Monday, September 1, 2014

What's in the Bag?

I hesitated to write this one. If you "prep" too much people think you are strange. I can't explain to people that I am not really a "prepper" when I post things like this. I have a "bag" in my car and Phil has one in his truck. It is NOT because we think the world will eventually collapse and we think we might have to "bug out". We really don't believe that but we do have "emergency bags" in our vehicles. This is in case some natural disaster prevents us from getting home and we need to go on foot OR some disaster causes us to spend a couple of days somewhere other than home. Our emergency bags aren't complete however, they are just a work in progress.
My emergency bag is rather small but I have done it keeping in mind the amount that I think I can carry. Even then, it will still be heavy for me. Phil has a much larger bag because he can carry more. I tend to pack a few more medical supplies in mine because I work with over 100 children and I always have the fear that we will have a tornado or something while I am there and any medical supplies at that time may be helpful. I am missing some things and even today I added a few more things that Phil had in his bag that I didn't know about until we were taking these pictures and I wanted them in mine as well.
Here is the bag I keep in my car:

This is from one of the small pockets on the front: Binoculars, hand warmers, and sewing kits. 

Another small pocket on the front: muscle creme, Pepto Bismol, scissors, face masks, bacitracin an some antibiotic pills--amoxicillin, an ace bandage, some lip balm and a bottle of aspirin and the stuff in the zip lock bag which will be in the next picture.

This is just a couple of plastic ponchos, tooth paste, a firestarter and a salt and pepper container that I need to fill.


In the Ziploc bag I have eye drops, another ace bandage, thermometer, thermometer covers, bandages, cleansing pads.


The first large pocket contains: a flashlight, extra batteries for the flashlight, a multi-tool, a knife, matches in a bag, lighters in the bag, q-tips and different cotton balls and pads, extra water filters for the water bottle, glucosamine (because I need it), multi-vitamins, a little first aid kit, 550 cord, glove, an extra quart zip-lock bag and feminine pads.


The next large pocket contains the food, wipes, two sterno cans, a firestarter, duct tape, a head lamp and drink mix. There are two metal bottles of water that didn't make this picture for some reason.


This is the bottle I have strapped on the outside with the iodine pills and the other ones to make the water taste good again ( I really need a larger bag). I eventually would like to have a blanket and tarp strapped here.


This folding shovel and MRE stay in my trunk with the bag because they won't fit in it. 


This is what is strapped on the outside of the bag, an extra knife, some clips and extra rope. 


I did miss one whole pocket in the food section that had Slim Jims, more peanuts and a folding fork/spoon set.

I am now going to move on to Phil's bag but I don't know what everything is in his bag so you will have to figure it out from the pictures. As you can see Phil's bag is bigger than mine.


Just his first pocket has all sorts of stuff. I know there is a whistle, compass, glow stick (I have these in my bag too. I think I lost a picture somewhere...), a map of the area, a mirror, scissors, binoculars, and I don't know what he rest of the stuff is.
 

This is a survival  book, glasses, ponchos, not sure what else the other stuff is exactly.


Here is his gloves, hatchet, headphones, spoon and fork, a pot and folding stove for the Sterno (I bought that for him) and cord. Oh and I think that is a fishing kit. I want one of those in mine!


There is food from an MRE in this one, wipes, muscle rub, antibiotic ointment, Vaseline, towels (those are the round things), hand sanitizer, and I think that is it.

\

Here is some first aid stuff he has in there.


Then he has a pocket for flash lights, knives, knife sharpener, clips and 550 cord.



After looking through Phil's bad to do this post, I added some Moleskin (I had never heard of it) and a 5 in 1 tool I found at Wal-mart that has a waterproof container for matches, a compass, a mirror, whistle and fire starter.  I want to add a blanket and tarp still but other than that, this is probably what I will have in my emergency bag. I can't say that it hasn't come in handy. I have gotten things out of it several times at work. The duct tape has come in handy and so has the thermometer when I had a child who was sick at work and our thermometer's battery had died. I have a work bag too and tools in the car that come in handy all the time. Nothing like being prepared~


13 comments:

  1. I know were you are coming from but its better to be prepared for all eventualitys, I have a bag in my car the contents are similar to yours, on 2 occasions I have been held up on the motorway once for 3 hours on the hottest day of the year and on another occasion we were held up in snow for several hours I was so glad that we had supplies and were comfortable, I am at the moment putting together a winter kit for my car in readiness

    ReplyDelete
  2. I always have blankets and trekking poles in the car, and in the winter I add water, snowshoes and hiking boots. But I have a whistle, a small knife and a fire steel on my keychain, so that's with me all the time anyway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a blanket in my car as well but I want one attached to the bag and I need a tarp as well.

      Delete
  3. Becky,

    Now those are some really nice bug out bags. Very well done my friend!!!
    We have bug out bags prepared, along with tornado bags. Living here in Oklahoma were always prepared.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. We are slowly adding more to them.

      Delete
  4. I'm just getting a winter bag ready for my wife's car. I've got a van and it's got most things in I could ever need and I doubt I would leave it as the contents is too valuable, although I have a bag in there I could put things into if I needed to. Your right though, people think your odd just by being prepared! Yours are good bags, a couple of ideas in there I might borrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We don't really have to do a winter/summer one here though if I lived where it got really cold I would have more stuff in the car. At least more blankets.

      Delete
  5. Hi Becky, it sounds like your getting prepared. You'll find some things you forgot as you go along. Don't forget one of the most important thing, am/fm radio with extra batteries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think that will fit John but that is a really good idea. Maybe I can find a very small one.

      Delete
  6. Hi again, go to ccrane.com. They specialize in radios. I buy my radios there. You won't be disappointed.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I kind of wish I needed an emergency bag like this! Here in Yorkshire, England, I cant really get lost or stranded! Walk 10 miles at the most and I will come to a town. The closest I can get to needing this kind of equipment is hiking in the Scotish mountains!
    Miss Tulip x
    The Thrifty Magpies Nest

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, this is not exactly the "get lost" type of bag. This is the bag where you have had a large natural disaster and you need to get home or get to help somewhere.

      Delete
  8. How interesting! I've never thought about this but I am now considering putting a small bag of supplies together to store in my car

    ReplyDelete