Posted on 02/02/2019 1:55:21 PM PST by afterhoursarmory
What is in your bug out bag? Curious what others carry. I am in the north east so my needs / choices will probably be different than a southerner depending on season. My primary bag is what I take to work. It is intended to get me home if I have to go on hoof. Couple MRE's, stainless utensils, change of socks (x2), pair of worn in running shoes (outside bag; loose in car), three 1quart canteens hanging off the bag, 3 quart internal to the bag with "straw"; water purifiers, upgraded medical (field sutures, bandages, pressure bandages, etc); stop the bleed kit, peroxide, assortment of self adhesive bandages (think bandages with neosporin that latch on), some trash bags (keep gear dry; just in case), strike anywhere matches, couple bic lighters, small set of scissors, 3 inch knife, K-Bar, Legal short barreled shotgun in scabbard, 25 round satchel of 3 inch assorted shotgun shells; 50 ft of parachute cord; 50 zip ties and last but not least, "ranger roll" and an iso mat.
Why?
Actually I find the bug out bag discussion rather weird, regardless of how new the poster is.
Fire starting material? This week without a fire, you’d be dead before morning.
What you said, only not with the “Marauder overtones”
Avoiding a camp is MUCH better than raiding a camp. You can get killed that way.
For instance, when I’m survival camping I use a few different styles of fire and stove. Sometimes it’s visible. It’s always visible, really. And in the snow things are a bit quieter. But I often build the fire, then bundle up and sleep outside of the light circle. That way I can get a jump on people who might be stalking the flickering light.
Now I only do this as practice and strategy. I’ve never actually camped in enemy territory or being hunted by people. I just think about this a lot.
So I have my -20 degree bag, and I nap a little bit (Because who sleeps through the night?) and then get up and warm up near whatever fire is left. Always keep that fire going.
I disagree with staying put unless its a natural disaster - though you may get evacuated by Nat Guard anyway.
If its a plague disaster of some kind don’t hesitate to boogie, don’t wait for evac. Don’t wait to get in a Triage line. Just go! Maybe take a few bottles of anti-bacterial solution (stuff for cleaning baby bottles etc) as its gold. Baby formula too. Immodium too. You want to be of value to twenty-something men (prime of life) and they usually have a child who means everything to them.
I have a few BOB blogs... bicycles. Pack a puncture repair set in your BOB. Plenty of bikes will be laying down on the roadside with punctures... ear squishies( one person awake on picket, one person getting undisturbed kip).
Have a target, a goal, don’t meander all over.
It's not really all that cute. And that flight is likely to be a short one. An armed gang can usually take what they want. Armed individuals don't last very long.
If you have got to make your way home solo, best to be quiet and inconspicuous.
WRT a poncho, I recommend any sturdy plastic poncho, nothing that looks military. At least until you are home.
Home Depot , Lowes, Basspro, all sell super cheap ponchos for $4. Those are your spares.
Buy a $14-$20 plastic poncho in a bag for you. Blue.
Nice! same here but no sweet tarts. They still sell those? TP ammo, chips, more ammo and guns.Black Velvet! Oh Jerky.
I hear you man, I’m too old to become a refugee and my home out in the boonies is my refuge of last resort.
But I am assembling a ‘contingency backpack’ to keep in my car in case I’m cut off from returning home by natural or unnatural forces. A few years ago my neighborhood was completely cut off by flooding for a couple days. Thankfully for me and my furry friends I was home when it happened, but next time I might not be.
So for the furry friends I’m using two methods of automatic watering (they can survive weeks without food but only days without water) and getting a set of items together for my car.
I’m actually going to be keeping the items in a ‘contingency bucket’, a big plastic bucket with a sealing top, for better protection. I can keep more items in there than I could easily carry, but my thinking is that I may not have to separate from my vehicle at least at first. If I do have to leave the vehicle, I’ll take a subset of the items with me in a backpack which I also carry in the car.
Oh a couple knives, pitch from pine trees to start fires matches you can use under water, flashlight.
Not quite ten, and no clan. Just me.
But if the SHTF, I’ll not go quietly.
You can't physically put in one bag everything you might need for every possible emergency. Make it an additive process as you gather more information. When you finally can't bug in anymore and have to hit the road, adjust the contents of the bag you are carrying accordingly.
And yeah, do the Grey Man thing. If you have to hit the road a lot of other people will be as well. They can be rivals, they can be teammates, at worst they can be cover. Small teams have more survivability than lone wolves. So do small communities when you reach your destination. You have to sleep sometime and in a fix two gunners are more than twice as good as one.
The only hope I have is if the attackers were few and easily discouraged.
I disagree with staying put unless its a natural disaster
Forrest fire and/or flood are most likely where I live and those I WOULD evacuate for.
You and I have very different outlooks on life....either due to age or geography.
Sunscreen
A beach chair
A towel
A mask & Snorkel
Surf Shoes
Sunglasses
$20 dollars
Considering where you live, an island I believe, that’s a good list. Don’t for get a drink with the umbrella in it.
Knowing your destination you can then begin to plan.
-What event will trigger your departure (power outage, weather event, zombie outbreak, evading the law, avoiding the spouse and/or in-laws)?
--How long will you possibly have to stay there (overnight, days, weeks, until civilization is restored, permanently)?
-How are you going to get there (foot, bicycle, automobile, boat, airplane, horse)?
-Who/what will you have to go through to get there (traffic jams, natural disaster areas, downed trees and power lines, flooding, zombies, geographic obstacles, choke points)?
-How long will it take to get there (hours, days)?
-What will you need for the journey (medicine, cash, precious metals, food, fuel, temporary lodging, clothing, toiletry items, tools, weapons)?
-Who are you going with (solo, family, friends, pets)?
--Are they supporting you or are they relying on you (children, elderly, infirm, pets)?
-Who will be at your destination (family, friends, zombies)?
--Who will be at your destination that's not already there (family, friends, zombies)?
-What will be available at your destination (ATMs, medicine, cash, precious metals, food, fuel, safe lodging, clothing, toiletry items, tools, weapons, electricity, working cell-towers) that you don't need to bring with you?
--What will NOT be available at your destination that you need to bring with you (cash, medicine, precious metals, food, fuel, safe lodging, clothing, toiletry items, electricity)? Depending on this answer, you may need to rethink your destination.
-Do you have any experience with similar situations?
--Do others in your group have any experience with similar situations?
--Do you or others in your group have related experience (first responders, military, scouting, backpacking)?
You may find that while others need to take almost everything imaginable with them, you only need beer, flip-flops, sunscreen, and towels because grandma and grandpa live in a house on a lake in a quiet retirement community. You may also realize that you're not likely to ever bug-out and instead have a pretty neat destination for others. Let me know if so and I'll bring the booze and extra ammo.
Excellent suggestion. Get an amateur license and a good handheld with hf (long distance) capability. However, if it gets to SHTF nobody is going to be checking FCC violations.
I call mine my “Get Home Bag” or my “Crap I Gotta Walk Bag”.
Contents are very similar but here in the Midwest I keep a gym bag with clothes for 4 seasons. Instead of a shotgun I have a 10/22 Takedown with 4 25 round magazines and a cheap Hi Standard .22 revolver.
I do keep a “comfort” kit with baby wipes, tooth brush, mouth wash, soap, wash rag, etc.
L
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