Whats your Survival Plan ? What do you have ready for the unknown Emergency , are you skilled in dangerous situations ?
EDC refers to Every Day Carry, like my neck worn dog tags that outline my identify and my contact emergency numbers ; usually I also have a $20 or $50 dollar bank note taped to this essential item.
( include allergies and medical history etc. )
So we have a small Maxpedition backpack which is actually a sling bag. A sling bag is designed to be worn over one shoulder and while still worn to spin to the persons front. This allows a person to access gear etc. without removing the bag from your body.
Simply put this bag has everything an average person would need to survive almost anywhere for seven days.
The water is 4 days worth at maximum rationing , 32 ounces is only half a normal daily allowance , but in life and death situations it can be enough for four days ! ! !
The emergency long life food is enough for over one week. This survival pack has 3 adult meals but again in a life or survival situation food is not mandatory ! ! !
A survival water straw allows filtering of 500 gallons of contaminated water safely, (I myself living in a city do not carry FIRE making tools ; simply legally it would be to much of a headache. But I could carry a flint fire starter with my awesome folding survival knife.
Hat, a REAL first aid ( first is not for blisters or headaches its about deep wounds and bleeding gashes ), visual aids, sleeping warmth, cool shade, tablet book and WiFi computer, power cables, battery supply, safety glasses, gloves ( you must have safe eye protection ), without hands or vision your situation went of poor to desperate !!!
Morale patches, signal mirror, extra carry backpack and maps , signal light ( I could include a compass ) but again I am in the city and have plastic maps , alcohol wipes, sunscreen, bug spray. . .
Everything except extra clothing and footwear, extra clothing is option in a true GoTo Grab Bag. I wear this everywhere I ever go. I only must remove the knife to make this pack air travel legal ! ! ! Obviously I do not wear it in the shopping centers etc but I have it in the car or close by...
At home i keep fifty bottled waters in case of water supply loss / interruption from pipeline contamination. Properly stored bottled water lasts over 20 years ! ! !
I even have a Bug Out Bag or BoB a large backpack of essential stuff always packed , I would just need to stop to grab the extra water and emergency food packs. If the worst were to happen I can be gone for seven days in under 30 seconds , now that makes me feel more prepared and safer . .
This small backpack of everything for one week weighs around / or under 17 pounds. However it needs extra drinking water since 32 ounces is only half your normal daily hydration needs , but it can last up to 4 days . . . You must have water !!! Humans are 60 % water ; just FIVE % water loss = damage , a loss of just 10 % = DEATH ! ! !
You can prepare and carry or horde more gear or you can simply educate yourself ! ! ! Whats your safety meet up plans for the family, what is your action plan where the mobile phone cell towers are overloaded and do not work ; how do your loved ones get out in a fire ???
Who are you networking with ; )
Please glance again at the awesome Benchmade Adamas 275 Folding Combat
Knife ; part of every sale goes to support US Army Rangers ! ! !
Really nice write up. Keep the EDC posts coming. Might make some myself one day.
Since our home base is in Alaska we stay pretty prepared. Consider adding a BAYGEN radio with the extra light connection or something that does the same FM, AM, shortwave, and weather. @vetvso used emergency pack in truck once at -45F for a 10 mile emergency hike.
Excellent post that SHOULD get folks thinking about being prepared for the worst.
First you have to anticipate what could happen, then prep by level...where are you at? who are you responsible for? how bad is the situation? how LONG could the situation last?
Thanks for pointing out the difference between the EDC (everyday carry) and the BOB ( Bug Out Bag)
Like you said, one of the more important things to carry are your skills, which go beyond fire making and include legal prep (what kind of a knife can you carry legally vs what kind of knife do you anticipate needing? are you in shape for carrying your EDC for 7 days? What about your group members, can you pick up the slack for your weakest link?)
And as @bmwrider notes the riots and violence, what kind of weapon do you carry? Do you choose to carry?
Another great post, Crok
The greatest weapon known to man ; excluding nuclear weapons of course is the ADAMAS 275 Folding Combat knife...
In a protracted survival situation it is a 20 gauge shotgun, Remington 870 pump. plus the Remington 7615P pump rifle.
For concealed carry is the NAA 22 Magnum micro revolver : ) The big hitter revolver is the Taurus 410/44 Mag revolver and the Ruger SP101 38/357 revolvers.
For the greatest hand gun ever made is a no-contest the Sig Sauer P239 pistol in 9mm . . .
Any ammo must be 12 gauge or 20 gauge, 38 or 359 or 9mm. In a protracted emergency you need a commonly available ammunition supply chain ! ! !
I currently use a backpack but should change to a slingbag. Wonder if they make one that accommodates an SBR? :)
You mean a weapon (rifle) I have my weapons picked out but I am an Alien, not a citizen so I cannot buy guns.
But I have found the five greatest modern weapons known to man ; but reality is I simply have no need for them ! ! !
Plus the Adamas 275 Folding Combat Knife is a " man-enough " ego tool for an ' Aussie He-Man ' . . .
Have you been paying attention to what is happening in Charlotte?
I have heard and if you checked the times of my posts you would see I spoke about police and African Americans the day before Charlotte . . .
Myself I do not follow the mass media so I only know what I can find from non propaganda sources , and have not looked real hard at those ! ! !
I recall the billionaire with to much stupid money outfitted his entire skyscraper penthouse with armored bullet proof windows so he could enjoy watching the next LA riots...
Seriously so people . . . They should try and think "Am I part of the problem or part of the solution ?" ; but they do not think , except ' about money ' ! ! !
They forget the ' First Rule About Money ' ; money does not care what sort of dirt-bag it attracts . . .
I do follow your posts, my point is hope is not a plan. You have EDC because you are prepared. Once you are able to, you should avail yourself of the tools that will allow you to protect you and yours. Right now, the reports I have been getting from that area are that people are being hunted down and beaten for being the wrong race. The media is not reporting that as to not alarm folks. In the end, I have always been about the preservation of human life and though I do not know you in person, I have been reading your writings for long enough to know a lot about you. I would hate for you to be in a position where you could not defend yourself.
I completely understand what you are saying and luckily I live in a nice area. I recall homeowners having to defend there properties for days after extreme weather events ! ! ! And; yes people must be prepared and able to defend themselves , I like people ...
I truly do like people but I am also a realist , this planet can only sustain 5 billion people long term ; so if things really start to go wrong in society. I am perfectly prepared to give the planet an hand and to permanently remove lots and lots of people if necessary ; even if it means TWO BILLION ; )
Maybe you can understand that thought process : )
a sling bag only slings over one shoulder so you cannot carry any real weight . . . so sling bags are for convenience, my kit-out weights well under 20 pounds. A true amount of gear has more weight especially water and that normally means 2 shoulder straps for balance and weight distribution . . .
I have my pack with a water bladder in it, you are correct, full I would need two straps.
Yes I decline the water bladder style simply as it is harder to clean , sterilize ; I myself carry those accordion folding water bladders, they zip ultra small and light but can carry half a gallon. If anyone is going to buy those water bladder bags please buy the type with the wide opening to make cleaning somewhat easier.
And thank you for the tip, but living in Florida means any travel would not be a day time activity usually. Every afternoon we get thunder storms and lose ( my guess only ) 14 people to lightning strikes , probably not a bad way to " pass-on " in 'reality ' ! ! !
[ just kidding ] ; )
Yay, don't forget ear plugs, flare as well
Apologies yes I forgot to include but I DO carry ear plugs but I myself would never have a place to use flares : )
It's always helpful to read about what other people put in their emergency bags. It sounds like you have thought a lot about what you would need in your area. I do some backpacking in the rocky mountain area. Three things that I have found to be useful in the wilderness that don't add much weight are a tarp, paracord, and zip ties.
Maybe you saw the paracord on my BoB GoTo bag . Plus I carry those flat foil and orange silver heat bags. This is essentially an aluminium bag that protects from the biting cold. It would also keep mosquitoes at bay and could be used for water collection or signalling. Another use if it is cut the strips is to mark a trail direction etc or to leave a written message with a waterproof pen...
Reality for me is Florida has only one real nasty ; hurricanes. Thus having a BoB ( Bug Out Bag ) since rain, wind, destruction, destroyed communications and trashed roads mean there is no where to leave to go ! ! !
Thus my BoB is my BiB = Bug in Bag : ) We can survive here for two weeks or 14 days , since the house is armored including unbreakable glass we should be relatively fine ; remember we will not have a house roof : )
Yes the government will eventually get around to doing something ; sometime , but remember we also have 25 million neighbors so expecting the National Guard to just roll up and help out is just not reality. My plan is at least about 5 days of " nothingness " . . .
My gravest fear is the neighbors will come by and ask to borrow a cup of sugar ; letting people know you have anything of value in an extreme event is not smart ; )
Wish everyone believed in basic readiness, and to have more basic food items on hand for emergencies.
A survival straw or cup will help with your hydration needs, virtually no weight as well. And I also believe a few small gold and silver coins could be a major factor if trying to bribe or escape or again survive.
Yes , you are followed BTW ; I have a lifestraw. also in this grab bag it is an urban bag so I do not carry cooking nor metal cup. In my larger pack I carry compass, metal cooking cup, flat stove and fire starting, I ensure i have five different ways of making flames. But for my urban environs I never carry ignition sources. I carry 20 dollars on my dog tags of contact info around my neck, silver and gold coins are available in the house. These are ultra high grade collectibles so they maintain an investment value, but should we find ourselves drawing down on the Apocalypse we will happily sell them for our survival . . .
Metal coins ; I wonder if I mentioned them to the tax office in my last audit . . . : ) [ just kidding ] ; )
Also a few bitcoin in the phone is a good thing in my opinion. I travel a lot and there is always a possibility of facing a problem getting home. The coins would not be my first choice, I wuld try http://www.abitsky.com/ first, then if not possible go to back to basics, real money.