solarbird | (Reply)

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This isn't that far from the 'two bag concept' they taught us lo these many years ago. 'Two', not 'three', because few people have the luxury of organisationally-assured mechanical transport. Shoulder bag and ruck are quite enough to have to hump on foot. Lightweight is lovely.

Anyway, a few small additions [am sure you know all this, because, but perhaps those of your readers who didn't attend Foxhole U will appreciate the hints]:

1) the smallest, lightest, water purifier you can find/afford/acquire. Even the little ones that are basically an overgrown sippy-straw will do the job. **Never** assume that drinking water will be safely available, or that it won't come with unpleasant conditions attached (as happened in New Orleans evacuation).

2) paper strip map(s) of the route from starting point to gathering point (or ultimate destination(s). Figure out what the scale of the map is, and mark it graphically somewhere handy.

3) pack a small protractor and a pencil with your map.

4) use NOAA website **now** [ https://ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag-web/#declination ] to determine magnetic declination (difference of true/magnetic north) for your area. For example: you start out at 15 degrees 53 minutes East (more or less). Write this on your map, and use the protractor to lay down magnetic north lines on the map.

5) most important: pack a compass. Doesn't need to be fancy as long as you know your declination (in your case, add 16 degrees to compass reading, to get true reading).

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I know, this sounds ubergeeky, but knowing how to navigate off-highway is darned useful, and a compass is essential for direction-finding when the skies are obscured (ash/dust/smoke/rain). It's way too easy to get turned-around, and in a truly bad situation, you probably **don't** want to join the throngs trudging up the autobahn.

I keep a set of pacing-beads on a piece of old shoelace. Slide a bead from one end every hundred paces (150 metres). Slide them back and slide one off the other end every thousand paces (a klick and a half). Keeps your brain going, anyway.

Oh, I also keep my backup flash-drives in a little old tin bandage-box, because EMP is a thing to be reckoned with and I know better.