Scram Bag : The Bag

The bag itself.

While you may opt for a jacket with many big pockets, this may not be very practical.

A simple bag made from a sack. The potato in this diagram could be a rounded rock or a tennis ball.

The most basic bag is a strong sack, better than nothing and with the addition of some basic rope you have a way to close it and attach it to your back to carry it.

It’s worth knowing about this basic improvisation because for some it will be all there is. it should be noted that the sack could have two straps instead of one.

 

The next step up is a simple small day pack, similar you what school students might have. the advantages will be: more solid fabric, more comfortable straps, larger comfortable load, additional compartment for smaller items and to keep things more ordered.

the deluxe solution is a sport/hiking day pack where the additional features are: Even more compartments, very comfortable straps and the likely addition of a water bladder compartment. Adding a water bladder will allow you to carefully control your hydration which will keep you more comfortable for longer.

If you require a longer journey a larger hiking backpack will be what you need , it will essentially be an even larger version of the hiking day pack, and obviously allow you to carry a larger  weight and volume of things.

Scram bag: Introduction

In a sudden collapse you may have to leave where you are in a hurry.

To do this effectively you will need to be prepared. It’s easy to forget an important item if you are in a rush. It’s also easy to overlook an important item if you haven’t thought carefully about what you might need to face the challenges in your journey.

The first thing to consider is should you go now. In some cases the storm will blow over and traveling might be more dangerous than staying where you are. After all you will be leaving everything else you possess and have access to behind. The other important factor is where are you going to go an what will you need there?

So a scram bag is a bag of important items you need for the type of journey you need to undertake, the length of journey and the environment you will be facing.

So despite what advice you may get, you will need to adjust the items chosen to suit your circumstances.

firstly I will state that I’m not advocating the use of items used specifically to wound other people. If you decide to not take this advice, it is you option and your liability. Many common everyday items can be used in such a way if you think creatively, and you should hope it does not come to that. The best advice to try to reach a peaceful solution, or simply run away. The idea behind a scram bag is so you can run away from trouble, keep with the philosophy.

Try to travel as light as possible, you may find things along the way that you might want to take. so keep a little extra room if possible.

You may find the scram bag useful in everyday life, after all its full of useful things.

Perhaps keep it in your car, or carry it with you on your back when you go places. You should feel comfortable carrying it for long periods of time, because when you need it you will be carrying it for long periods of time , it will be almost everything you have for quite some time.

Once you get to where you are going many of the things in it will probably be useful for setting yourself up more permanently.

It s assumed in most cases the scram bag will have enough supplies for 3 days (72 hours) if you need to travel longer you will need a bigger bag and/or be able to resupply on the way( get more food/water, wash clothes, recharge, rest properly).

Long term : Rocket stove plans and design

Once you have settled down you will realize the impact you will have on your environment. Perhaps not initially but eventually you will notice trees and wood will start to become scarce. You have been using solid wood as fuel in a rather in efficient way. A  rocket stove works by concentrating heat and constraining air flow into a small space, creating a small fire storm which more efficiently converts wood fuel into heat. The rocket stove also utilizes very small pieces of wood which would not be very useful in a traditional open fire apart from being kindling.

Normal small size rocket stove made from metal.

The rocket stove is a solution to this inefficiency. Made of a large can with metal tubes and insulated with vermiculite or other insulator.

A device such as this allows you to turn twigs and small branches into a way to heat your home, boil water or cook food. this is the majority of your energy expenditure in your home so its a great saving in a long recession, if that’s the storm you are weathering.

Room size rocket stove design.

It would be interesting if there are designs that contain no metal at all, such as an all fired clay design.

The smaller designs are portable but a little large for longer journeys, where a different solution might be preferable. There are custom built designs just for boiling water.

EDC: Multitool/ pocket knife

Coming in at number 4 on the list.

It’s actually hard to separate the items at this level of the list but this one wins the spot based on multiple uses and compact size.

Learnings of multi tool/pocketknives

Multi tools with pliers built in are less useful than you think. you would be better of with an actual set of pliers of that size once you consider cost and strength of the pliers.Certainly some situations require pliers but if you really need pliers you might as well get vice grips which are self locking pliers.

Compare the cost of multi tool with pliers versus a good pocket knife and a good set of vice grips.

So we have narrowed it back done to pocket knifes really.

important features/attachments:

Knife: the blade must lock and be very sturdy when locked. A knife will allow you to modify and construct many things.

Screwdriver: Phillips (+) and flat head (-). very few tools can improvise the screwdriver well.

Leather needle: allows some really versatile sewing with thick fabrics and threads. imagine sewing para cord through thick vinyl.

Saw: being able to make a straight cut is great for making things from branch size wood. much faster and safer then hacking with straight blade.

Nice to have:

Fish scaler: for obvious reasons.

Bottle/can opener: these are only really useful if there are bottles and cans around.

Bit driver: you need the bits and the uses are somewhat limited.

Propane torch: I saw these additions years ago, great for wet wood, nice but shouldn’t rely on it.

Gimmicky:

USB key: Most of the ones i have seen were very small in capacity.

Fork: Nice idea but are you really gonna eat off it?

Parcel hook: Carrying a parcel wrapped in string is not useful.

It’s easy to buy a knife/tool with lots of extra attachments which will only make the tool heavier bulkier and more unwieldy to use.

Final thoughts:

Be prepared to spend on this item as it’s a solution for so many problems and it’s one of few hand tools you will be likely to have. Stick to major brand names that have a reputation for quality. Check the legality of carrying knives where you live. In some cases you can claim you are carrying a knife for cutting up apples (because that how you like them) in case you need a reason for carrying one. if there is a way of attaching a key ring or similar item try to find and attach a glow in the dark key ring to the knife. it well help you to find it if you put it down in the dark.

In terms of size, be looking at a blade length of about 75mm-125mm.

Cost: you should be looking around the $100 mark

Main Stream Media: Puppets

If you ever needed to prove the nagging feeling inside that the mainstream media might be all puppets spouting the same story they are told to, rather than finding out the truth for themselves…this will probably settle it for you.

Just a minute an a half of your time.

When they report (almost verbatim) the exact same phrase, you know they were reading off the same page. Question is, who provided the page?

EDC: Mobile phone

This is number  3 on the carry list.

This should be obvious, a mobile phone is a great source of information and can be used to call for help.

What is the extent of the crisis, where is safe, what other danger are around that you cant see yet.

Mobile phones in some cases have Internet  access which can even further widen their scope in information. Mobile phones may have stored data like maps or first aid manuals that may be very useful.

The phone can be used as a light source.

If needed the battery can be removed and short circuited across steel wool to create a spark to light a fire. if this fails the battery case can be cut open and the corrosive chemicals inside may ignite if added to flammable solids like wood or liquids like brake fluid or oil.

EDC: Boots

My second most favored item.

Boots, because when there is sudden crisis, its generally a good plan to start moving away from something bad and toward something good, and without boots you are not going to get far in most cases. You won’t always have the option of a vehicle and there can be all kinds of stuff on the ground that is hazardous to your health. If you can move you can avoid danger.

In an approximate continuum of worst to best possible footwear for a crisis on land is:

High heel shoes, bare feet, thongs, sandals, office worker shoes, runners, steel cap boots, military issue boots,hiking boots.

What wrong with each:

High heel shoes: make wearer clumsy and prone to ankle damage, uncomfortable after just a few hours.

Bare feet: No protection from cuts and abrasion damage from fire or chemicals. unless you have never worn shoes and you feet are tough, its a bad option.

thongs: very little protection, may become slippery with sweat or water

sandals: better than thongs but only a little better, no complete cover which is lacking.

Office worker shoes: usually have all over cover, not overly comfortable often not very sturdy and usually lacks ankle support.

Runners: no ankle support, synthetic fabrics may be less durable that office worker shoes.

Steel cap boots: the real failing is weight and how horribly cold they can get. terrible if the edge of the cap rubs part of the foot.

Army issue boots: generally good, but designed by a major corporation for maximum profitability in a likely cozy deal with a government employee. Like a lot of army gear, specialist civilian camping /hunting equipment is better. Comfort and lifespan are the two most likely issues.

The hiking  boots: Designed for harsh environment forced to compete on the shelf next to all other boots for your money. Hikers and climbers are dam picky and will buy all kinds of ‘snake oil’ like brand names. Fortunately some of the ‘snake oil’ they pay for actually works and there are some great hiking boots out there. comfortable, strong, light, designed to protect your foot. Possibly claiming to made from unicorn feathers that are farmed in a sustainable manner or some other such bold claim, which is hard to believe, but the boots live up to most rational expectations.

Unless you have a strict dress code that you must conform to for work. You have the option of wearing good boots all the time. You can take that option. boots might seem expensive to be wearing down all the time, but because they are made so strongly they will be quite economical compared to cheaper shoes you are forever replacing.

A pair of military boots I had lasted 10 years, and they were second hand. Excellent value for money.

If you are in Australia you will need to make only one major design decision in you boots, wet or dry. look at which side of the dividing range you are on an choose accordingly. Boots generally are designed for only wet or dry conditions. Hint wet boots will be brown in colour, dry boots will be tan in colour.

Almost forgot to mention, shoe/boot lases can be a great source of string.

Boots : you can get moving and keep moving for a long time, the better the footwear the better the shortcuts.

boot size: you will know the boot is right for you if it feels comfortable when you jump up and down in them. should feel snug but not sore. should only feel slightly tight in a few places.

boot breaking in: you will need to breaking boots to mold them to your unique foot shape. The easiest way to break in boots is to wear them in the shower and then walk in them outside until they are dry. Clothing is recommended for this process but if your community is all cool with naked except for boots , good for you.

EDC: Sunglasses

Depending on the situation this is often number 1.

The first piece of equipment I’d want even before clothing in some cases.

You might be stunned at this preference, I was when I first heard this, but it makes sense.

There are many environments  (arctic, desert, beach, ocean, lake , river) where glare can be severe and you will basically be blinded by the reflected sunlight in a few hours. Once you are blinded you have lost your primary sense in perceiving the world, you have lost your ability to detect threats and opportunities, you are in enormous trouble and now you only chance is being aided by others. (If no others come your chances are slim)

Sunglasses don’t have to be expensive to offer good protection from the sun. Generally there is very little difference in this with respect to price, so there’s no real reason to pay more than $10. At $10 or less its quite conceivable to buy two pairs. Sunglasses are like cats and plastic lighters, you never really ‘own’ them you just posses them for a time, sunglasses usually go missing or get broken, don’t waste your money on expensive sunglasses.

There are great debates over this but I prefer all plastic glasses. plastic frames and plastic (polycarbonate) lenses. Less likely to cut me up if they get broken on my face.If they do break they are easier to fix with tape that metal frames. The plastic in the lens of plastic glasses is usually polycarbonate which is very strong and blocks out almost all UV light.

Metal frames might be able to be bent back into shape if damaged.

Metal frames could also be a source of thin metal for fish hooks.

Glass lenses might be able to start a fire if they are correcting lenses.

Glass lenses may also be a source of sharp broken glass (cutting tool) for better or worse.

If you are wishing to be incognito, tinted or mirrored lenses will help, as most systems to recognize faces rely on seeing eyes, this includes artificial systems.

A mirrored sunglass lens might be able to be used for a heliostat for signaling. The sudden and repeated flash from a mirror can be seen for many kilometers in the right conditions. It has been documented that a heliostat mirror was seen from about 30Km in a rescue situation.

So in short sunglasses protect you eyes and preserve your best source of information about the world around you.

EDC (every day carry) series

Every day carry EDC items are normal items people have in their possession which have very great level of usefulness in sudden crisis situations.

I’ll go through them In approximate level of importance as I see it but the final decision is yours. but i will outline why they are useful and so uses you perhaps never thought of. Part of the mindset of EDC is simple things can be very versatile and have multiple uses. Keep your eyes and your mind open.

Mindset

An often overlooked quantity for a human in a difficult situation is mindset.

Mindset is a term unladen with psycho babble, and I’ll define it the way I think suits it best.

It’s how you look at the world, regardless about how you feel about the world, its how you look at it. Its how quickly you assess a situation. Its how quickly you admit you were wrong. It’s not giving up too easily. It’s learning from your successes and your mistakes.

So what is the mindset of a human that survives a crisis?

Determination, patience, pragmatism,sobriety.

Determination: You just can’t give up. This cannot be stressed enough.

Patience: this will help when determination wavers. sometimes just trying or waiting that little bit longer is all that it takes.Know when to be patient is just as important as the ability to sit it out.

Pragmatism: Sometimes unexpected thing will work in your favor, don’t feel you have been cheated  out of a challenge by fortune if things go your way for a while. There will be plenty of times where you have to work for it and you will need luck.There will be many times you have to choose the least worst of two options, which will be a lot different than the best one of several.

Sobriety: This means a calm and clear demeanor as much as it means don’t be out of you tree all the time. It doesn’t mean you cant have fun, but it does mean you have to choose carefully you moments when you can let your guard down. There will be plenty of dangers of all types, sobriety means you are more likely to see them coming than not. It will also mean you will be more likely to see opportunities as well.

These were the more important aspects of mindset, they don’t take into account skills, knowledge, situation, equipment or location, but even so they shouldn’t change much depending on other factors.