My grandfather worked in Africa, so my mother basically grew up on an "American reservation" and from the time she was 8 she had a bug out bag, and plans for being alone and not alone, and what to do if she couldn't get to the beach (where the US and UK Marines would be landing). There was a grab and go bag for as long as I can remember, and when I was 8 or 9 my grandfather (who insisted I always carry a bag with water, socks, hat, jacket and a whistle when we were in the woods) showed me what could go into such a bag and helped me build my own. I was maintaining my own a few years latter, and now....

*giggles* I don't suffer from this insanity- I enjoy every minute of it. And I will, right until I turn into the smartest, sanest, wisest guy in the room according to the people who think this is a "morbid hobby".