Seriously, has it been almost two weeks since I posted last? Even after I promised to post daily? Wow, I apologize to the loyal readers that visit my site daily. I have some treats coming up like shirts and bumper stickers. All very covert. Pictures only so you will know who your fellow preppers are without broadcasting your beliefs all over town.
My new job is taking all my time. I hope you can forgive me and understand that. I am a hard working guy and when someone pays me for something I do it the best I can. A life lesson my dad taught me… “no matter what you do, do it the best you can and people will respect you for it”
I am working on the fourth floor of a law firm and wearing business attire everyday. Suits, ties, dress slacks and unbeleivably uncomfortable shoes. I am working about 45 minutes from my home which is quite opposite from the 2 minute commute I used to have. My wife and I had a perfect system for collecting the family (who got which kid so there was no overlap) and getting back home in case of disaster. Now, it is all FUBAR. I am 30 miles away if the balloon goes up and she will be left at home to fend for her self for about 15 hours. I figure I can travel on foot at about 2 miles per hour considering terrain, hydration and my physical ability (which is pathetic, I admit it!). I have been studying my new job’s area of operation and have tried to plan for emergency egress. I have a handheld GPS in my get home bag so I can travel the back roads and even traverse the woods if necessary. But how can I do that in dress gear? I can’t!
All working class stiffs like myself need to have travel gear in the car or office. That means reliable shoes, jeans, athletic socks and perhaps a long sleeve t-shirt. You should have a boonie hat and rain gear in your get-home-bag already, if not… get it! You do NOT want to be trying to walk any substantial distance in dress shoes and socks. OUCH! My cousin (true story) was in Manhattan when the trade towers went down on 9/11. He had to walk out of Manhattan which was 5 or 10 miles before he got to working mass transit to get home. When he got home he had to throw his shoes away because the were destroyed from the walk! You will not make it if you are stuck in your office attire.
Thank you to all my loyal readers. Forgive me for the lull. The blog will be back to full steam soon…. I promise. Until then look for my interview in Details in November. A lot of other preppers and bloggers were interviewed. Hopefully the story is positive.
The shit hasn’t hit the fan in a while so look out! It happens when you least expect it.
-SP
Filed under: SHTF, suburban survival | Tagged: business attire
[...] Working Class Attire and Bugging Out « Suburban Preparedness and Suburban Survival Seriously, has it been almost two weeks since I posted last? Even after I promised to post daily? Wow, I apologize to the loyal readers that visit my site daily. I have some treats coming up like shirts and bumper stickers. All very covert. Pictures only so you will know who your fellow preppers are without broadcasting your beliefs all over town. [...]
athletic socks only from late may to late august. wool socks the rest of the year. well broken in trail hiker type shoes. one pair at your work station, another in the car. two ways (at least) from your work station to the street. bottle of water. LED flashlight on your key ring, and another with a head-band. wool sweater wouldn’t hurt either. a smoke mask or a gas mask wouldn’t be a bad idea if nobody else knows you have them.
good luck with the new job.
Great reminder. I just change jobs in June to make my commute shorter for that reason. I now work less then 3 miles from my home.
Rook
Good advice. Try to blend in the crowd – suit and tie with dress shoes could make you a mark when the SHTF and you are trying to walk out.
I keep a change of clothes in my trunk. I started doing this for work reasons. I sometimes get covered in nasty industrial sticky goodness, and hitting happy hour covered in goo is not the way to go. It is just a habit now, but I keep two different types of shoes, pants, shorts, socks, socks, socks, t-shirts, and a jacket. My Lady loves the jacket for when restaurants are too cold.
When I had a job with non SHTF ready attire a good broken in pair of boots, cargo pants and a long sleeved t shirt lived in the trunk. My mom works in an office and has a pair of comfy shoes for walks and such under her desk. You could do the same.
I have started riding a bicycle during my lunch hour to improve my health.
To do this I leave the bike and gym clothes in my office.
Since my office is not tremendously secure, I stored my mid 1990s era Schwinn at the office and my nice bike stays at home. Just a suggestion, but even an older bike is a much faster way to get home than walking (perhaps faster than driving) during an emergency.