Being Prepared
March 23, 2024
You’re thinking about preparing or being prepared. Maybe you’ve already started or have been preparing for years. Many in the general public think of us who believe that preparing for changes in our lives can be a crazy thing. Some imagine that anyone who does this must live in a remote cabin on a plot of land and off the grid (power, sewer, water).
Where you live can limit or govern how you prep but it doesn’t stop you from being prepared. Living in an apartment may hinder what you can stockpile or affect your direction in some ways, however it does not stop you from doing it.
Whether you’re just getting started or have been “prepping” for a while, you’ll need to understand what you are preparing yourself for. There are a lot of things you can prepare for. A natural disaster, such as a hurricane or earthquake. Civil unrest. A military or police action from another government, or maybe your own. A loss of a job, a fire in your house or a forest fire threatening your home. When I say home, that includes an apartment, condo, boat, RV or house. Wherever your domicile is.
No matter what threats you believe are coming, each takes a plan. Mike Glover in his book PREPARED does a pretty good job of describing situations that warrant your preparedness. It isn’t a Zombie Apocalypse, take over the government book and I suggest it to anyone who’s getting started or has been doing this for a while.
Most plans start with what are you going to need and for how long. If you are just preparing a bag for your home or car, what’s it for? Is the bag just to get you home or is it to get you somewhere further, safer or is it an escape bag meant for longer term survival. Each situation can have different planning, though there are going to be some basic things that overlap.
What to look for in the bag you’ve decided you need. Note: you do not need to have one type of bag. As I’ve said, many of the items in it are compatible with whatever bag you’re building. Start with the basics, then decide whether you have multiple instance of them or share them between bags.
Let’s get this out of the way. Don’t get hung up in “Military Grade” “Combat Gear” or “Tactical.” Most of those mean nothing except somebody is feeding off your inexperience and there are pitfalls to anything. For now, forget “Camo” “Tactical” crap and just focus on what you need to comfortably carry what you need for as long as you need it. The Gray Man is a description of someone who isn’t noticeable in the surroundings. Thinking along those lines are your best bet.
Lets talk about basic needs. Most experienced people will tell you that the water, food, fire, and shelter are the four most important aspects to your survival. I would add, first aid to that list. What about protection? Sure but the above are what you cannot compromise on. If you done any internet searches, everybody has an opinion on what you can’t do without.
You need to decide on where your supplies above are stored. For that you need to look at your exposure. If you work away from home, whether it ten miles of fifty miles a bag sitting at home isn’t going to give you much support. At least until you get there. At this point I will address different aspects of prep. We’ve talked about Go Bags, Get home bags, Escape bags etc. What about the whole concept of preparation. When I started this, I talked about public perception of preppers. A prepper on a property with acres or at least some space is probably going to be more inclined to “Bug-in.” Bug-out is not the only way to survive. If you belong to a group of like minded people, you may have decided as a group to bug-in. It may not be your house but it is a place chosen because it appears to be the safest place to do so. I encourage you to think not only of bugging out but where is the safest place for me, and my family or friends to be. I assure you that in virtually all cases, it isn’t running through the woods wearing camo. There are extremes from just a chemical explosion or leak which stops you from your usual drive home to a situation where there is no law WROL (World without the rule of law) and everything in between.
EDC
Every day carry is like it sounds. What are you going to have with you at all times, every day. This isn’t separate, it’s part of the system. You’re going to hear everyone’s opinion on what you should carry but your really going to need to make your own decision on what works for you. Here is my list of what I have within reach at most any instance. The first section can be stored in a fanny pack or similar pack.
• Knife. This doesn’t have to be scarry and “tactical,” it just needs to be practical. As a male, mine is a folding knife with a clip that resides in my back pocket. I see many where them in their front pocket. I don’t want it to scratch me every time I reach into my pocket.
• I always have a multi-tool on my belt. A simple one, either Leatherman or Gerber. It doesn’t need a bunch of attachments.
• Swiss Army Credit Card Multi-tool. Yes, you can buy this on Amazon but I don’t shop there. This resides in my wallet.
• Coleman First Aid Tin I buy these several at a time. I give them away, have one in every pack I own.
• Bic lighters. I know, it looks cool striking a fire stick or grinding a wood bow but in an emergency lighting a fire may be the lifesaver you or someone needs. I also include matches.
• Cash. ATM’s don’t always work and if there is no power, no credit cards.
• Small Flashlight. I primarily use Fenix Yes, they are expensive. They are bright and rugged and rechargeable. If you really want to get stealthy, get a red beam light but I don’t see much use for it off the battlefield. There are lots of makers of flashlights. Just choose one that is small enough to carry and is bright enough for your needs. I have several models, where it’s in a car, my home or a bag.
• Snacks. I usually carry a couple of “energy” bars. Something with nuts or a protein. In the short term it’s just to stop your stomach growl. For longer term, such as in a get home bag or go bag I pack Ready Hour Emergency Rations. They come packed in 2,400 calories rations. These come packed with 12 bars. If your EDC bag is a small pack or large enough, I would pack these in it. They are also 25 year stable.
• Charger & cords. I carry a Dark Energy charger (brick). It’s something that has actually come down in price since I bought my first one many years ago. There are many on the market. Just buy one that lasts.
• Paracord & Micro-cord. Just a few yards of each. You’d be surprised on what you can do with them
• Write in Rain pads. I buy the small 3×4 pads at REI. A 3 pack is $9 or so. You’re not going to write a book but you might want to jot something down. Use a mechanical pencil or fine Sharpie with them. You can use any small pad but you should have something.
These items are what I think you should have with you or close to you during the course of the day or night. Your specific needs may be different. Do you need to have some medication with you (in get home or go bag). You may work in an atmosphere that you cannot have knives and such. If so, can you just have a multitool or something similar.
Any of these will carry what I have described above.
Next Chapter will be Get-Home and Go-bags