Lesson 3: 8 Things You Can Grab Right Now to Get Started Quick
I want to create some momentum. We started with the foundational items- a bag to keep everything in and a reason to keep moving.
Now I want you to go around the house, your office, or your neighbor's house (preferably with his permission) and gather these eight basic items. These are basic items most people have multiples of, but if you're a weirdo and don't have these, rush out to the store and get them.
Ready? Here we go.
- Bag (Seriously, you should have this by now)
- Water container
- Sharpie
- Toilet paper
- Ink pen
- Paper
- Duct tape
- Money
1. Bag. Please don't make me repeat this again. You better have a bag by now.
2. Something to carry water in. I use Nalgene bottles. We have ten thousand of these around my house because our whole family uses them everyday. For now, grab whatever you have that isn't breakable. It can be a thermos, your bicycle water bottle, your kid's sippy cup, or an empty plastic bottle. The goal is to find something that doesn't leak and fits in your bag. Place it in your bag empty and completely dry.
UPGRADE: I just want you to have something in your bag for now. Later on, you can upgrade to something better. Like I said, we use 32 ounce Nalgene bottles for several reasons.
- Almost unbreakable
- Dishwasher friendly
- Caps can be replaced easily. We replaced all of our original caps with capcaps from Human Gear.
- Wide mouth for easy filling or you can even use it for soups, ramen, etc.
- Lots of variety in colors and sizes. My current fave is a Punisher one I got for Christmas.
3. Sharpie or other permanent marker. Buy a standard size one in a dark color. You'll be surprised how often a Sharpie comes in handy.
4. Toilet paper. Roll off enough for two sit-downs and seal it in a Ziploc bag. DO NOT include the entire roll and DO NOT include the cardboard inner tube.
UPGRADE: Surprise! Yes, you can upgrade your moon paper. Life is already bad if your using your Get Home Bag. Make it easier by buying the good stuff. You can also purchase ready made and sealed toilet paper instead of stealing the good stuff from home. I found this one at the store just the other day near all the travel hygiene items.
5. Ink pen. Include an ink pen that doesn't have a removable cap to mess with, i.e. lose.
UPGRADE: You can go really fancy here and include a Space Pen that writes upside down and underwater or a tactical pen that doubles as a concealable weapon or tool for multiple uses. Personally, I carry a Space Pen in my EDC but a regular cheap ballpoint pen in my GHB.
6. Paper. The only goal here is something to write on sealed in a Ziploc bag. It can be a few sheets of notebook paper or even a small pocket notebook.
UPGRADE: For true paper superiority, you can't go wrong with Rite in the Rain notebooks. They're the world's best all weather notebooks, and always my go to for austere situations.
7. Duct tape. All you need is about 15-20 feet of tape. Duct tape comes in handy for repairs of any kind. Snag a hole in your pants on some thorns? Slap a piece of tape on both sides. Need to build a small boat to cross Lake Michigan? Duct tape and a few sticks, and you're sailing! Not really though. You'd need at least six sticks for that.
An easy way to include tape without tossing the entire roll in your bag is to roll some off onto your ink pen. Just wrap it around until you have enough.
UPGRADE: I used to do the ink pen thing, but my preference is to buy small packets of travel duct tape. I use the ones from RediTape.
8. Money. Be sure to include a small amount of cash in your bag. You just never know. Aside from the first aid kit ( I get hurt a lot), my small cash stash is one of my most frequently used items. You don't need much. I carry under a $100 in small bills. Seal it in a Ziploc bag.
BONUS UPGRADE: I keep referencing Ziploc bags, but any sealable bag works. I use Ziplocs for most of my stuff, but for very important items like the family USB drive we'll be talking about later, I spend a little more on tougher small dry bags. I also keep my small Bible in a stronger bag with a waterproof zipper.
Most of the clickable links in this entire course are to Amazon, where I have an affiliate account. This means I get a few pennies off of each purchase. It won't make me rich, but it eventually pays for a cup of coffee every so often. I wanted to let you know this, because I like being straightforward with everyone.
If you can't find your items locally and would rather try straight from the manufacturer or from a smaller business, be sure to sign up for their e-mail updates, if that option is available. Most of them will give you a discount on your first order for signing up.
What to expect for tomorrow...
We'll be putting together your IFAK, or Individual First Aid Kit.
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