I’ve finally assembled a small survival pack for myself—a grab-and-run pack. I’ve had to dig some things I need out of the garage and the attic so that no on complains about my taking things they need. I’ve collected a hatchet, for instance, and two small light, all-metal pots. There’s plenty of stuff like that around because no one throws anything away that has any possibility of someday being useful or salable.
Thinking like Lauren Olamina
Welcome to Go Bag Week! Sulphur Springs Truck Patch’s first 7 day long look at getting and staying prepared for the unexpected by having an easily accessible bag already ready to go. (Yes, this technically came out early Monday morning. Some of us at SSTP are battling a cold.)
The quote above is from Octavia E. Butler’s amazing novel Parable of the Sower. The main character, tenacious and intrepid Lauren Olamina, goes on to list the items in her bag, and even how she’s assembled it for easy access to certain items. This moment was not the first time I’d heard such a bag mentioned but it is easily the first time I’d seen the absolutely essential nature of a go bag (or bug-out bag, survival bag, 72-hour kit) so well illustrated.
Go bags are not part of a stockpile
During Covid it became clear to many of us who had not prepared well that it was time…to prepare well. So my family and I put some work into preparing (and still are). During the height of the epidemic it wasn’t hard to visualize how desperate we could get should another epidemic come, especially if paired with a natural disaster, in symbiosis with an economic downturn, an agricultural crisis, or if the U.S. or global workforce was already strained by other means.
So the to-do list item of stocking up on essentials is mostly checked off for us now. We have made sure to stock up on things we can afford and can store for that time when the grocery store shelves stay empty. Bulk rice, beans, batteries, medicine, water, salt, etc.
But those are items we are unlikely to be able to haul out in a time-sensitive emergency. What happens if we have to “bug-out”, so to speak, and leave everything thing behind like Lauren did?
Go bags are about being honest about potential dangers in your community
By the time Lauren finished her go bag, she didn’t have to wonder if bad things were coming. Danger took many forms just outside of her neighborhood and it was entirely plausible it’d find its way in. If we are being honest with ourselves, any number of so-called unthinkable things could lead to families needing to flee their home in our communities. Natural disasters is high on that list of potentialities as we’ve seen so many times, but no one on the planet is immune to civil unrest, persecution, economic or political upheaval, even forced conscription. They aren’t unthinkable. And that matters.
At any given time, in everyone’s mind, all imaginable threats falls on a internal probability scale running from simply impossible to absolutely guaranteed. And I venture to guess that if you’re reading this, you have a relatively good idea of what chaotic threats really could be just around the corner in your own life.
However, our goal should be to be mindful of the risks most likely to affect us, our families, and our communities and be prepared for those. To test our assumptions regularly. To keep our ear to the ground for changes. And importantly, as this is an organization based on the belief that we are all stronger together, to keep an eye on the threats the people in our communities are facing, even those that don’t look or believe like you. So after you’ve taken care of you and your family, expand outward as soon as you’re able. We’ll talk about that more later in the week.
So, Go Bag week starts appropriately enough with a list.
- Sunday: Posting a list (knowing what to pack)
- Monday: Choosing your bag(s)
- Tuesday: Documents
- Wednesday: Essential items
- Thursday: Less obvious go-bag items
- Friday: Organizational and community “go bags”
- Saturday: Wrap up and questions
Just start with a list
You are unlikely to be able to think of everything you need in one day. Don’t rush out and start buying. You probably already have at least a few things hanging around that you can already put in the bag. When I first thought about starting a go bag I felt like I didn’t know if I was mowing, blowing, or going, as my father in law is known to say. Then I found a list.
So if you are ready to start you or your family’s go bag, get a list. There are many available on the internet but we’ve made a go bag list you can download. By the the end of the week we’ll have several you can download, based on individual, family, communities (this one will be a little different) or organizational needs. Yes, even your organization can have a go bag!
This is a feel-good activity!
Having a good go bag, even an unfinished one, feels great. The future is ultimately unknowable. But fortunately, humans like you are good at looking at patterns, studying history, consulting experts, and having trustworthy gut feelings. Simply having an imagination goes a long way to being prepared, especially if you can manage anxiety. Heck, having a go bag can be a key part of managing your anxiety. Knowing I have a bag or two full of solutions to problems is as good as money in the bank.
Once you’ve got a list it becomes much easier to prioritize solutions based on accessibility, cost, and your priorities. So start now to be ready to bug out if out you need to. Get what you can, when you can. Just start now.
3 Final things
- We aren’t preparedness professionals. Our goal at SSTP is to bring together people who are smarter than us at just about anything. Do you know someone who can talk about go bags with more experience than us? Let them know! We’d love to learn from them.
- Download our go bag checklist for individuals here and start having fun collecting!
- Subscribe to our email newsletter to get these posts directly in your inbox and be sure to share the posts, too!
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