Adding a 'go bag' to my car

and to the family's cars. A backpack with some tools, food and a spare jacket.
This is in addition to existing winter car kits and tools.

Very good idea. I need to add one of these bags to my wife's vehicle. Need to include some basic food and water for her too.

cheers,
Pete #2

My DW, bless her heart, has one already. She includes a pair of comfortable walking shoes. I gather she would rather not walk five miles home in heels.

over the last few months, after reading this and other forums, I've changed my thinking about the "packaging" of my car supplies.. my 72hour kit was really too heavy for an old guy to lug very far, and was missing several important items for trekking in sub tropical Florida...so I broke it down to a get home bag and removed the heavier 72hour supplies (Swiss volcano stove and Sterno, machete, extra food/water) and store them in a different bag... I added a second pair of New Balance shoes and more socks, a high tech moisture wicking pair in addition to thicker wool pair, couple of feet of duct tape to pre tape feet to prevent hot spots..medicated powder for chafing...extra long sleeved nylon cape back shirt, towel...replaced the canned tuna and ramen with foil tuna pouch and instant mashed potatoes...repackaged some GatorAid mix for EGR...I kept the nylon coated poncho and full sized mosquito netting,boonie hat+netting, SRK and Vic multi tool, topo compass, Ranger beads, Garmin Nuvi 500 has topo maps loaded, LED headlamp and task light... changed out the water bottle to a Sawyer filter bottle (pack has a 2 liter bladder) plus stainless cup, and aluminum bottle from Swiss set.. kept the FAK... and dropped the meals to two days...converted a clothes rack to walking stick.... GoreTex and fleece jackets always in car..umbrella...

Do not forget a tarp a nice sized one maybe 8x10? In alot of the survival shows where they show people broke down they often have no way of escaping the sun. A good tarp tied down to the side of the car and rigged out would provide decent shade. An Umbrella is a underrated thing. Its instant shelter that moves along with you even when its not raining its still shade that follows.

Frisket... I have a milk crate that holds a tarp, entrenching tool, 18pack of water, cordage, old atlas, leather walking shoes GoreTex and fleece jacket that are not in the bags... my Explorer is my principal shelter for a 72hour scenario...just trying to reduce the weight of my GHB... in case an out of shape old man would have to do 35 miles a day...

I'll think about the tarp. I realized that I need to add a few pairs of disposable latex gloves to the bag. It's quite likely that if I'm walking home then I will meet people who may have minor injuries, - like cuts or scrapes. If I've got a few bandages in my "Go Bag" I might as well take the time to do a little first aid and help them out. That means that I need to have some latex gloves. No problem - those are easy to carry.

Pete #2

Id Suggest Nitrile Gloves as many folk are allergic To latex and may not be in the condition to inform you of such facts when you come across them.

"...my Explorer is my principal shelter for a 72hour scenario..."

Does that include if it's on its side or upside down in a water-filled ditch?

A tarp or plastic sheet is worth more than the weight, IMO.

Sue

Yep, I've got a small lightweight sylnylon tarp in my GHB. That and a lightweight sleeping bag constitutes shelter.

Don't forget extra socks.

Susan...the car tarp is not a primary...the full mosquito netting and coated nylon poncho with a couple of 2mil trash can liners is my primary, and in the bag....if I can walk away from a rollover in a ditch, the car has done its job...my last excursion to the hospital was with a collapsed lung due to operator error on a too fast motorcycle... and then I bought a faster one

Frisket ... thanks! Will do!!

pete #2

Separating the Get Home component from the 72hr component seems prudent. You still have all the equipment but now you have a bit more choice in an emergency.

You have included gear for you, consider if you need to provide anything for someone else too ? Do you always travel alone or do you have an “other” who may need to be looked after too ?

Don’t forget sun screen and insect repellent and medications.

I have a small mini ghb kept under the drivers seat of my truck, a first aid kit under the passenger seat and repair and recovery tools under the rear seat. I don't keep my normal go bag in it because my commute is only .5 miles (I walk when its nice enough out) but put it in for longer trips.

Les,

I'm working on the same project. I live in a much colder climate, but it does get really hot here in summer. Last year we had several stretches over 100 degrees. I don't carry water in the winter because it freezes solid, but I do have an esbit stove, a half dozen fuel cubes, and a container to melt snow. I carry ramen, pouch tuna, clif bars, bigelow teabags, and tube peanuts in winter because the cold doesnt hurt that type of food.

I'm curious about the effects of summer heat on food, medicine, and water you have stored in your trunk in summer. What adjustments have you had to make to your provisions because of heat?

Byrd

Byrd_Huntr... I've not done anything scientific.. I retired from teaching about a 1 1/2 years ago where my car sat in the sun all day... and at the time threw out the food in my bag out without eating it... the car now spends most of the time in the garage... the tinned tuna I just rotated out was consumed without a problem, along with the ramen... I was trying a DIY retort pouches with water heated by the Swiss volcano stove on Sterno...I rotate the water quite regularly as I go thru about 3 bottles a match along with a couple of Gatorades, and shoot about 3 matches a month

for the retort pouch 24inch square aluminum foil, folded over, triple folded at the seams, two paper towels folded around around and placed in a 1 gal zip loc bag...about 4 minutes..used some with the mashed potatoes... a little bulky, but easier to manage than trying to add 1/2 tuna to 1/2 potato (and vice versa) and making two pouches in the original packets

One thing I like to have in all my kits is some blaze orange. I tend to favour shirts bball hats and wool watch caps, etc. (My PSK includes has a blaze orange balloon.) They serve a practical purpose and make great signalling devices.

One of the most useful items of outdoor clothing I ever had was a reversible light down jacket, made from a Frostline kit, that was loden green on one side and international orange on the other. The loden green was a perfect match for my uniform, and the orange really made me visible when that was an advantage.

Also adding a sleeping mat ( or 2) --great for comfort and insulation.

Thank you, I may try that on weekender. I'm leaning toward dry packed or freeze dried food for summer now, as I am (without any real justification) a little leery of eating whole food that has been heated and cooled for over a week or so in my trunk. Fine for weekend trips though.

Incidently My wife is a full time gradeschool teacher, and has a level of patience that I cannot attain, but admire greatly.

Byrd_Huntr... as an aside, I drove an older 280ZX (hatchback with a lot of glass) in the mid 80's when I was shooting pretty seriously, and due to budget limitations was shooting cast bullets with wax based lubricants that melted at 140F... it was not uncommon to find the ammo left in the car to have melted the wax lubricant out....


I think you have a good idea with the freeze dried GHB food... I may forego the meat protein and replace it with more carbohydrates ( ramen, instant rice in addition to the instant potatoes)and a couple of additional EGR packets

Teacher, Pete, how do you get your spouses to buy-in? My hubby's got a homemade FSK, wool blanket and a homemade water bottle PSK kit in the back of his truck, along with a bunch of vehicle repair stuff (he's a parts guy by trade) but if I put anything else in, it always ends up being taken out.

You didn't ask me, but I'll give you my $.02 anyway.

Time.

Time and time again, my wife needed something that I had in my pockets or in my kit. She wasn't thrilled with me putting a kit in her car, but grudgingly acquiesced. And she found that she was using things in it and glad to have them. When she took her Girl Scout Troop camping and was almost constantly using things out of the kit I sent along with her, she started to really buy in.

It sounds like your husband already has some good stuff in his car and believes in preparedness. Do you talk with him about the reasons for adding other bits of kit?

Not trying to leave you or anyone else out, Chaos. Teacher and Pete mentioned putting kits in their wives cars and that's what prompted the question. I should have clarified. My apologies!

Good points Chaos. He started off thinking I was a nutter. (Ironic because it was his walk home during the 2003 East Coast blackout that put me firmly on this road.) He seems to be buying in slowly. We do talk about it, and he encourages the kids, but still rolls his eyes sometimes. I think the secret with him is believing that he might actually need it. (i.e. I bought us both a leatherman for our wedding anniversary a few years ago and it's edc for him now because he uses it all the time.)

Sounds to me like your husband is a closet prepper and doesn't want to be outted

H doesn't have to worry about it - he's got you! (lucky guy, right?). Somehow couples seem to split up life's challenges and generally work through to a good outcome....

No apologies needed. It takes far more than not specifically inviting me to comment in a thread to offend me :-).

This may go without saing but :
regarding food stored in car or any other form of "kit", I always write the date clearly on the packet or tin "Apr 2011", that way I know how old it is, regardless of any useby date

I'm starting to think you might be right.

Right you are, Hikermor. It was interesting this weekend. I was out of town and he and the kids were in an MVA. Everyone was ok but the truck was totalled (as was the other vehicle) so they all walked - SD to work, Dad and son back home. I think (hope?) that it got them all thinking.

I'm glad everyone was OK!

Things to suggest for an MVA:

* At least two ways to charge your cellphone

* A tool to break windows

* A tool to cut seatbelts (a Houdini does both)

* First aid supplies and training

* Clothing/shelter items if rescue doesn't come quickly

* Water and food

* Paper and pen/pencil

There are plenty of other things that are handy for an MVA of course, but it might be easier to get a non-prepper or a closet prepper to carry these sorts of things.

I'm glad everyone walked away too, Chaos. I almost had heart failure when I found out.

To his credit, my husband always has his cel and leatherman on his belt and pen and paper in his pocket. Not sure a leatherman can cut seat belts or break windows though, which may be why he was checking out my rescue tool yesterday when I drove him to work.

He's also certified in first aid and cpr, and carries a FAK and blankets in his vehicle at all times. He was pretty shook up though, and didn't make my step-daughter wait for the paramedics before she headed to work. She bonked her head and should have been cleared first. (Thankfully her boss made sure she sat for a while to make sure she felt ok before letting her work.)

He and our son stopped at a store on the way home for water and snacks, and our son apparently said "too bad you don't keep stuff in your truck like mom does."

I don't want to highjack the thread, but the point is that you just never know. This one was close to home and help arrived very quickly. In the winter... in a bad storm... out of town... and things may have been different. Help might not arrive quickly and getting home might be much more involved. Be prepared!

Make sure everyone uses their seatbelts and carseats properly!

Yikes ! Glad everyone is OK.

Byrd, have you tested the esbit? My wife and I made some tea after a hike in Michigan a couple winters ago. A single esbit cube got water "lukewarm" which we'd thrown into the car from the house that morning. The bottle was only in the car maybe 3 hours tops. I'd seriously consider, if you plan on melting snow, you'll need a lot more cubes, or use them to start a wood fire. Oh, and likely you'll scorch the container, so hope it's something that'll be OK afterwards.

I haven't noticed any problems with summer. I've kept the same stash in through Missouri, Michigan and now Virginia. Things have seemed edible, but they're all about 5 years old. Guess replacing it should be on my 'to do' list.

I'm a fan of having a lot of small kits scattered around instead of one super kit.

Any tool with a reasonably sharp blade can cut seatbelts. Where specialized seatbelt cutting tools shine is in cutting them quickly and with less chances of cutting the person belted in.

Breaking side windows of cars is easy to do...from the outside of the vehicle with a crowbar or a brick. From the inside, it's a lot tougher. I want to have something with a carbide tip, preferably spring-loaded to reduce the room I'd need to swing it. With just a Leatherman tool, I'd probably be trying to kick the windows out instead.

From the way we discuss it, you would think that the only way an individual involved in a MVA can be freed is by cutting their seat belt. In real life, how often must the intrepid rescuer whip out his seat belt cutter and go to work? I would be interested in feedback from those who have responded to a significant number of scenes. How often is a dedicated seat belt cutter employed?

Remember that freeing the victim from the seat belt is not the first priority. Barring active flames or something similar, you should assess and give first aid to the victim right where they are. Moving the victim without proper assessment and immobilization can aggravate existing problems and cause consequences worse than the original injury.

A significant number of accident victims do not require release from their seat belts because they weren't wearing them in the first place. They all too often will never require any more first aid.

My Leatherman can definitely cut a seat belt with ease, although I agree a dedicated tool would be best in the interests of safety and speed.