Monday, January 30, 2012

Challenge: Get your Bug Out Bag Together

Here's today's challenge--go make a bug out bag (BOB) or, if you already have one, dump it out and make sure that it is still ready to go (ie: the clothes still fit you, the batteries are still good, the food is rotated, etc).  A bug out bag differs from your daily carry bag in that that items in this bag should be able to sustain you--completely--for at least 72 hours.  And while many people want to carry everything but the kitchen sink in their BOB, you really want to make the bag lean, mean, and easy to carry (in a worst case scenario you may actually be carrying this thing on your back as you literally run down the road).
In a non-worst case scenario (we are talking about 98% of the time) this bag, along with your daily carry bag (DON'T forget to grab your daily carry bag when you grab your BOB) will see you through any number of minor emergencies (in fact I have never used my BOB in a zombie apocalypse attack but I have used it on many occasions--everything from an overnight stay in the ER two hours away from home with a friend, to an impromptu weekend stay in the wilderness, to retrieving random items out of it because someone needed a specific item and I just happened to have said item in my BOB).
Also, where you keep your BOB is important.  I usually keep my BOB in my vehicle for the simple fact that my vehicle is always with me whether I am at home or at work.  You may want to put your BOB in a closet in your home, in your office, etc.  Or you may want to make BOBs for your home, car, AND office.

Here's what you need in your BOB (feel free to add or subtract items to meet your needs):
  • Backpack (I prefer a quality yet generic looking backpack over something camo simply because it blends in better to the urban/suburban environment which I am most likely to be in).
  • Complete change of clothing (shoes, sox, underwear, pants, t shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweater, jacket, poncho)
  • Toiletry kit (soap, razor, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, mirror, floss, comb, wet wipes, tissue packets, deodorant, nail clippers, nail file, sunblock, toilet paper, small quick-dry towel)
  • Shelter (very compact sleeping bag, very compact tent.  Some people may prefer a tarp and some paracord along with a fleece blanket; I like a bit more comfort than that)
  • Useful stuff in a disaster: work gloves, goggles, breaker bar, bandanna, fluorescent strip of cloth, whistle, bug juice, para cord, tarp, large plastic garbage bags, compass, map
  • Electronics: wind-up radio, flashlight, HAM radio, batteries for all of these things
  • First aid kit: as comprehensive as you can find/make; include vitamins, meds, acidophilous pills, prescription meds, and prescription-level medications if possible (pain killers, antibiotics, etc)
  • A small bag of useful things: rubber bands, safety pins, Sharpie marker, pen, paper, playing cards, ziploc bags, sewing kit, matches, lighter, scissors, duct tape. 
  • Water
  • Food (enough food for three days that is simple to cook or requires little cooking).  Ideas include dried soup, jerky, candy, instant rice, foil-packed meats (tuna, chicken), sardines, peanut butter, oatmeal, energy bars, nuts, instant coffee packets, packets of sugar/salt/ketchup/hot sauce, dried fruit, etc.
  • Nice to have things: stove, mess kit, eating utensils, fishing kit, water purification tablets, emergency blanket, water filter, can opener, snare wire
  • Protection: firearm, extra ammo, cleaning kit; fixed-blade knife
  • Office stuff: cash, copy of all important documents, list of emergency contacts, passport
Obviously there are a hundred other items you can add to this list but I like to travel as light as possible (and scavenge whatever else I need).  Some other reminders about your BOB:
  • Don't forget to add items specifically needed in your area (cold weather gear in the north, a head net in tropical areas). 
  • Don't forget to add items that you specifically need (female hygiene items, hearing aid batteries, spare pair of glasses, etc).
  • Don't forget that you don't want to look like Rambo.  You will most likely be using your BOB in a suburban/urban environment so breaking out enough stuff to stock a FEMA shelter will be...telling.  You want to look like a guy carrying his backpack to work not like a guy prepared to do battle in Afghanistan.
  • Don't look like you have a lot of good stuff that someone else may want to steal from you.  Blend in, look ordinary, and keep all of your stuff bagged up and away from prying eyes until you are in a safe location.
  • Don't forget to buy quality items.  Cheap crap is just that...cheap crap that is much more likely to break when you need it most.
  • Don't pack a hundred pound of crap.  In most urban/suburban environment, even rural environments in many cases, you will be able to acquire the stuff you need.  You don't need to bring stuff for every possible no-matter-how-remote contingency.
  • Don't think you even need as much stuff as I have on my list above.  I've seen plenty of refugees travel for weeks and many, many miles with as many items as you can carry in a small plastic supermarket bag.  90% of the stuff on this list is a luxury.
  • Don't forget that if you don't see an item on this list (pocket knife, cell phone) it is because you should have that item in your daily carry bag (which you will be carrying with you as well).

1 comment:

  1. For someone new to prepping building a Bug Out Bag can seem like a big task. Everybody you read about has been tweaking theirs for months or even years and has a pile of gear built up. It’s hard to know where to start, but if you cover just all of the basics in a survival situation you will still be much better off that 99% of the people.

    We started with one of the kits from www.shelfreliancesanantonio.com and added copies of important papers, extra clothing and an emergency radio too. It takes only a few minutes to pick out a kit that works for your family and have it shipped to you, instead of driving all over town trying to find all the items you need for a good bug out bag. Then spend a day reviewing the contents and adding your extras. Put it in the hallway closed by the door and it's ready whenever you need it. Total time spent probably 2 hours = Lifetime of Peace of Mind!

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