My Immediate Survival Plan

The last post and the comments made by others got me thinking about what my immediate survival plan in the event of a collapse. I thought to myself “Hey if I’m going to ask others about their survival plans and the resources they have I should show them mine” I am suppose to be the expert at this after all when it comes to post apocalypse survival so I better have a rock solid plan.

The first two stages of my plan since moving to Vancouver were to gather intel on the city and prepare an appropriate survival bug out bag, for myself and my roommate. The bug out bag I created in Edmonton before moving here, mostly because gathering the materials there would be easier and cheaper (Vancouver with taxes and cost of living is between 15 to 30% more to live then Edmonton) I bought a good size military style canvas bag which has two main pockets and two large side pockets, then I included the following kit

2x wind up flashlights with power adaptors for cell phones, radios, and even Ipod

50 feet of paracord, 100 feet of nylon cord, and 30 feet of climbing rope to be used as a “Swiss Seat” for repelling

1x tarp to build a shelter with

2x multitools

Water purification tablets

Waterproof/windproof matches and 2x magnesium fire starters

4x glow sticks

1x large first aid kit and 1x smaller first aid kit for extra supplies including pocket CPR masks

1x windup or battery operated radio

2x pocket survival kits, this include fishing line snacks, matches and even a compass

6x emergency blankets and 6x emergency rain ponchos

40x tea lights

1x blanket

1x air mattress

spare socks and clothes

Total cost $125.00 mostly on the first aid kit, and most of my supplies were left over from the army.

I also have a second bug out bag I keep empty this is for food and water only. My place has on hand a two week supply of bottle water and canned food at all times and this bag can hold most of it. Using timed drills I can have both bags ready to go and be out of the building via the stairs in under 4 minutes (That also includes getting the dog and running down 12 flights of stairs)

The second stage is still ongoing and that’s gathering intel on the city itself. This involves understanding the roads, alleys and major highways of the city. Also understanding the terrain of Stanley Park, the local navel reserve base, and the location of and useful stores, police and fire stations.

My third stage is what I call my “Immediate action plan” this is what you need to do in the first few minutes to first couple days of the collapse. This plan needs to be extremely flexible as variables you can’t predict will unfold leaving you to react on the moment. You should also have more then one in case your first plan goes down the toilet. This also depends on how things collapse if it’s a pandemic my plan is to hold up and isolate myself after looting the local coffee shops and small café’s. Even though there are 5 grocery stores near my apartment all of them will be the first targets for looters. Coffee shops and café’s located near my apartment are packed full of food and could easily sustain me for weeks. Also there is a pet supply store that is another option for food, yes I said it dog food it is food after all and I’m not a fussy eater.

Also tactically holding up in my apartment until things calm down a little makes sense. If there is no fire or immediate danger like an aircraft crashing into the building it offers 180 degree view of both the seawall and parts of Stanley Park and the main highway that leads into North Vancouver. If my security is compromised I have no less then 5 escape routes by car, 8 by foot, plus all those fancy yachts in the harbour.

As for people I could count on, that’s pretty limited. My roommate is a tiny Chinese woman so physically she will be dependant on me. She’s also not very prepared to deal with the stress and trauma that a collapse will have on a person and she’s slower then myself because she’s out of shape. As for the rest of the building, mostly retired or semi retired office type workers, people who have spent decades behind a desk making loads of money but have no skills of any use in the post apocalypse. There are a couple who are handy with tools and building things that are useful. And those who work behind the front desk have some skill sets that would come in handy as well as strong backs for any manual tasks required.

As for what my plan is I have two options. My choices are to get to Vancouver island (If it still exists) where I know people who have better skill sets, where there is a smaller population so less chance of roaming gangs, and where I know the terrain better in terms of fishing, growing food, and hunting. The second option if the island becomes unavailable is either travel inland to a town such as Hope ( Where they filmed the first Rambo movie ) which has a good sized river for fresh water and space that can be eventually converted to growing food. Or north along the coast until I find a suitable location.

Like I said above have backup plans and be flexible, I fully expect one or all my options to be unavailable for whatever reason, and there will be factors I can’t control or predict. This is where my ability to think calmly during high stress situations and the ability to think on my feet come in handy.

So that’s my plan so far, and like any plan it will change over time as I become more accustomed to Vancouver and the people here. Now it’s your turn what’s your immediate survival plan? Do you have a bug out bag or what kit do you have available to use for your survival? Do you even have a plan? Either way let me know.


  1. Here's the survival gear I have now.

    Solar blanket
    Lot of different sized gauze and bandages
    Antibiotic creams
    Wind up kinetic energy flashlights (have four of these)
    Great pair of hiking boots
    Lots of blankets
    Kinetic energy wind up radio
    Sleeping bags
    Fishing poles
    Three tool boxes filled with just about every tool imaginable
    Bungee cords for climbing down or up or wrapping around items
    Water purifying tablets
    Waterproof matches
    Sterno cans for cooking
    Sleeping bags
    Bowie knives, hunting knives, fillet knives

    Unfortunately, I have no plan of action. I do live close to a river. Don't know if that's a help or hindrance in this case. You seem well equipped to handle such a situation -plan wise and equipment wise.

  2. You should find out if there are any treatment plants or any other factors that could cause pollution to that river you live close to, not so much for downstream of your position but upstream, otherwise that river could be a great place to start rebuilding from.