Seattle GHB

I have been working on a Get-Home-Bag (GHB) to help me get from my office to home in case of some large-scale emergency. Currently I am living in Washington state and work in downtown Seattle. From downtown Seattle, I am trying to make preparations so that I could hike to my home up north in the town of Lynnwood. To get to/from work, I commute by bus. Via bus, the distance from work to home is roughly 18 miles. According to Google maps, it could be anywhere from 17-20 miles if I have to walk.

Currently I am single, so only have a dog to get home to. (the dog is outside and should be able to survive a couple of days without me) Like I imagine most of you, the reason to walk home is that 1) I don't believe the local authorities can help me more than I can help myself, and 2) the majority of my preps are at home and that is where I want to be holed up if TSHTF.

In the Seattle, WA area, I consider the most likely large-scale emergency to be an earthquake. Other emergencies such as volcano's, wind storms, nuclear/biological/chemical attacks, etc. are also possibilities, but I am prepping less for those specifically.

17-20 miles would be a long way for me. While I know that many of you keep yourselves in fantastic shape and could probably jog the whole way carrying a 100lb pack, I am 50, 250lbs, and (obviously) out of shape. I have no doubts I can hike the roughly 20 miles, but figure I will need to rest several times and also stop to spend the night along the way. So I am planning on basically a 24-36 hour trip with one overnight. It could take even longer if things are so bad that I have to take a lot detours do to damage, or am having to pick my way through broken concrete, collapsed houses, fallen trees, etc.

Also, all of you that can't help telling me I should simply move to someplace safer, or get a job closer to home, I'm basically going to ignore you. Sorry, but that is my own view. I hope the rest of you will ignore as well, rather than start sniping back and fourth.

My plan is to have a GHB permanently stored at work. I carry some basic supplies with me in a backpack on the bus, as well as some other basics on my person. However this post is regarding the GHB I will be storing at work.

Of the fast-and-light vs. slow-and-heavy trains of thought I tend more toward the latter. I am certainly looking for suggestions on stuff I obviously don't need and stuff I may not have thought of. However, those of you that suggest all I need is a poncho, a water bottle, and a candy bar are probably not going make much head-way with me.

Seattle has a fairly mild climate. It occasionally gets down to about 20 in winter (rare) and occasionally gets to 100 in the summer (also rare). I very rarely snows, and when it does it is usually only a couple inches or less. However, it does rain. A LOT! Now it doesn't usually pour rain. Instead it tends to be a very light drizzle which alternates with heavier drizzle and no drizzle. This type of weather occurs 8-9 months out of the year. During this time the highs tend to be in the 40's with lows in the 30's. Getting below freezing is fairly rare as well. As I said a pretty mild climate. With this climate in mind, I am thinking of ways to keep warm and dry or get warm and dry more than dealing with ice or snow.

What I consider the biggest obstacle to hiking home is having to cross the "Ship Canal", which is a canal for shipping which links Lake Washington to the ocean. This is a pretty wide (1/4 mile or more) canal that lies between my office and home. There are several bridges crossing the canal, but in the event of an earthquake, any and/or all could be down or at least closed. There is no other practical land route. If bridges are down/closed (and it would take me several hours of hiking to check them all), then I could possibly swim a narrow section. I am a strong swimmer and have experience with cold-water swimming, but getting warm again after wards would be a huge issue. If I could hire/borrow some sort of boat, I would try that before swimming. Any other suggestions on what to do about crossing this canal would be welcome.

There are no firearms on my list as I don't carry and don't plan on it. I do have a selection of firearms at home, but locked up in a gun safe. I'll probably ignore suggestions to start carrying a firearm as well.

I have considered a bicycle, but don't really have a place to store one at work, even a folding one. However, I consider it a good way to get long distances fast and that is one reason why you will see a bolt cutter at the bottom of my list of items to have at the office ;-)

Since I am thinking that an earthquake is the most likely large-scale emergency, my current plan in the event is to:

a) survive the earthquake (no guarantees there)
b) help, as best I can, those around me (am adding some preps for that)
c) try to evaluate the situation (stay or go. if go, how)
d) hike home if I have to
e) if hiking home, would avail myself of any bus, boat, car, etc. I happen across)

My plan is to have my GHB (as well as other items I plan to have but leave behind), stored at the office in a non-descript cardboard box by my desk. I don't plan to advertise what I have others either.

With all this in mind, here is my GHB. Currently all this weighs in at about 22lbs including water, minus boots/walking stick. Any comments welcome.

*** backpack ***
medium backpack - northface recon
pack cover (for rain)

*** clothes ***
socks, wool 1x heavy, 1x light crew
underwear 1x under-armour boxer
t-shirt 1x polyester
long underwear 1x duofold top/bottom
pants 1x ex-officio amphi

hat - outdoor research seattle sombrero
hiking boots - leather high-top

(the following are packed into the boots)
socks, wool 1x medium
1x 5hr energy
2x pain reliever - tylenol - individual packets
1x potassium iodide pill - iosat 1 tablet with instructions

*** personal hygiene ***
camp towell
sunscreen - travel size
insect repellent - repel 100
lip balm - banana boat
toilet issue - charmin travel size
tissue - travel size
handwipes - wet ones travel size

(the following is mostly if I can't get home or am forced into some shelter)
sanitizer - purell
tooth brush - folding
tooth paste
bar soap in ziplock bag
shampoo
disposable razor
comb
ear plugs


*** outer ware ***
soft-shell goretex jacket with hood
leather work gloves (for dealing with broken pavement, etc)
balaclava
wool gloves
glove liners

2x little hotties (8hr)
1x foot hottie
bandana - cotton

*** food/water ***
food bars (3x datrex bars)
2 ltr's water
water filter - aquamira frontier
water purification tabs - potable aqua
3x drink mix

metal cup - gsi 18oz (fits bottom of water bottle)
water bottle - nalgene 1 litre

3x drink mix
4x tea bags
3x bouillon cubes
spoon - alphalight 7075-t6
fork - lexan
esbit stove with 3x tablets
3' aluminum foil


*** shelter ***
4x8 tarp - coghlan's all purpose thermal blanket
emergency bivy - american medical
survival blanket - american medical large heat sheet
mosquito head net
100' parachute cord
sleeping pad (with stuff sack)

*** firstaid kit ***
basic kit - american medical ultra-light .5
10 flexible fabric band-aids
moleskin
6 blister pack of Pepto Bismol tablets
4 cough drops
4 safety pins - 2" size 3
%potassium iodide pills - iosat 13 tablets
%2 pair latex gloves
1 roll 2" cling bandage
1 ace bandage
10x pain relievers - tylenol travel
2x N95 filter mask
%handwipes - wet ones travel size
knife folding - spyderco finch BY11SBK


*** firemaking/signaling ***
match case, waterproof, orange
windproof/waterproof matches - coghlans
3x cotton balls
striker
stormproof matches - uco
quick tinder - coghlans 10pk
cotton balls
2 birthday candles
disposable lighter
thermometer/compass (clipped to pack)


*** lights, safety, and tools ***
monocular - alpen 10x25
2x green chemical light stick
1x LED 1xAA flashlight - Tank 566
2x AA battery - lithium
LED flashlight (head) 1x tikka plus
spare batteries - 4x AA lithium
spare batteries - 6x AAA lithium
cloth "slow-moving-vehicle" sign - jogalite reflective yield

knife, folding - victronix outrider
wrist strap

walking stick


*** misc ***
am/fm radio - sangean dt-180
ear buds - jlab jbuds
ear phones - coby cve207
1x AAA battery - lithium

cell phone recharger - 120v
cell phone recharger - 12v
usb charger cable

sun glasses
sun glass case
watch - casio f201wa-1a
carabiner - Mad Rock Super Tech Keylock Straight

reading glasses - bifocal
reading glass case

maps - seattle
maps - everett/edmonds/lynnwood

1x 5hr energy
1x gum
3x plastic grocery bags

2x garbage bags
1x kitchen trash bag
twist ties
4x zip-ties - small
4x zip-ties - med
2x zip-ties - large

2x wooden pencil
2x pen
1x perm marker
1x small spiral notebook - 5x3
survival cards
6 rubber bands
cash (see docs/money)
change - 1/2 roll quarters

folding dog bowl - bison travel bowl
leash - 6ft
whistle
spy capsule

safety pins - 2 large
sewing kit - with extra button, pre-threaded needles
3" extra-heavy duty sewing needles
needle threader
15' fishing line

*** docs/money ***
cash - $200 ($1x10, $5x2, $10x2, $20x8)
1x envelope ($1x5, $5x1, $10x1, $20x4)
1x wallet ($1x5, $5x1, $10x1, $20x4)

wallet - nylon
cash (see docs/money)
reading glasses - rescue reader +2.00

usb drive
drivers license
birth certificate
ssn card
family pictures
will
insurance policies
passports
immunization records
bank account numbers
credit card account numbers and companies
inventory of valuable household goods
important telephone numbers
family records
birth
marriage
name-change
death certificates
pet
shots
microchip registration numbers


*** other stuff - leave behind at office for others ***
emergency radio (crank, am/fm/wx, flashlight, usb charger)
8x light stick
2x leather work gloves
4x AA flashlight
6x AA batteries
8x dust mask
crowbar
bolt-cutter
hardhat
tool kit

*** other stuff - leave behind at office for others ***
first aid kit - First Aid Only FAO-442/FAO-452
4 3x3 sterile pads
1 roll 2" cling bandage
trial size Coricidin D decongestant tablets
blister pack of 9 Cepacol throat lozenges
blister pack of Pepto Bismol tablets
Neosporin antibiotic ointment
safety pins
5 flexible fabric band-aids
tweezers
scissors
thermometer
tongue depressors
ant-acid
petroleum jelly - tube
laxative
medicine dropper
moleskin
pain killers
first response aid book
hemostat
disposable scalpel


*** insure I have/get before leaving office ***
wallet
cell phone
keys
bus pass (in case bus is running somewhere along the way)
hat
jacket
fill water bottle (if possible and safe)


Well, there is my GHB. Let me know what you think and let the rotten tomatoes fly.

IzzyJG99 I am not currently on any prescription's, but your point is well taken. Hopefully it will be some years yet to when prescriptions may become a regular part of my life, but good to keep in mind and potentially useful for others who may be reading these posts.

I grew up on the Eastside so I know what your talking about. I think your list is great. Before you mentioned the bridge crossings I was wondering how you would address that, my plan called for borrowing a kayak to cross the lake if the bridges collapsed and I was stuck there. Also the 99 is elevated at some points (i think) so your distances may get longer on detours. Procuring a bike would make things easier for you physically.

You may consider a 'survival candle' to birthday candles, more heat if you can't start a small fire.

Lastly, consider rain pants like Sierra Design for about $30. Even though you have the long johns, those ex-offico's (wore them for years)are not that great for continuously cold weather. The rain pants will help with body heat when not on the move and weather proofing when on the move.

YMMV

Nice list Wolfepack, I see you have a walking stick listed. I injured my foot about 25 years ago and it has a tendency to go out on me after 5-8 miles so I carry a folding cane which is very helpful, I also carry a lightweight, folding 3 legged stool so I can rest when I have to without worrying about the condition of my surroundings.


Kona1

That seems like a very good list and you have put a lot of good though into your needs and the demands of your route. My suggestions would be:

1) Adding ibuprofen if it's not already included in your pain killers category. It can be great for sore muscles and other minor joint pain on a long multi-day walk.

2) Would you consider adding a small can of dog-repellent or pepper-spray?

3) A large Ziploc or two to keep your maps dry.

4) If you are actually considering swimming a (wide) canal, you will want a dry bag to keep your goodies dry.

5) A back-up compass.

6) I would add something more palatable than datrex bars -- but I wouldn't have to carry them as far.

7) I don't believe the Aquamira Frontier is very good at filtering out pathogens and would consider better water purification options besides the Porta-Aqua tablets (such as Micropur). Have you scouted out water sources for your route (beyond the obvious canal)?

Hi Wolfepack - I live in Bellevue (Enatai) near the intersection of I90 and I405, and when getting a certificate in emergency management we studied the anticipated Seattle response after an earthquake - there's lots of stuff you can access to tell you about the terrain around you and what you can expect after a shake. Instead of your GHB, I recommend you focus first on your immediate environment - work and home.

You say you work in downtown Seattle, but that actually encompasses alot of varied terrain with a variety of survivability expectations - in the worst parts of downtown, liquefaction will take place, roads will collapse, gas and power lines will rupture, and your ability to exit your place of work could be hampered. Some structures can be expected to fully or partially collapse around you. Other parts of downtown could be more geologically stable, but with lots of falling windows and building parts to deal with. I don't know where you are located specifically. So, long story short, hang onto your hardhat, rather than leaving it at work - you may need it somewhere else.

Personally, if you work in an EQ-unsafe location, such as below 2nd Avenue in the Pioneer Square area, sing your death song, and praise Allah if you actually survive. Then run away, or get to work helping others as best you can. Instead of starting for home right away, ask yourself if you can bug in at work or in another nearby location, and prepare and supply yourself for that eventuality. Lynnwood is indeed a long way from downtown Seattle, in EQ terms. I work in Redmond, 7 miles over geologically stable ground from home, and in my car is a first aid bag with bulk medical supplies - tape, gloves, kerlix, nothing smaller than a 4x4 - to immediately assist 100 people. That will probably be 1/100th of the people who need it in my immediate area. Which is why I'm working on my employer to cache sufficient supplies to aid the people they employ, many of whom could be major or minor casualties after an EQ strikes. Before you prepare to walk home to Lynnwood, have you asked yourself, are there enough people I know, that I care about, that I will have a major issue walking away from them, in order to get home right away?

On sheltering - rain or shine, don't depend on the city or anyone opening official shelters, unless there is enough cold or rain such that people will be dying that first night. If so, there will be shelters in the most stable structures - Seattle Center, community centers throughout the city, some of the newer construction that can survive a serious shake. People will also be camped out in their yards, or camped together with neighbors in neighborhood parks. I wouldn't hesitate to fall in with some of these folks, as they will have family with them, and there is some personal safety in numbers. Some will also be injured, and could use your assistance if you can give any.

About the Seattle bridge situation - the good news is that in all except the very worst shakes, the smaller bridges will survive, although they may not be opened right away if at all. The predominant design of the smaller neighborhood bridges (Ballard, Fremont, University, Montlake Cut) is a basic bascule, and unless they are open to water traffic right when the EQ happens (unlikely), the spans will survive, but can also be shaken out of alignment, stopping the counterweight from moving until inspected or repaired. Meantime though, the bridge should be in the down position, and aligned more or less with the roadway, meaning open to foot traffic, possibly to emergency vehicle traffic, and after inspection to general vehicle traffic, if there is actually someplace for vehicles to go - with houses collapsed into roadways, the immediate issue is getting responders out of their fire houses (many of which have not yet been retrofitted) and begin to service the community. But SDOT will be working to clear roadways. Expect authorities to at least open a "life line" route between North and Central Seattle (e.g. UW Medical Center to Harborview ER) for emergency traffic only, but don't depend on Metro or Sound Transit to run their buses on it, not right away. The larger bridges are fixed spans, such as the one that carries I5 traffic, or Highway 99 (Aurora Bridge) - those may not fare so well, depending on the magnitude of the shake. I don't recommend swimming any of these waterways - you can probably cross somewhere, or some boat owner *might* offer you a ride across (but don't count on it). Anyway, some of the local bridge plan is recounted at http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bridgeinfo.htm.

If you're headed for Lynnwood, I propose walking up Westlake Avenue from downtown Seattle, crossing the cut at the Fremont Bridge, and heading north on 3rd Ave NW, all the way North to Lynnwood. Its a long hike, but you avoid most of the hills on this route.

Last, a bit of positive news - there's always an epicenter, and if you can survive, you can walk out of the EQ impact zone. Once you get far enough from the epicenter, damage is much reduced, people are mostly uninjured, transportation can persist, and you might even be able to catch your usual bus on its route to take you all the way home. That is, if the bus drivers haven't abandoned their buses to head home to check on their loved ones. Frankly I'm not familiar with Metro or Sound Transit's emergency plans.

Oh yeah, one more place to cross the Ship Canal - Ballard Locks. The actual structure at the Locks is very stable (thank you Army Corp of Engineers), and should survive even if an EQ destroys or every other structure is compromised. This is also the westernmost crossing point, and a little out of your way, so I would at least check the Fremont and Ballard Bridges before walking over to the south end of the Locks. And expect to wait in line, there's only room for 1-2 to walk across the locks side by side. The Fremont Bridge was retrofitted and updated in recent years, and as a 90+ year old bridge nothing is certain, but you can be fairly confident of using it as at least a foot bridge.

Wolfepack, that's a good list. I would only change two things.

Extra socks. Your feet are your lifeline in that situation.

All that info on your USB, couldn't that be a nice gift if someone robbed you? SS and account numbers...

The bridge will be up or it will be down. Seattle sits on eight faults, and each one could probably give different results. A tidal wave could skew even that.

One thing that comes to mind is that some of the people you work with might be traveling in the same direction, a possible asset. Does anyone have a boat moored nearby?

Does your company have any plans in place for a disaster like that? Maybe you could start something. It might be nice to get people accustomed to the idea that they might be taking in coworkers for a few days -- maybe you.

Lono is right, it could be hard to walk away from the people you work with. And if the bridge is down, you might be forced to hang around.

I have a similar, but worse, problem. I drive to Seattle almost daily, but live 85 bird miles south. At least two rivers to cross, if I made it out of Seattle. On foot, almost certainly. Blech!

Sue

A bike would definitely help in getting home quicker (assuming things aren't so bad I have to carry it half the time). I just have not been able to find a reasonable place to store one at or around work. Probably need research that more.

What kind of survival candle did you have in mind? I actually had a 9hr candle in my pack, but decided to replace it with the esbit stove. Do they make small survival candles?

The rain pants are a great idea. I'll check out the Sierra's. I where those same ex-officio's to work everyday. They are water resistant, but only marginally. Given that getting cold if I have to hike in the rain is a major worry, the rain pants are an excellent suggestion.

I have a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. I have ibuprofen actually in my socks as a reminder to take them before I even head out. That seems to help keep me feeling better longer.



This is an excellent suggestion. I'll see about adding that.



Actually almost everything is already in ziplock bags. I did this for organizational reasons, but had the side benefit of helping keep things dry if my pack leaked or accidentally got dunked.

As to the maps specifically, I actually took the relevant parts of a couple of street maps and had them laminated. This way I can look at them in the rain without having to worry about them getting ruined. The results were good, but kind of big. This is something I may have redone. Maybe into a series of 8 1/2 by 11 individual sheets.




This is another excellent suggestion that I have run across elsewhere. I will look into this. My original idea had been to use my garbage bags for this purpose. However, somebody elsewhere pointed out the reason I would be swimming in the first place is the bridges are down. If the bridges are down, than that means the canal is probably full of debris and my garbage bags would probably quickly get punctured. I dry bag would be far tougher and water proof.



Another good suggestion. I originally had a Adventure Medical PSK in my pack, but removed it as redundant. However that had my backup compass that I did not replace.



This was mentioned by somebody someplace else as well. They recommended Tiger's Milk bars. Any other suggestions? Personally I have found the Datrex bars to be reasonably good, though certainly not candy bars.



Hmmm. I don't have any personal experience with filter straws and picked the Aquamira Frontier based on some reviews and price. Can you recommend something you would think is better? The same thing for the purification tablets. You recommend the Micropur's?

Need to start working on my singing voice I guess. I do work in the death zone. Down on Western Ave in an old brick building and right beside the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Actually the building has been reinforced and we are told (if you can believe anything) that while the building will probably lose almost all its outer walls, the individual floors will probably not collapse. Of course the entirely dependent on to many factors, but I am not ready to simply start singing. If I have a chance to survive, I want to make the best of it.



I am not planning on any help from the authorities. For any number of reasons I can see myself getting sent to some shelter, but that is not my first choice. I'd much rather get home where all my survival preparations are concentrated. Getting home is not absolute number one priority though. First is to try and provide some help to those around me. With that in mind, I am stocking a larger medical kit, gloves, flashlights, and some water that others can use and I plan on leaving behind. However, I am probably not altruistic enough to spend all day trying to help. It will of course depend on the situation, but I see trying to help out for maybe a couple of hours, then leaving things in others hands and trying to get home.



That is good news about the bridges. I had actually tried to find out some information on them, but kept running into dead ends. My first choice for bridge is the University as it is the closest going in the direction I want to go. The second is the Montlake for the same reasons. If those are out, then I'll look at the other's. That is one reason I included a monocular in my pack, so I could hopefully get some idea of the state of bridge without having to walk all the way to one.



As mentioned above, my (completely armchair) plan is to take the University bridge and then head for the shore of Lake Washington. Then follow it all the way to the north end and then head on up to the east side of Lynnwood where I live. That provides with a water source, an easy landmark to follow and hopefully keeps me out of the middle of potentially chaotic residential areas. I haven't yet actually walked or driven any of it to see what it really looks like.



If I can catch a bus, great. This is one reason I have my bus pass on a list of things it insure I take with me. I am just not planning on the buses being available. If other transportation methods make their appearance, I am not adverse to them and will take advantage where possible. 20 miles of walking is not something I am looking forward to.

The Ballard locks as way across the Ship canal is an excellent suggestion. It is way out of the way from where I would like to be, but trying to swim is a very, very last resort and would be quite willing to add another 10 miles to my hike to avoid it.

There are three pairs of socks in my GHB. One to wear immediately and two spare pairs. Are you recommending more? If so, how many would you add?



All the data on the USB drive is encrypted. The encryption itself would probably stop most average thieves, but is not intended to stop somebody willing to spend an inordinate amount of time to crack it.



I'm not aware of anyone with a nearby boat. I have thought about traveling with fellow co-workers. There are at least two that normally take the same bus I do and hence live in the same general area. However there are a lot of pro's and con's associated with that. I had actually intended to bring that whole idea up in a separate thread to see what forum members thought. Didn't want to get this thread to far away from the original GHB question.



I'm not aware of my company having any specific plans for emergencies (beyond the usual evac drills). It would be worthwhile asking.

Sorry to hear you live so far out. Even without an emergency that sounds like a painful commute. I'm glad the bus is an option for me, even though it reduces my emergency options.

The walking stick was suggested by a friend of mine. I have never used one for hiking, but thought I would give one a try. A practice run for a couple of miles with my pack and a walking stick showed a couple of things. First, the original walking stick I tried didn't work very well. It was a Stansport folding stick. That model folded up really small and made it easy to fit into my GHB box at work. However I found it was not nearly sturdy enough and tended to come apart at the joints if I swung it hard.

What I did like though, was the walking stick provided me with a measure of self defense (when a dog leaped out at me), provided a way to see how deep some water was before actually stepping in it, and provided a way to whack the forever cursed blackberry vines out of my way as I walked. This last the folding walking stick was particular poor at.

I am now evaluating other walking sticks to see what might work best. Since I will be walking through an almost entirely urban environment, I can't count on simply picking up a dead branch to use.

Greetings Wolfpack,

First off, ETS'ers don't throw rotten tomatoes, that kind of behavior can be found at other forums, but neither the Moderators or the community here will tolerate that kind of behavior, so relax and enjoy. The membership here are some truly great people!

I like your list which reflects a good grasp of reality. As questions began, in my mind, I'd find the answer as I continued to read down the list.

Being about 50 LBS lighter than you but also not in great shape, AND with minimal EQ experience, I would plan on taking up to 72 hours to walk home. It seems to me that if the busses aren't running, a lot of detours will be necessitated.

Being an "icebreaker sailor", I would not attempt any kind of swim crossing. I would look now at any marina's in the area and explore the possibility of hiring someone to take you across. Meet the Marina Owners and explain your concerns and ask them what they think the possibilities are.

I take it that you plan to use the wet ones, as toilet paper??? If not, then you might want to add a roll of "Campers TP". It is a small roll in a clear plastic case. That might be a good idea to add to your "leave at the office" list also.

Water: If you have bottled water at work, I recommend "planning" to add 3-5 bottles to your GHB before leaving the office, to supplement your existing supply.

Instead of carrying the Dog's equipment in your GHB fulltime, perhaps make a Dog BoB which would stay at home with the dog. You could add it to your GHB, if you arrived home and found that ya'll would have to Bug Out because of local conditions.

I like your selection of maps. Do you have an iphone or Droid. They have GPS and other applications that I find will be useful IF the cell towers are working. I imagine that the familiar sights and landmarks could appear radically different or have disappeared after a serious EQ.

Good Luck, in my case, I work hundreds of miles from home, and space constraints have forced me to start leaving my GHB at home and I'm making do with an E&E kit to help me get home, if needed.

Wolfepack, please don't take this as a rotten tomato, but given where you are working I want to emphasize one thing that should be a bigger part of your preparations: you will likely be dead or injured, and less likely to emerge from a typical Seattle quake unharmed and be able to walk home. Sure, if another Nisqually quake strikes 40 miles from us, everything will shake, but also the transportation system will remain intact, so the long walk home should remain academic. And truth be told, many Seattle Earthquakes (TM) resemble the Nisqually - disruptive more than destructive. When we have the serious earthquake we're capable of though, all hell breaks loose, and the rules of architecture are suddenly writ large on the landscape, in new and graphic detail. A building that is estimated to 'lose its outer walls but have its floors remain standing'? On Western Avenue, adjacent to the Alaskan Way Viaduct? Really?? I would be skeptical of that, and fwiw would investigate your building architecture more closely. You may be in an unreinforced masonry building, or it may have received a retrofit, which is good, but recent studies have called into question the adequacy of retrofitted URM structures. After all, your first step is to survive the quake, and get out the door, then down the street, past every other building in your vicinity. That's suddenly a bigger problem than you imagined if you are crushed beneath flood slabs. Your GHB with you. Whoever finds it will likely toss the dross and focus on whatever water, food and first aid survives.

In recent years there has been alot of study of grown motion, ground fault and shaking of different building types - the volume of work is large, and emergency management folks are sometimes working to translate this into reasonable approximations for buildings (by type) in their jurisdictions. A place to start (including bibliography) is at http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/smip/docs/seminar/SMIP02/Documents/Paper6_King.pdf. Somewhat more accessible stuff is at http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1551/ - these are papers from the Loma Prieta, which is only now being extensively documented, but the physics of ground motion are generally constant across environments so there is alot to learn from strong California quakes that resemble Seattle EQs that folks haven't actually experienced in the PNW since white settlement began. Someone though needs to translate this research into reasonable block by block estimates for Seattle, so that people can begin to deal with the reality of where we have chosen to work and live. Its not as difficult as you would imagine, but still a very big task. My sense of the overall impact though is that when the Seattle Fault shakes loose, we will see far more destruction than even the current estimates (2005) imagined. Some very accessible documentation on Seattle Fault scenarios exists at http://seattlescenario.eeri.org/presentations/Ch%205%20Buildings%20-%20Pierepiekarz.pdf, and other docs to review at http://seattlescenario.eeri.org/documents.php.

Liquefaction is a special concern in the SoDo area, but also along the waterfront and Western Avenue, where substantial fill was added in the late 19th Century. Its tough to figure how specific architecture may fare in this very mixed fill environment of downtown - you may be able to spot your exact work location at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1252/of2005-1252.pdf (warning, this is a 46MB .pdf download, very informative but very large).

Quibbling over Datrex or choice of TP on long walks home becomes an interesting intellectual exercise when you work in an old masonry building down on Western Avenue. Your neighborhood will resemble a war zone more than the peaceful waterfront place it is today. Again, if you survive intact the collapsing structures, liquefaction, fires, and a potential tsunami or seiche along the waterfront from the shaking, getting home to Lynnwood will be the least of your worries. If I were you, I would prepare more for personal injury and injuries of those working down the hallway from you, and the distinct possibility that you won't be moving more than a half mile from your work location until someone comes along to evacuate you. You may think and prepare as if you will walk away from your scenario unscratched, but what if you don't? Your architecture tends to dictate this more than your willing it to happen. Bandaids are cold comfort for broken bones and crush injuries. Think kerlix, and splinting material, and knowing how to use them.

Also one more thing on shelters - no one is going to 'send you to a shelter'. You will be fortunate if there is a shelter that you can enter Wolfepack. If its cold and rainy, as it often is in Seattle, you would be fortunate to get in the door, there will be so many who want in. And the folks who run it will treat you with the respect and dignity you offer and that you deserve, although those like adequate post-EQ supplies will be in short supply. I don't pretend to know what you imagine goes on inside a shelter, but its food, water and warmth, which can be in very short supply otherwise. If you choose your tarp and your ground insulation exposed outdoors thats fine, you'll have plenty of company, in those first 48-72 hours they'll be using cardboard and blankets and mattresses and whatever else they can pull from the rubble to make do. Stay safe. Be realistic.

as Lono said add some kerlix, betadine,jell burn pad, SF tourniquet,syringe for eye irrigation... last earthquake I was in was in the Philippines, but a lot of junk fell from the ceiling. I tend to overlook thermal and chemical burns when thinking first aid and they are very debilitating to travel. A small folding hack saw is in my GHB in case I need to open a chained gate. Since you have decided to forego firearms, I think I would store something like a small tomahawk head (hawking stick)or weighted mass that could turn you walking staff into a defensive tool. Might add a foil pouch or tin of tuna, eat the meat and use the remaining oil to heat some water, save the esbit tabs. You might think about pre dressing your feet with some duct (duck) tape... works well for our cross country team. regards Les

The more I have thought about what might occur during a large-scale emergency, the more problems I keep thinking of. I think your are probably right that I should be thinking in terms of 72hrs to get home rather than my original optimistic 24-36hrs. Unfortunately, that likely means more weight for the pack.



This is why I post on forums. Not only do you get great feedback, but it makes you think more about your own plans. The more I think about my idea of swimming the Ship canal, the dumber it seems. Cold water, long distance, debris, keeping my stuff dry, etc. It was always intended only as a last resort, but I should probably just rule it out entirely. I am certainly open to other transportation and thought I would walk my first leg along Lake Union to see if I could find anyone I could hire to just give me a ride across the canal, or better yet, all the way to the north end of Lake Washington.



Actually, there is travel toilet paper in my GHB already. The "Wet Ones" were intended as a ready made cleaning cloth I could use to clean the worst off of wounds, clean my hands if they end up with blood, filth, mud, etc., and other general purpose cleaning. Nothing special about "Wet Ones", any prepackaged, travel-size, cloth/cleaning solution would do. Your suggestion about leaving some toilet paper at the office when I leave is an excellent one. Also a large box of cleaning wipes would also be good.



We don't have bottled water free for the taking at my office, but there is some in the vending machine I could "acquire". I was planning on having a couple of extra bottles of water in my GHB box to leave behind along with the medical supplies, gloves, flashlights, etc. I'm very concerned about weight. Adding 3-5 additional 1 litre bottles would add 5-10 additional pounds to my pack. Do you think it is worth the extra weight? My planned route home was along a lake where I could pretty easily filter/purify water as I went.



My GHB is really intended only for getting home from work. It is not intended as a BOB. I have a much better equipped BOB at home which does have dog stuff as well. The dog equipment in my GHB (collapsible bowl, leash, etc.) is probably mostly an emotional thing. If I happened to have my dog at work, I would have a basic prep. If I ran across some "eligible" dog on the way, I could take it with me. (I would do my best to find the dogs original owner once I was home) Though possibly hard to tell from my original post, I do really like dogs, and the idea of having a dog with me on my trek home would bring me a lot of comfort as well as potential security. Also the bowl is potentially useful for dipping water if I don't want to expose my cup/water bottle for some reason. The leash is a short, potentially VERY strong rope that could be used where it might take a lot of paracord to accomplish the same thing. These last are mostly rationalizations, but like I said, the dog stuff is less logical and more emotional. I should probably apply a little more logic to it.




I had not thought of the GPS aspect of my cell phone. Currently I don't have that service turned on, but that could be really useful. Especially if it is a true GPS and not based on cell towers. Yet another great idea to investigate.



Sorry to hear your work takes you so far from home. Lets hope that neither of us has to make use of the preps we are putting together.

Wolfepack, you've got a pretty good and comprehensive plan. Here's my 2 cents: Some real-life first-aid training or at least read a good mannual and watch the Tactical Medical Solutions vids on U-Tube. More bandaging material, especially 2 "Izzy" battle dressings. A small survival/first-aid mannual. A good all-purpose sheath knife. My favorite for a GHB is the Gerber LMF II. A Katadyn water purifier bottle and a Ti cup fitted on. Even better would be a General Ecology XL pump water purifier. A couple of water filled, wide mouth Nagalene bottles. Not just pepper spray, but a medium sized can of bear repellant pepper spray in a nylon belt holster. As to a walking stick, I suggest an oak Canemasters crook neck cane, fitted with a convertible rubber/metal point tip (available from Leigh Valley or Treeline) along with a basic video on its use. Canemasters will install the tip, for a fee, if you send it to them with your order. Finally, as to cash, is it $200 or more? I'm not sure I understood your post. $1000, broken up would be best. P.S. Forget swimming! In case you ignore this advice, add 2 airline type inflatable vests. One for you and one for your pack. Best of luck.

Murphy's Law abounds. Don't ignore possibility that in your #1 scenario (earthquake), power loss could shut down vending machines. If your workplace has back-up generator(s), will they power essential functions only (to exclusion of vending machines)?

I guess I am not quite sure what you are recommending I do in place of or in addition to my get home plan. While there is probably a 75% chance I won't even survive a major quake, or maybe a 90% chance that even if I do survive I will be to injured to go anywhere, I'm not just going to say the odds are bad, I'll do nothing. (those percentages have no basis in fact, but are what I mentally picture). I can't do anything about improving the survivability of the building, nor do I have much say in where I am located within the building. The best I can do is try to be aware of the building and have some idea of where major supports and exits are. I was not thinking of EQ dangers when I took this job, though it will probably be a factor in future jobs. Leaving this job for one better located is probably not a real option at this time. Heck, I feel lucky to have a job at all in the current economic climate. I can see that laying in additional preps to deal with traumatic injury would be good. However, if I am the one with the traumatic injuries, then all else is probably for naught. I am certainly not so far detached from reality that I think I can still make it home if my legs have been crushed. If I am badly injured, then I am going to do what I can for myself and then try to survive long enough for some sort of help to find me. I imagine if my injuries are really serious, I will die waiting the 3+ days it might take for somebody to get to me, but I'm not just going to give up.



Thanks for all the links. I do like having information. Will look through all of it when I get the chance.



Your point about having more trauma supplies and knowing how to use them are good ones and will beef up my work kit in that area.



My images of shelters are probably entirely incorrect and are mostly based on media coverage of the Superdome after hurricane Katrina. Most people I talked to have all said they would rather be on their own then endure that. Beyond that probably hugely incorrect image, I have no idea what a shelter might actually be like. In the case of a large-scale emergency like a big earthquake that may displace tens of thousands of people, I can't imagine anyplace much beyond a big stadium where authorities could put that number of people. As I said though, I have no real facts to work on when it comes to large-scale shelters.

The additional trauma medical supplies and some training are good ones and I will work on that. I like the idea of adding some mass to my walking stick to make it a better defensive weapon. I am not quite sure your intent with the tuna. Are you suggesting this in place of the esbit stove or as some additional supplies?

The idea of "pre-dressing my feet with duct tape" is something I have never heard of. Actually I am not even sure exactly what you mean or what it is intended to do. I have heavy hiking boots with my GHB that I plan to change into before leaving the office. If I can't get to my boots, I probably can't get to duct tape either. Likely I am simpl not understanding what you mean. Always like to hear about new ideas.

Agree on additional medical supplies and training. My two first-aid kits (one to use/leave at the office, one to take with me) both come with first-aid manuals. My deck of survival cards, while sounding cheezy, has some good survival related info on them. A bigger first-aid book for the office is a good idea. Though at the rate the suggestions for first-aid supplies for the office are piling up, I might as well open my own trauma ward.

The walking stick is something I am still investigating. Will look at Canemaster you suggested.

As to cash, sorry if I was not clear. I have a total of $200 split into two $100 groups stored in different places in my GHB. My GHB is only intended to get me home. I have a bigger and better equipped BOB at home. $1000 in cash would be great, but I certainly can't afford to have that amount of cash just sitting idle at work for the next 10 years. Personally I think the chances of my GHB being stolen while it is stored at work are much higher than any emergency big enough that I would need the GHB. Just my own personal view though. Now if you happen to have an extra $1000 you could lend me, lets talk!

The "acquire" was my subtle way of saying break into the vending machine in any manner feasible and take anything I really needed or could be used by others. Wouldn't be my first choice, but if the supplies are needed (not just desired), then I'm not going to let a little thing like lack of electricity stop me. Murphy does live and will be king during any SHTF scenarios!

Your initial gear list includes Sangean DT-180 AM/FM radio. Since information is king during emergency, and timely travel-route info is particularly crucial for you (identifying open bridges), would you be better served by substituting a small handheld multi-band receiver (providing access to more than just AM/FM ... police, fire, emergency responders).

Others living in your area can better comment on real-situation benefit, or does it merely sound good 'on paper?'

The George Washington Memorial Bridge probably wouldn't survive a major earthquake as it looks to be of a similar design to the one that fell down a few years back in Minneapolis. The Fremont Bridge looks to be a better bet and you should have somewhere to sit whilst you ponder how to make the crossing unless of course the Tsunami has swept it away.

Looking at the distance the swim would take to cross the canal from Google Maps looks to be about 50-60 metres so looks quite doable.

Wolfepack... the tuna oil comment was from my Boy Scout years (about 50 ago) I was fortunate to have WWII combat vets as scoutmasters, and a couple of things stuck with me over the years. One was care of your feet... the duck tape is proactive...apply duck tape to areas of your feet eg. heels, large and small toes, outside of foot where there is a probability of blisters occuring, especially if you are not accustomed to long treks before you depart. The tuna thing was to eat the tuna (back in those days most all canned seafood was in heavy oil)and then add some form of wicking to light the oil...we also carried a coil of paraffin filled corrugated cardboard in shoe polish tins that we used with GI metal canteens and canteen cups/stands for heat (we had a habit of planning outings in the rain). A $.12 block of paraffin was usually enough fuel for the weekend camping trip, though we typically built a traditional cook fire. regards Les

I had no idea that scanners were so small. I am less sure about the $300 price tag, but I can certainly see using it for a lot more than just getting home. One reason I did choose the Sangean DT-180 was for the small size, standard batteries, and great battery life. It is hard to tell from the pictures of the rx7, but it looks like it is about five times the volume and twice the weight as the DT-180. Also I can't tell if the AA battery pack replaces the internal rechargeable battery or is an external add-on. I do fully agree that I would prefer all the information I could get. Based on size and price I may rule it out for a GHB, but might be a good addition to my BOB/BOV. Are there other cheaper and/or smaller portable scanners out there? Don't know anything about this area. Thoughts from others on size/price/info trade-offs of a portable scanner for a GHB?

My preferred bridges would be the University or Montlake bridges as they are closest to my preferred route home. Any info on how likely those are to survive an earthquake?

It is amazing what you can do with google maps. That is an excellent place to sit and ponder the best route to cross the river. I'll have to check that place out first hand. Did you stumble across that park bench or are you familiar with the area?

I'm not sure that tuna oil makes a better stove than an esbit tablet, however the idea of having something like a can of tuna available to eat before I start out for home has a some merit. High quality proteins and some fats should help sustain me for a longer period of time. Course, I'm not quite as sure about starting out my march with the taste of tuna in my mouth. Though I am sure that will quickly be the least of my worries.

OK, maybe I'm getting a little carried away here, but in the spirit of 'what ifs' since crossing that water is vital to travels home. I see on Google maps what appear to be numerous small-boat slips scattered along the canal. Are you familiar with the area? Any sense of likelihood a small boat -- not necessarily powered -- might be available to 'borrow' in emergency situation (even a serviceable rowboat), or is that area likely to be a high-visibility beehive of activity post-earthquake?

As an afterthought -- speaking to the 'should I attempt to swim' question -- have you decided on a water-tight bag for your gear-pack? Is the likely crossing-point narrow enough that a water-tight bag would be a viable flotation device? How are the currents there? Water temperature? Lot of boat travel (especially in emergency situation) that would make water-crossing even more perilous?

I would like to clear up some of the misconceptions of the Seattle Ship Canal - near the Fremont bridge its narrow, as little as 30-40 meters, and not terribly deep, but its moderately cold water - swim it, and you need to dry off afterward, a nice trick in October-May in Seattle. FWIW I wouldn't swim it on a dare in August. There is no current, and plenty of pollution - not to mention that after an EQ event, raw sewage is expected to spill into the Canal and Lake Union from ruptured lines in nearby Ballard and Lake Union neighborhoods. But its generally not necessary to swim - the Fremont bridge should still span it, and the Ballard Bridge, and maybe the University Bridge and the Montlake - although the University risks collapse from the I5 Ship Canal bridge collapsing overhead. Of these, the Fremont bridge received the most recent retrofit designed in part to secure the bridge's sideways motion in the event of an EQ, and keep it intact. The Ballard bridge is a double bascule, and the University Bridge hasn't had the retrofits yet (I think), and the Montlake won't be retrofit until later when they finish the Sound Transit rail line across the Montlake Cut. Given their overall distance from the Seattle Fault though, most or all of these spans are expected to survive an M6.5. If we're hit by an enormo subduction zone (e.g. along the Pacific Coast, 200 miles away) EQ, which is probably overdue, all bets are off apparently (no engineering studies conducted for that).

As for boats to carry you across if there is no bridge, maybe - but you have to think like the walking refugee that you are. If you're walking north, so are thousands of others, and the first refugees to spot an opportunistic row boat will have already rowed it to the other side. The best you can hope for is someone who willingly stays in their boat, ferrying passengers across. In Seattle that's the nice thing to do, and increasingly it would be the Seattle thing to charge a ferryman's fee (Nordstroms clothing didn't get their start in the Alaska Gold Rush, they made their early fortune selling grubstakes to miners). It would be an unusual situation for someone to sit on their boat providing that service to strangers.

As for tsumani or seiche risks in the Ship Canal, the data is mixed but tends to minimize possible damge, or loss of life anyway - as you can see on this 2003 Tsunami study of the area, the Ship Canal imposes alot of deflection on incoming waves, so the odds of a tsunami impacting the ship canal doesn't seem high. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/pubs/PDF/wals2794/wals2794.pdf However, seiche studies (sloshing from distant EQs) record historical impacts on Lake Union and Lake Washington, the bodies of water immediatley inside the Ship Canal, and the record M9.2 Good Friday (Alaska) EQ in 1964 ripped Lake Union houseboats from their moorings, but caused no injuries. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20021104&slug=quake04m. More recent studies though show that a tsunami originating from the Seattle Fault itself could cause a significant tsunami, wasting for instance the building that Wolfepack works in along Western Avenue, within minutes of the EQ itself. As I said, his work neighborhood will resemble a war zone, and his best bet may be to climb for his life up the hillside, obstacles and landslides permitting. And his climb is complicated depending on how near he is to the Alaskan Way Viaduct, a 1950s era structure that will at best pancake but at worst may fall sideways, toppling and crushing adjacent structures. But you don't need me to fill your head with scary visions of the EQ future for the Viaduct, local politicians have been doing that for years, to the point that Seattle has decided to drill a *tunnel* to replace the viaduct, despite all the soil studies indicating it to be expensive, possibly impossible, and incapable of surviving any sort of EQ. But that's political, and I digress...

This idea of a life line across the Ship Canal is a very real one for emergency planners - the only Level 4 Trauma Center in the PNW, Harborview, is located south of the Canal, whereas a fair number of the injured will be located North of it. So you can bet that it is a priority to secure a crossing point just as soon after an EQ occurs, and survivability has had some priority in SDOT's engineering plan.

Wolfepack mentioned he thinks of the Superdome as a model for future shelters - we don't have a Kingdome (enclosed stadium) in Seattle anymore, and the football and baseball stadia are on some of the most compromised and prone to liquefaction ground in the entire world - worthless as potential shelters. The plan is to employ city parks as temporary shelters, similar to what you see on the TV from Haiti. A certain number of enclosed shelters will also be opened in secure buildings, meant primarily for wounded in Alternate Care Facilities. For the most part, instead of some enormo stadium sheltering folks, they will be directed to neighborhood parks, which will each shelter 200-500 people at most, but there should be alot of them. Again though, alot of the shelter inventory (cots, blankets, supplies) are pre-cached north of the Ship Canal, although I believe they have relocated some of it to south of the Canal since we last looked at their plan. Anyone who actually lives in Seattle knows that sleeping in a park surrounded by 400 neighbors and residents is about as safe as you can get - folks who assume otherwise must not be from around here. But if you don't like the parks, look for a church or business that's intact, and ask politely to be let in, odds are on your side. That's Seattle Nice for ya.

Wolfepack...Sorry to have misled you with only part of the story... the tuna was cooked with some Uncle Bens converted rice + chicken bouillon cube (stored in 35mm film cans). Made a nice mid day meal and cooked fairly quickly. IIRC the little esbit tabs were found in the miniature model "steam engines" and too expensive for us to use...we used the cardboard/paraffin or paraffin/tuna oil for fuel....our tent lights were home made candles in Gerber baby food jars... regards Les

It has been a while since I researched the Aquamira Frontier but I believe I found that its filter size was just too big to catch many of things you would be trying to avoid. The ETS gear section written by Doug Ritter has some good advice on water filtration and purification. (see http://www.equipped.org/watrfood.htm ). In your situation, I would look for a filter that also had an charcoal element that would help with chemical pollution as well biological threats.

Having said all that, my own 'hands-on' experience with water filters is limited. After doing my research, I ended up buying a then new product that was designed for military use. It never found any success in the civilian market place and I've never seen any independent reviews of its capabilities so I shouldn't recommend it. Like many other filters, it is used in combination with Porta Aqua or other purification tablets to ensure protection against the smallest and hardiest nasties.

My preference for the Micropur tablets is based on its packaging, unique EPA rating and supposedly better taste. They are however more expensive and Porta Aqua tablets will get the job done. My main concern with them was that once the bottle was open, shelf life was reduced quite a bit. In your situation, this probably does not matter.

Finally, I'm not familiar with Tigermilk. Within reason, I like Cliff Bars but as you said, they still aren't as good (tasting) as candy bars.

Lono, thank you very much for that detailed information. I'm printing it out and putting it in my work van.

Do you happen to have any info or links on getting from South Seattle through Tacoma?

My usual work area is between Centralia and Balmer Yard at Interbay, so you can see that my survival during a shake would be iffy, and getting home, well... what's half a notch below 'impossible'? I guess it would all be in the timing. I hope I'm at home, throwing the ball for the dog the field if it happens.

Thanks again!

Sue

Hello wolfpack and welcome to the forum.

Just wanted to jump in here with a few comments.

In my opinion, I would leave the cell phone chargers, and the high visibility vest out of the bag. Based on what I have read, you are preparing for a true SHTF situation. My guess is that cell phone towers will be off line along with electricity. I am also of the opinion that you should adopt the "grey" man mindset when you travel. Don't stand out. Move quietly and get home quickly, hence my thought to leave the vest. I would suspect that in the SHTF situation that you are describing, there are going to be a lot of people who will want what you are carrying in your pack. Might want to think some more about security. Again, just my opinion. I would also throw in a few coffee filters. You can use them to filter out some of the nasties in the water (bugs, mud, etc....) before you use your water purification system.

On a slightly different note. You stated that you are somewhat out of shape. Is it permissible to wear your boots at work? My thoughts are that if you can wear them to and from work you will keep them broken in along with having your feet used to wearing them. Starting a 20 mile trek in new boots just doesn't sound like a terribly good idea. Also, for a little extra exercise, could you add some weight to what you are currently carrying and get off the bus a stop or two earlier so you get a better walk? What I have done in the past when training for a long hike is to take several water bladders and fill them up and toss them in the pack. This gives you the option if you find that something doesn't fit right or you have bit off more than you can chew then you can just dump the water and lighten the pack to finish up.

Best of luck.

LW

There have been several suggestions to drop the cell chargers. I'm still mentally debating this. Probably more of an emotional rather than logical debate. The only real thing that doesn't make me dump them immediately is I purposely selected very small, and very lightweight charges. The two chargers together plus cable are only about the size of a deck of cards. Altogether they only about about 2 oz. So I don't save a lot of weight or space by jettisoning them. Like I said, I am still debating. I'll add your vote to the "No" pile.

As to the reflective vest. It is actually a small (6"x6") reflective cloth triangular slow moving vehicle sign. It consists of just the triangular sign and waist belt. (originally there was also a flashing bicycle tail light for the same purpose, but a friend of mine convinced me to drop that already) I have used this reflective sign in the past to strap around my pack to help drivers keep from hitting me on the narrow, winding, shoulderless road I live on. It works well, weighs nothing, and takes up no space. My intention was leave it inside my pack and only use it if I reached an area that still had moving vehicles. It would be used only if I thought the situation warranted. I would hate to survive a major earthquake, hike 20 miles home, and be killed a block from my house by a panicked driver racing to get home to their cat. Especially if, as is thought, damage up north of Seattle could be considerably less than to Seattle proper. Of course if cars are moving, I may decide to flag one down and try to get a lift. In that case I could also use the sign as a signal.



Yes, I can and have been wearing my boots to work. As you suggested, I have been working on breaking them in this way. They are to heavy and hot to want to wear all the time though. Funny how they feel fine when hiking all day, but feel heavy and tight when sitting at a desk all day. AI t some point will just leave them at work so they are ready to go. Wearing them once a month or so to keep them broken in and to keep my feet used to them is an excellent idea though.

As to getting into better shape. Using a farther bus stop is an excellent easy to do suggestion and one that I am already doing. There is one bus stop 5 blocks away, and a second seven. The one I go to is 14 blocks. About 3/4 of the distance is up the fairly steep hills we have in downtown Seattle. I also try to take the stairs up and down from the ground to my 5th floor office. Actually I go to the 7th floor which is as tall as my building is. (though I am much less consistent about this) I can definitely tell it helps.

A backpack is my bag of choice for going to/from work. What with various EDC items, water, books, etc. it usually weighs between 12-15 pounds. Adding another bottle or two of water would get more into the range of my GHB. Good idea. In addition to walking and stairs, I also play B level volleyball 2-3 times a week. All of it helps, but it is not like spending an hour at the gym, running 5 miles, or biking 20 five times a week. I'm not a total couch potato, but I certainly couldn't climb five 14'ers in Colorado before 1pm like used to do when I was 30.

Your idea on the coffee filters is another excellent idea. That is something I have run across at various times but had forgotten about. Thanks for the reminder and will add the coffee filters.

Keep all these great ideas and opinions coming. I like having lots of ideas to think about and decide among.

My .02: Keep the phone chargers. Many, if not all cellphone towers are designed to stay upright during ground movement, and have backup generators. If there is not enough signal for cell conversations there may be enough for text messages. As you said, the size and wieght of the chargers you have is small enough to keep with you. Just try to keep the phone charged at all times so you don't get stuck at the beginning with a down battery.

You may also wnat to be visible at times, you mentioned traffic. If you can't get out of your building,you can use it to mark your location for rescuers. There are other scenarios where you may find it useful. If you don't need it or want to remain "gray" just keep it in your pack.

Get in shape now. You've already started on that, but try a walking/running program and try to up your upper body strength. Depending on the damage in the city and what you have to do to "escape" to your home, you may have to be stronger than you are now.

Do a dry run or two. Pick a weekend and have someone to support you with a car and do the walk from work to the house. Break it into several sections for several weekends if you have to. The purpose here is recon, not to get into shape. You will find out what obstacles are, or could be, on your planned route and where you may have to change your plans. You will be able to see which bridge is your best bet, or where you might be able to "acquire" alternate transportation. You will see if your chosen gear will actually be worth carrying or if it is just crap. Maybe speak to business owners on the way before hand to establish sleeping/resupply points. It will also give you an idea what you are actually in shape to do and allow you to have a more realistic time table.

I would also add a small, flat wrecking bar to your pack. It will make it easier to get into the vending machine at work

"I would also add a small, flat wrecking bar to your pack. It will make it easier to get into the vending machine at work"

DO NOT make a dry run to see if it works!

Back to the socks... I didn't see that you had four pair, that should be enough.

Pack whatever you think you'll need. You can always go through your stuff after the event (such as when you're resting, or waiting for daylight to start) and leave behind what you aren't likely to need. Leave it in an obvious place, someone else might have a use for it.

Sue

Good ideas on the practice runs home. I had thought about it, but had not considered doing it in sections over a couple of weekends. That sounds much easier to schedule.

I already have a full-size crowbar as part of the gear I have at the office. The idea was to use it as needed there, then leave it behind. Are you suggesting a smaller wrecking bar to add to my pack to take with me on the trip home? This was something I had thought about before, but decided the weight of anything big enough to be useful would not be useful enough to actually carry. The tiny key-chain and 6 inch pry bars I ran across just seemed to limited for the situations where they would work, but something else improvised would not.

14"-16" flat wrecking bars are available at home improvement stores, look for the "Wunderbar" or some such. They are flat and meant more for prying than anything, but they would be good for the vending machines, prying open building doors, locks, car doors, busting windows if needed, fending off dogs or two legged varmints if you don't go with the walking stick, etc. They weigh about a pound or less and should fit in your pack without taking up too much space.

A lightweight single man tent would be much more substantial, such as

http://www.outdoorworld.co.uk/aztec-rapido-tent-p-38.html

The modestly priced Aztec Rapido weighs in at 1.6kg but gives lots of space, protection from the elements (wind and heavy rain) and some privacy. Lighter weight single man tents are available just around the 1kg mark but are somewhat more expensive.



A more substantial water filter could prove invaluable in an Earth Quake situation, such as the Lifesaver bottle as long term potable water might not be available for many weeks.

http://www.lifesaverbottledirect.com/

3 Esbit tablets although very lightweight will only boil around 1-1.5 litres of water. A gas cartridge stove and pot systems such as

http://www.planetfear.com/articles/The_2009_Mountain_Marathon_Kit_List_1037.html#csp

will allow approx 10-15 times the volume of boiled water for an additional 250-300 grams weight.

Perhaps throw in a couple of these into your GHB

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Spirits/Greenalls_Gin_And_Tonic_250ml.html

Helps you relax after a potentially very stressful day.

Here's my $0.02 worth.

Remove shampoo, use bar soap period. I hate it when they leak all over.

Add swimmer's goggles for eye protection. They're small and lightweight. You have N95's but you may need some dust protection.

Double your number of garbage bags. If you need to go swimming it would be better to double bag your gear. You never know when the other two could come in handy for a multitude of things.

Consider adding a couple of aspirin tablets. With the stress of such an event you never know when you might need them to survive a heart attack. I'm over 50 too and I always carry a couple, just in case.

Overall I like your thinking. As a parallel, I am putting together something similar. But I have one advantage in that I have a car that will serve as a rescue ark. My office bag will be strictly used for getting out of the building and to my car.

Had not considered the leakage factor on the shampoo. Have been reconsidering the whole personal hygiene kit, but just using bar soap would be an obvious choice.

Hadn't thought about swim goggles. I added some work goggles to my "use and leave at the office" equipment, but hadn't really thought about uses outside the office. I like the swim goggles better than the work goggles. Less space, less weight, better fit. Maybe more likely to fog up, but maybe not.

You'd go for four of the large (50 gal) garbage bags? I know they have a multitude of uses, but they are heavy. At least the ones I have. My two 50 gal, two 30 gal, 6 zip ties and few wire-ties weigh in at a pound already. Did you have other uses in mind?

I also had not thought about pure aspirin as a heart-attack preventer. Would you just use if you felt you having a heart-attack or take a tablet every four hours as a preventative? I had planned on taking some ibuprofen before I started out to help with muscle soreness. Wonder if aspirin would accomplish the same thing and serve a dual-purpose in helping the heart. Ibuprofen and Tylenol are the only things I have tried for preventive muscle pain. Maybe I'll give aspirin a try next time and see if it seems to work as well.

Glad to hear you will have access to your car. That gives you a lot of options. Thanks for $.02 worth. (Hmmm. Wonder with inflation, how long it will be $20 worth.)

Consider the trash bags as a trade-off for the shampoo. I've used them as a ground cloth, poncho, tarp, waterproof cover for things to stay dry, and someplace to put wet things. I've even used them as waders crossing a stream. You could use it for a rain catcher, solar water still, gaiters, or waterproof socks. You're only limited to the materials at hand and your imagination.

As far as the aspirin goes it is for emergency use only at the onset of symptoms. My pain relievers of choice are ibuprofen and naproxen. I take naproxen before I do something that I haven't done in a long time. It reduces down time for me. Ibuprofen for general aches and pains. Acetaminophen doesn't do anything for me.

Ask your doctor if he thinks an aspirin regimen is appropriate for you. This goes along with any other medications that you may need.

With inflation I think it is down to $0.002 now.

A few comments on your first aid supplies. While I’m a fan of the Adventure Medical Kits and have several of them including the larger fundamentals kit that I keep in my SUV. I’ve beefed all of my kits up with additional blood stopping padding and non stick pads of various sizes, as if you have to change the dressing you are definitely going to want the non-stick next to the wound for comfort and even more importantly so you don’t get the bleeding started again. I’d also add at least one of the Sam Splints and a roll of coban, vet wrap or an ace type bandage to keep it in place, along with a small bottle of Betadine. I prefer the vet wrap or coban as they are much easier to tailor to the exact need than the ace types. With all of my kits, with the exception of what I carry in my pocket, I’ve put the AMK of whatever size into dry stuff sacs of various sizes so the kit and the additional supplies are all together-- not scattered around my vehicle or pack.

I too live in W Washington but in one of the smaller towns south of Seattle and also have a couple of dogs. When I leave the house for anything and don’t take the dogs, I always make sure to leave at least two water sources for them with one secured to the wall. Only one bowl (even a large one) can be spilled. If possible try to find a neighbor that will check on your dog in an emergency situation.

Since I’m retired I keep my get home supplies with packs in my SUV. What I would actually take to get home if roads were not passable, would depend on how far I had to hike and the weather conditions. Glad you started this thread as it’s something all of us in earthquake country need to be thinking of.

One other point re pry bars, I also keep one hidden away outside my house to get in if the doors are jammed. As well as a couple inside the house with one close to the bed. And don’t forget sturdy shoes and leather gloves next to the bed as well. I had some broken glass (picture frames) after the Nisqually quake.

Most bar soaps aren't very suitable for hair.

There is a natural Seed brand bar shampoo. A friend found some in NYC and liked it, but she forgot where she got it.

Get a bar of Dr. Bronner's natural soap from a health food store or co-op and try it as a shampoo at home. If it works, put a new one in your kit.

Don't use aspirin as a preventative, it thins the blood and hinders coagulating. An earthquake is not the time to have clotting issues. (I mean this differently from taking your doctor's advice about an aspirin regime against heart and stroke problems.)

Some extra stuff is not a big issue. You should be stopping along the way to rest periodically, a good time to lighten the load if you need to. You can base your decisions on what IS, rather than trying to foretell WHAT MIGHT BE. Leave your discards in plain sight -- someone else may have a use for them.

You will probably end up using some of your gear for reasons totally unforeseen before the disaster. Or the disaster you planned for is not the disaster that has happened. A big quake won't have the same issues as Mt. Rainier blowing her top. Be prepared to jump in different directions.

Sue

Thanks for the suggestions on improving the medical kits. I think I am at about the limit of how big/heavy my GHB FAK is. Also at the limit on how much money I want to sink into the the FAK at work for use by everybody.

I have dual water sources for my dog as well. Triple if you include the bowl designed to catch rainwater. However, I had not thought of securing one to a wall. Seems obvious now that you mention it, but that is why I read these forums.

A pry bar stored outside the house. Another obvious idea I had not thought of. I have several inside the house (including one under the bed along with flashlight, gloves, hardhat, dust mask, eye guards, shoes, socks, etc.), but not one outside.

Thanks for posting your suggestions!

The Dr. Bonners soap sounds great. I'll look for some.

I like your views on gear being used for things you have not even thought of. Of course it fits with my own general views, though I am trying to be more open-minded.

Wolfepack,

Your get home bag is well thought out but have you thought out carefully what you actually always carry on your person if you were either trapped in the building or couldn’t get back to where you keep your bag when making your exit? I could see where a whistle, small light with signaling capabilities, bandanna, knife, multi-tool, light or headlamp, small pocket able FAK and even a heat sheet could be very useful if trapped in a building or a person had to escape without the larger pack. And your cell phone which may or may not work--probably wouldn't but miracles do happen. If you had to escape without the larger pack everything that’s in a well thought out PSK and other items always on your person could be a real lifesaver. Not trying to change the topic of your thread and without knowing the layout and routine of your workplace and the chances of being able to access the pack. Just another aspect to consider.

This is probably a discussion that deserves its own thread, but you make a good point. I'm pretty much basing everything on being able to get to my GHB. While in transit to/from work I have a basic survival stuff in my pack (water, knife, flashlight, matches, etc.). However, once I am at the office my backpack stays at my desk. On my keychain I have both a knife and a light (along with four keys, a car remote, an alarm remote, and a wrist lanyard). Your list of PSK items sounds like a small fanny-pack of stuff. How do people carry that much stuff on a daily basis in an office environment? Sounds like people either have bulging pockets, small fanny packs, or heavily loaded belts. Not sure if I am willing to go that route. The dress code at my office is typically jeans and a t-shirt. Personally I wear Ex-Officio Amphi's and a polo shirt. The Ex-Officio's have some cargo room, but not sure I ready to have my pants bulging in all directions. Might give people the wrong idea.

The thread has already started - "Schwert's on body kit" or very similar title. It is truly one of the better posts on ETS, dealing, oddly enough, with the get home problem in the Seattle area. I am sure glad I live in nice calm Southern California and don't have to worry my pretty little head about nasty things like earthquakes like you guys in PNW.

I'm female so there are security reasons other than getting lost or a building collapse that I always want a whistle with me. I actually wear it on a breakaway lanyard around my neck with the Photon Rex light. I picked that light as it's rechargeable and I actually use the thing frequently, which saves on the button batts. The Photon Rex and the Photon Freedom both have signaling capabilities. You can't beat the whistle that Doug designed and is sold with his kits and separately through Adventure Medical Kits. I have that whistle on my key ring, lanyard and in my PSK.

http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/product.php?product=142&catname=Essentials&prodname=Rescue%20Howler™%20Whistle,%20Bonus%20Two%20Pack

From watching the news coverage after the Haiti disaster, it sure seemed to me that if a person had a whistle and maybe a signaling light that could have possibly made a difference. I'm retired so it's a little easier to decide what to wear and how much to carry. However, if it's not with you --it's not going to help you either. There are some great threads here on PSK's as well as reviews on the main page of the website.

I found the "Schwert's on body kit." thread in the "Around the campfire" forum. Unfortunately it doesn't show up when I use the basic search function for some reason.

Wow. That guy is prepared! Very interesting that his setup was based on Seattle as well. Excellent information in there.

The link the original article in Outdoors Magazine seemed to be broken, but I found PDF copies of the articles at the following URL:

http://www.canadianwildernesssurvival.com/PDF%20Articles%20Index.html

The articles are called:

Urban-Preparation-Kit-Part-I-On
Urban-Preparation-Kit-Part-II

Thanks for the reference!

I've been thinking about this thread for some time, and while the earthquake scenario is probably not too valid for Florida, there are quite a few that might require breaching some form of man made barrier.... chain link fence, or chained gates come to mind. I have included a small piece of hacksaw blade in my on person kit, but haven't really tried to cut a chain link fence with my Victorinox multi tool. In doing a little research I came across a WWII item from the British MI 9 (tasked with producing escape/evasion equipment) called oddly enough "escape tool". It consists of a regular blade, 3 hacksaw blades, a lock breaking blade, and a heavy duty wire cutter. Does anyone know if a similar tool is still available?... regards Les

sorry... make that "escape knife"

Why not just carry some HD wire cutters? Alone, they have no special significance; with a knife attached, perhaps an LEO would have a different attitude.

Sue

Susan... I have a pair of heavy duty fence pliers/cutters in my regular car tools, but was thinking more of a multitool for people in earthquake area... something like a wonder bar pry tool, with a squared notch in the nail pulling jaw to break chain link and barbed wire, with a couple of large industrial saw blades like a "sawzall" one for wood, one for metal that could swing out to a stop and have everything in one package. Florida is a right to carry state and I do, and if I were charged with tresspass I think the ride in the cruiser would be to a place of safety..I did a 30 year stint with 9th graders, some of them turned into pretty good lawyers. regards Les

I confess I have not thoroughly read each post in this thread so I do not know for sure if my idea had not been previously mentioned. I gather one main concern is the way to get over a waterway between the office and home. There have been several suggestions for structures that might withstand a quake and the problems in swimming. I believe you have room to store a backpack - why not store an inflatable raft - they are not that big or heavy. Even if you re-arrange with a marina to take you across, in event of a disaster they may not (or may not be able to) live up to what they agreed.

An inflatable raft may not be too heavy compared to a real boat, but the lightest I found was about 20 lbs. That would about double the weight I am carrying. For just getting across a canal, that seems like too much weight. Somebody else mentioned an inflatable kayak. However their idea was not to simply cross the water, but use it to paddle most of the way home. That has more potential merit, but would require a lot more research and a lot of training on my part.

One thing I did find while doing some research about your post. I found an inflatable raft that is intended more as a pool toy than anything really useful. It weighs only 2.2 lbs and is designed to inflate by mouth. That is a much more practical weight. However, that would probably be a very thin-skinned raft and would probably develop holes really easily if there is debris in the water. That might still be better than swimming though. Hmmm.

One of these would be somewhere between swimming and using an inflatable raft. Your pack would have to be sealed in a trashbag or similar, and "towed" (presumably what you'd do if swimming). Fishing Float Tube. This is one of many products of its type. Can't find weight, but one reviewer gave points for being "lightweight" and when uninflated/folded, fit in his backpack (which you wouldn't do, but some indication of portability). By their nature, these are sturdy construction.

Typically used with "frogman flippers" for fishing, but for your purposes, maybe a short, lightweight paddle such as this.

Hi xbanker,

I thought about suggesting one of those too. Having just come back from a weekend fishing trip with mine, the only problem I see is a way to inflate the tube. Mine uses a truck inner tube which has a valve like you would find on a gas station air hose. I think some of the newer ones use a valve that you can inflate by mouth. I had a thorn punch a hole in mine while slogging to a back country lake. Trust me, it's a .... ahem ...."sinking" feeling to hear air hissing out of your float tube while you are out in a lake in which you can no longer see the bottom. Fortunately, I had a patch kit and a bicycle pump in the truck so the trip wasn't completely shot.

Having said that, wolfpack, I personally think a float tube might be a good option for you. You will still get wet however so you would still need to take the appropriate precautions (bagging your supplies, dry clothes to change into, etc .....). Also, if you decide to go that route, think about how you would inflate the tube. Depending on the kind of tube you get, they are not terribly expensive. I think it's a great idea.

Cheers,
LW

For what it is worth, I have had experience with a similar inflatable "pool toy" within Grand Canyon. We needed something light because we had to backpack them down to Thunder River and Tapeats Caves, both of which contained significant streams.

We used them satisfactorily in both caves. They definitely kept us out of the water and much warmer. We probably paddled each craft about a mile in total, dragging them on and off rocks and sandbars within the caves, over a total of four days. We did experience leaks, which were easily repaired. I would use them again, unless I could find something just as light, but sturdier.

Nothing is sillier than backpacking an inflatable raft through the Arizona desert......

You know what they say about great minds ...

Completely forgot about the auto-style inflation valve. Good call. Acceptable solution would be some variation of this (part of my ATV desert-riding tire repair kit thanks to abundance of cholla cacti spines and other nasties on desert floor): manual/CO2 air pump. Reasonable cost. Lightweight (<3.5 oz) and small (roughly 1.5-in x 6.25-in). I like the dual-inflation capability: ease of CO2 (maybe important if time an issue and after having just hiked a fair distance) and the back-up manual-pump capability if Murphy's Law renders CO2 inoperable.

I love spending other people's money!

I looked at several of these online and it looks like typically have shipping weights of 8-12 lbs. That is much lighter than a raft/kayak. However in looking at these, I ran across "river tubes". Sort of your standard innertube but with handles and a tougher cover. They had shipping weights of 4-8 lbs. For just getting across a canal, the river tube might be all I need.

I also found your standard inflatable pool "swim ring". Shipping weight 12 oz and cost $4. For one time use, that might be the best bet yet. Certainly fragile, but I'll be getting wet in anything less than a raft and could always swim. Any type of flotation device beyond a simple life-vest has the potential to keep my drier and require less energy.

I completely forgot about CO2 cylinders for inflating items. Still not sure about weight, but that could eliminate the inflation issue. If I am going to have to pack something, I would carry either CO2 or a manual pump, but not both. Of the two probably the manual pump unless the CO2 was far less heavy.

Good to hear some real experience with pool toy. Was it raft or something else, like a ring? I don't suppose you know how much the one you used weighed? Assuming it was a raft, was it a child's, one person, or two person? Just your standard vinyl you would pick up in the kids section of the store, or something else. Any details would help me better picture what you had. Do you remember cost? Less than $10? Less than $25? Less than $50?

You peak my interest!

It was a vinyl raft, with a fairly definite bow. It paddled fairly well. The weight was right around two pounds. The capacity was about one fully equipped adult caver. We purchased ours in the pool toy section of the local drug store. The cost was trivial (less than $5)

I will check and see if I have any slides of the raft....

The professional (and costly!) version of these toy rafts is called Alpacka raft. https://www.alpackaraft.com/ Google for independent reviews. Within reason, load capacity is mainly limited by how much you're willing to give up in the fields of manouverability and personal comfort.


I've never used an Alpacka raft, but their reputation and track record is good enough for me to trust them.

Very nice rafts. The lightest (Alpacka Scout)only weighs 3lbs 3oz. Costly is right though. $500 for the Scout. They sound great, but probably beyond my price range.

Thanks for the reference and somebody else may find it is just what they were looking for!

Just now reading these last ten posts, I got an idea... but is it viable?

Carry a float tube with the air compressor valve, and carry a can of Fix-a-Flat, too. Inflate the float tube with the aerosol, and it helps to strengthen against punctures, too.

Whatcha think?

Sue

If you think swimming is an unavoidable risk (you said your dog could survive a couple of days), you might want to think of some redundancy in your inflation device. You might consider 4 or 5 bicycle innertubes tied/duct taped together. They are relatively inexpensive,compact package, easily inflated with a quality small bicycle pump, and if you have a tool to remove the stem of the schrader valve, can be inflated by mouth to a certain extent. I originally thought of them as an improvised water carrier... cut off the valve and fill the tube, sling over shoulder... pretty nasty tasting but and option... regards Les

While following link in unrelated thread, stumbled across this, which, depending on details and cost, might be worthy of consideration for water crossing. Curious to know the material (durability) used.

New project ... 24 oz raft and 2 oz paddles for high mountain lakes As you'll see, this describes a small raft (prototype photo shown).

This small company specializes in unique outdoor products designed and manufactured themselves. Maybe an e-mail query would yield more details.

Standard disclaimer: no affiliation of any kind nor, for that matter, have I ever purchased any product from them.

Received response to query about the raft: moving their shop and "the raft is put on hold indefinitely."

Folding bike schwinn $168 32x31x10

electric scooter ? 220# max Nine miles in 45 mins

Hi Wolfepack. I live in the Mill Creek/Bothell area and work downtown as well.

I've made similar provisions, with the exception that I carry the bag with me as a EDC.

I'll take a look at your stuff and make comments a bit later, but here is my kit (photos need slight updating). This is an evolution of several generations of kits, and I change the included clothing slightly depending on the season (summer gear pictured).

http://navitsky.org/kit/v6/

[Note, the objectives of my kit are *slightly* different than your stated reason. My kit is EDC for one. It is certainly a get-home bag, but basically it is also intended to deal with being stuck at any random place at any random time for a couple of days, bag. In most cases, that isn't a life or death thing, so convenience comes into play.]

One comment I will make off the bat is I don't think people appreciate how bad 20 miles could be if it is strewn with debris from an earthquake.

I share your opinion that hoofing it is the likely result and it will take a fairly long time to traverse.

-john

Something I thought about after reading these posts. You'll be leaving downtown-ish Seattle overland to Lynnwood. Assume the bridges are all down. That leaves you the Locks and water. There are still lots of people living on boats at East and West Lake Union. I'm sure you'd be able to buy/barter/beg a short trip in a dingy across to Gasworks. That should get you past your most difficult restriction.

Another thing I considered is are you planning on Hwy99? Perhaps shift over to I5 instead. Wider roads, easier access with the ramps to bypass fallen overpasses, fewer structures, trees, etc that can fall onto the road to make the journey harder. Of course, that wouldn't work if there are still cars driving up the road, but if the major bridges are down the freeways will probably be barren. Not as direct, but I think there may be fewer things that would restrict your travel like collapsed buildings, powerlines, trees, etc.

Finally, other food stuffs: Tanka Bars (buffalo and cranberries and they make a spicy one too), very tasty; Trio Bars. If you're just trying to cover the distance you can get Gu cubes or tubes like runners or cyclists use. I've also found single serve peanut butter squeeze packets at local stores (Central Market) that I've added into my pocket food menus.

Something I thought about after reading these posts. You'll be leaving downtown-ish Seattle overland to Lynnwood. Assume the bridges are all down. That leaves you the Locks and water. There are still lots of people living on boats at East and West Lake Union. I'm sure you'd be able to buy/barter/beg a short trip in a dingy across to Gasworks. That should get you past your most difficult restriction.

Another thing I considered is are you planning on Hwy99? Perhaps shift over to I5 instead. Wider roads, easier access with the ramps to bypass fallen overpasses, fewer structures, trees, etc that can fall onto the road to make the journey harder. Of course, that wouldn't work if there are still cars driving up the road, but if the major bridges are down the freeways will probably be barren. Not as direct, but I think there may be fewer things that would restrict your travel like collapsed buildings, powerlines, trees, etc.

Finally, other food stuffs: Tanka Bars (buffalo and cranberries and they make a spicy one too), very tasty; Trio Bars. If you're just trying to cover the distance you can get Gu cubes or tubes like runners or cyclists use. I've also found single serve peanut butter squeeze packets at local stores (Central Market) that I've added into my pocket food menus.

JohnN, nice rig. Did I miss the food, knife/multitool? What does this set-up weigh? Also, when you said that you carry it as EDC, did you mean in the car or do you actually carry it, on your person, as you commute? Finally, let me suggest the addition of a Katadyn bottle water purifier. In a real disaster, especially after flood /earthquake, you might only have access to some really nasty water.

I do carry some food, but a very limited amount. Basically maybe a half dozen granola bars. This is a bit of a calculated risk. I consider food somewhat optional within the couple of day period, but I want some food for energy and to keep my metabolism engaged. I do understand that I carry a risk of it affecting my energy level but I also don't have a lot of space to spare.

I carry a multi-tool and knife on my person. See the "body" section. Basically if all else goes to heck, I want my knife with me. I also wear my hiking boots full time which I didn't think to represent in the kit.

Unfortunately, the kit it is something like 35lbs. I've also recently (last half year) added a water bladder to the bag, so it isn't light.

By EDC, I mean I carry it pretty much everywhere I go. I do drive some times, and if so, I'll put it in the car while I drive, but then I haul it with me. Other days I take the train and carry it with me and then the aprox. 15 minute walk each way to and from the office. I used to take the bus and I'd carry it with me there as well.

When I'm in the burbs (where I live), I will leave it in the trunk while I am out and about, but I still try to have it close.

Agreed the water may be nasty. If I need to filter it, I can use a dust mask (like others have suggested coffee filters), my hanky or towel to filter the worst stuff and then hit it with the tablets.

The other thing is in addition to the the water in my bag, I would optimally grab water from my under-desk earthquake kit and throw it in the large Rollypolly, or clip it on to my pack before I left. This would give me several liters of water (I'm more concerned about water than food) and while it may not be enough to get me home, there is a fair chance it will get me past the chaos of the downtown area.

While the kit is a bit of a hybrid -- in addition to survival, it also addresses some convenience issues -- I do try to keep myself from just adding stuff and try to avoid single tasking objects if possible.

I'll think about the water filter tho. But I think it would mean I would have to get rid of something, probably my travel coffee cup (not shown) and I'm somewhat disinclined to do that.

-john

In the office, I keep a duffel bag with work gloves, 24" pry bar, hard hat (cheap at your local home store), dust masks, and about six liters of water under my desk.

I also include a couple of 6" emergency bandages as well as a couple of boxes of 3x4" non-stick pads and several rolls of tape.

The first aid supplies are intended to use on other survivors. The idea is those are basically give-aways.

I suggest you pre-stash any supplies you may need and not rely on the vending machine. Whatever is in the vending machine is going to become "community property", and it is going to be way too little to address the needs of your entire office.

I plan to migrate the climbing harness into this bag as well along with about 200' of 5mm New England Tech Cord and an PMI Personal Escape Decender*. I think I'll leave my existing 3mm Tech Cord in my pack, but moving the harness to the duffel with save a fair amount of weight and some bulk.

Over all, the idea is if you are stuck in the building, you need water and potentially some extraction leverage. But... ultimately the duffel isn't hugely valuable and is intended to be disposable in case of emergency.

-john


* Yes, yes, yes, I know. This is risky and non-optimal gear. I know.

Personally, I wouldn't be very inclined to try to swim the canal. Basically, not only are you going to increase your risk by becoming cold and wet, potentially soaking your gear, but you could get run over by a boat.

My approach is to know about all the alternative crossing points (make sure you have maps), and chances are at least a couple of them will be passable.

Even if that doesn't work, remember that after Sept., 11, boats voluntarily started ferrying people away from the area. While you can't rely on it, I suspect there is a reasonable chance something similar will happen. There are just too many boats and too many people wanting to get across. Potential will happen.

If all else fails, you could 1) Wait. Something is going to happen, or 2) Go the long way around (south around the lake). Not optimal, but I suspect one of the other things will pan out before that is required.

If you are warm dry and healthy, you are not in immediate danger. Don't put yourself at increased risk to cut a bit of time. Well... Unless you are Bear Grylls. In which case... Have fun!

-john

Regarding the building Wolfepack is working in, I think it is a toss up. While yes, some of those buildings are un-reinforced, a lot of them were also old warehouses and had VERY HEAVY DUTY wood beam construction.

Liquefaction might or might not happen at any given location.

I do think they are very non-optimal as I worked in a similar one (in almost the same place) until about a year ago and I certainly appreciate the risk.

But the way I look at it, you take some precautions (hard hat, extrication gear, etc.) and you take your chances.

If the building collapses and you die... well, not much you are going to do about it.

If you are hurt.. Well, be prepared as much as possible and have enough water to survive for several days until someone digs you out.

Otherwise, I see Wolfepack's approach of having his kit as a good one. It keeps your options open. No point in giving up before you start.

-john

Random thoughts.

Over time, the personal hygiene towelettes have ALWAYS dried out on me. They don't seem like they should, but they have. At this point I don't bother anymore.

Food tends to get crushed and otherwise get nasty over time. I've taken to protecting mine by putting in a hard case and stick with crunchy foods instead of soft foods.

As suggested, swap out the iodine based water tablets for Micropur. The iodine tablets can get pretty nasty if the seal on the bottle is not perfect. The Micropur individual packaged tablets are the cat's meow.

You probably don't need the mosquito net. :-)

You probably are better off with more, larger zip ties than different sizes. Probably don't need the twist ties.

Add water to your leave-at-office kit. Lots of water.

I'd beef up my travel FAK and optimize my leave-at-office FAK to be trama only, but that's just me.

I'd also try to keep in mind what you have in your FAK for convenience, and what you have for actual first aid. This helped me a lot, and now I actually keep them separate. This means I don't raid the FAK when I have a headache. This also helps the actual FAK to be smaller, and more focused on more serious problems.

Keep your cell on your body. You may not have the chance or ability to go back for it.

I'd also keep the chargers. I have plug in, 12v and AA battery powered chargers in my kit. But, I'd suggest trying to make the system as generic and interchangeable as possible. All mine are USB based, and I carry a very short micro and mini USB cable.

I'd love to add a decent portable solar panel to this mix, but haven't managed to yet as the decent ones appear a bit bulky and expensive.

Review your batteries against your actual (projected) needs. It is easy to over-do it on batteries, and it is easy to get the wrong mix (use up all the AAs but have too many AAAs or some such). Standardize on a battery type if possible. Check to see if your specific devices will accept the lithium cells (for example, my GPS will not operate on lithium batteries).

Truecrypt is excellent encryption for USB drives, multi-platform and free!

With regard to GPS in phones or other similar devices, make sure you find an application that has off-line map capability and make sure you download the maps you may need ahead of time. You don't want accessing your map to be dependent on Internet access!

On the Apple devices, I like MotionX GPS application. I have a dumb phone, but I have the MotionX GPS application on my iPod Touch and iPad. Both are jailbroken to allow me to use a bluetooth GPS module (BTstack GPS).

My assumption is there is a similar package for Android based devices.

The other thing to consider here is that having a device that you can actually read information on is going to be handier than the USB stick. On my devices I use an encrypted "password" application called eWallet which can sync to my PC to carry any private data I need and I also have a bunch of non-sensitive data on there (reference materials, etc.).

Note that with the iPod Touch and the upcoming small Android based tablets you don't need an expensive data plan to have these types of capabilities.

WRT radio scanners, note that a lot of stuff has gone digital trunked around here, so it is useful to have a scanner with that capability. That said, the digital trunking capable scanners are expensive and bulky, non-intuitive and tend to need some pre-programming to be useful. I'd love it if someone can point me to a device that proves me wrong.

WRT boots -- if your boots are too heavy to wear comfortably all the time, I suggest you look at a different pair. I wear my Vasque Sundowners year round, all the time. They are basically a light weight hiking boot, but have full ankle support.

Basically, Murphy says that if you don't wear them all the time, that you won't be wearing them when something happens. And sensible footwear is high on the list for a 20 mile walk through rubble.

As noted before, you want the basics on your person at all times. I'd move your knife to your body, and perhaps a small flashlight. When it comes down to it, what you have on you is the only thing you can count on having at all times. I've added a firesteel to my on-body kit for this reason.

I think I saw a suggestion to carry a fixed blade knife, but IIRC, that will run you afoul of Seattle's laws. I like the Doug Ritter (full size) RSK, and have a backup knife in my pack.

The sawzall blades stink when not attached to a sawzall. Hacksaw is probably better when human powered. I actually stopped carrying my hacksaw blade and now just rely on having a diamond file on my multitool. I think the cutters and full size pry bar are probably the right tools for most earthquake jobs. If you have the space in the office kit, just throw in a full size hacksaw.

Full size crowbar, cutters and hack saw seem like they should cover you well. Once you are on the road, your need for these tools is probably greatly reduced unless you plan to try to dig people out all the way home. If that is the case, you probably want to take the full size tools with you.

All in all, I think you have done great. I think the main thing is to keep in mind what your objectives are and then think through what you need to achieve the objective and what you don't need. Be ruthless about pruning what doesn't support your objectives -- it will give you more space for things that do.

But... give yourself the OK to make some decisions that you know are not logical. Sometimes it is OK to do what we want instead of what is logically the best answer.

For example, I carry a knife on my person, a multitool on my person, and have a backup knife in my pack. It is probably not logical given my objectives to carry the backup knife. Likewise, I probably have more light devices (flashlights, marker lights, etc.) than is strictly logical. I face it, and I'm OK with it.

From time to time unpack the kit, look it over and see what you might have taken out and forgotten to put back in, what you might have added that you don't really need, and what might have expired and what you might have changed your mind about. I just did this today after looking at your post and found all of those were true!

Good luck!

-john

A couple of other real world Seattle area disaster possibilities.

Windstorm.

Back in 2006 (I think) we had a heck of a windstorm. While it may not affect the downtown core as much, it wrecked havoc with the burbs, mostly tree-falls. It also closed the I520 bridge. I happened to be trying to get from the east side to downtown, and I got stuck for many hours as all sorts of roads were impassable. And all I was trying to do is turn around and return.

Even if the downtown core is OK, it still can cause you problems getting home since you leave in the burbs. In this case, the more wooded area you lived, the bigger the problem.

I learned a few things that day.

1) Due to road blockages, you will likely be traveling in areas you are not familiar with. You need maps. Mapping GPS is LOTS better.

And you'll probably have to detour and backtrack a fair amount.

2) Local radio stations are worthless. They did not broadcast any useful information about things I needed to know in my location. You want to know about road closures, bridge closures, problem areas, whatever. Very little of that on the main FM stations.

3) It doesn't take a lot to close down a metropolitan area.

Here are a couple of pictures I snapped from my cell as I drove along. Not very good and there were lots of worse places that I didn't get pictures of since I didn't want to hold things up by gawking. But gives you a bit of the flavor:



Ice/Snow storm.

I can't remember the year, but a while back we had a pretty good ice storm. People abandoned their cars on the freeway and everywhere else.

While there wasn't a lot of damage, basically all transportation in the area came to a halt.

I think my wife said it took her about 8 hours to get home, and she was one of the lucky ones (and she had 4WD and good tires AND chains if she needed them).

Basically, you aren't going anywhere if the streets are impassible. Even if your vehicle can go, it doesn't help you if the street if full of vehicles that can't.

I actually missed the worst of this in Seattle because I was flying in from CA. However, it caused me my own goofy situation because we were delayed by many hours getting out of CA, then we were backed up on the runway in Portland for about 8 hours, then when we finally left Portland, we circled Seattle for about 3 hours.

Then I needed to get home from the Airport in the ice storm. Lucky for me, it was so late that havoc on the roads had died down and it only took me a couple (three?) more hours to get home (I carry chains in my car as well).

These were pretty bad events, but I don't think they were nearly as bad as they could have been. And the windstorm didn't even have heavy rain.

-john

Its not that bad, the crossing is about 30m, I mean its not exactly the Broughty Ferry Dook

Just pack your speedo's and a big dry bag, it will add to the story to tell the grandchildren about how you got home during the big one.

to back up your GPS you might put together a 1:50000 UTM "strip chart" copied on waterproof paper on a couple of alternative routes...my Garmin nuvi 500 has topo map installed, but it is a whold lot easier looking at a real topo map

I'm sure it sounds like complete overkill to some but this is why my Husqvarna chain saw lives in my truck most of the time. Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes or ice can bring down utility poles and trees with surprising regularity around here.

Seems like a good idea to me.

-john

Big One? Heck, you tell 'em that's how you used to get to school every morning when you were their age! And don't forget to mention the chunks of icebergs you had to navigate around, too.

John -

In case you've not seen it, happen to run across the newish Brunton Restore solar charger. Fairly small at 3" x 5.75" x 1.13" and price-wise not too bad ... retail $125 but <$70 at some on-line retailers.

Fairly good reviews of those I've read. One of those on Amazon the exception. But who, except those of us in the desert, routinely encounter 105°F temps. May have been an anomaly since Brunton-rated up to 120°F. Amazon reviews, Practical Travel Gear review and Woods Monkey review. Greatest failing -- but, of course, not insurmountable -- seems to be compatible connectors.

How are the test walks going? Learn anything yet?

Wolfepack, you left us hanging??? What kit out did you settle on? How did the test walks go?