Nancy Levant
Nancy Levant
July 9, 2007

It seems that things are rapidly boiling over the Iran issue. Too many meetings, weapons sales, high-level comings and goings that spark a familiarity and one that bears notice — if Iran is attacked by anyone in the world, and most especially Israel or America, American people must take heed. An attack on Iran WILL bring consequences to our country. We need to think of our children, grandchildren, and our elders. Be very assured — our “representatives” will only be concerned with their personal CoG (Continuity of Government) a$$es.

Following 9-11-01, we were gently told to stock up on a few things and to have supplies for 2 or 3 days. Almost no one paid attention to that ridiculous governmental suggestion. Today, I’m going to suggest to my countrymen to do far more than stock your kitchen shelves.

Iran is a nuclear issue that will snowball. Many Mid-Eastern countries have nuclear capabilities and we know for a fact that many sleeper cells exist inside of our nation (thanks to the welcome mat borders created by our “representatives”). We’ve had years of threats regarding the knocking out of our power grid systems and chemical, biological, and radiological attacks. Iran has promised retaliation for any attempts to take out her nuclear capabilities. Therefore, American citizens need to prepare for far more than a 2 or 3-day period of self-help.

I suggest to the citizenry that you stock a minimum 6 to 18-month supply of goods. Food, water, medicines, prescription medications, pet food, diapers, wipes, formula, etc., and I also suggest that you have an alternate, non-electrical heat and cooking source, such as a wood stove, and other fuels. I suggest that you and your families be prepared to buckle down and burrow in and to prepare for self-defense.

Consider buying big bulk items, such as 5 to 6-gallon buckets of staples — rice, beans, pastas, sugar, flour, soup mixes, powdered milk, honey, wheat, oatmeal or farina, etc.. Baking powder, salt, cooking oil, and yeast needs to also be purchased in bulk. I suggest buying fruits and vegetables freeze-dried or dehydrated in #10 cans, and buy a lot! Also stock up on multi-vitamins. I strongly suggest that you purchase good heirloom garden seeds and enough for 3 years. I suggest that you plant fruit trees and bushes — a lot of them. In other words, be prepared to live off the power grid. As unthinkable as this may seem, it is a given that power grid failures WILL occur if there is any retaliation on American soil. I doubt, however, that this will be an issue for our “representatives.”

There are many, many websites which provide help and calculations for family food storage needs, but it is easy to figure out what you would need for 6 to 12 months based upon what you now purchase in one or two weeks. By buying in large bulk, you will save literally thousands of dollars. Though the initial purchases will be expensive, you will be properly prepared. The last thing you want to do in an emergency is stand in food and water lines with your children. I also recently read that power grid failure due to radiological interference could take up to a year or more to repair. We need to be prepared to care for our children and our elderly. We need to encourage our extended families and neighbors to stock up and to make self-sufficiency a neighborhood-by-neighborhood priority. We currently live under extremely vulnerable conditions — vulnerable to the lies, deceit, and gaming of global politicians. No heat source if the power goes down, no extra food or water, no extra prescription medications, no emergency communication devices, no emergency power or light sources, and a myriad of other necessities that we now depend upon others to provide every day.

I ask American woman to spearhead the effort within your families, churches, and women’s groups and to begin, today, to buy bulk food and supplies. Below is a highly suggested list for initial purchases:

Five 5-gallon buckets of each of the following:

* Wheat berries and a hand-crank grinder

* White sugar

* All-purpose flour

* Powdered milk

* Beans (any kind — main protein source)

* Oatmeal or farina

* ABC Soup Mix

Cooking Oil

* 15 gallons

* 15 cans vegetable shortening (like Crisco)

Fruits and Vegetables

* 3 to 5 cans of “Garden In A Can” (3 to 5 full years of heirloom garden seeds)

* 10 #10 cans of each: strawberries, dried banana chips, orange segments, apple flakes or apple sauce, broccoli, onions, green beans

* Buy 15-20 cases each of canned green beans, corn, potatoes, carrots

Non-Perishables

* 15 cases of peanut butter (important protein)

* 10 #10 cans TVP (Total Vegetable Protein), Ham, Burger, Sausage, Chicken, Taco, Bacon flavors

* Tang, powdered fruit drink mixes, cocoa mixes — buy cases

* Trail mixes — buy in bulk

* Hot sauce — buy cases

* Non-condensed soups — buy cases

* Canned meats — buy cases

Special Needs

* Good weight-bearing shelving units

* Store hundreds of pounds of extra pet food in large plastic containers like large trash cans

* Supplies and prescription medications for the elderly

* Store a lot of first aid items. Buy one large first-aid kit and buy triple extras of everything in the kit.

* Buy several car first-aid kits.

* Camping equipment and 4 or 5 extra-large tarps, bungee cords, rope, camping knives, good hatchets and shovels, rain gear, camping mattresses. A lot of stove fuel — 30 to 50 canisters.

Clothing

* Sweat shirts and pants, jeans, waterproof shoes, extra gym shoes, extra socks, waterproof and hooded coats, work and warmth gloves for everyone and laundry detergents

Water

* The least expensive way to store water is in 55-gallon drums made for water storage. Bottled water is far too expensive to store for the long term. Depending on family size and number of pets, you may need 10-40 drums. Begin with 6 and work up from there. There are many websites to help you learn about proper water storage.

* Regular bleach (no additives) — 30 gallons

This seems like a lot, but when you consider a scenario where grocery stores are empty and you have no access to the money in your bank accounts, your loved ones will be far safer with such stores on hand.

There is really nothing different about buying food and supplies in bulk minus the fact that your pay larger sums up-front and very little on a weekly or monthly basis. But all totaled at the end of the year, you will have saved thousands of dollars, you will have driven far less, and you will have safeguarded your families and particularly your children.

I also strongly recommend that if you know any LDS families, ask them for advice on food storage. Most LDS (Mormon) families store food, water, and supplies, and most are very skilled in the art of food storage, storage rotation, and cooking.

My instincts tell me that things are heating up and I want American people to be as prepared as they can be in case of problems. Just think in terms of 6 months to 2 years and the basic needs of each member of your families — water, food, heat and cooking, potential medical needs, toiletry and personal needs, elderly needs, pet needs, and emergency supplies.

Make sure your guns are in proper working order and that you have the tools and necessities to keep them in proper working order. Make sure you have proper ammunition and build your storage. Remember that there is nothing as dangerous as frightened and starving people.

However, also remember that FEMA has the right to suspend all Constitutional rights and to take all your money, food stores, water stores, guns and ammunition, and your homes. Executive orders, issued by presidents, provided this “community” service you and your family. Why would they do that — and especially during times of a catastrophic national crisis? Hmmm. Perhaps your total vulnerability to the orders that will immediately follow crises is more to the new world point of America’s demise. A 72-hour kit? Think, people, think! Please pass this article throughout your neighborhoods. Our vulnerability is monumental and is present and current. NOW is the time to act. Surely, by the actions of “representatives,” you can assume that there will be no peace.

Bulk food and supplies sites:

www.beprepared.com — highly recommended site

www.purityfoods.com/storage

www.waltonfeed.com — highly recommended site

Nancy Levant is a renowned writer for constitutional governance and American culture. She is the author of The Cultural Devastation of American Women: The Strange and Frightening Decline of the American Female (and her dreadful timing).

She is an opponent of deceptive governance and politicians, global governance by deception, political feminism, the public school system, political economics based upon manufactured wars and their corporate benefactors, and the Federal Reserve System. She is also a nationwide and lively radio personality.

© Copyright 2007 by Nancy Levant

http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/levant/070709

This file may be downloaded and distribuded as BACKPACK FEVER or BACKPACK SURVIVAL
Copyright (C) Duncan Long 1989. All rights reserved.

There’s a lot of confusion about what survival means. To some, it’s getting through the aftermath of an airplane wreck in a desolate area. It can mean knowing when to avoid walking in radioactive wastes. Or, it can mean knowing how to barter with troops in the aftermath of riots, war, and looting. To others, survival has to do with avoiding danger and knowing how to deal with it when it breaks into your home in the dead of night.

Survival ideas abound and there are as many definitions and strategies as there are survivalists. Some have good ideas for survival and some have unsound tactics. Bad ideas can mean extra work or trouble in everyday life; bad ideas during a survival situation get you killed. On-the-job training doesn’t work when you’re dealing with poison and gunfights. Or survival.

One of the most dangerous ideas–as far as I’m concerned–is that of “backpack survival.”

A “back-pack survivalist” is a survivalist that plans on leaving his home ahead of a disaster and taking to the woods with only what he can carry out with him. He plans to survive through a strategy that is a sort of cross between the Boy-Scout-in-the-woods and Robinson Crusoe. The backpack survivalist plans on outrunning danger with a four-wheel drive or a motorcycle and hopes to travel light with a survival kit of everything he might need to cope with the unexpected. He hasn’t cached anything in the area he’s headed for because, chances are, he doesn’t know where he’s headed. Somehow, he hopes to overcome all odds with a minimum of supplies and a maximum of smarts. Certainly it is a noble cause; but it seems like one destined to failure. And that’s not survival.

(Let’s back up a minute. Backpack fever–or bug-outosis–does makes sense when you’re facing a localized disaster like a derailed train with overturned poisonous gas cars. A a potential nuclear meltdown, an impending hurricane, or similar disasters where there is a safe place to run to. During such a time, it makes perfect sense to retreat and come back when things settle down. Likewise, some people have to work in dangerous areas. For them, donning a backpack and heading for a retreat that they’ve prepared before hand is a viable survival strategy. These people aren’t backpack survivalists.)

Let me make a confession. Yes, I once was a closet backpack survivalist. I had an ALICE pack and had it packed with all I could carry. As I learned more about how to survive, I realized I needed to carry more. Soon I discover- ed that, just for my family to survive for a very few days, I’d need a pack mule and/or a hernia operation… Something was very wrong.

Probably most beginner survivalists start out the same way. Things are bad so let’s bug out. Backpack survivalism is an effort to deal with the possibility of a major disaster. As backpack survivalists, we make elaborate plans centered around the idea of “bugging out” of the area we live in. We hope to travel to an area that is safer than the one we’re in and plan on living off the land or on some survival supplies we’ve hidden in the area. On the home front, we carefully prepare a stock of supplies that we can quickly cart off in a car or van when things start to look bad.

As more and more plans are made and as ever more survival gear is purchased, the survivalist realizes just how much he needs to cope with in order to survive. If he is any sort of realist, he soon amasses enough gear to warrant a truck or–more likely–a moving van just for carrying the survival equipment. (And don’t laugh, there are survivalists who have large trucks for just such use.)

Some brave souls continue to make more elaborate plans and some of these survivalists may be able to pull off their plans. Those who have really thought things out and have spared no expenses may manage to survive with a bug-out strategy. But I think there are more logical–and less expensive–ways to survive a large crisis.

Forget all your preconceived notions for a minute.

Imagine that there is a national emergency and you are an outside observer? What happens if a nuclear attack is eminent, an economic collapse has occurred, or a dictator has taken over and is ready to round up all malcontents (with survivalists at the top of the list)?

Situations change with time. The survivalist movement–and backpack fever–first started up when gas guzzler cars were about all that anyone drove. That meant that a survivalist with some spare gasoline could outdis- tance his unprepared peers and get to a retreat that was far from the maddening crowd, as it were. (Read some of Mel Tappan’s early writing on survival retreats. His ideas are good but many have been undone with the new, fuel-efficient cars.)

With cars getting 30 or even 40 miles per gallon, it isn’t rare for a car to be able to travel half way across a state on less than a tank of gasoline. The exodus from cities or trouble spots will be more limited by traffic snarls than lack of gasoline even if the gas stations are completely devoid of their liquid fuel.

Too, there are a lot of people thinking about what to do if the time for fleeing comes. A lot of people will be headed for the same spots. (Don’t laugh that off, either. In my area, every eighth person has confided his secret retreat spot to me. And about half of them are all headed for the same spot: an old missile silo devoid of water and food. I suspect that the battle at the gates of the old missile base will rival the Little Big Horn.)

No matter how out-of-the-way their destination, most survivalists are kidding themselves if they think others won’t be headed for their hideaway spot along with them. There are few places in the US which aren’t accessible to anyone with a little driving skill and a good map.

Too, there are few places which aren’t in grave danger during a nuclear war, Pandemic, or national social unrest.

Though most nuclear war survival books can give you a nice little map showing likely targets, they don’t tell you some essential information. Like what the purpose of the attack will be. The enemy may not be aiming for military targets that day; a blackmail threat might begin by hitting the heart of the farmland or a number of cities before demanding the surrender of the country being attacked. The target areas on the maps might be quite safe.

And the maps show where the missiles land IF they all enjoy 100 percent accuracy and reliability. Anyone know of such conditions in war? With Soviet machinery!? Targets may be relatively safe places to be in.

Added to this is the fact that some areas can be heavily contaminated or completely free of contamination depending on the wind directions in the upper atmosphere. Crystal ball in your survival gear?

But let’s ignore all the facts thus far for a few moments and assume that a backpack survivalist has found an ideal retreat and is planning to go there in the event of a national disaster… What next?

His first concern should be that he’ll have a hard time taking the supplies he needs with him. A nuclear war might mean that it will be impossible to grow food for at least a year and foraging is out as well since animals and plants may be contaminated extensively.

An economic collapse wouldn’t be much better. It might discourage the raising of crops; no money, no sales except for the barter to keep a small farm family going. With large corporations doing much of our farming these days, it is not unreasonable to expect a major famine coming on the heals of an economic collapse. Raising food would be a good way to attract starving looters from miles around.

Ever try to pack a year’s supply of food for a family into a small van or car? There isn’t much room left over. But the backpack survivalist needs more than just food.

If he lives in a cold climate (or thinks there might be something to the nuclear winter theory) then he’ll need some heavy clothing.

Rifles, medicine, ammunition, tools, and other supplies will also increase what he’ll need to be taking or which he’ll have to hide away at his retreat site.

Shelter? Building a place to live (in any style other than early-American caveman) takes time. If he builds a cabin beforehand, he may find it vandalized or occupied when he gets to his retreat; if he doesn’t build it beforehand, he may have to live in his vehicle or a primitive shelter of some sort.

Thus, a major problem is to get a large enough vehicle to carry everything he needs as well as to live in.

History has shown that cities empty themselves without official evacuation orders when things look bad. It happened in WW II and has even happened in the US during approaching hurricanes, large urban fires, and nuclear reactor problems.

So there’s a major problem of timing which the backpack survivalist must contend with. He has to be packed and ready to go with all members of his family at the precise moment he learns of the disaster! The warning he gets that warrants evacuating an area will have to be acted on quickly if he’s to get out ahead of the major traffic snarls that will quickly develop. A spouse at work or shopping or kids across town at school means he’ll either have to leave them behind or be trapped in the area he’s in. A choice not worth having to make.

Unless he’s got a hot-line from the White House, the backpack survivalist will not hear the bad news much ahead of everyone else. If he doesn’t act immediately, he’ll be trapped out on the road and get a first-hand idea of what grid-lock is like if he’s in an urban area. Even out on the open road, far away from a city, an interstate can become hectic following a ballgame… Imagine what it would be like if everyone were driving for their lives, some cars were running out of fuel (and the occupants trying to stop someone for a ride), and the traffic laws were being totally ignored while the highway patrol tried to escape along with everyone else. Just trying to get off or on major highways might become impossible. If things bog down, how long can the backpack survivalist keep those around from helping to unload his truck-load of supplies that they’ll be in bad need of?

Telling them they should have prepared ahead of time won’t get many sympathetic words.

Even on lightly-traveled roadways, how safe would it be to drive around in a vehicle loaded with supplies? Our backpack survivalist will need to defend himself.

But let’s suppose that he’s thought all this out. He has a large van, had the supplies loaded in it, managed to round every member of his family up beforehand, somehow got out of his area ahead of the mob, is armed to the teeth, and doesn’t need to take an interstate route.

When he reaches his destination, his troubles are far from over.

The gridlock and traffic snarls won’t stop everyone. People will slowly be coming out of heavily populated areas and most of them will have few supplies. They will have weapons (guns are one of the first things people grab in a crisis according to civil defense studies) and the evacuees will be desperate. How many pitched battles will the survivalist’s family be able to endure? How much work–or even sleep–can he get when he’s constantly on the lookout to repel those who may be trying to get a share of his supplies?

This assumes that he gets to where he’s going ahead of everyone else. He might not though. If he has to travel for long, he may discover squatters on his land or find that some local person has staked out his retreat area for their own. There won’t be any law to help out; what happens next? Since (according to military strategists) our backpack survivalist needs about three times as many people to take an area as to defend it, he will need to have some numbers with him and expect to suffer some casualties. Does that sound like a good way to survive?

What about the local people that don’t try to take over his retreat before he gets there? Will they be glad to see another stranger move into the area to tax their limited supplies? Or will they be setting up roadblocks to turn people like the backpack survivalist away?

But let’s just imagine that somehow he’s discovered a place that doesn’t have a local population and where those fleeing cities aren’t able to get to. What happens when he gets to his retreat? How good does he need to be at hunting and fishing? One reason mankind went into farming was that hunting and fishing don’t supply enough food for a very large population nor do they work during times of drought or climatic disruption. What does he do when he runs out of ammunition or game? What happens if the streams become so contaminated that he can’t safely eat what he catches? Can he stake out a large enough area to guarantee that he won’t depleat it of game so that the next year is not barren of animals?

Farming? Unless he finds some unclaimed farm machinery and a handy storage tank of gasoline at his retreat, he’ll hardly get off first base. Even primitive crop production requires a plow and work animals (or a lot of manpower) to pull the blade. No plow, no food for him or domestic animals.

And domestic animals don’t grow on trees. Again, unless he just happens to find some cows waiting for him at his retreat, he’ll be out of luck. (No one has packaged freeze-dried cows or chickens–at least, not in a form you can reconstitute into living things).

Intensive gardening? Maybe. But even that takes a lot of special tools, seeds, know-how, and good weather. Can he carry what he needs and have all the skills that can be developed only through experience?

Even if he did, he might not have any food to eat. Pestilence goes hand in hand with disasters. Our modern age has forgotten this. But during a time when chemical factories aren’t churning out the insecticides and pest poisons we’ve come to rely on, our backpack survivalist should be prepared for waves of insects flooding into any garden he may create. How good is he at making insecticides? Even if he carries out a large quantity of chemicals to his retreat, how many growing seasons will they last?

Did he truck out a lot of gasoline and an electrical generator with him? No? Do you REALLY think he can create an alcohol still from scratch in the middle of no-where without tools or grain? Then he’d better write off communications, lighting, and all the niceties of the 20th Century after his year’s supply of batteries wear out and his vehicle’s supply of gasoline conks out.

I’m afraid we’ve only scratched the surface though. Thus far things have been going pretty well. What happens when things get really bad? How good is he at removing his spouse’s appendix–without electric lights, pain killers, or antiseptic conditions? Campfire dental work, anyone?

How good is he at making ammunition? Clothing? Shoes?

I think you’ll have to agree that this hardly seems like survival in style. Even if our backpack survivalist is able to live in the most spartan of conditions and has the know-how to create plenty out of the few scraps around him, he’ll never have much of a life ahead of him.

Camping out is fun for a few days. Living in rags like a hunted animal doesn’t sound like an existence to be aimed for.

The bottom line with backpack fever is that, with any major disaster that isn’t extremely localized, running is a panic reaction not a survival strategy. Running scared is seldom a good survival technique and backpack fever during any but a localized disaster (like a flood or chemical spill) looks like it would be a terminal disease with few, rare exceptions.

So what’s the alternative?

A number of writers, from Kurt Saxon to Howard Ruff to Mel Tappan, have already suggested it but I think that it bears a retelling.

What they’ve said is this: get yourself situated in a small community that could get by without outside help if things came unglued nationally or internationally. Find a spot that allows you to live in the life-style you’ve grown accustomed to (and a community that allows you to carry on your livelihood) but which has the ability to grow its own food and protect its people from the unprepared (or looters) that might drift in from surrounding cities during a crisis. This spot has the ability to carry on trade within its borders and has a number of people who can supply specialized products or professional skills.

An area with two thousand to five thousand people in it along with a surrounding farm community would be ideal but sizes can vary a lot according to the climate and city. Ideally such a town would have its own power plant with a few small industries along with the usual smattering of doctors, dentists, and other professionals.

This type of community isn’t rare in the US. It’s quite common in almost every state. You could probably even take a little risk and commute into a city if you must keep your current job. (In such a case a reverse backpack survival strategy just might work–you’d be bugging out to your home.)

Western civilization stepped out of the dark ages when small communities started allowing people to specialize in various jobs. Rather than each many being his own artisan, farmer, doctor, carpenter, etc., men started learning to master one job they enjoyed doing. Each man become more efficient at doing a job and–through the magic of capitalism–western culture finally started upward again.

A small modern community like the one suggested above, when faced with a national economic collapse or the aftermath of a nuclear war, would eventually lift itself up the same way. It would give those who lived in it the same chance for specialization of work and the ability to carry on mutual trade, support, and protection. Such small communities will be the few light spots in a Neo-Dark Age.

Which place would you rather be: in a cave, wondering where the food for tomorrow would come from, or with a group of people living in their homes, working together to overcome their problems? Even the most individualistic of survivalists shouldn’t find the choice too hard to make.

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The author of this article, Duncan Long, is well-known as the writer of many gun, self-sufficiency, and survival books. His firearms books are listed (along with other interesting books) in a free catalog available from Paladin Press, P. O. Box 1307, Boulder, CO 80306 (303) 443-7250. Long’s NUCLEAR WAR SURVIVAL is available for $14 from Long Survival Publications, 115 Riverview Dr., Wamego, KS 66547. Long has also recently had a post-nuclear war sci-fi book, ANTI-GRAV UNLIMITED released from Avon Books (available from local book stores or from Avon Books, 105 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10016; for autographed copies

Copyright (C) Duncan Long 1989. All rights reserved.

The Providence Cooperative

http://www.providenceco-op.com

=======================================================================

Mike’s Bugout Bag FAQ. v2.21 (Copyright Mike S. Medintz, 1999)

This document will be archived at

http://www.grapevine.net/~medintz/surv_faq/bugout.txt

and

http://www.providenceco-op.com

This document may not be archived nor tretransmitted in any way, shape,
or form, other than in full accord with the terms and stipulations of

http://www.grapevine.net/~medintz/surv_faq/disclaim.txt

All comments, constructive critcism, compliments, and suggestions should be sent to me at medintz@idir.net and/or posted to the misc.survivalism newsgroup (I check both daily). Unconstructive criticism and rude remarks should be sent somewhere else-I’ll welcome civil disagreement but none other.

“Survivalism” as it’s called in the mass media is more an art than a science-there are dang few right or wrong answers. The unofficial motto of our newsgroup is “Your Mileage May Vary,” and rightly so. These represent the best answers that I can find for my situation, generalized as much as possible without losing all general value. Your situation is probably a fair bit different, and you should use your local conditions and local needs to drive your planning. This document is neither a recipe, nor a road map. It’s merely a prod to tell you a few of the problems that you should be pondering.

1) What is a bugout bag?

A bugout bag is a bag that a person keeps pre-packed for emergencies. Should that person be forced to evacuate their home and be unable to call upon their usual services due to emergency, the bugout bag is essentially what they live out of.

2) How do I decide if I need one?

Is there ANYTHING that you need to worry about that could cause either a lack of essential services or a need to evacuate?

Let me put it another way: Do you live in a utopia with absolutely no severe weather, no floods, no hailstones, no crime, no riots, no tornadoes, no hurricanes, no meteor strikes, no terrorism, and is the very picture of Heaven on Earth? I doubt it. Therefore, you need a bugout bag.

2.5) How do I decide whether or not I need to bug out?

That’s a toughie. It depends upon the incident.

In cases of hurricanes, it’s generally a good idea if you’re directly in the hurricane’s path. Modern houses simply cannot be expected to withstand the strong winds that hurricanes bring. Ditto wildfires. They don’t bring high winds, but they will burn your house down around you if they get there.

On the other hand, tornadoes are probably a good excuse to hole up in the basement. The damage from tornadoes is extremely localized, and the lead time is too short.

In the case of earthquakes, there’s no lead time at all to be able to escape and an attempt will more often than not result in being stuck in traffic-one of the worst situations to be in.

In the case of a HazMat spill, you almost certainly should get the hell out. Hazardous Materials got their name for a reason, and it’s extremely difficult to make a house airtight to the degree necessary.

Civil disturbance is one of the trickiest questions. If the riot is severe, and appears to be spreading towards your neighborhood, then your best bet is to run. On the other hand, if the rioting is not spreading your way, then to run might result in being stuck in traffic, or in the fighting.

Ultimately, the decision of whether to bug out or sit tight will have to be made based upon your own individual situation. Obviously, you will want to select the option that maximizes your chances of survival.
Therefore, you’ll want to consider the following:

a) What is my threat? Is my home adequately hardened against this threat?

b) If I leave, do I have a specific destination in mind? Will I become a refugee? Is the threat at home so serious that I am willing to risk being a refugee or entering a shelter?

c) Can I get there from here? Do I have a route pre-planned and alternate routes figured out? Are there any choke points on my route such as bridges or freeways that might be out of service because of weather or rioting or chemical spills?

d) Am I in less danger at home than at my bugout destination?

3) What do I put in this bag?

Let that be determined by what may cause you to have to bug out.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency makes certain recommendations. They recommend that each person keep food, water, clothing appropriate to the season, medicines, and sanitary needs for a bare minimum of three days. As a simple fact, relief agencies can not be relied upon to begin supplying any real level of relief services for a minimum of 72 hours and are overtaxed and overextended even when running at their maximum efficiency. The less that you need to rely on a service that may or may not be available, the safer you can justifiably feel. For this reason, I personally would recommend a bare minimum of a week’s supplies, assuming that food, gasoline, batteries, clean water, and clean clothing can not be found, and that police, fire, and ambulance service will be severely overextended and therefore not entirely reliable..

3.1) Food:

Figure a bare minimum of 2000 calories of food with 60 grams of protein per day, biased heavily towards starches but with extra fats in the winter. Cooking supplies (stoves, firewood, gas) will be limited- this whole thing will be like a one-man birthday party. You get no presents that you didn’t bring for yourself.

Personally, I like ramen noodles, powerbars, summer sausage or beef jerky, trail mix, and vitamin supplements. Boring fare indeed, but you can live off of it for a while if need be. Some correspondents have suggested macaroni carried in ziplock bags, some have said salt pork and ship’s biscuit, and therefore we conclude that Your Mileage May Vary. If you don’t reasonably expect to have to travel a significant distance on foot, you can supplement that with canned foods that can be eaten cold or reheated as possible. Canned stew, canned spaghetti, canned pork and beans, all work well for this. (In all things, these should be foods that you’re somewhat accustomed to, lest you get sick from ‘intestinal culture shock.’)

Also, if you drink coffee, tea, or pop on a regular basis, you may be a caffeine addict without knowing it. Sudden deprivation may affect your judgement or your ability to think, sleep, or work, and keeping coffee or tea in your bag is advised. As a matter of fact, some wilderness Emergency Medical Technicians have been seen to carry caffeine pills (Vivarin or similar) for this very reason. In the same vein, smokers or recent ex-smokers like myself should keep nicotine gum or patches packed-staying quit under the stress of an emergency evacuation is not going to be the easiest thing in the world.

Any good book on backpacking should have a number of recipes involving lightweight food that requires no refrigeration. The “Sports” section of the local Barne’s and Noble or the back of the Sierra Club magazine both have a number of books about this very subject. Also, Backpacker magazine has recipes for lightweight foods that don’t need refrigeration, or so my spies inform me. And then there’s the Boy Scouts of America Cooking merit badge pamphlet, with a few recipes of its own. (I’d suggest a bottle of tabasco sauce would improve ANY of them)

3.2) Water:

The average human needs a gallon per day for drinking alone. There ain’t any two ways around it-without water you will die within three days, and it won’t be a pleasant way to go. (It has been suggested by one m.s correspondent that it’s possible to live on half of this if you don’t move much, don’t move at all except in the cool of the night, and ration sweat ruthlessly. Given how likely it is that you’ll be able to sit still for three days, however, I stand by my claim of a gallon a day, more in summer and more in deserts)

There are multiple ways to store water. The less-imaginative (and still quite successful) person would keep water jugs of the type used in car camping. Some people will take a clean 2-liter pop bottle, fill it about 3/4 full from the tap, and add a small amount of bleach. Then, cap the bottle and freeze it. This ensures that the drinking water in question will be cold and potable (when thawed), and can be used to keep perishables from spoiling.

Some people reported using 15-gallon pony kegs (normally used for beer) to store drinking water. I’ve never tried this, but it does seem feasible.

Beyond drinking water, you’ll also need water for basic hygiene. That starts at another gallon a day, and the sky’s the limit.

Do you have a way to purify water? The easiest method that I know of is to treat the water with an iodine preparation such as Potable Aqua or PolarPure. I use PolarPure, as it’s probably the cheapest way for an individual to disinfect water, but Potable Aqua is probably a bit easier. My emergency bag also contains a MSR Miniworks water filter with a spare filter element. See Patton Turner’s Water Purification FAQ elsewhere on this web site for more info.

3.3) Medicines:

In short, if you don’t know how to use it, don’t bother keeping it.

If you use any medicine on a regular basis, make sure you have a supply on hand, be it nitro pills, Paxil, allergy medicine, birth-control pills, or whatever.

Anything else, don’t keep it if you don’t know how to use it. If you’ve never been trained or instructed in the use of a particular medicine by a competent medical professional, then remedy that deficiency before adding to your stash.

For what it’s worth, an OTC pain reliever, an antacid, an antihistamine, and some sort of anti-diarrhea med have been known to come in pretty durn handy. If you expect to have to evacuate to a place above 8,000 feet or therabouts, you might want to talk to your doctor about drugs to treat altitude sickness.

While not strictly a drug, insect repellent and bug nets have their place. Mostquitoes and ticks are a royal pain, and chiggers can make you almost with you’d stayed behind and died. Some people claim that garlic and/or lots of B vitamins work quite well…personally, I prefer a pure liquid DEET mixture. Again, YMMV. (Recent fluff pieces on CNN have mentioned that the mosquito genus _Anopheles_, which carries malaria, has been spotted in small areas of the southern US for the first time in decades. If you live in Florida or Texas that should affect your planning, as a disaster that makes you evacuate may also interrupt mosquito abatement)

Few first aid skills can be self-taught. It’s heartily advised that you seek a high pre-professional level of skill in first aid (First Responder or EMT would be good) and supplement that with a book such as Auerbach’s _Medicine for the Outdoors_ _AND_ consultation with your doctor regarding the material. Through your doctor, you can also get medicines that are potentially quite useful but not OTC.

3.4) Hygienic needs:

First and foremost, soap. When regular medical attention is less than fully reliable, the ability to prevent infection becomes even more important. Maybe you have a topical antibiotic like Neosporin (as most of us do) but that’s not much help until you already get infected.

Along with the soap, a clean hand towel makes washing easier.

Pre-moistened towellettes like the ones they give out on airplanes, or alcohol prep pads, can make cleaning a little easier. Just remember to pack out your trash. (BTW, alcohol pads on broken or cut skin sting like hell-be forewarned)

Need one mention toilet paper? Non-poison-sumac leaves, cornhusks, et cetera aren’t always so easy to find. Diapers if you have small children travelling with you.

Got any plans for sunburn or windburn? Some Chapstick and a bottle of SPF 15 sunblock is essential unless you plan to stay inside. Even then, sunblock is cheap. (And don’t try to get out of it based upon it being winter-snow reflects a lot of sunlight right into your face. For that reason, a good pair of impact-resistant sunglasses is useful in summer and essential in winter.)

3.5) Light

Hard to see without it.

You’ll need a good, solid, durable flashlight at the least. I personally keep a 2AA Mini-Maglite with at least one spare bulb and two changes of spare batteries dedicated to the bugout bag, and also have a 2D MagLite with extra bulb and batteries next to the bed.

Beyond that, an area light can be rather useful. Something like a lantern and/or a bunch of Cyalume lightsticks are quite useful for actually trying to work under bad lighting conditions.

If you go with a lantern, using a lantern capable of burning the same fuel as your stove, space heater, whatever makes your supply situation a _lot_ simpler.

Let your needs drive your planning.

3.6) Navigation:

How well do you know the roads in your county? In the neighboring counties? Think you have it perfect?

I thought so.

There’s no shame in that-six, seven counties make a _lot_ of roads to memorize. I couldn’t do it for Douglas County, Kansas, and I know better than to even try for something as complex as Chicago.

Start with a decent compass (I like the Silva Ranger 15CL, but that’s a little feature-rich and high-dollar for most people who just want a backup). A cheaper Silva or Suunto should be adequate for the non-compass-obsessed <vbg>.Carrying a second compass to avoid the problem of one getting a little out of whack is advised. Avoid the really cheap ones.

Add to that both road maps and topo maps for your county and the surrounding counties. Road maps are available from the American Automobile Association (membership with them is valuable in any case, and especially when you need either maps, towing, or a bond card) or a respectable bookstore, and topo maps can be had from the U.S. Geological Survey or state Geological Survey. In many areas, both types are available from the county surveyor’s office. County Surveyors also know the magnetic declination of your county, and can help you get your compass properly adjusted.

Beyond that, GPS and other toys may be nice, but I don’t much care for them. Too much money for a gadget that does what your brain and a map can do, and they’ll make you overconfident besides. And let’s not even get started on batteries.

The Boy Scouts of America publishes a merit badge pamphlet on Orienteering. While not being a perfect manual, this pamphlet is both inexpensive and will provide a more-or-less adequate education – especially when supplemented with the sort of expert instruction that can be had from an Outward Bound or Sierra Club outing.

3.7) Clothing and Shelter:

Pack at least one full change appropriate to the season, plus extra underwear and socks. (Note: ‘Appropriate to the season’ means _no_ cotton outerwear or longjohns in the winter-that’s asking to freeze to death).

Then add a coat. Then a hat. Then gloves. Then footwear (I like a pair of Wolverine steel-toed boots with lug soles, and adding a pair of wool-lined mukluks in the winter and track shoes or sandals in the summer).

At the bare minimum, you’ll need a tarp of some kind to keep the wind and rain off-and that’s in the summer. In the winter, you’ll need to add a decent sleeping bag, shell, and matress. Luxury is unimportant, but being able to remain warm even with wet equipment is critical.

It would be wise to refer to a good reference on backpacking for ideas on what to wear.

3.8) Tools

A knife is essential-sturdy, sharp knives are among the most useful tools made. The big “rambo” knives are almost useless, though. A sturdy folder (Buck or Schrade or Gerber or the like) and _maybe_ a midsize sheath knife or kukri/parang is all you need.

Pliers, shovels/E-tools can be helpful, but can also be extra weight. A good compromise are the so-called “Leatherman” tools-I personally like the Gerber version over the Leatherman. It’s ten bucks more, but the handles don’t pinch the skin off your fingers when you use the pliers)

Duct tape can fix anthing-they don’t call it the “handyman’s best friend” for nothing.

As for other tools, well, let your needs drive your plans.

If you bring canned food, bring a can opener. You can get cheap folding P-38 can openers at Walmart three for a buck. Not having one to open your beans is frustrating sometimes.

Some sort of cordage is almost a requirement. I personally like parachute cord, but some correspondents have reported that nylon seine twine is almost as strong, a little more widely available, and takes up a fair bit less space.

3.9) Weapons

KNOW YOUR LOCAL LAWS! Bugging out only to end up in jail facing a weapons charge is a _bad_ way to handle an emergency.

Let your needs drive your planning. Do you plan to fight an infantry engagement? If the answer to this is ‘yes’ then a full rifle or shotgun is indicated, along with a psychiatric evaluation. Fighting a war while running from a chemical spill would at the least be really bad timing.

At any rate, too many guns and too much ammunition will weigh you down, and has a nasty habit of seeming indiscreet.

Whatever weapons you do carry, make damned sure that they will function even with a lack of regular maintanance, that you can maintain them with a minimum of equipment, and that you can shoot effectively. You owe that much to the people around you-an armed untrained man is nothing more than a danger to himself and others. (People who want advice should probably think very hard, and then post to misc.survivalism. You’ll get advice. You’ll probably get a lot more advice than you wanted. I can give advice by email, but I am neither an expert on firearms, nor firearms laws, nor your local conditions and your own needs, and I’m not generally inclined to discuss my own plans.)

3.10) Signalling and Radios

First, I’d refer you to the Communications FAQ elsewhere on this website and posted to the misc.survivalism newsgroup.

A radio capable of receiving all-news formatted AM stations should be the first radio that you add. After that, a licensed ham should add a 144MHz FM handheld with extra batteries, and an unlicensed individual should get a license. (Anyone wanting to bitch about my politics for adding the bit about licenses should redirect their comments to dev/null where they’ll get just as much attention)

3.11) Misc. Stuff

Keys-when you lock the house you’ll probably want to be able to unlock it afterwards. Also, do you have spare car keys? Spare mailbox key? Safe-deposit-box key?

Extra photo ID just for the bugout is a help-an old military ID or expired driver’s license…non-US citizens should have their passports and visas with them at ALL times. Also, copies of your insurance policies can be a big help should the house need repair or you need medical care. If you live in one of the third-world backwaters like Illinois that requires a specific ID to transport a firearm, then you want a copy of that if your bag includes a gun.

A pre-paid phone card goes a long way too…you might just need to call Mom and tell her that you won’t be in for dinner that weekend because you’re running for your life.

Passport can be helpful, and if you’re outside of your country of citizenship then you do not want to be separated from your passport or WHO Yellow Book _EVER_.

3.12) Packing it all up

You need a bag that will hold all this stuff, with some degree of protection from the elements. Personally, I prefer just using a large bookbag…keep it simple. (Plus, in college towns like this one a backpack doesn’t look all that out of place). As a rule of thumb, if the bag is perfectly packed when you first pack it, then once you open it up in the field you’ll never get it repacked. Therefore, a bag should probably be about half again as big as you actually need.

Note about brands of equipment:

I’m not a big fan of US Military-issue equipment. It’s made by the lowest bidder in a contracting system that seems driven more by politics than by producing quality equipment, and as a result almost all of the Mil-Spec gear that I’ve used has turned out to be shoddily-made crap. Well, not all of it. My canteens have held up well, as has my ripstop poncho. OTOH, I’ve ruined more ALICE packs through normal use than I care to think about.

The REI house brand is usually serviceable-my current pack was made by REI and has seen almost three years of moderately hard use with very little apparent wear.

As far as compasses go, the higher-end Silvas, Suuntos, and Bruntons are almost identical in quality as far as I can tell. They all run in the $40-$50 range.

High-grade sleeping bags abound-I currently have an Slumberjack Everest Elite that has served well for almost ten years, but is now facing retirement-sleeping bags lose their insulating power with time. Still perfectly adequate for 3-season use, but not for winter if I have any choice in the matter. (Editor’s note-the bag has since been supplanted by a Sierra Designs synthetic-fill model rated down to +5 degrees F …excellent bag for winter use if a little bulky)

For knives-if you want a folder, you want a lock-blade for safety reasons. Buck and Gerber knives tend to be _very_ well made, warrantied from here to eternity, and hold their edges reasonably well.

As far as sheath knives go-I like the Buck Special with 6″ blade. Everything else that’s at all well made is is way beyond my budget. (Well, except for the US Marine-issue KaBar, which is heavy and a little awkward in my opinion. Others will disagree.)

I won’t recommend one firearm over another in this document. Shooting skill takes precedence over the choice of firearm itself any day.

My own kit:

Backpack of the day, (Either a Lowe Alpine day pack or a medium REI
Traverse Newstar, depending on the season):

One pair of cheap imitation Carhartts work pants
wool shirt
two changes of underwear

two pairs of wool socks with capilene liner socks
two t-shirts
change of longjohns (late fall through early spring)
small towel
All packed in large ziplock bags

gloves (lightweight wool liners and medium-weight leather shells)
wool watch cap
shatter-resistant sunglasses

wool scarf
Spyderco folding knife
Buck Special sheath knife

Gerber Multi-Tool
50′ duct tape
50′ parachute cord

one bottle, aspirin
one bottle, Pepcid
one tube, generic triple antibiotic ointment

ten 3″x3″ gauze pads
30 assorted bandaids
one roll, adhesive tape

two pairs, surgical gloves
8-oz bottle, Doctor Bronners miracle patent medicine soap or whatever.
one bottle, SPF 15 waterproof sunblock

one bottle, 100% DEET bug dope
3 days worth of Nicoret (TEOTW would be a bad time for a relapse :)
Mini-Mag light, extra bulb, two sets of extra AA batteries

six Cyalume light sticks, assorted colors
AM radio, with more batteries of its own.
Yaesu 2M/440 HT, with yet more batteries
compass

Food bag containing: Hot cereal mix, tea bags, jerky, powerbars, ramen
noodles, Tabasco sauce, small sealed bottle of vitamin pills, and the
like (Roughly 10,000 calories total)

MSR Whisperlite 600 with about a quart of white gas

Two 1Q Nalgene lexan water bottles, two 1Q army surplus canteens, and a
half-gallon water bag.

One MSR MiniWorks filter-make sure that the filter element is in good
shape.

Mil-surplus ripstop poncho with liner
sleeping bag and ridgerest pad(Oct 15-april 15)

Armaments as dictated by local laws and situation

(When I go camping normally, the above is what I take although I leave
the radio at home and bring better food)

old school ID
medical insurance card
spare apartment and truck keys

$25 prepaid phone card
$50 paper
~$5 in change

Topo maps of Douglas and part of Jefferson Counties, KS. (stored in car)
Road maps of KS, MO, and NE (stored in car)
E911 map of my county (stored in car)
small spiral notebook
mechanical pencil

YMMV

By Scott Stoddard

“DON’T leave home without it.” But what good will a green plastc credit card do you 20 miles from the nearest paved road? What do you really need when out away from civilization?

Experienced outdoor enthusiasts know what items are most important to bring – even for short walks or hikes out of base camp. The “10 Essentials” are items that cannot be improvised from materials lying on the forest floor. To be found without these few items, even only a few miles from camp or cabin, can spell disaster.

The standard list of 10 essentials varies slightly depending on which source you go to. The Boy Scouts have their list, the Sierra Club has another, and the Mountaineers in their outdoor bible, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, have come up with another variation. They all incorporate the same basic items.

The following list is not to be considered cast in concrete – each survivalist should customize his or her own kit for the barest minimum of supplies. Note that the first three items are for finding your way, the second three are for your protection, and the last four are for emergencies.

1.
A MAP of the area you will be hiking, canoeing, or camping should be detailed enough so that you can find man-made items like trails, unimproved roads, power lines, etc., and natural features such as rivers, streams, hills and other terrain land marks that will guide you. A U.S Geological Survey Topographical map has all of these features and more. For an index to topo maps
in your home state contact: U.S. Geological Survey, Map Distribution Section, Federal Center, Box 25286, Denver, CO 80225; (303) 236-7477. A 365 page book titled, The Map Catalog, (Every kind of map and chart on Earth and even some above it), is available from: High Country Enterprise, P.O. Box 746, Saguache, CO 81149; (719) 655-2432.

2.
A map without a COMPASS is almost useless unless you possess a sixth sense in direction finding. I prefer the liquid filled “Silva” or “Suunto” compasses. These have straight edges that are useful in plotting bearings. Military lensatic compasses are more bulky and don’t have a clear base making map reading through the compass impossible. With both map and compass you should be able to “orient” the map by lining up magnetic north on the compass with the magnetic north arrow printed on the map. Once you do this, you’ll be able to identify terrain features and plot your course.

3.
Be sure that the FLASHLIGHT you bring doesn’t have a switch that is easily turned on and off. You may find that it has been accidentally on all day, and when you need it the batteries will be already worn out. In that case don’t put the batteries inside the unit until you are required to use it. Even if you have the most advanced, water proof machined aluminum light source, bring a spare bulb and spare alkaline batteries just in case. A Mini-Mag Lite will fit in the smallest of 10 essential kits but may not be adequate for all-night travel. Headlamps are useful for cave exploring and when the hands are otherwise occupied.

4.
On one trip to the top of an 11,000 foot peak I forgot my SUNGLASSES and I nearly went snowblind. After tiring of looking through my balled-up fists I finally had to cut slits in some cardboard and jury-rig some Eskimo sunglasses. Sunglasses are available today that stop 99 percent of ultraviolet light. Polycarbonate lenses with “wraparound” designs provide more protection against wind and side glare. Glacier glasses are recommended for snowy conditions. They usually have polarized lenses and leather side shields to block out the side glare. Buy some retaining straps when you purchase your sunglasses.
5.
EXTRA FOOD and WATER. This category puzzles me a bit. Does it mean that I should have two water bottles filled with water and two bags of trail mix? The amount of water you bring should be determined by the length of the trip and the temperature and physical demand put on your body. Water should be used as needed and not rationed out,(i.e.,a few ounces now and no more for another hour). If your body needs water, it needs it now not three hours from now! Water purification tablets might help you use other water sources. As far as food, some hikers throw cans of sardines or tuna fish into their packs knowing that they wouldn’t eat it unless there was an emergency. Normal trail foods (dried fruits, nuts, and granola) should be eaten at regular intervals to resupply the body with energy. Pemmican is one of the most concentrated high energy foods you can carry. See the Oct. 1991 ASG issue on page 57 for directions on its preparation.

6.
Once again, the EXTRA CLOTHING you bring is determined by the time of the year and the weather. A breezy summer hike may require only a poncho for rain protection and a light nylon wind jammer for possible cold. A day snow hike gets more complicated. An extra jacket or sweater may do, but if you will be in extreme mountain conditions, a bivouac sack, insulation pad, and a winter sleeping bag may be the only thing that will save you should the weather go bad. In normal conditions you should at least throw a metalized space blanket into your kit. This with a poncho can be used to rig up an improvised lean-to shelter. Tape the space blanket to the poncho for support, tie the poncho to trees to form a lean-to and then build a fire in front. The space blanket will reflect the heat of the fire back on to you.

7.
Expensive WATERPROOFED MATCHES have always seemed a little too gimmicky for my taste. Strike anywhere wood matches are a lot cheaper and can be stored in a waterproof container such as an empty plastic 35mm film can. If they’re too long, just clip off the ends to the right length. A more convenient item for starting fires can be found at your local liquor or convenience store. Throw-away plastic cigarette lighters work well and some have adjustable flames in case you need “blow torch” action. Other fire sparkers such as the flint/magnesium bars on key chains are good back-ups should you lose your matches or lighter.

8.
FIRESTARTERS. In this category you can include a regular paraffin candle (store inside a plastic bag so it doesn’t melt in your pack), commercial firestarter tablets, Sterno, or my favorite – Hexamine tablets that are available at most Army/Navy surplus stores. Hexamine tablets won’t evaporate like Trioxane Fuel Bars do when the wrapper is ripped, and come six tablets to a small cardboard tube.

A firestarter is used only when conditions make it difficult to start a fire. Preparation is the key to fire building. You need plenty of kindling sticks or pieces of wood split thin with your knife to make the larger diameter branches catch. Most people begin their fires with inadequate supplies of tinder and kindling and are frustrated when they can’t get a three inch thick log to catch fire.

9.
A POCKET KNIFE is your most important 10 essentials item. Among other things it helps in first aid, food preparation, and fire building. As long as you have a knife you can make fire. Striking steel on any flint-like rock will produce sparks that can catch fire in carefully prepared tinder and kindling – materials you have gathered and prepared using the knife. More elaborate versions of pocket knives contain a treasure chest of useful tools: saws, tweezers, scissors, screwdrivers, awls, toothpicks, can openers, etc A good Swiss Army knife will bring out the MacGyver in all of us. Don’t forget this item!

10.
A FIRST AID KIT really isn’t one item but a collection of items that can contain the bare minimum of bandaids, aspirin, and iodine or on the other extreme contain suture kits, chemically activated cold packs and prescription drugs. This is where you will have to really do some customizing and personalizing. I store my first aid items in a plastic Zip Loc bag so that I can see everything inside and protect them from the weather. Along with an assortment of bandaids, gauze pads, and Steri-Strips, are the following: insect repellent, sunscreen, lip balm with SPF 21, triple antibiotic ointment, small bottle of Hibiclens Surgical Scrub, Aspirin, Diasorb tablets for diarrhea, Actifed (decongestant), Bonine (motion sickness), and Benadryl (antihistamine). Other items that are helpful are: a needle for splinter extraction, moleskin or Spenco Second Skin for blisters, Ace bandage, small needle-nose pliers, single-edge razor blades, and Calamine cream for insect bites.

The “11th” item of the 10 essentials most people carry is toilet paper. Other “essentials” I bring include: an Air Force type signal mirror, 50 feet of parachute cord, mini-Leatherman tool, and plastic fluorescent marking tape for trail marking. You might want to add a pocket signal flare and other items such as a smoke generator for signaling.

Your 10 essentials kit can be packaged in a number of ways. The most convenient is a small day pack. Day packs will hold your water bottle, extra clothing and food for most daytime trips. Get one made out of Cordura nylon with padded straps.

For extensive mountain bike rides many cyclists like to use waist packs or fanny packs to store their emergency gear and a banana or two. A waist pack is generally cooler to wear and provides for a lower center of gravity. Water is normally carried on the frame of the bicycle, so the packs can be smaller and lighter.

The last essential that needs to be taken on all your trips into the wilderness won’t fit in a survival kit. It’s called common sense and is a prime commodity in both the city and in the outdoors. If it looks like rain – don’t go. If it looks too high – stay back. If it’s getting dark – get back to your base. By avoiding unnecessary problems and dangers you will save on your own personal wear and tear, and probably get back home in one piece. However, if something does come up, at least you know you’ve got those 10 important items stowed away in your rucksack.

(This article was optically scanned from :American Survival Guide / January 1992

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