February 4, 2022 Emergency Zone

Still Without a Bug-Out-Bag? Let's SMASH This Once and for ALL!

By Jeanette Vale

"Some 12,000 households have been affected by the volcanic eruption and tsunami that hit the islands.... according to estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "

Preparing for emergencies is overwhelming!

But a 30-minute TRASH-BAG-DASH is not.

Without giving a heads-up: Call your family together.

Hand each person a large trash bag
Start the timer, you’ve got 30 minutes.
Run through the house and grab anything you think you would need if you had to leave your house and never see it again.
Food and water need to be included too.
Write your name on your bag.
Toss them all in a closet, a car trunk, a garden shed, or the RV.
YOUR GO-BAG IS COMPLETE.

Yeah…. but…

That’s terrible prepper advice	Maybe
The mice could get in them	Yes, they can
My son just put toys in his bag	So?
Lugging a heavy trash bag is awkward	You'll get by
I’m just going to be digging through that bag again to find stuff I need.	Probably
So, the trunk/shed is filled with all these lumpy trash bags?	Yeah
My husband almost donated all our bags to Goodwill!	But he didn't

These are all good points. What are you going to do about these concerns? Will you solve them? Yes, over time.

For now, each person in your family has a go-bag, even if one of them is filled with toys. Success! IF you had zero go-bags packed, that was the real option you had going for you.

Doing this shotgun technique is actually an excellent strategy and here’s why:

Perfectionism makes us procrastinate. We can go months not doing things because we think we have to do it right the first time. I dislike that concept. Just do it. You're human, not a robot. It's okay to do a slap-together version, especially in an area where you feel stuck.....AND especially for something that could save your life.

Those PPP's (Perfect Prepping People)!

Do you binge prepper videos? Aren't they fun? Those people are amazing. But beware the lost hours. Preppers who look perfect are paralyzing. Their food storage rooms, gardens and bush-craft skills are on point. If these shows cut into the time you need for your own family, then put those on pause for a bit.

I certainly get a dope-hit while watching them, they make it look easy. Their fire is blazing, their shelter is up. Steak and potatoes are caramelizing in a cast iron skillet. Never mind that it took the guy a day and a half to get to that point (and that store room two years) All we see is the magic of editing.

To watch (seemingly) perfect preppers in their mojo, can leave us feeling like there is little hope for us.

Marvel at what your brain will do…

Because your trash-go-bag exists, guess what? Your brain will kick into gear! It is goal oriented. Ideas of what to throw in your bag will come. Execute and get that item in your bag within five seconds.

“My bag is huge!” Good (and not good). Your brain will also solve what type of container it needs to go into next. Do you want wheels on it? Do you want it to be waterproof? Do you need to dump items and make wiser choices? Sloppy trash go-bags are a gateway drug. You are on your way! By the way...at the end of this article I give a comparative chart on the go-bags we offer if you want to jump to DONE.

What if You Were There?

You live in Tonga on a beach. You can see the yellow sand from your living room. Life is calm. But suddenly…

The blue sky and ocean are interrupted by a mushroom cloud as a volcano explodes. A sonic boom hits. Now you are screaming for your family. You know you’ve got minutes before a tsunami reaches your home.

Everyone is squeezed into the car and bags are bulging among the arms and legs of your family. It’s not comfortable nor ideal but you are zipping up into the mountains to safety. Once you get there gratitude washes over you for having a trash bag of your things.

This go-bag will get you through the next few days. What you packed might also be the only personal items you get to keep.

In the footage from the recent volcano (Jan 2022, Tonga), I saw flat cement pads where homes once stood. Everything precious was wiped out. In the days that followed, volcanic ash covered everything and poisoned the water. Having food, water and personal items is critical.

From reporter Marian Kupu:

"There had been signs that something was wrong. All summer there had been a stench of sulphur in the air across Tonga, signalling that the undersea volcano, which lies about 65km north-west of the country’s capital of Nuku’alofa, was active. There had been small eruptions, and on the Friday, the day before the eruption and tsunami, the water in Nuku’alofa’s harbour was spinning in eddies and whirlpools, something no one had seen before.

When the eruption occurred, it was so loud that Kupu’s ears were ringing.

“You know that experience when you’re flying in an aeroplane with your ears? It was like that times 10. We couldn’t hear each other, we could just mimic to everyone just to run, just to go, let’s go and leave the house immediately,” she said.

She and her family got into the car. The main road, normally two lanes of traffic – one in each direction – became four lanes of traffic, everyone heading east, away from the volcano".

She says later in the article,

“I may stay calm, but we need help,” she said. “We’ve lost lives, we’ve lost homes … we have damaged homes, we have damaged roads. We need aid and we don’t know how long we’re going to be living with this and how are we going to [get through it], not only physical stuff but also mentally … because we have never experienced this.”

Here at Emergency Zone, we sell

excellent bug-out-bags.

If you have the budget, buy ours (see chart below). But if you don’t this article is a great solution. Let's SMASH this once and for all, it is so important to be ready. Step on, Prep on and fill a bag!

A guide to reading the chart below:

All bags below come with food, water, first aid kit, Hygiene kit. & Light. These items vary by degrees.
All the other goodies vary by degree and are not mentioned below. Our website shows pictures of each bag and what these goodies are.
Third column answers: What's NOT in the bag that I wish I knew! Tent Is there a tent, knife, shovel, saw, and a way to make more clean water? HERE WE GO!

EZ GO-BAG	SERVES	OPTIONS	PRICE
Urban Survival Bug-out-Bag W/ Water Purification Straw filter	2 backpacks Serve 4 people Note: Bags do not have identical items stay together during displacement	2 Tube Tents: yes Multi-tool-knife: Yes Firestarter: No Shovel & Saw: No Makes clean water? yes, 2 methods	$239 / $189*
**************	********************	****************	**********
Urban Survival Bug-out-bag w/water purification straw filter	1 backpack serves 2 people watch video on quality of backpack used	Tube tent included multi-tool knife: yes Firestarter: no Shovel & saw: no makes clean water: yes, 2 methods	$179.99 / $159.99*
***************	********************	****************	**********
Deluxe Urban Survival Kit backpack: color choice: RED/grey	1 person Watch video on quality of this bag	Tube tent included Multi-tool knife: yes Firestarter: no Shovel & Saw: no makes clean water? yes, 1 method	$159.99 / $149.99*
***************	*********************	****************	**********
Deluxe Urban Survival Kit Color choice: Black/grey	1 Person Same bag & contents as above	Tube tent included Multi-tool knife: yes Firestarter: no Shovel & Saw: no makes clean water? yes, 1 method	$159.99 / $149.99*
***************	*********************	****************	**********
Deluxe Urban Survival Kit - Tactical Backpack	1 bag serves 2 people The contents are identical to the two rows above, however, this back pack is an upgrade. Watch video on quality of this back pack	Tube tent included Multi-tool knife: yes firestarter: yes (found built in the bag) Shovel & Saw: no Makes clean water: yes	$189.99 / $179.99*
***************	*********************	****************	**********
1 Person Survival Kit - Premium	1 back pack serves 1 person same pack as above	Tube Tent included Multi-tool knife: yes firestarter: yes 2 ways (found built in the bag, the other is a ferro rod found in the knife sheath. Shovel & Saw: yes Upgraded knife: yes Makes clean water: yes 2 methods	$299.99 / $219.99*
***************	*********************	****************	**********
1 person survival kit-Deluxe	1 backpack for 1 person	Tube tent included Shovel & saw? no Multi-tool knife: yes firestarter: no Makes clean water: yes 1 method	$139.99 / $129.99*
***************	*********************	*****************	**********
1 Person Survival Kit - Basic	1 Backpack for 1 person	No tent included Shovel & Saw: no Multi-tool knife: yes firestarter: no Makes clean water: yes 1 method	$79.99/ $69.99*
***************	**********************	*****************	**********
Stealth tactical Bug-out-bag	1 backpack for 2-person featured in this article: read this article	Dome Tent included Multi tool Pliers: yes firestarter:yes Shovel: No Saw: yes Makes clean water: yes, 1 method	$299.99 / $249.99*
***************	**********************	*****************	**********
The Essentials Complete 72-hour kit	2 backpacks serve 4 people	No tent included Multi-tool knife: yes Firestarter: no Shovel & Saw: no Makes clean water, yes 1 method	$139.99
***************	**********************	*****************	**********
The Essentials Complete 72-hour kit	1 backpack serves 2 people	No tent included Multi-tool knife: yes Firestarter: no Shovel & Saw: no makes clean water: yes, 1 method	$99.99
***************	**********************	*****************	**********
Keep me Safe Children’s 72 Hour kit	For KIDS Comes in multiple-colored backpacks Made for kids	No tent included. Does have 2 types of heat save blankets and a poncho	69.99 / 59.99*