Hello ajmundie. Welcome to the forum. A few pointers. Try to think in terms of systems. Water, food, fire, hygene, shelter, first aid, tools... and you can build from there.

JAB

ajmudie,

Howdy.

May I ask one question first.......what is the purpose of your kit?? Bug-in?? Bug-out?? Get home?? Bunker??

You state it is for an urban environment. That helps a little. JAB has given you an excellent start of the priorities.

What time line are you on for completion?? Do you have a budget you must work within?? (if yes please do not post an exact $$) Who are you building this kit for?? Self?? Family?? Extended Family?? Neighbouhood?? How long does this kit have to last you?? Will you have any other kits cached in other locations?? Do vehicles play a role in your plan?? Do you need a kit for each vehicle??

What is the kit to be used for - ie natural disasters?? man-made grief??

I guess that is it for now. Please post a reply and I will try to assist with individual items. Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

im makin kit for my self right now. disasters and man made grief.

Ajmudie Hi

Here are some of my thoughts of what should be in kit if you are traveling around the city. I’m thinking items you might drop into a daily carry pack of some sort with spare socks and clothing that will multi task (warm and dry), etc.

Unfortunately some self defense items are probably not advised as they would be hard to explain if stopped by a LEO. In a SHTF situation you do not want to do anything that would get you detained. A pocket knife and dog spray might pass inspection.

I would also pack;
Water, candy or high calorie snacks, maps of the city, maps of transit systems (the trains may not run but the tracks might be a way out), transit schedules, change and low denomination bills, flash light, communications prefer ham handi talkie c/w weather and standard broadcast bands, list of important phone numbers and contacts, waterproof pad and pen.

I would also dress properly. I would wear common clothing and hat in light brown or khaki which is not flashy and dray attention to yourself. You may work in an office but looking like a common worker will draw less attention then a suit and tie. Comfortable shoes are very important. Big city travel is a challenge and you need to blend in to get out.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

HTP

ajmudie,

So, you seek a kit for yourself. And you are in an urban environment.

I assume you work in one location and live in another, within the same urban area. You have not disclosed transportation, I will assume you have access to public transportation and you take advantage of it whenever possible. I will also assume if disaster strikes while you are at work, you want to get home as soon as possible or safe to do so.I assume you could walk home from work within 24 hours. I will assume if the nature of the disaster is short term, you would prefer to hold up in your home and shelter-in-place. Lastly, I will assume that only in the most dire of circumstances would you chose to flee the city, for the safety of a location outside the danger area. I will use these assumptions to guide my suggestions. It may take me more than one reply to write out some suggestions. Of course, the more information you provide, the more focused the suggestions can be to your needs.

Bag #1 - Get Home Bag (Kept at work, unless needed)

{HTP and JAB, have provided you with an excellent foundation to build upon. I will give a suggestion or two, but you will have to do your research to decide if any of this works for your situation.}

Keep all items in a medium duffle or gym bag. Use a locker or closet at work to store the bag.

1. Walking shoes or hiking boots. Also good socks - 1x pair of poly pro liner sock and 1x wool hiking socks at minimum. Keep socks in a ziploc bag, so they stay dry.
2. Comfortable, all-weather clothing. Greys, browns, tans, or maybe olive in colour. See HTP's message for the why. Pants. Shirt. Jacket. Insulation layer - sweater, fleece, down vest, etc.
3. Hat and toque.
4. Gloves. Mitts. (leather work gloves to get out of the building. wool or fleece mitts for warmth)
5. Flashlight & Headlamp. LED type, with extra batteries. Re-chargeable batteries and a recharger might be a good idea. Ensure both flashlight and headlamp use the same type of batteries.
6. First aid kit. The best you can make or afford, but it also has to be compact.
7. Whistle. Fox-40.
8. Water. At least 3x 500mL bottles. Rotate every 3-6 months.
9. Food. High energy. No cooking required. Rotate every other month. Think nuts, dried fruit, dark chocolate, energy bars, jerky, hard candies, coffee beans - whole, gel energy packs. Remember, although high sugar items provide a quick burst of energy, they also have a crash afterwards. Fats provide long term energy but require a long time to digest. Proteins are needed to restore muscles and other tissues. ALL FOOD MUST HAVE WATER TO DIGEST. If you do not have water, avoid eating. If, you must have anything try the hard candies to hold off the hunger, ration wisely.
10. Fire. You will need at least 3 methods of starting a fire-matches in a waterproof case, mini-Bic lighters, fire steel, magnesium bar.
11. A metal cup, pot or tin can for heating water. In case you do not get home in 24 hours.
12. A knife. In a disaster, most LEO's will be busy. And knives are small. I suggest a folding lock-blade such as the Gerber Para-frame I and a fixed blade utility knife - such as a Mora 860 Companion series.
13. Method of carrying your gear. Gear vest you can wear under a jacket? A modified Trench coat with pockets inside? A medium sized waist pack? A daypack? Whatever would blend in the most and not look out of place. As HTP mentioned if you can blend in as a common worker, you will draw less attention than when wearing an Armani Suit. Unless, of course you need a suit to get out of the business district without being stopped by the LEO's. You know your environment better than we do.
14. A city map. Compass?? Routes and alternate routes. Caches of supplies enroute??
15. Cash. $2 coins. $5 bills. $10 bills. And a method to conceal and keep the money quiet, no rattling coins.
16. Goggles and dust mask. To get out of a collapsed building.
17. 100' paracord. Always handy.
18. Duct Tape wrapped around a Bic lighter. Always handy.
19. Notebook and pencil and pen.
20. A lumber crayon. For marking your route. Incase you are trying to find your way out of a collapsed building, mark your route so you know if you are going in circles. Also works in caves.
21. USB battery pack to recharge your cellphone.

I think that covers the basics for getting home from work.

I will post more soon,

Mountainman.

ajmudie,

Shelter-in-place Kit.

I do not know what type of housing you live in. So, I may make some errors here, but I will do my best to give you some ideas.

I will touch on bug-out bags last, however, a bug-out bag does have a place in your total plan. In the event you have to evacuate from your home due to a fire in your place or a neighbours, it is good to have the bare necessities ready to go. More on Bug-out Bags later.

1. Shelter. To shelter-in-place you need shelter. Protections form the environment. Protection from others. Doors that lock. Windows that can be covered. A roof that will not leave you in a big wind storm. A place that cannot be flooded. A location to store and protect yourself and your gear.
2. Climate Control. Heat for winter. Cool for summer. And plenty of insulation in the floor, walls and ceiling/roof, to make maximum use of the energy to keep you comfortable. Without proper insulation you will be wasting heat or cold making resources.
3. Water. For drinking. For cooking. For sanitation - toilet, washing, laundry. Storage device(s).
4. Food. Pantry - day-to-day. Freezer. Fridge. As well as, emergency rations. Many suggest a year's supply per person. This is sometimes accomplished with dried goods - rice, beans, lentils, wheat, oats, barley, sugar, flour,pasta noodles, spices, powder milk, as well as oil and shortening. Others, suggest pre-packaged dry goods - Mountain House, MRE's, Thrive, Wise Company, Etc. Canned foods are good to help add variety, but can be too heavy for transport.
5. Tools. Any tool you may need to secure, repair or build whatever you need. Hand tools offer the advantage of not needing an electrical power source. Hammers, saws, hand drills/brace, wrecking bars, screwdrivers, wrenches, socket set, pliers, wire cutters, carpenter's square, tape measure, chalk line, etc.
6. Building supplies. Dimensional wood. Plywood. Nails. Screws. Rivets. Duct Tape. Roll(s) of Poly Vapour Barrier. Glue. Oil. Steel wool. Sandpaper. Paint. Paint Brushes. Paint Thinner. Etc.
7. Fire control. Fire extinguishers. Fire axe. Shovels. Pails - sand or water. Hose and water pump. Fire blanket. Forestry backpack tank (piss can), Etc.
8. Light. Candles. Solar lights. Battery packs. Solar panels. Oil Lamps. Kero lanterns. Propane lanterns. White gas lanterns. Matches. Bic lighters. Candle holders. Candle wall sconce - mount candles on the walls of your home. Hand crank lanterns. LED lighting with rechargeable batteries. Solar battery charger.
9. Cooking. Camp stoves. Wood stove. BBQ. Boil water - pots, pans, hot water heater. Utensils.
10. Washing. Basins. Water disposal. Dish detergents. Bleach -unscented. Vinegar. Sunlight soap bars. Wash board. Scrub brush.
11. Sanitation. Toilet - waterless. How and where to store bags of human waste. Hand sanitizer. Toilet paper.
12. Protection and security. Methods of securing structure. Locks. Firearms. Archery. Etc.
13. Blackout. Making the light stay inside without giving up your location. Blackout curtains. Wood shutters. Spray Paint.
14. Saferoom. A secure and defendable inner room. Think about possible escape plan if being burned out.
15. Safe or lockbox. Keep cash. Documents. Passports. Photo albums. External Hard-drives.
16. Communications. Radios. Cellphone. Landline. Flashlights/signal lamps. Red & Green 3'x3' flags - signal disaster services if you need help(red) or all is okay (green). Signal mirror - Star Flash. Whistle. Horn.
17. Medical. First aid kit. More than one. As much spare gauze, bandage, band-aids, etc as you can store. Rubbing alcohol. Peroxide. Polysporin. Pain medicines. Medical manuals. Scissors. Foreceps. Suture kits.

I am sure I have forgotten a lot of things, but that was a start.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

ajmudie,

Here we go with the next chapter. The bug-out bag.

The purpose of the bug-out bag is:
1. Be ready at a moments notice.
2. Carry the essentials of life.
3. Get you from wherever you are to your BOL - Bug Out Location.

Generally, speaking the Bug-out bag (BOB) keeps you alive, on the run for 72 hours.

The bug-out bag tries to be as useful as possible and light enough to carry on your back for 3 days. It is easy to get carried away, and put too much gear in the BOB. Never worry about that. If you travel first by vehicle, you only have to carry your BOB to the vehicle and those extra may save your life later. Worse-case scenario, you have to "dump" or cache your extras to pick-up later.

A bug-out bag must meet your needs, environment, circumstances and budget. However, the basics can be listed.

1. The Pack or bag. It must be tough and comfortable for you to wear for long hours.
2. Shelter. You need some sort of shelter. Tent. Tarp. Bivy bag.
3. Water. You need a source of drinking water. 3x 500mL bottles of water is a good start, for part of a day. You need a canteen, bladder or water bottle, or multiples. At least 2 methods of purifying water.
4. Food. 72 hours worth. Like the get home bag only more volume.
5. Extra clothes. Socks - poly pro & wool. Zip-off pants - nylon or polyester. Long sleeve shirts. Cool max type t-shirts. Long johns & shirt - poly pro. Fleece jacket. Gore-tex shell or Anorak. Gore-tex pants. Boots - hiking. Underwear. Rain poncho - nylon.
6. First Aid kit. Best you can afford.
7. Sleeping bag and waterproof valise. Best you can afford. A two bag system is better than just a -40C single bag.
8. Cooking. Pocket stove. Canister. Propane. Solid fuel. Alcohol. Metal pot. Cup. KFS - knife, fork & spoon.
9. Knife. 2 would be better than one. 1x locking blade folding. 1x fixed blade.
10. Multi-plier. Gerber. SOG. Leatherman.
11. Fire kit. At least three methods of lighting a fire.
12. Fishing kit. Basic. Fishing line. Sinkers. Lures. Hooks.
13. Snare Kit. Basic. 3m of brass wire.
14. Documentation kit. A copy of every important peice of paper in your life. Birth certificate. Passport. Driver's license. PAL. RPAL. Fishing license. Marriage License. Insurance. Bank accounts. Credit cards. Diplomas. Etc.
15. Tools. Shovel. Axe. Machette. Saw.
16. Personal defence.
17. Survival kit.

Use you tube to get ideas on bug-out bags. I like the videos put out by MainePrepper.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

PS - I have one more post to make.

ajmudie,

Here is the last post. For now anyways.

Training, skills and knowledge.

The three previous posts dealt with lists of gear or types of gear to include in a kit. However, gear and kit is useless unless you have the skills and knowledge to put it into effective use. The British SAS have a survival needs pyramid to illustrate where everything in a survival situation fits in the big picture. The base layer of the pyramid is the WILL to survive. Without the will to survive you will die. The middle layer of the pyramid is Skills/Training/Knowledge. Without this layer and the will to survive you will most likely parish if not found soon. And the smallest and highest layer of the pyramid is Gear/kit. So, in the big picture, without the will to live, the training and skills, all the gear in the world is not going to save you.

So, I have given you the lists of gear you asked for. But, I did not want to leave without making a post to help you find the skills necessary to put all that gear/kit to good use. I am not sure what your skill, training or knowledge background is. It is okay if you do not disclose.

But since it is more important to know what to do and when to do it, than it is to have all that shiny kit. Let's explore what type of training, skills and knowledge would benefit you as you start to build your kits. Remember, once you have the skills, training and knowledge you will be able to adapt and improvise. Become a creative problem-solver.

Skills and Training.

1. First Aid, CPR & AED. Get the highest level possible. Standard First Aid would be the lowest level to accept. Wilderness First Aid. EMR. EMT - Paramedic. Combat Medic. Combat Surgeon. Nurse. Doctor. The higher level the more valuable you become to others as well. Including your family.
2. Wilderness Survival.
3. Urban Survival.
4. Mechanical Skills.
5. Gardening.
6. Hunting & Fishing.
7. Trapping.
8. Construction skills.
9. Marksmanship.
10. Navigation.
11. Food prep and storage.
12. Wilderness Travel - Canoe, Kayak, Quad, Motorbike, 4x4, Skis, Snowshoes, Sailing, Flying, Snowmobile, Hiking, Etc
13. Solar Power, Wind Power, Micro Hydro, Micro Steam
14. Primative Skills - blacksmithing, weaving, tanning hides, birchbark canoe making, etc.

Knowledge

1. Get any and every book, PDF or DVD that teaches how-to anything and everything
2. Read. Read. And read some more.
3. Decide. Become an expert in one area or a generalist in most areas of knowledge. Jack-of-all-trades.

I hope these posts help you some. Keep us posted on your progress. Please post any questions that arrise during your preps.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

gc_m pretty much nailed 99% of the aspects of your kit.

Without superceding his advice, I'd suggest putting together what you can at the moment, and running through simulations. By simulations, I mean - actually trying out your gear. Test it, and test it, and test it. I don't have anything in my kit that I haven't tested to oblivion. If I am not 100% sure something will work anytime, all the time, then it never goes into my pack. Having to unwrap something from its plastic packaging in an emergency isn't my idea of being prepared.

Go out backcountry camping, or go spend 24 hours outside, even within the city. You will only look like a backpacker or a less-than-rich traveller/tourist. Leave at 3:30am, and make do with what you have till you get home at 3:30am. Bring a notepad with you to list down all the things you actually wish you had, or improvements you can make. Don't rely on store-bought food, you can't go into nice heated locations, and no public transit.

For bugging in, take a Monday off from work. Simulate Saturday, Sunday and Monday as bugging in during an emergency... as that is the bare minimum (72 hours) that even the Government of Canada recommends for people to prepare a kit for. You can't use running water, you can't use any electricity. No internet, no stoves, no cellphones (solar charger maybe, but if the power is out, the cell towers are likely out as well). Leave your heat on, but lower it to a setting that won't let your pipes freeze/burst. Close the curtains, minimize visibility (no lights, movement), and minimize any noises.

Make notes on what works, what doesn't, what you lack, and what you can do without. After all, why simply read up on what people say you should do? Use that as a foundation, and build your level of experience/skills/expertise from there.

Cheers

thanks so much