Because 2020 never ends.
Inspired by recent events in Poland (the missile) and by everything that's been happening since 2020, I got to work on making an evacuation bag in case anything forces us to… evacuate.
Also the Polish government published a whole guide about what to do in case of "W", that includes a manual on how to make an evacuation backpack, I decided to act accordingly.
You know, the Poles were "right" since the beginning (Georgia and then Crimea). If they say, make a backpack, I make a backpack.
Since I live in Hessen and fleeing due to an attack from the eastern neighbor is unlikely, other disasters are more probable - such as the town being evacuated because of an approaching forest fire.
In the latter case, there's also the possibility that I personally won't be home at the time, because I'll be in that very forest, which is why the final plan is as follows.
In one case or another, it would probably go like this: the authorities announce an evacuation of residents and direct them where to go (e.g., Frankfurt airport).
The family (with or without me) packs exactly 3 bags: Big Boss, Dark Knight, and Minion, and within minutes is on the way to the destination.
And there, as you know, at first there's chaos and disorganization - and that's exactly what these three bags are for.
Big Boss
The Big Boss bag is the most important because it has (or will have) everything that's needed. Namely:
- basic provisions (dry packets, rice, cans, lots of candy) - so as not to starve for a day or two
- tools - first aid kit, walkie-talkie, LifeStraw (water purification filter, you can drink from a puddle or pond), etc.
- foldable gas stove + one gas canister (not yet purchased)
- a big metal mug with a handle (also still looking for one)
- sleeping bag (I once slept on a train station floor, one of us + the child will stay warm)
- sparkling and still water
- spare clothes for me, because I won't have another backpack.
Dark Knight and Minion
These are the personal bags of my wife and child, containing (or will contain) the most essential items like - power bank, USB-C / Lightning cable, water, a set of candy / candy bars.
To be exact, these are cycling backpacks from Lidl that were lying around in the closet.
Logistics
While assembling this kit, I reviewed the items I had prepared during the previous round, i.e., preparing home supplies in case of "W".
It turned out that most of the canned goods were expired.
This time I have everything written down - where everything is and what dates they have.
The numbers in parentheses are the numbers on the plastic boxes. When I replace items, I'll know where to look for what.
Cost
Surprisingly, it wasn't an expensive endeavor. Cans and candy - you know how much those cost. Beyond that, I only bought this sailor duffle bag and the water purification filter. Everything else was already in the household inventory, including the walkie-talkies that my son and I sometimes use during trips, so all that remained was to arrange everything in the right places so they'd be ready to grab in one go.
I hope we'll never need this, because although I suspect that such an evacuation would be an unforgettable "adventure," I prefer adventures that I plan myself and can quickly end on my own when I get bored of them (e.g., kayaking).
LLM disclaimer
This post was originally written in Polish for my Polish Mastodon followers and other friends.
This was originally prepared and translated with LLM (Ollama + Kimi-k2.6), however I read it all again, changed few things, so please consider it mine.