Bug Out Bags 101

[Exodus]

The last time my wife bought a box I grabbed a handful and put them in the bag.

 

[daedrian]

Gotta love tampons for emergency first aid. small, light weight, sterile, and deploy is seconds.

 

[marinemom]

Thanks for the info. I found some interesting additions I need to make to our BOB.

 

[marinemom]

Does anyone with kids have muliple BOBs? Most of our guys are big enough to carry their own now and prepping for 6 is not easy in one bag. Thoughts? Experience?

 

[6mm Shoot]

The wife and I have taken a different approach. Our plan is to stay put if at all possible.

If not then we will bug out with our travel trailer. It is loaded with every thing just like the house. If we had to leave now all we would have to do is put the dogs in it and go.

Now we do have get home bags. We have one in the car and the truck. They are shoulder bags, like range bags. They have space blankets, first aid, food, knives, extra mags for c.c.w., G.P.S. lights, tp, water purification system, shovel, four MREs, food bars. home made energy bars and a bunch of other stuff that we add as we need it. Meds and such.

Now I do have a hunting pack that if we are taking a trip it goes with us in the trailer. Then we have a back packs for just that. They stay in the tailer till we use them.

Now to be quite honest with you I am not capable of back packing like I was in the past. If we are talking about going thirty miles on foot that I could do. If we are talking about more than 100 I will never make it nor would my wife be able to. So really if you can't drive to it then I am in trouble. Just part of getting old and being honest with your self.

As I said at the top of the page we plan to stay here. We have enough land to live off of it. We know the people around us and we are far enough away from the city that we should be safe.

Now if we are talking war on American soil there will be no safe place.

 

[hoosiersasquatch]

The wife and I have taken a different approach. Our plan is to stay put if at all possible.

If not then we will bug out with our travel trailer. It is loaded with every thing just like the house. If we had to leave now all we would have to do is put the dogs in it and go.

Now we do have get home bags. We have one in the car and the truck. They are shoulder bags, like range bags. They have space blankets, first aid, food, knives, extra mags for c.c.w., G.P.S. lights, tp, water purification system, shovel, four MREs, food bars. home made energy bars and a bunch of other stuff that we add as we need it. Meds and such.

Now I do have a hunting pack that if we are taking a trip it goes with us in the trailer. Then we have a back packs for just that. They stay in the tailer till we use them.

Now to be quite honest with you I am not capable of back packing like I was in the past. If we are talking about going thirty miles on foot that I could do. If we are talking about more than 100 I will never make it nor would my wife be able to. So really if you can't drive to it then I am in trouble. Just part of getting old and being honest with your self.

As I said at the top of the page we plan to stay here. We have enough land to live off of it. We know the people around us and we are far enough away from the city that we should be safe.

Now if we are talking war on American soil there will be no safe place.

I think this is a valid point, I have often thought at what point do I "bug out" So far we have encountered long term power outages in our area, but with the thought in mind, all things will eventually be back to normal. I have been compiling a SHTF box in the garage to maintain our homestead thinking it will go into the back of the truck with everything else I can haul if I do have to bug out. We have batteries, hand held CBs and the usual items mentioned in the box. But I am of the same thought, being in the country and knowing your neighbors, I am going to stick it out at home unless their there is a war of sorts on American soil.

 

[EvilBlackGun]

Bugging Out AND Bugging In, sort of.

Both spouse and I can hoof it to our BOL, with 30-lb BOBs. Our BOL is a storage barn, 30x100 feet, well stocked w fuel, survival items and a trike-ATV that was for sale cheap, and has a generator/inverter. We'll have to leave the house and garage to chance, hoping and praying for the best, doors not locked.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

The wife and I have taken a different approach. Our plan is to stay put if at all possible.

If not then we will bug out with our travel trailer. It is loaded with every thing just like the house. If we had to leave now all we would have to do is put the dogs in it and go.

Now we do have get home bags. We have one in the car and the truck. They are shoulder bags, like range bags. They have space blankets, first aid, food, knives, extra mags for c.c.w., G.P.S. lights, tp, water purification system, shovel, four MREs, food bars. home made energy bars and a bunch of other stuff that we add as we need it. Meds and such.

Now I do have a hunting pack that if we are taking a trip it goes with us in the trailer. Then we have a back packs for just that. They stay in the tailer till we use them.

Now to be quite honest with you I am not capable of back packing like I was in the past. If we are talking about going thirty miles on foot that I could do. If we are talking about more than 100 I will never make it nor would my wife be able to. So really if you can't drive to it then I am in trouble. Just part of getting old and being honest with your self.

As I said at the top of the page we plan to stay here. We have enough land to live off of it. We know the people around us and we are far enough away from the city that we should be safe.

Now if we are talking war on American soil there will be no safe place.

If you don't think you'll be able to walk - if you have to - then may I suggest you look into a couple of suitably-equipped bicycles to put in or on your trailer. You can move enormous loads just pushing a bicycle loaded with equipment, loads that you couldn't carry on your back.

If things get bad enough that you HAVE to leave, you had better be prepared for as many contingencies as you can; roads may be impassible or you may have multiple flat tires due to chance or "enemy action" which will keep you from using your vehicle/trailer combination to get to your intended destination. "Mountain bikes" are relatively sturdy and can be had relatively inexpensively.

 

[Jakob]

I think the best options would be 1. stay at home as long as possible. 2. drive to somewhere you plan to go in your car (with all food/BOB equipment), if you have to "keep driving" to avoid any kind of disaster situation, and eventually run out of gas (after 300 miles or so depending how large your tank is) then you would only take the BOB with you (or live out of the car temporarily while you use up the food you've stored and taken with you)

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I think the best options would be 1. stay at home as long as possible. 2. drive to somewhere you plan to go in your car (with all food/BOB equipment), if you have to "keep driving" to avoid any kind of disaster situation, and eventually run out of gas (after 300 miles or so depending how large your tank is) then you would only take the BOB with you (or live out of the car temporarily while you use up the food you've stored and taken with you)

The problem with 1. is that by the time you figure out that you can't stay in place, it may be too late to leave.

The problem with 2. is that you won't achieve nearly the mileage you think you can go if everyone else is trying to leave at the same time. Check out some of the Hurricane Katrina pre-event evacuation stories.

People who attempt to ride out a disaster "in place" (and it's a judgement call) may find their "place" untenable due to natural, man-made, or "Act of God" circumstances. You see it every time there is a hurricane somewhere; you see it in the vicinity of volcanoes (ask the ghost of Harry Truman lurking in the ruins of Spirit Lake if you don't believe me) and earthquakes; and you see it during civil unrest. If you can't defend your homestead and if it doesn't provide you with shelter - for whatever reason - you either die in place or dis-place and go elsewhere. If you haven't looked closely at the mechanisms and circumstances that will cause you to relocate, your chances of doing it successfully are slender - certainly less than if you make plans for every contingency you can think of.

 

[BlueCollarBullsEye]

I keep a BOB in my vehicle. With Winter upon us I was curious if some of you more experienced preppers have advice on keeping my water in my bag from freezing? Thanks in advance for any and all ideas.

 

[apache67]

Hey, guys! This is my first post, so bear with me. Glad to find you guys.

This morning there was an explosion on the south side of Indy and many people were forced to evacuate their homes quickly. To the community's credit, a shelter was set up and supplies were rushed in asap, but it occurred to me that this type of event is exactly why we create a BOB in the first place.

Just imagine getting a knock on the door in the middle of the night with someone telling you to GET OUT NOW!! Explosions may not happen every day, but it could happen for any number of reasons. Most people had to rush out with only the clothes on their backs. Wonder how many took their BOBs? Probably not many...

 

[Meister]

Hey, guys! This is my first post, so bear with me. Glad to find you guys.

This morning there was an explosion on the south side of Indy and many people were forced to evacuate their homes quickly. To the community's credit, a shelter was set up and supplies were rushed in asap, but it occurred to me that this type of event is exactly why we create a BOB in the first place.

Just imagine getting a knock on the door in the middle of the night with someone telling you to GET OUT NOW!! Explosions may not happen every day, but it could happen for any number of reasons. Most people had to rush out with only the clothes on their backs. Wonder how many took their BOBs? Probably not many...

The ones that didn't head for the shelter are the ones with BOB's. The BOB doesn't help if you don't have a plan.

 

[apache67]

True. The ones with a BOB probably already had an evac plan.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I keep a BOB in my vehicle. With Winter upon us I was curious if some of you more experienced preppers have advice on keeping my water in my bag from freezing? Thanks in advance for any and all ideas.

I can only speak from personal experience where I live, but I leave my car outside all winter (only cover it up when there's expected to be a big snowfall or freezing rain) and I keep bottled water in the back of the car year round. While occasionally ice forms inside the bottles, it hasn't split them and I've never had them freeze solid. With water stashed in a pack, there is additional insulation to maintain their temperature.

While you don't want to drink cold water in a survival situation (if you can help it), I'd suggest that you keep your personal-use water container under your outer clothing to warm it and not worry too much about the rest of your water supply freezing.

 

[10-32]

I can only speak from personal experience where I live, but I leave my car outside all winter (only cover it up when there's expected to be a big snowfall or freezing rain) and I keep bottled water in the back of the car year round. While occasionally ice forms inside the bottles, it hasn't split them and I've never had them freeze solid. With water stashed in a pack, there is additional insulation to maintain their temperature.

While you don't want to drink cold water in a survival situation (if you can help it), I'd suggest that you keep your personal-use water container under your outer clothing to warm it and not worry too much about the rest of your water supply freezing.

That needs to be based upon if you're starting to sweat or not. Last thing you want to be doing is wearing cloths soaked with sweat in the cold. If you start to sweat while out in the cold performing what ever activity, you need to regulate your core temp by either shedding some cloths or the intake of cold water.

 

[BlueCollarBullsEye]

Thanks Blackhawk 2001 ...I appreciate the reply. I'm a greenhorn and I want to be prepared.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

That needs to be based upon if you're starting to sweat or not. Last thing you want to be doing is wearing cloths soaked with sweat in the cold. If you start to sweat while out in the cold performing what ever activity, you need to regulate your core temp by either shedding some cloths or the intake of cold water.

It's much easier and safer in a survival situation to regulate your core temperature by opening and closing layers of clothing. No survival instructor I've ever encountered has recommended drinking cold water to reduce the body's core temperature in cold weather. While you need to stay hydrated in ANY situation, it's much better to keep a water bottle/container inside your clothing to warm it before you drink it.

 

[daedrian]

Mykel Hawk ate snow on the Alaska episode of Man, Woman, Wild in order to regulate his body temp to keep from sweating. I don't know that I would do it that way because of the increase in caloric needs that would cause, but that's just me.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Mykel Hawk ate snow on the Alaska episode of Man, Woman, Wild in order to regulate his body temp to keep from sweating. I don't know that I would do it that way because of the increase in caloric needs that would cause, but that's just me.

Different people deal in different ways with the environment. I once took a cold-weather survival course from a guy who was wearing cargo shorts when the weather was 20 degrees. He was fine; I was shivering in my multiple layers.

Having said that, the body's "thermostat" is located in the thorax, not the head. When you are in a survival situation - as opposed to an outdoor sports situation - it is important to regulate your body heat in such a way that you minimize perspiration (you never eliminate it entirely) without becoming dehydrated. Cold water in the stomach requires the body to burn more calories to digest it. If you've got lots of calories to spare (like when you've got an entire film crew following you around in your "survival" situation), you don't have to worry about the effects of cold water on your body's furnace. When calories are limited, it's better to pre-warm water before drinking it, if you are able. If you need to cool off, the more efficient way to do so is to open or remove layers of insulation from your torso - and do it before you start to sweat.

(I've heard that when military uniforms are used in movies, they have to be inaccurate in at least one respect. Considering some of the off-the-wall "advice" I've seen or heard of emanating from these various "reality survival shows" I wonder if they're required to give at least one inaccurate or outright stupid comment per episode.)