Carrying a bug out bag and multiple weapons

[schapm]

To those planning to bug out with drop holsters and or ankle holsters, have you walked a good distance with either of those on? I've never worn either one, but it seems to me neither would be conducive to bugging out on foot. As far as the multiple long guns thing- do what you have to. For me a third gun would be a .22 pistol in the bag, or just stick with primary long gun and pistol. Definitely not going to be carrying two long guns if I'm ever forced to bug out on foot. Even if I *can* do it, that doesn't mean that it's a good plan, or that the weight wouldn't be better used for other stuff.

 

[.452browning]

One handgun and one long gun. You want to be as light as possible when walking long distances on foot. If you carry extra weapons then you are sacrificing speed, strength, and endurance for extra lbs. of weight you won't need.

 

[IndyBeerman]

To those planning to bug out with drop holsters and or ankle holsters, have you walked a good distance with either of those on? I've never worn either one, but it seems to me neither would be conducive to bugging out on foot. As far as the multiple long guns thing- do what you have to. For me a third gun would be a .22 pistol in the bag, or just stick with primary long gun and pistol. Definitely not going to be carrying two long guns if I'm ever forced to bug out on foot. Even if I *can* do it, that doesn't mean that it's a good plan, or that the weight wouldn't be better used for other stuff.

To me a drop holster is no different than an belt holster, other than the fact that it's riding your thigh, which will make readily available to reach wearing a back pack. So why do you think it would not be good while bugging out on foot?

An ankle holster, no way I'm ever going to wear one, besides imagine trying to wear one trudging through bad weather and horrible ground conditions that can effect it.

 

[bingley]

Don't forget that even if you could hump 50 lbs on a good day, at bug out time you may be sick and weak from contaminated water, disaster stress, a flare up of some chronic illness, etc. When the STHF, we can't do as much as we normally can.

I'm not sure what sort of scenario you are thinking of that requires bugging out on foot with three guns. For most people that additional weight will mean less water, less food, less survival equipment. What kind of plan requires that sort of armament?

 

[churchmouse]

A drop holster and a tactical vest will distribute the weight around on your body. My gear is a bit heavy as the wife is involved so there I go. She is humping the cloths etc in her pack and I have the main weight of the gear. I have not put an exact weight to my gear bag as yet because it is ever evolving. My daughter and hubby are right next door and they are involved so the load is spread even more but then, there are more of us. Put the 5 yr. old grand child in the mix and it gets more complicated. My son is also in this plan and he is young and in shape as is the son in-law. That is a plus. With all involved the weapons and ammo can be spread out among us so each has a specific task. It seems sound on paper. We are putting it to a test in the woods soon. Maybe a little red wagon.......HHMMMM

 

[Icarry2]

I have a bug out bag that has what I want and what i think I may need, but the problem I am running into is I can't feasibly carry the three weapons i need and the ammo. Does anyone have any good ideas or anything they have came up with?

IMHO, a BOB is to get you from where you are to a BOL. That is is...

What you will need along the way depends on so many factors that unless we are you and know the route, the terrain, the distance, the destination, the time of year, the weather, the condition your in, the condition others traveling with you are in, etc we can't help you decide what you need to be carrying..

I have a flow chart made up for some scenarios, I would hope that everyone else would have some sort of decision making process.

In other words,

make a list of the reasons you would leave your current residence
make a plan on where you can possibly go, if you only have one possible location then concentrate on that
have multiple ways to get there, walk, car/truck, bike, boat, etc.
have multiple routes, roads, cross country, rail road, river, etc.
have an idea of where you could safely stash supplies along each route,
Stash some supplies..
Know where you can get to to make a camp if necessary, scout the locations ahead of time.. like tomorrow..
Know ahead of time what locations you can get to depending on the weather, having to back track because of problems, etc.

make sure that you have what it takes in your BOB for you and all your responsible to make it no matter which way or which route you go..

The base line is walking the longest distance to your BOL. How far can you walk wearing what amount of weight? If you do not know this you are ill prepared..

Everything other then walking the long way should be easier..

Security is important but so is stealth, blending in, hiding, basic E&E stuff. Again, if you have not thought about all of this your ill prepared..

So lets give a senario to put this all in prespective..

Lets say I live where it is all flat, where I have to get to is all flat no matter how I go.. Lets say I have to walk a distance of 35 miles from point A (A being anywhere you normally are in the course of a week, month, etc) to your BOL. If your wakling flat land you can see things coming at you from far off right? Wouldn't want to have a shotty for long range protection..

How long would it take you to walk 35 miles carrying 10 pounds? That would be whats in your pockets and a gallon of water.

How long would it take you to walk that same distance with only 10 pounds in the pouring rain?

A blizzard?

In 100 degree weather?

Do you see the complexity yet?

As stated before, planning, and doing are much different, if you haven't planned, don't even try to do, stay put..

Just some thoughts from a rambling mind..

Hope you are all well..

 

[churchmouse]

IMHO, a BOB is to get you from where you are to a BOL. That is is...

What you will need along the way depends on so many factors that unless we are you and know the route, the terrain, the distance, the destination, the time of year, the weather, the condition your in, the condition others traveling with you are in, etc we can't help you decide what you need to be carrying..

I have a flow chart made up for some scenarios, I would hope that everyone else would have some sort of decision making process.

In other words,

make a list of the reasons you would leave your current residence
make a plan on where you can possibly go, if you only have one possible location then concentrate on that
have multiple ways to get there, walk, car/truck, bike, boat, etc.
have multiple routes, roads, cross country, rail road, river, etc.
have an idea of where you could safely stash supplies along each route,
Stash some supplies..
Know where you can get to to make a camp if necessary, scout the locations ahead of time.. like tomorrow..
Know ahead of time what locations you can get to depending on the weather, having to back track because of problems, etc.

make sure that you have what it takes in your BOB for you and all your responsible to make it no matter which way or which route you go..

The base line is walking the longest distance to your BOL. How far can you walk wearing what amount of weight? If you do not know this you are ill prepared..

Everything other then walking the long way should be easier..

Security is important but so is stealth, blending in, hiding, basic E&E stuff. Again, if you have not thought about all of this your ill prepared..

So lets give a senario to put this all in prespective..

Lets say I live where it is all flat, where I have to get to is all flat no matter how I go.. Lets say I have to walk a distance of 35 miles from point A (A being anywhere you normally are in the course of a week, month, etc) to your BOL. If your wakling flat land you can see things coming at you from far off right? Wouldn't want to have a shotty for long range protection..

How long would it take you to walk 35 miles carrying 10 pounds? That would be whats in your pockets and a gallon of water.

How long would it take you to walk that same distance with only 10 pounds in the pouring rain?

A blizzard?

In 100 degree weather?

Do you see the complexity yet?

As stated before, planning, and doing are much different, if you haven't planned, don't even try to do, stay put..

Just some thoughts from a rambling mind..

Hope you are all well..

Put some thought and effort into that buddy. +1

 

[The Mechanic]

My 2 cents,Training is the key.Build your pack then put it to the test.you will learn what you really need.Shoot all you can afford not just off a bench at the range,if you dont have real life skills ( military,LE,or even hunting)consider proffesional training.Competition is a good way to get training + cheap range time,USPSA,IDPA are a great way to sharpen and keep your handgun skills.By training regularly you will learn what your limitations are,what weapons you really want to carry.

 

[WC Deer Hunter]

A lot of so called bug out specialists that I have personally met, couldn't carry 20 lbs of anything more than a quarter mile. Sometimes we need to spend some time thinking about staying put, instead of running for the hills. I'm just saying. Don't forget to involve your neighbors as you'll be needing all the help you can get, and so will they.

This^^^

Not all of us have a BOL to go to. Where I live is about as good a place as any other I could go. I live in a small rural community, fresh water close by, and plenty of wild game close by. I don't think that I'll be leaving. I plan on BO right here at home if the need arises. To big a family to worry about BO as well.

 

[repeter1977]

As more then a couple stated, might be a good idea to test your gear out. Depending on what you wore while in the Army and what you have, I know I have 2 slightly similar sets myself, so I dont have to retrain my brain in that time of stress. Hopefully you would not need to bug out, I have mine prepared in case, but I personally plan on staying put, as its easier with all the gear that I have for just in case. However, when supplies dwindle, I do have plans as well. Make sure you have a good dependable vehicle as well. Good luck

 

[Sailor]

A lot of so called bug out specialists that I have personally met, couldn't carry 20 lbs of anything more than a quarter mile. Sometimes we need to spend some time thinking about staying put, instead of running for the hills. I'm just saying. Don't forget to involve your neighbors as you'll be needing all the help you can get, and so will they.

Amen. Opinions are better when you have used it, tested it, or done it.

 

[Sailor]

Practice going lowpro with full battle rigs, its easy.

C-Indy you have stated in the past you specifically were not going to be all tactical because you would be a target? Change your mind I assume?

 

[hotfarmboy1]

This is why I'm glad I'm on a farm. Its flat ground so I can see in all directions. We get water from a well and there are woods nearby that we own that we could hunt out of. Even a couple ponds to fish from. If the need arises I'm staying home if at all possible. That is why I mostly just have a Get Home Bag that I keep in the vehicle with me at all times. It is mostly for if I'm somewhere a long ways from home and the shtf, with my vehicle disabled. It has the necessities to be able to make it home. When I go for walks, I take it with me so I can get used to it.

 

[Zoub]

I have a bug out bag that has what I want and what i think I may need, but the problem I am running into is I can't feasibly carry the three weapons i need and the ammo. Does anyone have any good ideas or anything they have came up with?

Yeah, the military calls it E&E training. My Dad started drilling me with it age 9. It works, very well. Watch the Movie Bat 21 for an example of it.

Once you are a refugee on foot, you need to plan to get from Point A to Point B. A weapon is 1% of that plan.

Risk mitigation. Minimize your risk exposure. Minimize your time spent as a refugee. Planning to be a refugee is bad but IF you have to be one, know how to do it right. The more time you spend afield as a refugee, the more likely you are to be dead, armed or not.

Most people fail to comprehend this simple fact: If they are between Point A and Point B they are a refugee in control of nothing. No amount of weapons will change the outcome. Armed refugees will be killed ASAP by all kinds of forces.

I would rather have 2 handguns, binos, map & compass with plenty of water then 50lbs of weapons and ammo. I will watch you die from a distance with my binos and use the intel gathered from your mistakes to plan my route. With water and skills, I can afford to be patient and let others be on point.

 

[churchmouse]

Yeah, the military calls it E&E training. My ad started drilling me with it age 9. It works, very well. Watch the Movie Bat21 for an example of it.

Once you are a refugee on foot, you need to plan to get from Point A to Point B. A weapon is 1% of that plan.

Risk mitigation. Minimize your risk exposure. Minimize your time spent as a refugee. Planning to be a refugee is bad but IF you have to be one, know how to do it right. The more time you spend afield as a refugee, the more likely you are to be dead, armed or not.

Most people fail to comprehend this simple fact: If they are between Point A and Point B they are a refugee in control of nothing. No amount of weapons will change the outcome. Armed refugees will be killed ASAP by all kinds of forces.

I would rather have 2 handguns, binos, map & compass with plenty of water then 50lbs of weapons and ammo. I will watch you die from a distance with my binos and use the intel gathered from your mistakes to plan my route. With water and skills, I can afford to be patient and let others be on point.

Best explanation yet given. If in a BO situation you would be a refugee crossing through possibly hostile territory. Light, fast and under the radar.

 

[Zoub]

Best explanation yet given. If in a BO situation you would be a refugee crossing through possibly hostile territory. Light, fast and under the radar.

But it evolved from the best ever explanation that ended with this:

"The guy who carries two .45's and lives in a fantasy that he will win a gun fight behind enemy lines against a bunch of motivated individuals with AK's has already decided how he is going to die."

EDIT: Bold added to place proper real life emphasis. This quote came from a man often hunted by motivated individuals.

 

[churchmouse]

But it evolved from the best ever explanation that ended with this:

"The guy who carries two .45's and lives in a fantasy that he will win a gun fight behind enemy lines against a bunch of motivated individuals with AK's has already decided how he is going to die."

How disheartening, I thought Rambo was for real.....

 

[Zoub]

How disheartening, I thought Rambo was for real.....

He was, but he had a .32 in his boot and a Kabar in his hand.

 

[bingley]

But it evolved from the best ever explanation that ended with this:

"The guy who carries two .45's and lives in a fantasy that he will win a gun fight behind enemy lines against a bunch of motivated individuals with AK's has already decided how he is going to die."

EDIT: Bold added to place proper real life emphasis. This quote came from a man often hunted by motivated inviduals.

I'm glad Zoub posted this. Often I feel there is an overemphasis on firearms in preparation discussions. In the vast majority of situations, the basic things come first: food, water, warmth, shelter, etc. Even when there is a possibility of encountering hostiles, evasion is often the best strategy, especially if you are alone or small in number. Violence is often the last resort, not necessarily because we are high moral creatures, but because it's often not the best way of solving a problem practically speaking. We should have defenses, but that shouldn't come at the expense of everything else you will need.

Take a look at this: The 7 core areas of preparedness by Patrice Lewis Issue #133

You're not Rambo either

A popular whimsy among some male survivalists is the Rambo fantasy. They have vague thoughts of gunning down any and all threats to their survival. Let a starving mother with a crying toddler knock on the door and plead for a bowl of cereal, and Mr. Rambo will threaten to blow her away rather than treat her with compassion. (That said, my elderly aunt who lives in Louisiana told me how this was a common ploy for home invasion robberies after Hurricane Katrina hit.)

This kind of hyper-machismo is asking for trouble. I firmly believe part of being prepared is being suitably armed, but if you'll pardon my French, don't start talking from your balls. Be sensible in your defenses.

 

[churchmouse]

Sound logic. The issue with my prep is always the kids. Starving mom scenario mentioned above. That is a tough one. Can you save them all?? of course not.