Three essentials

Being prepared is high on my list of life-priorities; I feel more comfortable and confident through having a good level of readiness and whilst there are those who feel there is no need as the government or some one else will take care of them in the advent of turmoil it's just not the case. One only needs to open one's eyes to see this is true. Delusion works for some people though and that's completely fine - It's just not my style.

If you have visions of my home being a fortress, a bunker complex or some such thing then you'd [probably] be wrong. If you have visions of me having a fire-evacuation plan, knowing some first aid, having the ability to defend myself, situational-awareness and other such logical measures then you'd be right. You see, being prepared isn't for weird people, it's for all people; Or it should be - Knowing what to do in a crisis or emergency and having the ability to do it is, in my mind, very important for all of us; If you have a child then it's even more important...After all, aren't your children most precious?

So I'm prepared or at least more prepared than most...But I don't just mean in an urban environment. I spend a lot of time in the outdoors and have built skills around that; Navigation, hunting and general survival skills. I work on keeping them sharp and building new ones to augment the existing as well - It's somewhat of a hobby but has practical application of course. The Australian wilderness areas are hostile and getting remote in Australia requires skills, at least if one wants not to die out there that is.

I have a lot of equipment that supports this prepared-ethos and have spent many years collecting the right things, learning how to use them and making them readily accessible for when they're required. This includes firearms, ammunition-making equipment, communications and navigational items along with general survival equipment. Again, I get a lot of enjoyment out of this aspect as technology always changes and...Well let's be honest, one can never have too much cool shit. #coolshitlife

In the #weekend-engagement week 45 topic this week I based it around a fabricated scenario in which one had limited time to gather things and leave home for the wilderness...You can see the topic here and the scenario below. I thought I'd answer it for myself in this post just because why not? #whynotlife

There is a pandemic outbreak and you need to escape to the wilderness - Away from people. You only have one hour to gather all of the items you'll need and they all have to be carried in or on your passenger vehicle - Let's just assume you have one ok? You can take anything you like but you only have one hour before you leave.

I'll be honest, this is a fairly easy question for me, because I'm somewhat pre-prepared - I think things through and work towards mitigating risk and increasing my chance of dealing with crisis, emergency, adversity or turmoil. Regardless though having only one hour to gather items and leave, especially in a pressured situation, is always going to throw up challenges. One can't be too prepared or practiced when it comes to this sort of scenario.

Three of my items

Item one: Go-bag

This item is a grab-and-go item that contains many other items. It is easily accessible to grab on the run and very transportable as it is a back-pack style bag with the MOLLE [Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment] system allowing additional external pouches for additional load-carrying options.

I won't go into every single item but it contains things like a Lifestraw water purification system and purification tablets, MRE's [meal ready to eat] which are calorie-rich military ration packs with a very long life span, additional clothing [think layers here] and clothing for varied weather situations. Methods to start fire like tablets, weatherproof matches, a lighter, flint and dry tinder. Cooking gear which is all multi-purpose, lightweight and collapsible. LED torches of different sizes and intensities plus many spare batteries. I also have a hand-crank torch. Medication because I'm diabetic plus a comprehensive first aid kit including a snake-bite kit [because it's Australia.] Large and small knife with sharpening stone, fishing hooks and hand reel, plenty of paracord, hand-operated chain-saw, compass, maps for common areas I would likely go to, pens, note pad and pencils, survival sleeping bag, tarp for tent, binoculars, tooth brush and toothpaste, silver half and one once coins, a wad of fiat money, debit card with a decent sum on it, identification, Leatherman MUT multitool, small hatchet, machete, and the list keeps going; It's pretty comprehensive. I actually have version of this kit in my Landcruiser at all times as well.

A go bag is a personal thing and must be put together based on the individual, location and possible climate in which it may be required. What you have may be different than mine but there are certain items all go-bags should contain.

Item two: Firearms and ammunition

Keeping in mind the scenario outlined above this may seem unnecessary but this is my loadout and part of it would include this...I'd grab my .243 rifle-system and 500 rounds plus two handguns, one to stick in the go-bag and the other to wear when required and both would be of the same calibre, 9mm, as the rounds are a little lighter than 38 Super; The 38 round flies flatter and hits harder but I'd not want the weight of the ammunition considering I'd take at least 1000 rounds. A well-placed 9mm round will be just as effective in most circumstances, especially in a country where most do not have firearms.

I shoot the .243 out to 900 metres accurately so it would be used for offensive situations and it's good down to virtually point-blank so will handle pretty much any situation including hunting various game for food. The ammunition is also not as heavy as other larger calibres like the .308 for instance. Handguns are defensive and so would be used in that manner only. Of course, along with my firearms comes the equipment required to support them like cleaning kits, solvents and oils plus range finders and so on. I have a firearms go-bag in the workshop that contains the appropriate things. #gobaglife

Item three: Communications and charging

I have a communications bag which contains CB radios, wind-up transistor radio, signalling mirror, cheap mobile phone and spare battery, small high-output fold-out solar panels, battery pack and all the cables required for charging the electronic stuff. Knowing what's up is important as is person to person communications. #knwowhatsuplife

That's my three items...Well, loads and loads of items when all combined I guess but in effect three bags: Go-bag, comms-bag and gun bag. I'd say in a pressured situation it would take me all of ten minutes to obtain and pack these items into my vehicle leaving time to gather most of the other items I would want then lock up certain things in my safes and the house itself ready for my return, if that was possible. I'd almost certainly have time to hook up my camper trailer, also already pre-loaded at all times with stuff, and I'd be gone inside of one hour. #nofuckasserylife

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Being prepared is as simple as applying a little situational-awareness, knowing first-aid, CPR, how to treat a snake or cut, having a fire evacuation plan at home or the office, fire-extinguisher and fire blanket, a seatbelt cutter/glass breaker in the car and a pocket knife at all times...It doesn't have to be complicated although the more prepared a person is the less likely they'll become a victim; It's a rather simple thing to be honest. That's just my opinion of course...So many prefer to play the victim role and that's their prerogative I suppose. It takes all kinds to make up the world and I'm the prepared type.