“Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.”
― Gen. George S. Patton
What’s In Your Bug Out Bag?
The contents of a BOB can range from very basic supplies to the most complex stuff you can think of based on the person who plans to carry this bag. What works for the Lazy Bear may not work for you. My bag is essentially a what would I need if I were forced to flee my New Jersey home in the dead of winter after my town was destroyed by a hostile alien force.
RECOMMENDED: Part 1- Build A Bug Out Bag You Can Live With
The Bag-As you may have noticed, there are more “tactical” back packs out there than you can shake a stick at. My top bug out back pack choices were the Maxpedition Condor II and Rush 72(hour) Back Packs.
Believe it or not, it was a hard choice. I based my choice on a few things, online back pack comments, price and manufacturer. All things being fairly equal, I went with the quality I knew and an awesome YouTube video from one of my favorite preppers.
My choice for my BOB was the Maxpedition Condor II. For the most part I followed Sootch’s suggestions but added a few items I felt were of more importance to me.
Trick That Bag
In order to get more utility out of my Condor, I decided to add a few more components such as:
- 1-Maxpedition Anemone Utility Pouch (great for small stuff that you may need to get at often)
- 1-Maxpedition F.I.G.H.T. Pouch (I carry my trauma based IFAK stuff in this)
- 1-Maxpedition FR-1 Medical Pouch (I use this for minor first aid, energy gels and other gear as noted in the video)
- 1-Maxpedition 10” X 4” Bottle Holder (will hold a 32oz water bottle and great place to carry water purification tabs)
Water– As mentioned earlier, water is the most important consideration in a survival situation. Run out of H20 and you’re a goner. It’s not enough to have access to water, you have to have a means to clean it, carry it and finally drink it without getting sick.
In addition to the half dozen emergency water pouches I already have in my bag, my water strategy also includes:
- 1-32oz Nalgene Water Bottle
- 1-Berkey Sport Filter Bottle
- 1-Camel Bak Antidote 50oz bladder
- 2-Bottles Potable Aqua water purification tabs
- 3-Seychelles Pure Water Straws (1 on my key chain, 1 in my Anemone Utility Pouch, 1 in my FR-1 Pouch)
- 1-Stansport 2 Gallon Water Bag
I’m sure some of you are thinking all this water related gear is overkill but when it comes to water, a movie quote comes to mind, “overkill is underrated.”
Food-The Lazy Bear is a big guy and loves to eat. After walking all day I’m really going to love to eat. Burning off calories is a good thing when you’re on a diet, it sucks when you’re in the middle of SHTF situation.
The body needs fuel, I plan to fuel mine by packing:
- 1 Package- SOS or Datrex Food Ration Bars-While these babies don’t taste very good (coconut graham crackers) they come in handy when you’re hungry.
- 5 or 6-Cliff Shot or GU Roctane Energy Gels-These little gel packets are great when you feel the bonk[LINK TO A BONK SITE] coming on and are a great source of quick energy.
- 1 or 2 Mountain House Beef Stew Pro-Paks-While these freeze dried food packs require boiling water, nothing goes down better than some hot beef stew after you find yourself in hiding from that hostile alien force.
- 5 Packages-Chuckles Candy. This sounds like non-essential dead weight but believe me, when things are going bad left and right and you find yourself in a tough spot, nothing can make you feel better than a non-essential comfort item such as candy.
Shelter-Your walk to safety and your family could only last a few hours, it could last a few days. Shelter is an important component you don’t want to skimp on. My primary shelter component is the British Individual Protection Kit I carry in the straps beneath my pack..
An IPK is a 2 pound kit that comes with:
- 5X9 OD tarp
- 6- 10 inch aluminum tent stakes
- 55’ of paracord.
As with anything in any type of survival pack two of anything beat one of anything. To back up the IPK, I also carry:
- 1-Emergency Tube Tent
- 1-Adventure Medical Heat Sheet Survival Blanket
- 4-Mylar Thermal Blankets. Why so many? Why not? You never know when the extras can come in handy or you can help your fellow man out in a pinch and share.
First Aid-All sorts of things are just waiting to jump up and get you during a SHTF situation. Some more easily treated than others. A good basic first aid kit is something you don’t want to leave home without.
A kit acceptable to most preppers should at the very least include items recommended by the Red Cross such as:
- 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
- 25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
- 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
- 5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
- 5 antiseptic wipe packets
- 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
- 1 blanket (space blanket)
- 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
- 1 instant cold compress
- 2 pair of non latex gloves (size: large)
- 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
- Scissors
- 1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)
- 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
- 5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches)
- 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
- Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)
- 2 triangular bandages
- Tweezers
- First aid instruction booklet
These items by themselves make a nice BOB first aid kit. Personally, I take first aid way past the next level by carrying my personal trauma based IFAK great for self aid, buddy aid or helping a guy you come across(check back later for my IFAK contents).
Communications– Communications in a disaster are a must. My IPhone5 is of course part of my communication plan. However during a major incident, cell phones may become a bit unreliable or I may find coverage to be lacking on during my long walk.
In order to stay in touch with my cadre or find out what’s going on out there, I have packed:
1-Motorola MT350R two way radio, the other radio will be with whomever it is I want to speak with.
1-Sony ICF-S10MK2 pocket radio reminiscent of the old school transistor radios. A great low cost item for listening in on official broadcasts and announcements.
My communication gear runs on batteries so I have packed plenty of them away in my pack.
A Good Compass Or Two- If you’re forced off the road and must do an overland hike through the woods, a good compass could come in handy and mean the difference between getting where you’re going or missing it by miles.
I’m sure some of you modern preppers can believe you can rely on GPS to get you where you need to be. Sure there’s are GPS and compass apps on your phone but what if THEY turned off the GPS system.
“December 15th 2004- President Bush has ordered plans for temporarily disabling the U.S. network of global positioning satellites during a national crisis”
This means in the event of a national crisis, the GPS system could be shut down leaving your butt hanging in the navigational wind. Get a good compass and relearn all that good land navigation stuff you’ve forgotten from your old Boy Scout or military basic days.
There you have it, toss in a couple of flash lights, a good knife, a multi-tool (I carry mine in that Anemone pouch) and you have a nice basic Bug Out Bag just waiting for your personal touch.
While I use Sci-Fi, alien or monster invasions as a reason to put together a Bug Out Bag, these fictional events could be compared to real life scenarios such as an approaching super storm, a train derailment that leads to a chemical spill and mandatory evacuations.
Disasters that force us from our homes can come out of nowhere, we can mitigate our personal losses by having a grab and go solution on hand ready.
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