Survival Kit for any situation

[TheGreenMan]

...some provision for the worst does make sense, but I think you have to temper how much effort, money and time you put into it, against the risk - it's easy to get carried away with it. The risk is very low in reality. Very few people are uprooted from their homes...

I think you are quite right about the need to make a balanced, realistic risk assessment for ones own personal circumstances, Martyn. One does need to keep a perspective in these matters.

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[TheGreenMan]

If the "occasion" is as severe as you need to extract yourself consider that many others will aslo be of the same opinion even if they are not as prepared as you. Layer your ability to be mobile, carried in a vehicle, such as having a folding hand cart of some sort of design to carry the load as far as you can mange with, to ease the load on your shoulders. A pack to contain it all when the cart itself become a strain for whatever reason, by a hand cart, I mean small narrow version as opposed to a peddlars cart, more in the dimensions of a wheel barrow. Two wheel to give your arms a rest from the balancing of the load.

Hello Carcajou Garou,

Well, I hope I never experience the type of situation that would be as calamitous as to cause traffic ‘grid lock’, but that would most likely be the first problem to be encountered in such circumstances, at least if one were departing an urban environment.

I do like the idea of the hand cart, though. Particularly useful to someone like me who would be on foot all the way, and especially at my age.

Anyway, hoping it never happens! <shudder>

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[Tengu]

But you have to be aware.

I live in an area seemingly free from any threat.

The worst thing that could happen is a blackout...and we are lucky in this country to have very short ones and only in the worst weather.

But down the bottom of the village is a bottled gas Depot.

It is the counties major area of concern for the emergency depts.

I have taken part in practice evacuations.

(Im glad Im not the one who will have to persuade people to get out. Most of the village are unaware of the depot, though it has been there 30 odd years, nor of any potential risk.)

Please be aware of any potential problems in your area. Ask your fire brigade if unsure

 

[TheGreenMan]

...Please be aware of any potential problems in your area. Ask your fire brigade if unsure

This excellent advice, and do you know, I’ve never thought of checking for this kind of locale specific danger?

Thank you.

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[Carcajou Garou]

Hello, TheGreenMan, we have handcarts here used for Deer or Game transportation available at many outdoor stores and they would lend themselves well for this purpose. I seen many such style handcarts in newsreels from the second war footage and it seemed very useful at that time so it should today. But it is just one method, like I have said layering my extraction method is my end purpose.
We had a power failure on the eastern section of Canada and the USA a few years ago and even for a short time line ups at any gas (petrol) station that had generator power, was awe inspiring, even a fight by an middle age lady who was completely freaked out. Grid lock indeed is a relevant possibility if not certainty. Shanks Mare for me.

 

[Ahjno]

A few years back I posted an article over on the Outdoor Magazine site called "All Kitted Out", which you may find interesting. I have had loads of very positive feedback on it over the years, folks have found it very usefull and it made many looks at their "bug-out" kits differently.
N

Neil,

Just read the whole article and wondered if you, since the time you wrote the article, moved on from certain bits and pieces of kit or developed a new view on this whole concept ...

Cheers mate
J.

 

[TheGreenMan]

Hello, TheGreenMan, we have handcarts here used for Deer or Game transportation available at many outdoor stores and they would lend themselves well for this purpose...

Thank you for providing me with another opportunity for research, via the Web, of another item of practical equipment from an unfamiliar culture. I have often fantasised on what life might be like in the more remote areas of Canada, and envy those who have the opportunity/necessity to hunt for food.

...We had a power failure on the eastern section of Canada and the USA a few years ago and even for a short time line ups at any gas (petrol) station that had generator power, was awe inspiring, even a fight by an middle age lady who was completely freaked out...

I find this one of the most concerning aspects of human behaviour. The thin veneer of civilisation is so quickly stripped away at the merest hint of crisis.

An aside:

I know that Alaska is not Canada, but the Dick Proenneke documentaries transport me to another world that is more suited to my character. I recently downloaded them from Usenet (The VHS versions, and DVD regions of the documentaries available from Web retailers are not compatible on machines in the European region). The poster of the documentary files to Usenet stated that he considered the ‘Alone in the Wilderness’ documentary as a meditation, and I couldn’t agree with him more. It produces in me a stillness that I rarely experience, here in London.

Despite living in a third floor urban apartment, I have a hearth in the living room that can burn coal or wood. Imagine my delight, if you will, when I found on the Web, collapsible wood burning stoves! It is my hope, that at some time in the future that I will be able to buy, adapt, and install a wood burning stove of the type more usually intended for use in tents, for the apartment’s hearth. This would enable me not only to heat at least one room in the apartment in an emergency, but also to cook in a more controllable way than I would be able to on an open flame (Although I have plans to smoke homemade bacon in the chimney, over a wood fire, hopefully in the near future). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not expecting the imminent end of civilised living, these kind of mental exercises are just fun for me.

That said, the stove may well come in useful in future years if the feared energy crisis fully materialises. The cost of ‘natural gas’ (Not the petroleum derivative you know in the Americas as ‘gas,’ and that is used in the internal combustion engine – what do you call the stuff used to fuel stoves and central heating over there?) has nearly doubled during the past year, here in the UK. This is an important consideration for those here on a low income (I fear for many older people of retirement age, and on a limited income, when/if a cold ‘snap’ arrives).

...Shanks Mare for me.

By the way, ‘Shanks Mare’ is ‘Shanks’s Pony’ over here

All the best,
Paul

 

[madrussian]

Tengu, here is a link to a CNN article. Seems a family in Oregon US went out for a trip and got stuck.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/05/missing.family.ap/index.html

Had they had some bushcraft skills, prepared in advance for crisis and a good kit with them, it might not have been so bad. They are still looking for the father. Fortunately, they found the wife and two daughters.

 

[TheGreenMan]

Neil,

Just read the whole article and wondered if you, since the time you wrote the article, moved on from certain bits and pieces of kit or developed a new view on this whole concept ..

Hello Ahjno,

A very interesting question.

Don’t expect an answer from Neil anytime soon, he is a ‘Child of the Wild’ (And probably has been for a decade or two), and I imagine away from a computer much of the time, as he is now, as I understand, a bushcraft instructor and probably spends much of his time out of touch with the forums (Alas).

Best regards,
Paul.

PS: But my speculations could be proved wrong at any moment. Who knows?

 

[Carcajou Garou]

Hey, TheGreenMan, I guess bigger horses
Be carefull, with curing food with food in the chimney use only proper woods that are "pure" and not chemicaly treated or toxic to begin with and also they are cured "smoked" rather than cooked at a high heat, some woods " cure taste" better than others.
We have the ability to heat our house with our wood burning stove that also doubles as a cook stove if needed for the same reasons as you talked about. We never throw away any wood even cuttings, it all goes into the firebox.
The habitat that allowed Dick Proenneke to go through his adventure and life is fast disappearing even here, something similar probably can be acheived but it would take more planning than he could imagine.
Be vigilant, keep on learning, exploring your environment, and practise, keep your mind open.

 

[TheGreenMan]

Hey, TheGreenMan, I guess bigger horses ...

Well, this pony/horse needs to get into shape PDQ ready of the big evacuation on foot, that’s for sure!

Be carefull, with curing food with food in the chimney use only proper woods that are "pure" and not chemicaly treated or toxic to begin with and also they are cured "smoked" rather than cooked at a high heat, some woods " cure taste" better than others...

I’m doing some research before I receive the pig flesh. I am aware of the difference between ‘hot’ smoking and ‘cold’ smoking, and I have some good books to help me. And thanks for the reminder about toxic woods.

We have the ability to heat our house with our wood burning stove that also doubles as a cook stove if needed for the same reasons as you talked about. We never throw away any wood even cuttings, it all goes into the firebox.
...

That's the style, reduce waste to a minium and try and find a use for everything!

...The habitat that allowed Dick Proenneke to go through his adventure and life is fast disappearing even here...

That’s very sad to hear, but things are changing everywhere, and not always for the best. Sometimes it's necessary to live off our dreams. In any event, Dick will continue to be an inspiration for me.

...Be vigilant, keep on learning, exploring your environment, and practise, keep your mind open.

Sound advice, and learning is what I live for.

Best regards to you and yours ,
Paul.

 

[Ahjno]

Hello Ahjno,

A very interesting question.

Don’t expect an answer from Neil anytime soon, he is a ‘Child of the Wild’ (And probably has been for a decade or two), and I imagine away from a computer much of the time, as he is now, as I understand, a bushcraft instructor and probably spends much of his time out of touch with the forums (Alas).

Best regards,
Paul.

PS: But my speculations could be proved wrong at any moment. Who knows?

I know, I had the privilege to spend a few days with him and Leon-1 on Dartmoor last summer

 

[Neil1]

"child of the wild" indeed!
I have'nt been out in the woods for nearly five days! (busy working on a new clothing range , god I hate pattern making )

Would I change anything frm the original article?
Not really, yeh, kit has changed and moved on (led torches for example) but, I still use most of the kit listed (it works, why change it) and as Martyn said you should not get pre-occupied with the subject, its a back-up, an isurance policy if things go wrong.
The feedback I have recieved have suggested some changes, but the system works for me.
I was going to write another article, not on kit, but on personal preparations (its ok having all the kit, but if your body is not prepared its a waste of time).
Example - I have a theory about bodywieght management, this has nothing to do with dieting, it concerns your personal ability to get your body over obstacles (a basic survival skill - in my eyes and overlooked on every course). Some people swim for fitness (which is great), but most finish at the shallow end and exit the pool via the ladder, my theory is you would be better off getting out at the other end and not using the ladder.
But anyway, thats all another story and need to get back to the fabrics.
Neil

 

[dommyracer]

Example - I have a theory about bodywieght management, this has nothing to do with dieting, it concerns your personal ability to get your body over obstacles (a basic survival skill - in my eyes and overlooked on every course). Some people swim for fitness (which is great), but most finish at the shallow end and exit the pool via the ladder, my theory is you would be better off getting out at the other end and not using the ladder.

Interesting. I think like this as well. The human body can be tremendously agile if trained properly. Look at those parkour / free running fellas...

 

[TheGreenMan]

...busy working on a new clothing range...

This is an interesting development. Sounds like another welcome opportunity for me to receive some retail therapy!

...(its ok having all the kit, but if your body is not prepared its a waste of time)...

This is what concerns me about my previously mentioned plan to abseil from a third floor bedroom window during a domestic emergency

As an unfit 49 year old with a greying beard, this might also explain why I took so readily to Carcajou Garou’s idea of a wheelbarrow to haul gear.

In the meantime, I look forward to any future articles from you, and especially on matters of physical fitness.

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[C_Claycomb]

The noise of the of the Buncefield plant explosion was pretty alarming, even at the distance I was from it, I dread to think what the reactions of those close to it might have been.

I can tell you what the reaction was........"*** WAS THAT?!?!"
In that case a bug out bag might have been good for some folks, but really, something with all your documents, changes of clothes and over-night kit would have been better than a sack full of bashas, lighters, tinder and knives. The kit listed at the start of this thread would have got a Buncefield evacuee arrested

 

[rik_uk3]

I'm lucky in where I live, the local railway is the end of the line, so no toxic spills to worry about, I have local woodland, a stream 10 feet from the back door that never runs dry (in my 18 years of living here anyway), the walls of my house are stone, two feet thick and our little row of 8 houses is out of view from the road.

That said, I don't really have a "bug out" kit, more a "bug in" kit, the minimum at any one time is something like this:

10 gallons of paraffin
1 gallon of meths
3 gallons of panel wipe/Coleman fuel
200 tea lights (about £2 a hundred from Tesco)
Hurricane lanterns
Vapalux lanterns
a couple of Coleman lanterns
choice for around 50 stoves (I've downsized my collection)
Spares

20 rat packs (UK army type) minimum
lots of tinned and dried food in the cupboards, an easy months worth for our family of four, maybe longer

wind up radio X2
wind up torch X2
keyring button torches (loads of them)
2 kilowatt generator and five gallons of petrol (must get that fixed)

None of this is obvious to visitors, takes up no room in the house really, and is just a common sense stand bye for us.

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Sounds sensible to me

I using National Express alot now, mainly going up/down the M6, so after getting stuck on the coach for 8 1/2 hours one time (bad smash J16) i always carry some food, water, mp3 player and a book !!

 

[TheGreenMan]

I can tell you what the reaction was........"*** WAS THAT?!?!" ...

Thank you for clearing that one up for me, Chris

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[TheGreenMan]

...I have local woodland, a stream 10 feet from the back door that never runs dry (in my 18 years of living here anyway), the walls of my house are stone, two feet thick and our little row of 8 houses is out of view from the road....

I envy your location, rik. Sounds idyllic and I love those two foot thick walls.

...
That said, I don't really have a "bug out" kit, more a "bug in" kit, the minimum at any one time is something like this...

I’ll take ‘bugging in’ over ‘bugging out’ any day. No need for a wheelbarrow (See above) and all the attending effort, and getting a parking permit for the wheelbarrow was always going to be a problem in my part of London

...None of this is obvious to visitors, takes up no room in the house really, and is just a common sense stand bye for us.

Discretion is important, I’m always very conscious of not wanting to frighten the neighbours

I think the concept of the ‘BIK’ (Bug In Kit), or should that be ‘BIG’ (Bug In Gear), deserves a whole new thread of its own!

I’m desperately trying to think of suitable types of kit for the acronyms BOG, BOINK, BURP, and BUGGER (This last one seems very appropriate considering the type of scenario we might be preparing for ). Suggestions anyone?

Best regards,
Paul.