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Friday, April 3, 2009

A Bug out Bag for your kid

My daughter is heading off to college in Tennessee this summer and it is a little over a 14 drive from my house to her new school. So that got me thinking of what kind of emergency bag she will need to have in her car being so far from home and all. Now, a firearm is out of the question simply because she will be on a college campus as well as traversing many different states going back and forth. As much as I would like her to have one, I don't think it's practical at the moment. So going forward I will be putting together a list of equipment and the bag it will be going in, and share it with all of you here. I'll include the links for purchasing the gear, how much I paid for it, and some pictures of the whole kit and kaboodle as we go along.

So lets start with the bag, or back-pack. In discussing this with some other prepper type folks, the question came up "Well, what's this bag for?". My answer was simple emergencies, being stuck on the road, or having to get home in the event that the whole country comes unglued and she feels the need to head back to NJ. (Although truth be told, I'd tell her to stay in Tennessee, we'll come to her.) So that leads to the question of having to carry the bag for a long period of time. I still lean towards a bag with a shoulder strap, but my pals are trying to convince me that a back pack would be more suitable, and the little lady thinks so as well.

So, I chose a Maxpedition MERLIN™ Folding Backpack for the bug out bag that will go with my daughter to Tennessee. Mainly because it can be carried easily and this particular bag has lots of functionality. Although I would say shop around to see what kind of deals you can get.

Next came the list of "ingredients".
  • Flashlight
  • spare batteries. Check out this spare battery holder I found from County Comm.
  • A prepared First Aid Kit, available on line or from your local camping store. Choose the size you feel appropriate.
  • Space Blanket
  • 2 Rolls of Quarters
  • 1 Roll of dollar Coins
  • 50 Feet of Para cord
  • 1 Liter of bottled water
  • Matches / Fire Starter
  • Compass
  • 12v trouble light w/cig. lighter plug
  • Knife
  • Pad and Pencil
  • Whistle
  • Emergency mirror
That's about it. Although I find that when I build a kit like this, laying it all out on the table in front of me usually leads to modifications in the ingredients of the kit.

Why don't you think about building some kits for your car, office, and around the house. Large or small they can make a difference when stuff collides with the fan. Check out lists over at The Big List.

3 comments:

Humble wife said...

Fantastic post and good reminder to those of us with teens heading off.

My brother is on a campus and he bought himself a baseball bat that he has by the front door, next to the frisbee and tennis racket. It does not seem out of place for a college dorm, and offers him some protection until he gets out. He also has a storage unit off campus to store his 2nd Amendment stuff and furnishings for his soon to be home.

PH said...

Great post Jay. I'm constantly re-evaluating my bug out situation. Might I suggest a few things. 1) A little food, 2) a straw type water purifier or small bottle type, or tablets, 3) A poncho to keep the rain off or make a shelter. You think college kids will think about bringing along a coat, etc., but they don't always think.

I also keep a cigarette lighter in my pack with 5 feet of duct tape wrapped around it. Then I have a pocket LED flashlight with 20 feet of heavy fishing line wrapped around it and little electric tape to seal it. These things are small but so useful.

Sif said...

Haha, stay in Tennessee, we'll come to you.

That's my plan, too.

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