What's in your trunk?

CitizenQ

CitizenQ

Joined
May 5, 2006
Messages
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At the risk of being reprimanded for reposting a previous post I made, I'm going to spin this off from the Urban Survival Knife topic as this is a subject near and dear to my circumstances.

Here in Suburbopolis there is little forest left, few clean streams, and a general lack of game (save for creatures named Spot, Whiskers, or Fluffy). This is Long Island, a 125-mile long by 15-mile wide land mass encompassing Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties. I peg the population at approximately 7-million semi-human beings. Supplied by truck, surrounded by water, and accessed by (essentially) three (3) bridges to the main-land, if the poop hits the blower this place has the potential to become Zombieville right fast. I used to think me, Mrs. Q, Quette, and Qjr. would join the great exodus when The Big Pain comes and head into northern New York State, and I made many plans to undertake such a trip. Then I began to ponder what’s on the other side of the water (DC to Philly to NYC to Boston...maybe 50 million more humans). I started thinking about the refugee stream, the panic, the herd instinct, and my thinking changed. I now plan to "hunker down ‘till things settle down" and I’ve undertaken preparations for this new plan.

So there you have my situation in a nutshell.

The purpose of this topic is to uncover preparations and strategies that one might use "to get back home" to the family at the hunker down palace in the event of catastrophic disaster.

Let's assume you are me, and that your work takes you all over this island. The stuff has hit the fan, your vehicle is disabled, and you find yourself 60 miles from the family home. To be united with your family you have to walk home, a 60-mile hike through Suburboplian panic hell.

So I ask you, "what's in your trunk?" What do you carry? How would you travel? What would you do?

I have my preps, my plans, and my fantasies about how I will do it, but I am very interested in the many ideas and scenarios that your insights may uncover.

Thanks.

Q

P.S. Please don't say "move now!" This is presently not an option.
P.S.S. Carrying a firearm is not a realistic option here on The Island.
 
I would stay off the L.I.E. Way to many people. And those same unprepared people will kill you for what you just so happen to have. Stay off to the side, move slow in the day, faster at night, try not to be seen. I would keep a change of camo clothes, a knife and food and water. 60 miles is a long way to go. I feel for you. Be safe when that time comes.
 
I've thought about much the same, although I do have a lot less ground to cover-- less than five miles.

A 4WD vehicle with a winch would help, not just for winter weather, but to be able to crawl around wrecked or abandoned vehicles, downed trees and other obstacles. You need to keep your fuel tank as full as you can to help that scenario. If you could walk an average of 3mph, that's 30 miles in 10 hours, or just an hour at 30mph in your vehicle, so getting as far as you can before abandoning your vehicle is a good plan. If you're 60 miles from home, it's going to take a couple days to walk it, assuming consistent pace.

Other than the usual survival basics, I would want a firearm, and I assume that is difficult to do legally in the NYC area. I hate to lean that way, but I'd have to assume that there would be enough trouble-makers to make self defense an issue. Other than that, a couple six packs of soda pop, some food that can be eaten cold or MRE's, candy, snacks, multi-band radio, the usual assortment of blades, firestarters, rain gear, good boots, first aid and meds, tarp/tent, extra clothing, bug-out-bag or pack, sleeping bag, gloves, hat and so forth.
 
I'd get a map, color in all the most dangerous neighborhoods red, and keep that in my car. When the SHTF avoid the red areas.
 
First and foremost, get in shape if you're not already. Hiking fifteen/twenty miles in a day can be accomplished by someone who is perhaps not in the best shape and must accomplish the hike out of dire concern. But then consider how you are going to feel waking up the next day to put in another fifteen/twenty miles. And the day after. And perhaps even the day after that. In order to accomplish multi-days of hiking home you're going to want to be in good shape. And, of course, always have a sensible pair of shoes. Hat, rain gear, water filter, etc.

If you can stash a fold-up bicycle in your trunk, you're going to be able to at least double the mileage you can travel in a day.

Since you can't carry a firearm, I'd suggest a sturdy walking staff. Especially if you're walking. It doesn't attract unwanted attention and can be as deadly as a sword. Learn how to use it. It's not rocket science - you just want to be comfortable swinging it as a weapon before you have to actually utilize it as one.

People don't do desperate things until their situation becomes desperate. Even in the worse case scenario you've probably got at least 48 hours and maybe 72 until the real Zombie population starts to grow. Before that it's probably only going to be the ordinary cast of opportunistic rioters/looters.

My personal experience walking around in the middle of an active riot is that people's focus of attention is cued from other people's focus of attention - essentially everyone one is looking at everyone else to see what is important to pay attention to (which is why you get characteristically "mob" behavior in a riot). Since everyone is taking their cue from everyone else it's actually remarkably easily to pass through unnoticed. Keep a sharp eye out, look for quiet spots and quiet paths through the action and you'll be surprised how easily you slip through.
 
akennedy73 said:
If you can stash a fold-up bicycle in your trunk, you're going to be able to at least double the mileage you can travel in a day..
Click to expand...

Pure genius. It might be easy to steal one too. No fuel, goes around the obstacles, and you could cover 60 miles easy enough. A mountain bike with puncture resitant liners would be the way to go.
 
All those sheep in the city would turn into wolfs in less then a week. I realy think that many of those people that never even new how to use matches. Would learn how to find and do things for them selfs. That guy that has a 38 would be more then happy to kill you for the blanket and then look for the guy with the dog to have dinner. Look dirty dont look like you got anything. stay with crowds as long as they go your way. when you get where you go dig in and bite hard when someone comes close. Remember Rambo would realy die if it werent a movie. Numbers are your best defence. Loners dont live long. 60 miles i would think its more in the 3-5 days walk. Not many peoplel can walk 30 miles days. Besides walking that fast you would attract the attention of everybody. For my parents i figure if we have an earthquake they would have to walk at the most 15mile at there age i figure about 4 days. Some warm cloths, power bars, 4 for each person per day. 2 gallons of water. Lots of matches and a few lighters. Lets not forget the Mora too some TP, light. A way to clean water. None of them are into survival. I figure they should have food water stay warm at night. That should be enough to get them home or my sisters home. I cant see anything else that might need in case of an earthquake. If they have to stay with the car they would have the food and the water to do that. Fighting????? they are too old to fight a group of 20 year olds. The pack is german ranger pack that i got used and it looks that. If you want to be covered for everything out there then stay home. You can only go so far to be prepered the rest is using your head and some luck mixed with it.

Sasha
 
7 million semi-humans. Wow, that's a lot of long pig! Probably easier to hunt than rats! Sorry, couldn't resist.

A good set of servicable clothing and good footwear should be kept in the trunk. I'd probably skip standard camo clothing as it could actually make you more noticable. Find what normal, servicable clothing blends best with the urban settings and wear that. How you move, knowing when not to move, and knowing where to move can help a lot. Muted colors in clothes that look like everyone else not only helps you not draw attention, but help you blend into the scenery. Consider what helps breakup your outline and blends with shadows, pavement, buildings. Plain clothing, well selected can do that better than camo suits.

Water, a way to carry/collect water, and a means of purifying water, by all means. A couple of those filter straws so you can sip from whatever wouldn't be a bad idea, as well as some purification tabs. Along with some energy bars or other easy to keep, pack, and consume on the move type food, and some water you are fueled for a day or two.

A good SAK and a reasonable fixed blade that can be kept in your vehicle's trunk wouldn't hurt. If it can be carried without undue attention on the trip home, even better. If the stuffs in the fan, then a discreetly carried knife probably won't be a problem as any authorities will be occupied with other things. Note also that if you have a big ol' badass knife hanging in big view, you make yourelf a target for other's who are freaking and desperate.

Firemaking materials are a good idea. There should be considerable burnable material around if you are creative.

I think a good walking stick is essential. It has many uses. It is a good thing to use to probe things rather than using your foot or hand. It can be a pole to keep a makeshift cover up. If you twist an ankle, or your feet get sore, it can be the difference between being able to move and being unable to take another step. AND, as has been noted, it is a very capable fighting tool. Canes and sticks have some great applications. There are many methods out there, several of which are meant to give you street usable methods quickly as opposed to a lifetime of study. The uses you can make of a good, sturdy stick are many. Just think outside the box.

Thinking is one of the biggest tools you will have. The idea suggested for premapping is an excellent one. I learned many years ago that the way to stay out of bar fights is to stay out of bars. You will be passing through a vertiable department store. Think like a scrounger. Sure, a lot of folks will have stripped the obvious sources. Think about the not so obvious, be it food, fuel, or transportation. In a mass exodus, you will have abandoned vehicles clogging the road. You have cloth seats and padding to burn. You have oil and gas to soak those things in. Cans can be used for pots and cups, their lids or flattened parts sharpened against all that concrete for quick cutting tools. I doubt every house in the area will be stripped of every piece of cutlery and not too many folks would think to take a sharpening steel from a kitchen knife set. (Ideally, you will have a small sharpener on you.) If you can find a bike around, steal it, ride it, dump it when you need to. But take some pieces of the tubes for your fire kit. All the roads clogged going out, but there's some open space going in. If you have had to abandon your vehicle, see if you can purloin another that you can take towards home, however far you can get with it. Just be creative, but keep it simple. If if takes a lot of time to do something, it is time wasted that could be spent traveling. Keep in mind that your primary purpose is movement to your base of operations. Anytime you have to stop to do something other than rest or go potty you are taking away from your primary mission.

The less stuff you need to carry, the less stuff to weight you down, make you noticable, or make you a target. For a two to three day movement to home, clothing, water/water purification, easy to carry/consume food, along with some basic cutlery and a good stick should get you on just fine. Oh, don't forget a little cordage. Always a good thing.

Naturally, avoid trouble if you can, handle it hard and fast if you must, then break contact and get gone.

Good thread. Gets you thinking what's real and what's movie material.
 
If your primary concern is a way to get back home should your vehicle not be operational I would suggest one of those gas powered scooters. They fold up small and are light enough to lift up and over any obstacle you couldn't ride over. Some are even "off road", meaning they have bigger tires and suspension.

-- FLIX
 
In any kind of disaster the roads shutdown due to congestion almost immediately. Whether you could weave through with a bike, powered or not is a big unknown.

Crowds are completely unpredictable and I would never, ever travel in a crowd of panicing people.

The thinking-out-of-the-box solution is to head to the water, assuming the disaster isn't due to tidal wave or hurricane. A sea kayak 200+ yards offshore, even moving slowly would be one of the places I would feel safest and in control.

If you can figure out how to prepare with a water based transportation alternative, that would probably be your safest bet.
 
My wife and I both work at a rural regional school that is a half hour drive from our home. Our daughter's day care is two miles from the school. I was discussing SHTF scenarios in a light-hearted way with the technology person. From her I learned that the school has to stock a large amount of bottled water and has a generator with a lot of extra diesel in case of a disaster. It also occurred to me that the school gets its regular water from a well, has food on hand to feed 1500 students (most of whom would go home), showers, wood and machine shops, nurse's station, etc.

My plan in case of a really serious disaster is to quickly fetch our daughter and hunker down at the school rather than to go home.
 
Hey Amos i just read your post. I like how you think lol. Yea i do agree with you Movies and real life are two diffrent things. I love it when someone runs a few miles and then has a 5 min fight with 3 hit man and dont even get the shirt sweaty.

to stay safe has nothing to do with how good your as a fighter but more of how good you are at staying away from troubles.

sasha
 
It depends on the disaster, but law abiding citizens aren't going to go crazy the first 48 hrs. You may have looters and fringe elements, but most folks are gonna do one of two things:

1. Panic and try to flee or 2. Hang tight.

Your window of opportunity is the first two days. The bicycle is gonna get you home in one day. Long island is relatively flat, establish a decent pace, and you are gonna do 15 mph easy. In worst of cases you'll do 10mph, so, 6 hours and you are home. If your vehicle gets you the first 30 miles, you can do the next 30 at a much faster pace on a bike, sicne you will need less energy reserves than the longer paced trip.

On your Map, note locations of any friends, family, or even co-workers.
if you have to get in outta freezing temps, rain, or seek shelter, it's nice to have waypoints.

A decent backpack. Not for hiking, but like the kids use on campus.
Have a jacket, water, food, and some other things. See PSK threads for the bare essentials, then add from there. a portable cranker-radio would be nice to monitor the situation.

After 72 hours, and into a week, then people will start going bonkers, food and water run out, they are fighting over gasoline, and such.

The first 24 hours, lots of people will be doing exactly what you are doing!
Going home, or trying to unite with loved ones.

Our society is programmed to "Wait for Help"
"The Government will come over the hill and rescue us" ,that's why the first 48 to 72 hours will be more quiet than people would think.

There will be local law enforcement and emergency folks on stand-by and on the streets.

Cetainly be prepared for the worst, but I will wager you will have the time and resources to get home without being mauled by and eaten alive by Zombies.
just avoid those "bad places" as you would on a normal day.

Blend in, avoid crowds, avoid bad areas, and stay on task.
 
Hmmm... He lives on Long Island and no one has suggested an inflatable raft and trolling motor in his trunk?

Heck, if I lived in Long Island, or anywhere near the ocean for that matter, a boat would be a major portion of my bug out strategy. As it is, I live near the coast, but there's way too many people, hills, and distance between me and open water to make that a viable exit strategy. Nevertheless, when I think about how cornered I am here (CA bay area), I often wonder what it would cost to get and store a boat that can get me the heck outta dodge....
 
Depends how badly the stuff has hit the fan, and what stuff exactly, but generally I would commandeer another vehicle, by force if need be, preferably a motorcycle (you need to learn, it's not that simple) and I would ofcourse have the necessary tools in my trunk to achieve this objective.

In certain situations you need to do what you need to do.
 
Manny, even if that wasn't my motorcycle, if I saw that you would have just earned your toe tag.

-- FLIX
 
FLIX, that's not my nickname.

Like I said, it depends how bad the stuff has hit the fan. If it's bad enough I doubt anyone would be silly enough to stick their nose where it doesn't belong. It's got bad idea written all over it.

Your family needs protecting 60 miles away, not some motorcycle so you can then pat yourself on the butt and contemplate what a decent hall monitor you are and how you acted with utmost dignity and virtue.
We're talking reality here not some feel-good Disney movie.
 
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