Plan B has a four-year shelf life, so it would keep nicely in a bag.

Also, not all birth control pills can be used for emergency contraception. Here is a list of which ones can be used and how to use them.

Obviously, if birth control is one of your prescription meds, you should still keep a month's worth in your bag. But a dose of Plan B isn't a bad idea to keep alongside it.

Neil Willcox #218: It might be as many as three or four (training voyages, drug indictment, humanitarian aid &c.), but there's always one on station.

I think you're right about Hornblower.

Going way back to before the gun discussion started (catching up late), for anyone who's a fan of cryptic crosswords they're a great way to pass the time. Yesterday I went to the hospital with my Mom -- turns out she had a broken hip, and the operation last night was successful -- and though she was taken immediately to a separate room, I did need to pass the time while she was being seen to initially. The cryptics worked great, and kept me from flipping out as well. The (UK) Daily Telegraph Big Books will fit nicely in all but teensy purses.

Evacuating by car - or how to survive a six hour traffic jam with grace.

Make sure that you have a large number of plastic bags, baking soda, and a large open-mouthed container, such as a coffee can. Toilet tissue, flushable wipes, and absorbent crystals don't hurt, either. Keep the plastic bags, the paper, the crystals, and the baking soda all in the can, with lid sealed tight.

Instant in-car porta-pottie. Especially useful for having a four-year-old girl who has to go "now!" just when it looks as though the traffic might begin moving again shortly. Sprinkle some baking soda and crystals into the bag before it's used. Use double-bagging. Can also be used for anyone else who has issues during evacuation or unexpected traffic jams.

Empty contents of inner bags into port-o-john or toilet when you reach the destination, replace into outer bags, and dispose of.

Speaking of Not Knowing What You'll Do In An Emergency, I've seen a person who did Really Well in CPR class, the first time he was faced with a real human on the ground in need of CPR being unable to act, even after being told, "Come over here and help!"

James D. MacDonald @246, I think there are people who don't have the necessary "work now, freak later" bypass circuit.

I can't have a supply of meds in my Go bag. I can't get a month ahead, because one of my meds is Schedule Two, and I'm only allowed a one-month supply at a time (actually a 30-day supply, which is somewhat less than an average month's).

As far as guns...if the criterion is "willing to shoot to kill," I might as well not have it. Intimidation works just as well with a fake gun, but if the intruder is armed, that could get me killed.

Not to mention Ursula's excellent questions at 240, which I answer No, Yes, and then it's No all the way down. (Well, I'm not worried about domestic fights, in my current situation, but I'll still say No.)

No kids in the house. Very unlikely to ever be kids in the house. Not an issue.

No kids living there? Or no kids likely to ever visit?

And the gun will follow you out of the house, absent a deliberate act to get rid of it. (Assuming you aren't going to just leave it behind for the next owner/tenant.) Do you see kids, living with or visiting, as likely in your future? Visiting is the tricky one - a visitor can be unexpected, and while no one should gripe about a mess, stress about a forgotten gun being found is on a different level.

Also, are you comfortable with the legal options for getting rid of a gun, so you are not putting the gun into the hands of someone you'd rather not have it? Getting rid of something is always an issue once it is obtained, and just putting it in the trash isn't really a good way to get rid of a gun.

Ursula @ 251:

No kids living there? Or no kids likely to ever visit?

Yes.

Do you see kids, living with or visiting, as likely in your future?

No, but I have no idea what the future will bring. New city, and all.

But I don't see it being that big a problem - if I can remember to whisk the couch and take out the trash before company comes over, I can remember to lock up a firearm.

Also, are you comfortable with the legal options for getting rid of a gun, so you are not putting the gun into the hands of someone you'd rather not have it?

If I got a gun, it would almost certainly be one of my father's; if I decided I didn't want it any more, it would go to another family member.

Though that does remind me to look into the rules about shipping firearms across state lines...

CRV @ 254:

consider the several, non-lethal cartridges that can be used in shotguns. Namely, rock salt or the new "bean bag" round

Which is what I think my friend is buying for the shotgun she was given, now that I think about it...

You might also consider a tazer, which is another non-lethal weapon which can incapacitate.

A taser would be great. Unfortunately, those puppies run anywhere from $500 to over a grand, and are therefore waaaay out of my budget at the current time.

Taking the lethality factor down a few notches would definitely be nice, though. Hm. We'll see.

Our top five countdown of emergencies round here have all happened in smaller scale already in the past 10 years so I already know where issues are.

Flood and landslides too common and sadly preventable in most cases.
Power outage can cope from home with no big deal.
Riots. They shut down transit and streets so non rioters were trapped downtown with rioters. People were taking refuge in the Starbucks.
Fire. We have seasonal arsonists that set home garages on fire every year and a accident prone homeless population.
Earthquake.
I have plan and gear for all but earthquake. I guess any quake large enough to make leaving the house necessary will have already toppled the piece of crap we rent down around me.

For the first 20 years of my life I had a in case of nuclear strike plan in the back of my head. Why yes films like Threads scarred me. That's the one what if plan I was glad to ditch.

Would y'all please take the firearm discussion over to this thread?

It's totally off-topic for a go-bag discussion.

If there were any convenient way for me to port them to the other thread, I'd do so. There isn't, so I'm shutting down comments in this thread for a while.

131: Entirely up to personal preference, I would say. Include a hexy stove, tin mug with plastic rim (so you can cook in it and then drink from it without burning your mouth), steritabs, lighter.

The 24-hour compo pack includes, if I remember, instant tea with milk 6, sugar 6, instant coffee 4, coffee whitener 4, drinking chocolate (useful for bribery) 1, powdered soup 1, stock powder (beef or vegetable) 1, electrolyte powder 1. And if you tried to drink all that in 24 hours, I think your kidneys would EXPLODE.

(Also chewing gum 2 packs, matches 1 pack, steritabs 6).

The pack's meals are boil-in-the-bag, which means that, once you've heated your meal, you have some hot water left over for a brew. An advantage over MREs, which have those chemical heater things - very neat, but the water's undrinkable afterwards.

But, as Jim says, it really does all depend on the emergency you're planning for. I'd take a brew kit into the hills or on a drive in remote country or wherever, but I don't keep one handy as a go bag. And in the event of a CRV-style apocalypse, I would not be fleeing for the hills or whatever, because I don't have any dependents to worry about, and anyway my job dictates differently.

A box of one-gallon zip-seal plastic bags and a roll of paper towels have been part of our car kit for years ... experience gained from routinely traveling three hours and one mountain pass with four kids in order to get anywhere interesting.

Back when Hurricane Andrew hit Florida (when FEMA was useless after Bush I, as opposed to now when FEMA is useless after Bush II), a lady in Florida used GEnie to organize her own relief effort.

That was Cookie Lady, so-called from her Girl Scout connection. I was a Girl Scout leader in those days, so the Colebrook Girl Scouts put together our own send-to-Florida boxes, which Cookie Lady would put in her car and drive out to where they'd be useful.

What we put in the boxes:

An AM/FM/NOAA Weather radio (a local hardware store had a bunch of them that they had discounted, then discounted again, then reduced for quick sale), appropriate batteries, a box of tea bags, and a box of Kotex. Put the kits in boxes, packed the spaces with baby clothes, sent 'em on down.

They seem to have been appreciated.

Having evacuated with a three month old during the Mt. Pinatubo eruption I'd add two things...

For each infant or child under the age of 10... a hospital style (or something similar) ID bracelet. Something that can't be taken off.

And water.

Your evacuation bag list doesn't include water.

The baby supplies are a big one. I was fortunate enough to be nursing but I got dangerously dehydrated. Still, that was better than those with infants who were using formula because *there was none to be found*. After a week it was all gone. Water and formula is more important than diapers.

If you want to add water to your evacuation bag, I suggest you pick up a Camelbak M.U.L.E. and use it as the backpack.

Alas, my comment that was at #187 is now nowhere at all. No doubt that's partly just desserts for being an ass in haiku, which is fine; but I'm hoping the part about a tiny plastic bottle of single malt scotch might reappear? It really was nice to have that when the stress of travelling surrounded by people got to me, and I bet that's going to be an issue while walking to shelters.

I also fully endorse the suggestions of LED headlamps. The size of a walnut, but they mean you can comfortably read on planes and busses, or find what you've dropped in the middle of the night outdoors. Their straps make them easy to find and fish out of your bag.

Madeline F @ 147,

I thought your original post was a joke. Now that you're insisting it isn't, I'm uncomfortable. I have fairly regular dealings with alcoholics/AA/AlAnon, and what you're saying sounds very like the standard addict's excuse: "Hey, a stressful situation! Everyone uses my drug of choice to cope, right?"

No doubt that isn't what you intend, but that's what I hear.

In any case, I'm not sure that alcohol is going to make a stressful situation better. (I have visions of a drunk person staggering through the crowd at a shelter, for example, or a small child getting hold of the stash, with dire results, or bored teenagers finding out about the stash, with worse results.) I would want my decision making skills, such as they are, as unimpaired as possible.

Juli

I've made the post reappear.

I'll also comment here that, as I've posted elsewhere, alcohol and disaster don't mix.

Along with everything else (like clouded judgment), alcohol contributes to both hypothermia and dehydration, and both of those are killers.

A hat, a shawl, and binder clips are good suggestions, though. I encourage everyone to think through what makes sense for them in their situation and location, and adjust accordingly.

ajay@143: "And if you tried to drink all that in 24 hours, I think your kidneys would EXPLODE."

British squaddies (and coppers) all come with an infinite capacity to consume Tea. It's a job requirement.

I've whipped out my emergency kit to see how it compares to the discussion so far. For a start, mine is modular. I've a number of waterproof nylon stuff sacks with drawcords about 4 x 2 x 6 inches. There are two stuff sacks that are always packed and go anywhere I might take an emergency kit:-

• One is a first aid kit that's probably more comprehensive than most with an emphasis on stabilising one or more major casualties. It was put together originally for the 'falling off a mountain' scenario. This also contains all the blister/chaffing handling type items.

The Scotsman in me (25% Scots, 50% Irish, 25% English) wants to add a Great Kilt to the list. This isn't the skirt of nowadays but a huge bolt of fabric as wide as you are tall and long enough to make a snug bed for a Highlander sleeping outdoors as well as a garment.

Go Bags! Beat Satchels! Yaaaayyyyy!

Ian, you might want to check out my first aid kit and my wilderness bag. Here.

Hmm, in the move of the firearms discussion, the handaxe discussion also went. I think we wound up agreeing that the items-you-want list should be sorted by the ratio of usefulness (by both degree and probability) to weight, in descending order, and then draw the line at the total weight you think you can carry for as long as you're going to have to carry the go bag.

I also recommended putting the things with the lowest ratio on top, so you can throw them away easily should your calculations prove incorrect.

That's the only part of the moved discussion that I found relevant to THIS discussion.

Jim, if you disagree, please just delete this post.

#149 Juli Thompson: Too true. I work in an addiction research lab, and uncles on both sides were alcoholics, so I am aware of the cliff awaiting when alcohol becomes a crutch.

#150, 151 James D. Macdonald: Thanks. And yeah, you do have very good points.

Let's see, the other thing I remember as useful and light was a washcloth. Solid nubbly piece of fabric, I used it to wipe out my cup, and to wipe bird poop off of me when subjected to a direct hit. Could also have been useful as a handkerchief.

Things that were not useful: a plastic origami cup that folded flat: more trouble than it was worth, almost, though having a place to mix up instant coffee was gold. A real plastic or metal cup would have been better, though.

4 binder clips: 2 was good, 4 was just clackety overkill.

Madeline F @148: I also fully endorse the suggestions of LED headlamps. The size of a walnut, but they mean you can comfortably read on planes and busses, or find what you've dropped in the middle of the night outdoors. Their straps make them easy to find and fish out of your bag.

These have been so useful for me, I carry one in my pocket almost as often as I carry a cellphone. I recently had the opportunity to play 'helpful stranger' for a guy who was changing a flat tire at night in a downpour. Holding an umbrella helped a bit. Having a flashlight handy... priceless.

Madeline #148, Rob #157:

My husband recently acquired a neat little ear-mounted LED, looks sort of like one of those Bluetooth phone thingies. It came in quite handy the last time the power failed inexplicably; he was cheerfully reading along while I was trying to aim my old-fashioned foldup reading light with one hand and manage the pages with the other.

I have a little LED (blue) flashlight keychain thingie tethered to my purse. It came in handy the day the computer at work was replaced and they left the mouse and keyboard for me to plug in. Under the desk, against the partition, with not enough light from the open side to see the connectors.

Now I also have a white-LED windup light in my desk (along with pliers and screwdrivers). And some tuna-salad kits.

Dave Bell: My Pennywhistles are not disposable (the cheapest of them was about $90US). More to the point, cheap whistles (Generation, Oak, etc.) don’t do well for long periods in a car (the fipples get brittle and break). But they are easy to tuck into nooks and crannies. If you add a small book of tunes, you can take a few, and give lessons.

Stefan: That gets called flint, it’s actually a mix of magnesium and some other metals. It’s handy, but a zippo and a small tin of fluid works too.

Greg London: Ingredients to add (available in bulk) Gluten, and diastatic malt (i.e. malt powder). The first makes the crumb stronger, which make the bubbles more solid. The second provide free sugars for the yeast.

On the other side of things, breadmaker bread tends to be dense, It doesn’t have the means to get good oven spring.

jakob: A “compo” has a days rations. Tea, , white teas, coffee, cocoa powder, brown biccies, fruit biccies (very good) some spread for the brown biccies. A breakfast-ish meal (the pork and beans are good) a meat dish for supper, and a some form of desserty thing (the treacle tart needs heating). All of the stuff is either canned (the spreads) in tear-open packets (the biccies) or in heavy packets meant to be boiled. Most of them need to be boiled.

It also has one veggie soup powder (quite tasty, and filling) and some bouillon powder (adequate), and some sugar.

I happen to have a compo in my car (as well as about six MREs).

ajay: The advantage of the chemical heater is that it only takes a small amount of water, and we don’t have to carry hexy, a stove, or a mess-kit. Trade-offs.

James re Camelbacks: I have one of the full-sized Camelback Rucks. Yes, it adds to the cost of the kit (I spent $160 on mine). 3 ltrs water, main portion (with vertical and horizontal cross-straps; four zipper pulls, and a full race for the zippers), secondary section, tertiary section (with only a single zipper, but several smallish sections; very useful for maps, papers, reference books (e.g. first aid). It also has two small side pouches (double zippered) and a full-width bottom pouch, across the back; double-zippered. A chest strap, padded back (with airflow) and a (removable) hip belt. The drinking tube can be mounted to the left, or the right. It weighs about 4 lbs. empty.

It's not the best "go-bag" thing, but for one of the larger sorts of disasters it might be useful.

I use it as my primary ruck, because it is comfortable, has lots of webbing points for external attachments, and a pair of velcro-loop strips for ID, blood-type, etc.

I also have a M.U.L.E., which has the aid kit for horseback riding.

I don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but bungee cords are fantastically useful in a variety of situations. They come in all sizes, and could easily be added to a fanny pack emergency kit at little or no cost, either in dollars or in weight.

People found during the San Jose earthquake yesterday that cellphones were inoperable for about 15 to 30 minutes after the shaking stopped. Land lines worked fine. Our problem would be that our connection to the land line is thru our cordless - no power, no phone. We would have to crank up the generator at that point. The next line of communication would be via ham radio. Now that the code requirement has been eliminated, getting a license is easy.
People might consider joining the local search and rescue organization. Then you would have the phone numbers and radio frequencies for you local dispatch.
Some might find that a pain in the ass when you get called out at midnight, the usual time, to go look for a missing hiker, kid or confused old person.

Jim, you pulled at least one post that wasn't about guns.

Jeremy Preacher, #? (was 127), I went to high school with a girl named Jeffrey, and her three sisters all had male names starting with J, too. Here's the names and what non-family called them: James (Jami), Jeffrey (Fi, said Fee), Jeremy (Jeri), and Joshua (Jo). It seemed awfully mean that they were named that way.

Faren, #136 (was 237) I'm glad your mom is okay. Breaking hips is a big deal.

I realized Monday night that I have a Go Bag that most people don't need. I have one for the hospital, which goes with me when the EMTs take me to the ER. I have:

- Gowns that fit me and snap both in back and on both shoulders
- A robe that fits and snaps in front and both shoulders
- Good slippers
- Pen and notepad
- A couple of paperbacks
- An old (working) alarm clock
- A list of my diagnoses, doctors, insurance, and meds
- A really big three-ring notebook with my history (three-ring so people can make their own copy)
- A list of important phone numbers (I have a cell phone now, but I still keep the list)
- A roll of quarters (usually used for the WashPost)
- Some money for other things I need

Dilbert@162: The next line of communication would be via ham radio. Now that the code requirement has been eliminated, getting a license is easy.

Yeah, I keep thinking I should get my ham license. I don't know why I haven't done it yet. Not just for it's survival capacity, but because it'd be cool to play around with.

Marilee 163: Drew Barrymore's real first name is Andrew.

#160: Are "compos" worth getting for stowing in your car / emergency bag? They sound more like honest "iron rations", and good as such, rather than half-hearted attempts at real food which MREs are reported to be.

If so, is there a source to get them cheap?

Xopher #165: And Ann Rice's name is Howard.

Terry Karney @ 160 wrote:

Dave Bell: My Pennywhistles are not disposable (the cheapest of them was about $90US). More to the point, cheap whistles (Generation, Oak, etc.) don’t do well for long periods in a car (the fipples get brittle and break). But they are easy to tuck into nooks and crannies. If you add a small book of tunes, you can take a few, and give lessons.

For emergency music, consider a plastic recorder. Inexpensive, light weight, compact, resistant to water and cold, and with a little practice, you can get a lovely tone and play a very large range of music, including a large range of Renaissance and Baroque music written for the recorder. Also easy to wash the mouthpiece if you're going to be sharing the instrument, such as giving lessons to a fellow shelter resident.

160: they're on sale in civi camping shops, at least in the UK, under the "Wayfarer" brand name. You can eat them cold, too, if you want - they're already cooked. I would advise eating them in the dark. The first time I ate one in the daylight I found the colour quite startling.

Something that I think no one has mentioned, but are brilliant anyway: sanitary napkins (yay, pads!). While tampons are great for most women's needs, a couple of pads (1) are lightweight and can lie incredibly flat at the bottom of a bag, thus making them a dandy addition if you so choose, (2) can be used for young misses you may either be related to or come in contact with if it becomes abruptly required, (3) can be used to staunch large wounds without too much worry about sterility (I don't believe they're technically sterile, but on the other hand, you're carrying them around individually wrapped in plastic), and (4) the best use: as any Girl Scout who's spent enough time at summer camp knows, can be wrapped around a stick and set on fire, creating a torch that lasts a remarkably long time while creating a lot of light (though I'm not sure whether an ultrathin pad will provide the same sort of jaunty flare as your standard thick overnight-with-wings variety. Testing time!). Kotex says

"Our maxi pads and pantiliners are made mostly of wood cellulose fibers -- the same raw materials paper is made from. (We "fluff" these fibers to make the material absorbent and soft.) The outer cover and the moisture-proof shields are made with a moisture-proof plastic such as polypropylene or polyethylene, to help minimize leakage."

With that sort of material, it's no surprise they burn easily. I imagine that they also make excellent fire starters for similar reasons.

(By the way, while looking up "pad torch" on flickr, I found a pile of photos of people's go bags. Very fascinating. In further searching, I also found a youtube video of a maxi-pad and Axe deodorant fire combo, which is pretty awesome as well.)

Xopher & Fragrano, I always think the fathers must give the girls male names. My dad called my Ricky for 17 months until my brother was born and he got the name.

Madeline F @ 148 and subsequent comments (Juli Thompson @ 149, James D. Macdonald @151)

I'm with Madeline F @148 on this one. While not wanting to minimise the risks of alcohol dependence, one miniature bottle of single-malt Scotch is not the same as "alcohol as a crutch". Neither is she recommending mixing alcohol and disaster. Rather, having a small piece of civilisation to savour after making your way out of potential disaster to at least temporary safety.

After my disocated shoulder had been successfully reduced (after three hours!), I sighed and said I wanted a (single measure of) 18-year-old Glenlivet (I'd bought a bottle in duty free on my way to the USA, where the dislocation had occurred). My aunt and mother were both horrified, talking of the dangers of mixing painkillers and alcohol. I skipped the painkillers and went for the single malt. I didn't want it for the alcohol content - that was irrelevant. It was a piece of comfort, indicating "all is right with the world, you can relax now" - could as easily have been half a bar of really good chocolate or my favorite tea.

Zippos and other disposable lighters are well and good, but be aware that the fluid will evaporate, sometimes rather quickly if the lighter gets banged about.

On the alcohol -- I'm teetotal because I'm a supertaster, and thus the stuff holds no appeal to me whatsoever as a recreational drug. I have, nevertheless, occasionally used spirits for medicinal purposes. Usually instead of a bedtime dose of codeine after I've been taking codeine for several days during an extended bout of dental treatment, and am getting very fed up with the major side-effect of codeine. It's quite effective as a mild sedative if you're in slightly too much pain to sleep. I'd certainly think about a miniature of brandy or the like if I didn't have a bottle of codeine available.

Marilee #171: It's entirely possible. My father landed me with the given names I have, and got very angry when I asked him if he'd pay to have them changed by deed poll.

Now that LED lights are so small, light, and reliable, I always carry one on my keychain. I recommend the "Sapphire" brand; it's not the smallest, but it's reliable, and when my first one quit the company replaced it without quibbling. I cannot count the number of times that a small problem has become a non-problem because I had a light in my pocket.

Cheap plastic LED lights are common trade show giveaways, and I keep them all over the place . . . glovebox, desk drawer, travel bag.

I'd recommend iodine drops and absorption tablets, for water purification. They're cheap, small and potentially vital. You can buy them in any decent outdoors shop, and they cost about £3 each in the UK- likely to be $6 or less in the US. To use: fill your waterbottle with stream or rain water, drop the iodine in (proportions are written on the bottle, but if in doubt add extra drops), shake bottle and leave for ten minutes, add absorption tablets to get rid of the foul taste, leave for a few more minutes, and you have potable water.

Also very useful for hiking: you can take one water bottle and refill it periodically from streams.

Something that just occurred to me as being part of my emergency kit, but which is so basic that I generally forget to list it, is a metal cup. You can get one at any hiking store, and I never hike/backpack/etc. without one.

Generally, I simply use it for drinking water or oatmeal. However, you can bring water to a boil in it with just a couple of burning twigs -- which eliminates the need for iodine tabs or bleach if you have time to boil several cup's worth. Save the tabs for when you don't have time. Plus, if you're freezing your butt off, hot liquid taken internally is awfully nice.

Note: I'm not a big fan of iodine or bleach though I do use them if I don't have time to boil my water thoroughly. Under field conditions, using them properly is very difficult for the average person. I've gotten giardia after a hike when the only water I drank had a double dose of iodine in it. I suspect I didn't manage to get the mouth of the bottles purified adequately.

Boiling water is also not sure-fire at very high altitudes but it's better than the water treatments.

-- Leva

Just to follow up on my previous post, the issue with "field conditions" and water treatment is the threads on the bottles. Getting them adequately sterilized is a lot easier with boiling water (dip the mouth of the bottle in the boiling water for a minute or two, then pour the boiling water into the bottle, carefully!) vs. with water treatment.

Plus most people using water treatment tabs don't think about the threads. They'll fill the bottle with contaminated water, drop a tab in, and close the top. The threads, which are wet, are not exposed to the iodine or chlorine. Plus, even if you do swish water over the threads, they can trap dirt or spit or whatever and "protect" the nasty bug from the chemical that's supposed to kill it.

Depending on what the specific nasty is in the water, the small amount of untreated water on the threads of the bottle may or may not be an issue.

I like boiling the water simply because, while boiling water doesn't kill everything, it does kill most common nasties.

Tin cups are in my Wilderness Bag. See also the tin-cup-survival-kit in the Dashing Through the Snow post.

Tin cups are also useful for making a field-expedient traction splint. See Trauma and You Pt. Two: Sticks And Stones.

Leva - Good point about the mouth/threads of bottles. I will do my best to remember that one.

Many published go-bag lists include a pillow. Even a small pillow is a lot of bulk. OTOH, if you have a pillowCASE, you can make a pillow out of laundry or found materials, and the pillowcase is also an emergency bag. Cf. Mrs. Robinson - the Swiss, not the seductress.

This discussion inspired me to quit *thinking* about building a new go-bag, and DO it. I need to buy a half-dozen more things, but what I have pulled together is NOW zipped into a fanny pack where it can be grabbed. Don't just read and post; don't wait until you have time and money to do the perfect job. A paper bag is better than nothing to grab at all. Do it!

I just went to the information session my work gave on Flexible Spending Accounts. My work offers a Health FSA where you set aside some money (up to $5,000, but take care, because any you don't use is gone in 2009) and get access to all of it on a debit card at the beginning of the year, and this is funded by taking a small chunk out of your paycheck pre-tax every pay period.

The FSA lady talked about how you could use Health FSA money to buy over-the-counter drugs, first aid kits, even bandaids! At which point my eyebrows popped up and I started considering setting aside much more than I had been.

If your work offers this kind of thing, the rest of this month is the time to jump on it. It's a 20-30% savings on many of the expensive parts of the earthquake kit, like anti-histamines to pass out to your co-sufferers, and bandaids and sprain wraps and Nyquil and all sorts of groovy things.

#182: A few years back, I found myself approaching the end of the flex-med period with several hundred dollars left in my account.

I bought a pair of glasses. Still some leftover!

So I went to Fred Meyer and did my family Christmas shopping: A half-dozen First Aid kits.

With what was leftover after that I bought all sorts of OTC meds and first aid supplies, ranging from bee sting ointment to Pepto-Bismal.

Some drug stores -- Walgreen's, at least -- put a little hash mark next to items that qualify for FlexMed spending. Darn handy!

Pillow -- don't need one. The fanny pack or daypack itself (or your own clothes stuffed into your pants) works great.

For more on preparedness, its origin and necessity, see Of Fire, Fire, Fire I Sing (post on the Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894).

A ten-buck prepacked kit.

That GoGear kit seems to be no longer available at Woot but Google lists it several other places for $20-$40.

I recommend the new OLight flashlight. 3.5X the life of a Surefire 120 lumen, and 40% brighter. Has 5 settings. Dim setting lasts 70 hours and is still 10 lumens--way brighter than most AA lights. Full bright also has a strobe setting that will stun and put someone on the ground. Full bright will also do this in the dark. They run around $60-$70. Lithium C123 batteries have a very long shelf life.

Almost no one thinks of light as a weapon.

If you lose something in the dark, this will find it, including things like contact lenses. It's BRIGHT. Headlight bright. Use it for signaling if lost (it even has a setting to flash "SOS"). Use it as an emergency headlight. Use it for rescues. Use it to light whole stairwells in the dark.

Thought I'd point out that Baylis Products. [Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio] make a MP3 media player. A wind-up media player, that can also charge phones etc, has a built in torch and am/fm band radio [for emergency broadcasts], and takes SD cards [upon which one can store all manner of information & documents]

It can be found at:
http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/trevor-baylis-brands/trevor-baylis-eco-media-player/

Figure that should save some room & weight in any go bag by combining several items.

Energizer makes battery operated cell phone charges. They take a few AAA batteries (normally 4) and they normally work for about 12-24 hours and are about $20. They sell them in the South at Kroger, so Fred Meyer's, Food 4 Less and other Kroger owned stores should have them too. Also Lehman's (www.lehmans.com) sells stuff for off the grid living. And there is also a couple of companys out there that still make old fashioned water pumps for getting out well water. For other ideas on off grid living try www.maryjanesfarm.com, I know there's a lot of country girl stuff there, but there are also a lot of links if you dig a bit.

I was in REI last weekend and they have hand-cranked cellphone chargers (FreePlay). Probably not a good thing for a full recharge, but good for those five minutes you might need in an emergency.

Syona #191 OH NOES!
While excitedly scanning the details of the Trevor Baylis Eco Media Player (I note that Stephen Fry's review of it was published on an auspicious day, 24 Nov 2007), wondering if there was an Australian distributor, &c, I ran into this short but devastating par:

Compatibility
The Eco Media Player requires a PC for use. It is currently not compatible with Mac OS.

Just a note to thank you for this page. I've known about it for about a year, and repost the link periodically on my journal, as well as permanently on my website.

In our area, fire starting is a must. And my cousin stumbled upon a rather clever idea for toting kindling. A couple of cheap-ass pencils (dollar store) and a good metal sharpener.

The paint keeps the pencil wood dry, and you just sharpen as needed.

Of course ... this does mean you have to make sure you have a pen for the note writing ... :)

Video instruction on using SAM splints.

Why you want to have your bag packed, real-life example #4,897:

Texas fertilizer fire prompts evacuation recommendation

Officials recommended that more than 70,000 residents of the East Texas town of Bryan evacuate Thursday after a fertilizer warehouse caught fire, sending thick clouds of orange, toxic smoke into the air....

Jim:
May I recommend "Mountain Rescue Doctor : Wilderness Medicine in the Extremes of Nature" by Christopher Van Tilburg?
He is an MD / Ski Patroller /Crag Rat at Mt. Hood, the book is about wilderness SAR (esp. high altitude / high angle / extreme conditions) from an active participant with the oldest mountain SAR team in the country.

Thanks for the reminder. I really need to set up a 'go bag' for the basement because our chief issue is tornados.

Though right now the basement is at issue because of something the city wanted us to install (wireless water meter) and it was a 'house that jack built' problem. AS yet needing the city to do something before it can be finished. (ARRRRRRGH.)

I determined today that we have enough food in the house, both dried/canned and in the freezer that if there is a flu quarantine we'd be just fine. All in the hunt for a really really dead potato. And now the two pantry spots in my kitchen are really clean. dragonet2 at LJ has the (somewhat icky) details.

Hi! Thank you for this post, it's the most "doable" looking emergency kit I've ever seen, and therefore I'm finally assembling my own emergency kit.

I have a couple of questions: I am using AAA batteries, because I found a $4 flashlight with 9 bright LED's, and I was going to buy a AAA powered radio. However, I remembered I had a AAA powered radio already. Only thing is, it's FM only, and it doesn't have speakers, I have to use earbuds with it (or carry around speakers and plug them in, which seems silly). Would it be better to buy a different one, so more people can listen to it at the same time, and so I have AM radio? Is AM radio important?

Second question - I don't have moleskin, but I have read that duct tape works, too, and I have that. Any reason not to pack duct tape instead of moleskin?

Third - I have a small pocket knife with scissors. Any reason to search out a curved cuticle scissors if I have that instead?

Thanks. =)

Victoria, my only concern about a pocket knife with scissors instead of a pair of cuticle scissors would be that I've had multiple Victorinox scissor blades behave in a flaky manner and only perform their scissoring tasks at unpredictable times, and I wouldn't want them to flake out in an emergency. If your pocketknife scissors are reliable, they'd probably do.

I'm not sure whether the curved blade has specific properties that make it useful in emergencies -- maybe it's related to bandage shears, which have one flattened blade, making them easy to slide between bandage and skin without risking cutting the bandage-wearer. Jim?

Why you need a go-bag and some planning, Part #2897:

Evacuees grab pets, Bibles and flee

(H/T to Cygnet)

There seems to be a large-ish chunk of comments missing from this thread, starting somewhere around #80 (note references to nonexistent comments with higher numbers than current in the thread). Probably not retrievable, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Ah. Looks as if a gun debate was deleted, munching some useful-sounding comments in the process. Makes sense.