Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.
There is no such thing as one bag to rule them all.
The following is a chapter out of my new book that is due out this July 2024.
On The Road
Infrastructure attacks can possibly shut down roads & highways. You might have to walk home. The decision to leave your vehicle will be a hard one. Probably the hardest. At what point would you leave your vehicle? Give that some thought.
Here’s a story of a text message I received one afternoon in 2017.
My friend, lets call her “Roxy” texted me the following:
“Oh my God! I’m on the freeway and pretty much stuck in traffic. Barely moving at all. It’s 3:30pm so it’s kinda weird for this much traffic.”
“I just had 4 or 5 military convoys go passed…this could be the end! This is how it all starts in the zombie apocalypse movies.”
“my bug-out bag is in the garage. I’ve been meaning to put it back in my car and now my gas light is on.”
“it could be that people are just getting off work early on a Friday, or it could be a deadly virus………I just don’t know.”
My friend then related how she was using her smart phone, trying to look up any headlines in the news to find out what was going on.
This is exactly the unprepared state most of us are in at all times.
You could call it our default state. Humans don’t change unless we are forced to do so. It’s gotta be painful in order for us to change our ways.
The first thing you must have is a plan. A plan to get home or to a specific location. Identify alternate routes on a map and even have an off-road plan. You might want to include a good quality bolt cutter next to your spare tire incase you need to go through some fencing or a gate. And then set yourself up with a go-bag/get-home bag.
Here’s a “Go-Bag” list I gave to my friend that stays in her car.
* 2 Large water bottles. (with water) (only fill half full in cold climates)
* Extra Jacket/windbreaker.
*Poncho. Being wet sucks. Being cold and wet sucks more.
* Good Shoes to walk in. An absolute must!
* Ball cap (for the sun)
* Light stocking cap (even in the summer)
* Leather work gloves.
* Safety Glasses in a case. Get the bifocal kind if you wear glasses.
* N-95 dust mask.
* A map of your area. (have friends and family “safe-houses” located on the map)
* Small compass.
* Swiss Army Knife or multi-tool.
* Aluminum Baseball bat or hiking stick.
(local laws may not permit you to carry a firearm and not everyone has a carry permit and not everyone is comfortable with a firearm)
* Candy/energy bars.
* Toilet Paper roll (in a zip-lock bag)
* 2 Bic lighters.
*Very small 1st Aid kit.
*Walking Sticks. Hiking over rough terrain with a pack can cause you to lose balance. The last thing you need is a sprained ankle when you’re trying to flee for your life.
You can add to and modify this list. However, I caution you in doing so! You must tailor it not just to the area you live in but also the seasons. There’s not a one size fits all Bug-Out-Bag. There are many nuances to creating your survival bag. Weight is a big factor here. A normal, lazy person doesn’t hike with a back-pack on a regular basis. The water alone is most of the weight. For that reason I suggest you get the best pack you can afford and takes some walks with it on. Make adjustments as needed.
Keep in mind this is just a back-pack with a minimal amount of gear to aid in getting you home or to a location of safety. It’s not a 3 day assault pack with fighting gear in it. Keep it small. The smaller the better.
Also, plan for your cell phone to not work. I know there are apps to get alerts for traffic problems in your area. But plan for the internet and cell service not to work.
The Get-Out-Now Bag is another style of bag that should blend into you work environment somewhat. Maybe a tactical looking bag is ok for your particular workplace. That military look might not be acceptable in other environments. A gym/sport bag might better blend in.
I can give you an example of what my bag Get-Out-Now Bag looks like for the environment I work in. But your bag needs to be custom for YOUR area of operation. My environment is rural. Very rural. Wilderness rural.
My bag is a simple over the shoulder, cross body, sling backpack. I chose this because it’s not too bulky to bring into work. It’s not a full size, two shoulder strap backpack. It is a OD green military style with molle straps. I’ve attached a water bottle pouch and another smaller accessory pouch on the sling.
Inside the bag I have the following:
- Titanium camp cup that fits on the bottom of a 32 oz Nalgene water bottle.
- A camp spoon.
- Dexter Russell, Green River Knife.
- 2 one oz Silver Coins. Plus $300 in cash incase ATM’s are down and credit cards don’t work. Denominations are in $5, $10, $20 and $50.
- Encrypted flash drive with back-up files.
- Faraday bag for your phone.`
- Small Multi-tool.
- Small Flashlight (I prefer using one that takes standard AA or AAA batteries)
- Sharpening Stone.
- Compass.
- Sewing Kit.
- Fire Starting Material. (wetfire)
- Bic Lighter & Strike Anywhere matches in a chapstick case.
- Collapsable toothbrush & toothpaste.
- Floss.
- Small notepad & pencil.
- Altoid Tin with bandaids, triple antibiotic ointment, pain reliever, Tums, and baby aspirin.
- Medkit for penetrating injures. Israeli trauma dressing, chest seals, tourniquet, 4×4 gauze, compressed gauze, tape and EMT scissors.
- A shemagh scarf. Common and less-than-common uses for a shemagh are as follows: Improvised sling if your arm becomes injured – makeshift bandage for heavy cuts or gashes – makeshift tourniquet if things have gone further south with an injury – improvised Splint – sweat towel – water filter – wrap to keep items contained within your backpack – cooling cloth (paired with water) – scarf for cold months – small blanket or a large blanket for a small child – head dress to keep the sun off your head – blockade against dust or debris – improvised pillow – ground cloth – hunting & gathering sack – improvised backpack or butt pack when tied properly – pot holder so you don’t burn yourself.
- Giant candy bar. Try not to bust into that stash too often. It’s for emergencies!
If need, you can put a small pistol and extra magazines in the bag. That adds a lot more weight. (check your local laws if you’re going to do that)
The goal of this bag for me, is to have something as small and light as possible to be able to have with me at all times. I’m constantly trying to make it lighter. It’s currently over 11 pounds. That may not seem like a lot of weight but it is.
Resist the urge to add more stuff just to fill your bag full just because there’s room. I encourage you to keep it as small as possible. Something easy to throw in your vehicle, take on a hike or take into work. Something that can help stack the deck in your favor in the event you have to run for your life away from immediate danger. And in my case, walk home a long distance over rugged terrain.
Your particular environment might be urban and prohibit many items. Or you don’t need to travel as far. If so, you don’t need everything I carry. My list is just an example to get you thinking about a worse case scenario. One in which your world has descended into chaos and your fellow humans have lost their minds.
A scenario where you can’t get back to your vehicle where your bug-out bag and battle rifle are located. Maybe all you need is a bandaid, a flashlight, and few Tylenol.
This is a chapter in my upcoming book “Gaining The Unfair Advantage” coming out in July.
Above all, only share this information with those you want to survive.