A big twist on urban survival would be if something happened in a city that you were visiting on business.

The mini-bar would go fast.

I still remember as a kid (to give you an idea of the era - US Air was Allegheny Airlines. Dad got called in to work oh the HVAC system at LGA airport one Saturday, and decided to take me as a helper - both of us got changed into our work clothes, and off we went. The guards were like "we can't let you/your truck in" Dad had a real simple answer to that "Fine" - took out his clipboard with the work/job sheet on it, and wrote "Denied entry to Job site by (name of guard here) at (time)" and handed it to the guard and said "Please sign here" - Guard decided to call management, and they were like "YES, he is allowed in, just needs escort" - we were allowed in

He had a very simple rule - I go where I need to go with my tools - you don't want me/my tools there, no problem. I'll leave, and note that you denied me entry, so that when the customer calls and says "You didn't fix XXX" Dad's boss could say "We showed up, were denied entry by so and so - oh, and here is your bill for our time"

I take the same attitude - if you have asked ME to show up, I'm bringing what I need to do the job, and my EDC. YOU can modify YOUR rules to fit ME - my rules are "I carry my EDC". Now, if I'm the one who is requesting entry (Movie theatre, an airplane flight, etc), I'll fit your rules, if I don't like them, I can leave. It's a 2 way street

Thats basically how I got to be. In the same office building I pulled out my leatherman to cut open the box with the new part and some lady was like "thats a knife!". I calmly said somehting to the effect of "yes, how else would I open the box with the part in it".

The dangers and opportunities are different.

Darkness, for example. My impression is that in a wilderness under the sky, it's rarely really dark. In any big building during a power cut it can be pitch black. It's more important to have a torch in an urban environment. This especially applies if you travel by underground train, use lifts or elevators etc.

You need tools for working with metal and plastic rather than wood and soil. A multi-tool which has a variety of screwdrivers is more useful in a city than in a forest.

There are more people around. That is a mixed blessing. There may be looters but there may also be emergency services. There's a high chance that someone will help you, if you need it. There are a lot of resources (eg canned food), but also a lot of people after them, which could be a problem. The organisation of these people becomes a big issue - eg the shear numbers can impede travel.

Shelter is probably easy to find. You are much less likely to need to make a fire. Where I live, everything burnable is owned by someone.

People become accustomed to things like piped water and grid electricity, and can be ill-equipped to cope when they fail.

I was walking home after dark from work a few years ago when a blackout hit.

Couldn't see my hand in front of my face. Creepy, to say the least.

Fortunately, I could feel the Petzl Zipka in my purse.

That Petzl paid for itself ten times over on the rest of the walk home.

Which brings to mind my newest greatest gear purchase: Doug's tiny e-GEAR PICO light. I have one on my key lanyard for walking my dog and another on my car key ring. It's just an inch and a quarter long and virtually weightless.

http://www.essentialgear.com/store/p/117-eGear-PICO-LED-Zipper-Lite.html

Everyone should have a flashlight with them, every second of the day. One day it will be priceless.

Back to the original question in this thread, except for the human predators, I'd much rather be sheltering-in in the city than scrambling for shelter in the wilderness.

That said, if we ever have an extended power outage during the air conditioning months, I'm evacuating to the mountains to go camping.

I'm not the expert by any stretch but thought it would be interesting to play out the thread premise by comparing top 3 wilderness survival kit versus top 3 city kit.

I'm going to assume that in the city scenario I'm stranded across town at night in a massive power outage, and need to walk home. In the wilderness scenario, I'm lost in the woods. Reflective of the difference in priorities, here's the top 3 things I could/should reasonably have in my purse or backpack:


purse: flashlight, cash, pepper spray.

backpack: water, firestarter (matches-lighter), "space" blanket (I actually always have in my pack an Adventure Medical Heatsheets Emergency Bivvy)


I'm going to regard house keys as a given, like shoes.

I suppose you could buy a bottle of vodka and gate crash one of the candlelit parties that will most likely have started up in the local neighbourhood during the power blackout then crash on their sofa. Then phone for a taxi the next morning or ask the householder to drive you home.

I have a puppy at home who needs me.

And terrible memories of vodka in college. It was years before orange juice was appealing again.

;-)

RE Supplies in the city post blackout

One major problem turns out to be - electronic cash registers. I know that when I was walking home post the 2003 blackout, I got over the Queensboro (aka 59th St) bridge (Feeling Groovy...), and I stopped for some water from my pack. People were asking me where I got my water - it seems all the local stores were either 1)Out or 2)couldn't make a sale because of the register - and the folks at the stores didn't have the authority to make a "open drawer" sale

Luckly a block or 2 further along, someone had an open hose bib - folks were drinking from their hands etc - I just refilled my bottle

The worst I ever had it was when I had to work on the RC crane controls in the Fast Flux Test Facility at Hanford. Not only did I have to suit up in Level A haz mat, but security and Rad Health guys had to inspect, scan and pass each of my tools (we also had to do this at the tank farms where the rad waste was stored in UG tanks with manifolds with telemetry we maintained). FFTF was the worst assignment, because when you go into the hot room and they close the big vault door behind you, you realize that if something goes wrong, they're probably not going to be able to do anything to help you. If the sodium leaks and ignites while you're in there, well, it ain't gonna be pretty. Standing on greased crane skids 30 feet off the ground in a big rubber suit working as fast as humanly possible, I filled my boots with sweat (well I think it was sweat anyways). You don't dawdle around in there. I got in a discussion a few times with the security about taking a big knife in there to cut the plenum insulation with if need be. It contains switching equipment that has to be protected from contaimination, and if I have to trim insulation that is 6 inches thick, I don't want a friggin' carpet knife.