Revisiting My Small Bug out Bag \ GHB
© 2014 Northern Raider
In the UK in the last four years the preppers have been adapting and evolving their plans quite fast, the once held belief of most preppers was of bugging OUT if TSHTF has now evolved somewhat to a point where many (but not all) preppers now choose to bug IN instead.
This comes in two forms (1) the more fortunate prepper who can afford to move lock stock and barrel to a more conducive environment usually well out of town to a place that self-sufficiency can be applied in one form or another. IE they go and live full time at their chosen BOL. (2) The other being the ordinary prepper who is unable to relocate but has realised that bugging out is no longer really a viable option. Causes are often the simple massive overcrowding and movement issues that have developed as the UK becomes grossly over populated in many places.
Very heavy slow moving traffic is now appearing to be the norm at all hours and borderline traffic gridlock for many hours twice a day caused by heavy traffic and in places the inevitable closures of the roads by manic speeding commuters crashing their cars. This is often compounded by tourists and caravans causing traffic misery for all. These folks have now often decided to make their stand at home and adapted their plans and properties accordingly.
I must add that the bug IN community still retains a REDUCED but still valuable capability of bugging out if staying in place becomes untenable. It is just that they have redirected or refocused their funds and efforts into upgrading their current homes rather that split their resources between home and a BOL.
(After all it is rather pointless investing time, money and effort in a BOL if you have no realistic chance of getting there after TSHTF.)
Which neatly brings us neatly round to the ubiquitous BOB (Bug out Bag) cornerstone of most preppers lives. Many people realise that now they are bugging IN and no longer needing the capability of sustaining themselves for extended periods of time as they travel quite long distances to their BOLS, so they are now gradually reassessing and adapting the loads they carry around with them. IE they now need to select equipment best suited to simply help them get HOME from SCHOOL / COLLEGE / WORK which normally involves shorter journeys but often THROUGH more built up urban areas.
So very often the adaptations that change BOBs into GHBs involves reducing in part the amount of food and clothing carried as they are no longer needing to carry a week’s supply of food and clothing to sustain them in wild areas for many days. (Suitable clothing and footwear to keep you warm, dry and comfortable as you walk from one side of town to the other to replace the suit or high heels you wear at work) Food is often reduced from 7 days to 48 hours or in some cases only 24 hours, EG just enough to sustain you walking home through a disrupted and possibly dangerous city by the longest possible route. Don’t cut back to far on clean water as its likely the need for less drinking water in a city may be offset by a new for MORE clean water to keep soot, debris dust and dirt from damaged buildings getting into your eyes.
The reductions in food and clothing offer the prepper the opportunity to replace the excess food / clothes with more TOOLS to help ensure a safe and successful trip home. This is often things like MINI PRY BARS used to pry open elevator or jammed doors, break windows etc that helps you to escape a structure. It could be more illumination gear (LIGHT STICKS / FLASHLIGHTS) to allow you to better navigate through underground corridors, tunnels and tube lines or to exit large structures were lighting has failed. The extra illumination gear can often be issued to others who are being escorted by you to safety. It could be extra PERSONAL SECURITY equipment for obvious reasons, it could be better quality or more COMMS GEAR, LARGER MAPS, DISPOSABLE CELL PHONE, SILICONE BLISTER KITs, anything you deem to be useful to help you get home safely, I know one prepper who has a pair of BOLT CUTTERS in his GHB to make it easier to “Obtain” extra kit to get home quicker !!! The choice of kit is yours and you must choose for yourself what you feel is best suited to help you get home.
One interesting sub development some people whose work is not a great distances from home are making GHJs or GHVs, that is multi pocket JACKETS or Travel VESTS with all the essentials to get them home already loaded in the jackets pockets.
Now when TSHTF and you need to access your GHB the FIRST thing to do sensibly at the earliest safe opportunity is to transfer those ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL ITEMS from your GHB to your pockets in the unfortunate case that you get separated from your GHB. Those essentials HAVE to be YOUR choice, but for me the first things I want on me are
Spyderfire X03 tactical flashlight with serrated bezel & CR123A Batteries
EE PAYG Cellphone
Byrd Tern UK legal Folding Knife
Lighter
Watch with built in Compass
Gerber Multiplier
Script Eye Glasses
Personal security kit
Of course it is a major improvement if your essential are EDC worn anyway.
So currently but still evolving in my GHB is the list of gear below, please note now I’m not planning on hiking huge distances cross country my Rucksack will be changed from a camouflaged Jack Pyke to something mono colour and civilianized in appearance. (When I have to visit large cities and in a suit I often transfer my GHB contents to an Uncle Mikes cordura attaché case so I look more formal)
Jack Pyke 55 litre Rucksack containing
AG Russell Sting Boot knife and multi fit scabbard
4 X magnification binoculars
Multi tool with plier head (Gerber 600 / Legend)
Mini Pry Bar
Compass (how well a GPS works in a disrupted city isn’t something I want to find out)
Flashlight (usually a Fenix L2DQ5) plus bulbs and CR123A batteries
Assorted 8 hour Chemical light sticks
Water Purification Tablets
Rations (mainly cereal and chocolate and energy bars now)
Titanium spork and small metal mug
Blade Tech sharpener
Maps and scans (OS Land ranger 1:50,000)
Silva Type 4/54 compass in mils and degrees (6400 & 360)
Survival instructions on printed sheet
Notebook and Pen (Sharpy)
Butane Lighter (Blazer PB207)
35 mm film canister filled with Vaseline soaked cotton wool balls
Medical kit (Now medium instead of large size)
3 disposable dust masks
Spare prescription specs plus prescription shades
Paracord 50 meters
Ziplock bags
Telescopic baton
Bandana ( and sometimes a BUFF as well)
Baofeng UV5RC Amateur / PMR transceiver / FM 88 -108 receiver
Tactical gloves (KONA)
Personal Hygiene Kit (soap, razor, toothbrush and paste, eye drops)
Pack of Baby Wipes (better than toilet paper)
Spare underwear T shirt & socks (depending on season)
2 x 500ml alloy water bottles
I have a second bag that attaches to this one containing more clothes and grub if the GHB needs changing to a poor man’s BOB.
Supplementary
Coleman Minus-18 4 Season Sleeping bag
Rations and Hexi cooker
Barnett Banshee Quad 25 pound compound bow plus 18 arrows usually stashed some place safe and accessible.
FYI it was bloody hilarious the other week sat on the grass by the river Wear in Durham with three preppers emptying our bags out in front of each other trying to play SNAP with the contents, we are as mad as a box of frogs
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