Just a few additional notes on backpacking. Appropriate fit of the backpack is critical. But it from a store that has the expertise to see that it is fitted to you properly. If you are wearing it for the first time, a fifty pound load will be burdensome, although experienced packers carry loads like that routinely. Most prefer to keep the weight somewhat lower. There are several forums devoted entirely to the subject of light weight backpacking.

The important thing is that disaster day is not the best day to shift modes and adapt some procedure with which you are not familiar.

Big, Big, BIG +1!

While it had been more than a few years since the first degree, I only needed to get used to it again. I'd learned the tricks for handling the load with the first degree. It took me about a week to get the pack dialed in for the best load carrying combined with being able to get it on & off easily multiple times during the day.

I've lived in the middle of Washington, D.C. for 25 years so have given this a lot of thought -- especially when stuck in rush hour traffic. Traffic is awful here on a good day. Morning and evening rush hour are each now 3 to 4 hours long.

You don't know where you'll be (or your family) when something happens -- home, work, in transit -- so try to plan for each of those scenarios.

There's something I purchased in the past year that I highly recommend for city life, period, but especially as part of your preparedness: Burley Travoy. It's a bike "trailer" and hand-cart.

http://www.burley.com/page_12208/travoy.html

I'd looked at them for a couple years (they were new in 2010) and finally purchased one when we got a grocery store within walking distance in my neighborhood. I love the Travoy and use it not just for groceries. You could put your backpack on it or perhaps a child if they were too tired to walk. It'd be easy to carry down several flights of stairs.

Burley sells a number of bags designed for it, as well as cargo straps to secure anything you put on it.

It folds up very compactly (the wheels pop off with a single button). Very well designed and constructed. Not cheap, but there's literally nothing else like it available that I am aware of.

So I love it for everyday urban life and it would be priceless in an emergency whether it was an evacuation situation (foot or bike) or if gasoline became scarce and I was staying in the city.


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Interesting cart Dagny. Do you know if they make foam filled tires for it? You know, less stuff to go wrong and all.

Dagny, that is really a neat cart. It occurred to me that it has utility even if you don't have a bike. My last excursion in DC revealed a growing number of automated "rent a bike" stands. With this cart, it seems easy to attach to one of these bikes, and the utility goes up dramatically, for bug out or otherwise.

LED - I'm unaware of any foam-filled tires.

BWS - I read this week that NYC's Bike Share fleet includes some Burley Travoys.

I have not yet used my Travoy with my bikes, other than to test it. I've so far been using it strictly for groceries (great in the store - much better than a regular shopping cart).

Have also been using it to lug camera gear to events and meetings.

It is a workhorse. Also, I have a couple carabiners and Nite Ize ties on it to increase the utility.


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personally, I think your chances of bugging out of NYC approach zero. You would need to leave well before the problem hit and you will probably not have the information necessary to make an informed decision in time. God will not be waking you up one day with the message that today is the day to get out of Dodge.

better to prepare to bug in. NYC has a fairly decent emergency system. it is not perfect but short of a nuke strike you are probably going to be OK.

having said that the flooding that happened did have seriously negative affects on some people there. But it was a relative few. you might want to make some assessments of just what worst case scenarios might happen and determine how you would deal with them.

if you have kids you are probably screwed anyway. getting across town to get them out of school and to some kind of safety will be a nightmare.

a lot of the game carriers are available with solid wheels... just an illustration... as well as jogging strollers

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunting/After-the-Shot/Game-Carts-Carriers%7C/pc/104791680/c/104689980/sc/104353380/Cabelas-Magnum-Game-Carrier/1206646.uts?destination=%2Fcategory%2FGame-Carts-Carriers%2F104353380.uts&WTz_l=Unknown%3Bcat104353380

One of the issue that arises, is that much of the workforce in NYC commutes.

Look at what happened during 9/11. Buildings collapse and that essentially makes an area of about a dozen square blocks unlivable. You have to leave. You're lucky if you had time to grab your bag and get out. As a bonus, it shuts down the phone system and much of the public transit system. So what do you do?

Well, you take your stuff, start walking, and try to find somewhere to stay, right? If you live in NYC, then you might have a home to walk to where you can bug in. If you're a commuter or your home becomes unlivable, then you become a transient like most of the other people. You have to try to find a suitable shelter or hotel. That's tough to do, most shelters fill up quickly and hotels that do have room start charging $900 a night....cash only.

I know quite a few people that ended up having to walk over to Hoboken before they could even begin to find a place to stay or hitch a ride back home, a distance of over 5 miles.


Sometimes you can't just bug in. You have to move. Unfortunately, the nature of NYC means you're likely to be walking, at least until you can get out of the city. That's why I firmly believe one of the best preps for a city environment are good comfortable and sturdy shoes and socks. Everyday, all day. You don't want to be walking 5+ miles in high heals or flip-flops.

+1. A good pair of sneakers and some fresh Under Armour socks is what I like to have handy in the summer, broken-in boots and wool socks in colder weather.