In preparation for a natural or man made disaster, its a good idea to have some supplies ready around the house. In case you are not at home its easy to prepare some essential equipment in a bag that can be left in the car or truck. There are many ideas for a easy to carry backpack to be used in an emergency. Here are some pictures of one attempt at a bag that has enough supplies for a person on the move for a few days.
The basic idea is to carry items and equipment to help you stay moving, ahead of any trouble and support you and not be so large as to hinder your speed. you don't know if you will be traveling on a bus, in your car or walking. Being prepared for everything can be rough I pull good ideas from experienced travelers, military, hikers and campers. Attempting to keep the basics in mind. Shelter, food and comfort (some level of comfort at least)
I don't cover weapons in this review. But there is extra room in the pack where ammo could be carried. However not every situation would require soldiers gear and ammunition so I'll let another article cover defense and weapons.
Starting with the bag, it's a Camelbak brand, the model is called the 'Motherlode' After using it for a few years, I find that it is not my favorite design, but it's large enough to carry all these supplies with room left over. It is very well made and strong, this bag can take a lot of abuse. There are plenty of attachment points to add more pouches, pockets or other gear to the pack.
It holds a 100 oz (under a gallon) of water in an internal (removable) bladder. I also have a one quart military canteen on the outside. The canteen is attached and tied on, but the cord used to tie it on can also double as a carry strap for the canteen if it was removed and carried separately. I usually also strap another 100 oz bladder to the outside of this pack for longer hikes.
I've attached two pouches to the sides of the bag. One is empty the other holds 50 feet of strong climbing rope with lots of room left over. Having extra room can be important, so don't fill every spare inch of an emergency pack. Another small pouch is attached low and to the left for a simple bandage that's easy to get to outside the pack.
A hatchet is attached to the outside of the pack. This strong lightweight hatchet is used for cutting wood (obviously) but can also be an effective hammer, shovel and essential for butchering large game. Also makes a handy weapon in a pinch.
The pack as shown (with additional 100oz bladder) weighs in at 45 pounds, That is with 232 oz of water, almost two gallons
Inside the Bag:
Starting with the outside pocket, quick protection is kept handy. Leather gloves (well used already, so they don't need to be broken in), a poncho, scarf and lightweight balaclava (ski mask).
This way protection from the elements can be grabbed or stowed away quickly
The next pocket is a medium sized one with places for pens, small gear, etc. While it is tempting to fill these pockets with all kinds of small gear, my experience has proven this is a great way to loose things at night, in the rain, etc. So I keep this pocket almost empty.
I keep my small pack (red bag) of tobacco. A pack of cigarettes and a few cigars both vacuum sealed to keep them fresh and dry. These can be great after a stressful day / emergency, or just for barter. I also keep a monocular (smaller than binoculars) in a case (wrapped in it's neck cord) and a small bag of tools. These tools are small and include things that might be needed to quickly fix or break something. Note the small LED light tied to this pocket. Most of my bags have an LED light on the zipper pulls or attached some other way so that each bag has a light. Redundancy for a very small price in weight.
Next the big pocket of the pack. It has a small area with a zipper for small gear. Here is where I keep some loose items; Tape, spare prescription glasses, matches, whistle, wire and some garbage bags. These items stay with the pack all the time.
Most everything else in the pack is in it's own smaller bag or pouch so that it can be used or carried separately from the main pack.
Keeping things modular lets you trade or swap gear and just makes finding things easier under stress or in the dark
More contents of the large part of the bag are shown here.
The smaller items are kept in yet another compartment of the main pouch. Two rolls of TP with the cardboard tube removed and vacuum sealed make them smaller than a paperback book. Also in the small compartment are a scarf, another scarf that is vacuum sealed, a second poncho, some fire starting materials and some energy food in another vacuum bag.
Three energy bars, some electrolyte drink mix and some 'stay awake' caffeine gum are vacuum sealed to supplement the MRE. I also have a few books in plastic to read and for reference
The majority of the main compartment is filled with these two pouches and MRE (a sealed Military Meal in the tan plastic pouch) and extra clothing.
The small black pouch is a first aid kit that can be worn on a belt if needed quickly. The other is a bag of communication gear
The first aid kit is designed to be worn on the leg, dropped down from the belt so that it hangs over the thigh. It opens like a clamshell, with a fast / strong zipper. All the equipment is held in place with elastic so that it can be easily used but stays in place until needed.
Another small pouch contains some hardware and items for construction projects. Building a shelter, moving injured, gaining access to difficult locations can all be made easier with a few basic materials. 30+ feet of 1" nylon webbing, 100 feet of 550 (parachute) cord, zip ties, a few nails, some screws ad some solid copper insulated phone wire. There's also some trip wire (military surplus $.50 a spool) and some duct tape re-rolled onto a nail so that it's smaller in the pack. These items could also be used to repair gear or fix a vehicle in a pinch.
The communications bag holds equipment in smaller pouches. Again the idea is that any or these items can be worn on a belt or on the strap of another bag, etc.
The pouches also make it easy to keep small parts together. I keep a few colors of glow sticks, (chemical lights / flares) and sew colors of LED lights and gear for keeping in touch with others and items for navigation
From the top, clockwise:
In the green pouch is a CB radio w/ antenna. This one runs on either AA batteries or a car cigarette lighter. It can scan all 40 CB channels so in an emergency it is useful for 'listening' for others.
Next are a GPS and FRS 'family band' 2 way radio that together fit into the tan pouch. The radio can scan the FRS 'family band' channels and all the sub channels, again useful for listening for any news. This model also can receive the US weather channels which broadcast weather and emergency information. It also has an altimeter, weather station and clock built in. The GPS is a standard GPS unit and is a spare that I leave in this pack.
There is also standard military compass and a set of ranger beads, for 'old fashioned' orienteering (map reading), these relics can be useful when the fancy electronic stuff runs out of battery or otherwise is rendered unusable (after Electro Magnetic Pulse). These also have their own pouch.
I keep a spare digital camera with extra memory sticks. This may be wishful thinking but it could prove useful and is easy / light to carry. It's in a strong plastic case to protect it and keep it dry.
All these small bags fit in the larger green one.
For protection from the elements I depend on layers. I carry a very large military jacket. Two sizes too big for me. I also carry two (middle eastern type) scarves and a small airplane blanket (like you get on an airplane) these are very warm and can get very small when vacuum sealed. Same with the coat, and it also keeps them dry
I carry two books. One is a contractors reference which is packed with useful information. And a US Army soldiers guide It contains some basic information on a wide variety of tasks from first aid to communications to military stuff and weapons operation. I also keep a pair of dice and a deck of cards for entertainment
I take this pack camping occasionally to see if the gear works. I am able to see what I use and don't use and I get practice using the items under very little stress.
Knowledge and preparation are more important than any item, so think about what you might do in an emergency. Think now about what you might need in an emergency and pack a bag for each person in your family. Good luck.
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