Mods: if this thread is considered too similar to other threads on The Virus, feel free to delete.
***
As briefly mentioned elsewhere, I do a lot of offshore assignments. Currently I am on the East Coast, half a world away from home, for two months. The location is not that far away from EBT-ville, about 15 miles as the crow flies and 25 miles as the SUV drives. Living and working in a relatively sparsely populated but still-suburban area, in a (solo) apartment. Commuting by rental car. 5 minutes drive from a basic WalMart and mall. Easy walking distance from a 7-11.
At the risk of duplicating much of what has been said in other threads, I think this - being a foreign transient - is a situation which is outside the virus-preparation mainstream for US citizens with homes and networks.
Like nearly all of you, I have extensive preparations "back home" which I beefed up prior to coming in this assignment, almost exclusively to do with extra food and pharmaceuticals: as I was and am fairly comfortable with the breadth and depth of long-established stores. But when you travel to another country with one suitcase and one bug-out bag, and you may end up having to self-quarantine with no friends or relatives and no home of your own, I think you face a different set of challenges.
This is my solution so far.
(Existing 72-hour bug out bag; I won't say any more about this because everybody has their own views).
Water:
- there is a fast-flowing stream nearby (actually 10 yards from my back window) which is visibly clean (although that says nothing about its microbial or potentially contaminated content; and, there is no industry upstream for at least a mile when I walked it)
- while the municipal water supply is unlikely to go down, I have brought with me my usual Lifestream water filter with two extra cartridges, plus a 5 gallon bucket and some muslin for sifting out debris first. (I also have a pocket Sawyer filter in the BOB).
- I also have a week's i.e. 20 gallons of store-bought 99.999%-guaranteed potable water as a standby.
Food:
- currently 5 weeks, probably increasing to 8 weeks (only landed here three days ago but did a major midnight shop at Walmart the day after arrival)
- jerky
- canned meat
- beans
- rice
- spices
- milk powder
- chewable vitamins
- canned vegetables
- soups that do not need water added
- oatmeal
- crackers
- (only two
) bags of cookies
- bread to freeze
- Oscar Meyer precooked bacon (a weakness of mine)
- 'fresh' bacon
- butter
- wholemeal bread & ciabatta buns in the freezer
- vegetable oil
- butter
- dried fruit
The above is of course additional to daily fresh fruit, veggies, potatoes, meats etc. I'm not a fan of cheese, peanut butter or fish in case you're wondering...
I have also bought a small Coleman stove with four cans of butane in case I have to cook outside. I already have a titanium pot and cup in the BOB.
Shelter
I'm expecting to stay in place, work is paying for the apartment. Nevertheless, if I have to leave, I have bought a four-season two-person tent and sleeping pad. Don't have a sleeping bag, might put off buying that until it's clear I have to bug out - and yes I know that decision could go wrong. But I figure sleeping bags would not be the first things people rush out to buy if they have to quarantine. I have excellent broken-in boots already, and a good assortment of winter clothing. Also 2x disposable ponchos.
Hygiene
In addition to what I already have in the bug out bag (masks, disposable gloves, first-aid kit, and the basics for staying clean and brushing teeth and a few days worth of meds)
- Tylenol + acetaminophen
- aspirin plus ibuprofen
- 12 soap bars
- 2 extra toothpaste tubes
- spare toothbrush
- mouthwash
- laundry soap
- bleach
- dish detergent
- two weeks of disposable plates and utensils
- 4 rolls of paper towels
- 10 rolls of toilet paper
- 4 boxes of tissues
- Pepto-Bismol
- Gatorade (for rehydration)
- oral rehydration powder to make up a solution
- garbage bags
- 6 gallon bucket, 5 gallon bags and a toilet seat
- duct tape (to seal 'things')
- large hand sanitiser bottle
- shampoo (although mostly bald haha)
...fortunately, although aged I currently take no prescription medications.
Power
In addition to the batteries, hand-crank charger, handheld GPS navigator and small solar panel in my bug-out bag
- battery-powered radio (on the way from Amazon)
- a backup flashlight
- spare batteries
***
Total expenses for all the above so far, and not including the $45 NOAA radio or the wish-list below: $383.
Still on the to-buy / miscellaneous list:
Salt
Sugar
(More) powdered milk
White vinegar
(More) vegetable oil
(More) spices
Baking soda
Matches
Lighters
(More) butane cans for the cooking stove
(Probably) some candles although I never use those indoors
Fire starters
Hand-ax
Folding entrenching tool
(Maybe) a skillet, although I'll probably just use cooking gear from the apartment if I need to cook outside
I have ordered azithromycin online but it'll be three weeks away. I'm now thinking of looking in Walmart for fish antibiotics - but if anybody has another suggestion for acquiring antibiotics inside CONUS, would be appreciated. Mainly looking for erythromycin, doxycycline and metronidazole (being allergic to penicillin).
***
Being a foreigner, I can't of course buy a firearm. I am considering a JPX pepper gun or similar. But they are really quite expensive. May scale down my wants to a handheld Kimber-type pepper pistol.
Any suggestions welcome!
***
Obviously, if all goes well & I don't need any of the extras, I won't be taking them back home with me, I've already found a church store nearby that takes food bank donations where I can drop the extras off on the way back to the airport and home.
***
As briefly mentioned elsewhere, I do a lot of offshore assignments. Currently I am on the East Coast, half a world away from home, for two months. The location is not that far away from EBT-ville, about 15 miles as the crow flies and 25 miles as the SUV drives. Living and working in a relatively sparsely populated but still-suburban area, in a (solo) apartment. Commuting by rental car. 5 minutes drive from a basic WalMart and mall. Easy walking distance from a 7-11.
At the risk of duplicating much of what has been said in other threads, I think this - being a foreign transient - is a situation which is outside the virus-preparation mainstream for US citizens with homes and networks.
Like nearly all of you, I have extensive preparations "back home" which I beefed up prior to coming in this assignment, almost exclusively to do with extra food and pharmaceuticals: as I was and am fairly comfortable with the breadth and depth of long-established stores. But when you travel to another country with one suitcase and one bug-out bag, and you may end up having to self-quarantine with no friends or relatives and no home of your own, I think you face a different set of challenges.
This is my solution so far.
(Existing 72-hour bug out bag; I won't say any more about this because everybody has their own views).
Water:
- there is a fast-flowing stream nearby (actually 10 yards from my back window) which is visibly clean (although that says nothing about its microbial or potentially contaminated content; and, there is no industry upstream for at least a mile when I walked it)
- while the municipal water supply is unlikely to go down, I have brought with me my usual Lifestream water filter with two extra cartridges, plus a 5 gallon bucket and some muslin for sifting out debris first. (I also have a pocket Sawyer filter in the BOB).
- I also have a week's i.e. 20 gallons of store-bought 99.999%-guaranteed potable water as a standby.
Food:
- currently 5 weeks, probably increasing to 8 weeks (only landed here three days ago but did a major midnight shop at Walmart the day after arrival)
- jerky
- canned meat
- beans
- rice
- spices
- milk powder
- chewable vitamins
- canned vegetables
- soups that do not need water added
- oatmeal
- crackers
- (only two
) bags of cookies- bread to freeze
- Oscar Meyer precooked bacon (a weakness of mine)
- 'fresh' bacon
- butter
- wholemeal bread & ciabatta buns in the freezer
- vegetable oil
- butter
- dried fruit
The above is of course additional to daily fresh fruit, veggies, potatoes, meats etc. I'm not a fan of cheese, peanut butter or fish in case you're wondering...
I have also bought a small Coleman stove with four cans of butane in case I have to cook outside. I already have a titanium pot and cup in the BOB.
Shelter
I'm expecting to stay in place, work is paying for the apartment. Nevertheless, if I have to leave, I have bought a four-season two-person tent and sleeping pad. Don't have a sleeping bag, might put off buying that until it's clear I have to bug out - and yes I know that decision could go wrong. But I figure sleeping bags would not be the first things people rush out to buy if they have to quarantine. I have excellent broken-in boots already, and a good assortment of winter clothing. Also 2x disposable ponchos.
Hygiene
In addition to what I already have in the bug out bag (masks, disposable gloves, first-aid kit, and the basics for staying clean and brushing teeth and a few days worth of meds)
- Tylenol + acetaminophen
- aspirin plus ibuprofen
- 12 soap bars
- 2 extra toothpaste tubes
- spare toothbrush
- mouthwash
- laundry soap
- bleach
- dish detergent
- two weeks of disposable plates and utensils
- 4 rolls of paper towels
- 10 rolls of toilet paper
- 4 boxes of tissues
- Pepto-Bismol
- Gatorade (for rehydration)
- oral rehydration powder to make up a solution
- garbage bags
- 6 gallon bucket, 5 gallon bags and a toilet seat
- duct tape (to seal 'things')
- large hand sanitiser bottle
- shampoo (although mostly bald haha)
...fortunately, although aged
I currently take no prescription medications.Power
In addition to the batteries, hand-crank charger, handheld GPS navigator and small solar panel in my bug-out bag
- battery-powered radio (on the way from Amazon)
- a backup flashlight
- spare batteries
***
Total expenses for all the above so far, and not including the $45 NOAA radio or the wish-list below: $383.
Still on the to-buy / miscellaneous list:
Salt
Sugar
(More) powdered milk
White vinegar
(More) vegetable oil
(More) spices
Baking soda
Matches
Lighters
(More) butane cans for the cooking stove
(Probably) some candles although I never use those indoors
Fire starters
Hand-ax
Folding entrenching tool
(Maybe) a skillet, although I'll probably just use cooking gear from the apartment if I need to cook outside
I have ordered azithromycin online but it'll be three weeks away. I'm now thinking of looking in Walmart for fish antibiotics - but if anybody has another suggestion for acquiring antibiotics inside CONUS, would be appreciated. Mainly looking for erythromycin, doxycycline and metronidazole (being allergic to penicillin).
***
Being a foreigner, I can't of course buy a firearm. I am considering a JPX pepper gun or similar. But they are really quite expensive. May scale down my wants to a handheld Kimber-type pepper pistol.
Any suggestions welcome!
***
Obviously, if all goes well & I don't need any of the extras, I won't be taking them back home with me, I've already found a church store nearby that takes food bank donations where I can drop the extras off on the way back to the airport and home.
