The Other Things to Prep

When I start asking people what’s in their immediate-action Go Bag, it’s always the cool stuff: A little food, some first aid, a knife, extra ammo for a handgun, ponchos for shelter, gloves, all that good stuff we absolutely need. However, there are several less cool things that we need to develop solid action plans for right now.

Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.

Genesis 44:1

First, let’s talk about that silver. In a crisis, cash is king and you should have a fair supply on hand. A couple hundred dollars in a get home bag and maybe $1000-$5000 in a full on “I’m Never Coming Home” (INCH) bag isn’t out of the question. When folks had to flee in a hurry from West Maui, having a good chunk of cash could have helped. Understand that all your plastic most likely won’t help you, because the networks will be down. In the early days of a full collapse, there will still be some merchants (suckers) holding out hope that cash will still be good, so spend the worthless cash with them before going to barter items or precious metals.

Have alternative methods of payment in your bags as well. Junk Silver, like pre-1965 Quarters and Dimes are a perfect payment medium. So are one-ounce silver coins. I recommend always buying government-minted coins as opposed to custom rounds, as everyone knows what a Britannia, Eagle, or Krugerrand is, but might not know what a buffalo round or that cool superhero round is. Right now, the value of these is between $24-28 each, so that’s a good guide, but almost immediately after a disaster they will rise to at least $50 as a spending guide. Gold coins, while they allow you to carry a large sum of money fairly easily, don’t spend well at $2200-$3000 each, so focus on silver. Fractional gold, like Goldbacks Voluntary Currency, are also already in heavy use in certain parts of the country. These are good things to stack in your bag.

On a side note: I accept silver and goldbacks as payment for books and courses. Sorry, I don’t take bitcoin, but that’s only because it’s not usable as a crisis currency. It’s a fine way to SOMEWHAT secure your transactions now and a good way to build wealth, but it’s not a realistic grid-down currency (and no, I don’t want to debate that, sorry).

Do you take perscription medications or controlled OTC meds like Sudafed? What’s your plan there? Have a small supply at least in a portable manner to get you through the first 48-96 hours. The Baseline Training Manual gives some good ideas on how to build a stash of meds.

Photocopies of identification documents like ID cards, driver’s licenses, concealed carry permits (important), and passport/birth certificates. You should have originals stored somewhere safe, but your ID can be stolen in a robbery or left behind in a crisis. Having spare copies helps in establishing who you and your family members are. This is especially true when traveling overseas. Copies of land ownership papers are also a good idea. Squatters are already problem, which will only get worse.

On a related note, carry a stack of recent photos of your immediate family members. During a crisis, people get separated and having photos to share with relief workers or rescuers can reunite you quickly.

I harp on this one all the time, and I’m going to say it again. You should never go anywhere without a small hygeine kit. Unscented soap and deodorant, hand sanitzier, wet wipes, toiletries, and waterless toothbrushes can keep you in the fight for survival longer. Don’t let sickness slow you down. Hit up the Dollar Tree ($1.25 now) and stock up.

None of these things are the cool-guy sexy stuff everyone likes to talk about, but they are absolutely essential to your survival.

A few other things you need for your mental survival are books, especially your faith’s foundational book (Bible, Torah, Qu’Ran). Having something to occupy your mind is helpful, and even more so if it gives you hope. Have some fun photos of family to make you smile in the dark times. They will get you through.

A deck of cards is pretty good, too. Mine are all themed. In my patrol pack, I have Chinese and Russian military equipment ID playing cards courtesy of my friends at Forward Observer. In my Get Home Bag, I have survival themed playing cards from My Patriot Supply. In my full ruck, I have wilderness survival themed playing cards from Battlbox. Playing solitaire can calm the mind and cure boredom. For some reason, I still have a deck of red light readable cards that I brought home from somewhere hot, dusty, and full of angry people.

These are some of the things folks wished they had prepared after recent disasters, so learn from it and make plans to get these squared away.

There are still seats in my July 26-28th Community Security Ops Course in Bigfork, MT, as well as the August 23-25th one at Brushbeater’s place in NC. The September Fieldcraft Course (also at Brushbeaters) is filling up fast is a great primer for his Scout & Recce Course in October (which feature K9 Reaper from South Africa).

Also, plan to join us August 2nd-4th in Bigfork, MT as we host Shield Field Days at Camp Ponderosa. More to follwo on that, but you can camp on site and enjoy the gorgeous facility there. Hey, at least 2 guys in the July 26-28 class are going to make a vacation of it and take the class, then hang out with me all week camping in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Join us for adventure!

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