# A little preparedness lesson for yours truly that I want to share.



## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

So today I was going to meet a member of my retreat who was traveling to the retreat, this was so this individual could take my stuff and put it into the BOL.(mostly food but clothes etc as well)

The BOL is quite some distance away from me... this individual lives closely nearby and was traveling near to me due to the holidys (only 70 mins away one way to my location) so it was an opportunity to drop my stuff w/o incurring the much longer drive all the way to the BOL .

So in the morning I am basically on schedule and get ready to load the car and promptly can't find my carkeys.:gaah:

I lose 35 minutes trying to find them in the end it turns out they were in a hat i had put to the side when I cleared off my worktable the previous night and the hat was now under some clothes, out of sight out of mind...

So now I am definitely late and toy with the idea to make a phonecall to waive off this opportunity.

But then I am like "hey , what else meaningful am I going to do on a Saturday?".

So i get my filled box with the stuff and put it into the bench of my car.
Only problem is it remains an attempt even after putting the passenger front seat all the way forward.
The Box is too big for my car!

So I have to unload the box (!) and take all my stuff from the box, loosely into the trunk before I head out.

Now I am 75 minutes late.
if this had been a real Bug out situation and we were meeting up for a convoy, I would have seriously compromised the convoys schedule with possibly deadly consequences!

Lesson learned.
- Check if the big out bag fits
- You will misplace your keys at the most inopportune moments!
- And finally we need to understand when we execute those kind of movement operations with moving prepper parts , murphys law will show up.

its not like jumping into the car for a trip to taco Bell. Stuff has to be organized and done right unlike normal conditions.

So for planning purposes always add that extra hour ( at least) to your backward planning so you can meet your convoi on time.


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## notyermomma (Feb 11, 2014)

For what it's worth ...

A few years ago I took a cross-country road trip with my dog. We crossed the Midwest during a brutal heat wave, and of course there were plenty of tourist traps and museums I wanted to stop at.

My solution was to leave the car idling with the A/C on full blast for my dog. If anything, the A/C might have been too cold for him because I often found him curled up in the back. I'm okay with that.  My worst fear was locking myself out of the car, the car running out of gas, and turning into a death trap for my Best Bud. So I had a triple fail-safe to prevent me leaving keys behind. 

1. My regular set of keys was on a carebiner which I hooked to my belt loop.

2. A second set of car keys which lived in a particular pocket in my pants du jour.

3. A third set of keys tucked into a special place in my truck bed (which was fully decked out as a camper with lots of gear.) 

Every time I locked the car, regardless of the dog's location, I wrapped my hand around that carebiner when I shut the door. Four years later, that habit is hardwired.

At home, I also have a peg board with extra sets of all my keys on it. And spare dog leashes (why do I keep losing leashes? I have no idea.) It's on the wall right next to the door, so I have no problem finding anything when I need to. Hope that's useful to someone.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

BlueZ said:


> its not like jumping into the car for a trip to taco Bell. Stuff has to be organized and done right unlike normal conditions.


My _normal condition_ is "organized and done right". That's just me, the way I think...



BlueZ said:


> I would have seriously compromised the convoys schedule with possibly deadly consequences!


You wouldn't have compromised my convoy... only your life! just sayin...


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

Cotton said:


> My _normal condition_ is "organized and done right". That's just me, the way I think...


The point is, stuff doesn't HAVE to be organized and perfect when you to a trivial drive like taco bell or groceries.
When you organize something more substantial there are always opportunities for murphy's law to show up.

This goes for *everyone*..:wave:


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

'trivial drive'? I've come to the conclusion that there is no such critter. Keys always go in the same place, and a backup set is always in one spot. If your survival might depend on it, it's worth packing the night before. 

I am of the opinion that things are very unstable right now, so take walks in the park, smell the flowers, live and love life... but ALWAYS be prepared.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I have keys for DW & kids cars so that we all can bale the other out at the drop of a hat.
I once locked all FOUR COPIES of the truck keys in the Truck.
Lesson learned!


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## Gians (Nov 8, 2012)

At least it was a dry run and not the real deal. A while back we liked to watch a show called 'it takes a thief'(think that was the name) where these guys break into houses then show people how they could prevent the break in, or at least slow them down. Since then we keep all the keys in a wall mounted lock box in a closet. It's attached to studs pretty good. When we head out it gets locked and the lock box key goes in my pocket. It should at least slow down a crook, plus we always know where to look for the keys(which I always misplaced).

http://www.amazon.com/SentrySafe-KB...438388&sr=8-1&keywords=SentrySafe+KB25+KeyBox


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## musketjim (Dec 7, 2011)

Organization has never been my strongest suit. Not much chance of a bugout here. I use a carabiner also for vehicle keys.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

I keep spare keys located on my vehicles, accessible from the outside. You can't find them by accident... and you will get dirty if you have to retrieve one!


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

you guys sound like my sister complaining about my brother-in-law since his retirement ... he can barely can find his pants these days .... it's a good thing his azz is attached .... she needs to get him started an hour before leaving for any appointment .... 

I keep telling her - you think it's bad now - wait until he's senile


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*A tip from*

I was the REPO man for eight and a half years. Here is my tip.

Go to the local hardware store and have a spare key cut to hide on the outside of the vehicle.

Just a regular key, not a chip or coded key.

It doesn't cost 40 plus bucks and will only open the door.

If you keep valuables in the car, they should be locked in a secured lockable, hidden container, inside the vehicle.

A thief has no problem breaking your windows out to get what he can see from the outside of your vehicle.

The non-coded key will also unlock the steering column and allow a tow truck to tow your vehicle if you call them and are not there with your vehicle, once you tell them where to find the outside key.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Truck key is either in my pocket or at night laying on the dresser. Spare is in the dresser.

Car key is either in the wife's purse, the other purse, the one she meant to change to or the purse she can't find. Or they can be on the washer, kitchen counter, dining room table, in the pocket of any of her coats or the last place we look. Spare key is in a decorative basket on the counter unless she couldn't find the master key. Then the spare is either in the wife's purse, the other purse, the one she meant to change to or the purse she can't find. Or they can be...


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

mike_dippert said:


> We have two copies of the ignition keys (the annoying RFID ones) for both our cars, and multiple other dumb keys that will unlock the doors ....Those chipped keys are a little pricey.....


I know folks that take RFID keys and epoxy them into the inside of the steering column next to the ignition switch. After you do that, any "dumb" key that turns the switch will work. I did this with an old "beater" '00 Ford Windstar.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Why don't we just make thieves pay for ALL of the cost of their actions, at whatever job the victim/court decides, bull whip the protestors of these actions and make keys and locks a thing of the past ?????


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

You've learned the best lesson anyone can learn about prepping. Practice works out the kinks and makes perfect. Without practice it's all just theory. Good job. Take the opportunity to work out some kinks in some other areas you think you have set. I'll do the same thanks for the reminder.

Something I've been meaning to do is take 2 days off from truck driving in a remote location and surviving well as I pack up to walk out. Haven't gotten around to it but I could see it as a useful exercise leading up to one where I actually walk out for a day afterwards. I'll have to wait as I just took time off for the holidays but I'll post my lessons learned when I get to do so.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*My Son*

My son and grandson just returned from a three day kyaking trip dowm the Green river . They camped out two nights in the Mammoth Cave national forest in sub freezing weather. There are some tough cookies .


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## mariah2430 (Sep 19, 2014)

BillM be glad they are done with their trip. Its going to be 6 or less tomorrow night in that area. With a wind chill of -10. Im 25 min out of mammoth cave NP by the way and its darn cold here


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

BlueZ said:


> I lose 35 minutes trying to find them in the end it turns out they were in a hat i had put to the side when I cleared off my worktable the previous night and the hat was now under some clothes, out of sight out of mind...
> 
> So i get my filled box with the stuff and put it into the bench of my car.
> Only problem is it remains an attempt even after putting the passenger front seat all the way forward.
> ...


Well, yeah!

Like you I am always misplacing things...too much on my mind. However, I find that if I am in a rush if I bypass the lost item I find it much easier when I am not rushed. Thus I always try to keep and few extra sets of keys. We have a key box and when I travel I keep on key with me and one in my bag.

Also: 
-I always keep a car key in my BOB. 
-You are not prepare to bug out unless you have practiced it a couple times, the hardest part of bugging out is organizing and packing as many supplies as possible in as short a time as possible. Do it a dozen times when it doesn't matter and you may get it right once when it does. 
-Of course pre-positioning preps a head of time takes some of the pressure off this. Pre-position at your main BOL, but also at secondary locations such as your work, trusted friends homes, alternative BOLs, rally points, and caches.
-If you were actually bugging out set a time limit and keep it. I have timed myself packing to bug out, I know how long it takes for a full bug out, and have more hasty options. With any bug out you should be ready it bug out with a few minutes notice with just a BOB (thus the key in the bag). Also have an idea of how much you can pack in 10, 15, or 30 minutes time. In a SHTF scenario you can then guess at how much time you have and set your timer accordingly, when times up, ready or not, get out of there.


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## jjgrask (Jan 14, 2015)

I love antiques, have an old cigar box that has all original keys. We use spares everyday for the Truck, motorcycles, house, sheds, et. Box is well hidden and extra keys planted on truck and bikes. In a bad situation I would grab that box.


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

Wow this thread has had a lot of energy!


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## Idaholady (Apr 24, 2010)

Hubby and I agree to always put the truck key on the counter in a small basket, as we come in the door. But, invariably, he puts it in his pocket then asks ME what I did with the key. "I don't know dude; you drove the truck LAST!"

One time he lost the keys; we looked for several days. I was the one to drive three hours to the local dealer to get a key made. The truck key eventually showed up...it was in a pocket in a coat, hanging on the back porch.

Now, I'm glad to have a second key. He still forgets to put the key back on the counter when he comes in the house. I guess I'll have to bug him every time he comes back from diving someplace. Not my job, but I'm stuck with it.... 

I think I'm going to get a couple more keys made after reading all the posts. LOL


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## TUSTX (Jan 24, 2015)

I haven't taken the time to read this all yet so someone may have covered it but I keep my spare keys in the small top pocket of my BOB may help if u can't find ur other keys BOB is harder to loose


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

txcatlady said:


> I believe this is totally an unacceptable comment. I keep extra house keys hidden outside, but only have one set of truck keys in my pocket. The extra set is in the drawer in the house. I see no need to have multiple sets of keys.


I agree that one person dose not need 5 sets of keys for a truck, but their are four of us. So I have 5 sets, 1 for me, 1 for the DW, 1 for DD, 1 for DS & a spare for each of the automobiles.
To many keys make stealing your stuff easy for a smart thief.


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