I understand - we all cope with the same issues to different degrees.
Your efforts are appreciated.
We just do what we are able and then help each other along as best we can!
Remember the times right after 9-11-2001 and again when Obama was fist SELECTED the prepper threads were HOT night and day?
Now the demands of everyday life have a way of filling up the days.
And it’s even more difficult for all of us with the economy and society being intentionally pulled apart by the idiots in power.
Bug Out Bags
For this week’s topic – bugout bags – I’ve combined some excellent information from posts from ansel12, Iron Munro, and Tilted Irish Kilt. I’ve kept the information from each one separate, both to give them the credit and so we know who to ask questions to!
ansel12:
I think that for almost everyone, the home BOB is about going to a shelter or a friend’s home, so it should have all the things based on that, the one in the car should be based on living in the car for X days and/or hiking out under worse winter or summer conditions and for the longest distance to your home or occupied houses.
A lot of guys seem to base their BOB on moving to the woods and living off the land which makes zero sense.
Iron Munro:
As far as keeping “Get Home” gear in your vehicle -
For those that like to read SHTF fiction I recommend “GOING HOME” by A. American.
It is an enjoyable read as well as thought provoking.
The author presents some good ideas about what kind of gear might work out in a “Get Home” scenario.
It is book one of a series but is basically a stand-alone narrative about a man having to trek 250 miles to get home after a massive EMP strike.
There is a lengthy excerpt at this link:
Going Home: A Novel by A. American
Paperback ISBN-978-0142181270
Tilted Irish Kilt:
Don’t forget to seasonally adjust what’s in the bug-out/ go bags; separate spare clothes for summer vs. winter wear, with a change of shoes/ boots/socks/ etc.,etc.
The easiest way is to is to have a core of ‘year around’ necessities (generally hygiene, medications, and spare clothes)in an appropriate size zip lock bag
and then have another seperate zip lock bag that you can interchange (keeping it fresh) with other items, including a water container, snacks and nutrition bars.
Iron Munro:
Excellent points.
One of my main seasonal considerations (or determinents) is the heat of the vehicle interior year ‘round but especially in the summer.
The temperature inside a closed vehicle in the summer sun can easily hit 120 to 160 degrees dependent upon your locale.
So the summer sun and the heat build up on BOB’s and other gear in a closed vehicle preclude packing some items I would like to have that I might be able to pack in the winter.
Not only can the intense heat ruin some items in short order it can also reduce the usable life of other items.
Items to think about include butane fuel canisters and lighters, wax candles, some types of energy bars and other foods, etc.
ansel12:
For what it’s worth the coolest part of the car seems to be under the seats.
For things that you have to keep in the car like a flashlight and batteries, and some electronics, try using a soft-sided lunch cooler for storing them under the seat, keep your alkaline batteries separate from the electronics and flashlight, the batteries leak.