PREPARING YOUR OWN PERSONAL EVACUATION KIT/BUG-OUT BAG
by Geoffrey 

     One need only look at recent events around the world to see the variety, 
and the ferocity, of natural disasters: 
Forest fires and floods forcing evacuation of homes and businesses;  
earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes levelling
entire neighborhoods.   Those disasters caused by humans tend not to be as 
violent in nature, but they can be just
as deadly as natural disasters. . .and just as unpredictable.

     Those who are preparing for such disasters usually do so by resorting to 
the standard means of stockpiling
food and water in their homes.  Some go so far as to buy comercially available 
"72-hour Kits" or they assemble
similar kits themselves to keep in their home or vehicles. 

     Home or auto kits are fine, but what if, due to the severity or nature of 
the disaster, you must leave your
home or vehicle?  Do you wish to deliver yourself into the helping hands of the 
government or a relief agency? The
problem with many such kits is that they are often too small and are incomplete 
to adequately support

     You may have to resort to taking only what you can put together in a very 
short time (5 minutes or less) and
carry with you.  Roads may be impassible for vehicles, so you may be forced to 
walk out.  It is for this reason that
the backpack-sized Personal Evacuation Kit (PEK) must be considered the basis 
for all emergency preparedness
plans. Smaller, so-called 72-hour kits, you should relegate to a last-ditch 
contingency plan as they offer only a bare
minimum of support and once that's gone. . .you're on your own. And I cannot 
allow myself the luxury of depending
upon the government to 

     By putting together a comprehensive kit for each member of your 
family/group, each person needs only  to
grab one or two things when the time to evacuate comes.  This ability to obtain 
your survival gear in a very short
time could, quite literally, be a lifesaver.  In the San Francisco Earthquake, 
the government forbade it's citizens entry
into their own homes because of safety factors.  Eventually, they did allow some 
to carefully scramble into the ruins
for 5 or 10 minutes to get a few things.  

     In this article I will try to cover the most basic comprehensive assembly 
of supplies and equipment that a
survivalist should have. . .The Personal Evacuation Kit (PEK).  The goal of the 
PEK is two-fold:

1. It should provide the wearer with enough equipment and supplies to sustain 
the wearer for a MINIMUM of 72
hours with no external support except water.

2. It should also include the proper tools necessary to aid the user in 
providing for themself  in case relief continues
to be unavailable after 72 hours.

     When assembling your kit you must keep in mind that you are preparing for 
the worst scenario you can
imagine.  You must expect no access to food, clothing, shelter, potable water,  
or money resources.  You may be
reduced to the most basic means of transportation. . .your feet.  Therefore, the 
equipment and supplies in the PEK
should closely imitate those carried by backpackers on extended trips.  Luckily, 
backpacking technology has
advancedto the point where reliable sturdy equipment is available.  Much of this 
equipment can be used by
survivalists in assembling a PEK.

     A PEK is to be designed and assembled for every member in a family or 
group.  It is  to be designed in such
a way that it can be used alone or in conjunction  with other kits without a 
loss of efficiency in either mode.

     By necessity, the equipment should be durable and lightweight.  All 
equipment should be tested as soon as
possible after procurement to establish in the user's mind that it does work and 
will do so under stressful situations.




Water

     Without water, the body cannot live.  A minimum of 1 gallon a day is needed 
for the body to function
properly. Water is necessary, but it is also very  heavy. A gallon of water 
weighs over 8 1/3 lbs. To carry a  three day
supply of water would mean that you'd have to carry 25 lbs of water in addition 
to your other equipment.  Needless
to say, this is a very  unappealing prospect, unless absolutely nec

     Supply:  In my own PEK, I have 3 CANTEENS.  I have a pair of one quart 
canteens and a single two-quart
canteen.  This allows me to carry a one day's supply of water with me.  Sitting 
next to my completed PEK, I have
a full GALLON OF DISTILLED WATER ready to go.  One of the first things I would 
do is to fill my canteens and
then discard the jug.  This is in case my water pipes are broken, there is no 
water pressure and/or I am unable to find
a water source immediately.  Another suggestion would be to obtain a gallon of 
the Coast-Guard MRE-type sealed
water rations and store them inside your PEK.

     Purification:  Unfortunately,  A quality WATER FILTER and iodine or 
chlorine WATER PURIFICATION
TABLETS should be on your PEK list.   I prefer the PUR Scout water filter for 
it's size, ease of operation and cost.
Make sure that you have enough filter elements to filter 100 gallons of water, 
minimum.    To extend the service life
of your filter, never filter icy cold water or water that is extremely dirty.  
Rather, let the water stand and the sediment
settle before filtering, or find another, cleaner source.  Include a separate 
toothbrush to clean the filter element when
it gets dirty, as well. Also, check the water to see if there is any obvious 
petroleum contamination by looking for the
tell-tale rainbow effect that oil has on water.  In earthquakes or any violent 
disaster, gas tanks may rupture and
contaminate the water supply.  A water purifier will not eliminate the 
petroleum.

Carry  5 LARGE, PLASTIC, NON-BIODEGRADABLE TRASHBAGS in your PEK to be used as 
solar- or
transpiration stills in case you have difficulty locating an acceptable water 
source.


Food

Supply:  The PEK should include meals meeting or exceeding a total of 2000 
calories a day for a minimum of 72
hours.  There are basically two types of meals that are best suited for our 
needs.  The first is military Meals, Ready
to Eat (MRE's).  MRE's can provide you with a convenient meal that needs no 
preparation and can be eaten directly
from the foil pouch hot or cold.  MRE's also give you the option of carrying a 
smaller number of the meals as each
complete meal provides approximately  1000 calories.  This means that you can 
carry 6 MRE's and meet the 72 hour
requirement for food supplies OR 9 MEALS and extend the food supply to over 4 
days.  Two meals will have
enough separate components to stretch out into three meals, so you won't have to 
worry about missing one.  

     The second type of meals are Freeze-dried/dehydrated foods.  The biggest 
advantage to this type of meal is
the weight reduction.  Nine freeze-dried meals in foil pouches weigh less than 
half of the same number of MRE's. 
But with the loss in weight comes the additional  duty of preparation.  These 
meals cannot be eaten without first
being reconstituted.  Some meals, depending upon the manufacturer, require the 
use of  hot water increasing your
prep time.   Another drawback is that most dehydrated meals do not contain 
enough calories in each component to
come near the 2000 calorie mark without eating 3 or 4 separate items per meal.  

     My preference is for the MRE's even though they do have their drawbacks.  
The first of which is their weight. 
Each meal weighs between 1 and 1 1/2 pounds making a 3 day supply weigh between 
6 and 9 lbs.  The second
drawback is that while it is true that they can be stored for five or more 
years, the storage must be under the right
conditions.  Fluctuating  or extreme temperatures can  affect the shelf-life of 
MRE's.  It is best to keep them in a cool
place year-round to ensure their stability.  An MRE will not last longer than a 
month in the hot trunk of a car in the
summer.

     If you are going to keep even a small "72-hour kit" with meals in your 
vehicle, I suggest that you use the
Freeze-dried/dehydrated meals rather than MRE's as they are less effected by 
temperature extremes and changes.

     Your kit should include equipment for food procurement in case you are 
unable to locate support after your
supplies run out.   An assortment of SNARES and a compact FISHING KIT containing 
BOBBERS, SINKERS,
FISHING LINE,   HOOKS and  a small GILL NET (approx. 3 feet by 12 feet) should 
be prepared.  I highly
recommend a TAKEDOWN .22 RIFLE  such as an AR-7 Explorer and 100 ROUNDS OF .22 
AMMO as an addition
to the E/K.  Another option is to carry SHOTSHELLS for the handgun which you 
will carry for defense, if any.   
Shotshells are loaded with small pellets rather than a bullet (similar to a 
shotgun shell) and can be used to kill birds,
snakes and various other small critters to help supplement your food supplies.  
They are available in .22 LR, .38/.357, 
9mm and .45 ACP.

     A MULTI-FUEL STOVE, FUEL and FUEL CONTAINER as well as a backpacker's 
COOKING KIT and
UTENSILS should be acquired to prepare any food you are able to procure.  
Include a minimum of 100 waterproof
matches and an emergency firestarting tool such as a Gerber Strike Force or G. 
I. magnesium firestarter.

Unless you camp a lot, the fuel might become "stale" and unusable in as little 
as six months.   If you purchase a stove
which can use automotive gasoline (or yellow-gas) you can store the fuel for as 
long as 5 years with the addition of
a few drops of a compound call Sta-Bil available at most hardware and automotive 
stores. 

     After food and water, Shelter must be considered. Your clothing is the 
first layer of shelter  and something
that must be as thought out as other areas. You will need at least TWO SETS OF 
GOOD, STURDY CLOTHING
appropriate for the current climate.  This includes: pants, shirt, t-shirt, 
underwear, socks, hat, and leather gloves.  
Military BDU's are an excellent choice for emergency clothing and are very 
inexpensive for the service they will give
you.  However, be aware that camoflage clothes, in some circumstances, may not 
be desireable because they may
actually draw attention to you rather than hide you.  It is for this reason that 
in my PEK, the pants are military-style,
six-pocket BDU pants in Blue, grey or khaki while the shirts are tuck-in, long 
sleeve cotton twill for durability.  Shirt
and T-shirt colors are also dark blue, grey, olive or a similar color which will 
not draw attention.  Buy your clothing
large to accomodate both unexpected weight gain and extra clothing if you live 
in an area where the winters are cold. 
For protection from the rain days, a RAIN JACKET AND PANTS are necessary.

     Your footgear should be TWO GOOD PAIR OF BOOTS.  I prefer military 
specification combat boots,
mainly because I have put literally thousands of miles in them and are 
comfortable wearing them.  They give
excellent ankle support and can stand up to much abuse.  Tins of LEATHER POLISH 
and MINK OIL or SNO-
SEAL as well as a POLISH APPLICATOR and SHOE BRUSH should be included for boot 
maintenance.

     For cold weather, a  HEAVY COAT along the lines of a military field jacket 
with liner and perhaps field
pants with liner should be included.  Also, two pairs of THERMAL UNDERWEAR, 
preferably  of
polypropylene or similar material, a WOOL STOCKING CAP, WOOL SOCKS,  two pair of 
COLD WEATHER
GLOVES,  and replacing the regular boots with INSULATED BOOTS would be good.  
For those areas where
extreme cold (temperatures under -20 fahrenheit) special clothing should be 
included as well.

To make things easier, I keep the cold weather gear in a separate, smaller 
module which can be quickly
attached/detached from the main kit.  This proves handier than unpacking the 
summer gear and repacking the Kit
when the seasons change.

     In a situation that forces you to leave your home, you will need some form 
of shelter.  A basic shelter can
be made from two army ponchoes.  While I spent many a night in such a shelter, I 
can tell you that they weren't
always comfortable or restful.  For the longest time I relied on this setup for 
my PEK shelter needs until I finally
broke down and bought a TENT large enough for me and my equipment.  The tent is 
both lighter and much
more effective in the shelter role.  It is also much sturdier under extreme 
weather conditions than the poncho
shelter.  

     A SLEEPING BAG is one of the most important items of your PEK.  You should 
get one as soon as you
can.  I suggest getting a  two-piece sleeping bag system that can be adapted to 
changing climates.  These systems
usually consist of two sleeping bags, one light for use in warmer temperatures, 
the other heavier for colder
temperatures.  Slip one inside the other and these two bags can be used for 
extreme cold weather conditions.

     For insulation from the ground, a  closed cell foam or self-inflating 
GROUND PAD should be used. 
Ground pads which need to be manually inflated should be avoided as they can be 
rendered useless if punctured
and seldom offer any significant insulative or weight reducing values over the 
two aforementioned types.  Bring
along a repair kit for any type of inflating groundpad.

     You will also want to include a few basic tools in your kit.  A MULTI-
FUNCTION POCKET TOOL
such as a Swiss Army Knife, Leatherman's Tool or the Gerber Multipliers will 
allow you to carry tools such as a
Phillips screwdriver, knife, file, pliers, can/bottle opener, etc. all in a 
package small enough to fit in your pocket. 
A LOCKBLADE POCKETKNIFE with a blade approximately three inches long and a 
SHEATH KNIFE with a
blade shorter than 7 inches are recommended, as well.  While it may seem like 
overkill, I can guarantee you that
you will find a need for all three knives if you carry them.   You will need 
some form of KNIFE SHARPENER to
keep the blades sharp.

     Another tool which will prove worth it's weight is a COMPACT SHOVEL like 
the Cold Steel Spetsnaz
shovel, a WWII military folding shovel or the more recent military-issue tri-
fold shovel.  A shovel can be used in
all seasons for many tasks other than simply digging.  Sharpen one edge and you 
can chop down a small tree.  In
the case of the two folding shovels, the blades can be locked at a 90-degree 
angle to the handles and used as an
improvised swing rake to clear vegetation prior to bedding down for the night.

     Other necessary items are a MAP AND COMPASS, a SMALL FLASHLIGHT with a 
minimum of
EIGHT ALKALINE BATTERIES, a SPACE BLANKET, at least one roll of TOILET PAPER in 
a ziplock bag, 
at least three EIGHT-HOUR CANDLES and no less than 50 feet of military-
specification 550 PARACHUTE
CORD.

     A First Aid Kit is a very  important part of  the PEK.  A small kit with  
items such as  various
BANDAGES and BANDAIDS, STERILE PADS, ASPIRIN, ANTI-DIARRHEAL TABLETS,
DECONGESTANT, ANTIBIOTIC SALVE, CLOTH TAPE, ACE BANDAGES, any needed 
PRESCRIPTION 
MEDICINES and a comprehensive FIRST AID MANUAL should be put together.  Take a 
first aid course  to
acquaint yourself with basic techniques.   Complete an Emergency Medical 
Technician course for more advanced
life-saving techniques and I can guarantee that you won't be sorry.  

     I cannot stress enough the importance of  first aid knowledge for anyone 
preparing for a disaster.  You
will not acquire the necessary skills by buying a book and reading it.  You must 
get out and attend a class or seek
some form of formal education from qualified professionals

     A hygeine kit is necessary, too.  Include a bar of SOAP, a TOOTHBRUSH and 
TOOTHPASTE,  a
polished stainless steel MIRROR,  guys be sure to bring SHAVING CREAM and 
RAZORS, women include
TAMPONS or SANITARY NAPKINS.  Include at least one medium-sized TOWEL. 
     
     A small repair kit to maintain your clothing and equipment is highly 
recommended.  This can consist of  a
roll of CLOTH DUCT TAPE, a HAND AWL with spools of  NYLON AND WAXED THREAD, 
PATCHES of
cloth/material to match your equipment,  tubes of  EPOXY and GOOP or a similar 
rubber-type glue,  and
various NEEDLES and THREADS.

     Quite literally, volumes have been written on the topic of defense.  I am 
not going to delve too deeply
into this area other than to say that in most situations, it would be wise to 
bring the equipment necessary to
protect yourself and your companions.  In many cases the minimum requirment may 
prove to be a concealable
handgun with which you are familiar and have practiced until you are comfortable 
with it's recoil and can hit that
at which you aim.  Other non-lethal defensive devices can be substituted if you 
are uncomfortable with firearms. 
If, however, you do include a firearm in your bug-out kit, a complete FIREARMS 
CLEANING KIT will be
necessary.  

     You, of course, need something in which to pack the complete Evacuation 
Kit.   While just about any 
large duffel bag will do in a pinch,  I recommend packing everything in an 
internal frame backpack in all but the
hottest climes.  An internal frame pack is better suited for carrying loads over 
uneven terrain such as is found off 
regular trails or in the rubble caused by downed buildings.  An external frame 
backpack will carry heavier loads
more comfortably, but the load tends to slide and shift when climbing over 
things or engaging in any strenuous
activity.  

      It is highly recommended that before you put together your home or 
automobile survival kit, you
assemble your PEK.  The PEK cannot, nor is it intended to, replace  what you 
store at home.  It is merely the
first, and most adaptable, kit you should assemble.  The equipment in the PEK 
can be used under all
circumstances.  Even if a disastrous situation doesn't necessitate evacuation, 
all the equipment in the PEK can be
used in the home, making the PEK extremely adaptable. 
