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Go Bag Pt. 3 (8/14/2024)
| Well, This Ain't Good ... |
You’re a long way from home. Perhaps it was a business trip or you were visiting family. Regardless, something serious has occurred and you aren’t a simple drive across town from the safety of home. Maybe it was something deliberate, like an EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse). Maybe it was a freak natural occurrence, like a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection). Either way, your car has died on the side of the highway, along with countless others as far as the eye can see. You glance at your phone to find it is dead. You could swear it’s been on the charger the whole time. You look around at other stranded motorists as they also try to sort out what is going on. Some are beginning to put it together. Others, not so much. Unlike everyone else in eyeshot, you are different. You planned for this. You understood the risks and you prepared for this exact moment, although you prayed it would never happen. You pop the trunk and grab your ticket to surviving whatever is going on right now. You don your level two GoBag! Sure, there may be a handful of other items from your car you’ll want to grab. The snacks and bottled tea you bought back at the truck stop, for example. The real lifesaving gear, however, was mapped out, gathered and packed a long time ago specifically so you wouldn’t have to sweat it now… in this moment.
Your car is going nowhere. Time is short, the unprepared on the highway shoulder are starting to look your way and you need to move quickly before you get caught up in the inevitable mob mentality. You prepared to save yourself and your family. This is not the time for charity. This is not the time for generosity. This is the time to move! You hop the guardrail, get off of the road and out of sight. You may find comfort in paralleling the highway, but you need to stick to the woods and farmland until you can find a safe place to plot your next move… a route for home.
Last month I discussed the rationale and contents for my level one GoBag. My level one is designed specifically for those circumstances and routines surrounding my local community or within an hour drive from home. You will recall that my core assumption in the level one gear is that my car has become useless and my one hour drive has now become a day’s walk home. This same assumption is applied at level two, except that the distances are much greater and the hazards, both environmental and human, are much more varied and uncertain. Thus the preparation of a level two GoBag requires more thought, more planning, more capacity and more consideration of your physicality, or its limitations.
To start, let’s summarize some of the common elements from last month’s level one article for the sake of brevity. As with level one, level two starts with a good bag. You want quality above all else. At level two you may be living out of this thing for some time and carrying more gear, meaning more weight. Do you really want all your preps falling out on the trail because you wanted to save $40 on a pack? Quality straps, zippers and fabric define a quality bag. Don’t skimp here. The same brands I mentioned before are relevant here, as well as products by Agilite that I just learned we now carry in both shops! Finally, the core contents of the level one bag from last month will be the starting contents for level two. From illumination to water purification, from food to fire starting, and from gloves to duct tape… it ALL goes into level two. Remember that at level two you have a longer road ahead of you and you will certainly need to plan for more fires, more repairs, more water filtering etc so level up your level one gear with the following adjustments:
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Beyond the enhanced level one supplies, what else comes into play at level two? Clearly your starting location, time of year and unique circumstances (that no one can predict) will play a role, but the following items are worth their weight in gold in a crisis.
Stay comfortable, stay mobile - Remember that the goal of this level two pack is to keep you on the move and headed for the safety of home for an indeterminate period of time. In order to stay mobile, you obviously need nutrition as stated above, but there’s more to it than that. First and foremost you need a quality, comfortable, durable and broken-in pair of shoes. If you have to start this trek wearing the leather dress shoes you were wearing to the client meeting, you won’t get very far. With the stunning number of choices out there, you’ll need to select something that works for you, but remember that this is not a fashion show. Go with what works. Consider a higher top for ankle support rather than a low top athletic shoe or cross-trainer. Before you stow them with your GoBag, it is always a great idea to wear them for a couple of months and break them in. The time to discover they produce hot spots on your feet is not when you are trying to survive a crisis. You’ll have enough working against you without producing blisters on day one. Socks are a critical component of a footwear system. Choosing socks that help to keep your feet dry and that don’t affect the fit of the shoes is vitally important. When you find socks you like, stuff three pair in your level two. This allows you to have pairs to wear while wet and dirty pairs are hand washed and dried along the trail. Finally, include a package of MoleSkin. This blister prevention and treatment product is indispensable on the trail. 5 million Boy Scouts can’t be wrong! It is also a good idea to keep a change of comfortable clothes in subdued colors in your car, along with a spare pair of undies. Do not neglect layers, rain gear and cold weather gear if you are traveling to areas where they would be critical if stranded in the outdoors.
ProTip: Socks and underwear can be easily cleaned by hand in any available water source, then hung on your pack for drying on the go.
Where to from here? - GoBag or not, you need a plan and that plan starts with an intended destination. Regardless of that destination, you must have some sense of where you are in relation to where you want to be. Two essential components of a level two bag are a compass and maps. I think we can all agree that in most circumstances you knew well in advance where you were traveling to before the crisis unfolded. That being the case, there’s really no excuse for not keeping relevant maps in your car. Whenever I travel to a new state, I always grab the cheap Rand McNally laminated maps from the truck stop. That way, no matter what happens, I at least have a handy reference for highways, cities and rural routes for consideration. While I’m not going to necessarily suggest that anyone dive into a military land navigation course, having a quality compass will at least keep you pointed generally in the right direction. ProTip: Highway directions can be deceptive. For example, I-4 in Florida is generally designated as an east-west highway, yet much of its length goes nearly due north/south. Everyone should become well-versed in quickly assessing the cardinal compass points by observing the movements of the sun and/or stars.
Time to rest - There’s no avoiding it. Your distance from home makes it a given that you’ll have to make camp at some point. This brings us to the topic of shelter. Your level two GoBag should have some form of basic portable shelter. If you’re a fan of westerns, you’ll recall the typical wool blanket rolled up and tied to the back of the cowboy’s saddle. While that might work for some, you’ll need to consider a number of factors that vary from season to season, region to region and person to person. Do you camp on the ground or up off of it? Do you need a tent. There is truly no right or wrong answer here as it is a matter of your training, experience and outdoorsiness. My personal preference is a one-man hammock with built-in mosquito netting and rain drape. This unit allows me to sleep on the ground when necessary, but elevated where supports such as trees and fence posts are available. In either scenario I am protected from insects and rain. I have used this hammock multiple times and it works great. When not in use, it packs down to a cylindrical roll roughly six inches in diameter and about 16 inches wide. This package slings neatly under my level two GoBag. Sleeping bags are another common consideration. Depending upon where you are and the time of year, a sleeping bag can ensure warmth better than a wool blanket and in a more compact package.
ProTip: When training for long-term survival alone, I prefer to camp during the day and move at night. Doing so makes me less conspicuous to potential adversaries, avoids exertion in thal; font-weight:400; line-height:24px">When training for long-term survival alone, I prefer to camp during the day and move at night. Doing so makes me less conspicuous to potential adversaries, avoids exertion in the heat of the day and reduces the chance of someone spotting a campfire in the darkness.
You gotta eat - At level two it is necessary to have a basic cooking set-up, even if not for food prep, at least for boiling water of unknown quality. The key here is compact size, simple yet durable components and variable fuel capability. This means that systems that rely on only one type of fuel should be avoided as you could find yourself carrying useless weight when the specific fuel source runs out. Your system should allow rudimentary cooking and boiling capability regardless of your source of fire. A system that uses only one type of fuel will require that you also pack that type of fuel which could get heavy and space prohibitive unless you get home quick.
ProTip: Choose stainless steel or titanium over aluminum. Aluminum can fatigue and crack after a number of heating and cooling cycles. Stainless and Titanium don’t suffer this problem, nor do they readily release metallic particles into the food or water like aluminum can do. Titanium, while more expensive offers a substantial weight reduction. Pathfinder makes a great stainless cook set that packs into a canteen-size rig with tons of hidden ergonomic features. Ask about it at Lawful Defense.
Clean up your act - When trying to survive you tend to gloss over things like personal hygiene, but bacteria, infected wounds and environmental irritants can quickly turn a solid plan into a life or death situation. Your level two should contain a bottle of antibacterial soap. This can be used to ward off infection from cuts, wash away environmental contaminants and can be vital to keeping feet and privates from getting filthy and irritated.
ProTip: Yes, include a toothbrush and toothpaste in your level two. They take up little space and will help to prevent dental infections from food impaction.
What the doctor ordered - As we discussed last month, medical gear is more dependent upon training than many other types of survival gear. At level two you will want not only basic first aid, but also a variety of more advanced compression bandages, chest seals, trauma dressings, tapes, gauzes and antibiotic ointments. More importantly, take some classes and learn to use them. A tourniquet, sutures, basic instruments and meds may also be added to augment your training and personal medical needs. While the goal is to avoid a gun fight where you might incur a sucking chest wound, accidents happen in the most boring circumstances. Be prepared in both gear and know-how.
ProTip: ShootGTR offers a variety of medical emergency classes suitable for the whole family. Your teenage daughter might be the one to save your life… IF she knows how.
What’s in your toolbox? - Round out your level two tool kit with a chain camp saw, a folding shovel, small bolt cutters, pliers, a screwdriver with multiple bits and a box cutter. The uses for these items are myriad and self-explanatory. Also a proper braided climbing rope is a fantastic means of securing gear, raising edibles out of reach of wildlife, constructing makeshift shelters and restraining hostiles.
ProTip: Learn some basic knots. You’ll be fascinated by how the right or wrong knot can make or break a prep.
Can we talk? - Communications are essential if you are traveling with a group. Obviously in the event of an EMP, handheld comms such as walkie talkies, HAM or GMRS radios can be fried. Otherwise these are meaningful solutions for short-range communications. In the absence of these devices, or in situations where silence is vital, have your team learn some basic hand signals. They can be invaluable in covert situations.
ProTip: A quality signal mirror can help to establish crude communications given adequate sunlight and line of sight.
To wrap up, my level two GoBag setup includes everything mentioned in last month’s level one article, plus everything detailed above. There is a frequently ill-conceived thought process where people try to emulate a military load-out as a GoBag. While there is some crossover, you must remember that military personnel are often supported by mechanized mobility and sophisticated logistics ensuring timely food supplies. In a long-term survival situation you will not have these luxuries and the emphasis shifts from combat operations to scrounging food wherever possible. While it’s okay to source some of your level two stuff from military surplus shops, often the better products are modern commercial grade stuff that wasn’t made on a government contract by the lowest bidder.
Next month, we will move into the next evolution of the topic… level three.
Until then… Travel With Level Two and Stay Alive!
Todd Johnson - Contributor-at-Large
Lawful Defense ╾━╤デ╦︻ ShootGTR