Not so Urban Survival Bag

Yea, batteries (30 backup for the surefire) , and i do carry a small cleaning kit for the glock, although I'm buying a new weapon.. Springfield Arms XD 5" tactical Also in 9mm.. the glock will be signed off to my soon-to-be-wife once she gets her CCW permit.

As far as Chem lights, any good suggestions? While I've used them in the military, they were "free" there, so i didn't care how much they cost.
 
HK2001 said:
LED flashlights.. any suggestions of a solid waterproof one?
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Check out the Inova X5T. Takes the same batteries as your SureFire, but has a much longer runtime. It's waterproof, and about as solid as a flashlight gets. Add a Nite-Ize headband, and you've got a headlamp for hands free use, too.
I used to carry an E2e and an original X5, and they made for a very versatile package. Being a flashlight nut, I've moved on to cooler and more expensive ways to light stuff up:rolleyes: but that was a practical combo.
A couple of SureFire SC3s with extra lamp assemblies for the E2O might be a good idea, too. A bulb can burn out or fail, and the spare carriers are a good way to carry and protect an extra LA, along with a couple of battery reloads.
 
HK2001 said:
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.
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I've had a pocket filter for a few years now. It pumps slowly because of the ceramic filter, but it takes every thing out that it says. I've no where used 13K gallons thru it, but I'm conifident that it'll work. We've also got the Katadyn Kitchen Drip filter. Our water sucks here, so we filter all of our drinking water. We've had the drip filter for 4 years now and haven't had to change any of the filters, which is good cause they're $150 each! So after 2 - 3 fill ups (3 gallon capacity) a week for the last few years is any indication the pocket filter should last like they claim.

I know that the Peace Corp people use the Katadyns. They're supposed to be able to filter an elephant wallow filled w/ muddy water and produce clean water. If the Peace Corp uses them in the remote places they go, I trust them to work for me.
 
The brand of rain suit I have is First Gear. The pants and jacket fold into themselves and form their own bags for carrying.

Since they are for motorcycle use, they are big enough to go over clothes, strong enough to handle wind and rain, and so far, very durable. They are cheap to boot.

I was going to buy a BMW rain suit, but when it didn't come in time for my tour, I canceled my order and bought the First Gear at my local bike shop. It was about the third of the price of the BMW gear.

I haven't worn it that much, but so far I am very happy with it. Looking on the internet, it seems that their are many brands of rain gear. Your bike shops will probably know what's best for Florida.
 
Thanks to Runz, I've bought a set of Rain gear that should do decently in strong winds.

I also broke down and bought the Pocket filter, which should last me a long time.

I picked up 72 lightsticks, which are rated at 15 hours each, for $8 in a going out of business sale. I've added a dozen to my bag.

any more suggestions? I know anything else is "dead weight" but i can do another 10 lbs without a sweat.

Any good suggestions on a holster to use while wearing this bag? the bag + a shoulder holster just hurts. Looking for the springfield XD.
 
I'm not trying to sound like an ungrateful PIA here, so please don't take this wrong.

1 gallon bleach: approx $2 and treats 2880 gallons of water (60 drops per teaspoon, 768 teaspoons per gallon, using 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water needing purification) = $0.0695 per gallon

Katadyn MP1 : $14 treats 7.5 gallons. = $1.87 per gallon

Not to mention the fact you'd need 384 bottles of tablets (and $5376) to treat the same amount as bleach.

The weight comes out about the same.. 10lbs for the 384 bottles of tablets, Verses approx 8.5lbs for the bleach.

That's why i use bleach. $2 gives me nearly 3000 gallons of treated water.

I believe people have the right to use whatever they please.. It's your choice, it's your money, it's your life. I just wanted to explain why i'm deadset on bleach.
 
I use bleach too. Got me some 1oz. plastic squeeze dropper bottles and scattered them throughout my gear. I also put some coffee filters, bandanas and gallon ziploc freezer bags with them.
 
hmmm.. I forgot about Coffee.. I will have to add those little singel use coffee bags.. moral booster, if anything.
 
OwenM said:
...I used to carry an E2e and an original X5, and they made for a very versatile package. Being a flashlight nut, I've moved on to cooler and more expensive ways to light stuff up...
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I'm curious. Please elaborate.
 
HK2001 said:
hmmm.. I forgot about Coffee.. I will have to add those little singel use coffee bags.. moral booster, if anything.
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Yeah, I included coffee singles, hot chocolate and tea bags in my kit.

I should have added this to my other post, anyways, the coffee filters and bandana are for filtering the water so the bleach will work. Unless the water is filtered or strained, the bleach latches onto the particulate matter that floating around in the water, instead of the stuff it needs to take care of, so even after adding the bleach, the water wouldn't be safe to drink.
 
longbow50 said:
I should have added this to my other post, anyways, the coffee filters and bandana are for filtering the water so the bleach will work.
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Coffee filters -- or bandanas or T-shirts -- are generally recommended when you're filtering water.

(A) They can remove debris that iodine tablets or whathaveyou will not remove.
(B) They can also act as prefilters and save your ceramic filter some work. They can even extend the life of your ceramic filter.
 
Add 6' x 30' US Military Survival net


Dear god, i can thing of a thousand uses for this off the top of my head..

Here
 
Suvival net...

Thats a new one... :D Are we thinking that you pull it across a river and catch the fishies like a gill net?

How about a cast net (see that 10lbs of dead weight...)
 
Does the pocket katadyn get rid of viruses?

Have you coastal folks looked into their marine lineup for hand pump salt to fresh water filters? :confused:
 
Top 5 uses for the net:

Strecher
Hammock
Fishing net
Gear storage (off the ground)
Land animal trap

Does the pocket katadyn get rid of viruses?
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No. There are no filters (that I know of) get rid of viruses. Most viruses are way to small to be trapped by your typical .3 micron water filter.

Cleaning water for drinking is typically a 2 step process:
First you filter it, to remove the crap floating in it, filter out bacteria, and make it taste better.. but that's all they do. Here's the stats on the Katadyn Pocket
Silver impregnated ceramic element is effective against bacteria and protozoa.
0.2 micron ceramic depth filter. The smallest pore size available.
Output is 1 litre per minute. That's a full sized Nalgene bottle per minute.
Weighs 550 grams.
Accessories include a prefilter to keep the worms out, bottle clip and carrying bag.
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Then you Purify it, using bleach, water purification tabs, or simply by boiling it, to kill all the viruses.

For instance, here is the stats on the water tabs I just bought.
OASIS Tablets kill bacteria, bacterial spores, cysts, algae, fungi, protozoa and viruses and are especially lethal to Entamoeba histolytica. The following causative water borne organisms amongst others, are killed by OASIS Water Purification Tablets:

* Salmonella typhi
* Vibria cholerae
* Shigella sonnei
* Streptococcus faecalis
* Escherichia coli

Commonly recognised diseases such as typhoid, dysentery, cholera, polio and diarrhoea are all killed by OASIS tablets.
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While you can get away without filtering the water, purifying it is ALWAYS suggested. And to filter, you really don't need a $200 pump to do it. As suggested before, a Tshirt, a bandana, a coffee filter, or most other things can do the job well.

** Note: If your worried about nuclear attacks, buy a good filter. Using clothing to filter nuclear contaminated water will not remove the radioactive particles in the water. Using a good filter will.
 
Sounds like most of the folks on here go with bleach or tablets as apposed to boiling...

Do you guys carry a pot or something similar for cooking/boiling water?

Thanks HK2001... nice explanation, makes sense. :cool:
 
LED lights: The UK4AAeLED has a cousin the UK4AA which uses a Xenon bulb for more throw. They're both good lights but I prefer the runtime of the UK4AAeLED, especially if using rechargable (NiMH) batteries. My solar charger will take AA and AAA, so I have NiMH batteries in both.
I really like the Princeton Tec Corona LED Headlamp. Lots of modes for varying conditions and it's very waterproof.

Water: Bleach and a good filter are the way to go. That said, my emergency filter is a First Need Deluxe Water Purifier. The MSR SweetWater Microfilter or your Katadyn Pocket would be just fine.

Food: MRE's travel well and are good in a pinch, but canned goods last as long and are a whole lot cheaper. I'd decide what I eat a lot of and then buy more than I really need. Rotate the stock so you always have extra on hand.

Cooking: A camp/hiking stove and fuel would be nice. MSR Dragonfly runs on different fuels and packs small. Same with the Optimus Nova and others. A couple gallons of Coleman fuel would cook a lot of food or boil a lot of water.

If I was living in central Florida, I'd have a Honda 2KW generator and enough fuel for at least a couple days. After the rain and wind stop, start it up and get that refrigerator back in operation. Then again, I have one and I live in SOCAL. It's always earthquake season ;)

Clothing: It's usually warm during hurricane season, but it's still nice to stay dry. I prefer boots, shorts and a raincoat with hood. If you go wading your legs will get wet regardless.

A post hurricane kit doesn't really need to be portable, but it needs to be secure so that after the wind and rain stop it's still dry and hasn't blown away. A bug-out-bag is good though because if you really need to leave, you can grab it and go -- take cash, credit cards and don't forget your checkbook. Never let your car's fuel tank get below a half tank, if you know a hurricane is coming it should be full.

$.02, it's been a while since my last hurricane :) and I never bugged out.
 
Well my biggest concern is the apartment complexes around here. All of them, including the one I live in took serious damage from each of the 3 major hurricanes last year. Roofs collapsing, major flooding damage, etc. And none of those were direct hits. We got some action from Jeanne, 70 MPH winds, but nothing major. Still, the buildings around here took some serious damage from that storm alone. A complex down the road from me had 1 entire building, with 12 units (apartments) in it collapse. Luckily, most of those people were at a shelter.

If my area were to take a direct hit from a Cat 5 hurricane, with 155MPH + winds, not to mention the massive flooding, and tornados , there is no doubt in my mind that we'd all be up the creek.

With how unpredictible hurricanes can be, I'm not about to bug out whenever one looks like it may hit me head on. Hell, it could be 100 miles off the coast of Georgia, and make a last minute decision to go to Disney World... and make a rush at me. :(


My biggest fear is a direct hit by a big one. I can't imagine my house collapsing, and a few hours later, the eye passes over head, bringing 1-2 hours of sunshine.. then back to 6 hours of chaos.

As far as I can find, my area has never suffered a direct hit by a hurricane... tons of tropical storms and depressions, but nothing near Cat 5 size.
 
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