My “Bug Out Bag” - Hurricane Preparation Time April 27, 2006
I’ve been acquiring supplies over the last couple of weeks in advance of Hurricane Season 2006, the official start date of which is June 1st. The team at Colorado State University are this year predicting 17 named storms, 9 hurricanes, 5 of Category 3 or higher.
I was going to write a much longer post, or series of posts, on risks and responses, and the planning around that, and under what conditions I’d stay put, and under what conditions I’d evacuate, but that could easily lead to some back-and-forward arguing that really wouldn’t be productive - everyone has to make their own decisions, and based on facts at the time that you can’t always plan for.
So, what I thought I’d do instead, is post some pics of the gear that I’ve acquired, and a list of the “72 hour bag” contents. In putting all this together, I decided that:
- when purchasing “gear” (the bags, etc.), I wanted to go with a “system approach”, rather than mix-and-match. This makes for compatibility, expansion if necessary, and also relatively easy replacement if necessary.
- if purchasing “stuff”, aim for things that can be repurposed during or outside of hurricane season.
- caveat: if repurposing /during/ the season, it has to be readily replaceable, not specialised.
(an example of that last one - a jar of instant coffee left aside can be used in a camping/fishing/hunting trip, because it can be easily replaced at almost no notice. An MRE put aside for evacuation shouldn’t be used on that trip, because replacing it /isn’t/ a five-minute job).
Now, everything that’s going to be listed below is just the “worst case scenario, put it on your back and walk out” bag(s) and contents - in addition to it all, I have plenty of water and canned goods, lighting and power solutions, and so forth, at my apartment. You can also be assured that all my plans lead to me ultimately driving away, rather than walking away, if it comes to it, but “you never know”.
So, on to the pictures and such. For “gear”, I chose Maxpedition equipment, based on reviews, comments, and a couple of samples that I was able to see locally. I ended up ordering all the stuff I’ll mention below from Knifeworks, and was completely satisfied with their service.
The pictures below are on Flickr; if you click any of them, you go to the Flickr site, and each image has “notes” on it that I’ll also cover below - and in more depth.
Left-Hand Side View
I started with the Vulture-II backpack. This is designed as a three-day backpack, and is exactly the size and general design that I had in mind. Covered in attachment points, it has a main storage space, a secondary storage space, a slash pocket, and a hydration pocket. The hydration pocket was the first thing I fitted, with a 3 liter CamelBak Omega. That’s what the blue tube is connected to. With the backpack loaded, the tube is tucked away over and into the left-hand shoulder strap, out of the way.
Hanging on the left-top of the pack, you can see a “Mega Rollypolly”. This is an all-purpose sack - stuff a ziplock of ice in there, or some cold cans, food, whatever. It’s there when you need it. It comes with a thigh-strap, and this is currently looped around the backpack’s main strap, and the handles of the attached Proteus Versipack as an additional retention measure.
That Proteus Versipack is in “storage” mode at the moment - clipped to the bottom of the backpack. In actual usage, the bottom of the backpack (the actual underside, not the back) would have a sleeping bag attached, and the Proteus would be detached and worn as a waist pack. The theory is that we’re talking “worst case scenario” thinking here, and there are scenarios where you might want to drop the main pack, and still have some things with you. Not an ideal situation, but sometimes necessary. The Proteus is exactly the right size to hold some things like wallet and keys, a couple of food bars and a rain poncho, a knife and utility tool, and if you’re so inclined (and legal to do so!), a handgun and ammunition. I did say we were talking worst-case here, right? There’s a better head-on shot of the Proteus in the third shot.
Right-Hand Side View
Over on the right hand side of the bag, in a universal pouch, there’s a “shaker flashlight”. Never needs batteries, just shake it a few times to generate the electric current needed. Not the brightest flashlight on the planet, but some light is always better than no light.
You can see the other side of the Proteus from this angle, and also the additional water bottle that is carabinered onto a hanging strap of the bag. Again, this is “storage” mode - for actual wearing, the bottle would be full, and in a pouch that is currently tucked away.
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Back View
Full-on view of the Proteus, clipped securely to the main bag. Here you can see in the center the mini rollypolly. This is the baby brother of the one shown in the first picture - it expands to be exactly the right size for a water bottle. The bottle, plus the CamelBak, put the recommended 1 gallon for one day requirement of water directly available.
So, what exactly is IN all this lot? Quite a lot, actually… Without breaking it down in to what is in exactly what pocket or compartment, here’s the complete list, as it stands at the moment:
Personal Care
1 bottle Advil
1 bottle Essential Vitamins
1 ziplock containing toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shave oil, deodorant
1 7-day container of prescription medication
1 change of outer clothing
2 changes of under clothing
Personal Support
1 ziplock of essential paperwork (insurance policies, birth certificates, etc)
1 ziplock of comfort items (in this case, a couple of cigars, lighter and cutter!), with space for last minute “grabs”.
1 digital camera, ziplocked
1 cellphone charger, ziplocked
Food and Drink
4 liters water
3 instant meals (just add included water)
Instant coffee, coffee whitener and sugar substitute
8 NutriGrain cereal bars
6 Allbran oatmeal raisin bars
2 Powerbar energy bars
2 cans chili with beans
1 pack beef jerky
4 multigrain energy bars
3 cans corned beef
2 2400 calorie food bars
3 8oz water boxes
Equipment
1 coleman dual-fuel burner, and refuel spout
1 “camp kit” (2 cups, 2 pans, 1 fry pan, 1 combitool (knife, fork, spoon, opener))
1 water purification kit
1 sleeping bag (external attachment)
1 survival blanket
1 rain poncho
1 whistle
1 first aid kit
1 leatherman utility tool
1 folding knife
1 12-hour light stick
50 waterproof matches
1 dust mask
1 pair latex gloves
2 fully fueled lighters (1 lighter fluid, 1 butane)
100′ 550lb paracord
I have a pack of a dozen MRE’s on order, and I’ll use them to replace the canned goods and instant meals that are currently in the pack for “actual use” - I’ll use up the canned goods, etc., on a hunting/camping trip. I wanted to be able to put the pack together without relying on those, as they’re not exactly something you walk into your local Albertson’s and buy! The current pack has 7570 calories of food in it, excluding the special food bars. Add those, and it 12370 calories, for an average of 4123 a day, across three days. Not perfect, but good enough, as they say.
And that, as they say, is that - it’s sat in the closet, ready to go, as and when. All I need to do to is take it out, fill the Camelbak, add my personal papers and prescription medicines, drop my cellphone and such like into it, and it’s ready to go.
Hopefully, of course, that won’t actually happen, unless it’s for a planned trip. But after watching last years storm season, I’m a lot happier having it packed and ready, than I would’ve been without it.