What's in your bag?

[srs123]

So with the ice storm in new Brunswick, the snow storm in Nova Scotia, the wild fire of fort mac and the evacuation order in California, it is becoming obvious that a person should be prepared to leave at moments notice or at least manage for a few days until things stabilize.

I think its time I prepare a small bag to sustain me and my family for a few days that i can pick up in seconds if ever needed.

So what should be in it?. Am not talking apocalypse survival,or bugging out into the bush. but more like a natural disaster.

I'd love to hear from guys and gals at fort mac and what they have packed or wished that they have

[jaylow?]

i evacuated the fort mac fire. my wife grabbed our daughter from school.
i made sure i had the dog. house is gone but whatever . insurance will pay for a bigger and better one . if you have time to get things together that's one thing , but under 30 min evacuation notice and everyone at work or school didn't help that situation. most of the things you have (anybody) is just filler crap that doesn't matter when it boils down to it.

[HalfBreed]

Mini Me's.

[srs123]

Originally Posted by jaylow?

i evacuated the fort mac fire. my wife grabbed our daughter from school.
i made sure i had the dog. house is gone but whatever . insurance will pay for a bigger and better one . if you have time to get things together that's one thing , but under 30 min evacuation notice and everyone at work or school didn't help that situation. most of the things you have (anybody) is just filler crap that doesn't matter when it boils down to it.

True true, glad u guys made it out okay. You're right, most things are replaceable and a person shouldnt bother with that.

I for example on medication that i take daily so for now i have a little bottle with 1 week supply in each vehicle an extra pair of glasses and a small bag with a change of clothes

[Imagehunter]

We had to leave during the flood and the biggest lesson we learned: have cash. It's nice if you have plenty of money in the bank, but when electricity is down so are the ATM and registers. Those shops that still operated were running on cash only.
Besides $300 in cash we now have our passports in a box, birth certificates, proof of insurances etc, all things that were a pain in the butt to collect with cops standing by saying '30 minutes and you need to be out'.
It's all not a huge bundle and fits in a fireproof box about half the size of a shoe box, so in case we need to run again, we can grab the most important, hard to replace stuff in less than a minute and are out.

[Mistagin]

We experienced the Fort McMurray event. When we got the mandatory evac order we had time to grab important papers, all of them in file boxes; and all the cash money we had at home. I scrambled to get most of my firearms / hunting gear / fishing tackle / camera equipment and hooked up my boat to my truck. We had been planning to go away for a few days later that week so we had overnight suitcases partly ready, we just filled them with whatever we could grab from dresser drawers. We also took sleeping bags and some water bottles. And my wife took some of her birthday cake that we had been enjoying that morning!

[saskminer]

Another Fort McMurray evacuation story : we left town with a quarter tank of fuel, no cash, no food, no clothes to speak of but I did remember the lottery tickets.
Thanks to my wife we got our passports and valuables. Bottom line is not so much what's in the bug out bag, its how much money you have on hand, your critical documents and a robust fuel plan. If the evacuation had gone badly, we had bicycles ready to head to the river as the backup plan.
I bought a slip tank for the truck so gas will not be a problem, our bikes are ready and we have our documents stored in a safe place ready to go.

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk

[srs123]

Good point, i need to get one of these fireproof boxes just in case and throuw all documents in it. I dont keep cash on me at all but ill add that to the list. 500 bucks in 10s and 20s should be good enough

[ghostguy6]

Google 72 hour survival kits, think about your potential situations and modify from there. One thing I learned is during an emergency don't count on local stores to have supplies for long. I have seen people literally fighting over a package of cheap no name AA batteries. Have plenty off gas encase you need to leave because you may not be able to stop for several 100 km's. If you get to stay, rationing may be put into effect. Waiting 6 hours for 20L of gas is a pain and your time could be better spent.
Alot of canned goods have moisture in them so you will need to drink less water if you think getting water may be a problem.
Lastly, even though the relief agencies try their best, they may not be able to get operational for days.
Just for reference when I assisted with emergency services I made sure I had a personal food, water, and battery supply large enough to last 2 weeks. Enough fuel to drive 500 km and a well stocked first aid kit became essential as well. Cash is king because your bank cards may not work.

[srs123]

Good points ghost, i'll grab one of these 72 hr kits. I usually have batteries and a jerry can full of gas at home, now i should put it all together.

[hilt134]

Put a stove in there. Number one thing we used during the 2013 floods when we got stuck on our house/town for week. Was the camp stove to boil water on as there was no clean water in town for about 2 days. Maybe throw a few of the tin cans of water in there that are supposed to keep for a while. Then the can would also serve as somthing to boil more water in if your extended

[ghostguy6]

I always advised my clients to make their own kit based on their needs, this way you know the quality and contents of what you have available. Odds are you have most of the items laying around the house anyways and can make one cheaper than buying one online.

Found some links on my old work hard drive that may be useful:
Basic kit contents
http://www.aema.alberta.ca/72-hour-emergency-kit
http://www.equipped.com/72hourkit.htm
Here is a pretty comprehensive list of additional materials that are good too have
http://www.equipped.com/earthqk.htm

other useful links:
https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rs...dnssgd-eng.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production...a816f15003.pdf using bleach to make water drinkable

[3blade]

I have emergency supplies in the truck that could get me through most events...keep saying I'm gonna put together a more complete kit but never get around to it. This weekend it's getting done. Thanks for the reminder.

Backpacker stove and pot, lighter, matches, hatchet, blanket, tarp, wool socks, toque, mountain house, protein bars, water filter, compass, headlamp, multitool, knife, paracord, Med kit, cash, paperwork, clothes

[The Cook]

Originally Posted by srs123

Good point, i need to get one of these fireproof boxes just in case and throuw all documents in it. I dont keep cash on me at all but ill add that to the list. 500 bucks in 10s and 20s should be good enough

Careful, the cops will think you're a drug dealer with all those small bills. Fifties and hundreds take up less room and easier to hide.

[Etownguy]

I took pictures of our families health cards, passports, driver licenses, other important paperwork, etc and store them as image files on my phone. I always have my phone on me so that means I also have copies of this stuff if/when needed.

Sure, my phone could be stolen, but so could my wallet which typically holds much of this info anyway. My phone is at least password protected and I can 'brick it' remotely if it gets lost. Not perfect, but works for me.

[TomP]

I have a bug out bag with enough food for 5 days for my family of 3. 20l jug of drinking water. Included in the bag is basic first aid supplies. Multi tool. Basic toiletries. Flashlight and batteries. Maps and compass etc. One change of clothes for all members of family. Cutlery and water bottle. Other small things but you get the jist. Doubles as a bug in bag.

[Unregistered user]

Our rolling meth-lab is gassed up and good to go, as long as the ol' bitch starts.

[fishtank]

i keep all the important documents in bank, i do make photocopy of it and keep that close by. car is usually gas up . but do have a couple of Jerry cans of gas in garage for lawnmowers and misc small engines . i think the most important thing is getting out safely asap .. everything else can be replace . its a good idea to keep a memory card with photo/video of all your belongings in the house once a year then drop it off in the bank safety deposit or uploaded .

[recce43]

I have bug out bag
Also get home bag
And building up to 6months of bug in food supply

[srs123]

Good call on the little stove. I have 1 burner that screws onto 1 lbs propane tank that i use to make coffee during ice fishing. Ill pack it up witha 1pound propane bottle.

[RandyBoBandy]

72 hr survival options link

https://www.google.ca/search?q=72+ho...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[rugatika]

I live on the prairie. I'll be staying home with some sardines and beans. And a bottle or two of this and that.

[Xbolt7mm]

Interesting thread,,,,thx