My Bugout Bag Kit

now for the minimalists you really only need the 5 C's or 10 C's of survival in your BOB to get to your BOL
or GHB an INCH bag i wont cover here.

5 c's are: cordage, cover, combustion, cutting tool, container
additonal 5 c's for a 10 c's is: candle, cotton bandana, compass, cargo tape, canvas needle

i however like to have some luxuries with me so here is what i have my bag use to weigh like 50+ pounds
down to about 40 now. any constructive critique is fine to help me slim it down.

food:
trail mix
2 MRE's can be broken down to 6 very small meals
salt and pepper
utensils
mini pot

clothes:
socks, gloves
underwear, shorts, t-shirt

cover:
10 x 10 tarp and 50 feet of paracord
space blanket

ammo:
1 box of pistol ammo 50 rds
2 boxes of rifle ammo 200 rds

light:
1 head lamp
extra batteries
1 flashlight

water:
1 frontier filter 10 gals
1 life straw 10,000 gals?
1 klean kanteen singled walled

meds:
1 mini med kit
fish antibiotic(yes the binders are not good for you)
halls cough drops
iodate radiation pills
ace bandaid
chap stick

fire:
1 esbit stove and tabs
matches
magnesium bar and striker
cotton balls and vasaline
1 50 hour candle

tools:
hatchet
bear grylls knife
more kniv
folding knife
wingman multi tool
mini hand saw
water key
allen wrenches
knife sharpener plus extra blades
fishing kit

other:
writing kit
monocular
2 outdoor mini books

anything i missed? anything needs to be removed?

1st BOL i have is 15 miles away
2nd BOL is 80 miles away as the crow flies
3rd BOL is just a place in the forest i know well and is 20 miles away
4th BOL is a forest station about 60 miles away

 

Very complete kit, Wally. Good job! Just a few items I might add.

Clothes: I would add a jacket or fleece. Something with long sleeves for warmth. Maybe a hat of some sort. Sunglasses(?) optional.

Cover: A couple of large industrial strength trash bags.

Meds: Maybe they are in the kit already but aspirin/Tylenol, Benadryl, Neosporin, Immodium?

Fire: Throw in a Bic Lighter, even a mini. Small, cheap, no weight. A whole lot easier.

Other: Do you keep cash in your BOB? You may not need it in the woods, but you might need it along the way. Keep small bills, nothing over $20.00. No ATM's. No one will make change.

Good post.

 

I noticed you only specified shorts and not long trousers/jeans. Just wondering why?

 

Anything you put inside there should be dictated by your own personal and LOCAL situation & condition. There is no such thing as one size fit all solution / kit.

You also forget to mention your general location / region. Also if I ever need any firearm for bugging out I prefer either pump action shotgun or rifle

 

Ooooh, don't forget the bog roll!

 

Good afternoon Wally,


Blitz and Varuna already wrote my key comment. Much first depends on the geography, topography, climate/weather and specifics to individual Prepper.

Here on the other side of the fruited plain in Hurricane Alley, I would never leave here without a hard hat with face shield. Walking in a hurricane wind is like sandpaper rubbed on face. I use the pith helmet style in "plastic" - no aluminum anything. The hat has a mounted light and inside the helmet rigging is a mosquito net (actually a bee keepers net w/o hula hoop. The chin strap - I have an addition of 550 para cord - has a whistle.

My helmet is orange for safety and for additional safety next to folded bee net is an olive green plastic hat cover for gray man application.

........

Madam and I have walking sticks. Both are PVC pipe. Mine is configured to fit a cattle prod. I live in a forest on a tidal flood plain and we have a squirrel problem, inter alia - amongst other things. Madam's has a strobe light mounted on her pole. Extra batteries and extra everything else are loaded on pack mule: me.

......

There are new national protocols on who/when needs and how much a dose of KI tablets. An emergency really does require contact with an emergency operations center or medical facility. I posted the current CDC info on KI over at our reference section.The pill can be harmful based on age, etc.

......

DEET and bug spray - I use sprayer bottle on my load bearing suspenders with Walmart GV pine oil. I'm saving the crops, environment and my $.

......

Gloves must also be work glove capable. Consider adding a Mr Clean brand dish washing glove inside gloves if conditions permit.

.......

Note my evac from this tidal area is only to an inflatable boat in case of forest fire. The boat has some extra stuff like RO water maker.

------

This place can't handle grocery store supplies or informing the public as to what constitutes medical waste. In case of a hurricane emergency, it's YOYO.

 

Need snowshoes........can't move in 16 feet of snow at 55 degrees below zero, without quality snowshoes. And a PA-18-150 is nice.

 

thank you...

i did forget to mention that i have 20$ face value of silver in the bag for buying stuff thats about 200$ american or a bit more...

 

thank you...

western washington state...

got the rifle plus complimentary pistol...

 

Thank you...

good catches...i forgot about a rain slicker and a walking stick and bug spray....will look at the KI stuff....

 

thank you.

in wa state we rarely get snow and if we do its barely 6 inches and that lasts about 7 days or so...

 

thank you...

good catch on the meds will be getting those pronto...

 

thank you...

i would be in place trying to dry/clean my regular long pants and just need the shorts to wait that out i fig'r
wa state has somewhat mild weather rain being the norm...i would not be hiking in shorts for sure...

 

LOL had to look PA-18-150 up...nice....

 

I like the huge & heavy Swiss camouflage rain parkas. I finally succeeded in destroying one of mine -- I guess it got brittle from being stowed away in my hot truck. Gets hot down South. For citizens other countries 100 F is 38 C; truck with closed windows gets up past 110 F / 43 C. I've had rubberized gloves melt into a blob. Now that's where I've lived -- it gets worse in the desert SouthWest and Texas (where I have in-laws).

 

I think Pragmatist mentioned it, and I can't believe I didn't notice, but a whistle for signaling is a must. Get a Fox 40 Classic with a lanyard. They run about $5-6.00 at Wally World. Best Whistle on the planet. I am never without one.

 

It is a signaling device. If you are injured or lost and need help you need a method to signal. A whistle is one of the best methods.

You don't have to use it if you don't want to be found.

 

Good morning Lonewolf,

If couple are walking to safety and one falls into tall grass from injury, a whistle can alert partner to location. Much is a tradeoff but must be done. Radios won't work in a Hades situation and they are heavy. The whistle is one of the best items on any Prepper's list.

As an aside, the medical kit on belt could have a magnifying mirror - also ideal for signaling when sun working.

 

Good morning Lonewolf,

A major aspect of my prepping is an evac by walking to safety during/after a forest fire/hurricane.

I've put much time into this.

Leaving my private dirt road to the state road a km away, is a narrow asphalt road that will be partly flooded, some trees, large branches on road, a couple of stranded vehicles in flooded sections. Travel on the asphalt portion of road is not possible due aforesaid. All this already experienced.

It's difficult when walking through a tidal flood plain - and I've done this before.

To not have a whistle is akin to removing Lipton tea bag labels to save weight.

 

Sorry for the noob questions. I figured out BOB means Bug Out Bag, but what about the others? What is BOL, GHB, and INCH? What are the differences? When would you use one or the other?

 

Perfect. Thansk so much!

 

I came across this article about BOBs. As a newbie, I found it useful to classify bags into various levels depending on your needs. I guess BOBs are not one-size-fits all.

https://www.i-resile.com/post/bugging-out-preparing-with-the-right-gear

 

I agree. In my case, I need to be more prepared for an urban setting. I have no business running into the woods no matter what happens. I wouldnt even know what to do with a compass.

 

Good morning Joe,

Just glanced at the link......real good.

Some mid-morning ramblings:

Sometimes, for weight reduction purposes, a folding knife can be eliminated by getting a multi-tool with blade for anticipated requirements. Today, the market is saturated with good multi-tools with many gadgets and blade sizes, purposes. Also, for urban environment, sometimes it's better to avoid the big folding knife for a multi-tool since multi-tool is more accepted by the authorities - and those notifying the authorities. Gray man doctrine governs.

Definitely have some good work gloves. Depending on your environment, might want warm gloves with features of work gloves.

At picture of red-black something - a shawl ? and the picture with nice stove - recommend NEVER travel, even by vehicle, with the type of displayed water container. They are just too flimsy. Upgrade to eg 2 quart soda, juice bottles that are thick and sturdy. One slight break in the displayed water containers means an additional headache when there are enough already.

......

Soon enough, you're not a newbie.

What environment / topography are you writing from ? Some places, I'm thinking of some urban areas, ... are not the best to have visible olive drab pouches. I've got ultra-cold weather, anti-vibration work gloves used in oil industry. They are excellent when the humidity and warm weather arrives here. Otherwise, much research for gloves.

 

Thanks for the tips. Definitely a lot of factors to consider.

 

Good point about the olive drab pouch. Clearly that particular kit would not work in the city, which brings me to my next question. Do you have a particular BOB that you recommend? Right now I just have a book bag, but it does not have a water bladder, and I don't think it will be durable enough. All I have found so far are camping backpacks and military/tactical bags. I am looking for something like the bag below, but in a style that I could wear on the metro without attracting attention. Any ideas?
https://www.amazon.com/CONDOR-3-Day-Assault-Pack/dp/B0086UAF9M

 

Good afternoon Joe,

Just glanced at the link.

I make my own BOBs as per my situation. Here, basically, my 2 evacuation headaches are wildfires and hurricanes. Depending on my plans and study of situational awareness, I might use an An American Tourister flight bag with it's original shoulder strap. My bag is modified with 2 additional straps in case I want to wear it as an "infantry" pack. This is my low profile BOB. I always evac with 2 - 3 cargo vests loaded with important stuff. Vertical axis water bottles - typically 3 but adjusted for specifics - are on my load bearing suspenders (several types) Water is heavy and my experience says to keep water next to body for best walking type evac.

The market place is saturated with many and various packs of all sorts. The Amazon link shows a recognizable bag of military style. Plus, my view is that the cost is too much since you must allocate $$$ to other stuff that could be relatively expensive,

Book bags are not sturdy enough.

Consider using a business technique for your BOB research. Known as "MBWA" - Management By Wandering Around - , go to Walmart with NO plans to buy anything. Go to their luggage department and their camping department. Just wander around and look at the merchandise while noting prices. Keep the bag cost low because there's a few important gadgets that you must get and should not skimp on quality, eg a first aid / medic kit loaded with any RX meds you are taking, etc.

After Walmart, go to another store and browse / MBWA. Hopefully other Forum Members will present some views for you to consider and factor in.

Besides the BOB - and since you mentioned a Metro ...... That 3 day "assault" bag requires you to NOT place it on a seat next to you. Don't look for complainers in our society. They are always present.

Now, again, I'm only writing about the container and not what's inside.

 

Thanks for all the pointers. I will definitely keep looking. I am still on lockdown, so I will have to do "MBCA" (Management By Clicking Around). I jus tordered a medical kit the other day. They said it would be about a three month delivery estimate due to how backed up they were. I hope I don't need it before then. Just stuck at home for now, so won't be on the metro any time soon. Plenty of time ot look around online.

 

As pointed out a BOB is a very personal things and very dependent on a lot of factors like the terain where you are, the weather you expect to be, your skill set...

A few things that don't take up much room that you might considder.
Bandannas (100s of uses)
Unlubricated condoms
A three layer hammock (Tarp, bug net, hammock) (Where I lived for years sleeping on the ground without protection from bugs is almost lethal) Mine is smaller than a canteen for all 3 layers.
Wire and locks for snares
Survival cord (It is paracord with extra strands in it. Mine has 30 lb spider wire, 2 cotton threads, a waxed jute string, 7 twisted nylon strands like are in all 550 paracord and some also have a monofilament strand all inside the paracord)
4" pair of vice-grips
Compass
Maps

 

You might wanna classify them based upon capacity and material

NOTHING in this world is One-Size-Fit-All.

Same here

 

Not attracting attention is not only about colorization and silhouette but also matching it to your surrounding environment. Try to observe what most people was wearing around you including the style and color. Typically in urban environment a sleek looking design in grey colour work best.

Also took notice whether or not most people there carry their laptop around and what kind of backpack the were wearing. Any backpack that could fit a full size laptop is typically has similar capacity of an assault pack.

I use to wear this pack for doing expedition, until a colleague bagging me to sold it to him It available in variety of colour option, including in NIR treated camouflage pattern (which is what I've used to wear around)

Direct Action Ghost Mk II



This one is smaller, and also came in variety of colour option albeit the camo doesn't have NIR or IRR treatment (meaning it might glow under IR)



And IF you need larger capacity and not worry about dense plants, twigs, heavy rain etc (desert / arid environment) this might suitable for you. It came with 3L Hydration

 

https://www.knifecenter.com/item/LM68N/leatherman-crunch-full-size-multi-tool-stainless-nylon-sheath


Good afternoon TexDanm and Joe,

If portability, beltable important, Leatherman's "Crunch" multi-tool might be worth checking out.

Above link shows the gadget. Avail with leather or nylon case. I've got nylon.

It's smaller than a standard vice grip of course.

The Knife Center is near here but only mail order operation.

Yes, it can be used for a dental extraction.

 

Something like this you mean?



or this?

If I were you I rob them back afterward + interest

 

As a true survivalist let me add....Vitamins(jamasen)Electrolite mix (Tima replenisher) Fat not carbs, home made gun cotton,UV sterile pen, A good water filter... you may have to recycle your urine for water

 

For those that aren't experienced with packs. A good thing to do is learn how to properly fill/pack your bag for speed of use and comfort of carry. Here is a simple illustration to get you started.



Dale

 

Good morning Dale,

Appreciated glancing at the packing diagram.

I am getting old with failing vision, inter alia, - amongst other things.

"Mortar round" singular; no "s" ?

Recipient 11C MOS. Recipient well toned muscles. Recipient fatigued body.

MISC: Yes, a ~ mobile 30 yo with your resume entries will have offers for 6 digit gainful employment. Job fairs were in Arlington County and Virginia Beach.

 

Why the spare set of uniform?

 

Thanks....

ugh seen that done before they said it was too salty...

 

Watch Bear Grylls much?

Dale

 

Good morning Dale,

An 81mm round and ibuprofin ! ROgroundL !

Love it !

 

Sorry I've just notice your post. But why do you need UV pen for? Why not use simpler solution of single virus grade filter which already include active carbon as the final stage? I personally use Aquamira Frontier Max albeit never need to use it because we always bring enough drinking water to last the entire duration of an expedition, and if the water isn't enough we can always make a call to have more to be deliver (along with other supplies or equipment)