I am starting a new job in two weeks and could use your help with my new Get Home Plan.

I'll be commuting on foot or by bike, carpooling sometimes, and also have the option of taking the bus or a cab. Today, I am going to bundle my daughter into her stroller, throw on my GHB backpack, and take a test hike there and back. I've never done it on foot or bike before, so I'll be keeping an eye out for potential hazards and obstacles, short-cuts, alternate routes, resources, etc.

We live in a small city, without skyscrapers or subways. Our area of town consists of houses, some apartment buildings, lots of street level retail stores and restaurants. We also have a well developed trail system, which I am hoping to take advantage of.

I've re-packed my GHB to address a potential very long walk home, an unexpected overnight at work, or couch surfing at a friend's. It's a six mile one-way trip, which isn't long - unless something goes wrong. In that event, the trip could be much longer. Risks, as I see them, include foul weather, a major local accident/fire/gas leak, a train accident on one of the local railways, and of course, risks to my personal safety.

What's in my bag?

OUTSIDE OF PACK
*Thermarest Z Seat (attached by side compression strap)
*Fox 40 slim whistle (attached to zipper)
*Roll of stoop and scoop poop bags
*Emergency poncho
*Purelle

INSIDE OF PACK
*Bright orange bandana (cotton)
*Baby wipes
*Extra plastic shopping bags
*Cash, bank cards, transit pass
*ID and Emergency Contact Info
*Local maps and button compass
*Eyeglasses, clip on sunglasses and repair kit in hard case
*MP3 Player/FM Radio, ear buds and charging kit
*Mora LMF Fire Knife
*Leather Wave (Mag Solitare, Ferro rod and cotton in sheath)
*Fire Tin with fatwood, birch bark and jute twine

ADMIN Pouch: LED headlamp and one set of extra batteries, LED glowstick, pens and pencil, notebook, lip balm, Tylenol, Advil, Benedryl, cough drops, mini BIC, tweezers & safety pins, thread, repair needle, duct tape, signal mirror

FAK - water filter straw, H2O tabs, BIC, whistle, 2 mylar blankets, Tylenol and standard FAK kit stuff

Extra Clothes - GI poncho, rain pants, buff, silk liner gloves, balaclava (camo/blaze orange), baseball hat, wool booties (for my daughter). In separate dry bag: merino wool hiking socks, underwear, merino wool L/S shirt, leggings and a fleece vest. (All are appropriate work wear, and I will have an extra pair of shoes at work.)

Shelter kit - 2 x Heatsheets 1-2P blankets, plastic sheet, jute twine, paracord, bungee cord, chem hand and body warmers

Hygiene kit - maxi pads, tampons, pull-up diapers, toilet paper, peppermint liquid castile soap, travel toothbrush, small stick of deodorant, purelle, shami, bandana, extra ziplock bags

Bag of Chow -Mr. Noodles, rice, tuna, trail mix, lemonade mix, coffee, hot chocolate and srirachia sauce

Cookset - 32 OZ stainless steel water bottle, long handled spoon, fish mouth spreader, 28 OZ aluminum cook pot & lid, cozy, dunk bag, 1L Platypus water bag, ESBIT stove, windscreen, BIC, stormproof matches, hexi cubes, scouring pad

*Personal protection is obviously a concern. I will be commuting late at night at times, so I plan to add pepper spray and a pad lock on a bandana shortly. Any other suggestions: (Reminder: I live in Canada, so will not be carrying a gun in this bag.)

My Bike

I have an inexpensive 18-speed mountain bike that currently being tuned-up. I do not have paneers, but I do have a small bag on the handle bars which holds a repair/patch kit, an air pump, a spare inner tube, a water bottle and a reflective vest. I've upgraded to a more comfortable seat, and plan to upgrade my tires as soon as I can afford it. I am not a cyclist, so any tips, tricks or advice is very welcome!

Thanks for sharing your wisdom!!

You look to be well prepared already. The only thing I would consider would be a larger sleeping pad if you think an overnight stay outside is possible.

I will comment primarily on your bike commuting. I pedaled a five mile one way route for many years and I found it very rewarding- saved money and buttressed my physical fitness.

Your most frequent equipment failure will most likely be a flat tire. Be sure you have the right equipment (mostly tire levers) to do the job wherever you may be along the route. Examine the fittings on your bike and be sure you have the right tools to tighten or adjust them. If you add a Bit Kit to your L Wave, you undoubtedly will be set in that regard.

Add a good headlamp to the bike (I assume you will undoubtedly be riding in the dark, at least occasionally). You will find it worthwhile to also wear your headlamp - two lights are better than one. You must be highly visible!!!!

You didn't mention a bike helmet. Don't pedal your bike five feet without one. The color should be white or bright, augmented with reflective tape (placed tastefully, I have no doubt).

You will enjoy using panniers, far better than a backpack when on a bike, in my opinion. The weight in them will add to the stability of your bike.

You are doing well to scout out your route. You will probably tweak it as you gain experience riding it. I found it useful to arrive at work early (7AM) and leave early (3:30PM) thereby avoiding rush hour traffic. Thank heaven for the ability to work flexible hours!! You might find that you will have different routes for arriving and returning.

Any hills? In a perfect bike commuting world there are none. Unfortunately I always had a steep grade to conquer on the way home, but it was a chance to show my macho.

Have you got a good place to keep your bike at work. That is definitely a good thing.

I usually did not bike in rainy weather. Just not worth it. Keep your FAK handy. Accidents do happen. About every five to seven years, in my experience, but nothing serious.

Have fun and enjoy the ride!

One other thing. I found it useful to have a cup of coffee at home and eat breakfast at work, after pedaling. I was also fortunate to have a shower and locker at work. that was very useful, because not stinking while at work was considered an asset...

Congrats on the new job!

Are you carrying water in your 32oz water bottle?

Is there a backup flashlight that I missed?

A few large paperclips and bobby pins allow for improvisation and weigh next to nothing.

Consider adding a contractor bag. Weighs little and has many uses.

Consider adding a charger for your phone.

Will you be leaving the GHB at work, or carrying it to and fro every day? If you are leaving it at work, you should find a secure place, or when you need it, you may find bits and pieces have walked away. If going back and forth with it every day, I wonder if your GHB might be getting a bit heavy.

If it is secure and at work, you may want to create a "commute kit" that is pared down, but enough for the more common problems, e.g., it wasn't supposed to rain, but it is...etc.

Making route surveys is a great idea, maybe both walking and cycling. Make note of places--stores, offices, public buildings etc., that you can duck into if necessary, even if it is only a lobby of an office building.

For a GHB, I don't think you really need so many cookware items to haul around. Better replace them with the ready to eat food if the weight is not a concern. The steel bottle is all what you might ever need for a makeshift cooking, chocolate mixing, or water treatment (by the way I love your idea of a long spoon to match the bottle!).

Clothes - consider sturdy work gloves, perhaps of a thick leather to handle hot stuff. Kudos on Balaclava! It's the best piece of survival clothing to have - extremely versatile. Depending on your path consider some lightweight overboots (i.e Tyvek) great to traverse muddy trails.

For the self defense, the padlock on a bandanna is redundant if you don't really need one to use with a locker. You might already have even better "heavy piece on a rope" to secure your bike at the street. Personally, the only bag I'm EDCing now is a small sturdy rip-stop nylon bag, collapsing into very small pouch when not needed. In case I need an impact weapon, I can quickly load it with hard, pointy, and heavy stuff in my pockets (i.e. you can use that steel bottle full of water for that). It's much better than a bandanna in combative handling as well. Such a bag is also good to have if you plan on foraging/scavenging along the way. In fact, it's my lunch bag, but also it works well as a folding umbrella drip stopper, and handy at the shops, after the plastic bags ban was enforced in California, it fits up to 4 six-packs easily Also a high lumen blinding flashlight can be considered a self defense item even if without "tactical" features.

I didn't notice any emergency power supply to charge your phone and flashlights on the list. A 10 A/h Lithium USB brick should be sufficient, but not sure what your flashlights take. Maybe you'd better go with something like a 4AA GoalZero Guide 10.

Hi,
I'm glad to see you're planning to protect yourself from wild dogs and wolves ... a walking stick also doubles as a cane

Also, medication group, something for stomach , gas relief , immodium, some ginger ... whats another ounce

how about a umbrella? a real one that opens wide.
i read a bit about a hiker in the UK who did local country lanes
and he said a open umbrella works to stave off dogs.popped open
between you and Fido he said it confuses them and acts as a shield.i assume he was talking about "barking at the garden gate"
dogs who got loose and not charging packs of Mastiff's
good for nice walks on rainy days too!

Good idea, Montanero. The sit pad will help, but it's definitely not designed to be a sleep pad.

Thanks so much, hikermor! I'm doing it for the same reasons - finances and fitness. I suspect I'll end up riding more often than walking, simply due to time constraints.

There is a pretty big hill between home and work, and by the loops of my topo map, there's no way to avoid it. Thank goodness for multiple gears.

I'm with you on skipping the ride on rainy days. I can hop on a bus if it comes in unexpectedly, but will watch the weather forecast closely. After hiking in the slush and mud yesterday, I added a rear fender and will probably get one for the front as well.

Panniers are definitely on my To Do List, when finances allow. I'll add a child seat or trailer as well, for transporting my daughter to and from daycare. We had one when my son was little, but handed it off to another family a few years ago.

Re: Helmet and Headlamp - I have a silver one, with reflective tape on it, but I didn't consider a headlamp. Great tip!

Thanks for sharing your wisdom!

Great advice, hikermor!

It's hungry work to bike that far, and doing it on a full stomach doesn't sound like fun. I'll have to make sure the leave enough time for cleaning up and eating after I arrive. It's a restaurant, so finding food won't be an issue when I get there.

I'm not sure about showers at work yet. (The building is still under construction.) My hygiene kit will have to address this, along with a change of clothes.

Yes, the water bottle is full and the LED glowstick has a flashlight mode. I also keep a MagLite Solitaire in my LM Wave sheath. Not the best, but with a back-up headlamp for biking, I think I'll be set.

Great idea about the contractor bag. When I got home yesterday, I swapped out one of the Heatsheets blankets for an AMK/SOL bivvy. Same concept but a little more versatile, I think.

A phone. Is as the top of my list to buy. I have an old one that will call 911, but I am going to upgrade to a smartphone very soon. I went without using a cell phone for years, and did just fine without it, but this commute seems a little more challenging.

Thanks for the help!

For now, I'm going to carry it back and forth, and will probably lighten the load as I do. It is a little on the heavy side. It's also a bit bulkier than I'd like. I can't afford to upgrade gear so need to whittle down when I'm actually carrying by eliminating redundancies. I am a chronic overpacker, but I'm getting better. I think. LOL!

I kept saying I was getting better but I've now gotten to the point that I invite others to sort through my gear and pull the over redundancies.

A front fender is a good idea to keep rain/slush/whatever out of your face. As for a rear fender, I added a rack to my MB instead which was great for carrying bags. A rack and a bag designed to fit it will make carrying gear much more pleasant, keeping the gear over the rear wheel rather than adding panniers which hang out and add width. YMMV
I hope your bike has plenty of attachment points to accommodate the extras. 5-6 miles commute on a bike is very doable, you'll get in shape quickly, don't worry about that hill.

I am definitely cookware heavy, Alex. I've been using this pack set-up for playing in the woods with my kids, and we do love cooking out there. I may stop for a brew up on my commute, but don't need so much gear for that.

Work gloves - for sure! DUH! I totally forgot them. Thanks! I may end up wearing them when I bike, but will keep them in the pack for clearing obstacles, etc. when I'm on foot.

Using my water bottle or a small bag for protection is a great idea. If I have my bike, I'll have my bike lock on a chain, which will work well. Thankfully, my route isn't in the rough part of town, but a girl can't be too careful.

Rechargeable batteries for my lights is a great idea, and one I hadn't thought of. Thanks! I'll get one to keep in my locker at work. (My headlamp and mag both work on AAAs, so I'll make sure my new headlamp does as well.) I have a USB charger (Wall and car) for my MP3 player/FM radio, but the connector may or may not work for a new cell phone. I'll make sure to cover both. THnaks!

I worked as a cable technician for a little, and got charged by dogs a few times. NOT something I care to repeat, but something I plan to prepare for. I will add my trekking pole when I go on foot. Thanks for the reminder!

Great suggestion on the stomach meds! I totally forget. Much appreciated!

Great idea, WCD! I hadn't considered that. I could easily secure an umbrella to my bike, and could use one in lieu of a trekking pole when on foot...

We did about six miles yesterday. I didn't stick entirely on my new route to work, because I had some errands to run, but it was a good exercise. Most of the route was what I expected, but there's one major road crossing that I'll need to avoid in rush hour, for sure, or I'll never make it to work or home. (Pedestrians and cyclists have to yield to cars there, and it was very busy in the middle of the day.)

Mother Nature threatened rain all day, but held off. It was VERY slushy and mucky on the trails though, which really slowed my pace. I only moved at about half the speed I expected. Pushing the girl in her stroller was a big part of that, but I attached my microspikes to my pack when I got home, nonetheless. When that mess freezes up again, it'll be treacherous.

I managed to get a big hot spot on the bottom of my left heel, so the socks I wore have been ditched and moleskin has been added to my med kit.

My pack is a little heavier than I'd like, but it wasn't unbearable, by anymeans. I woke up without aches and pains this morning, but I'm going to continue to re-evaluate when I'm carrying. Thanks for all your help, guys!

A few tips on the bike:
- Keep it in good condition. Not only does it last longer, but also run much smoother.
- Puncture resistant tire are a great invention.
- Lube that chain.
- A bell can be usefull
- Lights and reflectors!

A mountain bike isn;t the best in my opinion, unless your roads are really bad. As a bike commuter my self, my bike is a dedicated 'citybike'. Relatively heavy, but now maintenance and practical:
- Good fenders to keep you clean.
- Enclosed chain, keep the chain and you clean. Also prevents you from damaging pants in the cogs.
- Relatively thin tires (compared to a mtb that is), which rolls easily.
- Fixed lights front and back
- Cargo carrier at the back.
- I have a 3 speed internal hub gears. Which is low maintenance and inexpensive.

I have one of the older Chromoly frame MB's, not super light but comfortable. For years I road on 2.1" CitySlickers, which worked well on rough road, cobblestones, potholes and bike paths. Skinny tires would not have done as well. These days I've got 1.5" WTB Slickasaurus tires which are good for 1.5" tires but for off pavement a bit more surface contact would be better. Reviews aren't great, lots of flats mentioned. For off pavement I need something better.

I'm eyeing the Serfas Drifter City Tire which comes in both 1.5 and 2.0 inch widths. Looks like a good tire for the road with its high smooth center but also capable of handling rough. I will probably go back to the 2.0" width, very versatile.

Another option is the Continental Travel Contact Tire, smooth center which can also handle varied conditions. Lots of good options.

As the California seemingly coming out of the drought, I think, this wonder looks more attractive at its steep price: http://real-self-defense.com/unbreakable-telescopic-umbrella-u-212/

gotta love a good umbrella. I was on my way home from the Pentagon dreading the walk from the Metro home, but while walking through the concourse to the subway I saw a beautiful full size (not one of the compact briefcase models) umbrella. I'm not usually a spontaneous buyer, but I grabbed that umbrella. Very nice and 26 years later it is still my go-to 'brella when the rain comes down hard. Lately it's been riding in the truck.

Get a good one and take care of it.

Quite an item - very attractive except for the price! My experience has been that riding on streets, sharing the puddles with car traffic, is that water splashed by vehicles is the biggest source of moisture, so an umbrella is almost irrelevant. For me, the biggest rain issue was keeping my glasses clear enough to allow safe navigtion. What worked fairly well was a brim on the helmet or cap. Even then, I might stop every ten miles or so to clean my glasses.

I have found that 37/38mm tires are quite versatile, working well on both pavement and on hard packed soil/gravel. It all depends on the surface of your bike path.

The ultimate frame for commuting is some sort or another of touring frame (mine is a Surly Long Haul Trucker) - stable and serene. But frankly, any frame will get the job done. Getting the right tires is super important.

Yep, my current large folding umbrella will be 15 years old soon. Got it for $90 back then, it's required just minor repairs a couple of times so far, so definitely that's a long term investment. The only thing stopping me - I can recall maybe 10 days of really demanding daytime raining annually on average for the past 16 years (except for 2004, when it was raining for a month in a row here)...

That's the condensation-caused fogging I guess? Now days you can opt for an anti-fogging permanent film for your high-end glasses (at least I recall such a technology was invented around 2010 already). Also I saw some DIY solutions a while ago as well, being researching the ways to prevent diving mask fogging, similar solutions were applicable for an ordinary glasses (since then I've got this mask: http://www.tribord.co.uk/easybreath-surface-snorkelling-mask-blue-id_8304664 where it's been resolved in even better way)

Hmm,... perhaps, that mask might help to figure a simple anti-fogging technique for glass wearers - you can try to form an air-tight "half-mask" under your glasses and over the nose/mouth with your palms, and then inhale, so the colder air "wash" the lenses from inside coming from the top and sides - that's exactly what that snorkeling mask is doing, but it's also diverting the exhaled air downward and out to the water... In fact I'm using a very similar technique with my telescope eyepieces for ages: if fogged, I'm simply surrounding the eye side lens with my hands, leaving a small gap between fingers for air intake right over it, and inhale through the top of that tube several times. The warmth of your hands also helps to prevent repeating fogging for a little while.

Back to the subject, in my at the office GHB I'm keeping a pair of swimming goggles - for a haz-mat/smoke protection improvising (plus, we have the Ocean withing the walking reach). However for a glasses wearer you might need to invest into some dioptric inserts to use them comfortably. On other hand, that would make an indestructible spare pair of glasses for you as well. If I would wear glasses, I'd just scavenge some old pair for lenses and make such an inserts myself with the Dremel and some epoxy glue. Also you can order such swimming glasses having your glasses prescription on hands (just google "prescription swim goggles"; avoid expensive options, as you need a pair just for emergencies, not for an everyday use, so cheaper options, without the astigmatism correction and other precise features, would suffice).

Yeah, I like the Surly LHT a lot, great road bike. Mine is a (1990?) Scott Mountain Racer, which looks like a Chromoly road bike set up with MB parts and capable of mounting 2"+ tires. I liked it because of the Old Town Alexandria streets and paved/gravel bike paths. With the right tires the bike will go anywhere.
Speaking of which, I really like the tires mentioned above, both mention puncture resistance in the first line of their descriptions. I hate fixing flats on the road. Seriously thinking about taking my rims down to REI and having 2" Serfas Drifter City tires mounted.

No fogging, just raindrops on the lenses (and occasional road spatter)...Although it was my practice to drive when it was raining, one gets caught every now and then.

That's probably a good idea for me too, wildman. Just have to find right right someone.

You guys ROCK! Thank you so much! I need to get to know my bike pretty well, and I knew I came to the right people to help me do that!!

I'm dumping that job on Blast and ClarkTx the next time we meet up at Hydes Cafe in Old Town Spring, Tx. I KNOW I can trust their opinions!!!

Back to bikes --Came back from my afternoon walk today and saw the neighbor in his garage working on his carbon fiber road bike getting it ready for a 100 mile ride on Saturday -- long ride. He volunteered that for comfort during long bike rides, thin-wall chromoly steel was the way to go. Yes!! We also agreed that as good as it is, aluminum alloy is the least comfortable.

Of the three materials, aluminum has the hardest ride and is the least comfortable. CF is not as comfortable as chromoly, but it's way lighter, strong, and dampens a lot of the vibrations you feel w/ aluminum alloy frames. I suppose if you ride with a peloton and need to keep up, speed & reduced weight trump comfort.

Were I in the market for a road bike, my first choice would be a Surly LHT; my second choice would be a TREK 520 -- both frames are chromoly steel.

I agree completely with your choices.
both frames have a vast reputation...

Well it's not the material, but the frame design that really makes a noticable difference. You can make most materials stiffer or more flexible depending how how it's made.

As for cylcing, don't think too much about it. Just don't ride too hard to sweat (or if there is a shower, use that), keep your pants out of the chainring, have lighting on the bike and leave on time. Oh and your pants will start to wear the your crotch.

For cooling, I take a large triangular cotton (Do rag) bandage, soak it in water, drop the point down my back, between my t shirt & outside shirt. I then bring the two other points up on each side of my neck, loosely cross the two ends and push them down the inside and front of my shirt. This usually keeps me cooled down for 2 hours whether I am sitting in a hot cockpit on a tarmac waiting for take off clearance or biking, or hiking. It's usually very hot and a high humidity here in South Louisiana and the evaporative cooling is a life saver.

I have been working a lighter set-up. Something a little more discreet. I'm not preparing for the apocalypse, after all, just an extension or postponement of my trip home. (Bugging-in at home is always Disaster Plan #1.)

Instead of carrying the pack detailed above, I've put my purse in a backpack, along with my water bottle and a few other essentials. It's a smaller, more discreet pack and it think I've got it all covered. (FWIW: 35 L down to 25L, and a black pack instead of orange.) There is less cooking, no change of clothes and less of everyhing in this set-up.)

As always, comments, ridicule and suggestions for budget-friendly improvements are most welcome!


Added Essentials, easy to access:

-spare house, bike lock and car keys on braided paracord lanyard
-local and transit maps
-Thinsulate wool/fleece beanie
-insulated mechanics gloves
-trail mix
-granola bar
-1 x Mr.Noodles
-hot and cold drink mixes
-srirachia sauce
-1 collapsible cup (=2 cups)
-1 LMF spork
-1 x lip balm
-1 x bandanna
-1 x kid's washcloth
-pocket pack of Kleenex
-1 maxi pad
-1 kids pull-up diaper
- toiletries kit: toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, moisturizer, Purelle, tampons, maxi pad, tylenol, advil, small pack of wipes, tea light candle
-emergency rain poncho
-9 LED AAA flashlight
-a couple of tampons
-cough drops


My EDC Purse Contents

Attached to the outside:
24 oz Kleen Kanteen (kept in a pair of wool socks as bottle insulator)

Outside Pocket:
Hard case with prescription glasses, clip-on sunglasses and mini screwdriver

Top Convenience Pocket:
lip balm
tylenol & advil
7 LED AAA flashlight & 1 set of extra batteries
Jet lighter
tissues
cough drops

Front Pocket:
2 chemical body/hand warmers
silk hankie
emergency disposable poncho
small with tin tampons & mini maxi pad

Main Compartment:
Wallet (with cash, coins, bus tickets, bank cards, ID, etc.)
LM Wave (with cotton balls, jute twine, Maglite Solitare and extra battery in sheath)
2 Heat Sheets blankets
2 Clif bars
chewing gum
duct tape
bandana
cotton hankie
silk liner gloves
note book
lip balm

2nd Main Compartment:
Key Chain with SAK Farmer, LED, ferro rod, mini bic, Fox 40, 3 days of Rx meds
Pen, Sharpie, pencil, mini screwdriver kit

deck of cards
Esbit stove and fuel tabs
1L Platypus
Jute twine and paracord
hair elastic
Bic lighter
duct tape
tampons, pads and a note from my kids in a ziplock

FAK (gauze pads, prep pads, pressure bandage, mini maxi pads, bandaids, OTC meds, cough drops, H2O tabs, coffee, tea and sugar, mini bic, SOL mini fishing kit, safety pins)

Extra ziplock bags

Back Pocket:
garbage bags


Notes:

*I'll add a sweater and/or rain jacket on days when the weather is decidedly not cold and/or wet. (It's Spring so we can expect a total mixed bag of weather.)
*I'll have my MP3 player, headphones and charger kit in my pocket
*A new cell phone and charging kit is on my shopping list
*I am going to keep a complete change of clothes, including shoes, at work

I carry rather more food and water - and keep half my ghb in my work locker. you might add a paper list of contacts, uber app or similar, bus/area maps and some lights/ reflective to be seen if you are walking at night.