Not so Urban Survival Bag

H

HK2001

Joined
May 3, 2005
Messages
159
First, let me say thank you for all the great posts here. I've read these forums for quite some time now, and nearly every thread has made me rethink parts of my bag.

I moved to central florida in between the hurricanes in late 2004 to continue with college, and found my kit, designed for Upstate NY survival, a little out of it's element here. The hurricanes caused so much damage, and injured so many people that I've decided the bag needs to be completely redesigned.

I carry the basics with me everywhere.
First aid kit -self built- 500 or so pieces + 100 count bottle of Iburofin.
Sawyer Extractor
Applegate fairbain Covert Folder
Magnesium block
2 Milspec MRE's
2 liter Hydration bladder
Water Purification tabs
Surefire E2O
Leatherman Wave

These are all in my bag, along with any books in need for a normal day at college. Level III assault pack

Mil gear blends in well locally, I've seen countless ALICE type bags before, and BDU is common on students also.

Now, I need to try to revamp my "real kit", the bag that sits at home, to a point where it's useful for Florida.

The Obvious stuff is in there
Water filter (anyone have any experiance with The Katadyn Pocket Filter? Suppose to do 13,000 gallons before filter change)
My Kabar
Tarps
Paracord
Fishing/snare stuff
Larger, 23lb Firstaid kit
Collapsible water containers.
Diamond Strike-a-fire matches.
A few D cell Mag lites (because powerouts are common here, and I can recharge my D cells)
2 More Sawyer Extractors, as goodwill/barter/backup in an emergency.
1/2 Gallon bleach - Water purification.
Glock 17 w/ 5 mags ammo. (and a Florida CCW)
2 Liter hydration bladders, for me, and my Girlfriend.
5 days of Milspec/Hiking food, each
Rain gear.
2 Army survival guides.(souly for goodwill)

I know i need (anyone have good suggestions):
Good, cut/puncture resistant gloves.
Titanium prybar


While i know this is technially an USP, i don't consider it as such. I look at this pack as "After Hurricane XxXxX, there is no urban, only wreckage"

My main goal is to keep my Girl, myself, and a few of our friends (who are building kits, themselves) alive, and well. I will help others, with Firstaid, getting food/water, etc. I'm a trained first responder, and I've been trained countless times in survival(ex military) and feel it's my duty as such to help others who require it.

Any suggestions for this kit? I admit, subtropical is definatly not my area.. but it's where i live now. the ECWS gear has no use anymore, so it's obviously out..
 
Yea a filter is included in the kit (first one under "obvious stuff") although i know I need to upgrade it. In fact, if this Katadyn Pocket Filter pans out anywhere near 13,000 gallons, that will be the one i use.. regardless of size.
 
Got something waterproof to keep your gear in? Even if you're moving, heavy rain and flooding seem to go along with most of the natural disasters down there. A lot of that stuff, like 23lb. first aid kit, tarps, etc. is going to get left behind if you have to travel by foot.
Think about a small LED light or two with long runtime. With a lack of ambient light--'cause the power's out:) it doesn't take much, and you might not be able to recharge the batteries for your MagLites. AA or Lithium lights will be smaller, and lighter, as will their batteries.
I don't see socks or toilet paper on your list.
I wouldn't ditch the Gore-Tex parka and pants. I'm in Alabama, and use them pretty frequently, especially in the late fall/winter/early spring. "Rain gear" and ponchos just don't hold up. Actually, since we're talking hurricanes, the potential for flooding may even call for more than just something to keep rain off of you, as you could literally be in the water. When I was a kid, I lived right on the Gulf Coast during Frederick, and remember cars floating out of driveways, and neighbors driving down the street....in their boat.
Something for insects. Mosquitoes and gnats are a problem any time the weather is warmer, though that'll be more after the rain and storms are over.
I don't know about a Ti prybar. Never tried one. A small wrecking bar and/or a framing hammer go along way toward getting into and out of things. A linesman tool is another simple tool with a lot of demolition/escape/rescue potential.
Maybe I'll think of more later.
 
not to hijack a thread, but thanks for the heads up on the pack I just ordered one. Owen where in Alabama are you???? I am in North Alabama shoot me an email

paleo25@yahoo.com
 
I have a rain suit for a motorcycle that is not too heavy and fairly small. It also keeps you dry when traveling 60 mph in driving rain. It would also keep you dry in a raging hurricane.
 
i have pretty much what you have....some things i also carry:

TP!....am/fm/weather radio w/ spare batts...vivarin...leather work gloves...pen and paper...roll of quarters....$50 in ones...spare flashlight w/ xtra batts...2 bics...some snicker bars :)...carabiners......2 lg trash bags...9" pry bar...spare folding knife...sunscreen...bible...good novel.....mp3 player w/80 songs on it :cool: ...tootbrush...emery boards...dental floss....$300 in twenties...bandannas...xtra watch (mechanical wind up)...pepper spray...family radio....lots of spare batts

i work at home in an urban envir. this is all in a backpack....i have wheeled luggage for xtra clothes that i could pack in 15min.

obviously i'm going for comfort as well as survival :D
 
Wow.. I forgot TP.. someone just hit me now..
Ok, so i Added TP..

Owen: Yea.. I forgot to mention the socks and other clothes I've already included in the kit. 6 pair each (for my GF and I) of Warm weather wool blend socks, various BDU's, jeans, and T shirts. We each also have a pair of Bates steel shank/toe combat boots.. Police issue.. They're ungodly comfortable, and about the best thing I could come up with for foot protection.
LED flashlights.. any suggestions of a solid waterproof one? I had a Princetec Yukon that i used on a volunteer S-and-R for a missing kid during hurricane Jeanne, and it died in the rain.
As far as the "dumping the First aid kit" It's be the last thing to go... honestly. I can treat everything from a splinter, to a broken limb with the kit, and I'm well trained in it's use. I could never forgive myself if 10 miles into our trek, we came across someone in need of first aid that i should have normally been prepared for, had i brought the kit... and as people have said before, sometimes it takes over a week for disaster aid to come.
For waterproofing.. I use Glad press and seal to waterproof whatever i need. It's so handy, a roll has made a permanent place in my bag.
Insect protection... any recommendations? Just a compressed can of Off?

RunzWithScissors: Really? What brand?

bill_G: Yea, I have a hand cranked AM/FM/Weatherband radio in my kit. (Waterproofed by Press-n-seal) But, i still need to find a good, solid pair of cut resistant work gloves to use. I need to tweak my original post.. I missed a lot of things.

But all in all, carrying a full 4 liters of water, the kit weighs about 75 lbs.. with the first aid kit. But that's split between 2 people. so your talking more along the lines of 50 for me, and 25 for my Girlfriend. and that's decent considering doing 20 miles with my pack on, in florida weather dosn't seem to fatuige me that much.

But, in an ideal situation, we'd be with out best friends in an emergancy, and between the 4 of us, out kit comes to about 120lb total. making about 30lb per person.
 
for waterproof lights go to flashlightreviews.com and check out reviews of streamlight and underwater kinetics

i recommend the uk 4AA eLed light....not super bright but it is 50% brighter than a mini mag according to the review....but lasts 10-12 hours on full bright and maybe 20 more hrs on diminishing brightness......... waterproof but not for diving--just dunkable http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/uk_4aaeled.htm received 5 of 5 stars :eek:
. or one of the streamlight twin tasks: has both led AND incandescent bulbs built in. if possible try to stay w/ AA AAA (headlamps) or C batts--they're readily available in an emergency....cr123 may not be available---i do pack a 123 light, BUT i bring along a ton of batts for it.

also check out pietzel and streamlight headlamps........they leave both hands free....http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews_index/reviews_index_headlamps.htm

in real world emrgencies, always go for run time not light blaster cannons :D

you would be amazed at how little light you need in pitch black conditions

BTW, the pepper spray i carry is mainly for dogs :p
 
bill_G said:
i recommend the uk 4AA eLed light....not super bright but it is 50% brighter than a mini mag according to the review....but lasts 10-12 hours on full bright and maybe 20 more hrs on diminishing brightness......... waterproof but not for diving--just dunkable http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/uk_4aaeled.htm received 5 of 5 stars
Click to expand...

What would you recommend if I wanted better light output and was willing to sacrifice some runtime to get it? I'm looking for a compromise here because my night vision is not what it used to be.
 
Bill mentioned this but GLOVES!!! Swing by Coscto and pick up a multi pack of Leather work gloves. Gotta save those hands.
 
I have the UK 4AA eLED light - I bought on for my son in Scouting. It is a nice light though the switch is a bit finicky.

For some reason I like my Princeton Tec Impact XL much better - even though it gets a lower rating than the UK 4AA eLED light on flashlightreviews.com.
 
When getting leather gloves, consider deer skin gloves. They seem to survive getting wet much better than cow hide.

We have horses and the gloves are on me every day while cleaning and prepping stalls. It is quite common for me to reach into the water buckets to fish out some gunk or to soak the gloves while spraying out the buckets, the water trough, or the hay rack. The cow hide gloves tended to be as stiff as a rock the next morning, but the deer skin gloves, while a bit stiff, are much more flexible when dry.

On the other hand (no pun intended) I find deer skin a bit more slippery than cow hide when wet. Rough-out cow hide is the least slippery when wet.
 
If your plan is to help others, water will be an issue. You may want to have something you can give others for water purification without giving away your water filter. What water purification tabs do you use? I carry both Iodine and Katadyn water purification tabs. The Katadyn tabs are way better. They have a lower shelf life (3 years) but are individualy sealed and treat biological contaminants that iodine can't.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000AML9X/104-8214143-1198331

On flashlights, I've never used the Yukon, but I have the Princeton Attitude and it has serve me well. The 150 hour/battery set is a plus, but is no Dive light. One thing about the Yukon is that it is supposed to be waterproof, but is not dive safe. If you want a Dive safe headlamp, try the Princeton Tec Matrix 2.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/princetontec_matrix2.htm

For intence/tactical illumination, consider the Princeton Tec Surge. It gives Surefire like illumination with alkaline AA batteries.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/princetontec_surge.htm
 
for purification, i use bleach.. it's something I've used for years, and it'll be hard for me to give up.. the price, and sheer volume of water that can be purified beats tabs imho, even given the weight difference.
For filtration, i have a dozen bandanas in my bag, They're multipurpose.. water filtration, bandages, padding for LCD screen or displays on equiptment. They're also fairly cheap and lightweight. These are my "handouts" for filtration needs.. The filter is mine, and someone would have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
Speaking of fingers, I've decided on Hatch Resister Gloves for hand protection. I'll order a pair and run them through some stress tests myself.
I would still like to find a pair of truly puncture resistant gloves, primarily for rescue.. a snake within the ruins of a building would sure as hell ruin my day if I was trying to look for trapped survivors.
 
I would add a 1 oz bottle of betadine. You can get these small bottles of iodine at Walgreens, dump the iodine and put in betadine. It is more effective than either tincture of iodine or bleach as a disinfectant for water, and can be used for first aid. If that's too much trouble, go with regular iodine. Bleach ain't bad, but iodine's better.

Nothing wrong with carrying both, or have the girlfriend carry the small iodine while you carry the large load of bleach. Then you're both covered.
 
paleo25 said:
not to hijack a thread, but thanks for the heads up on the pack I just ordered one. Owen where in Alabama are you???? I am in North Alabama shoot me an email
Click to expand...

Speaking of that Level III pack, it sure does resemble the Maxpedition Falcon. If the Level III is close to the quality of the Falcon, that is not a bad buy for 50 bucks! I might just pick up a couple of these myself. I've been wanting to put some BOBs together for some family members as presents. It's been tough to find a good bag for cheap!

Soup
 
The quality on the level III shocked me.. My Girlfriend has a Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon for going to class, and i swear i can't tell the difference in quality.

I've ordered 2 more Level III for our BOBags, and so far I have everything I listed in my first post except the first aid kit, plus gloves, 2 pair BDU pants, socks, TP, compass, hand crank radio, 2 guides on Identifying edible plants in the area (remember... I'm new to florida), 2 tarps under the bag, cheap mess kit hanging off the side, 100 rounds of spare ammo.

all in this one bag... with a little room to spare.. with the hydration bladder full (not included) it comes to about 45 lbs... and with the weight distribution straps, i have no issues carrying this bag five miles without a break, in 90 degree weather.

some of the better features: The smaller pouch on the upper part of the bag (the one sportsman shows the bio's in) is the perfect size for a sawyer extractor kit, a smaller first aid kit, my surefire and water purification tabs.
The zippers are rock solid.. I've abused the hell out of this bag.. and not had one issue with the zippers.

It's waterproof to an extent... it's not advertized on sportsmansguide, and it's probably not recommended, but i threw the bag, full of my gear, into my pool. And for the most part, the contents inside stayed dry, the bag gained very little weight wet, and it dried out quickly. I still recommend water proofing anything that can be, as in a good rain.. it'll still get wet =). I use glad press and seal for water proofing, it works wonders.
 
Med kit may or may not have these, but how about a pair of trauma scissors? If the Leatherman works good for you, it works, I've been trying a Kershaw model with vice grips whose only gripe with is that I'm destroying a few of the tools slowly. While you're testing out your leather gloves, you might check and see if you can use them over your Hatch's as over shells.

For lighting, I know many are hounding on the track record of Gerber\Fiskars, but I actually like their LED line; I don't need them with perfect lenses to compete with a taclight, and they're naturally brighter then a minimag. Their line off of AA batteries is small but I like as worklights, and I'm trying their new headlamp on my kevlar.

Chemlights, while disposable, are something you can light and leave behind with people or spotmarking. Best bought in big boxes, even if you'll carry fewer.

Extra batteries, cleaning brush for the Glock, the usuall?
 
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