Another assignment for my composition class, this piece contains information that preppers and non-preppers alike should have at their disposal. Stocking your home with food-stuffs and flashlight batteries is all well-and-good, but what if your house is on fire? While meant to be a bit little fun and a little bit serious, this essay is, in no way, professional advice and should not be taken as such. Always consult an expert before beginning your disaster preparations.
The Bug-out-bag: Preparation in a Knapsack
Be prepared; you never know when you might have to leave your home in a hurry. In an emergency situation, you might have to rely on what you can carry for an extended amount of time, possibly on foot. If the power goes out: you can’t get money out of an ATM, your credit cards become worthless, and the fuel stops pumping. At this point, you might consider packing a bag and heading for the proverbial hills.
Humans only require three main necessities to survive short-term: protection from the elements, clean water to drink, and enough food to keep you moving. I keep all three in my bug-out-bag (BOB) and always have it packed and ready to go in the event I need to leave my home. The lack of shelter and decent clothing can kill in hours, water in days, and food in weeks. Always be prepared.
The first basic necessity to have on hand is a collection of tools to ward off the elements. One tool I keep in my BOB is an emergency blanket which is a light-weight piece of Mylar, sixteen feet wide and eight feet long. The blanket can be used as a sleeping bag or a shelter against rain, wind, snow, or cold. It folds up and fits inside a tiny pouch that takes up very little space in my pack. Some emergency blankets, like the one I have, are easily modified into a wearable poncho.
Another tool I carry to aid in separating me form Mother Nature is duct tape; though heavy for its size, the tape’s true worth lies in its versatility. Duct tape is quite useful in shelter construction; you can use it to lash tree limbs together for a Tee-pee or lean-to frame (just add blanket, you’re warm and dry in ten minutes). In addition, duct tape makes a great patch for clothing and shoes; once again: warm, dry, and alive.
The last tool I keep in my BOB for shelter is an assortment of lengths and gauges of rope. The smallest rope I carry is thread; you can stitch a hole in your clothing (or forehead) should the need arise. The medium size rope, twine, makes a great stand-in for a broken shoe or boot lace; it’s also perfect for drying clothes that might get wet. The largest gauge rope (I use a ski-rope for durability and weight concerns) can aid in building a shelter in the event duct tape can’t do the job. In adverse weather conditions, humans can succumb to the elements in the matter of hours without clothing and shelter so be prepared.
Now that shelter and clothing are covered, we can move on to water. In a crisis situation, our most abundant resource could become tainted or scarce so it’s best to have items on hand to first purify, then filter, and finally store potable water. For purification purposes, I pack iodine and chlorine tablets. Iodine is best used in standing water from a puddle, pond, or even the tank on the back of the toilet. In contrast, chlorine is best used in running water from streams or rivers.
Filtering water may become necessary if only the only available source is muddy or filled with debris; which is why I keep coffee filters and charcoal briquettes in my bug-out-bag. Coffee filters remove sand and glass shards just as well as they remove grounds from your morning cup-a-Joe and also remove biological contaminants such as bacteria and mold. A small bag of charcoal briquettes can be crushed and used to filter out more harmful substances like poisonous chemicals and larger, living organisms.
For water storage, I have two items that never leave my pack: a 700 milliliter canteen (strapped to the outside for space reasons) and a collapsible water bladder. This canteen has an adjustable strap and can be worn in a number of ergonomic configurations to ease travel. The collapsible water bladder sports an antibacterial lining and takes up very little space when stowed. In a pinch, the a-fore-mentioned Mylar blanket also doubles as a rain-collection device to conserve filtration/purification supplies. Clean drinking water is vital to short-term survival on foot so be prepared.
The final (and most delicious) sundry that resides in my ever-ready BOB is food: MRE’s, trail mix, and energy bars. My favorite food source (and the most valuable) is the MRE, or meals-ready-to-eat; they are freeze-dried meals normally used to feed members of the armed forces in combat conditions. The meals are light-weight, take up very little room when field-stripped of their packaging, and boast 1,700 calories per ration. In addition, MRE’s taste pretty good which can be a great comfort to those of us who turn to food in a time of crisis.
My second choice for bug out food-stuffs consists of a variety of trail mix. Also light-weight, trail mix contains a decent amount of calories, protein, and fiber. Another benefit of carrying trail mix: you can eat and walk at the same time.
My least favorite of all survival foods is the dreaded energy bar, these things are just terrible. High in calories and other essentials, low in size and weight, this “food” is literally the bottom of the barrel when it comes taste. If I get to the point where I am forced to eat energy bars to stay alive, I’m not sure I’ll make it. (Does anyone want to trade lunches?) A high-calorie diet is a definite must-have on the road if you wish to continue walking it so, please, be prepared.
The bug-out-bag I keep packed “just in case” has evolved over the years since its conception but the basic necessities still remain. If I ever need to leave home in a hurry during an emergency, my BOB contains the items I will need to survive, at least for a while. I have tools to keep me safe from weather, the means to provide clean drinking water, and food to keep me moving. I am prepared; are you?
Author's Note: I did not cover protection because information concerning my chosen methods of protection and weapon details are best kept zipped up tight in my bug-out-bag but know this: you do not want to try to take my bag. Period.
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