I have a wife and two young kids. The logistics of bugging OUT are mind boggling. I am in a much better position to shelter in place.

Besides the big stuff, most of it is loaded in 3 heavy duty boxes if I need to move, though.

tons of Mountain House freeze dried cans
55 gallon water drum + pump - Costco has one for like $100 shipped
a couple of these for 200 more gallons of water - http://www.waterbob.com/Welcome.do;j...F56DA947EC86DB
5 gallon collapsible water bags for even more water
lots of fire making/propane stuff
tons of flashlights and rechargeable batteries
a couple of emergency radios
fishing stuff
seed packet stash
lots of first aid stuff
couple of kenwood MURS radios
plenty of plywood and screws
5 gallon gas cans

As far as fighting gear, I have enough to get by for a while. I need a .22, though. I really need to do an updated inventory...

 

oh yeah we got plenty of both

Ya my buddy is a bit obsessive about this too, he traded his 30' boat for a 35' since its open sea worthy, its safe to cross the pacific in that thing. It can sleep 8 comfortably or 12 in a pinch, and its totally stocked, hes even found an uninhabited island with a fresh water spring and plenty of wild pigs in case it turns into a long term affair, I honestly think hes kinda looking forward to it

 

You know, if you are just starting your emergency supplies kit, or just need something for one or two people, Costco has a decent assortment of pre-made kits and emergency supplies.

That said, pre-made kits suck but for all but the most basic needs.

 

On the topic of water, I've been meaning to get one of these for a while - http://www.aquaflex.net/

 

Also, one can not overestimate the utility of a bunch of 5 gallon buckets and a metric ****-ton of bic disposable lighters, too.

 

the earthquake you are talking about hasn't happened since, what...pangea separated? 135 million years ago? and if that's the case, cali is going into the ocean anyway. which is why i only carry three things.

1. inflatable mattress (and before you go sayin' it ain't sea worthy, i'll have you know its a full.)
2. fleshlight
3. ziplock bag (to protect the fleshlight from saltwater damage.)

 

I was told by this girl that BOB stands for Battery Operated Boyfriend...

 

Why barter when you can be your own boss?

 

IMO... no.

in my first post, note i mentioned GET HOME bag.

first, take a moment to see what is the primary natural disaster we will have in the san fran bay area?

earthquakes.

now, if you are old enough, last major EQ we had in the northern calif was 1989.

think where you are at 5:04pm? personally i was at work and we barely got damaged.

i was able to drive home with no issues, other than the 1-2 street lights that were out. otherwise i got home and power never went out.

unless your house totally collapses onto itself, to me the next big earthquake might just be an extended camping situation.

unlike tornado or hurricanes where you really have to BUG OUT.

for me, i have planned on BUGGING IN.

that means having a chainsaw to cut my way into a well protected/built outside source of food, water and other things.

 

When the time comes I'll steal from the prepared people. LOL

 

I've got "oh ****" supplies spread throughout my car including an electric tire pump/air compressor, various lights, MRE's, med kits w/sutures, etc..

By far the most useful items in my car are black trash bags and duct tape (actually Gorilla Tape, which is like duct tape on crack). Just last night I was out in a creek with a girl and we got swarmed by red ants because we were disturbing their peaceful tree. We ran back out to where I parked, I decontaminated her in the middle of the street (in the dark, mind you) and put all of our contaminated clothing into a black trash bag, tied it shut and threw it in the trunk. No worries about contaminating my car and we got home and into the shower with only a few bug bites instead of otherwise ending up in the emergency room covered in hundreds of red ants.

The lesson here is that it's not about planning for planet-wide destruction but rather about being prepared for whatever situation may come up. That said, I do have this feeling in the back of my neck that tells me something is missing so I would totally be down for a BBQ and prep day.

 

if you have a steady job, consider placing a $20 bill each month in a safe BUT EASY to get to place at home.

think ATMs will be full or even operating after a major event happens?


another thing to consider: communications. no you cell phones will be jammed. land lines? probably better. so if you think VONAGE will be around after an EQ hits, think again.

now, on the risk of being hammered, you may wanna think about ham radio. technically no one without ham radio license can operate them, but the FCC does allow people to use any and all means to communicate if a true emergency exists...

i recently bought a cheap ham radio made in china, that is 1/3 the price of a name branded one.

in fact, the 2 meter/70cm radio i bought was around $110. a single band can be had for around $60.

reason i went with this was last time we had a power outage, when i came home and turned on my yaesu handheld radio, the battery was dead.

well, that was unacceptable... but i didnt have another $400 for another yaesu radio, but found the chinese made ones.

while we are at, might as well get your ham radio license and learn the proper way of using these radios. it's costs about $14 to take a test...

 

and like stated above. ill be sure your body will have some nice .45 holes

this thread did inspire me to do this in my truck and suby!

 

best post of the thread

 

I just had a mental image of us sailing by someone floating away on an inflatable matress with a fleshlight in a ziplock bag.