Monthly Archives: October 2014

Fénidecht – Day Z while you're at work!!!

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It’s a normal day at work when disaster strikes.  The roads are clogged with cars, no one is moving but everyone is trying to get home or away.  You are wearing a suit, dress shoes and stuck 45 miles from your home with no way to get back to your family.  Except, that’s not true.   You are capable of walking, you know the route and you have maps…and you have a pack with all the supplies you need for three days on the road.  You can get home.  Welcome to part three of my undead rising survival posts.


In a compartment in your car you should have everything you need to get from your work to your home as quickly and safely as possible even without a vehicle.  I have seen this kit call a ‘get home bag’ and since I actually do wear dress-shoes and a tie and work 52 driving miles and across two rivers from my home I have put one together.

I started with a smallish military pack with lots of places for straps and several pockets.  It is much smaller than the Zombie Apocalypse Go-Bag as it will only contain what I need to get home over a two day hike.  To this I added the same 2-day disaster kit used in the Zombie Apocalypse Go-Bag, called the Lifeline 1 Person 48 Hour Essentials.   I chose this kit because it is a self-contained unit with 8 drinking water pouches, 2400 calorie food bar, a poncho, a space blanket and a few other items that may come in handy.  Knowing it is not enough water for the 4-5 day hike i have added a LifeStraw and a canteen.  

Survival over the four days assured, now I need to get home and wearing a suit and dress shoes is not going to cut it.  So I will be changing into an old pair of sneakers, jeans,  and a cap that are stored with the pack.  I chose an older pair of sneakers that are still in great shape because I know I can walk long distances in them without harm to my feet.  Do not buy a new pair of shoes for this, as they may cause you more harm as you break them in.  The jeans are just any pair of jeans I store in my car with my equipment for just such a situation.  In the pack you should also have at least four pairs of socks and underwear so you can change them daily on the way home.  This is not only for comfort but the new socks will help keep your feet healthy.

Attached to the pack is a US Army Patrol Bag in a waterproof stuff sack.  After-all you are going to take a few days to hike 45 miles so you need to be prepared to sleep someplace.  Be sure to look for shelter that is unoccupied and allows for easy escape should you have to get out quickly.  The sleeping bag is rated down to 30 degrees so coupled with the space blanket, so long as you stay dry, you will stay warm.

Other necessities I threw into this pack are an LED flashlight with batteries, a Swiss army knife with a locking blade and can opener, toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste and a first aid kit.  Hygiene is often not something regular people think about when planning for a disaster, but hygiene not only makes us feel better but keeps us healthy.  Feeling clean and healthy on our trek will help us stay focused on the task at hand; getting home to our families.

This pack is truly just the basics, you can include any number of items to make the journey more comfortable or safer.  You should customize the pack based on the areas you have to traverse as well, some places are safer than others and some have better options for shelters than others.  You have to decide what you are willing to carry, use, and store in your car for long periods of time.  All in the hope you never have to use any of it.

* There is also a pre-made pack that meets most of the needs given above from Lifeline if you don’t want to put the kit together yourself.

Useful Links:
Ready – http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
FEMA – http://www.fema.gov/media-library/resources-documents/collections/344  

What follows is a checklist for putting this kit together.

Get Home Kit Check List
Sustenance
(1) 2400 Calorie Food Bar or 4 ready made meals
(8) 4 oz. Drinking Water Pouches
(1) canteen
(1) Water filtration straw/system
First Aid Items
(1) First Aid Guide
(1) Scissors
(1) Tweezers
(2) Vinyl Gloves (1 Pair)
 (3) Sting Relief Pads
(6) Antiseptic Towelettes
(14) Alcohol Prep pads
(1) Triangle Bandage
(1) 5″ x 9″ Combine Dressing
(20) 3/8″ x 1 1/2″ Bandages
(10) 3/4″ x 3″ Bandages
(10) Butterfly Closures
(1) Knuckle Bandage
(2) Knee/Elbow Bandages
(1) 4″ x 4″ Sterile Gauze Pad
(2) 3″ x 3″ Sterile Gauze Pads
(4) 2″ x 2″ Sterile Gauze Pads
(1) 2″ Conforming Gauze
(1) 1/2″ Adhesive Tape Roll
Clothing

(1) Shoes/Boots
(1) Jeans
(1) Belt
(1) Hat
(1) Emergency Poncho
(4) Pairs of socks
(4) Pairs of underwear
(2) Brassieres (women)
(1) Water proof stuff sack for socks and underwear

Sleeping
(1) Sleeping Bag
(1) Stuff Sack (for sleeping bag)
(2) Quick release straps (to attach sleeping bag to pack)
(1) Survival Blanket
Misc Tools
(1) Dust Mask
(1) LED Flashlight
(2)  AAA Batteries
(for flashlight)
(1) Emergency Whistle
(2) Hand Warmer
(1) Quick-Spark Fire Starter
(1) Manual Can Opener
(1) Swiss Army Knife
Hygiene
(1) Roll of Toilet paper (in a waterproof sack bag)
(6) Pads/Tampons (women)
(1) Toothbrush
(1) Travel Toothpaste

Fénidecht – Shelter-At-Home During the Revenant Cataclysm!

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I started this series with the unlikely, for me, event of having to quickly evacuate my home and head onto the wilds of the Appalachian mountains.  Since I do not expect to have to flee from zeds, reds, or feds  putting the  Zombie Apocalypse Go-Bag together is mainly just an exercise in preparedness.  It is far more likely that an event will occur that will require me to go without electricity or running water for an extended period of time, such as what occurred after hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.

Given such an event if you are even minimally prepared and the conditions remain safe, you can remain home for as long as you have the supplies. Minimal preparation means different things for different people.  For purposes of this blog minimal preparation means you have a equipment and supplies to remain in your home without electricity, running water or gas for at least three weeks though my family’s plan keeps us in place for up to three months.

By being at your home one of the three main necessitates is already covered – shelter.  However, you should probably secure your shelter from invasion by boarding up lower windows and making your presence visible in some way.  This will help deter looters who may take advantage of the situation if you happen to live in a more urban environment.  If you live in a more rural area this is less of an issue.  You should also pull out your Zombie Apocalypse Go-Bag as their are some items in there that you can use in this situation.

The government states that you need at least 1 gallon of water per day per person for drinking and sanitation.  So you will need to ensure you have a regular water supply, whether it is the city water that is still functional or a creek/river that has not flooded.  Without a water supply you can not stay in your home for an extended period of time.  If you pre-plan you can store jugs of water for up to 6 months, so if you have the space store as much water as you want.  To augment whatever you have stored you can get a special emergency drinking water storage tub liner that can hold up to 100 gallons.  Due to the way our water system works, unless the main near you home has broken you will have time during and shortly after the disaster to fill your tub liner.   If you do live near a creek having a water filtration system (from your Zombie Apocalypse Go-Bag) will ensure you have a constant source of water, even without city water functioning.  A well will pose a particular problem if you lose electricity, which I will cover a little later.  In a pinch you can also drain the pipes and hot water heaters.  Never drink water from boilers, radiators, water beds, swimming pools or flooded rivers and streams.

Given a water supply that is reliable and long term, food becomes the problem.  To prepare for a long term event you have to store food, even if you have a small farming plot.  To properly plan for this you have to already know how long you are willing to stay in your home after a disaster without a functioning grocery store near by.  You can augment your stored food by having a farming plot on your property, livestock or even hunting.  However, these are unreliable sources so it is best to have at least a minimal supply for stored food.  In my plan we have decided that our limit is three months so unless it is spring through early fall we won’t be growing much of our own food.  So we have invested in a 4 months supply of specially prepared foods with 25 year shelf life at a cost of about $1500.00.   The pre-packaged foods we have chosen allow for a great variety of meals and snacks, are easily augmented with fresh or canned foods and can be eaten without heating, though probably pretty bland.  We have also planned for our pets to have a regular food supply of kibble for the same period of time.

The Thunder Pole

Sanitation is the next problem one has to confront once your basics are met.  If you have a regular water supply you can continue to use your septic or sewage system by using buckets of grey-water or river water to flush the toilets.  The best source for toilet flushing water is the water used to clean dishes, clothes and bathing.  If you want to be truly prepared for this situation you can invest in a compost toilet that you can bring out and the resulting compost can be used to maintain your gardens.  If sewers lines are non-functional and you do not have a composting toilet then your last resort is to dig a pit or use the thunder-pole and ditch methods.  If you do go this route place the sanitation pit as far away from living quarters as is safe and away from water sources.  Never put toiletry products into your composting toilet or sanitation pits.

Food preparation is something we considered in our plan.  Right now we have several methods that can be used during the initial days and weeks of the event.  Having done a lot of camping using propane stoves, I can tell you that two large propane tanks to power stoves and grills will last you a few weeks easily.  Without propane you will have to resort to cooking over a fire, either a fire pit outside or a fireplace indoors.  This means you will need a wood supply, so be sure you have an axe and saw in your shed so you can go out and cut down tree’s.  Do not tear down peoples houses, one day people might want or be able to return to their homes.

Always know what is going on in regards to local emergency response.  Situational awareness will keep you alive.  Pull your radio out of your Zombie Apocalypse Go-Bag and be sure to listen to what is going on,  you may have to pull out quickly.  In the go-bag the example I gave was a multiband emergency radio receiver but you can also opt for a two-way GMRS radio that has built in NOAA, FM/AM and crank charger for the rechargeable batteries.  What is important is that you can receive emergency broadcasts. 

The next major item in my plan for this  break from civilization is a generator.  The generator won’t last more than two weeks without a regular source of fuel but it will help make those initial weeks much more comfortable and if you are on a well for you water supply,
that can make a huge difference on whether you stay or leave.  I have a 5000 watt unit with a 10 gallon tank that if running at max, will last 12 hours, however we won’t need to run it at max.  Another option is to have a dual-fuel unit that runs on natural gas and gasoline which would allow you to operate it without concern until the natural gas flow ceased.  You will also want to store some fuel for the generator, but look to local ordinances for how much gasoline can be stored together in a single place.  If you do have a generator, then you will want to test it regularly and have a plan as to what it will power in the event of an emergency.  In my situation it will power a gas furnace, until the gas stops flowing, the refrigerator, a freezer and the sump pumps.  It can also power the router and computer if internet connectivity is still available.  We found that 10 gallons will last about 48 operating hours running these items 18 hours a day, and with a large enough fuel supply this is plenty given as you run out of items to keep frozen or refrigerate you can disconnect appliances.

Seeing as you are staying in your home, there are some items that you should already have to aid in you in staying safe and comfortable.  Flashlights with several replacement batteries, as well as covered candles and matches or lighters.  Your home should already have a first-aid kit, to which you should add dust masks just in case particulates get sent into the air.  You should have plastic sheeting, or tarps with duct tape to aid in creating safe uncontaminated spaced within your home should the need arise.  And these are just examples.

Preparing to shelter-in-place can be as simple or as prepared as you wish.  There is also no excuse to not be even a little prepared when several government agencies, non-profits and even “radicals” have published lists upon lists upon instructions on what to do to be ready.  You do not have to be a prepper, believe in zombies or fear the government to be ready.  You just have to recognize that disasters have already happened, and will happen again.  If you have done nothing else, go to READY and read what they suggest, or go back and read about the Zombie Apocalypse Go-Bag so you have some of the bare minimum items on hand.

*Revenant Cataclysm(TM) is a term by Kym Lambert

Useful Links:
Ready – http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
FEMA – http://www.fema.gov/media-library/resources-documents/collections/344

Ritual – Féile na Shamhna

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This years ritual will be held in a park and is open to the public.  As with all ritual drafts it may change by the date of the ritual but I wanted folks to see it prior to the event.  The lunar date for the start of the month Samhain is October 24th, we will be holding our Feast of Samhain (November) on October 26th.

 

Féile na Shamhna
(Ayla na  Hownuh)
Preparation
Collect the items from the items list (end of the document.)  Outdoor rituals shall be organized based on availability of fire with the fire alter being at the center and everything else in relation to its location.  For indoor rituals the main alter should be a table on which symbols of the gods and ungods, the Apple Branch, the representations of the Hearth Fire, Well of Wisdom and Bile, the seers bowl, saining smudge, and the apples are places.  For both indoor and outdoor rituals a smaller table should be placed in a convenient location, on which the offerings shall be placed in order of need to facilitate a smooth ritual. 

The ritual leaders should be selected for the follow roles:  Guide, Druid (1,2,3, etc.), and Seer.  Roles will overlap and others created as needed. Prior to the ritual the Druids should light the flame, fill the well with fresh water, and place whatever tools are needed on the altar.  
Gathering
A bell is tolled three times calling the folk to the nemeton.
GO/SD/GP – The tribe is called together for {EVENT NAME}.  Let us gather at the center.
Statement of Purpose
Druid 1: I have news for you; the stag bells, winter snows, summer has gone.  Wind high and cold, the sun low, short its course, the sea running high.  Deep red the bracken, its shape is lost; the wild goose has raised its accustomed cry.  Cold has seized the birds’ wings; season of ice, this is my news.
Winter has come and it is the end of the annual cycle of the seasons and start of the new.   The veil is thin and the ancestors call to us for recognition.  Today we honor the ancestors of our blood, the loved ones we have lost and look forward to the coming year.
Opening Prayer

All: 

By the land beneath us
By the sea surrounding us
By the sky above us
We come unto the gods and ungods.
May they light our way and
Bless our days,
Centering Meditation
A guide is selected to lead this guided meditation.  Going through it with a calm voice and steady voice.
Guide: Close your eyes clear your mind and focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out slowly visualizing the spiral of the cosmos around you.
Guide: We are at the center of An Thríbhís Mhór.                 ah-heeveesh-vohr
Guide: Inhale and as you exhale visualize your feet firmly planted on the earth.
Guide: We stand firmly upon the Sacred Land.
Guide: Inhale again and as you exhale imagine you are surrounded by the great calm ocean.
Guide: The Eternal Sea always surrounds us.
Guide: Inhale and exhale seeing the great blue expanse above you.
Guide: The Endless Sky spreads itself above us.
Guide: Inhale while visualizing the great spiral around you, with you at its center.
Guide: We are at the center of An Thríbhís Mhór. 
Guide: And breath, open your eyes when ready.
Honoring the Local Land Goddesses
Druid 2: We honor the Five Rivers, the goddesses of the land; Potomac, Patapsco, Susquehanna, Gunpowder, and Patuxent.  Givers of life that flow from the mountains and form estuaries of the Chesapeake.  
We honor you and make this offering to you in gratitude for your waters that nourish this land.    
   
Druid 2: makes an offering and says: Mighty goddesses of the land accept this offering.
All: Mighty goddesses of the land accept this offering.
Establishing the Sacred Grove
Sacred Hearth Fire
Druid 1:
I make sacred the fire,
The first fire born of lightning
from which all fires are lit.
The hearth fire which warms our homes
and binds our people.
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,

All:
Let the flame be the hearth fire,
Let the water be the Well of Knowledge                   
Let the tree be the bile,                            (bill-uh)
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,

Druid 1 : puts butter on the fire, then says:
I light the sacred fire of inspiration.  Sacred fire, burn within us.
All: Sacred fire, burn within us.
Well of Segais
Druid 1 says:
I make sacred the well,
From which the five rivers flow,
Salmon swimming, hazels hanging high.
Bubbling brightly Segais, source of wisdom,                   
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
All:
Let the flame be the hearth fire,
Let the water be the Well of Knowledge                   
Let the tree be the bile,                            (bill-uh)
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
Druid 1: dips the apple branch into the well then says:
In the depths flow the waters of wisdom. Sacred waters, flow within us.
All: Sacred waters, flow within us.
World Tree
Druid 1 says:
I make sacred the branch/tree,
Towering high, hanging heavy with hazel,
Spanning and connecting the Three Realms,
The mighty bile of the grove,                       
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
All:
Let the flame be the hearth fire,
Let the water be the Well of Knowledge                   
Let the tree be the bile,                            (bill-uh)
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
Druid 1 : dresses (takes water from well and pours it or rubs it on the tree) the bile, then says:
From the depths to the heights spans the world tree. Sacred tree, grow within us.
All: Sacred tree, grow within us.
Druid 1: raises arms
Druid 1: With the Flame of the Hearth, the Well of Knowledge, and the Sacred Bile the grove is erected and hallowed.
Parting the Mists
Druid 1: prepares an offering for the gatekeeper and says:
Druid 1: says: We honor Oirbsen (orib-sheen), Manannan, Patron of our tribe, Lord of the Mist, Ruler of Tir na mBan (teer na man), Guardian of the gate of the Otherworld.  Oh Lord of the Otherworld, bearer of the silvered apple branch, hear us this day and aid in the passage of the ancestors through the misty veil.
Druid 1: makes an offering and says: Manannan mac Lir, accept our offerings and gratitude as you part the mists. (mah-nuh-nahn’ mak leer)
Druid 1: Let the mists be parted!!
All: Let the mists be parted.
Inviting the Gods and Ungods
An Sinsear  (en shen-shoor)
Druid 2: Mighty dead, you who have come before,
Ancestors of our blood,  Heros of our people
We offer you this gift with love and loyalty and invite you to witness this rite.
Druid 2: makes an offering and says: Ancestors, accept this offering.
All: Ancestors, accept this offering.
Aos Sí  (ees-shee)
Druid 1: Great nature spirits, you who frolic in the wild world,
Spirits of this place,
We offer you this gift in friendship and invite you to witness this rite.
Spirits of family and the people that came to this land from faraway lands.
We offer you this gift in friendship and invite you to witness this rite.
Druid 1: makes an offering and says: Aos Sí , accept this offering.
All: Aos Sí , accept this offering.
Gods of the Tribe
Druid 3: Great gods, you who are mightiest in all things,
Deities of our faith,
We offer you this gift with reverence and honor and invite you to witness this rite.
Druid 3: makes an offering and says: Gods and goddesses accept this offering.
All: Gods and goddesses accept this offering.
Key Offering
Druid 1:  Mighty ancestors today we honor you and the deeds you have done.
Ancestors of our blood, we honor you for you are the foundation of our family trees, our personal trees of life.

Ancestors of our nation, we thank you for the sacrifices you made and risks you took to bring about this nation in which we are grateful to reside.  
Ancestors of these lands, we are grateful that you are also of my blood and will work to honor you in our treatment of the land.
Said Amergin to Athairne when he attempted to end his visit at the start of winter: “In the black season of deep winter as storm of waves is roused along the expanse of the world.  Sad are the birds of every meadow plain, except the ravens that feed on crimson blood, at the clamour of harsh winter; rough black, dark, smokey. Dogs are vicious in cracking bones; the iron pot is put on the fire after the dark black day.”
In honor of you mighty ancestors, we contemplate the meaning of the season, the end of the Summer and the coming of the coldest months. A time when the earth sleeps and appears to die, remembering to consider the impact this season had on you, ancestors, a time to store away the harvests, bring in the animals, slaughtering those that are old for the winter meat and preserving more food for the breeding stock. A time of cold and darkness and isolation. We are to be thankful for time in which we live, the time of heaters, packaged foods and electricity.
Druid 1: makes holds up the offering and says:  Ancestors!! Accept this offering with love and respect.  
All: Ancestors!! Accept this offering with love and respect.  
The Augury
Seer: Ritually washes their hands then forms the left hand into a tube, blows through the tube then says:
I am going within
To the doorstep of the sí
in the name of Finn
Stronger in sight then all.
The augury made by Finn to his men,
That Bride blew her palm,
Message of truth without a message of falsehood
That I myself shall see
The semblance, joyous and mild
Of all that is hidden to me
Good spirits and gods of my people,
Give me the sight to see all I need,
With vision that shall never fail, before me,
That shall never quench nor dim.
Tell me what I need.
Seer: then takes the omen, interprets it, and records it.
Receiving the blessings of the Gods and Ungods
Druid 1: raises the blessing plate/cup high and says:
Tuatha de Danaan (tooah-de-danyan), Aos Sí , (ees she) and An Sinsear  (en shen-shoor), we have praised you and made offerings and now a gift calls for a gift. We pray to you and ask that you give us your blessings.  Make sacred these apples and infuse them with your vitality, strength and inspiration.
Lo, the blessings of the Gods and Ungods are upon us.
All: Lo, the blessings of the Gods and Ungods are upon us.
Druid 1: Slices and eats the blessed apple and passes it around.
Thanking the Gods and Ungods and Closing the Mists
Druid 1: We have given gifts to the gods and ungods and received gifts in return.  Take these blessings into the world and use these them to live fruitfully and with honor.   At this time we have come to the closing of this ritual and will give thanks to those who have come to aid us.
Druid 2: {PROPER – Thanks to the beings of the occasion}
Druid 3: Tuatha de Danaan, gods of our tribe, we thank you for your presence and blessings.  
Druid 1: Aos Sí, these are your lands and here you shall remain.  We thank you for attending and accepting our offerings of peace and respect.                     
Druid 2: Mighty Dead, thank you for attending and accepting our gifts.  Pass back through the mists and return to the Otherworld.  .
Druid 1: Manannan, we thank you for your attendance and parting the mists.  We ask that you allow the mists to fall as our ancestors pass back into your realm.    
Druid 1: Let the mists return and the veil be whole.
Druid 2: Mighty Rivers, these are your lands and here you shall remain.  We thank you for attending and accepting my offerings of peace and respect.
Taking down the Sacred Grove
Druid 1: And now the Sacred Grove must be taken down. We honor the Hearth Fire and restore it to flame.  We honor the Well of Segais and restore it to water. We honor the bile and restore it to branch.  All is as it was and the Sacred Grove is dismantled. The ritual is ended.
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

All: Biodh Se!    (bee-shay)

Items List:
Bell or gong for calling the folk to the temple space.
Juniper bundle for saining the attendees. 
Representations of the Hearth Fire, Well of Wisdom and Bile.
Bowl with fresh water and ogham staves for the seer.
 Butter for the consecration of the fire
Apple Branch for consecration of the well
Cup for water from the Well of Wisdom to consecrate the tree.
Offerings to the gods and ungods
Apples for the blessings on the folk.
Basket or bowl to collect offerings during indoor rituals.
Local River Goddesses
Corn meal
Manannan Mac Lir
Alcohol, water grasses, yellow flower
Mighty Dead
Food/bread
Spirits of Place
honey/sage smoke
Tuatha de Danaan
Alcohol
Ancestors
A meal
The folk
Apples

Fénidecht – Escaping a Zombie Apocalypse

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I do not consider myself a ‘prepper’ or a ‘survivalist’.  I do not expect the world to fall apart anytime in my lifetime.  However, natural disasters do occur and putting in some time and money to be even a little ready is harmless.  So, I did an exercise in preparedness and this post is what I came up with for two people evacuating their home without a destination.

911, Katrina, Sandy, three events that have left even the least most paranoid person with a sense that something could happen that would force one to flee their house, community or even the region.  Or maybe you don’t want to flee, you want to shelter in place.  In either instance you have to have a plan.  Part of the training of the Féinnid is to put together such a plan, to include what some call a bug-out kit.  A kit with everything you need to survive in urban and rural environments with minimal planning.  This post is about my bug-out kit in instances where sheltering in place is not an option.

The kit I put together has a higher cost than is necessary as I did purchase a couple all-inclusive-kits such as medkits and survival kits which you may be able to put together cheaply once you know all the contents.   Everything fits into or onto a single backpack or can be slung over the shoulder independently without too much trouble.  Weight wise the kit comes in at less than 30 pounds without clothing or toiletries that would have to be added at the time of departure.  

When deciding to do this I had to figure out what exactly my plan would be and then build to that.  What I came up with was a worst case scenario in which I have less than 24 hours to evacuate and no place to evacuate too.  This meant preparing to live in primitive conditions for at least 48 hours with a mind towards a hike into the mountains.

To start the kit I had to choose a backpack.  I ended up with a black 80 liter pack with a frame and plenty of loops for straps.  The bag itself has a water collar and even a cover in case it rains.  It has pockets on the top, center, both sides and of course a cavernous main section.  The main section can be accessed from the top or the bottom.  This is key as it will allow easy access to any of your supplies.

The next choice was water, food and shelter.  For water and food I chose a kit that was designed for 1 person for 48 hours.  In it are water packets as well as 2400 calorie ration bars.  I also added a LifeStraw, water purification tablets, and a 2 liter canteen as it is clear that the water provided in the kit would not last long if the weather is hot.

Shelter can be a small tarp held up by a single stick, or you can purchase a small 2 man single pole tent .  Part of the shelter is your sleeping bag, and for this I specifically suggest the US Army Patrol Bag stuffed into a waterproof case and strapped to the lowest part of the backpack.  You should also throw in a space blanket to add to your ability to stay warm, these often come with survival kits and first aid kits if you go that route. 

 You will need a fire starting kit, not only to heat up food but to aid in warmth and safety.  Fire starting supplies should begin with a phosphorous fire starter kit and water proof matches.  Add to that some sort of saw, machete or hatchet to make wood collection go easier.  Also you may want to add an entrenching tool or folding shovel to dig a firepit making it easier to conceal and put out.

Put together a small first aid kit or buy one from any camping store.   With a little research you may be able to build one yourself rather inexpensively.   You should plan for this to contain a lot of supplies for cuts, gashes, strains and sprains, and possibly a broken bone.  So be sure to include gauze, tape, splints, gloves, medicated ointments and of course alcohol.  Your muscles will be sore if you have to hike due to traffic jams so also include pain killers.

You will need to know where you are going and plan to not have GPS.  Be sure you have current maps of your region and the region you intend to get too as well as a compass and a flashlight.  If you don’t know how to read a map or use a compass, don’t wait until a disaster strikes.  Learn some basic orienteering now.

Knowing what is going on in the world is just as important as survival.  You will need a radio receiver that operates on something other than an electric plug.  The one I chose is from Sportsman’s Guide and has a crank that charges the batteries but can also run on solar and when fully charged will be able to charge up a cell phone, assuming you can get service.

What you wear will help protect you from animals, insects, and the elements.  While I do not suggest you pre-pack all of your clothing you can pack a few items.  Underwear and socks are the easiest items to pre-pack and you should pack at least 3-4 pairs of each.  Your socks should be good well made socks made for hiking.  When disaster does strike you should be putting together pairs of jeans, long sleeved shirts and sturdy shoes.  If it is cold be sure to add  inner-wear such as thermal underwear, it will get cold.

Once you have the above kit put together you can add items to it that will help you survive longer or more comfortably.  For eating have added a military messkit, eating utensils and a can opener.  I added 50 feet of parachute cord in case things need to be tied down, or hung up in a tree.  I also added a  LifeStraw Family Filtration System, since I will be with my family and it is much easier to fill up canteen with this and I don’t like water purification tablets.  I also added a large fixed-blade knife to the pack for large cutting jobs, such as dressing an animal or carving into wood.

The more controversial items you may choose to include are firearms and gas masks. A gas mask is only going to be useful during civil disturbances in urban areas so while I have them I expect to dump them once I get into the woods and use the bag to carry other items.  A firearm could be anything from a hand gun to a shot gun, but it should only be taken if you know how to use it.  Most people I know would take a long arm so they could use it to hunt and this is probably the best reason to have it.  Remember to carry ammunition for the firearm as well.

This seems like a lot of stuff that takes up a lot of space so you will want to keep your pack well organized.  This means that when you pack your backpack you are going to want to compartmentalize as much as possible.  Placing items into smaller sacks or cases within the backpack or putting smaller items in pockets on the outside of the  will make it easier to find and keep like items together.  You will also move some items from the pack to other locations when you hit the road.  For example, the canteen and gas mask can be carried on your belt or on the strap that comes with the case freeing up a lot of space inside the backpack for clothing and more food should you decide to carry it.  As it stands right now with my pack fully packed, less the clothing, there are still 4 empty pockets outside the pack as well as several liters of space inside the pack.

If you think of anything missing that is a must have or even just a comfort leave a comment.  With climate change and an increasing level of violence in our society you never know when you will have to bug-out, and we can all use all the help we can get.