“Never travel with more than you can carry at a dead run for a mile, and stow under the seat ahead of you” ~ Erma Bombeck

Erma Bombeck was one of my grandmother’s favorite humorists. She wrote about dealing with family life from a perspective halfway between cynic and stoic. Watching the tradgedy surrounding the refugees fleeing Ukraine over the past days, made me think about my posts on Inches and Ounces.

Inches & Ounces Part 1
Inches & Ounces Part 2 Now I’m a Nester?

Looking at the footage from Ukraine reminded me of Erma’s line from the beginning of this post.

Refugees all over the world run with little more than your typical airline carry-on allowance, and often not even that much. These people drag their children through their apocalypse with less gear that the typical American “survivalist” carries in his pockets and fanny pack on a daily basis.

Are we doing it right, or wrong?

Can we as individuals strap on our gear, and run a mile without becoming a casualty?
For the past 13 years, my commute was twenty-five miles one-way.
At my usual walking speed, that’s eight and half hours straight through.

Now reality sets in.
I’m too out of condition to maintain three miles an hour for eight hours straight.
That twenty-five miles looks more like twelve to sixteen hours on foot even without having to detour around, or hide from, trouble along the way.
So how much weight penalty do I carry to cover that distance, if I’m only packing the essentials?

My Get Home Bag contains a first aid kit, poncho, fire kit, fifty yards of 550 paracord, a carabiner, a fixed blade knife, 2 1-quart canteens, and 2 pair of socks. The entire thing weights about 6 pounds full-up. I made the decision to routinely wear clothing appropriate to the weather conditions I’ll potentially be walking through, so I won’t need to pack extra garments. My revolver and speedloaders add another two pounds to my load.

I chose a compact steel frame revolver for my escape kit because it is the smallest handgun I find comfortable when shooting .357 magnum. Could I have chosen another pistol? Sure. Pick your fave. BUT! In a refugee situation, you do not want to make yourself a target by having a cool gun somebody might think they need more than you do. In any case, you will not be carrying enough ammo to shoot your way home.

Recall a young fellow named Rittenhouse was recently chased through the streets by a mob even though he had an AR15. A big gun attracts attention from people who may not be intimidated by its existence.

“Keep it secret. Keep it safe.” Discretion is the ultimate watchword in a refugee situation. Small blades and small guns are the order of the day. In the immortal words of Gabe Suarez, “Break contact and continue mission.“

Our job is to be unseen and unheard as we go along our way, but we MUST to be very honest with ourselves as we plan for the Big Day. As you put the final touches on your bag, ask yourself, “Can I meet the Bombeck Standard of being able to carry my kit at a dead run for a mile and stow it under the seat ahead of me?”