Urban Survival Gear - What do you really need?

I have seen a lot of posts in these forums over the past year or so where people state that they simply don't feel that certain items are needed in their edc/psk because they spend all their time in urban areas. The two main pieces of what I consider primary equipment that I see being omitted the most (though there are others as well) are fire starting equipment and water purification equipment. This completely baffels me. I also see lots of what I consider secondary equipment (like fishing gear) being omitted as well but that doesnt concern me nearly as much. Anyway, I thought I might start a thread on this subject to see what various forum members omit from their edc/psk in urban areas that they would carry if in rural areas (woods/desert/ocean/etc) and why they feel it is okay to do so. I'll be the first to admit that in general I carry a lot less equipment than many people here, however, I can't see much difference between urban and rural equipment needs. That is unless you fall in to the "it won't happen to me" mindset and are only preparing for what you feel are the "most likely" urban scenarios and you therefore feel that there will always be warmth and clean drinking water (or whatever else) in urban areas so no need to carry that type of equipment. So do you change your gear? Do you leave certain things out because youre in urban areas? That are some thoughts and opinions on this?

When I first started lurking here I had one piece of urban EDC gear: a small cheap lockback knife. Now I carry an RSK, a Juice, metal match, paracord, P-38, mini-Bic, Photon microlight, cell phone, and some spare cash. The main difference for me between urban and rural (wilderness) scenarios is that in town I am never more than 50 yards from my well-stocked vehicle. If I can get to my truck then I am good for at least 3 days.

I understand that there is some slight risk that I won't be able to make it to my vehicle, but even then I am almost never more than 10 miles from my home or that of a friend or relative. If I can't make it to my truck or to a safe house within one day then I can't see a full-blown PSK making a lot of difference.

(Still, a couple of MP-1 tablets don't take up THAT much room do they? I suppose I'll have to put a couple in my wallet <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />)

Regards, Vince (ducking for cover.)

I change my equipment slightly.I just can´t bring myself to carry a fullsized fixed blade in urban environment. My woodland kit contains a Storm whistle while my urban kit has an ACME tornado in it. Sometimes it´s required to leave thing out because of simple space problems. When you have a dress code it may be out of question to stuff everthing you want in your pockets. My urban kit also includes lock picks since I´ve learnt how to use them.
No matter how much you carry you will always omit something you might need in an unlikely scenario.

I'm surprised how few people carry cash, or aphone card, bus schedule and a list of important phone numbers -- all useful and unique to the urban jungle.

Well I started like everyone else. Fish hooks, water storage bags, waterproof matches, condoms, mini light, signaling mirror, scalpel blade and whatever else I could have jamed into that poor altoid tin. At first I didn't even wanted to open my PSK since I would have problems closing it. So I want over couple of scenarios and started using PSK a lot and made notes of what I need.

Now mind you I'm in NYC. I don’t drive thru suburbs to work. There is a 24 hrs grocery store on every corner. I mean you can justify any item in your psk by coming up with a scenario for it but the question that I ask my self before carrying something is how likely I will use this item for manufactured specified purpose. My urban area may be different from your urban area. And if you read my story about “Mysterious Island” NYC streets are unlimited supply of survival stuff (http://brunerdog.tripod.com/survival/index.html).

So fish hooks? Negative. Nowhere in NYC I will be more than a day of walking from home. Even if I started out in the Bronx and had to make my way to Brooklyn I can walk that 25 miles without food. If I get really hungry I head over to Bronx Zoo or Central Park Zoo and get me a goat or a penguin or a zebra.

Fire starting? I carry my Zippo (after disappointment with Windmill) so I tossed out the boat matches. Why do I need to start a fire in NYC? What scenario could there be out there that I would be forced to start a fire? Signaling? Negative. Warmth? Not really. Make torches for light? Well that’s what flashlight is for.

Signaling mirror? Negative on that one too. Good flashlight will do a job. Last time I used it when I carried it was for my girl to check her hair. Got loads of points for that.

Water storage? Every corner has a garbage can with at your choice of sturdy bottles for carrying liquid. Any size, color and shape to please you all.

Water purification? Again I can do a day without water and when I’m home I can boil it on my MSR stove. Tap water is widely available in NYC. And if it’s not, every store, gas station has some. Every hospital, ambulance has some. You will never be that thirsty that you would have to purify your own water.

Snare wire? Survival Saw? Hmmm not much use of that.

My experiences with 9/11 and Blackout and Snowstorms proved that none of the above would have help me or increased my chances of survival. And now something else. If you ever get pulled out of the red zone during an attack you are going to loose everything you have in a decon process and send packing in salvation army blanket wearing paper scrubs underneath.

What I found I use the most are first aid supplies. Band aids, medical tape, antibiotic ointments, aspirin and Tylenol. I still carry a space blanket, metro card, para cord and some crisp 1 dollar bills. That’s my PSK. I supplement it with my wave, 2 pairs of latex gloves, knife, Zippo, flashlight, tit spork (decided to use metal utensil as to maintain on civilized level when eating my meals at work), radio with emergency frequencies, PDA, cell phone, badge with my EMS ids, rain jacket and Mark 1 kit. My EDC is big but I wear cargo pants. It all distributes nicely. I don’t want to sound cocky or anything, there are stuff out there that will surprise me but as every good manual says: take a step back, reevaluate, adapt, create a plan, take charge or follow, stay cool, execute, go home. It’s all about having good head on your shoulders and not panicking.

Now if I’m far away or go kayaking all this stuff really changes. That’s where “by the book” PSK comes in.

I took into account human nature (mine) and decided it wasn't "What do I need?" but "What will I carry?". There's just no way I'll faithfully have with me everything (or even most things) that could reasonably be required.

I figure the absolute minimum is some sort of knife and a flashlight. I work inside a large building. If the power goes out , I'm no where near a window. And the knife has so many non survival uses it's easy to justify that.

That said, I do carry more stuff, but I've added it on only until it becomes a problem. I have a whistle, a small fire steel and a AAA flashlight on a keychain. In the wallet is a knife sharpener, tender quik (pressed flat), a P38, bandaids, cash, credit cards, etc. I've been carrying a Leatherman Squirt P4 for the tools, but it's heavier than I'd like for EDC pocket carry. Oh, and a cell phone.

(It's this bad... I carried 3 yds of paracord wrapped around my flashlight. I've dropped it from EDC because it's just too bulky.)

I've looked at my situation (live 5 miles from work) and, after factoring in my lazy nature and a crude analysis of the likely threats, decided the above puts me waaaaay ahead of nearly everyone else even if it isn't as full featured as it probably ought to be.

Took me a sec... try "Ti spork" next time. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

(Ah, Bountyhunter... where are you when we need you? <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> )

I will try not to be so Polish next time. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I've never really given urban survival scenerios much thought. I've mostly been concerned with dayhiking and backpacking scenerios. But this thread made me start thinking. So I looked at what I normally have on me - not because I consider it a PSK, but because it's just the normal stuff I carry in a small fanny pack. Now subject to review.

Kershaw Vapor, non-serrated
Leatherman Squirt P4
ARC AAA flashlight
Cellphone
Money (at least $20), Credit Cards, ID card
Aspirin, Tylenol, Advil in 35mm film container
2ft 2mm cord, 2ft 3mm cord (I tie knots as a hobby!)
256Mb flash drive (used more often than other things - to fix friend's virus/spyware infested Windows machines!)

The urban setting does require different things. In my cube I keep a dust mask, a pair of goggles, two 24 oz water bottles, and a glow stick. If your building gets hit your are going to be in a dark dusty situation. If you have stuff in your eyes you are not going to be able to see how to exit the building. You may remember from the first World Trade Center bombing that the people running out of the building had black dust around their nose. You need a good dust mask to protect your lungs. If you are trapped you are going to need water and an easy way to make noise, also a glow stick may help S&R find you. I keep a Fox 40 in my pocket at all times. If you can move, you may need a powerful light to find an exit. I carry a SureFire C2 on my belt all the time. My boss and my boss’s boss have commented on it, but now everyone ignores it. I’ve had coworkers borrow it to see into the dark places of our computer room.

I keep mini-PSK items in my pockets. I keep my regular Cody Lundin PSK items in a CamelBack. You’ll note 98.6 has no fishing kit. It’s about thermal regulation, hydration, and signaling.

"Hey, Mom, somebody at school said eggs come from chickens before they come from the store -- is that true?"

Uh.... where does tap water come from? I mean HOW does it get here? I know this sounds dumb (small voice), and I know we have several town wells, and I am assuming it is pumped somewhere along the line. Here is my small town (one traffic light) we have our own town water system. If the power goes off, we still have water. But how? Under what circumstances would we NOT have water, assuming that lines are not interrupted?

Matt's post got me to thinking about NYC without water. He said when the power went out, they still had tap water. But how?

Short sentences, small words please. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I know you guys know the answer to this!

Sue

In my pockets I carry a SAK rucksack, a 3LED AA light, a 'bullet' space pen, kershaw chive, 20' paracord, bandana, two large zip ties, and a zippo. Around the neck I have a CRKT Hawk K-AT with a red Princeton Pulsar II and an aluminum vial with strike anywhere matches. In my wallet I have a couple small zip ties. To this I generally either add my Maxpedition Thermite, which has a ton of stuff in it, or - if I don't feel like carrying all that, then I take my Altoid kit which is in a compass case. In that I have water purification tabs, tinder etc - around the tin is about 10' of paracord and in the bottom of the compass case another SAK (TY generous ETS member). I'm probably over bladed and over equipped to start fires - but I dislike being cold. I can envision likely scenarios, even in an urban environment, where I would want to be able to start a fire. I live in the north. Freezing doesn't appeal to me. I carry a few fishing items in both the thermite and the altoids kits, but it's minimalist - I doubt I would ever need those items for fishing. The one item I intend to add is a whistle to my neck rig since I'm almost never without that. I have a whistle in the Thermite, but it's to big for the neck rig (modified Fox40). I'd like to add one to the Altoids kit, but it needs to be flat and small. Yes, I do double up (triple up) items I think are important. And besides... I'm a gear junky....

Matt,

Interesting thoughts. Some things to consider:

1. Yes, I could also go 24 hours without water -- but not in top form. And in Summer, it would be no fun.

2. Yes, there are many stores to get things at, some are 24 hour, but everyone else will also be in these same stores stocking up on water, tools, non-pershiables, etc.

3. Yes, I could walk 25 miles today, but not if its night, storming, with bridges, closed/full/disrupted.

Use caution when predicting what the new conditions might be based on what is true today. I like to consider how I/ my kit would hold up in a "worst-case". Not just a power outage, but a power outage during a storm at night.

Hope this is helpful,

Teacher RO

Susan,

I am sure there are other public water systems that operated differently, but here are two that I am familiar with:

You may notice in your community a tall standing water tank; the size is likely determined upon local needs, finances and the size of the pumping station. The way many of them work is, during the night when electrical and water usage is at it’s minimum, pumping stations will pump water up into these large water tanks/towers. By pumping the water into these tanks/towers, the water has potential energy via gravity to pressurize the water distribution system in your community.

If the electricity was out for any significant period of time or there was no electricity at all, the other way water could reach a home/business on public water system is if a reservoir was located higher then the city/town it was supplying water and then again via gravity water would be funneled into the distribution system.

Pete

Omitting items? Not me. For the urbanesque setting, I'll add a mini pry bar, multitool, eye and ear protection, a heavy set of leather work gloves, a dust mask, extra cash, and more water purification tabs...

M

What kind of scenario do you have in mind? I work 2 miles from where I live, so I reckon I could walk home. I have loads of stuff at home. When I am further away I carry more stuff on me. I'd also be willing to ask for help, whether from friends who live near-by, from the police, or from strangers. My town is not prone to earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados or volcanoes. If my town did happen to be hit by, eg, a terrorist nuke, there are plenty of other towns near by. England is a densely populated country.

Anyway... for me the biggest difference is the knife. In the wilds you may need to do a lot of working with wood, eg building a shelter, carving tools or splitting logs for a fire. In the city we are surounded by buildings, tools and combustible material. A small knife is still useful, but screwdrivers and other tools are more important. Also, of course, there may be legal issues. So I don't carry a big fixed-blade knife in the city.

Fire starting, well, I'm surrounded by houses I'm not going to die of hypothermia. I'm also surrounded by people and half of them smoke so carry ciggarette lighters. I do carry my own fire making but that's more for convenience and back-up.

For water purification, you can always boil it. There's no shortage of pans. Most houses will have a reserve sitting in their pipes and hot water tanks, and more in their central heating systems. I supplement that by stock-piling bottled water at home.

I add, money and a mobile phone - one with internet access. Multitools. There is more emphasis on light (through fear of being stuck in a windowless building in a powercut).

Well I guess it all depends if you want to just survive or survive in style. I guess where you live is also very important. There are some bridges and few tunnels that would allow me to leave NYC. If by any chance something happened in the city I have to make a decision if I want to go back to Brooklyn, regroup, reorganize and than make my way out OR leave immediately from the city as I stand. Now I know that if I went back it will be close to impossible to get out due to limited capacities of the roads. Now if I left I would be seriously under prepared but that would be for almost everyone short of people who carry their BOBs in their car. Personally I would rather stay at my place, regroup, connect resources with my friends and work out of my hospital. I only consider evacuation as a last resort.

Now also if I’m aware that there is a happy ending at the finish line I’m willing to push my self much further than if my ending was uncertain. Example: I wouldn’t mind getting wet, soaked and cold if I knew that there is hot cup of soup and dry clothes waiting for me at the end of my 25 mile trek. It doesn’t matter that the cup would have to be prepared by me but the knowledge that I’m going to the safe place will be strong enough motivator. Now if during the same scenario I was stuck in the middle of nowhere I will be very cautious on how to distribute my energy and how much abuse and tear my body can take.

I also understand that people will hit the stores in case of water/food shortage than I will rely on my house stash. Also that water purification tablets that I will have on me won’t do much. 24 hrs without water on a hot day is uncomfortable but not impossible. This also brings me to the case above. I’m willing to push my self faster if I know that there is a pint of high quality H2O waiting for me at home versus not knowing where my next cup will come from.

I think the lack of fire gear and water purification simply comes down to this - "where would we use them?" I know here in NYC there is almost no natural water sources left - a few lakes in the big parks, but that's about it, unless you are in the FAR outer edges. And for fire - they just don't see a place - what are you going to do, build a fire on the street corner?

Basically, they are not worried about TEOTWAWKI - more about getting home. I carry WATER (but not water purification) and fire making gear. I figure I can be home before I'm out of what I have...

How did NYC have water? Simple - our water isn't pumped!! It's pure gravity feed from resevoirs 30-100 miles away. Gravity is a wonderful thing - haven't seen it fail YET

That one got me, too. I was going, "What the ...?" until the dime dropped.

-- Craig

SgtMike88Ret,

Have you re-done your Personal Support Kit? If so, I'd love to see it.

-- Craig

I hate gravity.

I would like to point out something I consider to be a real issue for urban situations: good shoes! When we purposefully go into the wilderness most of us have footwear that we deem appropriate. But how many of us wear dress shoes to work that would be horrible for that 20-mile walk out... or 20 blocks, for that matter? Especially the ladies with those high heels. Guys like Matt are probably good-to-go since he'd likely be wearing his EMS duty shoes.

I work in an office on an industrial site but our dress code is pretty casual, so I can already be wearing comfortable, supportive shoes from Merrell, Columbia, or something like that. For those of you stuck with wearing more formal footwear, consider stashing some "bugout" shoes at your desk or vehicle.

Funny anecdote-

The first thing my wife did when the east coast blackout hit - was put a good pair of hiking shoes on! I do love that women!

I'm in the same boat with you about casual dress and shoes are always an important consideration. In the winter I can were nice looking leather hiking boots and in the summer I were low cut leather hiking shoes. I could easily grab my bag and hit the trails.

Don’t ever under estimate the joy of comfortable shoes, especially in an urban environment were you may be forced to move on foot!

Adam

Yeah a lot of twisted and sprained ankles during that night.

Well when I worked for Mor(g)an Stanley I was breaking them in slowly. Started with construction boots (shined, brown leather), khakis and shirt and tie... than I graduated to construction boots, shirts not tie and khakis.... than I went for construction boots, polos shirts and khakis... than I went for heavy backpacking boots such as Scarpa, khakis and polo shirts... and finally my biggest conversion: Cargos, polo shirt and backpacking boots. I was a rebel. If somebody asked I always told them I had a bad feet so I needed special custom shoes with specialized inserts and I will sue for discrimination and pointing out my disability. Mind you I had a picture of me in the same boots on top of Mt Kenya hanging up over my desk. They left me alone for 4 years. They didn't even say a word when I started wearing international orange polo shirts <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />.

But indeed footwear is essential. Baby your feet and you can walk 300 miles and next day you can walk 300 more.

Do not forget good cushioned socks to go along with those sturdier shoes/boots to prevent blisters. I prefer and wear daily, wool or a wool blend socks. In many cases a thin polypro w/X-Static liner along with a thicker wool sock is desired if you are walking distances, especially on concrete.

Pete

I think of this kind of gear and kit as less of survival and more of comfort, convenience, support, evacuation, and relocation.

I have seen examples of a Personal Support Kit, a Personal Evacuation Kit, and a Personal Evacuation/Relocation Kit.

Should you find it necessary to evacuate or temporarily relocate to a safer area, this gear should offer a you few conveniences, give you some comfort, and help support you along the way.

-- Craig

Ah, good point Pete, I forgot to mention I have a pair of smart wool socks in my kit. Thin cotton socks will defeat (no pun intended <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) your best hiking boots abilities in no time.

Adam

nah.. it's a mere physical fact ..... just don't take it too seriously ..... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If I may qualify, city pressure is only good to about 4 stories. Anyone higher up is dependent on electricity to keep those water tanks on the roof filled. When that tank empties, no tap water and no toilet flushing. Ugh!

Don't use water from a C.H.system. When I worked at a British Gas call centre, they justified their seemingly high price for a power flush by including a chemical that inhibits rusting of the internal pipework and so preventing further clogging up of the system. If this chemical can inhibit rusting at temps up to 30 degrees C for up to 5 years minimum, then it may be safer to distill your own urine than risk that stuff getting into your system FWIW

By the way.... This is a brilliant thread. Have had to adjust my way of thinking, but it has really cut my carry weight for around town. Your reasoning is obvious but only after I thought about it properly. After all, in UK, there will always be someone with something useful close to hand

This has been a thought provoking thread.
My current job is in a hospital in a hurricane prone area, and tornados and severe thunderstorms are common in the summer.
I have a 2 mile commute, so walking home is no big deal. Like Matt, I wear good shoes to work.
Leatherman Squirt P4, Photon II, and Nuwai Q3 are EDC at work, FAK in my bag, and water at the hospital is a given.
Small kit in the car is available, and my big BOB is at home.
However, I started thinking about the way home, and there is a railroad line that is about halfway between work and home.
I have sat at the crossing and watched tanks of chemicals slowly roll by.
Time to reevaluate some of my kit, and adjust some of the included items.

Craig,

As you requested...

http://www.knifeforums.com/ubbthreads/sh...amp;amp;fpart=1

M

Cool. Thank you.

-- Craig

Wow... I hope you're never proven wrong about that.

As always... an inspiring set of gear. Thanks for sharing.

Gravity always wins.

In what kind of scenario would he be proven wrong? I'm still curious as to why you think you do need the same gear for urban EDC.

My pleasure...

M

In the Mid-West, we've got water towers that (depending on the town) hold a day or three supply for the town they're in. The water's pumped into the tank on the tower from wells, and before it comes out the tap, it runs through the treatment plant (most still use chlorine, I think), through supply lines, and up to the individual faucets.

Troy

Gravity. Water towers will last until they run dry, then w/o power to pump more water up them, no water.

I can think of many situations where others may not be so willing to help out their "neighbors" in an emergency situation. Storms, hurricanes, floods, fires, riots, terrorist attacks... pretty much anything that affects a large number of people. I could go on for a long time with examples. The possibilities are endless. I would say in almost any emergency situation it is a very realistic possibility that people will be more concerned with themselves and their own families than with you and yours. I have been to the store trying to buy candles or batteries or matches when a hurricane is coming. People aren't grabbing the last package of matches on the shelf and then getting in checkout line and telling the person next to them "Oh here, you take these matches. Even though my family needs them, you need them too so here you go. My two year old son can just sit in the cold when the power goes out."

This head-in-the-sand mentality makes two very dangerous assumtions. First it assumes that people are going to come to your aid and that you need not be as prepared since to can count on others to give you what you need. Second it assumes that amoung those who are actually willing to help, that they will actually be prepared and equipped with what you lack and what you need and that they will not need it themselves. I'm not to saying that people in general are all selfish, and/or unprepared and refuse to help each other out or never have extra stuff that others need when there is an emergency. However it's a big gamble to bet my life and well being or that of my wife and son on the assumptions that someone else will have the stuff we lack and the stuff we need to survive and also be both willing and able to share it with us.

Furthermore, would you rather be productive member of your community and have all the gear you need to get through an emergency and perhaps even extra so you can help out others who are less prepared, or would you rather be a burden to the community and have to rely on the preparedness of others to help you out and thus be putting yourself in a situation where not only are you consuming supplies that could be used for someone else but you are also less likely to be of as much use in helping others?

This "someone else will have what I need" mentality is the absolute antithesis of preparedness!

I don't believe I ever stated that I "think you do need the same gear for urban EDC". As a matter of fact I made no comments at all about my own gear. I did however say the following:
...and yes I do carry a source of firemaking equipment as part of my urban EDC. I carry a Bic lighter in the cold months and either Bic lighter or a ferrocerium rod in the warm months. As far as water pruification equipment goes. I have carried it at times and I have omitted it at times also. Currently I carry 4 crushed MP-1 tabs, an oven bag and a tiny bit of duct tape (to repair the bag if needed) on a daily basis. In all honesty water purification equipment is something that I myself have many times questioned the usefulness of in an urban environment. That is the whole point of this thread beyond just expressing my own opinion (which is cetainly subject to change)... to get other people's opinions and the reasons behind them so I (and others) can have help in deciding what is needed and what is not.

My current Urban EDC::

Blackberry Cell Phone/PDA
Small Leather Wallet containing
-- credit card/check card/health insurance cards for me and my son/800minute phone card/driver's license/aaa card
Keys (work/home/vehicle)
Timex Expedition Watch (w/ compass)
Inova Microlight Flashlight
Bic Lighter
4 crushed MP-1 Tabs
Small Reynolds Oven Bag
12" Duct Tape
Knife or Multitool which is always one of the following:
-- BM ACFK, BM RSK, LM Wave, CRK Shadow III containing the KSK listed below)

My current Wilderness EDC:

Everything from my Urban EDC plus the following:

KSK (This is a Chris Reeve 4" Fixed Blade knife with the following items in the handle)
--------------------------------
Modified Sparklight
5 Tinderquick
1 Katadyn MP-1 Tab
1 Mini Diamond Rod Hone
1 SAS Compass

PSK (This is a wallet-sized belt pouch containing the following items)
--------------------------------
Small Black Nylon Belt Pouch
- 20' Paracord
- 2 Alcohol Pads
- 2 Anticeptic Wipes
- 2 Regular Bandaids
- 1 Large Bandaid
- 2 Strips of Medical Tape
- 2 Butterfly Sutures
- 2 Sting Relief Wipes
- 2 Blister Pads
Altoids Tin (lives inside the above-mentioned belt pouch and contains the following items)
- 2' Duct Tape
- 2 Tylenol
- 2 Anacin
- 25' 80# SPiderwire
- 45' 10# Thread
- 1 Large Oven Bag
- 1 Tojan Condom
- 1 Sterile #22 Scalpel
- 1 True North Compass
- 1 Modified ACR Whistle
- 1 Green Sparklight
- 1 Red Mini Bic
- 1 Green Bobber LED
- 1 Red Bobber LED
- 8 Katadyn MP-1 Tabs
- 8 Tinder Quick Tabs
- 4 Small Fish Hooks
- 2 SPlit Shot

As you can see there is a difference between my urban and rural EDC though I see no reason why my Rural EDC belt pouch and all of its contents would not also benefit my (and perhaps others as well) in an urban environment. For example, those fish hooks are good for a lot more than just fishing.

Heck the more I thought about it as I typed that enormously detailed reply, maybe I should just add my Wilderness PSK (the belt pouch with the altoids tin and the other stuff) to my urban EDC. It really is just the size of a wallet though it looks like a lot more when it's all listed out. I do like to travel light though. Hmmm... something to ponder.

"I have been to the store trying to buy candles or batteries or matches when a hurricane is coming."

Really? I have plenty of matches etc in my home. I think that really is the main presumption: not just urban versus wilderness but how far are you from home. My EDC/PSK mostly has to carry me for a few hours. If I'm caught in a fire or a riot or a terrorist attack, I'm going to be running away, not stopping to make a drink or building a shelter. Water and fire are a concern over longer time periods, 3+ hours. If you want to worry me, you first need a scenario that prevents me getting home.

And second, you need a scenario that prevents me moving onto the next town and checking into a hotel. The UK is quite densely populated. Even if something did take out my home and everything near by (and somehow failed to take out me at the same time), civilisation still isn't far away. Unless you are talking about The End Of The World As We Know It?

I should also say that it's more about emphasis. I do carry fire-making tools, but they are not as important for me as they would be for someone in a wilderness. I don't understand why people think water purification tablets are important. If you can make fire, you can boil water (at least, if you can scavange a tin can to use as a pan - easy in an urban environment). Plus, you can drink dirty water and probably be OK, and even if you're not, it'll be days before the problem matters. Unless you are talking about the breakdown of the national infrastructure including hospitals, which puts us back in EOTWAWKI.

Here, for the record, is my current core EDC:

• Keyring with:
• Keys.
• 2m parachord.
• Proton III LED torch.
• Compass.
• Whistle (modified Fox 40 extreme).
• Serbertool M4 (a very small multitool).
• Safety pins and paper clips (can be bent and cut by M4).
• Spy capsule with 2 tinder and the flint mechanism from a lighter.
  
  Mobile phone (SE P900).
  Handkerchief.
  Vic Rambler (small swiss army knife).
  
  Wallet with:
• Money, credit cards etc.
• Contact info, next of kin, doctor's details.
• Mirror.
• Fresnel lens.
• Waterproof writing paper.
• Fisher Spacepen refill.

That's what I have on me as I sit at home typing this. It's what I cannot leave the house without. As it happens, I also have a small lighter on me, but often it gets forgotten. It's a recent thing for me; I'm still tweaking my EDC (I might try oven bags next - thanks for that tip). I can start a fire with the contents of the spy capsule but I'd have to be desperate. If floods or riots or hurricanes were imminant, I'd carry more.

I'm not going to list my PSK because I don't have separate PSKs for different environments. Suffice it to say that I do carry more stuff when I am travelling more than two miles from home, and then there is more emphasis on fire etc.

Food for thought about water:

Last year, while living in a major suburb of Chicago, a "boil order" was issued by the city. The water supply became contaminated with E. coli.

All water was unsafe for almost three weeks - three weeks. All water was contaminated. Everything was affected: drinking water, cooking, washing dishes, washing clothes, taking showers, brushing your teeth.

Hospitals scrambled, restaurants closed down, people panicked. There was a mad rush for bottled water - people were going in and wiping out store shelves buying 20, 30, 50 gallons of water at a time. Stores ran out - in a matter of hours.

Emergency shipments of water were being sent in on 18 wheel trucks. The stores didn't even bring the water inside. They were selling pallets of water right off of the trucks. And they ran out - every shipment, everyday.

And nobody knew how long it was going to last.

So, needless to say it was a huge eye opener.


I called the nice people at Katadyn/PUR during the crisis and they were extremely helpful. Here are a few of my safeguards:

I thought something like that would happen during / after the hurricanes last year. As I understand it, there was a possibility that the wells and pump stations could be flooded because of all the rain, causing the contamination. I remember several places had boil water orders, but I don't think it was wide spread. Still, something like the filter is probably more convenient than storing water or boiling it each time.

Yes -- an on the tap water filter is cheap and easy to use.
About $20- 30 at Target.

I agree with that.

During the ice storm of 1998 there was a shortage of candles in stores and convenience stores in no time. Shortage of candles, flashlight batteries, generators, stoves, kerosene and firewood.

And the owners took advantage of it by rising the prices very high.

BTW in this scenario many people suffered from hypothermia and carbone monoxide poisoning even if surrounded by houses.

Frankie

I remember hearing about that. Certainly is an eye opener. Also an excellent point in support of water purification even when not out in the woods.

If I can get home or even just to my vehicle then I can survive for a very long time and can also sustain few other people as well. However, I try to prepare for having to deal with emergencies with only my knowledge and skills and the gear that is actually on my person at any given time. I assume that I will not be able to reach my house or even my vehicle when considering what gear to carry on my person.