What's In Your Bug-Out Bag?

[Bolster]

I used to keep a BOB when I was young and single; for some reason now that I have a family and lead an urban lifestyle, I don't...which is stupid. So I'm making a couple up (for family & me), and would appreciate your help. Each needs to fit into a medium-small backpack (around 1500-2000 cu inches). Here's the basics I plan to include:

Spydie (possibly a Centofante IV)
Water
First Aid Kit (containing...I'm not sure yet).
Local map
Radio
Flashlight
Food (not sure what kind yet)
A survival book (not sure what one yet, recommendations appreciated)
Spare undies & socks
Anorack
Compass
Sunglasses & sunscreen
Matches & possibly a fire starter

No handgun listed, since I live in California, and am not a member of Barbara Boxer's security detail. (As California thinking goes, since I am a private citizen, my life and that of my family's doesn't warrant a handgun.)

What else would you recommend, or subtract from the kit?

What's in your Bug-Out Bag?

[Peter1960]

I don't have a BOB, but I think about it. I would replace water by a water filter, survival book by my bible and would add a sleeping and a tarp. That's for the moment, as said before - I think about it.

[Lostification]

I've never heard of a bug out bag.

[Zozo*HC*]

I've never heard of a bug out bag.

Neither me :confused: Whats this bag?? Looks pretty similar to a trekking bag :cool:

[OuchThatsSharp]

Be careful where you put in your vehicle. I had mine stolen in one short "grab" while at a restaraunt earlier this year. Grandson forgot to lock the door to my truck and some lowlife just opened the door and my console and "grabbed" my BOB. Got away with about $400 worth of goodies. I now keep my new one in my house and put in the truck when I'm going "out of town" just in case. I carry Benchmade Mini Rukus and a Spyderco Mini-Manix, Fenix P2D flashlight with extra batteries, BlastMatch, butane weatherproof lighter, emergency space blanket, SOG multitool, emergency bivvy sack, some cash (in a secret compartment), small personal survival kit and some first aid stuff, high energy food bars. You just never know when you might need it.

[Wharnie]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug-out_bag

http://www.survivalistbooks.com/faq/bugbags.htm

http://www.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteT ... dinPEK.htm

http://www.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteT ... r'sBOB.htm

http://www.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteT ... /kcman.htm

http://www.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteT ... kternl.htm

http://www.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteT ... hr_kit.htm

[Zozo*HC*]

Thanks for the info, its pretty similar to a trekking camping Bag :)

[Domanfp]

I would want some sort of firearm maybe not in the bag but something you can take when SHTF. If a handgun is not possible I would look into getting a nice pump action 12 ga. and pack a few shells. If it ever comes down to some sort of mass survival in this country you know that people who have nothing but a gun will want everything that you have been smart enough to pack away and will most likely not want to share.

[SimpleIsGood229]

A survival book (not sure what one yet, recommendations appreciated)

The US ARMY SURVIVAL MANUAL is a good one. My favorite is Camping and Wilderness Survival By Paul Tawrell. That is one heckuva book. I highly recommend it.

[Bolster]

The US ARMY SURVIVAL MANUAL is a good one. My favorite is Camping and Wilderness Survival By Paul Tawrell. That is one heckuva book. I highly recommend it.

Cool, thanks. I'll find it.

[Karen]

At home i have a full backpack with tent, sleeping bag, mess kit, everything.
In my car I have a small light pack. Beside what others said, I have...

5 or 6 bic lighters
small ultra light alcohol stove
alcohol
water
sunglasses
Endura, small "pen knife",
jar of peanut butter (lots of sugar & fat for energy) & box of crackers
various dried & light food
meds, ibuprofen, vicoden x 30, antibiotics x 30, cough syrup with codeine (in case im out in the cold with a cold)

needle & thread
small Polish pistol (i paid $40.00 at a yard sale).
Toilet paper, fem stuff, tooth brush,
2 boxes of cigarettes (camel & marl) for trade (i dont smoke)
5 tiny bottles of vodka for cleaning the body, cleansing wounds, trade? (i dont drink)
wash cloth, hand towel, hair brush
nail clippers (hang nails... ouch)
bandaids
bag of peppermint candies, for crying kids & as cough drops.
large plastic trash bags (water proofing & shelter?)
"emergency blankets"
small flashlight
small am/fm radio
roll of quarters
$ 1's, 5's,
light jacket
change of clothes
30 day bus pass, (from the day i first use it)
map, bus schedule, small compass
signal mirror, small pad & pen

[Civilian]

If it ever comes down to some sort of mass survival in this country you know that people who have nothing but a gun will want everything that you have been smart enough to pack away and will most likely not want to share.

I've trained the wife as a sniper, the kids to spot and I carry one of these on a shoulder strap:
A couple thousand rounds of ammo is all we need to carry.

In reality I try to keep the motor home stocked as my first option. It has solar panels and a motor generator.
Another thing to keep in mind is your neighbors. I have 1 that is in Law Enforcement and all the others are sheep. We had a power outage the other day that started at 4 and by dark I had several neighbors(friends) in my front yard around my Tiki-ball, as none had even a working flashlight. It was a very local outage(22 houses), and we were told it might be 2-3 days, so I started cooking food and giving the milk out to the kids.
Anyway that is probably TMI,

[The Deacon]

I'm not into the whole EOTW / SHTF mindset. I've made what I consider reasonable prepartions for the type of emergencies that I believe could actually occur in my area, in my lifetime. Where I live and work, that means blizzards, ice storms, summer blackouts, and fire - and the extreme outside chance of a "terrorist" bombing where I work.

I keep a propane stove and lantern, and a reasonable amount of fuel for them at home, along with some flashlights. Plenty of food in the house. I try to make a habit of keeping my cell phone well charged, have a car charger for it as "plan b".

I keep a knife, flashlight, first aid kit, the above mentioned cell phone charger, and space blanket in the car all the time. I add a shovel 20 lbs of cat litter, spare boots, pants, shirt, gloves and jacket in the winter. One of the few blessings of a small bladder is that the need for frequent "pit stops" virtually insures that my gas tank never gets below half full.

There's another knife, flashlight, plus 2 days worth of my meds and a Stanley Wonder Bar, in my shoulder bag, credit cards and "some cash" in my wallet.

At work there's yet another flashlight and a somewhat larger prybar. Aside from "munchies" I don't keep food at work, but with three restaraunts in the building, all of which do at least some of their cooking with gas, I don't see the need to.

[Chucula]

I have a small BOB under my bed. Being a student, I dont need to carry it with me because its a relatively short walk from campus (~2 miles).
Contents:

~20' Paracord
Blastmatch flint + bic lighter + lots of tinder (10 tinder-quik/10 wet fire)
Small Folding shovel
Small Medical kit (AMK ultralight .5) + Super glue + razor (from county comm)
Water purifying tablets (Katydin mp1) + UV pen (steri-pen adventurer)
15 cr123 batteries in pelican case (takes up too much space, will need to find alternative)
SAS survival guide (mini version, in alok-sak) *Probably the most important item aside from knife*
Bright Orange bandanna
~5' duct tape (gorilla)
MPI space blanket
Victorinox Huntsman + photon freedom red
Wire saw
Mirror
Sunblock
Insect repellent

I also have a Busse Active Duty and Scrap Yard Guard as the main knives and a Surefire L1 as the main light, but I don't keep those in the kit. I plan to add a GPS unit (Garmin 60CSx) and a .22 handgun when I am old enough. Until then, I have my Mossberg 590A1 and Beretta CX4 to ward off criminals and zombies alike :D

[Civilian]

20 lbs of cat litter,

I'll bite whats that for?

[Halfneck]

I have 2 small boys (ages 6 & 4) and live in a small town. Honestly I doubt I could afford or be able to effectively "bug-out" as it were in a SHTF scenario. That said I can't see too many scenarios like that for where we live. Other than a tornado or a nuke smacking Atlanta (not sure if we'd be vaporized too) with fleeing hordes of irradiated mutants, I'm pretty well off hanging at home.

[T-Rex]

Traction under the tires when stuck on ice. Not much of that in So. California. :cool:

"Midwest transplant from San Diego"

[vampyrewolf]

Have a well stocked bag behind the couch, stocked for at least a week... rations for 2 weeks beside that in an ammo can (never said it was good food, but it'll keep yah going).
Have a 2litre water jug in there, and chemical treatment for another 25-30litres. First-aid kit, 'comfort kit' (flashlight & batts, glowsticks, cards, chocolate bars), tool kit (30' 550, 20' 1/4" cotton rope with a 200lbs 'beiner, multitool, compass, bic lighter, magnesium bar, ferro rod). survival reference book. Handfull of granola and energy bars. Have a 12'x15' tarp (in 10oz 80weave silver/black) with grommets every foot and 30-40' of 1/4" poly in a garbage bag beside it.

Of course, the bag I take everywhere has at least a day's supplies in it if not 2. (couple cans of mango juice, couple gatorade, green tea, granola bars, chocolate bars, 1/2lbs jerky, bic lighter, notebook, hat, change of clothes, basic first aid kit, electical tape, fixed blade, 2x 123a, 2x AA, inova X1). That bag is either on my passenger seat, in my work area, or by the front door.

And my car has granola bars, mango juice, energy drinks, change of clothes, 400W inverter, spare sunglasses. Never go below 1/2 tank in my car, so I can always get 100km outta dodge and come back later.

Picked up a 1200W gas generator a few weeks ago, in the garage ready to go. 2.5HP with a 5L tank, 7hr run-time at 1kW load, 2x 110VAC 10A plugs.

Figure the likely scenario here is another good blizzard. The city actually shut down last winter, you couldn't see the front of your own car. Bridges shut down, you were stuck. Was a good 15-18hrs before major streets were open again. Ideal conditions you can walk most places here in a couple hours... so I can always walk home from work for my big bag, though I'm more likely to settle in here than go anywhere.