Prudent Prepping: Get Home Bag Changes

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

I've made some additions and subtractions to my gear. These are mostly good, but one will change how I plan my Get Home Bag supplies.




Here are two pictures of where I work, taken one week apart:

Typical

I work in the middle of the Fog Belt three days a week, where 25mph winds can make you think it's February instead of June. Fog blows in most mornings and does burn off many days, if we are lucky.

Actually, this is a little wetter than most mornings, but not by much.

Not Typical

This picture is not a normal Summer (June or July) day for San Francisco... at least, not normal until August and running through mid-October. After the Central Valley heats up, the winds blow all the fog out to sea, leaving perfect weather to roam around The City without seeing shivering tourists.

I posted this to show exactly why a poncho, lightweight wool socks, and a long-sleeved t-shirt are in my bag pretty much all year long. I do take out a heavy shirt to make room for more water in the summer, but that is about the limit to my equipment changes. Where I live can be almost 100°, and yet San Francisco could still be 70°. In the winter it can be 65° and 45° with rain. Having to plan for a 30° temperature swing in 45 miles could easily double the size and weight of my bag if I let myself over-pack.

A change that is definitely not for the better is in the food I pack in my GHB and my pantry: The Trader Joe's Cooked Brown Rice I like is now discontinued.

Sorely Missed

This rice made a very convenient addition to my bag and even my lunch box. Since it was sealed in extremely heavy plastic, chances of the bag being punctured if things bounced around in my car were slim.

When I thought it had been in my trunk too long, I'd take a package out and swap in a fresh one. Instead of using the rice cooker for a small batch, some days it was easier to dump half a package in the bottom of a bowl and add whatever was left over from the previous night's dinner to my lunch.

Now I have to think of another simple addition to the food in my bag that will be as light and filling as this, which is not going to be easy.

Knives

A good change to my gear is another knife added to my collection courtesy of my friend, the Master Chief. He decided that, "By God, if it was good enough for for the Marines and Navy for 70 years, it's good enough for you, you inbred, degenerate sorry excuse!" So I now have a Marine Ka-Bar to go with my other knives.

From Left to Right: Ka-Bar BK-5; Ka-Bar USMC; stainless Leek; black Leek; and a ZT 0770ODBLK. Out of the box, the two Ka-Bar knives may not be as sharp as the three Kershaw's, but they are sharp enough to do the jobs I intend for them to handle.

I'm not sure how many sharp instruments I have within easy reach, and that's not counting several knives still in storage boxes and all my multi-tools!

Secured Flashlight

One final thing: last week I mentioned adding Velcro to the door pocket of my car to hold a flashlight and not having a good picture of that, but I changed flashlights this week and now I have a clean shot. The next addition to be Velcroed down will be a glass breaker and belt cutter emergency tool, if I can find a small version of the one I had in my truck.












The Takeaway

• Craft your plan for your specific situation. Heat and cold in the same day may seem odd, but that's my normal. 
• Always have a Plan B, C, D, or as many as required for you. Food can be discontinued, so plan for a replacement(s). 
• Friends always amaze me. 

The Recap

• One Ka-Bar serrated USMC knife: $69.97 from Amazon with Prime.
• One Ka-Bar BK5: $52.00  from Amazon with Prime.
• One Kershaw Stainless Leek: $40.99 (!!!) from Amazon with Prime. This is less than what I paid for my knife from Walmart 15 years ago!
• One Kershaw Black, serrated Leek: $38.00 from Amazon with Prime.
• One Zero Tolerance 0770ODBLK: $160.00  from Amazon with Prime.

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If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.