My Essentials:
A solid plastic trash container with wheels (to store my items)
Flashlights with extra batteries
Portable radio with extra batteries
Portable water
Gas Wrench - to shut off gas
Canned Food - Corn, Gabanzo Beans, Kidney Beans, Olives, Tuna, Kipper Snacks, etc.
Dry Food - Beef Jerky, Rice, Lentil Beans, etc
I would go with a good backpack over the trash container with wheels. You are going to want to keep it light, as the extra weight will only take up more precious energy. Also especially in an earthquake situation the ground, roads, sidewalks, etc will be very uneven and broken. There will be obsticles to climb over and tight spaces to fit through. So the wheels won't be much help and the bulkiness and added weight of the trash container will only slow you down and hinder movement.
Go with an LED flashlight. They tend to be brighter and they are much more efficient. The batteries for these lights are small and they last a long time, chances are you wouldn't need any replacements.
You can get very lightweight portable radios that are powered by turning a small hand crank. This would also eliminate the need for extra batteries.
The water you bring with you will go pretty quick, even with rationing it. You will want some way to purify water. There are plenty of options and styles of filters that would work well. Purification tablets would be good too.
The gas wrench could be used as a weapon in a pinch, but after an earthquake I feel like a lot of underground gas lines will be ruptured so unless you can shut it off at the source there will still be dangers from gas leaks. I guess this could be useful if you plan to stay in a building that managed to stay intact.
I would go with some MREs over canned food. Saves space, less weight. Things with high carb content would be good to keep your energy up.
As far as other ideas
1. A good pair of boots - I like the Rocky S2V boots. They are breathable, comfortable, and best of all waterproof.
2. A multi tool - these are really handy. Pliers, knife, can opener, screwdriver, bottle opener etc all in one. They are small, light weight, and can be very useful.
3. A good knife - something comfortable and functional. Not too big or too small.
4. Maybe some waterproof matches as a back up for a lighter?
5. Basic first aid kit
6. A wire saw - very useful, compact, and can replace heavier things like saws/hatchets
7. Tatical gloves could come in handy
8. A reasonable firearm would be a good idea too. After a disaster there is plenty of chaos, especially in urban areas. Be prepaired to defend your life and those you care about. The main part of that preparation is to know how to use that weapon safely and accurately.
Statistics: Posted by jupiter11d7 — Wed Apr 02, 2014 2:23 pm