I´m not Max but yes. A good smack to the head of the fish with a hard object is the last rites one usually does.

As for "communication" look into the Hurricane, wildfire, earthquake and other disasters there have been and their impact - one of the first things to go in any major event is telephone/internet at the local level and is often the last to come back.

Think about 'general' information and where you can get it when the internet is unavailable and cell service is too. The good old standby battery operated radio will still be working. The Conelrad or Civil Defense network was an example of general communication years back and today it is the more general "Emergency Alert System" (google it and check the FEMA website for more).

Point being, having something that will pick up NOAA weather information, local radio stations - all of which will carry EAS bulletins - will give you access to very valuable information that will help you survive and know what's going on.

I saw this 'communications' thing as a serious gap in my planning so I got a ham license and now can use those ham tools along with GMRS FRS and even CB radios to not only listen but to talk back when needed. Yes, I've also got the battery run AM/FM radio too.

Paul -

One important consideration is the bug out mode. Are you leaving on foot, via vehicle, or some other means. There is a big difference between what you can carry on your back compared to what you can stuff in your car....

I like to start with my backpack, which contains essentials, not the convenience items some seem to crave. Basically this means water, and equipment such that one can camp, sleep, fix something closely resembling food, and walk some more. Backpacking and hiking experience and gear comes in handy here.

If possible, my backpack, fully loaded and ready for a walk, is thrown in a handy vehicle which is then supplemented with tools, memorabilia, important documents, more water and chow, pets, etc - whatever is personally significant and necessary for the crisis at hand - your behavior will be different if you are contending with a fast approaching fire versus evacuation before the pending arrival of a significant hurricane or similar storm.

Above all, one must be rational and flexible. By their very nature, emergencies are always somewhat unpredictable.

More and more, i tend to include the means to recharge my electronics - anything from power banks to small solar panels to various adapters. I want to keep my phone and lights up and running, especially my headlamp. Sometimes handheld, it is far and away the best source of illumination, in either emergency or non-emergency situations. For that matter, the "phone" is far more than just a phone for most of us.

Some kind of shelter from the rain--raincoat or tarp--and bug repellent, especially in FL.

I have Ben's 30, Natrapel and AfterBite. I think I have it covered.

Jeanette Isabelle

I see where your confusion might come from.
Herman30 already explained what those last rites are.
In the context of fishing a priest is a blunt force instrument that is used to stun or kill the fish before preparing it for a meal. A good sized catfish might require a solid punch.



When prepared well, catfish is really tasty.

make sure up can pick it up and carry it..no joke.
i went thru the car camping box with the general gear,cooking.lamps,cutting boards,knives,tp,paper towels..you get the idea.
so anyway when I picked it up to stash it away until next spring
I thought it was great that I only had to carry it to the car and
then out to a table in a campground.

FIRST AS TO THE SANCTITY OF THE MAG-LITE: like Jeanette, you will also have to pry mine out of my cold dead hand, It now rests between my car seat and center compartment, upgraded with a Tera-Lux LED and window breaker rear cap.

My 5, C cell version saved my life one early August evening, many years ago. ( Its a shame they discontinued the 5 & 6 , C cell models.) I was a young volunteer EMT, fending off a big 16 year old girl , who had already cut her younger sister to the bone on her right arm. When she reentered the scene, for a second attack, I was bandaging the younger girl. We were both both sitting on the living room couch with a long heavy coffee table in front of us. As older sister charged, screaming , I was caught between them, with no escape and in fear for my patient’s and my life. As I leaned over to avoid the 8” kitchen knife, i backhanded her in the face with my Mag-Lite, breaking her nose and knocking her unconscious. The fact that it was only her nose that got broken and not her skull, was probably due to the fact that I was well leaned-over & off balance trying to avoid the knife. All survived and older sister was arriested by responding police and committed for treatment.

Funny post script: My even younger , brand new, EMT partner, correctly and immediately radioed the Comcen that an attack was in progress. “Ambulance Corps needs help.” But then he added, “SHOTS FIRED!” ( He had no later memory of saying that and denied it until we replayed the tape for him.)

Remember I said it was an early August evening, It was also hot and quiet, emergency wise, in our town and in the neighboring densely packed urban towns. Within one minute the first responding police officer, a friend of mine, ran THROUGH the closed screen door with shotgun in his hands. , racking it as he came to a halt. Within two minutes , there were so many shotguns ( and police ) in that room, you would’ve thought it was duck season!

Jeanette, you had a good solid start on a list and you’ve received many good suggested additions. Experience tells me to also add a deck playing cards & a pocket chess & checker set. Helps to relive boredom and make friends at a shelter. I also have a small , earbud only am-fm Sony Arrmband radio & extra lithium batteries. Too bad they discontinued them. But, I’m sure you can find a replacement. A good book you wouldn’t mind rereading, e.g.The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. And if they’re not already in your BOB , the Collins Gem version of the SAS Survial Guide and the 4th Ed. of Wilderness & Travel Medicine.

Good idea. I do have a deck of cards for playing Solitare. I also plan to get an iPod; at $200 that is at the bottom of the emergency supplies to buy. Someone already mentioned this: include a pen and notebook.


I have a copy of that book in two of my first aid kits.

Jeanette Isabelle