Oh look, a new girl

[Ysverine]

Hi folks!

I'm Ysverine, a twenty-something in South Wales (although originally a Yorkshire lass). I started prepping in earnest at the beginning of this year, although I've known about the basic concepts for a lot longer - seems like the many hours spent discussing zombie apocalypse plans at uni didn't entirely go to waste

My focus so far has mainly been on bugging in plans, but I'm looking ahead to potentially having to bug out in an emergency, so you might well find me looking for recommendations for starter kits that I can get on a budget or beginners' guides to essential outdoors-y skills (especially as regards how to reach blackberries without getting nettled, because my hands are horribly prickled and blistered after my last foray into brambling!)

Looking forward to chatting with you all, and hope to see you around the forum

[Yorkshire Andy]

Ey up

As for bugging out I wouldn't worry about buying a specific kit....

I'd start with a hotel bag... Why...

Short of the world as we know it ending your most likely to find that your going to get evacuated due to

Flooding,

Madman 3 doors down who's been sniffing petrol threatening to blow the world up

Some dam upstream been damaged by floodwaters

Bob the builder digging up something Herman Gurinings German engineers made that didn't go off 60 odd years ago..

So three am blue flashing lights outside pa system squalking and a pc at your door you need to get out due to zombies kicking off at the local shop and risk blowing up the estate in some Dr who esk war.... Or there's a major gas leak.....

They've got the local ish sports hall open for "refugees" and your mate lives 10 streets away ...

So your unlikely going to need the rambo knife...

Phone charger and power bank

Copy's of insurance documents
Toiletries, towel, loo roll and medications
Change or 2 of clothes
Few days worth of smalls
Indoor footwear (your mate won't want muddy combat boots worn in the lounge)
Small sleeping bag and camping roll (sofa will ruin your back)
Spare cash (for pizza man or local chicken shop)
Book or 2 to read
Ear plugs (sports hall crying kids late at night)
Cerial bars
Plastic plate and a spork..
Some sweets or favourite vino

[Arzosah]

Ay up duck! Hello Yseverine
Welcome to the forum. Seconding what Andy's saying about a hotel bag. One or two additions:
- as well as insurance documents, ID documents (driving licence if you have it, passport too).
- antibac hand gel.
- a little torch (£3 or so) and a compass (I like compasses, you never know!).
- a seat belt cutter. The plastic ones fall to bits, have a stainless steel one on your keyring if you can.
- bottle of water.
- copy out your emergency phone numbers - parents, local friend to stay with, whoever else - if you only have them in your phone.

There can be reasons for bugging out further under your own steam, rather than evacuated, but in the real world it's unlikely. I think the most likely reason for that these days is terrorism - a cousin of mine was caught up in the evacuation of Manchester Centre for an IRA bomb, and I think it's still the same - you might get away from whatever's going on, but you might be nowhere near where you need to go. Flexibility is key, I think. Easier these days, but you might have to walk far enough that the mobile network is working again.

Take your time looking at the forum, good luck with it all.

[Ysverine]

Ey up indeed I thought I saw a few folk tagged with Yorkshire as their location - in fact, I think I even saw an East Yorkshire one somewhere, so I feel even more at home!

Yeah, I probably worded that badly. By 'starter kit' I didn't mean a pre-packaged one so much as 'what can I cobble together that might be vaguely useful', so I think I have my bases largely covered by the sound of it. I do need to invest in a torch/headlamp, power bank and a compass, but it seems like I have all the other grab-and-go essentials.

I completely agree with evacuation being the most likely reason to bug out - I remember all too well the 2007 floods and people getting evacuated to Hull City Hall (and less dramatically, teenaged me having to plod home from school in ankle-deep water). I still twitch a bit when the rain's falling just a bit too heavily for comfort! Thankfully my current flat isn't at risk of flooding unless the entire drainage system backs up, but it still can't hurt to have things ready to go just in case

[Arzosah]

Ey up indeed I thought I saw a few folk tagged with Yorkshire as their location - in fact, I think I even saw an East Yorkshire one somewhere, so I feel even more at home!

My Yorkshire roots go back a couple of generations, I'm afraid. Huddersfield, I'm looking at you

Yeah, I probably worded that badly. By 'starter kit' I didn't mean a pre-packaged one so much as 'what can I cobble together that might be vaguely useful', so I think I have my bases largely covered by the sound of it. I do need to invest in a torch/headlamp, power bank and a compass, but it seems like I have all the other grab-and-go essentials.

I guarantee noone wants you to buy a pre-packaged one, they're not very popular on here

I completely agree with evacuation being the most likely reason to bug out - I remember all too well the 2007 floods and people getting evacuated to Hull City Hall (and less dramatically, teenaged me having to plod home from school in ankle-deep water). I still twitch a bit when the rain's falling just a bit too heavily for comfort! Thankfully my current flat isn't at risk of flooding unless the entire drainage system backs up, but it still can't hurt to have things ready to go just in case

That must have been quite an experience. Plodding about in ankle-deep flood water can still cause problems (manhole covers and grids get pulled from their foundations, you can fall down some big 'oles! And sewage, unfortunately). If you're still in Hull, or anywhere that was badly bombed in WW2, there might still be an evacuation when a bomb gets uncovered during building works. But yes flooding is still more likely.

[Yorkshire Andy]

I remember all too well the 2007 floods and people getting evacuated to Hull City Hall (and less dramatically, teenaged me having to plod home from school in ankle-deep water). I still twitch a bit when the rain's falling just a bit too heavily for comfort! Thankfully my current flat isn't at risk of flooding unless the entire drainage system backs up, but it still can't hurt to have things ready to go just in case

I do vividly I was working at the time near North Cave the boss wouldn't let us go home and went out and bought us all Wellington boots so we "could keep working" ...... Until the water got into the electrics and buggered his generator for the site

I've never seen such heavy rain over such a period of time

[Ysverine]

I remember all too well the 2007 floods and people getting evacuated to Hull City Hall (and less dramatically, teenaged me having to plod home from school in ankle-deep water). I still twitch a bit when the rain's falling just a bit too heavily for comfort! Thankfully my current flat isn't at risk of flooding unless the entire drainage system backs up, but it still can't hurt to have things ready to go just in case

I do vividly I was working at the time near North Cave the boss wouldn't let us go home and went out and bought us all Wellington boots so we "could keep working" ...... Until the water got into the electrics and buggered his generator for the site

I've never seen such heavy rain over such a period of time

Oof, I know we Yorkshire folk are famed for being a bit on the stingy side, but that's a bit much, isn't it?! Did you get to keep the wellies at least?