Lucky you. I work with them........

Well, I'm a girl, but I spend more time in the woods than in a house so don't post on here as often as some. Too many things to do outside during the summer.

I'm here too. I'm also shy about posting because I've only recently become -- what's the word? zealous? eager? excited? more aware? -- about being prepared and I don't feel like I have as much to contribute...yet.

Also, the few questions I have come up with I find have been thoroughly discussed in previous threads. The search option is my friend.

Please keep the posts coming. I'm learning a lot from everyone.

Joy, you can always ask questions!

Leigh ("Lucky you. I work with them........ ") I work FOR them. And they don't pay much.

It's spring in WA, so I am attempting to work in the garden. Unfortunately, the weather thinks it's still winter...

Sue

I don't post much either, but I read often, and learn a lot.

i am also around ... just not much to say lately

Thank you Sue! I'll have to try to think of something to ask. I would like to hear how the women here are preparing for emergencies, both immediate and long term. I am interested in both.

I mostly keep my small EDC emergency stuff in my purse or a bag. I try to keep a first aid kit close by at all times. I have different size first aid kits for different things, like for a small purse, a larger bag, and for the car. I have 2 small Leatherman's on key chains and a medium size one for my purse. It is too heavy and large to carry on me.

I keep emergency stuff in my car for all kinds of situations. I make sure I have enough stuff so that I can stay anywhere, at any time, for any reason and be fairly comfortable. I still have a lot I need to do for our cars though. I am not as prepared for leaving my car in a large scale widespread emergency. My pack is too small, so I would have to also hand carry some stuff. I have an AMK heatsheets bag, but would like to get the Bivy 2 and some other setup for sleeping in. I need to get lighter more compact stuff. I have lists of things I want to get, and have been saving links in favorites of things I have read about here on ETS.

My husband isn't as interested in being as prepared as I am, so I have more stuff in my car then he does. I put together a bag for his car and he has used a few things in it already - but not for an emergency.

Someday I hope to get nice packs to put everything in for hiking out of a city if we ever need to. It is more important for him to have a setup for that purpose then for me, since he works in a city and I am in the mountains.

Heat is a problem for me in my car, so I have to cover food, water and things that I worry about with pads, coats and anything else I have - to keep them cool. That works for me. Like others here I have had candles melt and food go bad because of hot temps. I used to keep a large ccoler in my trunk. That worked great, but my husband complained that my car was too heavy with all my 'stuff' so I had to take some things out and that was one of them.

So over the next year or so I have to work on cutting down on weight and making a setup for abandoning my car if I ever have too. I know what I want to get and do, but it will take time and money.

I am also interested in long term preparedness for whatever may come down the road. I have some food and water stored. I am always working on improving and adding to what we have.

Right now I am not working on my garden because I have other things that I have to work on and I can't spread myself too thin because of health problems. My duaghter is getting married in Sept., which is coming up fast!

I would love to hear how any of you other woman are prepared and what you are working on, etc. Thanks!

Joy

It's important to be prepared, it's just as important to practice and test your gear. Also read everything you can about wilderness survival. There's tons of stuff online that's really interesting and useful. I have a mesh back pack for each of my grandkids, they are very lightweight and cost less than $5.00 at wal-mart. I also picked up some handwarmers cheap, that I had to keep replacing cause no one else was ever prepared. I made each of them a FAK. Bought a pencil box just smaller than a cigar box about $1.00 and bought bandaids and stuff from the dollar store, less than $20.00 for all 3 FAKs. Got them a heat sheet and some light sticks, some comfort food and 2 bottles of water. They also have crank radios and shake flashlights and a small LED light and compass that clips to the outside of their bags. And the most important thing I gave them was lessons in what to do if they ever get seperated from me when we are out camping. Since just about everything is fenced here, their #1 rule is to never cross a fence. That would narrow the search area and make them easier to find. I spend alot of time teaching them things that will keep them safe. Nothing beats an education. I pretty much keep all my camping gear in my car along with a few tools. I also have a case of Ramen noodles under my back seat. As far as my purse goes I have a small FAK, multi tool, fixed blade knife,bandana, gum, nutri grain bar,2 extra bic lighters,heat sheet, handwarmers,and in a small cigar tube I have 3 trick birthday candles and some dryer lint, 2LED flashlights. I also have a small tube of hand sanitizer and 2-1 gallon zip loc bags. I always watch for trial sizes of things. The contents changes some when I change purses. Neosporin comes with a little case sometimes and you can get some bandaids a needle and some tweezers in the case with it. It fits on a keyring. I keep an extra mesh backpack rolled up in the glove box in case I have to leave my car for any reason.

Hi Angel,

How old are your grandkids? My Grandson just turned 6 and I am starting to collect things for him now. He doesn't visit as often as I would like, but when he does I want to hike with him and teach him stuff just like you teach your grandkids. His Dad (my Son-in-law) is just now getting interested in this stuff after watching Les Stroud on TV. So that will help. The dollar store is a good idea!

I have most all the things you mentioned. I don't have the birthday candles, but I have read about them, so that is a good idea. I seem to have lost the bic lighter I had, so thank you for reminding me. I'll get another one.

I also keep some large plastic construction bags with me.

I have one daughter that is interested in being prepared for emergencies. I bought her an AMK first aid kit and will get her more stuff soon. She works with groups of people so I wanted to get her one that would work with several people.

My other duaghter is not interested at all and thinks I am silly to have gear in my car for emergencies. I cannot understand why anyone would think being prepared for emergencies is a silly idea! Amazing! She lives in an earthquake prone area, so she may change her mind after a few small quakes.

I agree with you about testing gear. There are some things in my husbands pack that I would like to test. I want to get him a better stove and cooking gear. But for now he has an Esbit Stove and fuel and a camping pot in case he ever has to hike home. We need to test the esbit stove like the guys have talked about on this forum. I bought him a Katadyn Xtreme water filter that I haven't tried yet either.

Thank you for sharing Angel!

Joy

Angel, for your grandkids there is the What-If Game. This is not just a 'tell them' game, you want to make them think. Let them give the first ideas, and LISTEN to what they say, how they're thinking. Their outlook of a situation and yours could be miles apart. Then guide their thinking with suggestions of what would be better. And they should be able to ask YOU WhatIf questions, too.

What if you came home from friend's house and no one was home?
What if you smelled smoke in the house?
What if the fire alarm went off?
What if you got lost at the mall/in the woods?
What if you couldn't wake up the babysitter?

This game can give you clues about what they're afraid of, how they're thinking, what they expect, etc. Be aware that much of what they think the world is like is from what they see on TV; they need to know that that isn't real.

There should be info here on the Hug-a-Tree Program. If you can't find it, ask; people here can direct you.

Their kits need to have contact information sealed inside it, maybe inside the lid. Also medical emergency info, any meds they're on, anything they're allergic to.

Sue