BONY Bag

So next month my step-daughter leaves for college in New York City. Being the preparedness minded guy I am my going away gift for her is a BONY bag - Bug Out New York bag. In thinking about this, knowing her, and doing some research I made the following assumptions:
1. She will not carry around a BOB/EDC kit, so this is designed for a notice event or post event evacuation. In other words it will be stored at the bottom of her closet and hopefully dug out in an emergency.
2. The college has an emergency plan in place to take care of students, which will take care of most normal issues (short term power outages, dorm fire, etc). This kit is for her to use if she has to evacuate the city.
3. It is not designed for holing up and waiting the incident out (for more than 24 hours). I considered such a kit but decided that a)there is very limited room in dorms and b)college students will eventually eat any food in the room, pre-disaster and c)If it is that bad she needs to get to the school shelter or evacuate the city.

With that in mind I built the kit around an old laptop backpack. The kit goes in the laptop section, with the main section empty so she can put in a change of clothes before running. On the outside is a laminated red card that says what to do:
1. Attempt once to call home / text msg home with evac. plan
2. Change into comfy clothes, shoes and socks
3. Put change of clothes into backpack
4. Fill canteen (yes, I didn't put survival water packets in - see assumption 1)
5. Leave

The kit contains:
Can opener
Canteen (fill with water before leaving dorm)
Small roll of duct tape
2 Dust masks
Facial tissues
First Aid kit
Flashlight w/extra batteries
Hand sanitizer
Pocket knife
Map of NYC area
Money
NJ transit ticket to our home station (we live in NJ)
Notepad
Survival Nutrition bar
Pen
Telephone calling card
Poncho
EOD Breacher Bar (also doubles as a defensive weapon)
Radio w/extra batteries
Rope (Paracord)
EMT scissors
2 12 hour chemical light sticks
2 Emergency blankets
2 Scarves (dust/cold protection)
Whistle/compass/matches combo

I didn't put in a subway card because a)they expire and b)she will have one on her normally. There is another laminated card with emergency contact phone numbers and a list of the contents, and a 3rd laminated card with 6 alternate evacuation routes.

Hopefully she will never need it,
-Kurt

You're worried about college students eating emergency food, but not spending emergency money?

You'd have a lot more luck if you built the kit around a Prada BOB.

As there is no practical way to evacuate a city as crowded as NYC (my home town and frequent destination), I suspect people would be hunkering in rather than bugging out in most emergencies. I don't even want to think about situation where they'd try to evacuate Manhattan. Gives me the shivers...

Odds are the school's emergency plan also includes evacuation procedures. As a parent, you might have to work your way up to a dean, but someone will eventually give you that information if you brow beat them enough.

The only thing I did NOT like in this was the whistle/compass/match case combo. It is the brittle feeling orange plastic, with a tiny flint a dry compass ones, right? Those things are the bane of my existence, they wish they could suck. An o-ringed GI type match case works much better, then add a decent small whistle and compass. Heck, one of the better compass/thermometer zipper pulls will be better than what is on the match case combo if it is what I think it is.

Thoughts... put in good socks and a sweater or sweatshirt. Add an electronic light stick, even one of the cheap Garrities- they last longer and can be turned off. Can the canteen take a cup- if so, get one. Spork. Lighter. A AA-powered recharger for her cell phone. Work gloves. Earplugs. Spare glasses if needed, or safety glasses. A contractor bag and a few quart and gallon freezer bags. Photocopies of her birth certificate, immunization record, health insurance card, drivers liscence, school ID if she has it yet, and her passport if she has one. A list of contact numbers for credit card and insurance companies.

I do have to echo CityBoy's thought about emergency money. I was older than most and ready for something to go wrong, and I had was forced to chose between reaching into the emergency fund in my bail out gear or not having wheels. Rural college, you need wheels. Urban college... what would you NEED? Other than bus/subway token or card, and good hiking shoes?

And the big scourge of dorms is illness. She's had her Hap-B and meningitis shots, right? If she hasn't had chicken pox, talk to the doc about the advisability of getting her that one to if she hasn't. Heck, while you are at it, shots for everything, right up to rabies and plague. She'll love you for it :P And a flu shot this fall.

I'll second the shots, although today many colleges require shots

If you don't mind me asking - which borough is the college? It would be very different is she is say, out at St Johns (eastern Central Queens) and say at NYU Downtown

Even though metrocards expire, I keep one around in the BOB - and replace them every 6 months or so (they are usually good for about a year), and then use the card I took out of my gear - cheap insurance

Payphones still exist in a lot of NYC (becoming rare, but not totally gone - thow a roll of quarters in that BOB)

The biggest thing you can give her is "Mindset". I remember the 2003 blackout (or was it 02?). As I walked home, I had water, and a tin of altoids. Got about 4-5 miles into the trip, and I stopped for that bottle of water - boy was it good, and I must have gotten asked 20-30 times where I got it. Had to tell folks "I had it with me" - got another 2-3 blocks, and found a company that had turned on their hose bib for folks to drink - refilled the bottle. Someone had actually asked me why I had not thrown it out..

Oh - there is another item you can add to the BOB (is she actually going to be able to carry this kit?) - a sillcock key. They are used to turn on most "non tamper" hose bibs. (I carry one of those, and in my truck I have a real NYC Fire Hydrant wrench - later that night I was working with the Red Cross handing out drinks/water and we ran out of water - and of course there was no wrench on the truck - they had to send a supervisor with a wrench - yes they are authourized. In fact, the Salvation Army canteens here in NYC actually have Fire Dept placards and numbers, so they can cross fire lines (and have red flashers)

Anyway, mindset, and believe it or not - friends with a compatible mindset. 2-3 people working together are a LOT better than one person working alone. Have her make friends not only with other people in her school, but if she can, some "locals" (heck if it's Saint John's I'm fairly close)

Oh - a few more "mind hints" - if your feeling tired while bugging out - EAT (I mentioned drinking, but I totally forgot about my emergency rations and was beat - when I finally ate, I felt SO much better). If she sees a Salvation Army Canteen or a Red Cross ERV parked, don't shy away to walk up and ask for some water/a snack. That's what they are there for - they will just hand them to you if they have it (I've been assigned as a ham to both - I've NEVER seen anyone charged - although I've heard rumors on the internet). The thing is, don't expect ot see either of them on the road in NYC for about the first 2-3 hours after the disaster - for instance, most of the Red Cross trucks are stored in Queens - they are going to have to get there, and more importantly, the volunteers have to get there (as there is usually 1 crew on duty). They are going to have troubles too

I have read over all of the posts that have gotten here thus far. I too have a daughter in college out of town (LSU/Baton Rouge). I have provided her and her BF with BoB's.

They have pretty much the same gear that you have provided. I hadn't thought about a roll of quarters (which I carry in my BoB) but I will take care of that TODAY, since they are here in town. There are many vending machines around towns/cities and many of them may still be working when a snack or a cold drink would be most welcome. Many soda vending machines now carry bottled water so they could easily supplement their supply.

I think the laminated card with instructions on it is perfect for a young, inexperienced person who might find themselves in a deep doo-doo situation for the first time without Mom or Dad next to them.

That's a good kit. Your child is lucky to have a thoughtful parent like you. Just some random thoughts:

In the summer, the heat, humidity, and sun can be brutal if she needs to do a lot of walking or even just waiting around outside. I'd add sunscreen. A hat might not be something that she thinks to grab when she's gathering clothes if she normally doesn't wear one, although I suppose the scarves (thick wooly ones?) would do in a pinch. Water could be an issue, so just one canteen might not be enough. That's a tough call since water is so heavy. She could tire herself out just carrying extra water, particularly if she needs to hoof it out of the city.

Is she really going to use a poncho during a downpour? She'll be a hip little New Yorker by then, y'know. A small, but sturdy umbrella might be rain protection that she would be more likely to actually use. She could always leave it at her dorm if it isn't the rainy season. I really like my compact GustBuster umbrella. Super sturdy. After every windy storm, the sidewalks and garbage cans are littered with broken umbrellas, so a sturdy one is a must. Oh, and it could also double as sun protection in the summer.

I'd throw in a couple more flashlights, although not necessarily with a full set of extra batteries for each. She'll be with friends, hopefully, but chances are, a cell phone is the closest thing to a light source that anyone else will have. And when you're in NYC during a blackout, there are a lot of situations where you'll be in the dark, even during the day. Extra lights could really be handy for her to give out. Nothing fancy. Heck, even keychain lights would be better than nothing. I could easily imagine her traveling with a group of other classmates from NJ heading basically the same way to get out of the city and light is quite critical.

If they're available for her cell phone, one of those AA-powered external batteries (the Charge2Go is one example) would help keep her in touch for longer, particularly if her phone was already low when she needed to bug out. Personally, just based on my experience living through a number of events in NYC, including 9/11, having a radio to get information and a charged up cell phone to communicate were very comforting. Lack of information and the inability to communicate produce a lot of stress.

I might throw in some more snacks. During a long trek, the last thing you need to be is grumpy and frazzled from low blood sugar and stuck somewhere where you can't buy anything to eat. And again, there's a good chance she'll be with friends who might really need a little nutritional pick me up, too.

Put in more food she wouldn't eat if / until her life depended on it, maybe just more survival bars - whatever she is sure to find gross.

Water treatment supplies.

Multi-tool.

Hide some money inside laminated labels or card; maybe in several places. Do not tell her it is there.

Include a do-not-open-unless-it-is-an-emergency letter. In addition to whatever words of love and wisdom, tell her where to find some of the hidden money.

Keep the location of some of the money out of the letter so you can do something positive to help her over the phone, email, whatever.

Copy of id.

1. What kind of a FAK is it? Does it come with a SAM splint? Moleskin? Anything that could expire?

2. I gotta say, something like pliers and a SAK could come in handy in the Cloverfield scenario you envision. If someone sees a knife in your daughter's bag, she may get in some major trouble. Then again, she's a woman and may not be searched thoroughly; whilst a knife may save her life.

3. Does the roll of quarters come in a leather bag with a lanyard? If not, it ought to.

4. Like ironraven said, that combo thing is no subsitute for a real compass and whistle. I do keep my matches in one, but the fancy stuff is just gravy.

5. Fire starter. It's small, light and it makes sparks. Why not?


Finally, you've got me beat in the storage department: packing all that stuff and leaving room for clothes is impressive.



Sarah, your decision to share the MRE with Greg (who, might I add, slept with Jessica while you were here on vacation last Summer) dissappointed me. I will now withdraw a quarter of my loan to you.

*loud boom from inside the BOB*

I hope that in the future, you will make wiser choices.

Love,
Your Watchful Father

Oh, just thought of one thing to mention that's germane both to girls and to college students.

Do not evacuate, especially on mass transportation, in open-toed shoes or flip-flops. That's a guaranteed recipe for broken/bruised toes or worse.

Have a solid pair of shoes. (Steel toed boots would be nice, but that's surely being overly optimistic.)

Test the batteries every once in a while...

Or just swap them. Have her bring the kit home on the big breaks, and repack/inspect between the semesters.

Hide the cash (small bills) inside items that she wouldn't normally use unless it was an emergency situation. It won't be a temptation, but she should find it when she's into the bag.

If you have friends or family in the area, make sure she has their names, addresses, phone numbers and a map to the places. She really needs to have a destination in mind, she shouldn't be leaving just randomly.

Sue

Hi Sue,

Good idea about hiding cash inside emergency items but ..... I know that when I was a poor college student if I found hidden cash, you can bet that every single item in that BOB would be opened looking for more.

Beer had great influence in those days!

Mike

I didn't see any mention (unless I missed it) of feminine supplies like Tampons and sanitary pads. I also didn't see any toilet paper.

Joy

I have included TP and Sanitary Napkins in the Bob I made for my daughter. The sanitary napkins have a dual purpose of serving both the feminine need and they make excellent medium battle dressings for 1st aid.

Today, I added a roll of quarters and a .357mag/.38spl snub nosed 6 shot Dan Wesson Revolver, as well. I provided .357mag ammo in case they had to Bug Out and plenty of .38spl for home defense and range practice.

I keep reviewing the inventory of her and her BF's BoB to find gaps and fill them.

"... Dan Wesson Revolver..."

A Dan Wesson? I sure hope yours works better than the ones that the CHP tried back in the early '80's!!!

Crank radio that recharges cell phones, maybe has an led light.

Prepaid postcards.

Ah, I would take the revolver out - you REALLY REALLY don't want to get caught with one up here in the (censored) NYC! They can lock you up for 3 years

Hmmm, lots of replies. Let me see how many I can address at once...

Money - I have no hope that the money and nutrition bar will survive the school year intact. All I can do is provide the tools; as with all adults there are consequences if they choose to misuse them.

Choice of equipment - keeping cost and size down were significant considerations. A lot of the items where things I already had on hand or came with other items I purchased. The backpack, whistle/compass/combo, EOD bar, first aid kit, flashlight, etc all were items on hand. If I had an unlimited budget sure I would have made different choices. Another reason I chose an "old" backpack was that it looked old and wouldn't stand out in a crowd.

Immunizations - the school required just about everything you could think of. As part of her regular supplies she is taking other items for keeping clean and avoiding illness as much as possible. On the other hand in close quarters it is somewhat unavoidable.

Socks, etc. I know she wouldn't keep a decent change of clothes in the backpack so the 2nd instruction on the Do these things first card is to change into good walking clothes and pack a change. Will she do it - again she is an adult and I can do is teach and guide. I won't be there to force her to do anything; that is her choice and her consequences.

Where is she - her college is in Manhattan (NYU). Instead of the coins I put in a good phone card. Coins are heavier and can be used for other things. The phone card can't be used. The other reason I didn't put a Metro card in is, well, I haven't been in the city in a while so I didn't have the option to get one. It may be one of the things I add in BONY v2.

Heat/rain - good suggestions about sunscreen, another thing to add in v2. As for the poncho - naw, she probably won't use it for rain. But it has lots of other potential uses in a disaster, and it was free, and it is very small and light. So in it went. The reason I included 2 of some things (like the poncho and emergency blanket - 1 is a cheap mylar the other is a better AMK one) is that she may very well be traveling with a friend and can share.

The flashlight and radio each have two extra sets of batteries. And there are two 12 hour chemical light sticks. If that's not enough light than nothing I can add will be enough. One factor I had to take into consideration was weight. She would be less inclined to carry something that was really heavy.

For v2 I am considering adding more nutrition bars.

I like the idea of don't open unless emergency letter. Will add that in v2

The FAK is home-built. No sam splint or moleskin. I don't have the complete list here, but basically it will treat cuts, abrasions, etc. Not broken bones or extensive wounds. See comments above about weight and space.

The knife is a small swiss army type folder. I want to add a multi-tool but didn't have one available. Another item for v2.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions!
-Kurt

Kurt
Something I put in our BOBs is a pre-paid Visa ($50.00) not much but, it could help. I know I know I can hear everyone saying cash is better but, I think she might be "less" inclined to use the card if it was in there. just my .02

Mike

"...I know she wouldn't keep a decent change of clothes in the backpack..."

We keep a spare change of clothes under the back seat of our truck. Undies, cheap "workout" suit, a couple days worth of personal meds, and some hideout money. All sealed up in a vacuum bag. You might try that with her spare clothes; the bag sucks down small enough to not take up much space, and is just enough of a pain to open that she might not dig into it when she runs out of clean socks or something. And don't tell her about any money you put inside...

Lots of good ideas in this thread.

One note on the radio you've added - if it has presets, maybe you can set them all to news stations. In the '03 blackout, 1010 WINS was off the air once the power went out - but WNYC (public radio) was still working, because they'd installed a generator after 9/11. They were able to put out the word as the story unfolded, with useful information - that the power outage was widespread and not going to be fixed soon. That let me tell several laggers who were hanging around on the subway platform that there was not going to be a next train - and we were able to get out through the pitch-black stairwell in a group with a couple flashlights.

If there are no presets on the radio, perhaps another laminated card with as complete a listing as you can find of likely alternate news sources - many kinds of emergencies will be putting stations off the air. Also, consider stations that are locally run - the Clear Channel and other mega-networks are less likely to have locally relevant information.

Dave

I thought about a pre-paid visa but a)It has the same possibility of it being used for a non disaster as cash and during a disaster the electronic transaction system may be down (i.e. 2003 blackout). I decided cash was more usable.

Good idea about the vacuum bag; if she is willing to give up clothes I may add that to v2

The radio will automatically scan and lock on to a radio station. Hit a button and it scans and locks on to the next station. There is no display screen - only a volume control and scan button. Will have to replace it when radio goes all digital but for now its truly idiot proof. Finding a simple radio was actually the hardest part of putting together the kit. Even the Radio Shacks in my area don't stock them. I pulled this one out of swag I got from a conference.

-Kurt

There are currently no plans to convert radio to digital so I wouldn't worry there, the broadcast radio spectrum is quite small compared to the broadcast tv spectrum so the airwaves would have to be pretty tight to need it.

I'd also think about various ways you could meet her partway on her way home. Many times, just getting across the river is the hardest part and then you can drive to pick her up on the NJ side. For example, taking a shuttle bus from Grand Central or the AirTrain to Newark Airport might be alternative destinations for her to wait for you when the usual trains/buses she would take are suspended or super crowded. Just a thought.

^

I'm fairly sure that in a bug-out-worthy event, Kurt would be half-way there by the time his daughter was finished packing. It kind of goes without saying. Rendervouz spots are a good point, though.



I will not challenge your budget choices(it's certainly not my place to do so), but I do have one objection: if you're going to sacrifice medical supplies, doesn't it make more sense to drop the stuff she can do without?

One of the alternate destinations is relatives between NYC and our house. If she makes it across the river and can't make any of the NJ destinations I already have 3 or 4 meetup points identified. It just became too much info to impart on the destination cards.

Rodion, I'm not sure what you mean re: you comment about medical supplies. If she's not trained or mentally prepared to deal with more than cuts and minor injuries, than having her pack along those extra supplies seemed, on balence, to be less useful. While I could have done so with the thought that someone she was with could use them, I decided (and the FAK container size constraints) it wasn't worth it. Again, I may add some additional items in v2.

FYI - All the items are packed in 3 hard cases inside the backpack (99 cent pencil cases work well) except for the FAK in a soft pouch I had on hand and the dust masks (which came in a hard bubble pack. Makes for less movement and clumping and looks neater.

-Kurt

I think food would be very important in this situation. As most of us know food(especially substantial food) can sometimes be difficult to procure in a dorm room. Bugging out with Ramen noodles(while better than nothing) is just not a good idea. My advice with the food situation is to get a few 1200 cal Mainstay or Datrex Bars. Not only are they amazing survival food but they don't taste that great. She would have to be in a real 'food emergency' to want to tear into those. Anyway just a thought.

Like a lot of folks reading this, I have a fair amount of gear that mostly sits around in various packs and duffles. Under the auspice that "it's better to have it and not need it..." and the fact that messing with gear is more fun than writing reports, I put together another kit based off the BONY bag (thanks Kurt_W!). It rides in a laptog bag along with a laptop, charger, external drives, pens / pencils, etc...and, since I try to travel with carry-on luggage only, be as security-friendly as possible. It's designed to get me to local caches and shelter-in-place locations in / near Los Angeles, Denver, New York, and various middle-of-nowhere places in Alaska, Nevada, New Mexico, wherever. These items (sometimes) get used in every day capacities and supplement what's already in my pockets. The laptop bag is typically near me at all times. Items are listed in no particular order.

In a 1-quart ziploc bag so it can be easily inspected at checkpoints:

Mini-Match magnesium / ferro rod
Pelican mini-flasher 2130
Adventure Lights Guardian strobe light
(I may get rid of the blinky lights and get some Glo-Toobs since I already carry CR123s, but I like blinky lights)
DR eQ multi light
a few differently-sized split rings
a few safety pins
several different sizes of needles
travel pack (10 meters) of dental floss
mini Sharpie
Pack Shack compass pouch - can be attached to the shoulder strap of the laptop bag
cut down Fox 40 whistle (with lanyard, in compass pouch)
2x3 Star Flash mirror (in compass pouch)
Mini-Comp II micro orienteering compass (in compass pouch)
mini-bic with plunger secured by a zip tie
3 cotton balls stuffed into a Listerine breath strips case (decided against Tinder-Quik because I didn't want to explain to security what they're for - thanks, KenK! - I have Carmex, Chapstick, whatever to grease them up)
flattened 1/4 roll of duct tape (it's a lot, but the roll grows smaller as I use it)
~half meter string to be used as lanyard
~20 mini zip ties

The ziploc and contents ride in an Outdoor Products fanny pack (whichever model is the skinny one), along with:

disposable poncho
6 20 cm zip ties
6 meters p-cord
trau-medic and a bunch of band-aids
mini EMT shears
10 MicroPur tabs

I went with the fanny pack so that in the event of an emergency landing / ditching, ala the Hudson River awhile back, I could take some gear with me as passengers aren't permitted to bring carry-ons when leaving the aircraft. The fanny pack should escape scrutiny. It is somewhat bulky for the utility so I may scrap it.

Things already in the laptop bag:

Witz container with cash and encrypted USB drive
a few bucks worth of quarters
Res-Q-Me
bottle opener (can't legally have a multi-tool past the checkpoint)
hand sanitizer
travel pack of Wet-Ones
shirt-pocket size Rite-in-the-Rain
6 CR123s (case is also padded with cotton balls)
nitrile gloves
mini-bic
over-the-counter meds

Things I will be adding to the laptop bag:

an Aqua-Pouch (probably a larger capacity Nalgene Cantene as soon as I trim some of the fat off the current layout)
Green Rescue Laser Flare
a smoke hood (still have to look into the most space-efficient model - recommendations?)
light leather gloves
County Comm's breaker bar (yeah, I know that's not getting through security)
Leatherman Squirt
pre-addressed, pre-paid padded mailer for when I forget to / don't have time to take out the Leatherman when I get on a commercial flight
County Comm's embassy radio
a corkscrew (thanks Equipped4Chicago - Canoedogs - MDinana!)
Night Core D-10 (I'd like to have the versatility of a high-intensity light that takes AAs - thanks whoever mentioned this in a recent thread!)

I should probably do something about food as well...

Specific questions:

If I decide I have room AND can afford it (neither's very likely) I may add a dual-band 2-meter / aviation frequency HT. I looked at what was available several years ago and I wasn't impressed with the reliability. Can anybody make recommendations of models to look at?

What have been people's experiences with having hacksaw blade strikers go through checkpoints?

Does anybody have a recommendation for practical shoes that aren't out-of-place with a suit?

Okay, hit me with your critiques and criticisms. What am I missing? Where am I being silly (stupid)?

How about Escape From New York as a training video?

Yelp,

Nice kit. One thing I might think about (and did when I travelled for business a lot) ...

In airports there are people. LOTS of people.
I would have a couple of the flat folding 3M medical masks in that bag. Some of what we may face is dust, etc from disaster. But also flue scares etc. and transport centers are high risk.

Hope this helps,

Awesome! Never miss the opportunity to train! I'll bundle it with "The Warriors." Thanks!




Thanks, MedB - good suggestions. A couple of masks and goggles (if I can fit 'em) definitely have a place. And some more hand sanitizer - I go though lots of that in airports and on the train.

One very handy item in a Urban BOB (or any BOB) would be a compass. Getting lost in the concrete canyons is as easy as getting lost in real canyons. A compass can (at least) let you know if you are traveling in the right direction in unfamilier areas.

+1! A lot of people assume a compass is only to be used outdoors. But it's very easy to get lost in an unfamiliar city, especially abroad. My compass has made life a lot easier on many occasions even though some of my buddies thought I was a little crazy carrying one in the middle of a city. That is, until we ended up in some maze of poorly signposted streets.

I am glad this thread got bumped up again; it is a favorite of mine and worth reading again.

Another +1 on the crank radio/flashlight. Eton makes one now (FR150) that runs on USB cable, crank, and solar, and has a replaceable battery. It is actually small and shaped like a flashlight (instead of a large radio with a light on it). It has AM/FM/NOAA bands on the radio. You can use it to crank-charge a cell phone, but you don't get much talk time for your effort (I have a phone charger that takes AA's instead). At about $30, it was cheap enough for me to get one to live in my EDC bag.
Eton Microlink FR150

Disclaimer: No affiliation to Eton, just a fan.

I was pleasantly surprised when, after not visiting the forums in a while, I saw my BONY BAG post was still alive. In reading the recent comments there continue to be a lot of good suggestions. But what keeps going through my mind is that when you're doing a kit for someone else you've got to keep their skills, ability, willingness and interest in mind.

For example, I agree a compass would be very useful and I seriously considered putting a real one in the kit. But I know my daughter, and she doesn't know how to use a compass, nor would she remember if I tried to teach her.

Weight is also a factor. I had to balance what I thought she needed vs. what I thought she would consider a reasonable weight to carry.

She is home this semester and before she goes back next semester I'm going to review the suggestions and make some changes to the contents, and post the changes here.

-Kurt

re: Compass. A compass is no substitute for familiarity with the city, and NYC makes it very, very easy to tell general directions. No idea about NJ though, but a heavy duty compass would be quite redundant in the city.

For NYU, when I was there the SOP was for the main gym to serve as the main shelter. During 9/11 students were told to go there, and they were provided with blankets, food, and water. If she ever needs to bug out, tell her to stop by there first and load up on whatever she's missing, maybe leave a message if possible (I *think* that was also the main communications center during 9/11), then head out. I had a few friends who did this, and it worked well enough for them.

Bug out bag. Try to take foods that do not take water to prepare, I see so many bug out
bags with things like, instant oatmeal, hot chocolate & soups. The water should be for
drinking & take vitamins & protein bars. I also take a bottle of fiber, not only is
fiber needed but it also swells for a full feeling. I came across what is called
Lifecaps. They are a capsule that has everything needed to survive without food with
the exception of water. It is full of vitamins & minerals plus Iodine. Anyway, you take
three of them a day & drink water. I can actually take enough food in one backpack to
last 6 months because of these little Lifecaps, protein bars, fiber & water. I will run
out of water in a week so I do carry a small filter & a couple of those straw water
filters that filter the water as you suck.
You do not always have the ability or time to heat water to make soup or oatmeal. Anyway,
after I bought 25 bottles I found a coupon code & bought 75 bottles more. The coupon code
is... healthcap It will get you 33% off. There are also sites that have those filter straws
that are cheaper than any of the stores around here. (SLC) I think they are a really good
idea along with some purification pills. I cannot remember the sites off the top of my head
but you can Google for aquamira filter straw. Aquamira is the manufacture but do not buy
off there site because I have found them for almost 1/2 what they want on their own site
on other sites. Good luck, Gods speed & get serious about your bug out bag!