Your GO bag

[Ninjasquirrel]

I recently watched an episode of Rachael Ray where her house burnt down due to creosote buildup. It scared me and made me want to have a "go bag". My fiancee was arguing with me that that should contain all the things we need to survive. I argued that all the things we need to survive could be replaced by insurance and that instead it contained items that could not be replaced. Ideas?

 

[CluckerFamily]

My Go Things would be my animals and my purse (for my license). Everything else can be replaced. A Go Bag would be other necessary things like a first aid kit, water, maybe food. Now that I think of it, my hiking boots with the steel toes wouldn't be a bad idea in case of downed trees. But that's all I can think of for myself, I'm not a person that is attached to objects like heirlooms (you would have to have some first ) but I am an animal person.

 

[MarkJr]

Self first, stuff last.
My go bag is 60 lbs. water purification and cook pot. Rations for a week, bivy sack. Two changes clothes. 5 changed socks and underwear. Suture kit, first aid kit, 100 rounds pistol ammo 100 rnds rifle ammo in mags. Rifle and pistol accessible from outside. Handheld radio with batteries and solar charger. Head lamps with batteries. Fire starter and emergency fuel for one meals worth of wet conditions. Water bladder is refilled once a week (40 oz). Pocket knife, field knife, sharpening stone and coiled up saw. 500’ of 550 cord. 100 pack of 18” zip ties.
I’m sure there’s more little stuff. But that’s what my big out looks like.

Editair of 8x42 binoculars and a multi tool with a coil of wire for making snares too.

 

[MarkJr]

I’ll add that everyone in my family has a similar bag. Kids are about 40-45 lbs.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Self first, stuff last.
My go bag is 60 lbs. water purification and cook pot. Rations for a week, bivy sack. Two changes clothes. 5 changed socks and underwear. Suture kit, first aid kit, 100 rounds pistol ammo 100 rnds rifle ammo in mags. Rifle and pistol accessible from outside. Handheld radio with batteries and solar charger. Head lamps with batteries. Fire starter and emergency fuel for one meals worth of wet conditions. Water bladder is refilled once a week (40 oz). Pocket knife, field knife, sharpening stone and coiled up saw. 500’ of 550 cord. 100 pack of 18” zip ties.
I’m sure there’s more little stuff. But that’s what my big out looks like.

Editair of 8x42 binoculars and a multi tool with a coil of wire for making snares too.

I think living in Oregon, you need a good to go bag and you have that!
Every state will have different disasters to plan for.

 

[black_cat]

I think for me, what I would take would depend on the situation. My GO bag would probably include basic survival materials, but if I was in the fires that are burning right now it would include things for my birds and cat, if it was a hurricane same. Depends on what you would be thinking of......I saw in a news article that one woman lost her son's service flag in the fires. That is an example of something that really, truly cannot be replaced.

 

[MarkJr]

I think living in Oregon, you need a good to go bag and you have that!
Every state will have different disasters to plan for.

Plan for the worst, pray for the best.
Have an idea where you’re going to get to, and make sure you’re packing enough to get there.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I think for me, what I would take would depend on the situation. My GO bag would probably include basic survival materials, but if I was in the fires that are burning right now it would include things for my birds and cat, if it was a hurricane same. Depends on what you would be thinking of......I saw in a news article that one woman lost her son's service flag in the fires. That is an example of something that really, truly cannot be replaced.

That is completely true! Wisconsin's only situations tend to be tornadoes and the tornado takes everything. Well, tornadoes and snow and with snow you sometimes are stuck at home.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Housing paperwork, insurance policies. 10 gallons of water and dry goods. We live in hurricane land and it is the paperwork I prioritize. One call to USAA that I have evacuated and 5K is put in the bank. Oh and I must not forget my wife's milk, sugar and coffee. That would make for an entirely different disaster. Yep the pets get loaded up too.

 

[piminuse]

It depends on what particular disaster you're prepping for.

When I lived in CA our go-bags had water/food and a first-aid kit because we wanted to be prepped for "the big one" earthquake. In OR we had to get bags ready at level 1 evac orders and we opted for a few clothes, hard drives and a few sentimental/non-repleaceable items like birth certificates and wedding photos.

We keep emergency gear in our cars including water, food, a machete, thermal blanket and others. Been stuck on I-5 in a blizzard and it forever made me paranoid lol.

Reality is most things are replaceable, and even if it has sentimental feelings attached it's still just stuff. You have the memories. Your life can't be replaced so easily, and it would be a shame if you were turned into a memory.