Bicycle Cable Locks for your Get Home Bag

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

If your route home takes you through urban areas, or if your GHB doubles as an overnight bag, I recommend that you add a bicycle cable lock to your preps because you never know what you might need to secure, such as:

• the gate behind which you are sheltering for the night;
• critical equipment to a tree or a pole so that it doesn't fall or is stolen;
• or yourself to a safety rail.

Cable locks have the advantages of being small, lightweight, able to secure more things than a regular padlock due to their length and flexible nature. 

https://amzn.to/2JDHtsQ

I recommend a combination lock instead of a key lock. With four 10-digit dials, there are 10,000 possible combinations, which means it won't be easily cracked. There are also no tumblers accessible for picking like a traditional padlock. 

Furthermore, keys can be lost but a combination can be written down. If you are the forgetful type, I suggest you place a note with the combination inside a water-tight plastic bag alongside the lock. If you are worried you will forget the combination during a high-stress moment, use a Sharpie marker to write the combination on the wrist of your non-dominant hand so you can quickly access it. 

Best of all, if it's a programmable lock, you can give the combination to a friend (perhaps someone who needs to secure their bicycle?) and then change it later.

Safety is your prime concern during an emergency, and there are few places safer than behind a locked door.