Most “go bags” seem to be designed for running away through forests.
I work in the city, and it is 100 kms to get home. If the SHTF while I am at work (about a third of my weekly hours), then my priority is to get home. If the trains aren’t running, my options are to walk or steal a bicycle. I don’t know how to steal a car!
(Paperback for size comparison only – I’m not planning on being bored!)
Presuming that I am walking, it will take me 3 days or so to get home, as I guess my journey would not be down a highway, and not in a straight line. While many preppers keep a fully-loaded backpack at work for such events, it doesn’t suit my work environment. Plus, I am on a train for 3 hours each day, so I want my gear with me – and I want to limit the load as best I can. It is better to have a light load that I will actually keep with me than an elaborate kit that I get tired of hauling about. At least with a minimal number of items there will be less questions from work colleagues and friends.
There are some items I am going to have with me anyway:
- clothing to suit the season
- a bottle of water
- phone (with survival guide files)
Here are the extra items I am carrying for survival purposes only:
- food – muesli bars or oat biscuits.I prefer them to be chocolate coated for additional energy. A packet or box is good for two days. Most likely extra can be scavenged.
- water – if I can’t refill my bottle with clean water, there is the LifeStraw [product | video] – good for 1000 litres. Small and easy to use.
- knife – my favourite small multitool is the Leatherman Skeletor [product | video]. You can go smaller, like the Squirt, but the blade quality suffers
- first aid – I think Celox-A [product | video] is the best product there is for survival/weight ratio. It will stop a a bleeding wound that would otherwise kill you/someone before an ambulance can arrive
- tactical pen – by Schrade [product | video] – it is a good pen, but can also smash car windows (and hopefully train windows), has a very loud whistle, and a ferro rod for starting fires. In theory it is also a weapon.
- paracord – lots of uses. Throw in some duct tape as well if you have room
- lighting – my little gadget from Nokero [product | video] will charge during the day and provide light all night – and it is very compact
Caveats
I figure I know the journey well enough, know the hills as landmarks, that I won’t need maps or a compass.
In the middle of winter, nights would be difficult with a sleeping bag. But I’m not travelling through wilderness, and I expect some unoccupied shelter can be found.
I haven’t shown my bag because it changes depending on what else I am taking with me that day (like an iPad or books or lunch). Any bag will do. Even the cheapest will be tolerable and last for a few days.
In Action
So I’ve managed to fit my gear into a Leatherman tin – it’s the right size and the lid fits snugly. Not in the tin is food or paracord. The food is a problem, as it will get knocked about in my travels. But the paracord doesn’t need any protection. Added to the tin is a tiny Leatherman torch (flashlight), some waterproof matches and a magneiusm/ferro fire starter. And a chap stick, just because it is so small and light.
It takes up about 1/8th of my small pack. I won’t notice it.