Preparedness for when

D&DD

Our BOB's are Karrimor Urban 30L backpacks,I bought them over a period of time when they had offers on at Field and Trek etc and paid around a fiver for each of them.Really pleased with them too especially at that price lol.

Bob Empty space is a sin was the quote I think I'll use you should see my house...:eek:

I must add I've been accumalating stuff for years,please don't think you need to dash out a grab loads of stuff immediately as others have rightly said the pound shops and boot sales are brilliant for picking up bits at very low cost.
Wilkinsons is excellent and sometimes even cheaper on the first aid stuff.

mardatha

Wnadering off the topic of BOBs for a minute - farmers on the Scottish weather forums are cracking up en masse. Our forecast for the next few days is gales and heavy rain plus hail, minus 2 up in the glens and zero for the rest of us. Sleet for me here and a few cms of snow on the mountains.
They are saying the cows were late going out; the barley was late going in; nothing is growing because of the cold; and all in all, food prices will stay high if things don't change drastically and soon.

ClootiesMum

Just de- lurking for a moment re BOBs & toiletries. Still need to make up my BOB but it will include cold/flu capsules - I've not noticed anyone mention them but they'd be a godsend with all the little germies out there & as they include paracetamol they're an extra supply.
Also - shampoo - if you live near a "Lush" outlet they do solid shampoo like a bar of soap. It does work & could be cut toma suitable small size & won't spill.

Back to lurkin now

D&DD

It's a worry isn't it Mar I've never really been affected much by the weather here in Surrey we seemed blessed with a reasonably stable set of seasons all my life..until the last few years.

It has been a steep learning curve trying to out think what the weather is going to throw at us next I'm planting much the same stuff as usual but every year there are crops which have really been dire and in my small garden it's very disheartening I can't imagine what it must be like when you grow on an industrial scale and for your livelihood

The food prices are causing me concern too even with my stocked cupboards.I can get away with not buying something until the price drops BUT I'm finding it's a looong wait on some things and others just refuse to come back down in price so I'm having to play 'chicken' with MrT more often and bite the bullet and pay stupid prices on some stuff...which REALLY annoys me.

[Deleted User]

I don't need to pack shampoo.

That's the advantage of being bald as a coot.

BessieBooBoo

Hello all

Don't forget your old tights for use in multiple ways - cheap thermals, hats, neck warmer, carry stuff in; and condoms, (no-lubricated!) for emergency water carriers, and, ahem, other uses....

BBB

BessieBooBoo

GreyQueen wrote: »

Shoulda known to be more careful around the witty prepsters on this thread. That's £4.50 each to you, Bob.:rotfl:Everyone else can have two for £9.

I have a small windup radio which weighs 3.5 oz inc its headphones but it is FM only and those stations are on pre-sets. I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that it is the AM channel which would be used for broadcasting info in an emergency situation, so I'm treating it as a leisure toy and keeping my eyes peeled for a micro AM/FM radio, even if it meant using batteries rather than wind-ups.

It wasn't expensive, about £6 I think. It was bought in an indy hardware store and I cannot recall the brand off the top of my head but I'll mosey by there tomorrow if I remember and get it for you.

**************

My grab-and-go bag is heavily weighted towards getting out of my tiny city centre flat in the event of an emergency such as flood or gas explosion (we've had both).

The idea is that it contains enough to support me in reasonable comfort in a community centre sheltering arrangement or enough to get out of Dodge in a hurry and head towards family; on foot, pushbike or public transport. It's heavily-weighted towards the assumption that I won't be hiding in the woods, but there is a second and larger bag with the camping equipment beside it, and it would be a fast move to grab that as well/ tranship the contents.

It's very much a work-in-progress but here is what there is so far (all in a 35 litre daypack lined with a heavy-duty PVC dry-bag btw).

Clothing (because I may be bugging out as we Shoeboxers did once before, when there was a gas exposion and fire, and the fire brigade was banging on doors in the middle of the night, ordering everyone to get out NOW!). I'm assuming if a similar thing occurs, I may be running out the door barefoot in my jammies with only a few seconds notice.

Clothes;
1 pair lightweight technical fabric trousers.
1 longsleeved technical fabric top.
1 black microfleece top.
Several pairs knicks and socks.
1 pair black longjohns
1 black longsleeved thermal vest top.
A Buff (brandname for a tube of stretchy fabric which can serve as a scarf/ hat and a 1001 other things).

By technical fabrics I mean synthetics which don't hold water and weigh very little. The trousers and top I got from a c.s. cheaply. The sleeved top was a man's so although it otherwise fitted, the sleeves had to be shortened a couple of inches.

The longjohns and longsleeved vest are very very warm and could go under main clothes or be used as pjs if I needed to wash thru the outer clothes. Have done similar when on long backpacking trips. All the clothes are sealed in Webtex ziploc plastic bags for extra protection.

In additon, but not able to fit into this BOB, is an unlined very lightweight GoreTex jacket with huge and very useful pockets, in a nondescript olive drab (good for both urban and rural lurking) with a pair of socks in its pocket and a pair of hiking trainers. They are in a separate mesh bag attached to the BOB.

Reasoning; I flee in jammies, barefoot in middle of the night, clutching bag. Stop at a safe distance, add jacket, socks and trainers over jammies, and am decent and warmish. Can dress properly later on from contents of bag.

Water; a pattern 58 water bottle, sitting in the crusader aluminium cup, with the hexa stove to fit, all nestled into a pouch. You can cook in the crusader cup. Pouch is plain black, as my army surplus wallah had some which had been readied for the police or summat. Holds everything together neatly and some room in there for extras like water puri tabs.

Note to self; this hasn't got a strap and I'm far too shortwaisted to wear military style belts. Will be getting a strong nylon carry strap from a cheapy bag and adding that, if I ever need to carry it separately.

Plus an empty Platypus water bottle, rolled up and secured with a ponytail band. I've travelled all over the world with these bottles and they're fab. You can even put hot water in them and use them as HWB.

Small folder holding all the vital documents, in another ziploc bag.

My medications (enough for a month).*

Spare pair of spectacles * in my current prescription, in a strong but very lightweight case, with microfibre cleaning cloth.

Cash.
A Petzl headtorch and 2 packs AAA batteries to fit it.
A small handcranked torch.
A small tin holding a USB stick with backups of my computer files. (Paper copies of everything needed for an insurance claim are at the parental home).
Waterproof notebook and pens/ pencils.
A map of my region cannibalised from a cheapy road atlas and laminated front and back with stickyback plastic. Takes up almost no room and weighs very little.
Bag of peanuts, bag of dried apricots, some breakfast bars.
Coupla small cans of sardines.
Knife, fork and spoon set.
Emergency shelter bag - Karrimor brand.
Small first aid pouch.
Hank of paracord and safety pins esp nappy pins.

Washbag incorporating a small mirror containing the basic toiletries, plus antibac gel, a cloth eyeshade (very useful if needing to sleep in overlit places) and a universal bath plug.

For those who haven't had the pleasure, a universal bath plug is a rubber plug with an oversized flange which can be held over any size of plughole by the weight of the water. It turns any kind of sink into one where you can have a stripwash or wash out a few clothes. Has saved my bacon many a time - camping shops have them.

Apart from the rucksack's own raincover which lives in the top pocket of the ruckie and very small microfibre towel that's it.

This isn't intended for camping out in the woods but urban situations. The other ruckie contains an ultralight backpacking tent, sleeping bag with silk liner, closed cell foam mat. I have additonal stuff like stoves and hexamine but can put them together in a hurry.

My everyday carry includes another torch, the mobile charger, swiss army knife, emergency sewing kit and extra meds, plus a small first aid kit and some ladies' monthly supplies. Each of my keyrings has a few extras like can openers, torches and whistles.

* These two items are the essentials; my medication is the only thing between me and the Grim Reaper and I'm so ruddy shortsighted without the glasses that I'd be a danger to myself and others. Everything else I can improvise, but not those two.

I also have the knife from my bushcraft course which is most definately classifiable as an offensive weapon. It has a hank of paracord on its plastic scabbard and can be worn around the neck under clothes, which keeps it with you always and out of the way.

Needless to say, if I felt it necessary to carry such a knife, I'd be considering the risks of needing it far outweighed the risks of being caught with it and prosecuted. We're talking real zombie apocalypse territory, it's not something I'd tool around the city with; I'm a middle-aged woman not Ramb0.

Well, having everything out of the bag has proved instructive and I've thought of one of two things I want to change a bit. In this type of situation space and weight are important.

I once repaired someone's glasses on holiday using the wire from inside a twisty-tie (threaded thru the hole where the screw had dropped out) and they serve multiple uses. As do large safety pins - I have some which were used on me back in the 1960s. With some cord and safety pins you have a washing line.

Righty, going to take a teabreak, take some notes and repack the bag ready for overnight and make a few changes over the next few days.

Wow, thanks for this list GQ, I am scribbling down stuff we haven't got, like the universal plug...

BBB

BessieBooBoo

D&DD wrote: »

This is whats in my red bag and constitutes our main first aid kit which in event of emergencies would be grabbed first.

Creams

Anthisan
Arnica
Intragel
Waspeze
Fucidin
Neosporin antibac
Germolene
Sudocreme
Savlon
Tea tree oil cream
Benadryl ointment
Acriflex Burn cream
Various steroid creams
E45

General stuff
Needle nose tweezers
cotton wool pads
lolly sticks
neoprene supports (S,M,L) for elbow, wrist,knee and thighs
Dehydrated towels and flannels
N-95 masks
Everyday facemasks
Disposable aprons and box of surgical gloves
Handgels and antibac spray
medicine syringes

Then I have
Conforming bandages all shapes and sizes
Slings
Eyewash and bath,patches and eye pads including bandages
Eyedrops
OPSITE dressings all sizes up to full spine size
Steristrips most sizes
Plasters
Strip plasters and scissors
Dressings and micropose tapes
Arnica spray
Olbas oil
Melatonin
Petroleum jelly
Surgical spirit
Epsom salts
Spray plaster
Piriton and benadryl syrups
Iodine tincture
Lip balms
Vics rub
Remegels
Codeine phospate syrup
heat pads and cold pads
Dettol antibac block soaps and soap leaves
Nurofen patches
Ralgex spray
Burns kit
Matches and water purifying tabs
Immodiums and dioralytes

And the usual assortment of painkillers and vitamins

Thanks D&DD, Another check list for us... Feeling slightly under prepped for 1st aid now....

BBB

BessieBooBoo

Hello again

Myself and OH want to make a pet BOB for the DDog.

I've seen this mentioned before so excuse the repeat, I was thinking of making a shower proof bag e.g. strap around her little body, with Velcro, and 2 pouches on each side to balance her out.

Not much weight, but, stuff like flea drops/worm tablets (don't want your pet ill), any meds they need, a small bag of mixer biscuits, treats, small pouch packets of wet dog food, and a tiny bag or bottle of water. She already has a waterproof, breathable, coat, perhaps I could just add onto that....? She's only little, about the size of a spaniel, so it wouldn't be much, just enough to last her a few days food, few months meds.

Will try and photo it if I manage it...


BBB

JosieJump

Re Dog BOB, we have a pair of these

http://www.homesteadfarmsupplies.co.uk/groomingveterinary-scissors-curved-p-51.html

some of these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=tick+removal+tool&!!!!!mh0a9-21&index=aps&hvadid=31422201&ref=pd_sl_9rzujeke3h_e

and Hibiscrub. This has covered most cat and dog 1st aid issues in the past.