This was the first winter where I have made a concerted effort to try to really be prepared for bad weather on my commute. Perhaps it was the 4 hour drive traveling only 37 miles which kicked my backside into gear. But luckily I had begun my preparations in advance.
Since I am not a government employee, but work in a government building, I get exposed to the annual "shelter in place" drill and am reminded that the government only makes basic provisions of emergency bags for their own employees and I must fend for myself.
So this winter, I have begun to keep an emergency bag in my car. I never want to use it, but I want it to be ready for when I need it.
Confession time: It is not 100% where I want it to be. I know I need to add some items, but for the first time I have done a test with it and discovered what is lacking and what is perfectly fine.
The kit is designed to be ready should I need to "shelter in place" at work overnight, to provide for me should I get stuck in my car overnight in a winter storm, and to be portable enough to be carried 37 miles should I need to walk home in a horrible disaster.
When you think about what you'd need to have in such a kit when winter temperatures can reach below 0 degrees fahrenheit with wind chill, creating such a kit can be a bit daunting to figure out what to pack, a bit expensive if you go to some of the guicci retailers on civvy street, and a bit heavy if you don't pack well.
This weekend I went out with a friend from work for a photo shoot and hike in the snow. Temperatures were from 15-20 degrees fahrenheit and it was a little windy in some of the more exposed sections along the river. Since we both have talked about "get-home" bags and emergency preparedness at work, I felt quite comfortable using this hike as a chance to test out my kit. I wore my normal winter work attire, which included a wool sweater, and added a pair of "Bean Boots" and heavy wool socks. This is what I'd wear to work on a day threatening snow or with snowy conditions on the ground from previous winter weather. No sense in ruining a pair of nice dress shoes with the liberal amounts of salt which cover the sidewalks around work.
To this I added a ex-British Army windproof smock and trousers, a nice thick cold weather hat which could cover my ears, a load bearing vest with pouches to carry whatever I needed, and a pack containing the majority of my "shelter in place"/"get home" bag.
Now I'll be the first to say, the vest was a new addition and right now I used it only to carry a spare pair of heavy duty gloves, 1.660 litres of water, and some wristlets to protect my hands while taking photos which would let me also work my camera in the cold.
Everything worked out successfully, except for a few details.
The straps on the pack slipped off one shoulder most of the hike due to the vest which was underneath, but since it was light it wasn't too uncomfortable and can be fixed with a utility strap holding both shoulder straps across my chest.
The seal of one of the thermal drinking mugs was not tight and there was a tiny bit of leakage when it was not sitting upright in the car.
Also, the "bean boots" and wool socks were not up for the extreme cold.
Other than that, everything performed magnificently. The smock and trousers fit nicely over my work attire and did not allow my to get hot hiking, but also kept me from getting cold. (I'll talk more about these in another post, but the windproof trousers were only $18 and the smock was only $30, so not too expensive to buy and keep in the car.
The vest was great for carrying the water and has clips to add a camelback without the need for shoulder straps, and plenty of pouches for everything you might need, like gloves, flashlight, thermal drinking mugs, etc...
The bag, which I have posted about before, worked well, but unfortunately is not large enough to add a sleeping bag, which is part of my emergency kit for my car in the winter. I've got a replacement bag on order so we shall see how that works shortly I hope.
When we finished the hike 2 1/2 hours later I still had a mug of hot tea waiting for me and my drive home and I was warm, but had not gotten sweaty, something to avoid in cold conditions when you can't be sure you will be able to get into a warm place to cool off.
More tests are in order, but this was quite productive and replacement socks and a bag are already on their way to see if I can't make further improvements on my winter emergency kit for my car/work needs.
More posts to follow to further discuss some items in this post in more detail.
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