Being prepared is high on my list of life-priorities; I feel more comfortable and confident through having a good level of readiness and whilst there are those who feel there is no need as the government or some one else will take care of them in the advent of turmoil it's just not the case. One only needs to open one's eyes to see this is true. Delusion works for some people though and that's completely fine - It's just not my style.
If you have visions of my home being a fortress, a bunker complex or some such thing then you'd [probably] be wrong. If you have visions of me having a fire-evacuation plan, knowing some first aid, having the ability to defend myself, situational-awareness and other such logical measures then you'd be right. You see, being prepared isn't for weird people, it's for all people; Or it should be - Knowing what to do in a crisis or emergency and having the ability to do it is, in my mind, very important for all of us; If you have a child then it's even more important...After all, aren't your children most precious?
So I'm prepared or at least more prepared than most...But I don't just mean in an urban environment. I spend a lot of time in the outdoors and have built skills around that; Navigation, hunting and general survival skills. I work on keeping them sharp and building new ones to augment the existing as well - It's somewhat of a hobby but has practical application of course. The Australian wilderness areas are hostile and getting remote in Australia requires skills, at least if one wants not to die out there that is.
I have a lot of equipment that supports this prepared-ethos and have spent many years collecting the right things, learning how to use them and making them readily accessible for when they're required. This includes firearms, ammunition-making equipment, communications and navigational items along with general survival equipment. Again, I get a lot of enjoyment out of this aspect as technology always changes and...Well let's be honest, one can never have too much cool shit. #coolshitlife
In the #weekend-engagement week 45 topic this week I based it around a fabricated scenario in which one had limited time to gather things and leave home for the wilderness...You can see the topic here and the scenario below. I thought I'd answer it for myself in this post just because why not? #whynotlife
There is a pandemic outbreak and you need to escape to the wilderness - Away from people. You only have one hour to gather all of the items you'll need and they all have to be carried in or on your passenger vehicle - Let's just assume you have one ok? You can take anything you like but you only have one hour before you leave.
I'll be honest, this is a fairly easy question for me, because I'm somewhat pre-prepared - I think things through and work towards mitigating risk and increasing my chance of dealing with crisis, emergency, adversity or turmoil. Regardless though having only one hour to gather items and leave, especially in a pressured situation, is always going to throw up challenges. One can't be too prepared or practiced when it comes to this sort of scenario.
Three of my items
Item one: Go-bag
This item is a grab-and-go item that contains many other items. It is easily accessible to grab on the run and very transportable as it is a back-pack style bag with the MOLLE [Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment] system allowing additional external pouches for additional load-carrying options.
I won't go into every single item but it contains things like a Lifestraw water purification system and purification tablets, MRE's [meal ready to eat] which are calorie-rich military ration packs with a very long life span, additional clothing [think layers here] and clothing for varied weather situations. Methods to start fire like tablets, weatherproof matches, a lighter, flint and dry tinder. Cooking gear which is all multi-purpose, lightweight and collapsible. LED torches of different sizes and intensities plus many spare batteries. I also have a hand-crank torch. Medication because I'm diabetic plus a comprehensive first aid kit including a snake-bite kit [because it's Australia.] Large and small knife with sharpening stone, fishing hooks and hand reel, plenty of paracord, hand-operated chain-saw, compass, maps for common areas I would likely go to, pens, note pad and pencils, survival sleeping bag, tarp for tent, binoculars, tooth brush and toothpaste, silver half and one once coins, a wad of fiat money, debit card with a decent sum on it, identification, Leatherman MUT multitool, small hatchet, machete, and the list keeps going; It's pretty comprehensive. I actually have version of this kit in my Landcruiser at all times as well.
A go bag is a personal thing and must be put together based on the individual, location and possible climate in which it may be required. What you have may be different than mine but there are certain items all go-bags should contain.
Item two: Firearms and ammunition
Keeping in mind the scenario outlined above this may seem unnecessary but this is my loadout and part of it would include this...I'd grab my .243 rifle-system and 500 rounds plus two handguns, one to stick in the go-bag and the other to wear when required and both would be of the same calibre, 9mm, as the rounds are a little lighter than 38 Super; The 38 round flies flatter and hits harder but I'd not want the weight of the ammunition considering I'd take at least 1000 rounds. A well-placed 9mm round will be just as effective in most circumstances, especially in a country where most do not have firearms.
I shoot the .243 out to 900 metres accurately so it would be used for offensive situations and it's good down to virtually point-blank so will handle pretty much any situation including hunting various game for food. The ammunition is also not as heavy as other larger calibres like the .308 for instance. Handguns are defensive and so would be used in that manner only. Of course, along with my firearms comes the equipment required to support them like cleaning kits, solvents and oils plus range finders and so on. I have a firearms go-bag in the workshop that contains the appropriate things. #gobaglife
Item three: Communications and charging
I have a communications bag which contains CB radios, wind-up transistor radio, signalling mirror, cheap mobile phone and spare battery, small high-output fold-out solar panels, battery pack and all the cables required for charging the electronic stuff. Knowing what's up is important as is person to person communications. #knwowhatsuplife
That's my three items...Well, loads and loads of items when all combined I guess but in effect three bags: Go-bag, comms-bag and gun bag. I'd say in a pressured situation it would take me all of ten minutes to obtain and pack these items into my vehicle leaving time to gather most of the other items I would want then lock up certain things in my safes and the house itself ready for my return, if that was possible. I'd almost certainly have time to hook up my camper trailer, also already pre-loaded at all times with stuff, and I'd be gone inside of one hour. #nofuckasserylife
Being prepared is as simple as applying a little situational-awareness, knowing first-aid, CPR, how to treat a snake or cut, having a fire evacuation plan at home or the office, fire-extinguisher and fire blanket, a seatbelt cutter/glass breaker in the car and a pocket knife at all times...It doesn't have to be complicated although the more prepared a person is the less likely they'll become a victim; It's a rather simple thing to be honest. That's just my opinion of course...So many prefer to play the victim role and that's their prerogative I suppose. It takes all kinds to make up the world and I'm the prepared type.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
Discord: galenkp#9209
Track one for today: The time is now
Track two for today: House of the rising sun
Love this.
Just got some good toys. Glock parts and an ar upper in 7.62x39.
Gotta get the ar10 fixed. Sigh. Bad rifle. Bad me for not doing this sooner.
Oh well.
Yep pretty much can just drive with my gear I got in the vehicle now. And it's also got a portable grill for me to cook munchies on. Got seeds for my plants to grow too. I got flowers.
Yeah vehicle is already set up for bugout.
I figured you'd have things pretty well covered. It just makes sense right?
Actually after you've had a couple of experiences sometimes it's better to be over prepared than under prepared and have to cut a truck out of being parked in between two trees with a shotgun...
Actually playing lumberjack with a scattergun wasn't that bad. Luckily through my felt nice and the shotgun we had enough then power to get us back on the ground and out of that situation.
However shotguns can actually be used for all sorts of things like cutting trees down....
hello @galenkp good day
Undoubtedly you have a great training and very clear ideas of what to do, your equipment is extraordinary
See how things are evolving, the direction they are taking, the unconsciousness of some people, everything indicates that at any moment we can be in a situation like the one you describe, it is vital to be prepared for such a situation, especially if the family depends one's.
I live in a city (Corrientes-Argentina) that has gone through several wars and battles, being a city with three borders, we are prone to invasions, Several family members of different generations had to live an extreme situation, it was my turn 12 years dealing with the impact we had with the Malvinas war; That is to say, it is common in my province to be prepared for this type of thing, on more than one occasion as a child, our parents gave us instructions on what to do in an extreme situation.
I take this opportunity to wish you a great day
Turmoil is always closer than it may seem...Best to be prepared.
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I like your choices and your explanation for them but I feel like the go bag is cheating a bit for this scenario haha. Its like the Genie in a bottle scenario where you just wish for more wishes lol. If choosing an item that contains more items is allowed for your challenge then I want to change my tarp item into a pick up truck with a camper on it stocked with enough food to last me 3 months, survival gear, books and batteries and all the luxuries of home.
I know this is all for fun, I'm just giving you a hard time haha - but an item that contains many items kind of defeats the purpose of wracking your brain to try and decide what 3 essential items are most important to you. But again, I'm just giving you a hard time Lol
:)
Feel free to write 1300 words on the topic and post it...I'd been keen to hear all about your preparations.
Being prepared for any eventuality in immediate surroundings you have this one ready to run out the door knowing you had essentials packed.
Never been packed to this degree but would be able to throw quite a bit together to move quickly!
!BEER
Knowing what to take, where to get it and to be able to do so quickly could make all the difference. I figure you have that covered.
(1) Waterproof army bivvy bag with essentials, (2) good hiking boots, (3) panga (AKA machete).
Get to travel up closest river to find overhang or cave, live off the land. Modern day man no longer thinks that the whole system we have set up could come crashing down...
I think you're the first to mention hiking boots. It's terrible to have damaged feet, especially if one is required to move about for any great distance. Good plan. And yes, most people are delusional about society and how safe it is, or is not.
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BEER.I was writing a long reply to this which was thought provoking, but the app closed and deleted it all #funtimes
Here's the gist:
How do you decide it is "go time"?
Think of all the scenarios. DefCon level 3 now. Russia and US are not playing nicely of the play ground (the world)
Food shortages? Supply chain mishaps Suez canal vibes? Russian subs breaking through 1,5m ice in the arctic? It's all being thrown in the meltdown pot.
Perhaps another post for people to think about?
Cheers bud.
Oh no, that's never a good thing...I've had it happen a few times too.
There's many things to consider with this topic and knowing when to bug-out or stay outbid a critical decision one can only make for oneself. It depends on so many factors, all specific to location. Also, in some cases going may be more dangerous than staying. So many factors.
Very true and that's the trickiest part for me.
I'm not as prepared or as mobile as you are. I'm old, and basically done carrying my survival on my back very far. At this point my vehicle is part of my survival plan and my stuff is in duffles.
Within one minute of hearing the news I'll know my destination. Local, regional, long.
My brother and I have a place but it's 1500 miles from here. It's defensible and sustainable so my key is to get there. Going there will take 50 gallons of fuel minimum. I don't have to carry big guns there so 2 pistols will get me there. I have a 30 gallon fuel barrel (empty) ready. I know about a gazillion ways to get there so one stop for fuel will be all.
Regionally, I'm headed for the mountains this time of year or a specific valley in the winter. Nice thing here is you won't freeze to death, ever. :)
Locally it'd be a set of abandoned (but sturdy) buildings I know about 50 miles from here. In both those last two cases I'd carry a rifle (.308) a 12 ga pump shotgun and 2 pistols-a 9mm and a .357. Regionally I'd plan on some game to supplement food, locally I'd have enough food with me for two weeks.
The cool thing about thinking about this sort of thing is that in the world we live in there is a real need. Anything can happen, and probably will. It's good to have a location to escape to also, I have many, not owned by me, but I have access to and the means to get there...Having a 4x4 is an essential thing for me as it grants access to places a 2x4, or low-slung car can't go.
Seems like you have some good plans in place...Everyone should.
I realize more and more the need to be properly prepared if SHTF especially living next year to a very volatile country that has a massive number of weapons. honing my skills and building up my knowledge of my surrounding environment is really a top priority at the moment. thanks for sharing your insite on the matter!
Being prepared is essential in my mind and all of us should have some level of it strategized. You have great skills so it should be easier for you. It's a broad topic and can't be summarised in a single post but thanks for reading this one.
oh forsure and everyone will have a different idea on how they need to prepare based on their needs. I quite enjoy your posts they're always very informative
Thanks mate...My posts are just a shadow of what my real world is like but if they inspire others to think, feel and act then great.
Great post! Very interesting regarding item#3 for comms! That's actually a really good idea in order to be able to receive & transmit information - something for me to consider for the future for sure.
Thanks mate. It's really too big a topic for one post, there could be an entire preparedness community to be honest. The Pew is where you can drop stuff though, if you want.
Communication is really import as it allows activities to be coordinated and structured and easily adapted between elements in the group. Of course if someone is broadcasting I've the radio somewhere it can be a good way of gaining information. Power is always going to be an issue as the grid may not supply it which is why I have a couple portable solar panels and two quite large ones which can feed my Landcruiser's auxiliary battery or those on my camper trailer which also has an inverter to permit me to run my laptop etc.
Yep, you knew that I was going to like this and it's all great stuff here.
With my luck I will have my escape gear ready and get trapped in the town before I can get to it 🤣
But yes, one has to have a plan and I hope that your WEEKEND post will awaken some to this essential fact.
Waking people up is sort of the aim, although Most prefer to snooze.
The same here and I ended my historical mountain pass post today with the words that there are immense talents residing within all of us, but many will never develop them.
If slaves and convicts could build a 25 kilometer mountain pass in the 1800s with only hammers and chisels, then what's to prevent us with all of our modern stuff to do so much better?
Hubris and greed.
O yeah, how can I forget and that hubris and greed are covered by that distinctive lie called progress.
A perfect example was the invention of plastic bags for public use.
Now the oceans are crying and instead of it being a wonder material as claimed, it has turned into mankinds greatest curse.
What a wonderful achievement.
More, more , more Zac...Humans are insatiable in their desire for more. Never content.
Disgusting Galen, but so true and if only....
One can conquer that want, but it takes a lot of mental power.
Great Post..
Gonna make me a grab bag like that...
Soon.!!
Get it done my bro.
I pretty much have all the basic survival stuff in the big truck.
But that bug out bag pretty much puts it all in one easy to grab and go deal.
I need the back pack style. My hands will be hangin on to a cat carrier. Cuz I would never leave this lil' fuzz ball behind.!
It's a good way to go...Have them handy so you can grab and go. The thing is that these things just need to be thought about, considered then those thoughts acted on. You know here the government suggest anyone in a fire prone area should have one...How many do? I'd say not many...Maybe the disorganised chaos method works for them? Probably not though.
Anyway, how good was that gif-comment-reply I did yesterday! Cracked me up a bit. Lol.
Awesome..!
No other words except maybe Fucking Epic
do it justice. Still smile thinking about it.
That bag doesn't look big enough to hold all that stuff !
I am not as prepared as I should be. When I was younger I might have survived in the wild better, now, not so much !
They might would have to throw me to the wolves so everyone else could get away. 🙃
That bag isn't my go-bag, that's my range bag.
I just laughed out loud.... ok..... I was just trying to associate what I was reading with what I was seeing.
I was going to get the go-bag out for a photo but it seemed like too much trouble so I used the range bag instead which, in fact, I have now replaced with something different anyway.
The go bag is quite a bit larger, think medium sized rucksack size. The thing with go-bags is they need to be fairly portable but still have the capacity to hold all the bits and pieces which is why I use bags with the MOLLE system allowing external attachments, pouches and stuff. I also like it to be fairly quiet when in use...No point sounding like saucepans clanging together when moving about. Not my style. So, I work on making sure things don't clink together. I'll do a post in it someday, the go-bag I mean.
It probably makes me look like a kooky loony bird, and not in a good way. We all know how desirable being a kooky loony bird is but a prepared kooky loony bird who is able to react to adversity, emergencies and crisis?
Who would want to be prepared to mitigate risk, nutralise threats and have the skills to protect and sustain those he loves?
Forgive my heavy sarcasm, I'm Australian.
Yeah, I have some degree of readiness. I know what happens when stuff happens, how people react or don't react, and I don't feel comfortable feeling like I have not prepared for at least some of the possibilities.
People have forgotten that bad stuff happens. Maybe it's just delusion, or that it's easier to think one is safe despite it not actually being the case. I'm not that dude. I have a protective nature and will stand in front of the people I love until I cannot do so any longer. This is one element of that. Call me kooky for it; I'll wear the label with pride.
Thanks for your comment Jayne. Always.