I’ve had Pandemic Preps at my house for a while now. I also habitually carried some Pandemic Prep stuff in my Day Bag and my Go Bag. But in the last two days, due to the swine flu breakout/scare, I’ve decided to put together a hardened kit to carry, primarily so I don’t squish my N95 Masks. Continue reading “Pandemic Go-Kits”
My EDC (EveryDay Carry)
I realized the other day that I hadn’t done an EDC post yet, so here it is! I do split EDC, meaning that some stuff I carry on my person but most of it I carry in my bag. There are two reasons for this, one I sit at a computer all day and do not like to have my pockets filled with stuff. I only wear cargo style pants so I always have plenty of pockets to drop things into as needed, but I don’t like to sit at my desk with anything in them. Secondly, as a geek I carry my computer EVERYWHERE I go and I carry it in my EDC bag. If you ever see the bag pictured on the right, it is probably following me like a monkey on my back.
Prepping for and Surviving an Airplane Crash
Yesterday’s incident of a crash landing on the Hudson River where there was a 100% survival rate got me thinking about airplane crash survival and prep. Apparently several others were thinking about it too, there are several articles out in the last (less than) 24 hours about surviving a plane crash. Hopefully I can provide a useful summary and some fresh thought on this topic.
The NTSB released a study of plane crash statistics and survivability in 2001 they analyzed data for crashes from 1983 to 2000. I’ll be summarizing and referring to it frequently, the entire report can be found here. I was surprised to find that, overall, plane crashes are indeed survivable. Just as with surviving a nuclear war, I had assumed or thought I knew (without any research at all) that if a plane crashes you’re pretty much dead. With that foregone conclusion, I had not really looked into it at all. Here’s a quick shot of data from the NTSB study regarding crashes in a year and the number of survivors from those crashes: Continue reading “Prepping for and Surviving an Airplane Crash”
Get Home Bag
Recently I took some time to rotate a few items in my ‘Get Home Bag’ that I keep in my car. The seasons were changing here, and they require different items to fill the bags purpose. As I was changing, I realized I should take a few pictures to post on here (and satisfy the requests of a few friends wanting to know what I have). With that in mind here’s a basic breakdown of my winter Get Home Bag.
Purpose:
I live a fair distance from my work now (oh how I long to telecommute again!). Around 25 miles one way, around a lake, across a river, through several places that have limited road options. How do I know this? Well, I would say everybody should be very familiar with every alternate route between their home and most common destinations, because you never know when you will need them. I have needed mine. Beyond a natural curiosity and desire to optimize my commute, my neighborhood often requires it because it has a population that overwhelms the local road infrastructure on a good day. Add in an accident, or bad weather and it becomes horrid. Get worse weather, and you can actually shut down access to our town. It’s happened before, it will happen again. Throw in an earthquake, and there will be *no* cars heading home. Whatever your locally preferred disaster, would you be able to get home to your wonderful food storage?
Continue reading “Get Home Bag”
Sample EDC (Everyday Carry)/mini-BOB(Bug Out Bag)
This is the bag I carry around with me on a daily basis. I don’t carry it everywhere with me, but if it is not with me, it is in my car or at my desk at home or at work so it is always nearby.
I get asked about it quite often so I thought I would detail the contents in a post.
Continue reading “Sample EDC (Everyday Carry)/mini-BOB(Bug Out Bag)”
Make some noise
An important piece of any Bug out Kit is a way to make a whole lot of noise. You need some way to create some attention-getting noise that can really travel the distance. This tool is a way to get the attention of a search party if you are lost or injured, as well as a way of helping find somebody who is lost. But all whistles are not created equal. Some are bulky, some are tiny, some have Pea’s, some don’t. How do you know which you should get? Well, I was recently pointed to a site via edcforums to an excellent PSK whistle review (PSK). Go check it out before you buy your whistle, it’ll help in selecting.
Family BOB Example: The Lances
A local friend of mine recently posted his notes about creating a set of emergency bags (BOB – 72 Hour Kit) for his family. It’s great to see a friend getting his family so ready, and even better when they can share such excellent information. In his example, I think he does a great job of presenting how he will get his young sons to carry a small part of their own gear, without overtaxing them. I know all younger families like myself worry about how to ‘carry enough’ for the younger children, and this example shows great thought in dealing with that concern. Check out the Lances BOB setup. Several pictures showing all the included gear, in and out of the bags.
Leatherman Micra Deal
Just passing along a link I got from amazon for one of their black friday deals. A Leatherman Micra for just over half off. $12.99. Obviously this is a limited time deal from them.
These are handy little tools for your EDC, and a great stocking stuffer.
Do you EDC
EDC = Every Day Carry
What’s in your pocket, bag, desk, or any other place. Every Day Carry is about what you have with you for whatever your needs may be. While much of true preparedness means being ready even without tools, we all know that the right tool will make any job easier. Just like that hero of ours, MacGyver (oh, checkout the list of things he solved) we know that a swiss army knife might be just the thing you need in a tough spot.
So whether it’s keeping things related to emergency preparedness, a better way to keep your phone with you, or keeping the tools of the trade (whatever you may do), you can rest well knowing you aren’t the only other one who has wondered what else you might need, or how you can carry it better.
One of my favorite resources with all things EDC related is the aptly-named edcforums.com. This excellent group of people can help open your eyes, and much like a self-help group, bring you to a greater understanding of your desire to load up the bat-belt, and what to load it with. Stop in a check out their information, and get yourself to EDC exactly what you need for your lifestyle.
Stocking Stuffers
Christmas is coming, and it’s time to think about what to get the hordes of family and friends. I thought I’d share something I found last year that was my favorite thing to include with gifts, hand out to everybody at work, and drop in every stocking, all without hurting the budget.
One of my favorites comes from a site I often visit, DealExtreme. This is a discount site for imported items, and they have quite a variety of fun toys for the prepper and geek. In the flashlight section (which has good name-brand as well as really good knock off lights) they have a special deal on bulk packs of keychain LED’s. Under $5 for a 10 pack, and even less if you grab a couple packs, it’s an easy way to get an EDC item out to all those around you. I made sure to have an extra pack for myself, so every bag has one on it, as well as all our keychains.