Bug out bag contents

[Bcgarrick]

First post here and I was wondering what to out in my bug out bag? I will be keeping it in my vehicle and will stay there until needed.


I would like a good bag recommendation as well, I am looking at the rush 24 or something similar...

Thanks in advance and I hope to gain lots of knowledge in this forum!

[The Stig]

Welcome to the forums....glad you found us.

I have to run and will come back later tonight to comment in more detail.

You might check out THIS THREAD (http://www.shtfready.com/equipment-basic-supplies/your-emergency-loadout-37.html) or THIS THREAD (http://www.shtfready.com/equipment-basic-supplies/bug-out-bag-philosphy-287.html) or THIS THREAD (http://www.shtfready.com/equipment-basic-supplies/ten-essentials-backpacking-530.html) to get your creative juices flowing.

If you get a second, here are some questions for you that will help us reply with more useful information:

If you "bug out" where are you going? To the wilderness? Your parents house across town? A prepared location 100 miles away?

If you "bug out" how long will you stay there? Forever? A couple days? Until the event is over?

If you "bug out" what sort of terrain are we talking about? Going overland? Heavily forested? Through the desert? Simply drive there?

Look forward to discussing further....

[izzyscout21]

Welcome to the forum. I'll second Stig's post and add that those are great threads. Take a second to glance over them and then ask any questions you may have. The members here will help you out in a heartbeat.

Also If you have a momnet, head over to this thread and help us get to know you:
http://www.shtfready.com/town-hall/welcome-new-members-introduce-yourselves-here-10.html

[Bcgarrick]

Welcome to the forums....glad you found us.

I have to run and will come back later tonight to comment in more detail.

You might check out THIS THREAD (http://www.shtfready.com/equipment-basic-supplies/your-emergency-loadout-37.html) or THIS THREAD (http://www.shtfready.com/equipment-basic-supplies/bug-out-bag-philosphy-287.html) or THIS THREAD (http://www.shtfready.com/equipment-basic-supplies/ten-essentials-backpacking-530.html) to get your creative juices flowing.

If you get a second, here are some questions for you that will help us reply with more useful information:

If you "bug out" where are you going? To the wilderness? Your parents house across town? A prepared location 100 miles away?

If you "bug out" how long will you stay there? Forever? A couple days? Until the event is over?

If you "bug out" what sort of terrain are we talking about? Going overland? Heavily forested? Through the desert? Simply drive there?

Look forward to discussing further....

If I "bug out" it all depends on my situation or what issue is at hand that required me to do so, I will likely head to some sort of other location or safe house but I would like to be prepared for woods survival too.

My area of woods would be thick brush and pine trees to swampy muddy, creek or river areas and I would be there until the event is over or stay a couple days before moving forward.

I know I would have a change of clothes, some fire materials, heater meals, a knife or two, my firearm which I always have.

[Stormfeather]

If I "bug out" it all depends on my situation or what issue is at hand that required me to do so, I will likely head to some sort of other location or safe house but I would like to be prepared for woods survival too.

My area of woods would be thick brush and pine trees to swampy muddy, creek or river areas and I would be there until the event is over or stay a couple days before moving forward.

I know I would have a change of clothes, some fire materials, heater meals, a knife or two, my firearm which I always have.

Theres a good start, now expand on it! What other items will you need? A spool of monofiliament fishing line?, great for fishing, trapping, Firestarter? What will you do for clean drinking water in that swampy muddy creek? All these things plus 3000 more. . . its up to you to decide what works best for you, all we can do is offer guidance and opinions. Ultimately, its up to you!

[bacpacker]

Welcome BC, glad you ran across us. Sounds like you have a decent start and ideas on what you need. One thing I find useful is to think of various senario's and work out what I think I might need to meet that challenge. A lot of senario's will need very similar goods so that makes things easier.
A lot of senario's don't require a bugout, and that needs to be accounted for as well. I look forward to sharing ideas with you.

[GunnerMax]

If you want a good starter bag, LApolicegear.com has their 3 day bag running for about $30 that is solid, loaded with MOLLE, and rather comfortable LA Police Gear 3 Day Backpack (http://www.lapolicegear.com/diplomat-3-day-backpack1.html)

Other than that, welcome to the forums and read the suggestions from the more experienced people above me.

[digdug18]

Depending on where you are located at in the US, you might consider taking a regional survival course, or atleast a fire starting course. It's good to know how to start a fire with just a bow drill for instance, how to make a bow drill, etc.

[Evolver]

Welcome to the board. As far as a good BOB goes (pack style) I like ones with a padded waste belt so you can carry most of the weight of the load on your hips rather that your shoulders. I use a old style Lowe internal frame but would like to get the 5.11 Rush 72 they do have some good reveiws.

[The Stig]

If I "bug out" it all depends on my situation or what issue is at hand that required me to do so, I will likely head to some sort of other location or safe house but I would like to be prepared for woods survival too.

My area of woods would be thick brush and pine trees to swampy muddy, creek or river areas and I would be there until the event is over or stay a couple days before moving forward.

I know I would have a change of clothes, some fire materials, heater meals, a knife or two, my firearm which I always have.

With the caveat that I am not much on the "live in the woods" scenario and honestly have given up that being any part of my plans......

I'd start with the basics....

Food, water (or means to filter it), some way to make shelter (ie a tarp, lightweight tent, etc) and some from of protection.

Depending on how far you might have to travel you might consider an extra pair of footwear and socks along with a change of clothes.

I'd look at some from of comms such as an emergency windup radio, some handhelds, etc so you can continue to gather information.

Light it handy so I'd try to pack a verity of light making devices from traditional flashlights, to LED lights, to candles to flares.

Med kits are obvious. If you're going to be be-boping through the woods a trauma kit that can deal with sprains, broken legs, impact injuries from falls, puncture wounds, etc is important.

Maps of your area, whether paper or electronic (both), compass, notebook of various routes to get from point A to points B, C and D.

Overall I'd suggest focusing on keeping things lightweight and making sure whatever gets included can be used in a number of different ways.

Hope this helps somewhat.

[Zombiehuntereky]

I would highly recommend Build the Perfect Survival Kit by John D. McCann. Myself and Miltunnelrat swear by it. It will save you alot of money.

[apssbc]

I agree with what everyone else has said so far. I only have a few things to add.

1. Make a list of your possible shtf scenarios from most likely to least. For example you live on the San Andreas fault, top priority zombie apocalypse ;) just kidding. Your main worry should be a earthquake. If in Florida hurricanes then move down the list to least likely anal probing alien attack ;)

2. Spend decent money on a pack that is comfortable on you. You will find you may buy and sell alot of items at first. Start small and cheap till you figure out what works. Maybe a medium Alice will work well for you for now. When you do get your pack don't overload it because it will make the difference between a comfortable carry to pure hell.

3. Do research before you buy. It will save you money. Ask questions! Well help ya.

4. You don't need everything at once build up to it. Don't squander your money on a bunch of shit just to find it dosent work for you. Save up and make a prepping priority list.

5. For god sakes get out and train. No bs your brain is more important then the latest quantum crypto comms gear...Or the latest death ray. If you have the equipment but don't know how to use it it dosent matter how cool your gear is because you will die and someone else will have your cool guy gear. Develop your brain, always learn, and stay sharp. Knowledge is the most important prep.

That all I got for now. I'll be stepping off my soap box. Welcome to the community.

AP

[LUNCHBOX]

Bcg, welcome. I as most of the other members could recommend a dictionary full of items. You stated that you have an idea what your location will consist of....my suggestion is go out and see what is in store for you, IMO pine trees make a good temp shelter (Wayward pines best) There are always the main areas to cover--shelter, fire, food and safety (medical & security) start with these basics and move on from there.

Also, if your just getting started there is a classifieds section where members are always passing on some gear.

[TEOTWAWKI13]

Welcome aboard...all I can add is I've been prepping for a few years, and to what extent I'm able giving money, resources and time. I'm no expert. These guys here are what I call the best of the best. I do have a couple of things to add.

1. Make sure your gear can be multi use where applicable. Meaning, if one tool can perform 5 functions, you don't need 5 tools.

2. From my backpacking experience, always remember, ounces = pounds. Don't throw a bunch of extra crap in a bag thinking "it don't weigh much". 10 things that don't weigh much weigh a ton when you're having to hump 30 miles.

3. One of the first 'rules' I learned, 2 is 1 and 1 is none. For example, a water filter is good. A water filter and some purification tablets are better, cause the water filter might get cracked in a fall.

[Optimist]

Bugout bag is designed to give you three days of supplies (some of us prep for a week) that you can grab and exit, stage left.... The really well prepared and trained ones of us can probably do that out of what we keep in our pockets.