Jeanette & Others.

I'm not trying to beat up on anyone's "mini survival kit" here.

But let's look at it from my own situation. I live in Los Angeles. Guess what's going to happen if we get hit by the Big One (earthquake) out here? There's NO WAY that the US Gov't or FEMA can possibly get food and water to all the people in my city. It AIN'T happening. I expect our stores to be completely looted of all food, water & emergency supplies within 24 hours after the quake. I expect people to be running out of their basic supplies at home after 2-3 days. After that - it will start getting really nasty on the streets. Really nasty.

Why would people not have supplies ready? Same logic that Jeanette just explained. A real emergency is a very rare event. So it's incredibly tough to be ready for. People "want" to have an earthquke kit together, but almost none of them ever do. They cannot maintain the mental discipline to keep a high level of preparation active over a very long time. So they wind up minimizing their preparations -and then letting them go altogether. And tne net outcome - really nasty stuff WILL happen when things go to he** in a handbasket.

We need to be fashionable for real life.
But we need to be solid with preparations if things go wrong.
It's a tough game.

I'm totally in favor of having a small survival kit that anyone can pop into a purse or satchel. But if you give it a little deep thought - it's not enough. Real urban survival is a much tougher proposition than that. Those basic items I mentioned (warm fleece jacket, spare sneakers, quart of water, energy bars, flashlight) will give you a huge headstart on the survival process. They are bulky ... that is unavoidable. But it is a really good idea to tip the odds in your favor.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Pete

Women wearing heels are going to be so sorry.

Even my most diminutive sneakers -- Keds -- take up a lot of room in a briefcase, let alone a purse. I always have a coat appropriate to the weather -- be it casual or work attire. Plus a hat and gloves in winter.

Especially where bug out shoes are concerned, out of the building meetings to which one doesn't drive their own car are a conundrum. I can't take a backpack to a meeting.

Rockport has a line of womens Flats.

Ick. And would drain power from my power suits.

;-)

Of course people need to be prepared . . . on every level. A pocket kit is a backup, something to use when all else is gone. Take for example the #22 scalpel blade in Doug's Pocket Survival Pack: "First off, this is not a substitute for a real knife. However, an ultra-sharp blade such as this can be very useful and it serves as a back-up for your primary blade."

Yes I need supplies at home and yes I need my purse equipped within reason which is why I'm on the lookout for ways to further equip my purse while keeping weight and volume down. What if I'm away from home and my purse is gone? A pocket kit in my pocket, as ill equipped as it is, is my last line of defense.

Jeanette Isabelle

I want to let everyone know I went over this thread again.

Pete, why would I carry a pair of sneakers in my purse? Also, in separate thread, I have included a flashlight as part of my EDC. It's a 2AA LED MAG LITE. The advantage of an AA flashlight is that I can buy batteries at any place that sells batteries, including the convenience store around the corner. Furthermore lithium batteries come in size AA.

Though I don't believe I have mentioned this, I carry a .5L bottle of water in my purse. Also I always bring a jacket when there is an indication I may need it. I'd rather be too warm or carry my jacket under my arm than be too cool. The only thing you have mentioned which I don't EDC (yet) is an energy bar.

By the way, I added SPF 15 lip balm to my pocket kit after reading Doug's reviews of the various pocket kits.

Jeanette Isabelle

I think everyone has to remember that there is a huge difference between a natural disaster (earthquake, hurricane, tonradoe, etc) vs limited building collapses, whether from gas main break, terrorist attack, etc...and subway problems (train wreck, "smoke condition)...and blackouts. I have a BOB in my car (I need to revisit what's in it) plus water, Rescue tool, and first aid kit (including QuikClot) secured in the console next to the driver's seat of my car.

But I carry my EDC in my jacket or coat pocket all the time. It includes first aid, SAK, water carrier, etc. It's a tin a bit bigger than an Altoids tin. Holds a lot of goodies to help. If my arm gets sliced, at least I have Steri-strips and triple oitment. If I sustain some minor or even one major burn, I have some Burn Gel. If I sustain third-degree burns over half my body and no one's there to help, a BOB isn't going to help me. And in an urban scenario, it's very likely that you will lose your BOB or purse. If I'm running away from REAL danger, I'm ditching everything to get away. If I'm trapped underground because of an explosion, I want my mask, whistle, SAK, and flashlight--I want them in my pants or jacket. Not in a bag.

I also have an Altoids-sized Tool Tin with Leatherman Squirt, prybar and other assorted things. It can usually be on my person.

I wear walking shoes every day and have flats for the office if I ever have to use them--no high heels. If something happens, I know I can at least walk home comfortably--or run.

Kathy, good planning! May I sugest another pocket option: A well washed, orange cotton bandanna. Give it an intense hot dry ironing and fold it with the iron. Place it immeadiately in a new Gerber Breast Milk Bag and seal. Cover the bag edges with Gorilla Tape. Flat fold an additional meter of Gorilla Tape to about 4 inches. lightly tape the folded G Tape to the bagged bandanna. This gives you an almost sterile bandage/dust mask/signal flag/sucking chest wound, pocket kit that weighs almost nothing. This packet has served me well for years.

Yes, I carry a cotton bandanna (as opposed to silk, which some people suggest because it sops water better) with it. Good for all your reasons, including sopping water. The water carrier in my tin is a Lansinoh breast milk storage bag. Women gave it a thumbs up over Gerber--they say it is more resilient. And Lansinoh actually markets it as such. The idea of using it as the basis for a very clean "bandage" is outstanding! Also, I could see using something like that as the basis for a lightweight kit. My EDC tin is in an old first aid pouch so I can dump everything in it if I have to (the pouch also holds a facemask and 6' paracord); the tool tin is an a 4 x 7 Aloksak, so it's another water carrier and can handle hot water.

I can't assume that if I'm in an explosion or building collapse and end up below ground that bottles of Poland Spring will come with me. But there might be leaking pipes, maybe a coffee urn from the local deli ends up there, etc.

I'm not married to tins...I just think they can come in handy. You can leave them unattended to catch dripping water, make noise, dig if there's too much glass around and nothing else to dig with.

Kathy,

You live in Queens. What the heck could happen?