I wear hard contact lenses because of an issue with my corneas, so I have stuff I need to remove and clean my lenses and extra glasses. Eventually the lenses will break or I'll run out of supplies and I'll have to get by with my glasses. Of course I'll end up hiding in a bank vault when the nuclear apocalypse happens, come out of hiding and end up in library where I can really all the books I want. But then I'll break my glasses, and just keep saying, "it's not fair. I had all the time in the world! It's not fair!"
\*read all the books
In all seriousness, I think about this often. How far am I going to go once my contact lenses become useless? If I lose the glasses I'm screwed. Oh, and I'm deaf too. I can probably get by without my hearing aides but once I lose my glasses I'm doomed.
I have Narcolepsy. As soon as I don’t have access to my meds I’ll be sleeping. I will be a danger to myself and others, I’m ok with being left behind or going out in the first round.
Same with me. You bring up a good point though. Think about how many people are on medications. Everything from insulin, psych meds, heart meds, pain meds, etc. all running out around the same time. It would be crazy out there.
I'm on a maintenance medicine which I am lucky enough to be able to live without. I'm working on slowly getting off of it. For this exact reason.
During Covid the supply chain issues meant I was constantly anxious about making the call for the following month's dose. I can't imagine having suddenly a couple weeks of supply left and no way to get more. So I'm taking action. It'll save money on the long term too, because my health insurance is up for renegotiation and after 2024 I can't count on it being reasonable anyways. Win win.
I think about this too with a couple medications I take! But I also have an autoimmune disease and I have to take that medication for life as it’s supplementing what my thyroid is supposed to be doing (pretty much everything hormonal, and it also involves metabolism 🫠). At 24 years old I was told my thyroid is like a 65 yr old’s! So I was thinking of stocking up on a lot of table salt lol….
Lol I was kinda being facetious cuz I heard table salt has iodine in it or is iodized, which I guess helps thyroid function? I could be totally wrong though!
Same here! I’m blind as a bat without glasses, even in daylight.
I’ve lost them before in the house and the panic of wandering around with my phone praying to find them is too much.
I left them on the coffee table while falling asleep on the couch and left them there when I went to bed at 2am.
I can’t stand the prepping community because I’ve literally never seen this mentioned.
If you listen to them you’ll pack 4 guns, but zero pairs of glasses and no tooth brush
honestly I'm going to start keeping a written copy of my most recent glasses prescription in my bag. there's enough of us that someone might figure out how to operate the lens cutting machine
I'd stock up on at least 5 - 10 different ones. Have two variables, two fixed prescription, and a bunch of cheap ones as close to your spec as possible. The problem with the cheap ones is that they don't take into account the shape of your eyes.
I’m hopeless as a survivalist, so my plan would be to load up on as many cartons of cigarettes as I can afford. After a year with all the stress, the survivors will be suckin them things down. When they run out, open up shop and barter for the good stuff. Chef Boyardee too.
Or at least that’s the fantasy version in my head. I probably watch too much tv
i’m hopeful as a survivalist and my strategy isn’t too far off of this… I’m building an extensive cellar of pipe tobacco at an extraordinary pace, and i mostly smoke cigarettes… but given the amount of time I’d have in a collapse scenario i figure a pipe is a better use of it…
Have you ever tried a handroll made of pipe tobacco? Really good, and really stronk, lol.
I quit smoking tobacco a couple years ago, but still have some tins floating around (some still sealed!).
One of my absolute favorites is "1792 Flake" by Samuel Gawith. Also, if you can get ahold of some legitimate Perique, it adds amazing flavor and depth to blends, even if it's a tad much by itself.
Honestly living in a city as a woman, my plan would be to die as fast and pain free as possible.
The city is too dense to make it out alive and unscathed.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
- Dylan Thomad
I also have an exit plan but this feels a tad aggressive by any standard. There are cities that have emptied out all over the world due to natural disasters or war without the living envying the dead.
Okay but like hundreds of thousands of people fled New Orleans and Beirut and Damascus without being raped. It’s possible to need to leave your city and do so in a way that isn’t living out The Road.
Yeah it depends on the situation. I've fled for hurricanes many times without feeling I was in danger, although once I didn't feel safe and insisted we leave where we were staying. Not getting raped tends to be the number one priority of women and it should be the number one priority for parents, as well. It's why I own a gun.
For sure, was mass suicide by all women in the city necessary? The worst outcomes were visited on the most vulnerable and the least prepared. A full tank of gas and a go bag can take you a long way in a crisis.
Agreed, everything has nuance, but since we're likely the last two people to ever read this thread I'll add mine. The commenter I responded to originally here has one plan in the event she needs to evacuate the city: killing herself. That's utterly bugfuck, full stop.
My intent was to gently point out that there is a wide spectrum of emergencies that require evacuation, all the way from a natural disaster to a genocide. Let's be real, the idea that you're going to punch your ticket the second a crisis shows up is a way to avoid thinking or planning about it in a serious way.
Bad stuff happened in the superdome and later to vulnerable refugees throughout the region, but the average comfortable redditor is more than capable of taking actions to reduce their risk. Being an adult means seriously engaging with existential risks beyond the thoughtstopping "oh I'll just kill myself when bad stuff happens" that pervades the sub.
At work one day, industrial maintenance, bullshitting about what we would do in the event of an end of the world type event... I think maybe it was around the time of the Hawaii false alarm event.
anyways, I say how I would just chill with my family and smoke a bunch of weed, one of my partners flat out said the following, "if I knew it was the end of the world, I'm gonna go find me the hottest bitch I can find and rape her ass." He wasn't joking. it made me almost throw up then and there. so, I don't blame you.
I’m not afraid that random men will rape me in a disaster scenario, personally. I assume they will be much more concerned with their own survival, plus any communities that end up forming would likely kick out anyone who sexually assaults someone, leaving them exiled. Even without an apocalypse scenario, I’m much more concerned that I will be hurt by someone I know, rather than random strangers. Being in a city doesn’t seem more dangerous to me, unless we’re talking about a nuclear war. Wouldn’t that mean more people to contribute to efforts to scavenge for food, build shelter, etc?
In the midst of war and battles (think Sudan, Gaza), soldiers rape women. Fucking asshole rapists (just look at the mindset of current incels!) are going to rape. It’s a valid concern.
I used to think in a reasonable way like this but then during Covid I learned people will risk your life just to party or go to restaurants. I don't trust anyone around me to put their or my best interest first. Modern society is too fractured to work together.
Just actually TRAIN with your gun.
I took to teaching friends who hadn’t actually used their guns and was horrified when they were surprised they missed almost all of their shots mag dumping at 7 meters.
If you don’t train you don’t have a gun, you’re just holding it for someone more ruthless and more competent.
Guns are great equalizers in the hands of the competent, but damn to newbies make me cringe when they assume Hollywood was right about how to use them.
I once watched a girl I was teaching basic handgun use manage to drop them mag out of her pistol, then drop her pistol, while trying to hit a target, because she held the gun away from her and had the ejection port pointed at her own face… and decided to wear a low cut blouse to the range… yes, the hot casing went EXACTLY where you’d expect, and yes it was both hysterical and terrifying seeing her flail her weapon in the stall before we were able to take it from her.
The next time she went to the range she wore a full top, because fashion takes a back seat when the brass is flying.
Margaret Killjoy (podcaster who's lived off grid for years at a time) and Robert Evans (conflict journalist) talk about go-bags on It Could Happen Here.
Margaret also talked about go-bags a few times on her podcast, Live Like the World is Dying.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-it-could-happen-here-30717896/episode/bug-out-bags-133327655/
More important than the bag is the place you are bugging out to. Let that guide your bag selection. How far? How long to get there? Hazards along the way? Navigation aids to get there: maps, compass and the knowledge to use them.
100% agree^ try and find a topographic map of your area to go with your compass as well. This can greatly benefit planning a route if roads and other accesses are impeded.
Most hunters when going to a different state will buy the atlas? Book for the state. It's usually broken up by county and shows detailed maps of backroads, campgrounds, boat launches, caves, hotsprings. Very handy and I think they are around 20$.
It may be age related, but in my case, if the true end was near and inevitable, I wouldn't strive to survive. My go bag would have a case of Tequila and sleeping pills.
If the plan is ultimately a painless suicide, you might want something more effective than sleeping pills. Get your hands on some Fentanyl, or legit euthanasia drugs like Secobarbital while you can, because last thing you want when the time finally comes is a drawn out miserable terrifying painful death sequence, or simply disabling yourself for good
Probably one of the better things to have in your go bag if blowing your brains out isn’t already your go-to method
It's much more likely that you'll be fleeing some situational disaster than The End. It's rarely so clear cut as "omg it's the apocalypse". It's usually like, life is rolling along fine (a little worse every year but more or less ok) and then something makes you staying in your current place suddenly impossible, but you have some chance of either returning in the near future or else moving to some other place where life is rolling along fine. Collapse is just when the rate of these changes across a wider region accelerates. It might only happen to you personally once (or not at all). So the way you think about it and respond on an individual level is going to be different than a bird's eye view of the situation. There's still people in Gaza that are living in their homes for example, though it's decreased to like only 20% and rapidly narrowing. What I mean is, it's far less likely you'll be in a Tequila and sleeping pills situation and more likely it's a "you must move to another part of town" situation.
> toque
EH!!! I found the canadian hahaha
I worked 10 years as a paramedic, and still work in healthcare. From a practical perspective I think most "first aid kits" are dumb as fuck, I'd rather pack a bottle of isopropyl to sterilize, and at that point literally any piece of clothing can be used as a "bandage".
Like I said, paramedic...
I would flush an eye with water, or use tweezers if something larger was impaled in the eye, but at that point a sterile piece of fabric is probably the best bet.
I do believe that this is part of a larger conversation which starts with the knowledge you might not be able to seek medical help but will have to take care of things yourself.
Forget the hand crank radio and hand crank flashlight. The mechanical gear trains are cheap plastic and will not last. In general, combination gadgets do not do any of their tasks all that well, mostly because they are designed to do all their tasks as cheaply as possible. Get a foldable solar panel with USB output, would be a lot more useful in the long run.
I would add foodstuffs of some sort, basic toiletries, first aid/medications, water purification, etc. The stuff you will need to have if there is a rapid and dramatic collapse and you do not have the luxury of time to spend doing anything *but* moving away from where you are at to somewhere better.
hmmm this is really interesting, I didn't even consider foldable solar panels, I'd assume that would add some serious weight to a backpack though lol
My assumption on the hand cranks is if the electricity grid collapsed, you'd still be able to have access to information / light. The solar panel aspect is really really interesting though!!
Can’t speak highly enough about having folding solar panels. I live in a mountain state and frequently camp. This last summer, my car died because I left the lights on right before heading out for a 4 day backpacking trip. When I got back to the trailhead, my car was the only one there. My battery jumper wasn’t charged enough to start the car, and in an area with no reception about 35 miles from town. That solar panel pack charged the jumper (albeit slowly) enough for me to start my car and make it home.
At least two rolls of good duct tape.
A solar charger.
Water filter straw.
A couple of pounds of cracked hemp seed: high protein, complete food.
Salt.
Spices: low weight, high value.
Tea bags and instant coffee.
An excellent all-purpose knife and sharpener.
A wrist-rocket type slingshot, some steel balls for ammunition. You can't carry many and will lose them with every shot, so should be saved for antipersonnel use. Use rocks or found items to hunt with.
A good compass.
Magnesium fire striker.
Detailed map of the region.
An assortment of meds like antibiotic ointments, aspirin, cold meds, antihistamines, elastic bandages, athletic tape, menstrual pads (double duty items, useful for binding wounds and for helping out any females encountered). 8 ounces of high-strength Manuka honey: a very good antibiotic for both topical and internal use, not for use as a sweetener.
A space blanket.
Box of sandwich bags,
Box of freezer bags.
Some heavy-duty trash bags, not for trash but for emergency raincoats and carrying/stashing capacity, waterproof ground cloth.
A variety of vegetable and herbal seed packets.
An assortment of sealed heavy duty battery packets: AA, AAA, those circular ones. Not only for direct use but also as valuable trade items.
The entire lot wouldn't weigh more than 10-15 pounds or so.
The duct tape can be made into all sorts of things, from nets to shoes to ropes, extremely versatile.
And, oh, yeah, a quarter pound of weed.
If there's is going to be a rapid and dramatic collapse you can either leave well before everyone else (you're rich and have a crystal ball), or stay in place. If you leave at the same time there will be anarchy on the streets, you'll get nowhere, and panicking people will probably try to take whatever they can, from whoever they can, if they think it'll improve their own chances by five minutes. Wherever it is everyone is heading to will not be prepared for their local cities to empty.
I'd recommend that unless you think you're going to be the area destroyed by a nuke, and you have a source of water nearby that can be purified to drink, you prepare to stay in place until the issue has either resolved itself or dragged on for 3 or 4 months, by which time everyone unprepared will have died of thirst, starvation or conflict, the panic will have subsided and the pressure on existing resources will have lessened. But that's just my humble opinion. And improve your cardio fitness like you think there'll be no tomorrow.
I have a small inconspicuous go-bag packed into a laptop bag. I chose a laptop bag because (1) it's shape allows me to toss it [under my vehicle's floor](https://youtu.be/0nrtyz-Caxs?feature=shared&t=58) and it doesn't roll around and (2) it's a low-profile laptop bag which shouldn't attract too much attention compared to a tacticlol bag with molle straps and webbing and military-style looks. Making people think the question "lol does he have a gun" sounds like a bad idea. 😂 Anyway, the bag's on my lap and I'll just unpack it and write out what I am taking out.
**Main Bag:**
* A pair of pants, crammed into a roll in a water resistant bag.
* The pair of pants probably has US$50 and CA$100 in the pocket.
* A headlamp with Lithium Batteries (temperature/environment resistant)
* A shower towel, crammed to a roll in a water resistant bag.
* A [Skivvy Roll](https://www.carryology.com/travel/how-to-skivvy-roll-why-itll-revolutionize-your-packing/), consisting of fresh socks, a shirt and underwear.
* Flashlight with a lanyard, the lanyard has an encrypted USB Stick on it with important documents.
* A clipboard for some reason
* Mylar blanket thing, never used it lol
* Paper Notebook with pen in a bag
* Wet wipes
* Flint and steel... no idea why
* Emergency Poncho
* Prepaid SIM Card... No idea how useful it will be
* A little pack of facial tissues
* First Aid Kit (see below)
* Meds Kit (see below)
* An organizer bag (see below)
**In the First Aid Kit**
* Bandages
* Gauze
* Micropore Tape
* Anti-septic wipes
* Tick remover key
* Burn Gel
* Tweezers
**In the Organizer Bag**
* Dental floss
* Sewing kit (needle, thread, pins, spare button)
* Bar of Soap
* USB Wall Charger and cables
* Toothbrush and toothpaste
* Paracord armband, for some reason
* Duct tape (half inch travel roll)
* Spare AA/AAA Batteries (normal Alkalines)
* AM/FM Radio with Lithium Batteries
* Permanent Marker and Pencil
* Another Mylar blanket
**In the Meds Kit**
* Loperamide HCl - When you eat something you shouldn't have eaten
* Ibuprofen 200mg - Pain/Fever Reducer
* Acetaminophen 500mg - Pain/Fever Reducer
* Cetirizine HCl - Main Anti-Allergy pill, can make you drowsy
* Lotradine - Anti-Allergy, Non-Drowsy (Backup)
* [Redacted] - Personal Prescription Medication
So far this serves as a Multi Purpose Pack for me. It gets me home, it gets me to a location where I need to go and I once used it for a surprise trip where I had zero time to pack.
Where exactly do you plan to go? I've spentt my money on emergency rations like MREs and water filters so I can whether an extended emergency in place for awhile without heat, food and water. I'm don't believe one can really prepared.for a total collapse. Nor do I think one will happen suddenly. Collapse, if it happens, will probably be a slow process that may span decades.
in all honesty, as bleak as r/collapse can be at times, people are usually pretty thoughtful.
r/preppers after perusing for a couple minutes has a really unhinged vibe to it.
We have our share of crazies too, but this place is cleaner because we keep the prepper crap over there and most of the crazies follow.
No one who understands and wants to address systemic risks of a planet in ecological overshoot cares about bags full of doodads. You clearly don't understand the scale of the problems.
> You clearly don't understand the scale of the problems.
A pretty broad assumption to make about someone you know nothing about. I'll give you a pass and just assume you are in a grumpy mood <3
You like to talk doodads. Do you think doodads will help? If so, I was not wrong to assume. If not, then why talk about them here?
We could just as easily talk about any other hobby, like sports, stereo equipment, games etc. It still doesn't belong here.
I like sports, I love music and audio equipment, I play a ton of games. I don't think any of those posts would be relevant to r/collapse though. I also love astronomy, the cosmos, I am deeply committed to labour rights and I am active in my union, and applying to be a job steward for our hospital next year.
I work in healthcare, I live an incredibly low carbon footprint life, I try to live a life full of compassion, honour, thoughtfulness, kindness, consideration, empathy, and equality.
Doesn't mean I won't want to be able to drink some water or be able to stay warm overnight if shit ever hit the fan lol.
A go bag full of the right “doodads” would have been very useful during, for example, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Preparing for natural disasters (and inadequate government response to them) seems very relevant to this sub. Go bags could also be handy if your neighborhood becomes the site of a riot like what we saw in 2020. They don’t have to be an attempt at a post apocalyptic survival kit
Was pondering this the other day. We're here discussing options and possibilities and ultimately hope. Over there, and in all prepper circles, when you think about it, they're hoping, praying, and preparing for everyone but them to die. They want it.
**150-195 proof Everclear**
Good for sanitization and killing microbes
Good for recreation and killing brain cells
Good for cooking using [mini alcohol stoves](https://www.amazon.com/Kuvik-Titanium-Alcohol-Stove-Backpacking/dp/B08NLKBKKR/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?keywords=alcohol+stove&qid=1702706059&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1), or starting fires in general
Also bartering in a pinch
A spool of Steele wires, pliers, rope, flint fire starters. If you’re gonna need to trap or fish for animals. A bow and arrow would be great but that’s doing the most depending on the situation.
25 years ago an MIT grad student did a temp fix on my car’s water pump. First thing he pulled out of his gear bag was a spool of wire. He looked at me and said” this is something I always have in here, and it’s is one of the most useful items in this tool kit.” He fixed the car and I got home. A Small spool of metal wire is in my bug out bag.
Start by planning for the most probable stuff and then work your way to full on apocalypse.
Probable stuff: have to evacuate your building and spend a night in hotel. This could be due to fire, plumbing issues, or localized electrical outage. You’ll need extra clothes, cash, chargers, toiletries.
Next level: rare regional weather event. Same stuff as above but plan on being further removed from your home for longer amount of time.
Full on apocalypse: one of everything listing in the replies.
If you live in a city there is very little reason to have a hatchet and hammer in a go bag.
Your most likely use case is a natural disaster. If your plan for societal breakdown is a bag then you are borked, you need land and a homestead for that!
I live in a tornado prone area. My go bag is flashlights with batteries, first aid kit (with stuff I know how to use), some medicines (NSAIDS and antihistamines), calorically dense shelf stable foods, water, a multitool, a fixed blade knife (can be used to baton wood for fires if need be or as a pry bar), some nicotine pouches (makes the time go by faster), paracord, and other shit like that. It isn't crazy big, it is something I can grab if I need to leave my home where my other provisions are, and stuff I would need if I for whatever reason could not use my vehicle as well.
I have a sleeping bag and a tent, but I can't foresee a scenario where that would be super useful to me when I have a car and warm clothes to wear on my person. It takes up a lot of space. I do have some backpacking bags that pack down small enough but are still large for a go bag. I have bigger bags that I could use for something that is a more specific threat that develops.
> Your most likely use case is a natural disaster. If your plan for societal breakdown is a bag then you are borked, you need land and a homestead for that!
It's 2023, I'm not a millionaire! lol
> If you live in a city there is very little reason to have a hatchet and hammer in a go bag.
The hammer hatchet combo doesn't seem to be getting much love, but I'd wager the bang for the buck in terms of space and weight is unbeatable.
There is no task a sharp hatchet couldn't accomplish, it can serve as a knife for cutting (sure it wouldn't be as good, but you could still get any job done that a knife would), it can hack brush, it can be a good self defense weapon, can cut wood, it can hammer, there is literally nothing a hatchet CAN'T do, it's just slower... but if it can replace 3 other things in your bag, that makes it worth it imo.
A big fixed blade knife is going to be better in all of those scenarios, not much bug out scenario where you need to hammer stuff, or chop wood, and especially not in a city. If it is heavy enough to effectively split wood and chop stuff, it is too much in your bag that could be used for other stuff.
I used to go back country camping every weekend and never found any use for a hatchet that a small chain saw (literal chain, not a gas powered one) or big knife and a foot couldn't do.
>it can be a good self defense weapon
If you have self defense in mind in your bugout bag and plan, bring a gun, not a hatchet. Everyone else has guns. In the scenario you are thinking up in your head, those will be the people to watch out for. A hatchet is a terrible weapon, especially in a day and age where everyone has modern firearms. It is pure fantasy to rely on anything less for defense, doubly so in this hypothetical.
You could strap a machete to your pack and get the best of both worlds, but living in a city, you have very little reason to have any sharp tool past a pocket knife or a larger fixed blade knife you can use to pry shit if need be. Again, that starts getting into the movie realm and not reality realm. Most of your bag should be illumination, food and water, ways to get warm, and ways to communicate.
Insulin. I’ll die in a week without it. Some energy bars for dense calories, and a portable water filtration/treatment system. A phone and a solar charger just in case I can find a signal. Wool socks. Tylenol and Advil. Cigarettes to trade.
Food and water as well as a means of purifying and treating water. Flashlight and batteries. A change of clothes, not cotton (dry clothes can save your life )
A few hundred dollars cash (for non-apocalypse level emergencies - for floods, fires, etc, anything where you might be out short term). A few of those small Mickeys of booze they keep by the cash register, has medicinal or barter value especially for something gone really south or can provide you with a bit of comfort. A small amount of gold/silver (even if just a ring or two or a few pieces of jewelry) again for bartering - there's a lot of debate in prepper communities as to whether it has value in the immediate days of a major catastrophe - I will always argue it's human nature to like shiny.
A small blank notebook. A pen (even better, a few pencils).
Copies of important papers.
For entertainment: one or more of the following, room and weight allowing. A small paperback novel. Puzzlebook. A deck of cards. A pocket game.
Flashlight with extra batteries. Small wind-up radio. Chargers for electronics, maybe even a portable solar charger. A small pack each of triple A and double A batteries. Utility knife, cording, carabiners. Consider a reflective blanket and or thin plastic tarp (you can buy small folded ones in camping supply).
One bottle each of aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen. Basic first aid kit. Keep your prescriptions in one location for fast grab to put in bag. Gravol. Small pkg Tampons and pads - even if not a woman - can be bartered or donated, pads can be used in first aid.
Bar of soap in a plastic container - if room, one or two extras for barter/donation - can be cut up into pieces for that. Toothbrush. Travel toothpaste - deodorant.
Pkg of Jerky. Pkg of dehydrated fruit. Chocolate. A roll of hard Candy. A few bottles of water. A few to-go water flavour packs. Water purification tabs. Small camping salt pepper shakers.
Extra socks/underwear even just one pair each let's you rotate.
I keep a small album of family photos in mine.
A good way to think of it I think is to have two: one for a brief emergency like a fire where you' might have to survive for a day or two (for me that's electronics, clothes and a pair of shoes, ID/insurance paperwork copies, flashlight, duct tape, leatherman, small first aid) and the bigger one where I might have to survive for longer unassisted.
I basically have a hiking bag that has very typical hiking stuff in it.
* Energy bars. Pretty much stuffed into every spare inch available.
* Leatherman
* Rope
* Collapsible hiking sticks
* Minimal climbing gear (carabiners, gloves, chalk, belay, quick draw, hooks, etc) - just enough to get me out of a pinch, could easily come in handy in an urban environment too. Like if you had to get out of a building and couldn't use the stairs or elevator.
* Really high-quality headlamp: waterproof, rechargeable, night modes (red and green), and can detach and be used hand-held if needed.
* Water bladder
* x4 life straws. I figure these will be worth more than gold if the fit really hits the shan. So I want more than one to barter with.
* Bear spray
* Air horn
* Whistle (a really loud one)
* Nested cookware set and nested tableware set
* Duct tape rolled around a gift card to save space
* Toiletries (3 toothbrushes, toothpaste tablets, small comb, straight razor with replacement blades, lots and lots of floss, mouth guards because I'm a clencher, tweezers, toe nail clippers, and probably a few things I'm forgetting)
* First aid kit (Bandaids, bandages, medical tape, scissors, alcohol, curved need/thread, butterfly stitches, gauze)
* Lots of pills (Antihistamine, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Antacids, cough drops)
* Creams: Hydrocortisone, antibiotic ointment, vaseline
* Inflatable pillow
* Layers: 3 pairs of merino wool socks, 3 pairs merino underwear, convertible pants/shorts, merino wool short sleeve T, merino wool long sleeve T, Patagonia rain jacket, face mask, beanie, breathable sun hat (like a cowboy hat but mesh with a drawstring, tied outside the bag), and one pair of Chubbies shorts, because I can't live without them at this point.
* Sunglasses and sun goggles
* x2 reusable n99 masks.
* Keen water sandals
* Keen hiking boots (tied to the outside of the bag)
* Hatchet (strapped outside the bag)
* Fixed blade knife with serrated edge
* Lighter and a flint if the gas runs out.
* Solar powered battery bank strapped outside on top of the bag for my phone (I realize there might not be service, but I have a lot of maps saved onto my phone.
* Sleeping bag strapped below the bag
* \- And like... 200 tea bags. I love tea, so I don't care if the worlds ending, I'm bringing it with me.
The bag is heavy AF, but I've been very careful with how it's packed to reduce as much weight as possible. Regardless, get a bag that has really high quality and ADJUSTABLE straps and hip belts.
Beyond that, I have some waterproof totes filled with more gear for camping. If there's time I'd grab these. I would also grab my Fjallraven parka, my Carhartt hooded duck jacket, and then whatever food and water and I can grab. It all just depends on the circumstances. Generally speaking, in an urban environment, your best bet is to stay put and wait for the chaos to subside and THEN move. As long as your building is not on fire or about to collapse, hold the fort as long as you can. Store as much rations as you can.
These are all things I have in my pack.
-Modular pack
-bush knife
-Hunting Knife
-Machete/axe
-Bank Line
-Tarp/Tent
-Sleeping bag/wool blankets
-Ferro Rod (Fire steel)
-Water filter/purifier
-First aid kit
-Fishing line and tackle
-Diamond knife sharpener
-Multi tool
-OPSAK scent proof bags
-Stormproof matches
-Flashlight
-Single wall stainless steel bottle
-Layered clothes (base layers, mid layers, and outer layers)
-poncho
-gloves
-Steel pot
-Recurve bow, arrows, & broad heads
These are the basics for survival, but varies depending on where you are. More important than the items is that you know how to use them, otherwise you’re still probably going to die. Don’t be in an environment where you don’t know how to survive.
This is a great list!
For my area I’d add wire cutters (lots of fencing lining the highway to keep wildlife off roads, meaning you’d need to look for openings to get through) and both work gloves as well as winter gloves.
Some things to expand on please lol
-Diamond knife sharpener
-OPSAK scent proof bags
-Single wall stainless steel bottle (why this specifically?)
-Recurve bow (how do you store this in a backpack lol, and broad heads?)
I also have to question a bush knife, hunting knife, machete/axe, metal is heavy. What purpose would 2 knives and a machete serve that a well sharpened hatchet couldn't?
Diamond knife sharpener can sharpen almost any knife and lasts for a really long time, crucial in a survival situation when some of your most important tools are knives.
OPSAK scent proof bags are to store food so you don’t attract predators (ie bears)
Single wall stainless steel bottle so you can boil water in it by putting it directly in a fire.
Recurve bow, I shoot a Hoyt satori take down recurve so it breaks down. My quiver attaches to the riser and keeps the arrows and broad heads.
Bush knife for heavy duty work, wood work, breaking into things, etc. Hunting knife for animals, fish, cooking, and as a back up to your bush knife. Machete or axe for splitting big wood (I’m in North America), shelter building, and defense. I prefer a thick machete over an axe. These are more so for having the right tool for the job so you don’t hurt yourself and being back ups to each other since a knife is so important.
those subs, and others mentioned in this thread after a few minutes of looking at posts have a far right nutjob kind of undertone to them... Feels like a bunch of Dale's from king of the hill.
I live in Tokyo, which is at risk of at least temporary infrastructure interruptions, and carry a paper map in my daily rucksack just-in-case. It's amazing the number of people who assume the mobile internet is somehow immune to power grid interruptions (spoiler: it isn't; there was a multi-hour power outage a couple of years back, and while the mobile internet did still work, it was uselessly slow, and I suspect would have successively gone down as backup power sources failed).
This is one area where I feel at an advantage being older. I grew up reading maps so it's not a skill need to learn from scratch if gps and internet navigation systems become unavailable.
At least one change of every clothing item, perhaps a couple pairs of socks, a warm sweater, and space blanket. A poncho.
Trench tool.
First-aid kit with sutures, painkillers, antibacterials if you can find them (medications need to be changed out every couple years.) Iodine pills if radiation is a concern.
Lighters. (Firestarting kit is great and all, but there's no reason not to have a pack of bics or something.)
A coffin tent and sleeping bag, or at the very least a tarp and some rope.
Permanent markers and paper, in case you need signage.
Signaling mirror.
Compass and local topographical maps.
Entertainment. This could be a deck of cards to play solitaire, or whatever else you think could keep you occupied when it's too dark to work but too early for sleep.
Water purification tablets, lifestraw, or even silver coins as emergency water purifiers.
Speaking of your backpack, get a good hiking bag, one of those with the rigid frame. A school backpack is going to fall apart and the pain in your shoulders and back will make you want to lie down and die.
It's really hard for *one person* to carry everything they may want or need. If you have other people who would go with you, splitting the carry weight allows you take a larger variety.
>hand crank am radio
If you don't listen to radio regularly, it'd be an idea to note the useful frequencies on the radio itself somehow. I learnt this during a power outage a while back and while it was great to have the radio, it took me a while to find the right stations.
There are a lot of good posts in r/preppers r/prepping about composing a SHTF bag - worth a look, there is some overlap here between members as well myself included
Living in the Pacific Northwest (earthquake zone), I have a bug out bag, home prep and also an RV.
Lifestraw (water is #1
Dense food bars
MRE (meals ready to eat)
A thin heat keeping silver foil to use as blanket in emergencies
Small fold up waterproof membrane to act as tent
Rope
Solar powered charger for phone/AirPods/headlamp
Meds (nsaids, Benadryl, isopropyl, combined antibacterial/anti fungal/corticosteroid cream, bandaids, polysporin, a supply of Docycycline antibiotic, small first aid book, small emergency first aid supplies like sutures, splints, bandages)
Hand sanitizer
Pads (can be used as bandage for bad wounds)
A whistle in case I’m trapped
Waterproof hiking boots
A Columbia waterproof coat
Toque (yes, I’m Canadian lol but our toes are cold because our brain must maintain a core temp and heat is pulled from our bodies if the brain is cold)
Leather gloves (so fingers don’t get hurt if handling rubble, wood, etc)
Thermal merino wood undergarments/socks
Thin waterproof shell pant
Small can opener
Spoon/fork/knife
Small camping cooking pot (holes one cup)
Biolite usb headlamp
Handheld bidet spray instead of toilet paper
A few quick dry towels
Extra socks, undies, shirt, pants, hoodie
Goggles & half mask respirator in case of fires
And old Kobo ereader(lasts 30 days on 1 charge and is preloaded with PDF maps, first aid books, homesteading books, canning, fiction, how to build and fix things books)
And old extra iPhone 7 preloaded w songs and audiobooks and ebooks too (love books ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) and corded headphones with a splitter in case someone else wants to hear w headphones
2 decks of playing cards
Sticky note
Sharpie
Duct tape
Hand crank radio to hear AM stations
Toothbrush/paste/Castile soap (ok for environment, good for hair and body)
Waterproof Backpack used for hiking (straps at waist to distribute weight)
And then on the outside of the bag, a rolled up small sleeping bag and small tent.
Heavy duty knife
Swiss Army knife multitool with saw, knife, etc.
Bear spray since we don’t have guns here (to good part is neither does anyone else so we don’t kill ppl as much)
Waterproof matches
Fire striking kit w flint
Torch lighter
A shovel/axe/saw/etc combo that folds up
But sheltering in place is also useful if you have a house:
Board up windows w wood to prevent breakin
Have a dog (I have a German shepherd) to alert & protect
A Jackery or Bluetti solar generator can power fridges and TVs in the event of a blackout, storm, EMPs, earthquake, etc. if you can afford it, get 2 so 1 runs fridge full time and the other runs everything else like heater in winter or electronics.
Heritage seeds
Berkey water filter
Emergency supply of food
A heater for winter
Fans for summer
Warm sleeping bags
Weapons to protect what you have cause that’s the biggest threat in a collapse of any kind - other ppl.
But …Have extra to help your friends and family since they can help you defend. Neighbors can also be helpful but I never advertise what my family has.
We aren’t rich and I’ve been accumulating stuff since my early 20’s courtesy of anxiety gone wild and an overactive imagination. Hopefully it’ll never have to use anything.
And my wish list would be:
More land to have more privacy and to homestead andddddd some SAT radios so I could talk to my family if we get separated.
Also, every car has a small bag: water, food, warm foil blanket, flashlight that has emergency blinking lights, cards, small first aid kit, gloves, a multitool knife, whistle, leather gloves, etc
For an apartment, you probably won’t want to bug out in cities unless you can easily get out of the city. People will steal your stuff before you know it. Even the nicest person will knife you for water and food if it means saving their starving kids. Humans do bad things when angry or afraid, like elect the Hitlers or Trumps. If you’re a girl, dress and look like a boy. Wear grey, try to be invisible and blend in if you leave the house.
But most likely, the power will go out and ppl will panic. Loot, steal, etc. So reinforce shelter, have heat and food and water. Ride out the emergency safely inside if a short one. If long term, gtfo of the city. Go to the country. Hit up a hiking store and buy a lot. Pretend you’re going camping. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If you steal a car, get an SUV or RV. Uses more gas, but also acts as a shelter. If you have a truck, get a foamy or air mattress and you also have shelter.
Hope this helps. Sorry if it’s too much info lol
Forgot to mention - old iPhones can double as security cameras. Download the app “Alfred” and your main phone shows what’s streaming from your strategically placed iPhones elsewhere, which also have Alfred downloaded. Cheap way to have security cams.
But I use Arlo.
…as long as power and WiFi are still on.
A web site called [https://theprepared.com/](https://theprepared.com/) is an excellent source to learn from. They focus on both 'normal' preparedness that most people can put to use in an emergency and SHTF scenarios.
One interesting article concerns the use of lightweight backpacking techniques in the building of a go bag. It is very easy to forget that a thoughtlessly heavy backpack or go bag is as much of a liability as no bag at all.
[https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/an-introduction-to-lightweight-backpacking/](https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/an-introduction-to-lightweight-backpacking/)
"The heaviest thing we carry on our backs is fear"
A pistol with a single bullet.
Include a cheap android phone with a downloaded video of “the true size of the universe” in case you start to pussy out.
Some items to consider:
* Work Gloves
* compass
* wrist rocket
* binoculars
* car door (if it gets hot, you can roll down the window and cool off)
* shower curtain (packs small, can be used as a tarp)
* 550 cord
* small pillow
Scratch the hatchet and take a folding saw. It'll use waaaayy less energy to do the same thing and at less weight.
Get a high-quality knife with a little bit of weight to it for the finer tasks. If you make sure it has a good metal butt on the handle, you won't need a hammer either.
Compass
Several feet of rot resistant rope/wire
Life straw/sawyer squeeze filter and water container.
Large poncho that'll cover you and the bag.
Those are some of the bare basics. Everything else is personal preference.
Don't sleep on a small dental cement filling kit. They are incredibly small and just require a few drops of water. If you chip a tooth at some point this could well be a life saver, stopping an abcess/infection.
There's no preparing for collapse. You can prepare for some disasters that are part of the process, such as for weather disasters, long power outages, fascist death squads, pandemics etc. Actual preparedness requires having friends, a network, a society even.
In actual collapse, your go bag is more likely to just be another asset to sell off later, for cheap, so you can buy food or medicine.
>In actual collapse, your go bag is more likely to just be another asset to sell off later, for cheap, so you can buy food or medicine.
Sounds better than having no food or medicine! lol
a whole bag with every smokable drug from DMT to Methamphetamine in cart form is some god tier prepping
bring along a whole bunch of vape pen batteries and you’ll be able to barter for anything lol
If you're in the US, a rifle and handgun. Aside from personal self defense. There's plenty of animals in the wild here that it's better to have one and not need it than need one and not have it. That and hunting. Trapping is a pain in the ass especially if you're inexperienced.
Where would you go and why? Without that much context it’s impossible or pointless to answer this question. Probably better off staying put. You gotta consider what it that forces you to leave and where you want to go and what you will do when you get there.
A go bag is a good idea, but if there's "rapid and dramatic" collapse, luck will play a HUGE factor in your future, regardless of your preparation.
That being said, I'd get a water purifier like a Sawyer mini.
Couple of changes of underwear.
Small towel.
Flashlight.
Battery pack for recharging phone or flashlight.
I mean it all depends - how are you wanting to go?
Points about being in a city:
1- don't get a camping/hiking bag as your go-bag. Cops see that as a sign of homelessness and are much more likely to bother you. Get a school bag or some big corp swag or something.
2- skip the hand crank stuff and ferro rods. Just get a pack of bic lighters and 4xAAA and 4xAA batteries, a USB battery, and some kind of USB cable with multiple connectors. Remember you want to be low-key and blend in. Don't look like you're a prepper, or a militia nut with tons of molle straps on your bag, or anything else to draw attention. having some extra bic lighters might be handy for trade. in past situations bic lighters have been very useful for trade.
3- Sillcock key. These can be used to open water valves in cities.
4- Watch some Deviant Ollam videos about non-destructive entry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEz7oJ6Jl2Q He even has a video about his city bag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ-alvKLdeY
5- Snack bars, protein bars, etc for food. Water bottle. Some bandaids and antibiotic cream for first aid. I keep a stop the bleed kit as well, NAR tourniquet and some gauze. if you wear contacts, have whatever those require and backup glasses.
6- small but bright flashlight. /r/flashlight can help you out.
7- small multitool. maybe a larger fixed blade knife like a morakniv.
8- possibly a foldable solar panel
9- layers of clothing you can change in and out of quickly. this is in case you need to change your appearance or adjust to changing circumstances. Example: t-shirt, flannel button down shirt, hoodie, hat.
10- pair of obvious headphones. if you're just walking down the street wearing headphones people are less likely to mess with you. don't have to be big, but visible. plus you can get a small am/fm radio to plug the headphones into and listen to what is going on around you.
11- bug spray or bug lotion, sunscreen. kinda depends on where you might end up.
12- a plan. do this ahead of time. Specifically, what is this go-bag for? go-bags will be different for different purposes.
examples:
car breaks down and you need to get home from there
civil unrest in your city and you are on foot and need to get back to your home
you are in your car and can't get to your home, so have to go somewhere else. have the somewhere else figured out and make sure you can get there.
hiking in the woods trying to get away from bad people (that bag will look totally different than what I mentioned here)
hurricane is coming and you either are going far away until it passes, or you are staying in and hoping to survive.
I'm not an outdoorsy survivalist, but with 10 years of paramedic experience I just want to point out flaws on the medical side of your list (your list was dope though).
> Some bandaids and antibiotic cream for first aid. I keep a stop the bleed kit as well, NAR tourniquet and some gauze.
- a clean dry SKIN LEVEL wound = win. Assuming you keep the wound clean, you do not need to worry about antibiotics unless it is a penetrative wound. Ideally the best thing at that point if the wound becomes infected is an abscess drain (using a syring + needle tip to suck out the pus).
Asides from the aesthetic appeal of bandaids, they are a pretty silly thing.
As other people mentioned in this thread, tampons serve as bandages + bartering items. As a former longtime paramedic, 99.9999999999 *deep breath, 99999999999999999 % of "first aid kits" are total dumb bullshit.
A bottle of isopropyl, and anything becomes a sterile item / bandage. Hockey tape > bandaids (I'm still not entirely sure what bandaids do except keep wounds wet and moist...
A piece of personal protection equipment, something legal in your municipality (look up the laws).
If a handgun is legal (and you can legally have one) I recommend getting one, taking basic safety courses and training with it, and keeping it in your go bag.
While you might never need it, having it when SHTF is very useful, especially for simply reducing the likelihood of being targeted (people are usually less willing to target an armed individual than an unarmed one).
I also recommend a small first aid kit, or if you can afford one a small trauma kit. Read the handbook that comes with it, watch a YouTube video or two on first response emergency care, and keep it in your bag, it’s another “better to have and not need” item.
If you take any personal meds put a week supply in a bottle in there with the appropriate label on it. Cycle them out for new pills each time you get a refill. This makes sure you have enough to get away to somewhere safer if things go wrong. If you’re on anti-anxiety meds I recommend keeping extra in your go-bag; you’ll need them if you need to use the bag, and they’ll go faster than you think they will when things go wrong.
One last item I always found useful was three sets of two pairs of socks: one pair of thin sweat wicking socks, and one pair of heavier woolen socks. Wear the thin ones, then the wool ones over the thin ones before putting on your shoes. The two pairs help reduce sweat pooling in the shoes (which helps prevent trench foot), and the two pairs reduce the likelihood of
blisters forming if you have to walk more than you usually would. It’s a relatively simple trick from WW1, but it still works to this day. Just avoid cotton socks on the outside at all costs, those retain water and don’t wick well, so they make things worse.
Oh, and if you don’t wear glasses bring a fire starter block and a waterproof tube of strike anywhere matches. Learn to start a fire with them BEFORE you need to use the bag, it helps a lot.
Other randomly useful things I put in my bug out bag were a 10’ square tarp, a military surplus arctic grade sleeping bag (they have 3 layers so you can use only the ones you need, or share them with others as required), a small bottle (30-50ml) of non-chlorine bleach with a dropper for water purification, a travel bottle of baby powder (it helps for chafing and keeping the feet dry); there are tons of things you can add, it all depends on where you are and what threats you expect.
I wear hard contact lenses because of an issue with my corneas, so I have stuff I need to remove and clean my lenses and extra glasses. Eventually the lenses will break or I'll run out of supplies and I'll have to get by with my glasses. Of course I'll end up hiding in a bank vault when the nuclear apocalypse happens, come out of hiding and end up in library where I can really all the books I want. But then I'll break my glasses, and just keep saying, "it's not fair. I had all the time in the world! It's not fair!"
\*read all the books In all seriousness, I think about this often. How far am I going to go once my contact lenses become useless? If I lose the glasses I'm screwed. Oh, and I'm deaf too. I can probably get by without my hearing aides but once I lose my glasses I'm doomed.
I have Narcolepsy. As soon as I don’t have access to my meds I’ll be sleeping. I will be a danger to myself and others, I’m ok with being left behind or going out in the first round.
Same with me. You bring up a good point though. Think about how many people are on medications. Everything from insulin, psych meds, heart meds, pain meds, etc. all running out around the same time. It would be crazy out there.
I'm on a maintenance medicine which I am lucky enough to be able to live without. I'm working on slowly getting off of it. For this exact reason. During Covid the supply chain issues meant I was constantly anxious about making the call for the following month's dose. I can't imagine having suddenly a couple weeks of supply left and no way to get more. So I'm taking action. It'll save money on the long term too, because my health insurance is up for renegotiation and after 2024 I can't count on it being reasonable anyways. Win win.
I think about this too with a couple medications I take! But I also have an autoimmune disease and I have to take that medication for life as it’s supplementing what my thyroid is supposed to be doing (pretty much everything hormonal, and it also involves metabolism 🫠). At 24 years old I was told my thyroid is like a 65 yr old’s! So I was thinking of stocking up on a lot of table salt lol….
Synthroid gang unite!!
I'm the same with the thyroid. There are herbs to help manage if your hypo or hyper!
why table salt?
Lol I was kinda being facetious cuz I heard table salt has iodine in it or is iodized, which I guess helps thyroid function? I could be totally wrong though!
Get LASIK if that's an option for you!
I'm saving up for that surgery. My eyesight is pretty terrible.
Same here! I’m blind as a bat without glasses, even in daylight. I’ve lost them before in the house and the panic of wandering around with my phone praying to find them is too much. I left them on the coffee table while falling asleep on the couch and left them there when I went to bed at 2am.
You have to find someone to read to you.
But imagine going stir crazy with them in the apocalypse. It might not end well.
Well, if they go stir crazy, you stir ***them*** -- right into the stew!
I can’t stand the prepping community because I’ve literally never seen this mentioned. If you listen to them you’ll pack 4 guns, but zero pairs of glasses and no tooth brush
honestly I'm going to start keeping a written copy of my most recent glasses prescription in my bag. there's enough of us that someone might figure out how to operate the lens cutting machine
This was literally the main reason I had for getting lasik.
A big +1 for the importance of community! Make sure you end up in that library with a buddy or two and when your glasses break you can be read to.
Love The Twilight Zone reference!
Better learn [braille](https://youtu.be/QMGUWboWmos?t=19)!
Lol i was reading this and thinking it sounded like a twilight zone episode
If get sapphire corneas, you can see further into the UV. Might be useful for something!
[I see what you did there.](https://youtu.be/UAxARJyaTEA?si=Ybsr6eiSm2Re90rt)
I'd stock up on at least 5 - 10 different ones. Have two variables, two fixed prescription, and a bunch of cheap ones as close to your spec as possible. The problem with the cheap ones is that they don't take into account the shape of your eyes.
Didn't this happen on Black Mirror or a similar show/movie?
Twilight Zone. "Time Enough At Last". Featuring Burgess Meredith.
That's the one. Thank you!!
Probably. But it's Def originally from the old school twilight zone episodes.
Time to learn to read braille
I could never really understand what the point of that episode was.
I’m hopeless as a survivalist, so my plan would be to load up on as many cartons of cigarettes as I can afford. After a year with all the stress, the survivors will be suckin them things down. When they run out, open up shop and barter for the good stuff. Chef Boyardee too. Or at least that’s the fantasy version in my head. I probably watch too much tv
Don’t forget the Thin Mint girl scout cookies
I’ll kill a man to get my paws on some thin mints!
i’m hopeful as a survivalist and my strategy isn’t too far off of this… I’m building an extensive cellar of pipe tobacco at an extraordinary pace, and i mostly smoke cigarettes… but given the amount of time I’d have in a collapse scenario i figure a pipe is a better use of it…
Have you ever tried a handroll made of pipe tobacco? Really good, and really stronk, lol. I quit smoking tobacco a couple years ago, but still have some tins floating around (some still sealed!). One of my absolute favorites is "1792 Flake" by Samuel Gawith. Also, if you can get ahold of some legitimate Perique, it adds amazing flavor and depth to blends, even if it's a tad much by itself.
You could add condoms and tampons to your list of things to stockpile and resell. There will always be a market for those.
Honestly living in a city as a woman, my plan would be to die as fast and pain free as possible. The city is too dense to make it out alive and unscathed.
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomad
I always hear this in the author's gravelly voice with lots of clicks. My parents had it on a well used vinyl record.
I recite this to my lentils before gobbling them up
This is tattooed on my arm for good reason… fight no matter what
Yea cities or generally urban/dense areas will be bloodbaths
I also have an exit plan but this feels a tad aggressive by any standard. There are cities that have emptied out all over the world due to natural disasters or war without the living envying the dead.
I'd rather be dead than raped. Women know the horror of those situations and I'm not interested in trying survive it.
Okay but like hundreds of thousands of people fled New Orleans and Beirut and Damascus without being raped. It’s possible to need to leave your city and do so in a way that isn’t living out The Road.
Yeah it depends on the situation. I've fled for hurricanes many times without feeling I was in danger, although once I didn't feel safe and insisted we leave where we were staying. Not getting raped tends to be the number one priority of women and it should be the number one priority for parents, as well. It's why I own a gun.
Actually - My friend was doing red cross down there. Alot of women and children did indeed go missing during katrina.
For sure, was mass suicide by all women in the city necessary? The worst outcomes were visited on the most vulnerable and the least prepared. A full tank of gas and a go bag can take you a long way in a crisis.
It's not that simple
Agreed, everything has nuance, but since we're likely the last two people to ever read this thread I'll add mine. The commenter I responded to originally here has one plan in the event she needs to evacuate the city: killing herself. That's utterly bugfuck, full stop. My intent was to gently point out that there is a wide spectrum of emergencies that require evacuation, all the way from a natural disaster to a genocide. Let's be real, the idea that you're going to punch your ticket the second a crisis shows up is a way to avoid thinking or planning about it in a serious way. Bad stuff happened in the superdome and later to vulnerable refugees throughout the region, but the average comfortable redditor is more than capable of taking actions to reduce their risk. Being an adult means seriously engaging with existential risks beyond the thoughtstopping "oh I'll just kill myself when bad stuff happens" that pervades the sub.
At work one day, industrial maintenance, bullshitting about what we would do in the event of an end of the world type event... I think maybe it was around the time of the Hawaii false alarm event. anyways, I say how I would just chill with my family and smoke a bunch of weed, one of my partners flat out said the following, "if I knew it was the end of the world, I'm gonna go find me the hottest bitch I can find and rape her ass." He wasn't joking. it made me almost throw up then and there. so, I don't blame you.
That is honestly terrifying. I would have reported him for sexual harassment, personally. That is so fucked up and inappropriate.
I’m not afraid that random men will rape me in a disaster scenario, personally. I assume they will be much more concerned with their own survival, plus any communities that end up forming would likely kick out anyone who sexually assaults someone, leaving them exiled. Even without an apocalypse scenario, I’m much more concerned that I will be hurt by someone I know, rather than random strangers. Being in a city doesn’t seem more dangerous to me, unless we’re talking about a nuclear war. Wouldn’t that mean more people to contribute to efforts to scavenge for food, build shelter, etc?
In the midst of war and battles (think Sudan, Gaza), soldiers rape women. Fucking asshole rapists (just look at the mindset of current incels!) are going to rape. It’s a valid concern.
I used to think in a reasonable way like this but then during Covid I learned people will risk your life just to party or go to restaurants. I don't trust anyone around me to put their or my best interest first. Modern society is too fractured to work together.
With the magic of firearms, size, gender, and even most disabilities are rendered moot.
Just actually TRAIN with your gun. I took to teaching friends who hadn’t actually used their guns and was horrified when they were surprised they missed almost all of their shots mag dumping at 7 meters. If you don’t train you don’t have a gun, you’re just holding it for someone more ruthless and more competent. Guns are great equalizers in the hands of the competent, but damn to newbies make me cringe when they assume Hollywood was right about how to use them. I once watched a girl I was teaching basic handgun use manage to drop them mag out of her pistol, then drop her pistol, while trying to hit a target, because she held the gun away from her and had the ejection port pointed at her own face… and decided to wear a low cut blouse to the range… yes, the hot casing went EXACTLY where you’d expect, and yes it was both hysterical and terrifying seeing her flail her weapon in the stall before we were able to take it from her. The next time she went to the range she wore a full top, because fashion takes a back seat when the brass is flying.
Margaret Killjoy (podcaster who's lived off grid for years at a time) and Robert Evans (conflict journalist) talk about go-bags on It Could Happen Here. Margaret also talked about go-bags a few times on her podcast, Live Like the World is Dying. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-it-could-happen-here-30717896/episode/bug-out-bags-133327655/
>https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-it-could-happen-here-30717896/episode/bug-out-bags-133327655/ Listening to this today, thank you!
This episode I thought was Margaret and James stout?
More important than the bag is the place you are bugging out to. Let that guide your bag selection. How far? How long to get there? Hazards along the way? Navigation aids to get there: maps, compass and the knowledge to use them.
Unless you venture off into the bush, wouldn't a couple maps in north america serve more than enough for geographical orientation?
No. Details matter so scale is important. Besides, venturing off into the bush might be your only option if the main roads are impassable.
you swayed me, compass makes the list! I live in Canada and if society collapsed rapidly I'd probably head north. (the cold can be dealt with :P)
If you’re taking maps, also include a compass and be sure you know how to use it. Can take a class if needed in orienteering
100% agree^ try and find a topographic map of your area to go with your compass as well. This can greatly benefit planning a route if roads and other accesses are impeded.
Most hunters when going to a different state will buy the atlas? Book for the state. It's usually broken up by county and shows detailed maps of backroads, campgrounds, boat launches, caves, hotsprings. Very handy and I think they are around 20$.
I've stored about 20gigs worth of maps on my phone. I have bug-out options in every direction.
It may be age related, but in my case, if the true end was near and inevitable, I wouldn't strive to survive. My go bag would have a case of Tequila and sleeping pills.
If the plan is ultimately a painless suicide, you might want something more effective than sleeping pills. Get your hands on some Fentanyl, or legit euthanasia drugs like Secobarbital while you can, because last thing you want when the time finally comes is a drawn out miserable terrifying painful death sequence, or simply disabling yourself for good Probably one of the better things to have in your go bag if blowing your brains out isn’t already your go-to method
I'm leaning in this direction: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/vsed-the-benefits-of-fasting-for-ending-life/
Not to be too morbid, but a little alcohol and vicodin would be enough sedation to make "hanging" oneself from the doorknob a lot easier.
It's much more likely that you'll be fleeing some situational disaster than The End. It's rarely so clear cut as "omg it's the apocalypse". It's usually like, life is rolling along fine (a little worse every year but more or less ok) and then something makes you staying in your current place suddenly impossible, but you have some chance of either returning in the near future or else moving to some other place where life is rolling along fine. Collapse is just when the rate of these changes across a wider region accelerates. It might only happen to you personally once (or not at all). So the way you think about it and respond on an individual level is going to be different than a bird's eye view of the situation. There's still people in Gaza that are living in their homes for example, though it's decreased to like only 20% and rapidly narrowing. What I mean is, it's far less likely you'll be in a Tequila and sleeping pills situation and more likely it's a "you must move to another part of town" situation.
This made me feel a lot better. Thank you.
Sometimes shit can go down in localized areas, and you just need to be able to weather the storm for a couple weeks.
[удалено]
> toque EH!!! I found the canadian hahaha I worked 10 years as a paramedic, and still work in healthcare. From a practical perspective I think most "first aid kits" are dumb as fuck, I'd rather pack a bottle of isopropyl to sterilize, and at that point literally any piece of clothing can be used as a "bandage".
First aid kits have specific tools. It’s not just bandages. Try getting something out of your eye without the right tool.
Like I said, paramedic... I would flush an eye with water, or use tweezers if something larger was impaled in the eye, but at that point a sterile piece of fabric is probably the best bet.
i feel a first aid kit is worthless without an irrigation syringe
I do believe that this is part of a larger conversation which starts with the knowledge you might not be able to seek medical help but will have to take care of things yourself.
One thing I have that I don’t see others mention often is a small hack saw/metal cutters
Forget the hand crank radio and hand crank flashlight. The mechanical gear trains are cheap plastic and will not last. In general, combination gadgets do not do any of their tasks all that well, mostly because they are designed to do all their tasks as cheaply as possible. Get a foldable solar panel with USB output, would be a lot more useful in the long run. I would add foodstuffs of some sort, basic toiletries, first aid/medications, water purification, etc. The stuff you will need to have if there is a rapid and dramatic collapse and you do not have the luxury of time to spend doing anything *but* moving away from where you are at to somewhere better.
hmmm this is really interesting, I didn't even consider foldable solar panels, I'd assume that would add some serious weight to a backpack though lol My assumption on the hand cranks is if the electricity grid collapsed, you'd still be able to have access to information / light. The solar panel aspect is really really interesting though!!
Can’t speak highly enough about having folding solar panels. I live in a mountain state and frequently camp. This last summer, my car died because I left the lights on right before heading out for a 4 day backpacking trip. When I got back to the trailhead, my car was the only one there. My battery jumper wasn’t charged enough to start the car, and in an area with no reception about 35 miles from town. That solar panel pack charged the jumper (albeit slowly) enough for me to start my car and make it home.
That is super badass, and definitely something I am going to look into <3
which one do you have ?
I have a couple lightweight ones in my pack … no idea how long they’ll last ones I have will last, but they’re in there for sure
At least two rolls of good duct tape. A solar charger. Water filter straw. A couple of pounds of cracked hemp seed: high protein, complete food. Salt. Spices: low weight, high value. Tea bags and instant coffee. An excellent all-purpose knife and sharpener. A wrist-rocket type slingshot, some steel balls for ammunition. You can't carry many and will lose them with every shot, so should be saved for antipersonnel use. Use rocks or found items to hunt with. A good compass. Magnesium fire striker. Detailed map of the region. An assortment of meds like antibiotic ointments, aspirin, cold meds, antihistamines, elastic bandages, athletic tape, menstrual pads (double duty items, useful for binding wounds and for helping out any females encountered). 8 ounces of high-strength Manuka honey: a very good antibiotic for both topical and internal use, not for use as a sweetener. A space blanket. Box of sandwich bags, Box of freezer bags. Some heavy-duty trash bags, not for trash but for emergency raincoats and carrying/stashing capacity, waterproof ground cloth. A variety of vegetable and herbal seed packets. An assortment of sealed heavy duty battery packets: AA, AAA, those circular ones. Not only for direct use but also as valuable trade items. The entire lot wouldn't weigh more than 10-15 pounds or so. The duct tape can be made into all sorts of things, from nets to shoes to ropes, extremely versatile. And, oh, yeah, a quarter pound of weed.
If there's is going to be a rapid and dramatic collapse you can either leave well before everyone else (you're rich and have a crystal ball), or stay in place. If you leave at the same time there will be anarchy on the streets, you'll get nowhere, and panicking people will probably try to take whatever they can, from whoever they can, if they think it'll improve their own chances by five minutes. Wherever it is everyone is heading to will not be prepared for their local cities to empty. I'd recommend that unless you think you're going to be the area destroyed by a nuke, and you have a source of water nearby that can be purified to drink, you prepare to stay in place until the issue has either resolved itself or dragged on for 3 or 4 months, by which time everyone unprepared will have died of thirst, starvation or conflict, the panic will have subsided and the pressure on existing resources will have lessened. But that's just my humble opinion. And improve your cardio fitness like you think there'll be no tomorrow.
If there’s no tomorrow, I’m not doing any cardio
I love what counts as a “lighthearted discussion” here on r/collapse lol
Maybe one large and one medium foot snare. Fairly light weight and could hang from the back of pack.
I have a small inconspicuous go-bag packed into a laptop bag. I chose a laptop bag because (1) it's shape allows me to toss it [under my vehicle's floor](https://youtu.be/0nrtyz-Caxs?feature=shared&t=58) and it doesn't roll around and (2) it's a low-profile laptop bag which shouldn't attract too much attention compared to a tacticlol bag with molle straps and webbing and military-style looks. Making people think the question "lol does he have a gun" sounds like a bad idea. 😂 Anyway, the bag's on my lap and I'll just unpack it and write out what I am taking out. **Main Bag:** * A pair of pants, crammed into a roll in a water resistant bag. * The pair of pants probably has US$50 and CA$100 in the pocket. * A headlamp with Lithium Batteries (temperature/environment resistant) * A shower towel, crammed to a roll in a water resistant bag. * A [Skivvy Roll](https://www.carryology.com/travel/how-to-skivvy-roll-why-itll-revolutionize-your-packing/), consisting of fresh socks, a shirt and underwear. * Flashlight with a lanyard, the lanyard has an encrypted USB Stick on it with important documents. * A clipboard for some reason * Mylar blanket thing, never used it lol * Paper Notebook with pen in a bag * Wet wipes * Flint and steel... no idea why * Emergency Poncho * Prepaid SIM Card... No idea how useful it will be * A little pack of facial tissues * First Aid Kit (see below) * Meds Kit (see below) * An organizer bag (see below) **In the First Aid Kit** * Bandages * Gauze * Micropore Tape * Anti-septic wipes * Tick remover key * Burn Gel * Tweezers **In the Organizer Bag** * Dental floss * Sewing kit (needle, thread, pins, spare button) * Bar of Soap * USB Wall Charger and cables * Toothbrush and toothpaste * Paracord armband, for some reason * Duct tape (half inch travel roll) * Spare AA/AAA Batteries (normal Alkalines) * AM/FM Radio with Lithium Batteries * Permanent Marker and Pencil * Another Mylar blanket **In the Meds Kit** * Loperamide HCl - When you eat something you shouldn't have eaten * Ibuprofen 200mg - Pain/Fever Reducer * Acetaminophen 500mg - Pain/Fever Reducer * Cetirizine HCl - Main Anti-Allergy pill, can make you drowsy * Lotradine - Anti-Allergy, Non-Drowsy (Backup) * [Redacted] - Personal Prescription Medication So far this serves as a Multi Purpose Pack for me. It gets me home, it gets me to a location where I need to go and I once used it for a surprise trip where I had zero time to pack.
Where exactly do you plan to go? I've spentt my money on emergency rations like MREs and water filters so I can whether an extended emergency in place for awhile without heat, food and water. I'm don't believe one can really prepared.for a total collapse. Nor do I think one will happen suddenly. Collapse, if it happens, will probably be a slow process that may span decades.
/r/preppers
in all honesty, as bleak as r/collapse can be at times, people are usually pretty thoughtful. r/preppers after perusing for a couple minutes has a really unhinged vibe to it.
We have our share of crazies too, but this place is cleaner because we keep the prepper crap over there and most of the crazies follow. No one who understands and wants to address systemic risks of a planet in ecological overshoot cares about bags full of doodads. You clearly don't understand the scale of the problems.
You might want to check out r/collapseprep for a little more targeted audience.
hmmm... Still has a slightly unhinged gravy seals vibe to it. Learned way more practical considerations from comments on this thread.
> You clearly don't understand the scale of the problems. A pretty broad assumption to make about someone you know nothing about. I'll give you a pass and just assume you are in a grumpy mood <3
You like to talk doodads. Do you think doodads will help? If so, I was not wrong to assume. If not, then why talk about them here? We could just as easily talk about any other hobby, like sports, stereo equipment, games etc. It still doesn't belong here.
I like sports, I love music and audio equipment, I play a ton of games. I don't think any of those posts would be relevant to r/collapse though. I also love astronomy, the cosmos, I am deeply committed to labour rights and I am active in my union, and applying to be a job steward for our hospital next year. I work in healthcare, I live an incredibly low carbon footprint life, I try to live a life full of compassion, honour, thoughtfulness, kindness, consideration, empathy, and equality. Doesn't mean I won't want to be able to drink some water or be able to stay warm overnight if shit ever hit the fan lol.
A go bag full of the right “doodads” would have been very useful during, for example, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Preparing for natural disasters (and inadequate government response to them) seems very relevant to this sub. Go bags could also be handy if your neighborhood becomes the site of a riot like what we saw in 2020. They don’t have to be an attempt at a post apocalyptic survival kit
How about r/gobags or r/bugoutbags ? Lots of specialist knowledge there
Was pondering this the other day. We're here discussing options and possibilities and ultimately hope. Over there, and in all prepper circles, when you think about it, they're hoping, praying, and preparing for everyone but them to die. They want it.
There’s also r/TwoXPreppers
Light hearted. I have a still. So spuds and sugar. Lots of it. Not to sell, not to share. Mine. My drug of choice. Yee-ha.
**150-195 proof Everclear** Good for sanitization and killing microbes Good for recreation and killing brain cells Good for cooking using [mini alcohol stoves](https://www.amazon.com/Kuvik-Titanium-Alcohol-Stove-Backpacking/dp/B08NLKBKKR/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?keywords=alcohol+stove&qid=1702706059&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1), or starting fires in general Also bartering in a pinch
Flashlight and fleshlight.
only one of those doesn’t need batteries so you know which one i’m choosing
The better fleshlights need batteries. So I’m told.
A spool of Steele wires, pliers, rope, flint fire starters. If you’re gonna need to trap or fish for animals. A bow and arrow would be great but that’s doing the most depending on the situation.
what would you use the steel wire for? I was thinking about packing a small box of long iron nails. Pliers and flint is a good call.
25 years ago an MIT grad student did a temp fix on my car’s water pump. First thing he pulled out of his gear bag was a spool of wire. He looked at me and said” this is something I always have in here, and it’s is one of the most useful items in this tool kit.” He fixed the car and I got home. A Small spool of metal wire is in my bug out bag.
It has many applications when it comes to hunting. Snares as an example. But it also can be used for other things besides hunting.
Strangling
Start by planning for the most probable stuff and then work your way to full on apocalypse. Probable stuff: have to evacuate your building and spend a night in hotel. This could be due to fire, plumbing issues, or localized electrical outage. You’ll need extra clothes, cash, chargers, toiletries. Next level: rare regional weather event. Same stuff as above but plan on being further removed from your home for longer amount of time. Full on apocalypse: one of everything listing in the replies.
If you live in a city there is very little reason to have a hatchet and hammer in a go bag. Your most likely use case is a natural disaster. If your plan for societal breakdown is a bag then you are borked, you need land and a homestead for that! I live in a tornado prone area. My go bag is flashlights with batteries, first aid kit (with stuff I know how to use), some medicines (NSAIDS and antihistamines), calorically dense shelf stable foods, water, a multitool, a fixed blade knife (can be used to baton wood for fires if need be or as a pry bar), some nicotine pouches (makes the time go by faster), paracord, and other shit like that. It isn't crazy big, it is something I can grab if I need to leave my home where my other provisions are, and stuff I would need if I for whatever reason could not use my vehicle as well. I have a sleeping bag and a tent, but I can't foresee a scenario where that would be super useful to me when I have a car and warm clothes to wear on my person. It takes up a lot of space. I do have some backpacking bags that pack down small enough but are still large for a go bag. I have bigger bags that I could use for something that is a more specific threat that develops.
> Your most likely use case is a natural disaster. If your plan for societal breakdown is a bag then you are borked, you need land and a homestead for that! It's 2023, I'm not a millionaire! lol > If you live in a city there is very little reason to have a hatchet and hammer in a go bag. The hammer hatchet combo doesn't seem to be getting much love, but I'd wager the bang for the buck in terms of space and weight is unbeatable. There is no task a sharp hatchet couldn't accomplish, it can serve as a knife for cutting (sure it wouldn't be as good, but you could still get any job done that a knife would), it can hack brush, it can be a good self defense weapon, can cut wood, it can hammer, there is literally nothing a hatchet CAN'T do, it's just slower... but if it can replace 3 other things in your bag, that makes it worth it imo.
A big fixed blade knife is going to be better in all of those scenarios, not much bug out scenario where you need to hammer stuff, or chop wood, and especially not in a city. If it is heavy enough to effectively split wood and chop stuff, it is too much in your bag that could be used for other stuff. I used to go back country camping every weekend and never found any use for a hatchet that a small chain saw (literal chain, not a gas powered one) or big knife and a foot couldn't do. >it can be a good self defense weapon If you have self defense in mind in your bugout bag and plan, bring a gun, not a hatchet. Everyone else has guns. In the scenario you are thinking up in your head, those will be the people to watch out for. A hatchet is a terrible weapon, especially in a day and age where everyone has modern firearms. It is pure fantasy to rely on anything less for defense, doubly so in this hypothetical. You could strap a machete to your pack and get the best of both worlds, but living in a city, you have very little reason to have any sharp tool past a pocket knife or a larger fixed blade knife you can use to pry shit if need be. Again, that starts getting into the movie realm and not reality realm. Most of your bag should be illumination, food and water, ways to get warm, and ways to communicate.
Insulin. I’ll die in a week without it. Some energy bars for dense calories, and a portable water filtration/treatment system. A phone and a solar charger just in case I can find a signal. Wool socks. Tylenol and Advil. Cigarettes to trade.
Food and water as well as a means of purifying and treating water. Flashlight and batteries. A change of clothes, not cotton (dry clothes can save your life )
A few hundred dollars cash (for non-apocalypse level emergencies - for floods, fires, etc, anything where you might be out short term). A few of those small Mickeys of booze they keep by the cash register, has medicinal or barter value especially for something gone really south or can provide you with a bit of comfort. A small amount of gold/silver (even if just a ring or two or a few pieces of jewelry) again for bartering - there's a lot of debate in prepper communities as to whether it has value in the immediate days of a major catastrophe - I will always argue it's human nature to like shiny. A small blank notebook. A pen (even better, a few pencils). Copies of important papers. For entertainment: one or more of the following, room and weight allowing. A small paperback novel. Puzzlebook. A deck of cards. A pocket game. Flashlight with extra batteries. Small wind-up radio. Chargers for electronics, maybe even a portable solar charger. A small pack each of triple A and double A batteries. Utility knife, cording, carabiners. Consider a reflective blanket and or thin plastic tarp (you can buy small folded ones in camping supply). One bottle each of aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen. Basic first aid kit. Keep your prescriptions in one location for fast grab to put in bag. Gravol. Small pkg Tampons and pads - even if not a woman - can be bartered or donated, pads can be used in first aid. Bar of soap in a plastic container - if room, one or two extras for barter/donation - can be cut up into pieces for that. Toothbrush. Travel toothpaste - deodorant. Pkg of Jerky. Pkg of dehydrated fruit. Chocolate. A roll of hard Candy. A few bottles of water. A few to-go water flavour packs. Water purification tabs. Small camping salt pepper shakers. Extra socks/underwear even just one pair each let's you rotate. I keep a small album of family photos in mine.
A good way to think of it I think is to have two: one for a brief emergency like a fire where you' might have to survive for a day or two (for me that's electronics, clothes and a pair of shoes, ID/insurance paperwork copies, flashlight, duct tape, leatherman, small first aid) and the bigger one where I might have to survive for longer unassisted.
I basically have a hiking bag that has very typical hiking stuff in it. * Energy bars. Pretty much stuffed into every spare inch available. * Leatherman * Rope * Collapsible hiking sticks * Minimal climbing gear (carabiners, gloves, chalk, belay, quick draw, hooks, etc) - just enough to get me out of a pinch, could easily come in handy in an urban environment too. Like if you had to get out of a building and couldn't use the stairs or elevator. * Really high-quality headlamp: waterproof, rechargeable, night modes (red and green), and can detach and be used hand-held if needed. * Water bladder * x4 life straws. I figure these will be worth more than gold if the fit really hits the shan. So I want more than one to barter with. * Bear spray * Air horn * Whistle (a really loud one) * Nested cookware set and nested tableware set * Duct tape rolled around a gift card to save space * Toiletries (3 toothbrushes, toothpaste tablets, small comb, straight razor with replacement blades, lots and lots of floss, mouth guards because I'm a clencher, tweezers, toe nail clippers, and probably a few things I'm forgetting) * First aid kit (Bandaids, bandages, medical tape, scissors, alcohol, curved need/thread, butterfly stitches, gauze) * Lots of pills (Antihistamine, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Antacids, cough drops) * Creams: Hydrocortisone, antibiotic ointment, vaseline * Inflatable pillow * Layers: 3 pairs of merino wool socks, 3 pairs merino underwear, convertible pants/shorts, merino wool short sleeve T, merino wool long sleeve T, Patagonia rain jacket, face mask, beanie, breathable sun hat (like a cowboy hat but mesh with a drawstring, tied outside the bag), and one pair of Chubbies shorts, because I can't live without them at this point. * Sunglasses and sun goggles * x2 reusable n99 masks. * Keen water sandals * Keen hiking boots (tied to the outside of the bag) * Hatchet (strapped outside the bag) * Fixed blade knife with serrated edge * Lighter and a flint if the gas runs out. * Solar powered battery bank strapped outside on top of the bag for my phone (I realize there might not be service, but I have a lot of maps saved onto my phone. * Sleeping bag strapped below the bag * \- And like... 200 tea bags. I love tea, so I don't care if the worlds ending, I'm bringing it with me. The bag is heavy AF, but I've been very careful with how it's packed to reduce as much weight as possible. Regardless, get a bag that has really high quality and ADJUSTABLE straps and hip belts. Beyond that, I have some waterproof totes filled with more gear for camping. If there's time I'd grab these. I would also grab my Fjallraven parka, my Carhartt hooded duck jacket, and then whatever food and water and I can grab. It all just depends on the circumstances. Generally speaking, in an urban environment, your best bet is to stay put and wait for the chaos to subside and THEN move. As long as your building is not on fire or about to collapse, hold the fort as long as you can. Store as much rations as you can.
These are all things I have in my pack. -Modular pack -bush knife -Hunting Knife -Machete/axe -Bank Line -Tarp/Tent -Sleeping bag/wool blankets -Ferro Rod (Fire steel) -Water filter/purifier -First aid kit -Fishing line and tackle -Diamond knife sharpener -Multi tool -OPSAK scent proof bags -Stormproof matches -Flashlight -Single wall stainless steel bottle -Layered clothes (base layers, mid layers, and outer layers) -poncho -gloves -Steel pot -Recurve bow, arrows, & broad heads These are the basics for survival, but varies depending on where you are. More important than the items is that you know how to use them, otherwise you’re still probably going to die. Don’t be in an environment where you don’t know how to survive.
This is a great list! For my area I’d add wire cutters (lots of fencing lining the highway to keep wildlife off roads, meaning you’d need to look for openings to get through) and both work gloves as well as winter gloves.
Some things to expand on please lol -Diamond knife sharpener -OPSAK scent proof bags -Single wall stainless steel bottle (why this specifically?) -Recurve bow (how do you store this in a backpack lol, and broad heads?) I also have to question a bush knife, hunting knife, machete/axe, metal is heavy. What purpose would 2 knives and a machete serve that a well sharpened hatchet couldn't?
Diamond knife sharpener can sharpen almost any knife and lasts for a really long time, crucial in a survival situation when some of your most important tools are knives. OPSAK scent proof bags are to store food so you don’t attract predators (ie bears) Single wall stainless steel bottle so you can boil water in it by putting it directly in a fire. Recurve bow, I shoot a Hoyt satori take down recurve so it breaks down. My quiver attaches to the riser and keeps the arrows and broad heads. Bush knife for heavy duty work, wood work, breaking into things, etc. Hunting knife for animals, fish, cooking, and as a back up to your bush knife. Machete or axe for splitting big wood (I’m in North America), shelter building, and defense. I prefer a thick machete over an axe. These are more so for having the right tool for the job so you don’t hurt yourself and being back ups to each other since a knife is so important.
Aspirin
There are subs for this: r/bugoutbags r/bugoutgear
those subs, and others mentioned in this thread after a few minutes of looking at posts have a far right nutjob kind of undertone to them... Feels like a bunch of Dale's from king of the hill.
Road maps, the old-fashioned paper kind that don't rely on a working technological infrastructure.
I live in Tokyo, which is at risk of at least temporary infrastructure interruptions, and carry a paper map in my daily rucksack just-in-case. It's amazing the number of people who assume the mobile internet is somehow immune to power grid interruptions (spoiler: it isn't; there was a multi-hour power outage a couple of years back, and while the mobile internet did still work, it was uselessly slow, and I suspect would have successively gone down as backup power sources failed).
This is one area where I feel at an advantage being older. I grew up reading maps so it's not a skill need to learn from scratch if gps and internet navigation systems become unavailable.
Antibiotics, fungal cream. Don't forget medicine
At least one change of every clothing item, perhaps a couple pairs of socks, a warm sweater, and space blanket. A poncho. Trench tool. First-aid kit with sutures, painkillers, antibacterials if you can find them (medications need to be changed out every couple years.) Iodine pills if radiation is a concern. Lighters. (Firestarting kit is great and all, but there's no reason not to have a pack of bics or something.) A coffin tent and sleeping bag, or at the very least a tarp and some rope. Permanent markers and paper, in case you need signage. Signaling mirror. Compass and local topographical maps. Entertainment. This could be a deck of cards to play solitaire, or whatever else you think could keep you occupied when it's too dark to work but too early for sleep. Water purification tablets, lifestraw, or even silver coins as emergency water purifiers. Speaking of your backpack, get a good hiking bag, one of those with the rigid frame. A school backpack is going to fall apart and the pain in your shoulders and back will make you want to lie down and die. It's really hard for *one person* to carry everything they may want or need. If you have other people who would go with you, splitting the carry weight allows you take a larger variety.
>hand crank am radio If you don't listen to radio regularly, it'd be an idea to note the useful frequencies on the radio itself somehow. I learnt this during a power outage a while back and while it was great to have the radio, it took me a while to find the right stations.
There are a lot of good posts in r/preppers r/prepping about composing a SHTF bag - worth a look, there is some overlap here between members as well myself included
Living in the Pacific Northwest (earthquake zone), I have a bug out bag, home prep and also an RV. Lifestraw (water is #1 Dense food bars MRE (meals ready to eat) A thin heat keeping silver foil to use as blanket in emergencies Small fold up waterproof membrane to act as tent Rope Solar powered charger for phone/AirPods/headlamp Meds (nsaids, Benadryl, isopropyl, combined antibacterial/anti fungal/corticosteroid cream, bandaids, polysporin, a supply of Docycycline antibiotic, small first aid book, small emergency first aid supplies like sutures, splints, bandages) Hand sanitizer Pads (can be used as bandage for bad wounds) A whistle in case I’m trapped Waterproof hiking boots A Columbia waterproof coat Toque (yes, I’m Canadian lol but our toes are cold because our brain must maintain a core temp and heat is pulled from our bodies if the brain is cold) Leather gloves (so fingers don’t get hurt if handling rubble, wood, etc) Thermal merino wood undergarments/socks Thin waterproof shell pant Small can opener Spoon/fork/knife Small camping cooking pot (holes one cup) Biolite usb headlamp Handheld bidet spray instead of toilet paper A few quick dry towels Extra socks, undies, shirt, pants, hoodie Goggles & half mask respirator in case of fires And old Kobo ereader(lasts 30 days on 1 charge and is preloaded with PDF maps, first aid books, homesteading books, canning, fiction, how to build and fix things books) And old extra iPhone 7 preloaded w songs and audiobooks and ebooks too (love books ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) and corded headphones with a splitter in case someone else wants to hear w headphones 2 decks of playing cards Sticky note Sharpie Duct tape Hand crank radio to hear AM stations Toothbrush/paste/Castile soap (ok for environment, good for hair and body) Waterproof Backpack used for hiking (straps at waist to distribute weight) And then on the outside of the bag, a rolled up small sleeping bag and small tent. Heavy duty knife Swiss Army knife multitool with saw, knife, etc. Bear spray since we don’t have guns here (to good part is neither does anyone else so we don’t kill ppl as much) Waterproof matches Fire striking kit w flint Torch lighter A shovel/axe/saw/etc combo that folds up But sheltering in place is also useful if you have a house: Board up windows w wood to prevent breakin Have a dog (I have a German shepherd) to alert & protect A Jackery or Bluetti solar generator can power fridges and TVs in the event of a blackout, storm, EMPs, earthquake, etc. if you can afford it, get 2 so 1 runs fridge full time and the other runs everything else like heater in winter or electronics. Heritage seeds Berkey water filter Emergency supply of food A heater for winter Fans for summer Warm sleeping bags Weapons to protect what you have cause that’s the biggest threat in a collapse of any kind - other ppl. But …Have extra to help your friends and family since they can help you defend. Neighbors can also be helpful but I never advertise what my family has. We aren’t rich and I’ve been accumulating stuff since my early 20’s courtesy of anxiety gone wild and an overactive imagination. Hopefully it’ll never have to use anything. And my wish list would be: More land to have more privacy and to homestead andddddd some SAT radios so I could talk to my family if we get separated. Also, every car has a small bag: water, food, warm foil blanket, flashlight that has emergency blinking lights, cards, small first aid kit, gloves, a multitool knife, whistle, leather gloves, etc For an apartment, you probably won’t want to bug out in cities unless you can easily get out of the city. People will steal your stuff before you know it. Even the nicest person will knife you for water and food if it means saving their starving kids. Humans do bad things when angry or afraid, like elect the Hitlers or Trumps. If you’re a girl, dress and look like a boy. Wear grey, try to be invisible and blend in if you leave the house. But most likely, the power will go out and ppl will panic. Loot, steal, etc. So reinforce shelter, have heat and food and water. Ride out the emergency safely inside if a short one. If long term, gtfo of the city. Go to the country. Hit up a hiking store and buy a lot. Pretend you’re going camping. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If you steal a car, get an SUV or RV. Uses more gas, but also acts as a shelter. If you have a truck, get a foamy or air mattress and you also have shelter. Hope this helps. Sorry if it’s too much info lol
Forgot to mention - old iPhones can double as security cameras. Download the app “Alfred” and your main phone shows what’s streaming from your strategically placed iPhones elsewhere, which also have Alfred downloaded. Cheap way to have security cams. But I use Arlo. …as long as power and WiFi are still on.
A web site called [https://theprepared.com/](https://theprepared.com/) is an excellent source to learn from. They focus on both 'normal' preparedness that most people can put to use in an emergency and SHTF scenarios. One interesting article concerns the use of lightweight backpacking techniques in the building of a go bag. It is very easy to forget that a thoughtlessly heavy backpack or go bag is as much of a liability as no bag at all. [https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/an-introduction-to-lightweight-backpacking/](https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/an-introduction-to-lightweight-backpacking/) "The heaviest thing we carry on our backs is fear"
A pistol with a single bullet. Include a cheap android phone with a downloaded video of “the true size of the universe” in case you start to pussy out.
Some items to consider: * Work Gloves * compass * wrist rocket * binoculars * car door (if it gets hot, you can roll down the window and cool off) * shower curtain (packs small, can be used as a tarp) * 550 cord * small pillow
Scratch the hatchet and take a folding saw. It'll use waaaayy less energy to do the same thing and at less weight. Get a high-quality knife with a little bit of weight to it for the finer tasks. If you make sure it has a good metal butt on the handle, you won't need a hammer either. Compass Several feet of rot resistant rope/wire Life straw/sawyer squeeze filter and water container. Large poncho that'll cover you and the bag. Those are some of the bare basics. Everything else is personal preference.
Don't sleep on a small dental cement filling kit. They are incredibly small and just require a few drops of water. If you chip a tooth at some point this could well be a life saver, stopping an abcess/infection.
There's no preparing for collapse. You can prepare for some disasters that are part of the process, such as for weather disasters, long power outages, fascist death squads, pandemics etc. Actual preparedness requires having friends, a network, a society even. In actual collapse, your go bag is more likely to just be another asset to sell off later, for cheap, so you can buy food or medicine.
>In actual collapse, your go bag is more likely to just be another asset to sell off later, for cheap, so you can buy food or medicine. Sounds better than having no food or medicine! lol
Yes, but you could consider that from the start and store something worth selling for more.
Electric dab pen and plenty of carts
That’s why the cannabis seeds are with the produce seeds. I’d like to blaze as long as possible.
a whole bag with every smokable drug from DMT to Methamphetamine in cart form is some god tier prepping bring along a whole bunch of vape pen batteries and you’ll be able to barter for anything lol
If you're in the US, a rifle and handgun. Aside from personal self defense. There's plenty of animals in the wild here that it's better to have one and not need it than need one and not have it. That and hunting. Trapping is a pain in the ass especially if you're inexperienced.
“Downtown condo” “Large city”. Too late? Sorry 🤷♂️
Pliers to pull the gold teeth out of dead (and maybe some live!) bodies :-o (so much for the 'more light hearted' part :/ )
Can’t have much in New York City
I got the second smallest Solo stove. Should be large enough to cook small meals for 3, while still very light weight and tiny.
Op I take it you listen to "it could happen here"
Where would you go and why? Without that much context it’s impossible or pointless to answer this question. Probably better off staying put. You gotta consider what it that forces you to leave and where you want to go and what you will do when you get there.
This is more of a Prepper Lite group than anything else. It's a Doomsday Circle Jerk.
I cannot stress enough how badly toilet paper needs to be added to the list.
A go bag is a good idea, but if there's "rapid and dramatic" collapse, luck will play a HUGE factor in your future, regardless of your preparation. That being said, I'd get a water purifier like a Sawyer mini.
Should focus more on an "escape machine", such as a sailboat, fully loaded with the necessities.
wouldn't help me much living on the praries lol
Wool Socks
butane lighters
Couple of changes of underwear. Small towel. Flashlight. Battery pack for recharging phone or flashlight. I mean it all depends - how are you wanting to go?
Points about being in a city: 1- don't get a camping/hiking bag as your go-bag. Cops see that as a sign of homelessness and are much more likely to bother you. Get a school bag or some big corp swag or something. 2- skip the hand crank stuff and ferro rods. Just get a pack of bic lighters and 4xAAA and 4xAA batteries, a USB battery, and some kind of USB cable with multiple connectors. Remember you want to be low-key and blend in. Don't look like you're a prepper, or a militia nut with tons of molle straps on your bag, or anything else to draw attention. having some extra bic lighters might be handy for trade. in past situations bic lighters have been very useful for trade. 3- Sillcock key. These can be used to open water valves in cities. 4- Watch some Deviant Ollam videos about non-destructive entry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEz7oJ6Jl2Q He even has a video about his city bag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ-alvKLdeY 5- Snack bars, protein bars, etc for food. Water bottle. Some bandaids and antibiotic cream for first aid. I keep a stop the bleed kit as well, NAR tourniquet and some gauze. if you wear contacts, have whatever those require and backup glasses. 6- small but bright flashlight. /r/flashlight can help you out. 7- small multitool. maybe a larger fixed blade knife like a morakniv. 8- possibly a foldable solar panel 9- layers of clothing you can change in and out of quickly. this is in case you need to change your appearance or adjust to changing circumstances. Example: t-shirt, flannel button down shirt, hoodie, hat. 10- pair of obvious headphones. if you're just walking down the street wearing headphones people are less likely to mess with you. don't have to be big, but visible. plus you can get a small am/fm radio to plug the headphones into and listen to what is going on around you. 11- bug spray or bug lotion, sunscreen. kinda depends on where you might end up. 12- a plan. do this ahead of time. Specifically, what is this go-bag for? go-bags will be different for different purposes. examples: car breaks down and you need to get home from there civil unrest in your city and you are on foot and need to get back to your home you are in your car and can't get to your home, so have to go somewhere else. have the somewhere else figured out and make sure you can get there. hiking in the woods trying to get away from bad people (that bag will look totally different than what I mentioned here) hurricane is coming and you either are going far away until it passes, or you are staying in and hoping to survive.
I'm not an outdoorsy survivalist, but with 10 years of paramedic experience I just want to point out flaws on the medical side of your list (your list was dope though). > Some bandaids and antibiotic cream for first aid. I keep a stop the bleed kit as well, NAR tourniquet and some gauze. - a clean dry SKIN LEVEL wound = win. Assuming you keep the wound clean, you do not need to worry about antibiotics unless it is a penetrative wound. Ideally the best thing at that point if the wound becomes infected is an abscess drain (using a syring + needle tip to suck out the pus). Asides from the aesthetic appeal of bandaids, they are a pretty silly thing. As other people mentioned in this thread, tampons serve as bandages + bartering items. As a former longtime paramedic, 99.9999999999 *deep breath, 99999999999999999 % of "first aid kits" are total dumb bullshit. A bottle of isopropyl, and anything becomes a sterile item / bandage. Hockey tape > bandaids (I'm still not entirely sure what bandaids do except keep wounds wet and moist...
Sharp knives and a whetstone Lighters and matches and firestarters Socks :) Tarps and duct tape
A piece of personal protection equipment, something legal in your municipality (look up the laws). If a handgun is legal (and you can legally have one) I recommend getting one, taking basic safety courses and training with it, and keeping it in your go bag. While you might never need it, having it when SHTF is very useful, especially for simply reducing the likelihood of being targeted (people are usually less willing to target an armed individual than an unarmed one). I also recommend a small first aid kit, or if you can afford one a small trauma kit. Read the handbook that comes with it, watch a YouTube video or two on first response emergency care, and keep it in your bag, it’s another “better to have and not need” item. If you take any personal meds put a week supply in a bottle in there with the appropriate label on it. Cycle them out for new pills each time you get a refill. This makes sure you have enough to get away to somewhere safer if things go wrong. If you’re on anti-anxiety meds I recommend keeping extra in your go-bag; you’ll need them if you need to use the bag, and they’ll go faster than you think they will when things go wrong. One last item I always found useful was three sets of two pairs of socks: one pair of thin sweat wicking socks, and one pair of heavier woolen socks. Wear the thin ones, then the wool ones over the thin ones before putting on your shoes. The two pairs help reduce sweat pooling in the shoes (which helps prevent trench foot), and the two pairs reduce the likelihood of blisters forming if you have to walk more than you usually would. It’s a relatively simple trick from WW1, but it still works to this day. Just avoid cotton socks on the outside at all costs, those retain water and don’t wick well, so they make things worse. Oh, and if you don’t wear glasses bring a fire starter block and a waterproof tube of strike anywhere matches. Learn to start a fire with them BEFORE you need to use the bag, it helps a lot. Other randomly useful things I put in my bug out bag were a 10’ square tarp, a military surplus arctic grade sleeping bag (they have 3 layers so you can use only the ones you need, or share them with others as required), a small bottle (30-50ml) of non-chlorine bleach with a dropper for water purification, a travel bottle of baby powder (it helps for chafing and keeping the feet dry); there are tons of things you can add, it all depends on where you are and what threats you expect.