How to Choose your Bags

The Four-Part Emergency System

When planning for emergencies, and possible evacuation scenarios, many different variables must be considered. Different situations have different needs. For that reason we have developed a Four-Part Emergency System which is modular and allows you to keep the gear where you will need it most, and when you put it all together gives you the full kit. Kinda like Voltron! (Wait..I'm being told that no...its not like Voltron...thanks honey.)

EDC

1: Every Day Carry (EDC)

Small items to cover basic needs for a 12 hour period. If you don't have a vehicle you drive daily, consider carrying it with you inside a purse or murse. Included here is lighting, cutting, fire, water carrying and purification, money, extra phone charge, and more.

GHB

2: Get Home Bag (GHB)

carries some of the larger items that wouldn't fit in an EDC but which are still important to have close by. It should cover you for 24 hours with water, food, pandemic protection, lighting, a larger cutting tool, basic sleeping and shelter needs, and a change of clothes.

BOB

3: Bug Out Bag (BOB)

stored at the house for each family member. This is a 72-hour evacuation preparedness kit, for use when you are leaving your home and don't know when you might return. This bag will be pre assembled and stored in the home - ready to go BEFORE an emergency. Food, cooking utensils, blankets, shelter, clothing, lighting, tools, radios, entertainment and distraction items belong here.

INCH

4: I'm Never Coming Home (INCH)

covers you if you cannot return to your house, and are unable to find acceptable long-term shelter. This could mean weeks or longer. This comes with you in a vehicle and may get left behind if the vehicle has to be abandoned. You may wish to have a folding wagon available for that scenario.

The bags you choose should be appropriate size for each persons body - even the little ones and pets get a bug out bag. That's right Scraps, no free rides (Woof!) Many duplicate items need not be carried in each and every bag and can be distributed and shared: i.e. some kitchen items, tools, tents, etc.

EDCStep 1: Every Day Carry

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We all spend a lot of time away from home, at work or school or wherever. Emergencies don't always hit when we are sitting at home just after dinner with the nightly news on - so you have to be prepared to face difficulties returning to your home should such an unexpected event occur. For this reason you need a small pack which can carry you for 24 hours. For those of us who drive back and forth to work, our job is a little easier as we can keep a bigger EDC than those who commute via train or bus.

What we have outlined below is a pocket-sized kit which should cover you to a large degree from some of the unexpected situations you may find yourself in. You can opt to get for a slightly larger version if you have the room, but you can use the list below as a base point. Adjust as you see fit!

Step 3: Bug Out Bag

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At this point you have a pretty good pile of stuff together with your EDC & GHB. So your Bug Out Bags are going to round out some of what you have already prepared and give you items you may need for a few days to a week.

What are the most important things to have?

Looking at most peoples BOBs and a lot of the websites out there, you would think everyone is heading straight to the woods at the first sign of trouble - Davy Crocket style - living of the land as it were and catching or foraging for food and water. Yeah right. If you are reading this in the USA then chances are you will be in a sheltered area somewhere. Now if you live in a place outside of the US or any other 1st-World country then please adjust your planning accordingly. You know better than we do what you will need, and you are already probably fairly self-sufficient. Its to the "mall-crusing" crowds we're talking to here.

With that said, you don't need to go over the top with tents, hammocks, fire-starting, trapping, skinning, basket-weaving, candle making and all that. Its an exceptionally tiny, miniscule, remote improbability that you will ever face such severity.

We think the following items are the most important to have, in order: toiletries, clothing, water, food, blankets, pillows, lighting, toys, books, movies, games, cooking gear, tent, knives, then assorted survival gear. We think you should plan more like you are going to be an uninvited house-guest to a friend or family member rather than an outlaw in the woods. Worse case that you are doing a little car camping. Spend your time planning for what's likely to happen, then dial-in the less likely once you have your basic kit together.

Packs for Men & Women

If you don't want to wind up like Quasimodo after a few minutes of wearing your backpack, then its super important to know how to load it up properly. Men and women have lower centers of gravity than men so the size and shape of the packs and the distribution of weight is different.

Load Balancing

Load the bulkier, lighter items toward the bottom of the pack like a sleeping bag and change of clothes. These are also the things you wont need to have quick access to, they are more needed camp is already set up. Consider the terrain you will be traversing when packing your bag. For flat ground the heavier items should be relatively high and close to the body. Put the heaviest things between your shoulder blades. For rough terrain or steep climbs put the weight lower, this will keep you better balanced. Try to keep the heavy stuff in the middle of your back. You can strap tents and tarps and sleeping bags to the bottom of the pack with lashes or straps for men, to the tops of the packs for women. REI has anincredible article about this. Grab a drink and read it.

Internal vs. External Frames

One could write forever about the differences between Internal Frame and External Frame packs. For us, it comes down to a matter of choice. External frames do allow you to carry heavier stuff and keeps the pack off your back during hot weather. Internal frames are smaller (easier to stash in a closet somewhere) and usually have some sort of internal structural support. Go to your local outfitter and try different types on, see what feels right.