We're bugging in

[Dave]

First aid kit, sandbags, camping stove. If you have a propane grill or heater keeping some extra Blue Rhino tanks around is perfectly safe as long as you are not welding on them. If you have a back yard get a chord of firewood and a cheap camp fire ring or some sand and some big rocks to make a circle. Starting with a 7 day kit is great, and I recommend that for anyone as a bare minimum. But, after seeing what happens after large events like Sandy, Katrina and even the OK and MO tornadoes it can take well past 7 days for services to be restored. Even for a 1 or 2 weeks scenario a heat source is a great thing to have. Even if it's summer cold canned food can get old quick and a hot meal can lift your spirits, even if it's warm beans instead of cold. You may want to consider MRE's as well, only a couple tablespoons of water to activate the heater and most come with a treat of some kind.

[Irving]

Renting an apartment or home. Basement? Gas or electric stove?

[hatidua]

Keep warm: Depending on how you heat your home/apartment, a really warm sleeping bag isn't a bad thing to have. If your method of heating went down in February during one of our cold snaps, it would be pretty nice to crawl into a -40* bag. Good sub-zero down bags aren't cheap but will last a LONG time if properly cared for.

Keep cool: I've used these (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...6#.UijbEEIiKIU) for weeks on end in 90* heat/humidity when the power was out and they work really well (you need one per person and use it close to your head when sleeping). They are intended for people who live on sailboats but work very well anywhere you need them. The previous version had foam rubber blades so if you stuck your finger in them while you slept it was no big deal. I'm sure they've kept that in mind with this version. At 300 hours per set of batteries, it's good for a solid five weeks of 8hr nights.

[zzzippper]

Thanks, the fans look great. I hadn't considered sleeping bags assuming we would still have our beds. I've re-thought storing propane. I haven't used it in years because I was overseas and now I remember that they have safety pressure release if there is a fire.

Keep warm: Depending on how you heat your home/apartment, a really warm sleeping bag isn't a bad thing to have. If your method of heating went down in February during one of our cold snaps, it would be pretty nice to crawl into a -40* bag. Good sub-zero down bags aren't cheap but will last a LONG time if properly cared for.

Keep cool: I've used these (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...6#.UijbEEIiKIU) for weeks on end in 90* heat/humidity when the power was out and they work really well (you need one per person and use it close to your head when sleeping). They are intended for people who live on sailboats but work very well anywhere you need them. The previous version had foam rubber blades so if you stuck your finger in them while you slept it was no big deal. I'm sure they've kept that in mind with this version. At 300 hours per set of batteries, it's good for a solid five weeks of 8hr nights.

[zzzippper]

Renting a house, no back yard, unfinished basement, everything is electric.

Renting an apartment or home. Basement? Gas or electric stove?

[Irving]

In addition to the sleeping bag, sectioning off rooms with sheets will help keep body heat to a smaller space. Take this to one more level by setting up a tent in your living room.

[Irving]

If the basement has a window, you could pretty easily plumb in a barrel stove down there and run the chimney pipe through a window sized sheet of durarock. Get the barrel set up and ready, and just stand it up in the corner so your landlord doesn't think you're using it.

[Omicron]

I think you're on the right track, and agree with everyone's advice. I'd advise you work on doubling your supplies, twice, so you wind up ultimately with at least 30 days worth for both of you. Also a couple of LED headlamps are extremely useful and will last forever on a few sets of batteries, just don't store them with batteries in them.

[Great-Kazoo]

I think you're on the right track, and agree with everyone's advice. I'd advise you work on doubling your supplies, twice, so you wind up ultimately with at least 30 days worth for both of you. Also a couple of LED headlamps are extremely useful and will last forever on a few sets of batteries, just don't store them with batteries in them.

buy a bunch of these. They are not great Illumination, but at least you will be able to see around your dwelling w/out wasting batteries.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mixed-Solar-...item20d3530ee8


and a few of these. Apt or not. you can set them up outside windows and even the hallway once power goes down. NOTHING is needed to maintain them. So you have an almost unlimited light supply for cost of lights them self.
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/wh...ht__t4487.html

[MED]

Here are my recommendations:


1. Camping gear: tent, sleeping bags, gas stove, mess kit, first aid kit, hatchet. shovel, cutting tool, fire starting tool, rope, paracord, tarp. (should be what you need to bug out if necessary, but could also sustain you if you bug in without heat in your house). I would also have two packs that you and your wife could take it out on foot along with food and water as well as appropriate clothing and gear. (If you buy this stuff, just keep in mind that you might have to bug-out with it...so what can you reasonably carry?)

2. Gas grill with three to five extra tanks (propane space heater). This is not out of place in your rental house and extremely useful.

3. Generator and/or solar panel kit, deep cycle battery, and AC converter. extra batteries for flash lights, radios, etc. Keep at least two five gallon containers of gas in the garage and rotate them out every six months.

4. 50 Gallons of water (minimum unless you live by a water source and can purify it). The blue drums are great, but the 6 gal green plastic containers work well if they need to be moved once filled.

5. Food for 30 days that is rotated in your daily supply.

6. Hand gun for both you and your wife; a rifle; and a shotgun plus at least 1000 rounds of ammo. Holsters and slings to pack them out.

7. Solar power lighting, radios, etc. are extremely beneficial.

8. Waste disposal plan and equipment of some sort.