Bug Out Bag Thoughts and Considersations

[Scythe13]

Hello Everyone.

This is something I have been thinking about for quite some time, and I thought I'd better shout it out and say about my thoughts on the subject.

Your bug out bag is meant to last you 3 days (72hrs) should you need to up and off at any point after TSHTF.

My first curiosity is about the 72 hours thing. I never liked that number. It's not trust worthy. But all joking aside, after 3 days, who says the situation will be better. I'm planning for a reduced calorie 5days, minimum. In all honesty, I believe you should be able to up and off for between 7 to 10 days. But you should also have the equipment to be able to stay out longer, should you need to. It seems James Rawles has recently said something very similar (good find NR. It means I'm thinking on the right lines).

So for this, my thoughts to you are....tarp....really? Tent....yes. It's very simple really, a tarp is good and all that, but for me at least a tent is more mobile and secure. It's probably the shelter it provides and the comfort it can create. It could just be that I'm not experienced in tarp use, but either way......tent 100%. It will provide a 'secure' recognisable situation that you can maintain. Constantly changing where you sleep can play with your mind a little. At least with a tent you have a recognisable 'room' that goes with you everywhere. For me, that is a big moral boost. You don't need to worry about trees and all that. You can put your room anywhere you want.

Another thought is something Nutnfancy (check youtube, the guy is awesome) calls SAWC which means Space and Weight Constraint. We all pack our bags to the fullest. But we really don't need to. It's shocking, but I'm playing around with ever smaller bags, and it looks like most equipment can be fitted into, and onto, a much smaller bag than my 80litre camping bag! I can actually get most of it into a day pack size bag, then clip the tent, sleeping bag, and mat to the outside of the bag. I'd recommend going down a size in the bag region, then going camping with just that bag. You'll be amazed how easily you cope. If you don't believe me, have you ever been camping and when you get home unpacked your bag and thought.....oh we never used this....or this...or this? It's okay to admit that. We've all been there. That is your space constraint. The next thought covers the weight constraint part.

Next Scythe13 thought. This is something I've been thinking for quite a while now, and with ample understanding, contemplation, consideration, experimentation, and research, it seems that rapid movement is favourable in a SHTF scenario. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Well DUUUUUUH. How stupid are you S13?" In fairness, that is a reasonable question. But what I'm also thinking is that considering you will be bugging out much later than everyone else (thanks to your stores of food you'll be hunkered down for a few weeks minimum) the roads will be blocked! There's going to be no way to bug out using your car, unless you live in the middle of nowhere (in which case you probably wouldn't bug out). If the roads are blocked, and it's time to bug out, what are you going to do? You'll grab the big ol' BOB and start a super slow walk! Damn, if I was a looter and I saw a guy with a huge camping pack walking slowly through the woods, guess who I'm going to sneak up on and crack around the head with a rock......yes, Mr Slow Camper! A BOB needs to be light enough to enable quick travel out of an area and away from a situation. To deal with this issue, I'm redesigning my entire BOB into a hybrid kit. Imagine a BOB got drunk and horny and took advantage of the helpless Ultra Light Camping and Ultra Light Hiking twins. The combined offspring would be my new Ultra Light Bug Out Bag (ULBOB)

The ULBOB will contain:
Sleeping System
The system will be a 2 or 3 season sleeping bag, with a thermal liner, and 1 or 2 inner liners to keep everything fresh. Also, an ultra light weight sleeping mat, with Mylar woven into it. The idea is to be able to use the sleeping system in any season.
Camp/Tent System
This is vital for moral, as I've already explained with the tarp-tent comments earlier. The ultra light camping tents can be much less than 2kg for a 2 person tent. Some of them go as far as to use trail/hiking sticks/poles as the struts in the tent. They are not cheap by any means, but the benefits of them are pretty clear.
Water System
The water system is kind of important, or else you would die! Water is heavy...which isn't much good for fast travel. In the UK water is pretty easy to come by, thanks to our daily weather. However, the kit will be fitted with only 1 'ready' litre of water. It will provide enough water to get to another source. To purify the water, and to store it....call in the CamalBak system and filter! Damn right that thing can do 300 litres! Strain the big particles through a clean sock or bit of tshirt, then into the water bladder, and you're good to go.
Food System
This is where I probably go against the grain to what most people would do. First thing is.....no MREs. I'm not against MREs, please hear me out. I've never eaten one that tasted good. I'm a super fussy eater, so I'm not going that way. I'm going to be saving as much weight as possible, but packing as much nutrition into my daily diet as I can. Call in the MRSs. Meal Replacement Shakes. You can find these in most sports nutrition shops. Even Holand and Barratt do them, I'm sure. They are a meal that you make up with water or milk, and you put it into a protein shaker, and shake. As long as you keep the shaker clean, you're good to go. Along with those I take beef jerky and a couple of foraging books (every extra bit helps). And obviously, for those of you that know anything about me....CHOCOLATE!!!!! It's packed with calories, even if it is a little heavy. Also, a small tub of multi vitamin+mineral. If you don't already have these.........wake up and get some!!!

That is the majority of the pack. Other things are like mini-cookers, because a tin of beans and sausage is always great. But again, check out the ultra light camping ones. There's no point walking miles to then be taken out for the pack that slowed you down and made you a target!

My idea is to get my kit down around the 10kg mark. That way my fitness won't be in question. I'll be mobile, agile, fast moving, and off the menu.

Another observation and opinion on BOBs, but more specifically the equipment that goes into them, is something I've thought about for a while, that Nutnfancy has confirmed for me. The attitude/habit of writing off equipment that goes into the bag. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a camping stove. I've got a small gas stove in my BOB, but until I get an ultra light camping stove and replace it, I do not have access or use of the one in my BOB. Everything that goes into my BOB is considered to have never existed for my life, until TSHTF. This thought pattern means that your BOB will always be fully stocked up and ready for action. Don't have a multi-tool in your BOB, then take it out to fix the window, or something like that. You'll forget to put it back in, and then WTSHTF and you need that multi-tool, it won't be there. Better safe than sorry, get 2 of them. I said the same thing about doubling up on equipment. Damn right you should double up on equipment in different kits.

My final thought for today on this thread is probably one many people don't think about....when you bug out, you'll probably have your EDC or GHB with you. Many of the items in one will also be in the other. For example, I carry loads of water with me....always. So my BOB doesn't need to have water. It just needs to be able to carry more water should I need it. So consider what you'll have with you when you grab your BOB. When I start using a bow again, I'll be picking that up with my BOB. Think of the extra weight of all the weaponry you'll have. NR will be carrying a crossbow and a load of gear in his bag, and all that going on with a bad back? That is one of the reasons I've done this thread. If you've not tested your BOB for a weekends camping, at least. Then it's about time you set up for camping in the next couple of months.

For me, I want manouverability, agility, speed, comfort, longevity (movement and life), and the ability to react quickly and still be fully equiped. It might seem a lot to ask, but you'd be surprised how much weight you can save just by upgrading a few items. Lighter tent, lighter bag, lighter sleeping equipment. Those are the big 3. Cut them down, and you'll be amazed the difference!

Hope you all like what I've said. I'd love to hear your feedback and views on everything above.

[uks]

Wait till you have kids Major Major rethink

[Scythe13]

To set up a similar system for kids wouldn't be too difficult. A kid could much more easily fit under a poncho should desperation call for it.

You could probably set up a reasonable kit for a kid ages 8+ to carry for themselves, that would have about 90% of the things they need. The other 10% of what they need would be things you would use as well.

[NorthernRaider]

"For me, I want manouverability, agility, speed, comfort, longevity (movement and life), and the ability to react quickly and still be fully equiped. It might seem a lot to ask, but you'd be surprised how much weight you can save just by upgrading a few items. Lighter tent, lighter bag, lighter sleeping equipment. Those are the big 3. Cut them down, and you'll be amazed the difference!"

And what about people with family, elderly relative, infants, disabled etc, your post is excellent but hits the common mistake of assuming everyone is a fit single young man. Imagine bugging out with multiple family members of various ages and physical conditions , and imagine doing it mid winter when is pissing down, bitterly cold and windy.

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ten minutes gentle walking inder a poncho always leaves the person soaked with sweat, so when they stop they soon freeze.

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Just before i left the army we were involved in some trials to see just how lightweight we could be and still functional after 72 hours, it was bloody aweful, never even remotely fully comfortable or not hungry, constantly looking for water, sick of eating ultralight grub instead of substantial foods, and it got much much worse when we went on extended patrols and used up even more energy. I think a balance tween weight, functionality and support is needed in kits, it may work OK for 48 hours but after 48 hours it become endurance rather than light weight fieldcraft.

[mikebratcher69]

Well the kids do add a lot of headaches to any bug out scenario, I've got three, my two boys are thankfully now more use than a burden as they are weapons trained thanks to the local army cadets but I still have a young daughter to carry literally.
I dont do bug out bags as such, I've got a few 80+ litre rucksacks but they're that heavy You'd think you were in the paras with the weight they are so not realy viable for a long range bug out on foot. I'm after building a roof box for the car thats dismountable with off road bike wheels that can be attatched via axels much like the old go carts but a full BIG box carry capacity of around 1000+ litres, like the small trailers you see. Its still on the drawing board as I dont want to make it unmanageable to pull, but I want to strap a small seat on for my little girl too, so that solves that problem. That way if the cars stuck or broken, we can unmount the roof box and away we go with all our gear. Plain looking not fancy so it just looks like a roaming family moving elsewhere with a few unglamorous bits of belongings that seem to be of no value, we of course moving in "civvy" clothes so as not to arouse suspicion of being preppared.
By the way guys and galls, check out "southern prepper 1" on yoou tube, he's an ex U.S. marine and has a lot of usefull information thats applicable to all of us.

[bigpaul]

well, i've got my GHB down to a weight i can comfortable carry, i've got a survival fishing kit coming which i will add to my pack and i'll add a few more packs of pre packed food + some chewy bars, but i think its pretty well set up now. i dont carry a tent, i've got a couple of (plastic) survival shelters and those way next to nothing, really cuts the weight down.