What Do YOU have in your...???

a reply to: CranialSponge

Stopping to see if someone on the side of the road needs help is pretty much an unwritten rule around these parts.

I have a story about this...

My sister lives in Buffalo, NY. One time she came to WY with my nephew and wanted to see Yellowstone. Driving across the vast expanses of WY she asked me "what happens if we have a flat???. I told her we change it. This settled her down for a while. About 20 minutes later she asked me "what happens if we have another flat????????.

I told her, the first person who drives by will stop to help us or give us a ride to the nearest town. She completely FREAKED OUT!! I told her I didn't understand her fear. She was perplexed.

I asked her...."what happens if you have a flat in Buffalo, NY...on the highway, in the city????? Do you change it...or just start fearing for your life immediately????

Things got pretty quiet after that. To this day she still tells me how terrified she was to be out in such big open country like that, so far away from anything. In my mind, sometimes 'nothing' is a hell of a lot better than a gang of bandits every two minutes.

Maybe I'm just a country boy.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

LOL

City folk mentality vs country folk mentality.

Without a doubt, I feel much safer on a country highway in the middle of nowhere than I do driving down a city street... Bears and moose don't tend to want to hijack your car or take your wallet.

The minute I hit the city, I lock my doors while I'm driving.

Too funny !

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

i carry a gun. that seems to be a minimalist approach that ensures i will have what i need if the SHTF

a reply to: CranialSponge

this.

in a "world falling apart" scenario, i'd rather be holed up on a ranch out south of Fort Stockton than anywhere near a city. Cows, water, fowl, land, and no people.

My job forces me to have a generator in my truck at all times, so Ill have electricity for about 16 hours,,,,snitches!

a reply to: CranialSponge

Glock 33
Beretta 25
(4) cans fiz a flat
(4) cans free melt spray
(1) Asp
(1) emergency radio
Bungies
100 braided rope
(3) knives
Bottle opener
Duct tape
(1) pair handcuffs
First aid kit
Led 400 luminous flash light
(1) binoculars
(100 count) 12 inch zip ties
1/2 dozen tampons (surprising how often I get brownie points for these)
4-6 bottles of water
Dog leashes
Collapsable doggy water bowl
(1) brass pass
Assorted tools
Lots and lots of anti bac!

Oh, and a sleeping bag (down)
Running shoes

Dang I'm sure I left something out.....that's a lot a crap. I've never really thought about it till now .....

One thing I forgot to mention in my winter arsenal is the fact that I don't even bother to keep a flashlight in my vehicle (or anything that requires batteries for that matter).

Batteries have zero shelf life in -30 C temperatures.

But what I do have is a small portable sized flashlight (with a handy dandy built in compass) attached to my car keys. This way the batteries are always kept warm enough because they're either in my pocket/purse, in the house, or in the ignition with the heat on while I'm driving.

a reply to: CranialSponge

I recommend to all my ladies friends to have at least a flashlight/knife and blanket. JUST IN CASE.. I imagine in your climate you all probably are much better equipped for a blizzard

a reply to: ReadLeader

Yep.

You just simply do not drive on Canadian winter highways without making sure you're well equipped with everything you may need to survive in a stranded vehicle for at least a couple of days.

It's suicide otherwise.

Has anyone mentioned MRE's yet?

I always have a few.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Tossing a couple of MRE's in the duffle bag is a really good idea (something I haven't thought of doing yet). Those suckers are good for 20-30 years.

Nothing like chowing down on a hot meal while you're sitting in a chilly vehicle in the middle of a whiteout.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Damn, forgot that, note to self...add MRE's, and (2) bottles pinot noir

MRE's are heavy and bulky. Yes, they can be stripped down, but unless you're planning on being out for days and days they're unnecessary. Fluids and warmth are what you need to survive for 48 hours (or longer).

I carry some soup and some coffee, but if I was out in the outback or something I'd probably be carrying traps, jerky, hard-tack and other items. I might stop to warm up and get out of the weather for a few hours, but otherwise I'm going to keep moving. Hence my kit.

By the way...MRE's are not good for 20-30 "years". Their shelf life is about 5-7 years depending on storage temps.

Used (i.e. surplus) MRE's, you have no idea where they've been. They could have been stored in a hangar in Kuwait for 5 years at 150 degrees. Shelf life beyond that is probably zero. They won't be rotten, but they'll be tasteless goo.

As a general rule; I'm not planning on getting separated from my vehicle (unless things turn really, really, ugly) so my principal focus is rendering aid where required and getting home, hence all the first aid gear.

I want everyone to get home, just like I want to.

If I can make things just a tiny bit more comfortable for myself or anyone else, then every bit of preparation was totally worth it to me.

Remember....

Do No Harm...

Do Know Harm!

originally posted by: Rikku
are you insane?

Died laughing here.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

a reply to: 123143

Glad it amused you.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Yah, I don't know your location. In SF bay area, after the 89' Loma Prieta earthquake, people were walking home, some took 24 to 48 hours to get there. The roads were jammed, the power out, the phones jammed , some overnight in their cars on roads.

It wasn't a total disaster, things went back to normal. Thing was it was sudden, without warning, and temporarily affected everyone in the Bay. I remember having a little portable radio that I could listen to for that first couple days. Batteries ran out (stores were closed) but at least I got the wider scope of damage that first evening. It was my only source of outside information.

A little piss ant am radio. later I bought one of those hand cranked solar cell things.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

2 dangerously bright flashlights
4 road flares
1 gallon of water
Snacks
Bag of basic auto tools
Box of basic auto chemicals
One of those foil emergency blankets
Baseball bat

That's overkill, as even in an extreme blizzard, the nearest place to obtain food, fuel, warmth is no more than a 20 minute walk from any point in my ride home, I overly maintain my car (I'm the kind of person who changes my alternator long before it dies) and the baseball bat...well, that's in case I feel like stopping at the batting cages on my way home.