The Importance of Being Disaster-Ready

With the film and television industry inundating us with end-of-the-world ‘entertainment’ for as long as we’ve had screens. With the likes of The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, The Walking Dead, Mad Max, and many more — it’s no wonder that many of us have the ‘apocalypse fear’ deeply instilled in us. But is it truly just a case of fear-mongering through the lens of entertainment, or is there a valid cause for concern?

Regardless of what your opinion is on the matter, there’s no denying the fact that anything could happen, at any given time. With the threat of war constantly looming, climate change getting progressively worse — whether you want to believe it or not — change is inevitable, and for the most part, it’s out of our control. The one thing we do have the power over is how prepared we are when we’re ever faced with it.

How we define a disaster may differ from one person to the next, but for the sake of this article, I’m focusing on a ‘the world has gone to shit’ scenario. Think zombie apocalypse, minus the zombies. You want to be ready to hit the road at the drop of a hat, and know that you’ve got everything you need to survive.

Of course, you can get geared-up at your local stores, but if you’re the type who doesn’t like to leave the house, here’s everything you’re going to need, available with the click of a mouse.

The Backpack

The first thing you want to get is something to hold all of your belongings; you don’t want to be out there trying to survive with half a dozen bags and suitcases. You want something large enough to hold everything, yet light enough so that it won’t add any considerable weight to your back. You can buy backpacks practically anywhere, but remember that not all backpacks are created equal.

An example of a good pack is this dry waterproof survival backpack; which is what you want when you don’t know how long you’ll be at the mercy of the elements. The last thing you want to worry about is if everything you own is getting soaked or ruined the first time you get caught in the rain. It has many different compartments so you can easily stay organized, and weighs just 4.3 pounds.

Your Home-On-The-Run

If you’re sleeping outside, you want to make sure you’re properly protected from whatever mother nature has to throw at you. Whether you’re running from the zombies in your head or trying to survive a real-live production of your favourite blockbuster ice age, sleep is just as important as if you were working a regular nine-to-five. You need to keep up your strength to be able to endure long days of channelling your inner Bear Grylls.

Tent: You want something big enough that you’re not going to feel completely claustrophobic, but small enough that it won’t take up too much space in your bag. You also need it to be waterproof, and easy for one person to put up and take back down. At 4.8 pounds, this tent is a little bit heavier than I would like, but it’s also a three to four-season tent, which means it will protect you against winter weather. If you do your research and shop around, you’ll find many options — choose the one that’s right for you!

Sleeping Bag: If you’re going camping, you normally bring a big fluffy sleeping bag for your little adventure. But if you’re packing for survival, your priorities aren’t soft and fluffy, but rather, light, compact, and warm. This emergency thermal sleeping bag is made of durable mylar and has a built-in hood, holding up to 90% of your body heat. When you’re out in the cold, this could mean the difference between staying warm or freezing to death. It also weighs only 7 ounces and folds up to the size of a deck of cards.

Mattress and Pillow: Just because you’re living outside, doesn’t mean you should have to sleep directly on the hard ground. This eco-friendly pillow weighs just 3.2 ounces in the case, and the mattress just 1 pound! A little bit of your own hot air will have both of them inflated in minutes, and you’ll be ready for sleep.

The Must-Have Tools

If you’re heading out into the unknown, you need to make sure you’re equipped for any possible scenario. Living under the open sky might sound romantic, but between the bugs, the weather, the wild animals, and the not-so-nice humans who might want to harm you, you can’t go in with blind trust that all will be well. This is, after all, an apocalypse.

You can get all of the tools you need separately, but there are many survival kits available that already have all you could want. This survival tool kit has virtually everything but the kitchen sink, and weighs only 1.4 pounds! Among its fifteen treasures, it contains a fire starter, knife, compasses, and an extra thermal blanket.

You’re going to want to add some maps of where you live, as well as surrounding areas you might wander into. Bonus points if they’re laminated!

Safety is a Must

A first-aid kit might be one of the first things you think of when you think of survival, but before you head to the dollar store, hit the pause button. You’re going to need more than a box of Band-Aids and some cotton balls.

This tactical survival first-aid kit has almost everything you need — just throw in a few of those Band-Aids and cotton balls for good measure, and you can’t go wrong with a couple of sewing needles and thread! You should also familiarize yourself with its contents before you pack it away in your backpack. Make sure you’ve got all you need in there. The shipping weight is 1.9 pounds, so you’re probably looking at slightly less in your pack.

If you rely on certain medicines to survive daily, it’s also probably a good idea to make sure you always have a good supply on hand. Things such as heart medication, insulin, or even EpiPen.

Wild animals can prove to be a real threat when you find yourself living on their turf, so it’s important to also do what you can to protect yourself against animal attacks. Bears might look like over-sized puppy-dogs, but you don’t want to cuddle with them. These 10.2-ounce canisters of bear spray are carried in a harness on your hip or across your chest and have a 4-year shelf life, so they’re something you would want to replace if you’re not using them. But you can also go a step further and get extra protection while you sleep with this bear fence set up around your tent. The fence is a bit on the heavier side at 15 pounds, however, so keep that in mind if, and when, you’re adding it to your survival pack.

Side note: If you’re competent with, and legally allowed to, you might want to add a handgun and ammunition to your pack — only where the law allows. (although if there’s an apocalypse, I’m pretty sure laws become moot, and survival is the priority)

Bon Appétit

Odds are you’re not going to have room in that pack of yours for very much food other than a few protein bars or ration packs, but you’re still going to have to eat.

The number one thing you need to worry about is water. It’s all around us, but drinking muddy and bacteria-infested water from a puddle, stream, or lake is going to get you sick very quickly. Pack some of these LifeStraws or even a LifeStraw refillable water bottle. They will turn the dirtiest water into a life-saving oasis.

Unless you’re a born fisherman or hunter, you’re probably going to struggle a little bit with finding, foraging, or catching things to eat that won’t kill you (or eat you first). The best thing in this situation is education. Yes, you read that right. Books are your friends! Just make sure you’re picking and choosing just the best ones because a bag full of books will get pretty heavy. I would stick to two or three of the most informative ones.

Here are a few survival books that seem interesting — oh, and make sure to skip the Kindle edition, for obvious reasons:

The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild

Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival

The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals―and Other Forgotten Skills (Natural Navigation)

Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places

This list of books wouldn’t be complete with the one made famous by Chris McCandless: Den’ina K’et’una/Tanaina Plantlore: An Ethnobotany of the Dena’ina People of Southcentral Alaska. Just don’t go pulling an Into The Wild trick and eating the wrong thing because it looks like something else. When in doubt, do not eat it!

And finally, you’re going to need to cook some of that food. This entire ‘kitchen in a pouch’ weighs only 1.6 pounds, and has everything you need to cook your blueberry cobbler or squirrel-a-la-king!

Extras

You’re going to want to keep extra clothing to a minimum, they will only weigh you down, and really, who’s going to care if your jeans are a little (or very) dirty?

The things you do want to bring are a few pairs of extra socks — the warm kind. Pack them in resealable Ziploc bags for extra precautions. Also pack gloves, a winter hat, a warm hoodie, and a small towel and face cloth. You can wash your clothing in streams or lakes when absolutely necessary, and hang them to dry by a fire. Dry feet, however, are always a must.

Total approximate weight of full pack: 20 to 25 pounds, depending on the books and clothing you pack. Add an extra 15 pounds if you choose to take along the bear fence. The maximum should be no more than 40 pounds. That can seem like a lot, I know. You can probably get that considerably lower by shopping around for lighter products — just make sure you also take quality into consideration when filling your pack. You don’t want to pack a knife that won’t cut or a whistle that won’t blow.

The need for survival in the wilderness is a real thing, regardless of whether we’re in the middle of an apocalypse, or you just had the misfortune of getting lost on your solo camping trip. You can never be too careful or prepared when it comes to your safety and survival.

There are times in life when all we have to rely on is ourselves. You might feel a little bit silly preparing for something that might never happen, but it’s those who plan ahead who have the best chance at survival. Educate yourself, prepare yourself, and have an open mind — you never know when it could save your life!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the products listed in this article.