Category Archives: Go (GOOD) Bag

Urban Survival Kit

by SurvivalGuy Posted on November 25, 2012

In light of recent weather related events I’ve started suggesting contents for emergency bags for friends and coworkers. I started doing this after talking with a former coworker got himself stuck in a high rise during Super Storm (Hurricane) Sandy and had to sit in the dark with no way to charge his cell phone.  He had plenty of food and water and used his cell phone to see where he was going but he ran out of power a couple of hours into the night.

My rationalization is that you have most things like food and drinking water around you at your office and or home but there are things you you might really need during an emergency that aren’t readily available just before a disaster and almost impossible to find after one so that’s why I put together this list.

  • Liberty Mountain Waterproof Pouch
  • Energizer Universal Rechargeable Power Pack
  • Energizer 7 LED Headlight
  • Eton FR 160 Weather Radio
  • K-TOR Pocket Socket Hand Crank Generator (Just in case you forget to charge your power pack)
  • Leatherman Wingman Multi-Tool
  • Compass and Thermometer Whistle
  • Platypus 2 Liter Soft Bottle with Closure Cap (Once the power goes out the faucets will stop working)
  • Moleskin Notebook
  • Emergency Numbers written in the notebook above
  • Gel Pen
  • Local Map
  • Cash. $$$ is king when there is no power. Squirrel away as much as you can in small denominations.

Liberty Mountain Waterproof Pouch

Liberty Mountain Waterproof PouchEnergizer Universal Rechargeable Power Pack

Energizer Universal Rechargeable Power PackEnergizer 7 LED Headlight

Energizer 7 LED HeadlightEton FR 160 Weather Radio

Eton FR 160 Weather RadioK-TOR Pocket Socket Hand Crank Generator

KTOR Pocket Socket Hand Crank Generator

 Leatherman Wingman Multi-Tool

Leatherman Wingman Multi-ToolCompass and Thermometer Whistle

Compass and Thermometer Whistle

Platypus 2 Liter Soft Bottle with Closure Cap

Platypus 2 Liter Soft Bottle with Closure Cap

Moleskin Notebook

Moleskin NotebookGel Pen

Gel Pen

NYC Manhattan Street and Subway Map

NYC Manhattan Street and Subway MapCash

cash money

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Car Emergency Kit / Go Bag

by SurvivalGuy Posted on May 3, 2012

I didn’t set out to build a car specific kit when I put this together. I just put any extras that I had laying around into a bag in the car and after some time I have what is listed below. A few things were specifically purchased like the Mainstay water pouches and the 3600 calorie food rations because they have a shelf life of several years and they withstand extreme temperatures.

I like to go over my car emergency kit / go bag once a year just to make sure everything is in good condition and nothing has expired. My friend asked me what I have in my fancy car emergency kit and what not so I listed everything below with relevant links. I doubled up on most items because my lady and I are in the car together most of the time so it only makes sense for both of us to be taken care of in case of an emergency.

Separately in the car I have jumper cables, a tow strap,  a full first aid kit, two flashlight, random tools, a tire gauge, a tire inflator and two pairs of leather gloves.

 

 

  1. One backpack holding all the contents – Any backpack will do. It can be a duffel bag as well, just make sure it has a shoulder strap in case you have to carry it.
  2. Twenty – Mainstay Emergency Water Pouches – These are great because they last several years without having to be replaced
  3. Two – Mainstay 3600 calorie Emergency Food Rations – These are awesome because they last five years and can withstand extreme temps
  4. Two – N95 Dust Masks 
  5. One 35 gram Celox powder
  6. One 15 gram Celox powder
  7. One CAT tourniquet
  8. Two 4 inch Israeli Bandages
  9. Two Adventure Medical SOL Emergency Bivvy’s
  10. Two adult sized ponchos
  11. One 50 feet of 550 cord
  12. One  Nalgene 32 oz water bottle with pouch
  13. One bottle of Potable Aqua iodine water purification tablets
  14. One Eton emergency radio with batteries
  15. One lighter
  16. One chapstick
  17. One generic swiss army knife
  18. Four pairs of vinyl gloves
  19. One bottle of hand sanitizer
  20. One SAS survival handbook
  21. One spair pair of glasses
  22. Two mylar emergency blankets
  23. One Mora knife
  24. One carabiner
  25. One magnesium fire starter
  26. One medical sheers
  27. One pack of Colgate wisps
  28. One eyeglass repair kit
  29. One roll of toilet paper
  30. Extra batteries for flashlights and radio
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Emergency Kit Checklist

by SurvivalGuy Posted on October 31, 2011

I came across this emergency kit checklist on the BePrepared.com‘s website. It’s a concise list and can easily be printed out and used. I would print out a copy for each family member and check off the items as I acquire them. The problem I have faced when getting together an emergency bag is that it’s expensive and when you  multiply by 2 or more it starts too become a serious investment.

I ran the numbers when I first started preparing GO bags for my significant other and myself and I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t pay for everything at once. I decided to buy items slowly over time until I got everything that I thought that we might need. I went with the essentials first. To me that was a good backpack, food, water, a first aid kit, rain gear and a multi-tool.  As time went on I bought additional items for the bags and put more thought into the whole bugging out and possibly never returning back home option. As you build your own bag you will have to make decisions between weight and the gear that you think will make a difference in your particular bug out situation.

Emergency Checklist

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Workplace Go / GOOD Bag Part 3 – Updated List

by SurvivalGuy Posted on October 13, 2011

I want to thank everyone for all of their input. I redid my list for the city Go Bag after considering every ones opinion. I’m still not going to have any weapons or escape tools due to local laws. My goal is to get out of harms way and not get picked up by the NYPD or any number of federal agencies that are around during a disaster. My most up to date list is below. As the situation changes I might add to the list.

  1. Backup glasses/contacts
  2. Over the glass goggles
  3. Fire escape smoke hood
  4. Particulate respirator
  5. Leather work gloves
  6. Two 16 oz bottles of water
  7. Two granola bars
  8. Two 5 hour energy drinks
  9. Hat with brim
  10. Bandana
  11. Rain jacket and pants
  12. Spare pair of wool socks
  13. V2 LED Lenser Power Chip Flashlight with spare batteries
  14. Multitool Leatherman Wave
  15. Silcock key, used to open water faucets
  16. A book of  matches and a lighter
  17. Hand sanitizer
  18. Small first aid kit containing Celox powder, first aid dressing, eye drops, neosporin spray, band aids, breathe right strips, Benadryl, Sudafed, Advil, Alka Seltzer, Wet Ones face wipes and 2 pairs of vinyl gloves
  19. One Therma Care Heat Wrap for my aching back
  20. Tissues
  21. Chapstick
  22. Off Bug Spray
  23. Emergency contact list, laminated
  24. Mini Eton radio with cell phone charger plus mini usb cable to charge phone
  25. Local map
  26. Compass
  27. 550 cord
  28. Duct tape
  29. One black garbage bag
  30. Back pack
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Workplace Go / GOOD Bag Part 2 – Now With a Pic

by SurvivalGuy Posted on October 6, 2011

I managed to get together a bunch of items that I had laying around to make an impromptu workplace Go / GOOD Bag that I wrote about the other day. I decided to have something at the office in case of an emergency that I could add to later instead of waiting around till I made the perfect bag which I would then bring it to the office. I tend to get caught up in the details of prepping for certain situations and I sometimes don’t realize that something is better than nothing and there is no such thing as being prepared for every situation.

In my particular case I will need to have enough in my bag to go about 6 – 8 miles on foot through a large variety of neighborhoods towards my home where I can hunker down or decide if I need to keep moving to get out of the city. I previously walked from work to my house and it took about three hours. A lot of the time was spent avoiding traffic, bicyclists and waiting on street lights. In case of an emergency there will be flocks of people that will slow down my pace and potentially make the walk more interesting ;) I can’t carry any concealed weapons where I live in NY because of the local laws. My grim demeanor and several years of martial arts training is all that I will have going for me.

I decided to modify my previous list to simplify it and reduce costs. I did not want to use anything that I had reserved in my home or car GO Bags and I also took into consideration that someone might steal my bag at work so I did not want to invest too much into the contents. I work with some what decent people when everything is going fine. In case of an emergency my coworkers just might take my bag without me realizing it and that will be that.

So without further proselytizing here is my updated list for an Office Go Bag with a pic. All of the contents of this kit are placed in zip loc bags to keep the items water proof.

  1. Backup glasses/contacts
  2. Two 16 oz bottles of water, not pictured
  3. Two granola bars, not pictured
  4. Particulate respirator
  5. Wind breaker
  6. Spare pair of wool socks, not pictured
  7. Hat with brim
  8. Two pairs of vinyl gloves, not pictured
  9. Small body cloth for wiping away sweat
  10. Led flashlight with spare batteries
  11. Led headlamp with spare batteries, spare batteries not pictured
  12. Hand sanitizer
  13. Small first aid kit containing eye drops, neosporin spray (not pictured),  band aids, breathe right strips, Benadryl, antihistamine, Advil and Alka Seltzer, Six Wet Ones face wipes. The Advil is in the Aleve bottle.
  14. One Therma Care Heat Wrap for my aching back
  15. Tissues
  16. Chapstick
  17. Off Bug Spray
  18. Cheap swiss army knife replica
  19. Two books of  matches, only one box pictured
  20. Emergency contact list located on cell phone, not pictured
  21. Mini Eton radio with cell phone charger, not pictured because I haven’t bought it yet. This will also charge my phone in case of an emergency.
  22. Local map, also not pictured because I haven’t bought it yet
  23. Compass
  24. One black garbage bag
  25. Back pack

Office Go Bag

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Workplace / Office – Go / GOOD Bag

by SurvivalGuy Posted on October 3, 2011

I’m getting together a Go Bag aka Get Out of Dodge Bag for the office where I work. My office is inconveniently located near a major transport hub in a large cities financial district :) The higher ups all have super duper go bags that are company issued for the executives.

I first found out about the executive Go Bags / Get Out of Dodge Bags from the office manager when she accidentally noticed one of these bags by one of the executives desks. The executive was caught unawares and answered truthfully that the company issues them to all of the higher ups in case of an emergency. When the office manager asked about getting them for the rank and file the executive realized that he fucked up by saying too much and started to say that it would be too expensive to issue them to everyone and that it was something that was reserved for certain key personnel. I ‘m not sharing any specific info because I don’t want to lose my job.

The office manager and I are on good terms and she was venting about the situation when I suggested we could get something together that was economical and better than what the executives had. I don’t know exactly what’s in the executive kit but I’m pretty sure that whatever I put together will be better than some mass produced kit. I decided on the following items below. Hopefully they are better than what the corporate kits contain but I won’t really know. So in the mean time here is what I plan on putting in them. I’ll follow up with pictures and the cost of the kit once I put it together.

  1. Over the glasses goggles
  2. Backup glasses/contacts
  3. Particulate respirator
  4. Poncho with hood
  5. 32 oz of water
  6. 5 year shelf life life-boat ration
  7. Led flashlight with spare batteries
  8. Swiss Army Knife or multi tool
  9. Small first aid kit with moleskin and eye drops
  10. Lighter / Matches
  11. Gloves
  12. Bandanna
  13. Emergency contact list
  14. Tissues
  15. Mini Eton radio with headphones
  16. Back pack
  17. Hat with brim
  18. Local map
  19. Compass
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New York City Office of Emergency Management: Get Ready New York

by SurvivalGuy Posted on September 5, 2011

The below is form the New York City OEM website.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management Get Ready New York campaign encourages New Yorkers to be ready for all types of emergencies. Develop a disaster plan and decide where you and your family will meet in the event of an emergency. Gather emergency supplies – some to keep in your home and others to keep in backpacks in case you must leave your home in a hurry. Finally, learn how to keep informed about the hazards you may face in New York City.

Take three steps to prepare for all types of emergencies:

  1. Make a plan
  2. Get a kit
  3. Be informed

Check out the website here.

Are You Ready New York

While you’re at it check out these prepackaged survival kits as well.

Grab-’n-Go Emergency Kit, 2-Person, 3-Day Backpack

72 Hour Kit 1

Deluxe Emergency Kit-2 Person, Emergency Zone Brand, Disaster Survival Kit

72 Hour Kit 2

Grab `N Go Deluxe 4 Person Backpack

72 Hour Kit 3

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Kelty Redwing 3100 Backpack Revisited

by SurvivalGuy Posted on October 4, 2010

I finally took some pictures of the Kelty Redwing 3100 backpack. I took the pictures with the bag empty. Take a look at the pics below.

Front

 

Kelty Redwing 3100 Front

Back

Kelty Redwing 3100 Back

Left

Kelty Redwing 3100 Left

Right

Kelty Redwing 3100 Right

Top

Kelty Redwing 3100 Top

Bottom

 

 

 

Kelty Redwing 3100 Bottom

The bag is pretty big. 3100 cubic inches is no joke. When you walk down the street people will definitely take a second look at you. After I packed the bag it weighed in at 28 pounds. It’s fine for me but I think it’s a bit heavy over all. I’m going to rework the list of items and try to get it down to 22 pounds. The bag, even though it was kind of heavy, sat really well on my back and did not feel uncomfortable. One day soon I’ll take it on a test hike and let you know how it goes.

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Kelty Redwing 2650 + 3100 Backpack

by SurvivalGuy Posted on September 23, 2010

I purchased a Kelty Redwing 2650 backpack several months ago for my GO (GOOD) Bag. I needed a bag that was good quality and big enough to carry the bare essentials in a survival situation. After I started packing I quickly realized that the 2650 was just a little too small for my needs. The items that took up the most space were sleeping bag, MRE’s, the first aid kit and the water filter. Four things that I wouldn’t skimp on in quality or amount. The Kelty Redwing 2650 held everything that I had but it was almost  busting at the seams. I decided to upgrade to the Kelty Redwing 3100 so I could have a bit of room in case I had to pack additional items before I left  or if I found additional supplies along the way.

Kelty Redwing 3100

One of the reasons I decided to go with a three day hiking backpack is to blend in. In any major city you have a constant stream of people with a variety of backpacks. The Kelty Redwing wasn’t too different than the rest. If I wore a giant week long technical backpack then I would stick out like a sore thumb. My goal is to blend in as best as I can and present a low profile to people around me.

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GOOD (GO) Bag Part 1

by SurvivalGuy Posted on August 26, 2010

A GOOD bag is an acronym for Get Out Of Dodge bag. In case of an emergency you should have the essentials and a few creature comforts to get you through the initial period of an emergency. If you don’t have an emergency kit and plan to wing it when an emergency situation occurs then you will forget someting that might be important to your survival. The local government will have enough to worry about when the proverbial poo hits the fan. The least we can do is to have a plan in place to care of yourself and your family.

Now that I’ve gotten off my soap box here is my list. Everything you see below I have purchased and tested. This list in not all inclusive, everyone’s needs are different and this may not meet your needs so take it with a grain of salt and get your own bag ready.

1 Kelty Redwing 2650 Backpack
1 Suisse Sport Adult Adventurer Mummy Ultra-Compactable Sleeping Bag – Good to 30 degrees Fahreinheit
1 550lb. Type III Paracord (100′, Olive Drab)
1 G.I. Rip-Stop Nylon Poncho – Heavy duty military grade for keeping the rain off your head, tons of uses
1 Katadyn Hiker PRO Water Microfilter
1 Polar Pure Water Disinfectant
1 Platypus Water Tank (4-Liter) – So you don’t have to constantly be looking for water
1 Petzl E89 PD Tactikka XP Headlamp + extra aaa batteries
1 V2 LED Lenser Power Chip Flashlight – Uses same batteries as above to make things simpler
1 Mainstay Emergency Drinking Water (60 Pack) – I bought this and spread it around multiple GOOD / GO Bags – I put 16 4oz pouches in my bag
2 Meal Ready to Eat (MRE)
1 1800 Calorie ER Bar – Emergency Food Ration
1 Genuine Issue Magnesium Survival Fire Starter
1 Smith & Wesson CK5TBS Bullseye Extreme Ops 4.1″ 40% Serrated Black Tanto Blade
1 Leatherman Blast Multitool with Leather Sheath
1 Adventure Medical Kits Comprehensive Kit
1 CELOX Hemostat Blood Coagulent 35 gram (1.25 oz) Packet
2 Pairs of wool socks
2 Pairs of underwear
1 Pair of pants
1 Long sleeve shirt
1 Boonie cap – Sprayed with silicone to keep the water off
1 Pair of hiking boots – on your feet and not in the bag
1 Extra pair of glasses – For those of us who are dependant on them this is a life saver
1 Custom travel kit with shampoo, visine, pain medicine and any additional items that you rely on every day
1 Pair of nail clippers
1 Nail file
1 Tooth brush
1 Toothpaste
1 Floss

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