What Preps are you doing this week? Part 13

[Peter]

Any medicines you need
Spare glasses/contact lenses
Books/tablets/games
Phone chargers/power packs
Emergency credit card
Toiletries

I've got the credit card, toiletries. My evac plan involves the car, which under the spare wheel well, is fully stocked with most of the extras you've listed apart from books and games, I'll add a couple. Thanks for the suggestion.

All I can suggest is think through scenarios, and what you might need. Mine includes camping gear, but if I was going to a hotel obviously I'd dump that. I don't have a car, so I prepare to use my bike or walk, in case of no public transport. It's one reason for the camping gear. You might have a car, but have to abandon it. Most of my camping gear is in one bike pannier, so I simply won't take that, if I don't need it.

If I was heading to an evacuation centre, that might involve sleeping on a floor. So I might take my air bed and sleeping bag. Both are extremely lightweight.

Paper maps and compass are essential in my opinion. Keep the map in a quality map case, with something to write/mark it. Water, obviously, filter, puri tabs, food that doesn't need cooking, toilet and wash kit(s). Maybe a small Swiss army knife. First aid kit. Waterproof jacket. Warm extra clothing in winter. Small torch and batteries. Powerbank for phone - and cable! Glasses? Sunglasses in summer. Sunscreen and maybe sun hat. This is off top of my head, my list is maybe 100 items.

How about jungle formula insect repellent and antihistamine sting cream.

[GillyBee]

But mentioning it is a good memory jog for anyone like me who is not consistent in returning their keys or other essentials to their home and regularly plays "hunt my keys" or "hunt my phone" as you wont get time to do that in an evacuation.

[GillyBee]

Has anyone else been looking at "DoomPrep" on YouTube? UK based, breaking down some of the more recent Govt advice and seems to be offering advice in line with what most of us have worked out. Claims to have some access to leaked Govt information but how true that is I don't know.
e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNaykq3CZWM

[itsybitsy]

Has anyone else been looking at "DoomPrep" on YouTube? UK based, breaking down some of the more recent Govt advice and seems to be offering advice in line with what most of us have worked out. Claims to have some access to leaked Govt information but how true that is I don't know.
e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNaykq3CZWM

Is it a real person or AI stuff?

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Has anyone else been looking at "DoomPrep" on YouTube? UK based, breaking down some of the more recent Govt advice and seems to be offering advice in line with what most of us have worked out. Claims to have some access to leaked Govt information but how true that is I don't know.
e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNaykq3CZWM

I had a look. The actual facts wouldn't be new to anyone here. As to the wider "this is the real reason the Gov is ...". hmmm.

[Ara]

Speaking of keys, I've just added a house one to my grab bag. Had to laugh at myself recently when I was checking through a handbag I use less often and found 2 front door keys. We have a set of keys in the front door that whoever is last out of the house grabs on the way out and also keep a set each on our person in case we're not together when we're out.

Just off to waste some time looking at "DoomPrep".

[Frnc]

Met talking about 15-20mm of rain in 1 hr on Manchester today. My decision criteria to wear waterproof shorts on my bike is 1 mm/h below 16°. 2mm = consider postponing, especially in cooler weather. Not sure what 20 mm would be like. Carry water wings? That was probably last night, anyway. It was pouring down. Not had much today so far.

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Rain we had down here yesterday was biblical - torrential. Looks like due to the prolonged heat, various conservatory roof panels have expanded and moved. As such.. roof leaking like a sieve.

So job for the day - try to plug up as many holes as possible. The whole roof needs replacing but thats going to have to be a job for next year. For now, its a "get us through winter" scenario.

[Frnc]

Got new rack today, fitted onto bike. Took front rack off. Trunk bag is a bit heavy, but I have reduced what I carry. And taking the lock off saved quite a bit. Still waiting for new jacket, but it's somewhere between Spain and the UK.

If I had to bug out on my bike, I could fit the front rack back on, but it's not absolutely necessary. I have 2 x 20 litre rear panniers and a 50 litre rucksack [plus 12 litre bag on the rack]. <--Imagine a strikethrough through that last bit.

More rain coming down now.

I noticed my Silver Birch has quite a lot of yellow leaves. Maybe the drought brought on a bit of premature autumn yellowing. Hope it's ok now.

[Frnc]

OMG. You cannot use an Ortlieb pannier at the same time as a Topeak MTX trunk bag on a Topeak Explorer rack. Ortlieb are only the biggest name in panniers. If the rack rails were a few mm lower, or the central MTX plank was a few mm higher, or both, you could put the pannier on, and then slide the trunk bag on. They already made a new version of the rack - I had to buy it for the new version trunk bag! It's not the end of the world for my bug-out plans, but it's a spectacular fail for no reason whatsoever by Topeak.