perfidy

So like I said, I went with a 3-kit plan: a twin set (one for each vehicle) and a larger one in the house.

The mission for the car kits is immediate survival, ie, living rough for a couple days but at least being able to say how bad it was when it’s over, vs. being a corpse. They are packed such that whatever scenario might cause you to need them- broken down in the middle of nowhere, natural disaster- you will live to tell about it if you can get help in relatively short order.

I had a mental sketch of some specific pieces of equipment I’d want in it, but I thought long and hard about the container to put it all in. I wanted a single container that held everything, but was still lightweight enough to be readily portable in case it had to be hauled away in a hurry. What I went with was a standard mil-spec 5.56mm ammo can.

It is a metal box, approximately 11.5”x7”x6”- those are the dimensions of the .50 cal ammo can, and they’re about the same. Hell, might even be the same can, I dunno. I only know that I could get 5.56 at my local Army surplus store and it was about the right size for what I had in mind. It has a hinged lid (readily removable) and closes tightly- it’s weatherproof, too.

Now, if you carry a lot of junk in your vehicle, an inflexible metal box might not work for you- you’re not going to stuff it into an unused corner or squeeze it around some other things. It’s also not really adaptable for comfortable long-distance humping; you’ll want a big butt-pack or small ruck if that’s how you want to do things. But the advantage of the metal can is three-fold: durability, obviously; you can catch and transport water in it if you have to; and you could cook in it. Even if it was just to boil all the water you’ve been humping around in it since the world ended.

So what’s in it? All the stuff you think should be there: flashlight- I did go with a battery-powered job (which I wanted to avoid where possible), but it takes a watch battery that lasts years, is smaller than my thumb- so saves space- and is absurdly bright. Only drawback is it requires 2 hands to turn it on and off (which I also wanted to avoid-1 hand operation is the way to go). First aid kit- got two from Brigade Quartermaster that are pretty squared away; of course you can make your own. Knife- one you can do work with. I have a small but burly Cold Steel tanto boot knife in one and an old commie bayonet in the other. Tarp- for improvised shelter in case the vehicle itself is unusable (ie burned up or underwater); I think I went with 10x10; might be 8x8. A 50’ length of 550 cord which, in a pinch you could slit, and extract a couple miles of lesser fibers from. An emergency “blanket” which, really, is just a sort of giant baggie; ditto the ponchos.

There’s some other stuff in there, but these are still not 100% complete- I still want fire-making capability in each car kit (prolly one of those magnesium bars with the striker built-in), and I haven’t decided on food yet. Anything dehydrated is out, because it presupposes that potable water is available. I have it down to 3 manufacturers, but just haven’t made the choice of emergency ration yet. And speaking of water, I need some water purification tabs as well. Even though I do haul potable water, I only have about 10 gallons, only in the truck, and for about 4 months out of the year it’s frozen solid. You’re never going to be able to haul enough potable water for an emergency- again, assuming you have to leave your home- so you need to be able to safely drink the water you find.

Now, in the event that we were home when the balloon went up, we would of course take only one vehicle. But we would take the kit out of the car we were leaving, and thereby double our supplies. This is also why we will always have a vehicle capable of 4 wheel drive in the family- let’s not be restricted to finished roads if we have to flee.

As for tools, the vehicles have the usual stuff- socket kit and jack and whatnot, and I don’t go far without a decent multitool on my person anyway, but I don’t kid myself- I don’t know anything about auto repair, and I’m not going to learn as the tidal wave comes racing across the country or the supervolcano is brewing. It’s important to consider one’s limitations with this stuff, and I don’t drive around with a giant Craftsman tool chest. Similarly, you might notice that I don’t include gear to catch fish or game in my car kits. Well, number one, I explained that long-term living rough is beyond the scope of these kits, and 2, I never tried to catch a fish in my life and again, learning by trial and error as my corner of the world comes unhinged didn’t sound too realistic to me.