Surviving the Apocalypse.

Unless you are a shut-in and spend ALL of your time at home you should plan for more than one survival kit.

Carrying all the tools of the survival trade is a problem as weight becomes an issue and impacts mobility, and as such one will have to decide on what type of gear is best suited for the mission at hand.... Immediate vs Short term vs long term.

When I was a young troop and was a straight leg Infantryman my field gear/combat gear weighed up to 100 pounds at times. This was water, food, ammo, shelter, clothing and assorted items all in one pack.( mortar base plate ...extra machine gun ammo ...that shit adds up) It typically had to be packed to sustain my needs for up to 21 days in the field (with food drops being made every three to six days) In that 100 pounds I had a 35 pound assault pack, this had a smaller collection of gear, ammo and food that typically was packed to sustain myself for three days. My personal gear that stayed on my body or attached to my uniform was sufficient for a few hours of combat or maybe a 24-36 hour movement without any other gear.

Even on a strong grunt a 75 to 100 pound pack is extreme, especially when 90% of the grunt's mobility is via his feet. It takes a toll on your ability to fight and survive and that is why an Infantryman carries an assault pack so that he drop his heavy ruck in a base camp and then could do patrols and counter insurgency ops with an acceptable weight in his assault pack and still carry enough important gear to survive a moderately extended mission if need be.

So yeah, that's well and good to a dude in the military but how does that equate to you? Easy, imagine your long term bug out kit as being that troop's 100 pound ruck then imagine your short term kit to be that soldier's assault pack and lastly your personal gear or "go" bag will be equal to a soldier's butt bag, load bearing vest or immediate gear.

Just as easily you can decide ...

I opened my last installment by saying that I personally thought that my boots were my number one most important item.

I chose boots for a variety of reasons but mainly stemming from my years in various straight leg infantry units but also from the fact that I've seen literally tens of thousands of refugees escaping some war torn areas and thousands of our own fellow countrymen staggering forth from the rubble of a natural calamity and one thing seemed to remain the same ...most were shoeless or at best shod in little more than canvas and skin.

So yeah, my choice was based on my already proven personal library of training and an already proven mental and physical toughness. For me, and those like me, a choice of favorite gear is one made from decades of training and personal experience. And guess what .. some of my peers will laugh at my choice and that's just fine because my choice is just that.... MINE.

That leads me to this installment's subject line : Preparation can eliminate desperation.

YOU decide what is best for YOU and YOUR family, it is YOUR choice. My way is simply a technique that I use. It is not the end all be all and I am not the definitive subject matter expert. I am simply someone that has had the opportunity and training and has had the privilege (or curse if you see it that way) to actually use that training in real world life and death situations.

Surviving a situation can be attributed to many things but lets talk about those things that you can directly influence.

PREPARE

Once upon a time I went out with a chic that was a very "in the now" type. She NEVER prepared for anything in advance, and this made for a very maddening relationship. Had it not been for her incredibly hot ass and unprecedented tits I would have spent no more than 10 minutes on the ditz queen.


Anyway... the final straw was when we

...

I was going over my 'bug out' plans and was thinking of my gear. I asked my self a question ( as I often do)

Self... what is the number one thing in all this collection of survival stuff that you would have to say is YOUR most important piece of gear?

And it took me a bit, as I thought of each piece of gear and balanced it against all the non conventional warfare and survival training I've be.en so honored to receive over the years at tax payer expense I finally realized that almost ALL of the fancy store bought stuff I have is also backed up by a brain and a practical experience that has a way to make a field expedient replacement or alternative device. Things like a weapon, fire starter, water purification system, medical gear