If the SHTF...

Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
80
I live in Virginia and as many of the southern state residing forum members are aware, we have been getting hammered by the tornadoes and storms lately. There was a tornado that touched down not 5 miles from my house and we scrambled everything up into the bathroom. My wife grabbed her overnight bag, our son's diaper bag, and blankets. I grabbed my bug out bag, some extra pants...and my 20" HI CAK. Now, be completely realistic when you respond to this, obviously you are not gonna pack your entire HI collection to go with your pack, but what would you take (that you have readily available) in the event of natural disaster/ total economic failure/ ZOMBIES!!!!
I will start...
My 3 day USMC assault ruck
1 extra pair of clothes (my old uniform)
2 extra pairs of socks and underwear
1 box of nutri-grain bars
1 box of cliff bars
4 emergency blankets
4 emergency ponchos (i learned how to make a shelter out of these items)
1 roll duck tape
1 roll electrical tape
1 first aid kit (contains field scalpels, burn care and cover, cut care and cover, super glue, and butterfly enclosures)
1 hygiene kit (travel toothbrush, travel toothpaste, scentless antiperspirant, 3 packs of thick wet wipes, one small bottle of body wash, one small bottle of baby powder)
1 small ziploc filled with various singles of wet wipes, alcohol pads, band-aids, MRE napkins, and a travel sized tissue package
1 large ziploc filled with MRE matches, wet light matches, 2 bic lighters, more MRE napkins, and one MRE heater
1 small ziploc with 1 LED flashlight, 1 standard small flashlight, 2 extra packs of batteries, 1 long life survival candle, and what appears to be a rape whistle
My lansky puck and butchers steel
My Condor Parang machete strapped to my pack
My 20" HI CAK on my hip
My Mossberg 500A Persuader w/ one full tube (7+1) and a full ammo belt (25 shells) and about 10 or so extra shells in my cargo pockets

The wife will be sort of screwed, she only has a bag of clothes and makeup. She is much to small to use my McCurdy kukri easily or my 45/70, so she gets this old pipe I turned into a mace (mounted a nut onto the end and wrapped the grip), and my Ka-bar heavy bowie. When asked what she would do in the event of zombies, her response was simple, hide behind me. I said that was great, your screams will let me know if they closing in behind me. She didn't like that last part, lol. I have this pack set up for all things though. Looters are a HUGE problem in natural disasters, I'm sure everyone remembers katrina...ppl running around holding stolen HD TV's but no food or water...SMART! The shotgun should scare them off. The khuk is my go-to tool. wood splitter and chopper, combat knife, shelter builder, and light pry bar. I may pack my McCurdy into my ruck and use that to pry with since it is still pretty thick and i have pried with it before and it did not bend. Try to make the CAK last as long as possible:p. The parang will be used to clear a path, light chopping, and a combat weapon as well (24" long and 1/4" thick with a distal taper on the curved blade...what part of that doesn't say combat weapon:D).

Well, I can not think of anything else at the moment. So, what do you guys have set up for if the SHTF?
 
Well, I don't have a detailed list, partly because I'm switching bags for BOB use.

I'm moving my BOB from a Duluth Pack to my Kifaru Zulu. Partly because I'm becoming and auld phart and need an actual suspension system on a pack, and I scored some of the USMC ILBE SealLine dry sacks that fit perfectly in the Zulu and sustainment pouches.

Basic loadout is a Claytor Jungle hammock, enough clothes to last a week, e-tool, 3/4 axe, mess kit, couple of canteens with stove and cup, first aid kit, yada, yada, yada.

Blades would be my standard 20" CAK and R-10 which is on the same Baldric rig. Guns would be my EDCX Glock, and the AR-15 I finished building a couple months ago.
 
most of us probably have pretty similar packing lists, I won't bore you with which chopper, which fighter, and how many items are in the 1st aid kit (not enough EMT-I with no current cert = no current high end cool stuff) etc., but I will add justa one of the two Hi 's coming along, the AK Bowie, that sucker is a true e-tool, emphasis on the E, and it's just low key enough (by our standards) to conceal if you need to leave family and goods cached somewhere.

Hard to lose the sharp-n-pointy chest though, you're right. Rosie, my imaginatively named but much loved and perhaps obsessively stropped Cherokee Rose probably wouldn't make it, but it's amazing what zombie terror can do to facilitate creative packin' and strappin'

Lotsa boom sticks to choose from, but the one thing I think most people skip is the value of a good .22. A 10/22 with the wife, a Mark II with my daughter, and the heavy stuff for the boys makes sense, but worst case scenario, I might rather have that MkII (or tricked out shorty 10/22) than a lot of other options I have even if I was flying solo. The .22 might not be the best zombie stopper, but if you're legging it, lotsa rounds, a great game getter, and while I whole heartedly agree with bigger holes being better, (except in squirrels/other tasty rodents), NO ONE wants to get popped, even with a .22. Just something to think about, and a maybe more realistic choice for both us manly men and our daintier (and generally tougher) partners/daughters than we generally default to.

Caveat - I still might lose it and regale you with my favorite list of fire starters/H2O solutions/stoves/body-or-bum wipe type gear and/or an actual inventory of the bag(s), but I'll try my best to spare you.

Here's hoping we never need 'em, and I'm truly happy you didn't need yours this time. We were getting calls from Korea after the storm even here in central NC, but fortunately it was no more than romance weather for my wife and me.
 
> salt
> water cached where the house will not likely collapse on it (Say "Katrina.") More than one cache.
> good water filter (Say "Katrina" again)
> whistles for everyone (You may get separated.)
> AM radio (For important news AND morale)
> extra batteries for everything
> no-cook food cached with water
> insulation in case twister hits when inside clothing is not enough to sleep in
> compasses (When Mr. Twister visits, landmarks and familiar scenes may disappear.)
 
lots of dry good in basement - more than one access and some gallons bottle water and Gatorade stored - lots of weapons - buckle down and wait it out - plenty of first aid - just buckle down right here - if have to move will throw together couple bags fast
 
Short(ish) add on I picked up a steri-pen than uses AA's for ~$80, maybe even a little less with a sale, and cut a bit more off with the REI kickback they give you every year, imo a great peice of gear to keep handy. You just need a particulate filter (if you're fussy), and you're good to go, no more/less wait, and no math re ratios of h2o to treatment tabs (a factor if using a makeshift canteen or lister bag), and dang, but water is heavy!

Also, Sams etc sells 4 gal light wieght plastic bottles for a LOT less than the recyclable versions, less than or around $1 a gallon, couple three of those and a big old 40+lb bag of (pref. brown) rice from the asian market, and a few pounds of dried beans/barley/millet, individual or mixed are always on rotation in pantry, thankfully one of the more structurally sound parts of our 'little boxes' house. Being ready to homestead for a bit, even in the burb's, if you can might be you're best bet, depending. We have 4 generations from 16 to 97 in less than a square block, hard to move that herd, and my dad (his home having the less mobile upper half of the generations) and I have that as a last ditch contingency, even with more family with real land and natural h20 sources aren't but a few miles off. ymmv, but sometimes a hunker-and-forage might be better than a stampede, and thinking through both as a decision tree is only good thinking
 
Well in my emergency bag I don't know what brand just some medium molle type bag I got from my army navy surplus store. It has in it
2 change of underwear and socks
1 grundig am/fm shortwave radio/w extra batteries
1 british mess kit (inside) granola bar, datrex bars, razor, flashlight, fishing kit, crystal light water flavor packs and poncho and lighter

1 toothbrush and paste1 katadyn water filtration pump
1 quart canteen and pouch with mini ss folding garden trowel
1 esse 4 knife
1 victorinox spirit tool
1 change of shirt pants

For a big blade attached to pack since i am in an urban environment I usually attach my ontario sp8. while it is not one of my most favorite blades its utility in an urban environment is hardly matched. It can hack, dig, pry and be used as a draw knife. while heavy it can be a back up weapon if need be. If I am anticipating not needing a more tool type big blade but happen to be working on the less desirable sides of town I pack my 18 HI sirupate by Tirtha, Esse Junglas, or Imacas 14" daga machete
 
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