Urban B.O.B.

Most of the scenarios are paranoid, the initial BOB looks heavy. Shouldn't the focus rather be on something that might happen and not a full blown Armageddon.

I would rank scenarios as follows:

Very likely:
Accidents, Fires, Getting Lost

Get a proper First Aid kit and learn how to use it. Maybe a Leatherman


Possible
Crime, smaller natural disaster

Cell (if you still have it), flashlight, plus the above. Weapons are nice but odds are you are not going to use them. Some spare clothes and depending on the climate protection against the weather.

Unlikely
Big natural disaster. Have a proper exit plan. You might have to cache your tools in the car because they would be too heavy for EDC. Make sure you know how to get "home" without a car. A good rucksack to carry your stuff should be in the boot of your car. A handgun above a rifle if you are on the move, the military doesn't like guys running around with rifles, they shoot them.

Armageddon
Who cares, steal what you need.

Reality is you need to survive maybe a couple of days, a good change of clothes, some common sense and the ability to move is more important than lugging a truck load of equipment. You will not be hunting, common. Water is far more important so rather have some water tablets with you, they weight almost nothing. Also a bic lighter might be nice. Staying warm (hence the change of clothes plus some rain stuff is what I would suggest.

Somebody in another thread mentioned a sleeping bag in his truck, that sounds good to me.
 
OK, so I've been thinking about this Urban E&E kit for a while. Realistically, we're talking about disasters that would effect urban areas, such as earth quakes, hurricanes, flooding, and major fuel shortage. Also, each urban area is unique in its own way, but shares common traits with all urban areas; dense population, a lack of natural resources, dense man-made structure and infrastructure.

I am not familiar with more than a few urban areas, Atlanta, Manhattan, and if you want to include El Paso, Orlando, Tampa/St Pete, and south Florida. I hesitate to include any city in FL because it's so easy to escape the urban areas and end up in forest or wet lands. So, I'll focus on Manhattan.

Manhattan:

I don't think fuel shortage is as big of a deal in Manhattan as it has been in Atlanta. Goods and services may slow to a crawl, but people are not going to be fighting and shooting each other at the gas stations because most of the people do not drive. Most of the population walks and takes public transportation. If all of the sudden everyone had to walk to work, no problem, they do it anyways.

Man-made and natural disaster could cause extreme flooding, loss of electricity, loss of transportation, etc. I would say the majority of the population would have maybe 3-5 days worth of food, and probably 1 days worth of water. Everyone is on the go all the time, and a full kitchen is rare.

So, what would I do? I would leave immediately, not only Manhattan Island, but all of NYC, and would be heading to a friends house in Scranton, PA.

I would not trust public transportation, no subway, cabs, busses. I would walk off of the island. To get through the rest of the city, I would plan on walking, but might try above ground transportation. I think that immediate action would get me passed all the crazy stuff that starts to happen once people are stagnant and helpless for several days.

Tools I would have an immediate need for would be appropriate clothing, good footwear, spare socks, water, carbs for energy, cell phone w/ charger, compass, SAK, street-map of NYC, subway map, and full bus/subway card. Other items that I would have for just in case situations would be hacksaw, fence tool, maybe a small pry-bar, multi-pliers, large zip-ties, 100mph tape, small first-aid kit, water-purification tablets, silnylon poncho, wet-wipes, and cash. Inside a comfortable pack that I can run in.

I would be in E&E mode, moving fast and light. It's not a backpacking trip. I don't need shelter, sleeping gear, stoves, etc. I need to move fast, and be able to keep moving somewhat invisibly until I reach a safe location on the outskirts of the city. A handgun would be nice, but totally unrealistic living in Manhattan. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about handguns in Manhattan.

My goals would be to first, get out off of Manhattan, then get through Jersey City, then head towards Scranton.

I may be wrong, but if you build a plan for certain types of disasters, and you act immediately, you're only real concern would be moving the required distance to safety. I think the crazy people problems don't happen until a few days have set in. By then, I'd be long gone.
 
Sorry for not commenting on my own thread, but I was away for a couple of days. First thanks for all the input, glad to see I'm not the only one thinking about these kind of things. I think Rock6 has the closest rig to the one in my head, how long did it take you to put it together and how much did it cost? I also think wulfshrunting has a point about just being able to survive on the run for a few days while exfiltrating (really like that word) the area and having the tools to do it. BTW, does anyone know of any training classes in this sort of skillset?
 
Don Rearic said:
What did he have in it? Do you know?

Thanks for the other links.
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Standard gear, same stuff I carry in my clearly marked CERT bag, all of it was issued by CERT after passing training, and the charges were dropped. Still... seems like no matter what you carry these days, someone is going to object to it.
 
Good shoes are one of the most important things you can have.

I don't know about you guys, but I work in an office and I have to wear dress clothes 90% of my life. Having a pair of running shoes, and clothes to match, I've found to be crucial for daily life.

I had a wheel bearing go out in the middle of no where once. I had no cell signal and no way to repair my vehicle on the side of the road. Because I had shoes in the car, I was able to run 4 miles to the nearest gas station and use the phone there. There is no way I would have wanted to walk that in a suit and loafers.
 
Tengu Joker said:
BTW, does anyone know of any training classes in this sort of skillset?
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As mentioned before, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training is a fairly good start.

Also agree with most of the equipment/tool ideas - Have 'em with you!

Another consideration might be allies, here in smaller communities its all about relationships; friends and neighbors helping each other.
Leveraging individual skills and gear with teamwork.

Not sure about the more urban environments, but would think it a good idea to team with coworkers and/or fellow commuters...?

Probably naive on my part, but I know for instance, that our SAR team performs best when individuals are well equipped, and have sharpened their personal skills to the degree that the sum is truly greater than the parts.

Just my $.02 – Great thread:thumbup:!!

8
 
".......Prybar/boltcutters, lockpicks, prybars, etc"

Help me understand those of you who carry these type implements in your BOB. I get the fence/wirecutters, but are you really going to cut or pick locks during a crisis? Seems to me this is the one time you could be 1) detained for carrying these tools if caught or 2) shot on sight for using them. If I were to catch someone with these tools during a time where looters were a risk, they would be in serious trouble.
 
If it hasn't been mentioned already, a folding map of the city/state would be fairly useful and lightweight, and something to take notes with.
 
kycolonel said:
".......Prybar/boltcutters, lockpicks, prybars, etc"

Help me understand those of you who carry these type implements in your BOB. I get the fence/wirecutters, but are you really going to cut or pick locks during a crisis? Seems to me this is the one time you could be 1) detained for carrying these tools if caught or 2) shot on sight for using them. If I were to catch someone with these tools during a time where looters were a risk, they would be in serious trouble.
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If you don't understand using emergency tools during an emergency, you're probably not going to accept any explanation given by anyone no matter how intelligent the response might be.

Anyone can make an argument for disarming people of firearms and knives, for example, during some type of crisis - happened during Katrina and it will, no doubt, happen again. Tools are tools. What are people doing with the tools?
 
Don Rearic said:
If you don't understand using emergency tools during an emergency, you're probably not going to accept any explanation given by anyone no matter how intelligent the response might be.

Anyone can make an argument for disarming people of firearms and knives, for example, during some type of crisis - happened during Katrina and it will, no doubt, happen again. Tools are tools. What are people doing with the tools?
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The point I was making was that maybe certain tools (prybars, and bolt cutters) could get one into more trouble than assistance in an emergency. But the logic behind it must be beyond me :rolleyes: or I would have comprehended it already. Thanks for the mature response.
 
kycolonel said:
The point I was making was that maybe certain tools (prybars, and bolt cutters) could get one into more trouble than assistance in an emergency.
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That might be very true in some circumstances. You might be in certain situations where you don't even get a chance to use them, for example. So they would automatically, by default, be more of a liability than an aid.

But the logic behind it must be beyond me :rolleyes: or I would have comprehended it already. Thanks for the mature response.
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1. Yes, the logic might be "beyond you."
2. You can roll your eyes as much as you want.
3. I'm sorry you didn't comprehend things well.
4. It was a mature response, it just happened to not be the response you wanted.

I really don't feel like getting drawn into writing a book to explain a very simple concept. If you feel that it is immature that I don't want to waste my time, why are you even wasting your time?
 
I really don't feel like getting drawn into writing a book to explain a very simple concept. If you feel that it is immature that I don't want to waste my time, why are you even wasting your time?[/QUOTE]

Believe it or not, I wasn't looking for someone (namely you) to provide your blessing on whether or not my question was valid. If you feel people's post's are beneath your experience and/or not worthy of your time, then do everyone a favor and DON"T REPLY TO THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.
 
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My intent was to not argue with someone who had already made up their mind, which I believe you had because of precisely what you said. I would, however, greatly appreciate it if you didn't attempt to order me around when I am being polite with you. I am being polite, I just don't see anything coming from some type of lengthy, or concise, treatise on using these tools. Have a nice day, I'll post when and where I want and you can feel free to do the same. :)
 
Don Rearic said:
My intent was to not argue with someone who had already made up their mind, which I believe you had because of precisely what you said. I would, however, greatly appreciate it if you didn't attempt to order me around when I am being polite with you. I am being polite, I just don't see anything coming from some type of lengthy, or concise, treatise on using these tools. Have a nice day, I'll post when and where I want and you can feel free to do the same. :)
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Thanks. But as a point of fact, not only was I not requesting an argument with you, I was not requesting your response at all. Just some insights into the realistic usefullness of these tools. Any other threads or posts you see today on BF that you would like to derail or quash because you don't see anything useful coming from it? Just let us know.

You have a nice day as well.
 
kycolonel said:
Thanks. Any other threads or posts you see today on BF that you would like to derail or quash because you don't see anything useful coming from it?
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I'm not derailing or quashing anything. If someone else wishes to explain to someone something so simple, they are free to do so. I think it would be a waste of their time as you have already made up your mind.

Just let us know.
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OK

You have a nice day as well.
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Thank you. :)
 
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