Most of what's here is based upon common sense and experience. None of it is written in stone, and everyone can and should adapt what I've laid out here to their circumstances. I should emphasize that this is what I actually keep on hand, and I've tried or used all of it. No theory, just the real deal.
I've retained the emphasis on redundancy and high mobility. One website I've run across showed a '72 hour' kit that looked like a full-on expeditionary load-out. "Try running in that," I thought.
If nothing else, I figure I'll get you to thinking if you haven't considered this level of preparation. And if you haven't, it's getting late in the game. For those of us who have, a nod and a tip of the hat.
what do you think about the mini14 and the colt govt .45 combo?
i would also add 20 feet of nylon webbing, highly useful in the field and easier on the hands than parachute cord.
and maybe some of those little white nylon snap ties, easy fix for stuff that breaks and needs to be tied together.
i always carry both of these in my survival pack, along with two of the compressed mylar film sleeping bags, a heat tab, and a fire starter striker.
A CB radio in the vehicle might be a good idea, while it lasts.
You can buy wind-up cell phone battery rechargers these days. Probably a good idea to throw one that fits yours (if you can find one that does) into the pack.
Thanks!
Get a block of paraffin (available at most grocery stores).
Melt the paraffin in a can or pan. Place some lint in the sections of the egg carton. Pour paraffin in the section to cover the lint.
When the paraffin sets, cut the egg carton sections into single units.
When you need a quick, sure fire, just use any flame source (I recommend the wand style gas lighters) and ignite the paraffin and voila, hard to extinguish fire.
I have started wood fires without tinder with 100% luck. No smoke, no smell except the wood you choose! They burn for 10+ minutes.
Good luck!
Glasses are good but they restrict your vision. To get the best field of vision do NOT get those narrow rectangle things. You want roundish and large. You are not making a fashion statement, you are trying to see.
Sun Glasses should fit over your glasses and I would suggest getting the kind with switchable lenses. Amber, green and gray should cover all situation you would normally run into.
If you wear hearing aids, extra batteries. You don't want to lose one of your senses at a time like this.
Folding metal cane. Light, easy to store, makes a good weapon, helps you keep moving if you hurt your knee, foot or ankle. Also useful to pry, poke, prod or extend your reach if necessary.
For fire, I like the stormproof matches at REI. They require a striker, but come with extras in the box. I take two of the cheap waterproof match cases and tape them together (in opposite directions) with electrical or duct tape. That makes them easier to open when your hands are cold. One case gets the matches and a striker, the other gets cotton balls dipped in Vaseline.
Communication is something we take too much for granted, that its always there and it cannot be controlled.
And then we saw Egypt.
I think it should be worth having at the very least the info on how to get a web address using non traditional means. I would say also knowing where to get outside news when in the name of civil unrest all local news is censored.
I will leave this topic in the hands of those much more knowledgeable than myself about this.
I also liked this site for its very practical advise for informational preparations—getting all your documents on a flashdrive, among other things—which would be useful in break-down situations short of Mad Max:
http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/p/map.html
Ping
Crank operated flashlights are now cheap. You should have at least one just in case your batteries are dead or you need to use it longer than a set of batteries last.
Also, I would suggest that you have at least one incandescent bulb flashlight. The LED ones are generally better, but if the disaster is some type of EMP attack they might be as dead as any other electronics. Just running a current through a glowing hot wire is immune to that.
Great info. Thanks.
Keep in mind that when a state of emergency is declared, weapons are prohibited off your own property in many states. N.C. is currently leading in this category.
No matter what the Constitution says, the authorities will be looking for weapons on refugees (that is what you will be if fleeing danger), and will confiscate them or detain you as being suspicious.
placemarker * bump
Bump for later
5.56mm