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#179892 - 08/20/09 11:44 PM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: Susan]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
Don't forget that he's in wildfire prone San Diego. We've had "hunters" start signal fires that literally burned down the county ( Cedar Fire). While fire-making skills are a good thing, in San Diego staying warm without fire is a good preparation goal.

I have no plans to go off road into a gully. I drive with the intent of staying in control and on the road. That said, it's always good to have a "Plan B".

I look at the vehicle as primary emergency shelter; however, I keep an Alpine Bivy and a lightweight sleeping bag in the car for shelter outside the vehicle. There's also a winter kit (wool underwear, synthetic outerwear to include parka) in the bed if I get stuck in the Siskiyou's on I-5 (NOCAL, Southern OR).

_________________________
Better is the Enemy of Good Enough.
Okay, what’s your point??

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#179896 - 08/21/09 12:09 AM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: Compugeek]
big_al Offline
Addict

Registered: 01/04/06
Posts: 586
Loc: 20mi east of San Diego
"Spend the night at a drive-in campground, see how much I remember, how hard/easy these things are to do" is already on my To Do list. There are several of them here, so if things go too badly, I'll just pack it in, drive home, and note what I need to work on.

stay the night in the Laguna mountians. smile
_________________________
Some people try to turn back their odometers.
Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way
I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved

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#179908 - 08/21/09 01:24 AM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: philip]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
If I understand correctly, cell phones are more or less line-of-sight? In a canyon, that might be a problem.

I consider a cell phone a convenience when they work and a piece of junk where they don't.

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#179911 - 08/21/09 01:51 AM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: Susan]
Desperado Offline
Veteran

Registered: 11/01/08
Posts: 1530
Loc: DFW, Texas
Not really line of site, but close.
_________________________
I do the things that I must, and really regret, are unfortunately necessary.

RIP OBG

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#179923 - 08/21/09 05:28 AM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: Susan]
scafool Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 12/18/08
Posts: 1534
Loc: Muskoka
Susan,
Everything is a piece of junk if it does not work.

In the states are you still able to call 911 on your cell phone even if you have no minutes on a prepaid phone or a dead billing account?
_________________________
May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.

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#179942 - 08/21/09 01:31 PM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: scafool]
Compugeek Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 08/09/09
Posts: 392
Loc: San Diego, CA
LONG universal reply (love the questions, love the reality checks, thank you!!!):

Phiilip:

Lifehammer in the wraparound pad on my shoulder belt. Buck folding knife in my pocket. Leatherman Juice in my shoulder bag (which stays "on" me, even while driving). One way or another, I should be able to get out of the belts.

Each of those plus my keys. I should be able to break a side window. (I'm seriously considering going to a junkyard, and "renting" a couple of doors long enough to test each method and see how well they work.) If I can only go out the windshield or rear window, I also have a 12" crowbar under the driver's seat, and the saw blade on the Juice. Glass is more of a hazard then, though. (The crowbar is velcro strapped to one of the seat supports, with the hook helping hold it against sudden stops.)

If injuries prevent me from getting out of the car, I'll do what I can with the small FAK that's now in my bag. I'm going to put a larger FAK in the car, and I'm seriously considering keeping it under the driver's seat, too. (In a soft-sided case, so if it hits my heels/ankles, it's less likely to hurt.)

If I have life-threatening bleeding, I'll put a tourniquet on it with my belt or something if I can. I'd rather lose a limb than my life, and right now I don't know how to do anything else for a severe injury. I need to refresh my first-aid knowledge (Scouting was a LONG time ago), but right now that's all I know.

I have no one expecting me at home but my cat. If I can't get out of the car, and can't get a signal, I'll have to try to attract attention. I can get into the trunk from the passenger compartment, and there's 2 L of water in there right now (I'll be adding more this weekend).

I'm limited on what I can carry visible in the passenger compartment. I don't want to encourage breaking in, just for a bottle of water.


Susan:

Yes, my cell phone is only a first resort. Even then, I'm going to get up out of that gully/canyon if I can, just because it makes it easier for them to find me. I just put "test phone in a some canyons" on my To Do list. There are a couple of "natural" parks that I can do that in. (I'll take my full GHB with me to get a feel for walking with it on, and "just in case".


Russ:

I don't actually plan to go off the road either. But I'm well aware how fast the Salad can Hit The Fan. I've been in 5 serious collisions (only one was I even behind the wheel), and all of them were the fault of the other driver. (I don't ride with people whose driving I don't trust.) That's just the worst scenario I can think of with a day-to-day probability. (Of course I have worse ones, but they aren't that likely.)

("Salad Hits The Fan" is how a friend once explained "SHTF" to her mother. It stuck in my head ever since.)


Big Al:

City campground first. Laguna would be a later stage of testing. I haven't even built a fire in anything but a fireplace since I was in my 20's -- and that was a long time agon. Hmmm... maybe I should try to start a fire in the fireplace (yes, I have a real fireplace!) with dampened wood and a (small) fan blowing on it . . . and a wet towel and one of my fire extinguishers right there, too.



Keep 'em coming, all. Your collected knowledge and experience is truly priceless!
_________________________
Okey-dokey. What's plan B?

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#179945 - 08/21/09 01:58 PM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: Compugeek]
jcurphy Offline
Newbie

Registered: 03/27/08
Posts: 48
Loc: Iowa City, IA
You could also roll up and carry a black plastic barrel liner in your vehicle for a make shift shelter/warmth. A thick newspaper can be used to start a fire and the pages crumpled up to add dead space for added warmth to the plastic bag. Just a thought. Seems like I have a newspaper on the floor in my backseat on any given day regardless lol.

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#179965 - 08/21/09 04:21 PM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: scafool]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
"In the states are you still able to call 911 on your cell phone even if you have no minutes on a prepaid phone or a dead billing account?"

Yes, all you need is a charged battery. Several organizations collect old working cell phones to distribute to abuse victims and the elderly just for that reason.

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#179980 - 08/21/09 06:44 PM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: Compugeek]
acropolis5 Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 06/18/06
Posts: 358
Rescu-Me on your key ring.

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#180029 - 08/22/09 02:10 AM Re: Urban EDC reality check [Re: acropolis5]
Compugeek Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 08/09/09
Posts: 392
Loc: San Diego, CA
If I put anything else on my keys, I'll have to put on a larger split ring. Again.
_________________________
Okey-dokey. What's plan B?

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