The Non-Preppers ‘Go Bag’

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The following article has been contributed by Matt, a preparedness expert currently residing down under in the beautiful country of Australia.

With all the terrible things bad people are doing in city precincts, shopping centres, cinemas etc. I began thinking how would I prepare for an emergency if I didn’t want to ‘technically’ prep? I don’t want to purchase all these gadgets and gizmos. I don’t need a fire starter, fish hooks, or compass in the city. What’s the point?

Why do I need to prep? People running around in gas masks! Camouflage will clash with my suit. My briefcase is not a generally recognized survival item (although I’m sure after writing this someone might take up the challenge to ‘prep’ the hell out of a briefcase and see what survival applications it can be used for in an urban environment.)

I don’t want to carry a backpack.

I grab my key, my phone, my lunchbox and a work folder and off I go.

What’s going to get me through the next minute or next hour if a SHTF scenario takes place?

My go to item would be a little bum bag. A plain old little bum bag.

Referred to as fanny packs in the U.S. if I’m not mistaken, in Australia we call em’ bum bags!

In it would be the most basic of items that would be beneficial if the SHTF and I found myself clambering over rubble from and earthquake damaged building or bomb or some other SHTF scenario.

Putting Together the Go Bag Choosing your Bag

• A small waist pack, fanny pack or bum bag. It’s small. Its readily accessible being at the front and you do not have to swing it around like a backpack. Can’t get it around your waist? Try to find one that has the longest strap you can and sling it over your shoulder across the chest. We’re all different.
• Space will be of an absolute premium so pack light, pack minimal, pack necessity
• The point of this bum bag that I’m suggesting is that even if you wear a suit and have absolutely never thought about prepping before, something as unobtrusive and small as a bum bag won’t detract from your office décor or work clothes. It’s not a camouflaged 40lt hiking backpack sitting at the bottom of your mahogany bookshelf.
• It sits in your desk drawer.
• It sits in your locker.
• It sits in the well of your car door or middle console or glove compartment.
• If your employer is reasonably casual with your uniform and you can find use to wear it for your job you might as well get away with wearing it as part of your uniform.
• If the SHTF and your typing away at your computer or driving a taxi, bang, SHTF!, you open your drawer or glove compartment and away you go with an increased chance of survival strapped to your waist hands free
• One pocket two pocket, it doesn’t matter. So long as it has a big main compartment

First Aid

• Either a secondary pouch in the main compartment or simply loose whatever works for you and the size of your bag
• If the SHTF in an emergency I’m not going to worry about tweezering little splinters, in fact, with all the ruckus going on around me I’d probably realize I have something in my finger, hand or foot long after the incident so items like this will be left out. If you have room then include it.
• My reasoning in having these specific items is based on quick, fast, go go go, I’m injured lets pad it stop the bleeding, dress it and keep moving, or doing the same for someone as I pass them, pad it stop the bleeding, dress it, pick them up and keep moving. Not let me remove the wood splinter from your finger while your arm has a hole in it.
• MUST HAVE: 2 x bandages/pads for padding and pressure. Make the focus with this kit on stopping bleeding and perhaps burns, as more than likely splinters, mosquito bites, and grazed knuckles will be a distant second to open wounds, gunshot wounds, crush injuries and burns
• MUST HAVE: bandages for dressing
• MUST HAVE: triangle (sling) bandages, for putting arms in a sling amongst the numerous other uses they have or keep folded and use as a wound dressing as well
• MUST HAVE: some type of burn-aid or burn treatment gel or dressing
• 2-4 x Band-Aids
• MUST HAVE: 2 x steriswabs/Alco-swabs/antiseptic wipes
• 1 x chap stick – these have a variety of uses
• MUST HAVE: 1 x pair of rubbers gloves
• MUST HAVE: backup personal medication
• MUST HAVE: 2 x aspirin, anti-histamine or over the counter pain medications
• MUST HAVE: 1 x shock blanket/emergency blanket/foil blanket

Safety

• 1 x small roll of duct tape – you never know what this will save you from until you have it
• MUST HAVE: 1 x dust mask: rubble, dust, allergens, burning materials giving off toxic smoke, a simple dust mask is better than no dust mask. Plain white masks usually sold in packs of 10 or more will do. Once again if space permits and you can fit something more quality perhaps with some sort of respirator then include it
• MUST HAVE: 1 x pair of clear safety goggles, preferably wrap around that will also prevent dust from getting into your eyes
• MUST HAVE: 1 x torch – something small yet comfortable to hold, preferably a wrist strap
• MUST HAVE: 1 x signal whistle, preferably with a lanyard

Food

• Food? You want to put food in your bum bag with everything else? Say I get trapped in an elevator or the stairwell. Or I’ve jumped out of my taxi to assist the people trapped by rubble and I’m slugging away for hours and have to sit down to recoup some energy. Or I find myself trapped by rubble.The point here is to keep it small and have at least one item.
• MUST HAVE: 1 x muesli bar/energy bar/oat bar: something to give you just that little bit of sustenance to keep you going.
• MUST HAVE: 2 x electrolyte pouches or tabs
• some small candies, mints, jelly beans, something sugary
• MUST HAVE IF YOU CAN SQUEEZE IT: the smallest bottle of water you can find can be included. They make pouches of water, canned water, whatever is small enough to fit. You only want to wet your lips, moisten your throat, splash a little on your face or face cloth, or more importantly, drink to keep hydrated. It’s there for you to survive that little bit longer

Assorted Contents: Room Permitting

(although bum bags are small you may be able to squeeze one or two extra items but in the end the size of the bag will dictate)

• hi-vis vest or reflectors
• tourniquets, if your first aid associations allow these
• a bandana: you can wet it to put over your mouth for a fire, wipe your face down, clean an area, wipe away sweat, use as a wound dressing if you have nothing else
• deck of cards
• portable Powerbank: to recharge a phone if necessary
• a couple of small glow sticks
• small Multitool
• seatbelt cutter
• glass breaker/window punch
• CPR face shield
• 1-2 x Ziploc bags: great for carrying water, water/splash proofing items, storing severed fingers etc. (well that escalated quickly!)

Conclusion

What I want from this article is to help those who think it’s too hard to prepare for the unthinkable.

Who think it’s too difficult or silly to be ready. You don’t have to have anything bigger than a bum bag stashed somewhere out of sight if you feel you’ll be ridiculed by others.

The bag you see here is designed as a simple, grab it and go bag. It’s designed to be small, reasonably lightweight and unobtrusive. It contains only the necessary items I feel are important. I honestly believe anything labelled MUST HAVE, is a definite must have regardless of who you are or where you work.

I can patch myself up if my wounds allow me, or someone can do it for me, or I can do it for them, or I can supply one piece of first aid gear to someone else giving them a fighting chance.

If I’m trapped under rubble and I’m hungry and can reach my pack I can blow my whistle as loud as I can in between having a bite to eat.

It sounds funny and I’m not making light of it but all I can picture is those earthquake survivors trapped under rubble yelling for hours for help and they’re well enough to shout, talk, move slightly and they’ve injuries and yet somehow they survive for hours or days. If you can take a sip of water, or have a bite to eat to regain some energy, or blow a whistle, or flash a torch or patch your own leg up enough to get you to a hospital or until medical help arrives, then having these few items within your grasp might just give you the chance you need to make it through.

Keep calm and grab your bum bag!