For years and years I had a BOB (bug out bag) at the ready. In fact I had multiple BOBs including one in my home, one in my office, and one in each vehicle we owned (sometimes up to four or five cars at the same time). Needless to say that was A LOT of redundancy.
Since retiring and minimizing all that we own, I have also minimized my BOBs. To the point of non-existence. Of course I have a small emergency kit in my vehicle as well as food and water (it's a desert here after all), but as for having a BOB in my closet...it isn't there any more.
Instead, I have a closet (not the giant master bedroom closet as the spouse claimed that one...and two closets downstairs but I digress...). The closet in one of our spare bedrooms is now the hub of my (much minimized) packing center. From this closet I can be packed for everything from an overnight trip to a distant city to a week of backpacking, a day's long distance walk, or an immediate bug out, all in under five minutes.
In the middle is a stacked row of backpacks from a 65l Gregory Z 65 to a 19l REI Stoke with a half dozen choices in between. On the far left are shoes, where I can pick one pair or multiple pairs (one on my feet, a pair of flip flops and/or Tevas in the bag). Next to the shoes are clothes. Daily use clothes are on the shelves in the middle, up above are outdoor clothes, and below are (a few) dress clothes. Since I travel often I can grab a complete wardrobe for any occasion in minutes.
To the right of the backpacks is a set of drawers that hold a range of travel items. Among these is a case containing toiletries, a first aid kit, a day walking bag, and an "office" bag which contains my passport, travel scissors, sewing kit, mini Sharpie, etc. There is also an assortment of outdoor gear (tent, Jet Boil, Sawyer Squeeze, etc) in the lower drawers and a sleeping bag sits on the shelf above this case.
On top of the case is where I put my daily carry items each evening when I return home (wallet, cell phone, keys, tablet, etc).
I can grab the above items in minutes, take another couple minutes to grab some food and bottled water in the pantry (outdoor food has its own shelf) as well as a firearm and ammo on the way out the door and be on my way to "bugging out" in less than ten minutes.
While this may seem unconventional to hard core preppers, it works for me. There isn't the massive amount of redundancy and everything I need can be packed together in minutes. This also allows for configuring exactly what I need for any occasion.
BO bags are a pita. I need to remember to remove them when I have my truck serviced. Foods left in them require occasional updating. Water goes stale (just began leaving the bottle empty, keeping a 2 liter bottle and replacing once a week).
ReplyDeleteSo I made a much smaller kit. This can be tucked under the rear truck seat in a pretty concealed location. An AK47 magazine bag with just the essentials. About 1/4 the bulk and way less costly.
Because its knowledge that is more valuable. Knowing how and what to do is far more important than the tool - the tool just makes it more easier to accomplish.
Pretty much my thinking exactly. A few useful tools and a bit of scavenging along with a great deal of knowledge will serve people better than a 90l pack filled with crap in a bug out situation in most cases.
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