Urban PSK... what should go in it?

[Clead]

I just finished John McCann's book on Survival Kits, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But it seems entirely wilderness-oriented. So my question is: what types of items don't we need in a true Urban kit, and what additional items should be included?
I live in a suburb of Vancouver, B.C, and I commute daily in my diesel SUV to work in another suburb, about 20km. As such, I have some spares and tools in the truck, and I'm working on a vehicle get-home bag in case of disaster (we're due for a LARGE earthquake sometime in the next 300 years). In my EDC, I have an S30V Leek, 550 cord, a SAK, pair of exam gloves, 2 or 3 lights, LM Surge, miniBic lighter, mini sharpie, cell phone, wallet and a 2Gb thumb drive with non-emergency stuff on it.
If I was to put a good personal kit together, I can't see any reason to have a firesteel or fishing gear, etc.! So what should replace them?

 

[hatchetjack]

Flashlight, FAK, good work gloves, box of granola bars, gallon jug of water, good street maps of your area in case the main roads are blocked. Small bills and some change. Sleeping bag and a tarp should get you started.

 

[Fjell]

Superglue.

 

[kgd]

If it is to be in a vehicle I would recommend some more standardized tools - think construction duty - for bulldozing your way out of bad predicaments.

Here are things I'd consider:

A small, but not mini-sized, wrecking bar comes to mind for something in the vehicle. This will let you bull your way into most locked areas. Similarly a good chain cutter - more substantial then the surge wire cutter, but something that you can easily snip through chain-link fencing. A hacksaw also could be used. The exam gloves won't do squat unless you performing first aid. Get a solid pair of leather work gloves. A couple of dust masks and safety googles might be very useful. Finally a set of work clothes that include heavy duty pants, full sleeved shirt, socks and work boots. This is in case you are driving along in a pair of shorts or a suit and all of a sudden find yourself needing more substantive clothing. Raingear - a miltary style ponch would be the most flexible.

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

12 gauge and frag grenades!

 

[jackknife]

Being a suburbanite living and going into Washinton D.C. on a regular basis, I've come to a few conclusions.

Light. You need at least two small flashlights that take a common battery. There are more dark places in the city than in the woods. In the past two years we've had to walk out of a underground metro tunnel because of train breakdown in one case, and a derailment in another. Both times the only other person with a light was the metro train driver and it was an anemic two cell rayovac. Now we(my better half) carry two AAA pocket lights like a Gerber sonic or ARC AAA, and a few spare batteries in the 'ol ladys purse. Thats two lights apiece, one in each front pants pocket.

Bandanas. Makes a decent dust mask when dampened down with the water in your daypack. Always carry two in your pants. I keep one rolled up in a tight roll in the right side pocket of my pants, the other folded up in my rear pocket.

Water. Carry a bottle in your daypack, briefcase, lunch bag. It serves to dampen said bandanas, rinse dust and debris out of eyes, quench thrist.

Small first aid kit. Nothing bigger than an Altoids box. A few gauze bandages, some bandiads, general pain killers like Ibuprophen/Alieve, Some water treatment tablets for filling afor mentioned water bottle in emergency.

Sak or multi-tool. This belongs on your person, not in a kit. Even in Washinton D.C. I haven't had any trouble getting into places with my Victorinox Hiker or camper. A small saw is a handy thing to have.

Wear shoes that you can walk a long way in if you have to. Rockports, New Balance all terrains, and such.

Sturdy walking stick. Can be used to help make your way over loose footing like ruble, or convince somebody unsavory to go elseware.


Don't put the stuff in a kit per se, but keep the items on your person distributed among you pockets.

As far as cordage and stuff, in a city its easy to scavange the items you need. All the cordage you need from blinds and drapes. Matieral to make a swag or carry roll, most office curtains can be cut up, table cloths from abondoned resturaunt.

A small daypack is handy for carrying items edc that don't fit in pants pockets. Stuff like water bottle, leather work gloves, small prybar for opening locked doors.

I don't carry alot of stuff in a city because it is such a rich environment for scavanging finished processed material that can be used for alot of things.

 

[Diomedes Industries]

12 gauge and frag grenades!

He said URBAN - not ZOMBIE!


I would suggest two other reads that I just picked up.

Cody Lundin has a book titled: "When all Hell Breaks Loose."

And John Wiseman wrote one titled: "SAS Urban Survival Handbook"

Anyway:

Cody Lundin's book suggests the following:

Large capacity backpack
Tarp or tent
Clothing appropriate for season
Comfortable footwear.
Sleeping bag and pad
Space Blankets
Water disinfection methods
Waterbottles with lanyards and duct tape wrapped on them
Sanitation and Hygiene supplies (Toothbrush, sanitaty napkins and the like)
Garbage bags
Nonperishable no cook high energy food.
Freezerbags
methods to light fire
Knife
Flashlight - extra batteries
Rope or String
First Aid Kit
Cook Pot with lid
Portable Radio
Leather Gloves
Pet Supplies (if you have one)
Signal Mirror
Whistle
Bandana's
Sunscreen and insect repellant
Medications and extra glasses
Money in small bills
Identifications
Cell Phone
Watch or Clock


Hope that helps

TF

 

[Rupestris]

A small portable radio.

If you have to head out on foot because of a local disaster, you'll want to stay up to speed on whats happening. It could help you avoid delays along your intended route.

You may know where you need to get to but you may not know of fires, floods, chemical spills, or riots along the way.

I keep a small radio at work for power outages as well as listening to the ball game or the news. Its portable and always has good batteries in it.

You can't be too informed about emergency situations.

 

[ROCK6]

Well, I have a few pictures of my “urban” kit laid out, but my daughter ran the camera’s battery down and it’s charging right now…I’ll post pictures later.

Other than my “EDC”, most of my kit resides in a day pack that will accompany me to the office or stays in the vehicle. It also goes to the field (Army) for some exercises and if I travel it will accompany me (unless I have to fly).

If traveling to cities that have climbing gyms or natural areas close by, I’ll also bring along my climbing harness, rope(s), assorted carabiners, belay devices, anchor-webbing and hard hat. These I could see coming in handy during an urban emergency as well (hotel fire, earthquake, etc.).

As to my bag, the contents are probably a little more excessive than most and if I was going to be traveling on foot a lot, I would most likely lighten the load!

UPDATED: Here's those pictures...

RAID day pack:
Camelback 3L water bladder
Guyot stainless water bottle and nesting cup
MIOX purifier; I prefer a water filter, but this is small and compact
Typically 2-3 store-purchased water bottles as well
Jetboil stove kit with fuel canister (currently in my hiking pack)
Silponcho (currently in my hiking pack); I use OD, but Yellow is more suited for emergencies
Assorted teas, coffee-singles, electrolyte and vitamin drink mixes, instant soup, Clif bars
2-3 Large garbage bags
Emergency blanket
Small IFAK, field dressings, a couple compressed gauze raps; 2-3 bandanas
Smoke/chemical masks (two simple ones and one heavy duty)
SAM splint
Grier leather gloves
Oakley M-Frame glasses with polarized, amber and clear lenses
Emergency Rope (about 6mm and 30 feet long)
Mini belay device and pulley
550 cord (50-100 feet) and some shock-cord
100mph tape, Krazy glue, JB Weld, silicone sealant, wire (copper and steel)
REI storm-proof matches in a K&M match case; fire steel and striker
Zippo lighter, peanut lighter, Bic and Windmill; plus extra Zippo fuel
Gladius 6V LED (with upgrade); Fenix LED and a Petzl Headlamp LED
Extra batteries (AA, AAA and 3V lithium…I need to upgrade to all lithium)
Small AM/FM/SW radio; whistle (actually two)
Binoculars, map and wrist compasses and an extra watch…G-Shock
TP and baby wipes
Some type of Softshell jacket (I have an ACU one for duty and a drab color for off duty)
Hand sanitizer
Electrical tape
A few carabiners
Notebook, pens, pencils, grease-pen, laundry marker

A few tools I carry along:

Fencing pliers (double as a decent hammer and pick)
U-Dig-It trowel (I’m going to get a fiberglass Fiskars one instead…much lighter)
Small pry bar
Heavy gauge wire cutters
Kniplex adjustable pliers
Folding Sawz-All (great hack saw blade)
Safety shears
SAK
Swiss Tool
Buck neck knife
CRKT pry-knife (can’t remember the name)
Pocket socket set
Mini screw/hex driver sets

If I’m traveling, I always have some sort of road map, but I’ll also pick up a nice coated city map of any cities I plan to stay in for more than a day. Of course I would have my cell phone and Blackberry (need to think about an extra battery you can keep rotating to keep charged?) and a digital camera. I always carry about $100 in cash, but in my pack I also have about $10.00 in quarters.

Here’s my typical “work” EDC:

If off-duty, I’ll be packing in any state that recognizes my TX or FL CHL’s.

If you think of the worst scenarios: fires, earthquakes, chemical spills, riots, terrorist attack or scare, flooding…I would make sure you have a good flashlight, rain jacket (keep chemicals off you), hat, sun glasses and/or safety glasses, good walking shoes, smoke/dust mask, decent gloves – preferably leather and some sort of water bottle or means to carry water.

 

[kgd]

Awesome post Rock6

 

[ROCK6]

Thanks kgd; Update with my pictures...

ROCK6

 

[Fraser]

20 km? That's like 12 miles in 'real distance'.

Look for a good set of LPC's (leather personnel carriers).

Also some bottled water and foul weather gear. Maybe a small titanium pry bar to open subway or elevator doors.

Know alternate routes home. Streets, railway rights of way, powerline rights of way, etc.

Any bridges across large bodies of water? If they collapse how will you make it to the other side if need be? Will you do the sidestroke or steal a boat?

Just a couple of thoughts .......

 

[Clead]

This is great stuff, guys.
My vehicle kit has work gloves, micro and medium prybars, 50' 1/4" nylon rope, Eatmore bars, oil-packed tuna, a couple of bottles of water, ESS Advancer Goggles with my RX insert (my only Gucci piece of gear.. helps when your eye RX never changes and you get new glasses every other year.. these were courtesy of my insurance.. ), decent FAK w/ SAM splint/irrigation/steri-strips etc, TP, baby wipes, a pair of half-worn SWAT side-zip boots, 1 change of socks and skivvies in ziplocs, Spetznatz shovel, duct tape, Crazy glue, epoxy and a disposable rain poncho.

The distance between work and home is almost entirely agricultural land, and I'm on the other side of a medium-sized river. I've found a rail bridge that's barely off the water that would leave enough wreckage even if it collapsed to make it back onto the mainland in mostly dry condition. I've done a couple of 40km days walking, with a small pack, so I'm confident I'd be able to make it back in a day or so post-disaster.

 

[attej]

Excellent advice, everyone!

I personally don't drag much stuff around, simply because Ive noticed that the more stuff I have on my bag, the less likely I am to take it with me when getting out of the car etc. And just like a survival knife, any item is usable only when its with you.

Here's some of the stuff I carry around:

Cell phone:
- For most short term emergencies: call for help. Not an exiting idea, but the most efficient one. Remember to keep the batteries full!

Flashlight
- Really important, during a disaster the lights are likely to go out, and there are plenty of places in an urban environment without any daylight, e.g. an elevator or the inner parts of any larger building. In a "local disaster", flashlight can easily became the most important item you can have on your person.

Multitool:
- Good pliers, a few screwdrives and a blade in a compact packet: this one is a no-brainer. A sturdy multitool can be used in addition for the obvious uses e.g. for prying open a heat-expanded jammed door during a fire, for breaking windows, etc. If you don't carry a separate knife, make sure the multitool has a good serrated blade for cutting seatbelts etc. A cutting blade is from a certain point of view even more important in an urban environment than in the woods: the modern world is fillled with all sorts of fibers, cords and straps that cannot be cut without a blade.

Cash:
- Enough to get a cab-drive home, or to get a full tank of gas if credit cards dont work. We just recently had such a situation in Finland: one of the largest banks had a network failure, and none of their cards worked for one full day. It was amazing how helpless some people were even in such a seemingly harmless situtation. In a bigger emergency there are always greedy people, so money can be helpfull in that perspective also. I have a 50 eur bill and some important phone numbers on my leatherman sheath, in a small plastic bag.

Pen:
- I carry a space pen in my leatherman sheath. Doesn't take much room, but has proven to be really usefull in a lot of situations. In an emergency (and in a panic) your memory wont be that sharp, so you can write phone numbers or whatever up.

A lighter:
- Fire is a usefull tool, and a small plastic lighter doesn't weight a lot.

A small radio:
- I personally carry a small MP3 player with an FM radio. The chances are, that once the SHTF, cell phones will be jammed. It will be both usefull and calming to know whats going one.

In my shoulder bag in addition for the work related stuff, I carry a first aid kit, some duct tape, a bandana, a road map, and some other small items. Also, I have ½ litre water bottle in my bag, and an energy bar.

Edit: almost forgot, in my keychain I also have a small (but loud) plastic whistle. I think that might be usefull in some occasions also.

 

[JERSEYTEX7]

Safety pins, large and small, small sewing kit, double sided scotch tape, and a large golf umbrella. ALSO, a couple of empty, rinsed milk jugs.

 

[Don Rearic]

R6,

What make and model of compass is that to the left of the Luminox?

 

[akennedy73]

A small portable radio.

You can't be too informed about emergency situations.

I agree - in urban emergencies/disasters, your thirst for information is overwhelming. Carrying a radio is second only to carrying water. At least that was my experience living in NYC for 9/11 and the August 2003 blackout.

All point-to-point network devices such as cell phones and blackberries will be useless - the networks that serve such devices were not designed for all users to simultaneously access them. Point-to-multipoint devices such as radios will be operational in all but the most extreme cases. After 9/11 most major radio stations have power generators and backup-plans in case of emergency that will allow them to remain on the air.

The sun setting on a darkened city - is your communication-link functioning?

Get a radio. :thumbup:

EDIT: I carry a Sony ICFS10MK2 AM/FM Pocket Radio - about $9.99 at most stores

 

[newadventure]

Being a suburbanite living and going into Washinton D.C. on a regular basis, I've come to a few conclusions.

Light. You need at least two small flashlights that take a common battery. There are more dark places in the city than in the woods. In the past two years we've had to walk out of a underground metro tunnel because of train breakdown in one case, and a derailment in another. Both times the only other person with a light was the metro train driver and it was an anemic two cell rayovac. Now we(my better half) carry two AAA pocket lights like a Gerber sonic or ARC AAA, and a few spare batteries in the 'ol ladys purse. Thats two lights apiece, one in each front pants pocket.

Jackknife - a lot of great info in your informative post! I am curious as to why you suggest 'at least two' common cell flashlights. For a long time, I carried a Sonic in one pocket and a Photon on my keychain in the other front pocket. The Photon is never used except occasional test to make sure the batteries are good. I picked up an Arc a month or so ago thinking it would replace the Sonic for everyday use. But instead, I've kept them both in my pocket. Not sure why, other than the Sonic seems to have much longer battery life. Maybe one should replace the Photon on my keychain? I like the idea of easier to find batteries (aaa vs coin cells), but the lithium cells in the Photon have a very long shelf life, so I understand. Still trying to sort it all out.

Thanks to all for the good information. I live in the susburbs, but work in downtown, so am always keen on information regarding the urban setting.

Fred

 

[Clead]

I think I can call myself done in the light department..:thumbup: I've got my Fenix P1D-CE on my belt, and Arc-AAAP carabinered to belt loop, and a Petzl E+Lite headlamp in a cargo pocket. That's all EDC. I'm going to have to find a micro-radio to add to the EDC, maybe something integrated into a small MP3 player like attej has.

 

[jackknife]

Jackknife - a lot of great info in your informative post! I am curious as to why you suggest 'at least two' common cell flashlights. For a long time, I carried a Sonic in one pocket and a Photon on my keychain in the other front pocket. The Photon is never used except occasional test to make sure the batteries are good. I picked up an Arc a month or so ago thinking it would replace the Sonic for everyday use. But instead, I've kept them both in my pocket. Not sure why, other than the Sonic seems to have much longer battery life. Maybe one should replace the Photon on my keychain? I like the idea of easier to find batteries (aaa vs coin cells), but the lithium cells in the Photon have a very long shelf life, so I understand. Still trying to sort it all out.

Thanks to all for the good information. I live in the susburbs, but work in downtown, so am always keen on information regarding the urban setting.

Fred

My choices of flashlights are for the following. 1. The single AAA like sonics and ARC's are small and light enough to carry two; one in each front pocket, or one in pocket another in kit. You want 2 lights on you if you are stuck by circumstances in a subway tunnel or basement of large building. If one light goes out, then you have another. Also two lights are double run time without having to change batteries.
2. With the AAA lights, you can easy change batterys in the dark if you have to, by feel. Unscrew end, take out dead one, slide in new one and screw end cap back on. With the Photon I had, it was a royal PITA to get out the mini screwdriver and change batteries. No way could I do it in the dark in a strange place. Also the 2016 coin cells were harder to find, more expencive, and did not have the long run times of the AAA.

My views on small flashlights are the result of actually being cought in undergroun d emergencys in Washington D.C. metro tunnels.

Edit to add; The less stuff you lug around with you the better. if your kit gets too big, it's a pain to get through security, and you will spend more time explaining why you have the stuff than its worth. Keep the urban survival gear down to a few versitile items that appear to have every day common use. You'll never get into any federal building or museum in D.C. with much gear. A few normal items in a day pack and use of your brain will get you alot futher than half the contents of a surplus store. In this post 9-11 era, the comando gear will get you detained. You won't need half of it anyways.