More Bug In Bag Stuff

Back when I was posting on a regular basis we were in the process of going through the contents of the Bug In Bag. Someone had asked about a small bag and I said I'd get back to them on it, which I will sometime in the very near future.

What I want to cover here though is what do you keep on your person at all times? Bug in Bags are great but there's going to be times when it's just not practical to tote one with you and it will be in the trunk (boot) of the car and you'll be faced with some minor emergency.

Here's what I consider the bare minimum and, as usual, if you have any ideas please feel free to submit them.

1. Cell phone (pretty obvious but they are worth their weight in gold when there's a flap on. Don't forget though that in a big emergency (9/11 and London's equivalent) the system will typically be overloaded and they won't always work.

2. Credit card and cash. Credit cards are always good to have around in an emergency but don't forget some cash as well. In the big power outage (black out) people weren't able to use ATMs due to no electricity.

3. Small key chain flashlight. You've seen them...the tiny LED light that is part of the key chain. These things are a godsend for dropped keys in the dark, finding your seat in a movie theatre etc.

4. Knife. Doesn't much matter to me if you have a tactical folder, a multi-purpose tool like a Leatherman or a Swiss Army Knife but have something. I saw a clip recently where two people trapped in a burning car nearly perished because nobody had a knife to cut them free of their seat belts. Now in some jurisdictions the carriage of a knife can be illegal so make sure you check out the local laws regarding blades. Personally I wouldn't live somewhere that wouldn't let me carry one but hey...that's just me.

That for me is it...the bare bones minimum I carry on a daily basis. Would it be nice to have more? Of course but it's not always practical and it's not always necessary.

As previously mentioned, if you have anything you carry on a daily basis that you can't live without, or find you use all the time, post a comment and I'll make sure it gets aired.

Running on Empty

One of the tips I picked up on one of the body guard courses I did was treat the halfway mark on your gas gauge in your car as your new empty mark. In other words that gas tank should NEVER be less than half full. (or more than half empty, for all you pessimists reading this.)

Think about it for a minute...

You're driving home and notice you're being followed
You're at home and one of the kids has an accident and you need to get to the emergency room asap
The dog/cat needs an emergency ride to the vets
You're driving somewhere, get in a road rage incident and some clown is chasing you trying to shoot you

The list could go on but you get the idea. Having at least a half tank of gas at all times is strategically smart and buys you peace of mind.

A good drill is to get a mate/spouse/significant other and tell them...if you ever get in the car and I have less than half a tank dinner/coffee is on me, or pay them ten bucks every time they catch you. That will give you the incentive to treat it with the importance it deserves.

Nick

PS: If you have a relatively small gas tank in your car (My Beemer has a 26 gallon tank, my old Explorer had a 15) and can't stand the stopping to gas up all the time change it to the 1/4 full mark.