Preparing for Survival with your Survival Gear
Urban survivalists have studied all the various aspects of how to live through a disaster that could wreak massive destruction. Much of the advice and information involves the preparation of tools and supplies that should go into an urban survival bag.
There are many types of gears and kits that can be assembled by survivalists as well as people who would rather be safe than sorry. Here are a few interesting samples of what an urban survival gear is and its contents.
Urban Survival Gear Samples
A variant of larger more complete kits would be the urban survival gear called GHB (get home bag). The premise behind this bag is that people are not necessarily at home when a disaster strikes. Therefore, the first thing they must have would be a bag that has all the things needed to safely make it home. This bag should include things like water, a breathing mask, a flashlight, a radio, good walking shoes, a bandana, sunglasses and food.
On a bit larger scale is the bug out bag (BOB) which should contain what you need for survival in case you need to evacuate. The contents of a BOB are things that are actually readily available. A quick glance at the lists most survivalists publish would show they are actually made up of things that are already available in the regular household. A BOB is far from impossible to put together so maybe even ordinary non-survivalists would do well to put one together.
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Most BOBs agree that the following items should be in the bag:
- Enough water for at least three days. Computing water needs at one liter per person per day, each person would need at least three liters. Because water is both bulky and heavy, you might also consider having water purification tablets and filters. It’s also advised that the BOB should have some water gathering device such as a collapsible bucket.
- Most survivalist experts advise that the BOB should contain freeze dried meals, energy bars and backpack meals. These supplies should be good for three days at the very least.
- The basic clothing needed in a BOB would include good comfortable walking boots, a pair of long pants and two pairs of socks made of nylon or some other non-absorbent material, underwear, a hat, bandana. Here’s the tricky part: clothes in the BOB should be regularly checked and changed according to the season.
A good BOB would have provisions for shelter: a tent top, a mat or tarp for flooring and some sleeping bags. The important thing to consider is that these supplies must really keep the evacuee dry and warm.- A first aid kit is an indispensable part of a BOB. Most will recommend that you build your own medicine kit so you really have the things you need not some minimal pieces that may prove inadequate. Have some elastic bandage for sprains and an antibiotic cream you know you are not allergic too. If you are on regular medication try to put a week’s supply in your kit.
- Emergency supplies are a vital component of the BOB. These supplies include matches, a small saw, cooking utensils, two good flashlights with back up batteries and a good survival knife which most blogs will tell you to learn to use and maintain.
- Weapons are always an item in most bluntly written articles on survival gear and some will recommend getting a gun. Most survivalists will emphasize the need for protection but the majority will treat the in-depth discussion of guns as a separate topic.
- A good number of survivalists will say that if you can learn to use a ham radio, it is a really good thing to have. Ensuring some means of communication is important in the aftermath of a really big disaster but that is a whole subject of study in itself.
