For one reason or another, not everyone has their own vehicle. As such, there are many forum members relying on public transport as their only realistic way to travel any distance. This thread hopefully will at least help the non drivers among us think about what we carry and why.
Using public transport as your main means of getting about, throws up some peculiarly unique circumstances and to maintain a reasonable level of preparedness takes a bit of ingenuity. There are endless lists floating about the internet all purporting to be the definitive list of what you will need. Well, for a non driver, this is rarely relevant or possible to carry. Most lists are drawn up for the car owner who is able to carry a huge bag of kit and food in the boot. That list has to be pared down pretty quickly when weight, and just as importantly, legality become the main factors. Many of these lists include the kitchen sink, which wouldn't fit in my handbag.
So apart from the everyday things we all carry, like your mobile phone wallet/purse and keys, I see the main reasons for carrying some kit when using public transport to be: 1. a failure of the transport system (when you may need a ghb). 2. Accidents that could occur. 3. Delays. 4. Shut downs or 5. Getting stuck at a rail or bus station. None of these are ideal, but they could be times when a good edc or ghb could be very handy.
Firstly the bag.
Try and have one that blends in with the crowd, instead of those tactical military styles have a look at what everyone totes. A nondescript backpack, or a man bag, a good sized handbag for those of us of the laydee persuasion, bags that don’t stand out or that could put you on the radar should be the first consideration. Don’t forget, this is not a BOB (that’s a whole new thread), just a means of carrying the necessary kit around to get you home or keep you safe and comfortable until you are on the move again. You may want this bag to be comfortable to carry for hours at a time and of good solid construction.
Contents.
The two main concerns for a passenger GHB are weight and legality. Keep things small, multifunctional, lightweight and legal.
The contents could be broken down into a few subjects; health and wellbeing, comfort, safety and alternative travel.
Health and Wellbeing could be a day or so of any regular medication, first aid kit, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, A few painkillers and antacids. If a rail route is shutdown, you don't want to be caught out at the station for a few hours or a couple of days like when it snows.
Safety could be a small pry bar or escape tool, some cordage, a simple PPE kit, small multitool, torch, candles and a lighter.
Comfort could include some food items of choice, a bottle of water, glucose tablets, hand warmers, gloves and hat (winter) sunscreen and sunhat (summer), emergency blanket. All are nice and small and cheap enough to get.
Alternative travel would probably consist of a map book, compass, a cache of money and alternative route locator.
A few miscellaneous items could also include a notebook and pencil, a mini FM radio, a folding water bottle with water purifier tablets, waterproof poncho.
Some things may not be needed; you won’t need a hat and gloves if you’re already wearing them. You may want to add or subtract various items to suit your circumstances. In the winter I often pack a flask of hot water, a squeezy tube of Heinz Tomato soup and a couple of those little sachets of hot chocolate.
With a bit of thought a simple kit similar to this could make a difference to making journeys on public transport a little more bearable and should anything happen you have a few bits and bobs.
What I have in my bag:
The burning question is... has my pack been useful, well yes it has, more than once. It’s been a real boon and I never go on long journeys without it.
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