There are several things worth securing to memory when talking about Survival, but the following 3 things dealing with the essential of life: Air, Water and Food, are handy things to remember if you ever find yourself in a jam. Take in mind that there are always exceptions to the rule, like the man who survived 9 days without water or the guy who lived 6 weeks without food, but these people and cases are rare and should never be counted on.
The “Rule of 3” also deals with the basic mentality of survival; most preparedness schools of thought say you need to prepare to survive for 72 hrs; the thinking being that you can attain self-rescue or get rescued within that time frame. I personally disagree with that number speaking strictly from experience. During Hurricane Katrina and Rita when we lost ALL utilities and ALL roads were closed into town. It took over a week (8 days) to get everything restored and back on line, luckily I had over 3 months of spare water, food, medicines and gas for our generator tucked away. If I had just had the published 72 hrs worth of supplies, me and my family would have been in trouble.
I think the best approach is still the “tiered” system where you have your MOBILE BOB (3 days supplies and weapons) which stays with you or in your vehicle which serves to get you to your Survival Pack, (which is also mobile in case the house is uninhabitable) stashed at the house which should have at least 1-2 weeks worth of basic supplies for your entire clan. Take in mind, these are MOBILE packs in the event you have to move away from the house. Of course the ideal situation is to stay home and hunker down until the storm passes (literally or figuratively), but we can’t depend on the “best situation” ever happening as Murphy is always looking to kick us in the ass, so plan accordingly!
In taking about “Mobile BOB’s” I have always been a fan of using Camelbak’s or other similar type gear (like Maxpeditions) so you can incorporate hydration and pack transport…it makes ALOT of sense. Also, if your vehicle allows it, carry a few gallon jugs of water in the back, it has served me well many times…from helping stranded motorist (myself included) to being able to fill my hydration bladder when there is no ready source of clean water. For a Survival Pack if you are on a budget, try an standard ALICE pack like THIS. If you want to invest in a pack that will last you a decade or more, you might want to check out Kifaru packs..I have 3 and all of them have survived terrible abuse for over 6 years now.
As far as for Air, you would be hard pressed to find a really good reason to carry a source of oxygen around with you, (like a firemans breathing apparatus) around in your car…although I am almost certain some nut job out there is doing it, scuba tank and all!! However, have you ever thought to consider preparing for BAD Air Quality? Like Biological or Chemical contaminants? Now I know what you all are saying: Here is where he suggest having an Israeli gas Mask for all family members…not quite. I do recommend however having on hand some high filtration Biological mask like THESE. I bet if you think real hard you can remember the Bird Flu scare? Or how about Swine Flu? Yeah, these mask make alot more sense than running around looking like an extra for a Mad Max movie, gas mask and all!!! (BTW, Road Warrior is still a kick ass movie!!)
So here it is the Big Rule of 3, nothing groundbreaking, just simple, common sense stuff!
THE RULE OF 3
1. A Human Being can only go 3 minutes without Oxygen
2. A Human Being can only go 3 Days without Water
3. A Human Being can go 3 Weeks without Food.
Prepare for the Worst, Hope for the Best & Stay Dangerous!!