Greetings all. I am new to this forum and fairly new to the idea of survival prep. I do have some background in protection from people, just not in the larger area of equipped to survive so to speak. I am also a registered nurse with many years of ER experience. Which brings me to my questions.

How much is enough? I have my EDC backpack. I have a larger pack that will get me through 3 days or so. I am not sure though at what point it goes from prepared to overkill. I keep adding things to my bags and they are becoming too full. For example, water. I have seen it suggested that there should be 1 gallon of water per person per day. So for my wife and I 9 gallons should get us through the basic disaster. But Katrina showed us it took approx 5 days to get water to the superdome. So instead of 6 gallons do I store 10? Or 20 just in case? And if 20 why not 25? Same with food.

How about a first aid kit? I have advanced training and knowledge so do I add equipment up to my level of training? If so my kit will be fairly large, to large to carry with me so I have to pare it down some.

Ok I'm new and confused and am looking towards the wonderful community at large to help me with ideas. Thanks Doug for a wonderful resource. You have and will save lives with your work here.

Thanks

Dennis

Welcome to the party Dennis!

Tough question... I'm sure you will get a lot of different answers from different people... Only you will be able to determine what is enough.

Water treatment is probably a good idea as you can carry things to treat water a bit easier than carrying a large quantity of water.

What type of survival situations do you feel you and your family may be in?

Welcome new guy. Don't worry about being confused. Some of us have been here for a while and are still confused.

First, welcome.

Second, get over the idea that you are actually going to carry all that gear and supplies on your back. Think about those kits in the context of bugging in, either at home or at work. I drive a pick-up with a bed cover and keep my 96 hour kit and other camping supplies there. If I'm home I add it to the bug-in supplies. If I'm at work it provides supplies to allow me to wait out a period when attempting to get home would be a bad idea. I don't have to be at work, the truck is nearby wherever I happen to be. The only part of this kit designed to go with me is a Camelbak to carry lots of water and light shelter should I decide to walk home -- <20#.

Bottom line, it's your kit. Take the recommendations as a place to start and tune it to your specific needs.

Hi Dennis, and welcome.

Adequate equipment is a relative thing. Rather than think "What is enough", think in terms of bare minimals. Foremost in any list is useful knowledge and a way of thinking. From there, you consider the types of situations you are most likely to find yourself in that would require equipping yourself beyond EDC, and then think of what is the minimum you would need to satisfy your basic needs. This way of approaching things will yeild a smaller, more manageable list than doing the what if... type of planning, for which an equipment list never ends.

From a minimalist perspective, then, you can determine what you'd need to get by on and then you can, with some forethought and a little practical application, determine what upgrades/additions are going to be the best bang for the buck. You weigh the perceived risk against the additional encumberance factors and you will find that there are a lot of things you think you need but could really do without in a pinch.

It helps to ask yourself once in a while, "How hard would it be if I didn't have a particular item with me in a survival situation?" A lot of stuff comes out of my bag when I do that, especially after hodding a 40 lb bag around all day.

First of all welcome.

Second, I suggest looking at the ETS web site's comprehensive listings where Doug has provided excellent guidelines to get you started.

Disaster Preparedness:
Disaster Preparedness

Medical:
Medical Group

Also the FEMA web site has useful information:
FEMA Plan Ahead

Pete

Welcome!
First, like was mentioned already, think of big quantities as "bugging in" sizes, ie, 1 gallon of water/person/day. No way you want to carry 3 or 4 gallons of water if you bug out. Rather, I have something to treat water in my bag. Now, yeah, you're in Sacramento so your water access is rather limited if you leave home. Head east, hit the mountains, find a nice stream. I've also found that about 2-3 quarts/day is about when I hike, so really, if you bug out you might be OK with 1.5 gallons for 3 days. A lot of my camping is in the Sierras, being from CA myself.

Personally, my house supplies can probably get me through a week. My BOB can get me through 3-4 days of food/shelter, but only about a day of water (Michigan is much wetter).

Don't forget, just cuz you bug out, you don't have to CARRY everything. A wagon or something else with wheels can really help with the load distribution. Or you can grab everything and toss it into your car.

Also, have a plan for where you are going, and then pack accordingly!

As for your FAK, well, I'm a long time EMT. I wouldn't personally pack anything that goes beyond BLS. Less chances of lawsuits, plus if you initiate higher level care, then you can legally only turn over care to someone of RN or higher authority. That means when the EMTs finally show up, you have to go too! Finally, it'll get expensive replacing things with an expiration date. Gauze really doesn't go bad, y'know? Of course that means someone might die, but let's face it, if they're that bad, you're probably endangering yourself and others by taking a higher level of care than the situation can safely allow. As the prehospital folks learn, SCENE SAFETY FIRST. Triage yourself- if you can't be safe, you shouldn't be there.

Hope it's a good start. Welcom!

I have an old cartoon.

Two USAF officers are standing in front of a jet festooned with rockets,bombs,drop tanks etc.
First officer says " The new fighter can carry 300% more fuel, 250% more external ordnance, 200% more cockpit armor and 400% more cannon ammunition. Theres just one problem, we can't get it off the ground."

If 'ignorance is bliss' being prepared can approach a compulsive disorder with back ups to backups until a earthquake will likely crush you under 15 cases of MREs and a dutch oven with 600 matches inside.

You are miles ahead of most people. Take a deep breath and GO SLOW on any additions. You have at least 3 days to think about it.

Yep, no point in a bug-out kit without a place to bug-out to. If you have a place to bug-out to, store/cache supplies there so that your BOB is only needed to get you there, not to sustain you there. I'll leave the FAK commentary to the EMT's here (I learn so much when they start talking shop).

Welcome to the forum, please stick around.

As the others have said, your question asks something only you can answer. The answer depdns on what YOU and those you will be taking care of will need. Those needs can really only be known after they arise. Preparing is trying to anticipate what your needs might be.

So, you need to examine the people for whom your are selecting. How much food and water and other supplies do they need? Don't forget to think about hygeine, medical supplies, with food think of both nutrition (vitamins, minerals, etc.) and calories, shelter, clothing, etc.

You want things to be both enough and flexible. For example, my BOB has a pair of golf rain pants. Water repellent enough to keep me dry, light enough to wear in summer, warm enough for winter if I put a pair of thermals on underneath.

You also need to examine what kind of events could cause you to go to your preparedness supplies. What are the kinds of things that might happen in your area? What are the needs that might arise when those events do arise? How much warnign time will you have if one happens? All of these answers may change your preparations. Most people tend to think of the worst possible events, because if you are prepared for the worst, then you are also prepared for lesser events.

You also need to consider your capabilities. I know of no one who is going to carry a weeks worth of food and water on their back and actually be able to get anywhere. I think some people rule out walking all together, because they do not consider it an option. Don't plan for an escape route that you and your family are not capable of utilizing. Don't plan on carrying what would be too heavy. If you have different plans or levels of plans, plan for differnet kits. For example, if a car might be an option for you, plan on stuff you can take using the car, but also have a plan if the car cannot be used or in case you must abandon the car. Always have a plan for bugging in too, because sitting in your home with your supplies may be the best option.

Finally, if you continue to do this, you will realize there will never be enough. You will never know if you preparations are enough until the peril is over.

One thing you can never have enough of is knowledge, but your supplies and kits may constantly be reanalyzed and rearranged, and thought about over and over again. That's not a bad thing, because thinking about it simply means you are continuing to prepare and that your preparations continue to improve.