What's new

Bug out bag

ive got three first aid kits,one for me and one for swmbo and a main trauma bag for big stuff.the personal ones have assorted bandages,antiseptic creams and antibiotic creams,gloves,gauze and tape,the main bag has a trauma surgery kit,(scalpel w/blades hemostat's scissors sutures ect),gloves and larger bandages and of course the assorted ointment's and alcohol swab's,and a 10x10 canvas tarp to use as shelter or a litter.the first aid kits are packed in surplus IFAC bags and the trauma kit is in the bigger surplus medic kit bag
 
A lot of advice and packing lists here, but this is really a very personal process.

for starters, there are many variants that can be quite different:
1) The "classic" bug-out bag (BOB) is designed to allow you to get from where you are (usually home) to a specific location (that is already stocked with stuff). Thus it really only needs to cover the travel to that location. But this usually involves several days of travel (at walking/biking speed) so this is why it often mimics a camping set-up. If you don't have a specific location (cabin, camp site, sister's house) then you need to think of one. If it is hundreds of miles away you REALLY need to think about it (and plan on a LOONG walk if car travel becomes impossible).

2) then there is the "get home bag" (GHB) which is designed to get you from work/car back to your house (where you collect the BOB). This can (should) be focused exclusively on mobility, weather protection, and navigation. Keep it light so you can move fast.

3) lots of folks just make a heavily loaded survival bag that theoretically would allow them to live off the wild for some nebulous amount of time, which of course is very dependent on where you actually live.

4) some folks make an assault pack, patterned after what soldiers bring on patrol, with enough weapons and ammo to take on a small city police force.

Personally I think BY FAR the most likely use for a BOB/GHB is due to a forced evacuation due to a natural disaster. Thus it is something you can grab that will keep you and yours in relative comfort until the event passes. You really don't want to be like most of the folks in the arena during Katrina with nothing (literally) but the clothes on their back, waiting DAYS for gov supplies to get through. So you need a change of clothes, basic hygiene, basic medical, a little entertainment, IDENTIFICATION (many times you are not allowed back into a residential area unless you can prove you live there, and how can you prove lost and found kids are yours?), and most of all CASH MONEY. I can't really think of ANY event in the US that drove folks out of their comfortable homes that couldn't be mitigated with cash. Need a hotel room? $$$ Need some food? $$$ Need a ride someplace better? $$$

If this is all too confusing and you just want to solve this problem with money, go to any of the main prepper retail sites (www.beprepared.com for example) and they will usually sell pre-packed bags with stuff that will get you to a 85% solution. Add your own clothes and good walking shoes and viola, you are done.

There are many forums just as detailed as this one on this topic. Remember, just like you don't need a ATT stainless DE razor, Feather blades, and a best badger brush loaded with AoS cream to get an acceptable shave, you don't need the level of stuff those guys are talking about to help ensure a safe and less stressful experience during a SHTF event.
 
Last edited:
your right jason and its entirely dependent on the situation your planning for.through this discussion we can help each other refine thungs and be better prepared for an emergency,and maybe safe lives and prevent panic.it is extremely important to be prepared when something happens.a medkit ,blankets,food,in your trunk,to BOB's for everyone in your group in case you need to flee the area.in this age of natural and man made disasters it just makes sense to be ready.
 
I've prepped for years, and the one piece of advice I give to people about BOBs is - have someplace to bug out to first. Second, make sure its packed for the season/climate your in, and lastly, be cautious about getting too large a bag...those things don't seem too bad when you test fit them, but after a few miles, 50 lbs. plus can really wear you down.
 
If there is one thing I've learned about Bug Out Bags, it's something I learned from camping with my grandfather. Always have a spork. It's no good having any kind of food if you don't have something to eat it with :wink2:. And besides they're a buck or so and weigh nothing.
 
I've been thinking about putting a bug out bag together lately. The thing is you can't know your circumstances and you can't realistically carry enough to cover all the possibilities you can come up with. Shelter, Water, Food, Fire are probably all given in any situation, but the event(s) that necessitate bugging out and the surrounding circumstances can vary so drastically. I suspect that in some kind of emergency the chance of saying : I wish I had more of "this" and less of "this" or I wish I had gotten that and not this, or if I had just gotten this..., are pretty good. I also suspect that the physical demands of walking and carrying a pack for people that aren't accustomed to it will be much greater than can be imagined.
 
you can cover the basics and then procure the rest in route.there will be competition for these resources but remember,this country was settled with the bare minimum carry along tools and the knowledge of how to make and or find the things that made life possible.look to our roots for the survival basics.yes times have changed but the method is still the same.understand the environment you need to survive in and plan what you will need in the days ahead,plot your course for several different scenarios that might affect you and then pack accordingly.as for the trip,you will only be able to travel at the speed of the slowest person in your group.some may not be able to pack anything,others could carry extra.we are training our lab to carry a pack also.there are a lot of ways to move goods without over loading,or going without.
 
Very true. Some folks do base their BOB around what makes CAMPING comfortable under the assumption that evacuating in an emergency is basically an extended camping trip. My philosophy is that bugging out is gonna SUCK, no matter what, so what can I bring that takes the edge off the suck?

Stuff like motrin. After a long day of just walking you are gonna be sore. Motrin can ease that. Or having a fly shelter to huddle under to get out of the wind/rain as opposed to the lee of a tree or some abandoned shed or barn (which are plentiful in my area). Some granola to snack on to take the edge off hunger and give a sugar morale boost. A map because when on foot things look differently and roads can take the long way 'round (especially if all you know are highways) and your phone battery won't last forever. 550 cord can be used to improvise most anything. A multi-tool lets you do a lot that bare paws can't do. Sanitizer can literally be a lifesaver if you have to wade through water filled with sewage. A few ziplocks not only keep stuff dry but can also hold water (not sure about fuel though...).

Looking through history you can see that most humans can survive an evacuation, well, healthy adults can. The key is to be the first in line, ahead of the pack, and have stuff that keeps your spirits up because mental defeat is probably the greatest killer after freezing to death or dying of dehydration. Really, probably the ONLY thing you MUST have is a supply of a life critical medication. If you need insulin/blood pressure regulation/anti-coagulation to live or are on a med with a brutal withdrawal phase then that is priority #1. Plenty of folks can walk a fair distance on no food, on bloody bare feet, and with the runs from drinking bad water. In countries like the US you will probably make it to help.
 
Let's talk food.

Assuming that many of us (Australians) cant walk into an army surplus store and buy proper MRE's, what would you guys keep in your pack to keep you going for a few days?

I've always thrown a couple of tins of beans in the bag. Heavy, but they keep forever, are impervious to critters that might want to snack on them in storage, and have good "keep you going" power. They require no water, can be eaten cold or hot.

A million boyscouts cant be wrong.

I keep these in all of our emergency bags. I have used them as a sole source of food for close to two days as a test run of sorts while on a hikiing trip. They all taste pretty much the same: like coconut.


http://www.amazon.com/Millenium-foods-Millennium-Assorted-24-Pack/dp/B00TXIV054/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1424795862&sr=8-3&keywords=Emergency+food+bars
 
One thing to remember, the most important survival tool is that stuff you carry between your ears.. Anything in your BOB you have to know how to use, and use well.
practice, practice, practice. I know people who have carried the hot spark tools and never once tried them out. Or med kits, and never have taken a first aid course.
All that stuff you are carrying is useless if you don't know how to use it, and practice often. I use a hot spark tool every time I lite a fire, even though I carry, Bics and waterproof matches.
Practice with your hardest to use tools, then use the easiest in an emergency.
remember that flint and steel was the Bic lighter 150 years ago, and it work just fine, because they used it every day.
 
I have a B.O.B. in all my vehicles as well as a couple at my house. I have a flashlight ,knife, multitool ,gun,blankets ,first aid kit and the cheap bottles of water in my trunks, as well as baby supplies for my daughters in my car. In my bags I try to keep it the same, but another flashlight, both smaller ones that can be handled with a weapon if needed as well as bigger ones . I keep a firearm,with mags and ammo,pepperspray,paracord (too light with to many uses not to back a roll or 2, a fire steel,water proof matches , and I always have a lighter or 2 on me as well. I also got some never dull metal polish (great tinder). Canteens with the cups that you can bowl,water purification tabs,first aid kits with quick clot,space blankets,crank radio,some little packs of water my job gave me.compass ,mirror and whistle.sunscreen, and more baby supplies. A fixed blade knife,holding knife,and other multi tool,with cash. I have bags of food more cash, and weapons at my house ready to go, as well as my location to go if the crap hits the fan.

I'm not one that believes in a zombie apolocapse or anything like that, but I have a young child and in the event of war or a natural disaster I haft to as a father and husband keep my family alive and safe. IMO the biggest threat in the event of a disaster the biggest threat is going to be other people. I've seen first hand what desperate people are capable of and most in America think something could never happen to us and those will be the ones trying to prey on others . Most of the men of the men in my family as well as my friends are combat veterans,and we all have wives and children and we just all got together , made a plan of action just in case,stocked a safe location. I might also suggest mapping out exit routes in all directions just in case, you may haft to get out fast,but also know mutiple ways to get out of dodge. I have alot more supplies in my home bags but I wanted to end an already long post.
 
Last edited:
Here in sw Arkansas we live on an active fault line and have an active volcano in the region.i don't have kids and am getting older but as for me and swmbo we are ready for what may come down the pike.i travel the region for work and go as far as 150 miles from home.i have been converting my edc bag into a small bob with enough light gear to get back home and regroup with the family.my in laws are outdoor types and will look out for the wife until I return.its amazing how little it takes to get by.i recently discovered sawyer filters and love the concept.but I think some chlor tabs are also called for.so in they go.as for all out war that is a different scenario
 
I think that the Walking Dead is responsible for more BoB and gear being sold on eBay than any other reason. One of my coworkers (admittedly a little loosely wrapped to begin with) has been putting together bug-out bags since he first saw the show and is now trying to sell his version on eBay.

Living where I do (a suburb of a major metropolitan area); a short term natural disaster (blizzard / hurricane) is the most likely event and is best handled by sheltering-in-place. With these events (again, in my geographical location) the damage tends to be specific and localized, so getting to a hotel, friend or relative is the most realistic and viable option.

Full scale disaster (nuke / plague / asteroid strike w/alien disease) - well then, I am dead. I can barely get home from work (8 miles away) on a Friday before a holiday weekend and the local supermarkets run out of milk and bread before every approaching snowstorm that is hyped by the local newscasters - there is no way that I am going anywhere should there be an apocalypse

I have the essentials; cigars, pipe tobacco, scotch, bourbon and beer. The biggest threat will come once the wife runs out of wine......
 
Just to add to the thought proccess a bit. Major metropolitan areas are subseptibal to dirty bomb attack and many feel that this is one of the greatest threats to these urban areas.
Thalidomide iodine tabs, organic filter masks, (the pink ones) and air tight (swim)goggles will cut your exposure greatly.
 
A lot of interesting thought processes on here, I'm taking mental notes for sure!
With the budget being tight lately, I made a basic "stay home bag" in the event that flooding or blizzards come around.
$ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444523226.053857.jpg
Filled a bag like this with a camp stove, some propane, emergency 100 hr candles, a 3-day dry food supply, and a gallon of water.

After reading through the thread, I'm realizing I need to consolidate or do something a little different. Thanks to everyone for your responses!
 
Living where I do (a suburb of a major metropolitan area); a short term natural disaster (blizzard / hurricane) is the most likely event and is best handled by sheltering-in-place. With these events (again, in my geographical location) the damage tends to be specific and localized, so getting to a hotel, friend or relative is the most realistic and viable option.

Full scale disaster (nuke / plague / asteroid strike w/alien disease) - well then, I am dead. I can barely get home from work (8 miles away) on a Friday before a holiday weekend and the local supermarkets run out of milk and bread before every approaching snowstorm that is hyped by the local newscasters - there is no way that I am going anywhere should there be an apocalypse

I have the essentials; cigars, pipe tobacco, scotch, bourbon and beer. The biggest threat will come once the wife runs out of wine......

I live in that Carolina corridor that has been making the news so much recently, and sheltering in place is definatly my option. As we're in the hurricane corridor anyway, we do rotate the dry goods stores every season. Usually nothing lasts more than two days, so a five day store is totally adequate.

In case of nuclear holocaust we'll break out the lawn chairs and watch the light show. Be an interesting last five seconds.
 
....In case of nuclear holocaust we'll break out the lawn chairs and watch the light show. Be an interesting last five seconds.

Mostly my plan; I plan to make a pass at the wife (using my "end-of-the-world" clause in the marriage agreement) and still have enough time to watch the mushroom cloud
 
Top Bottom