BUGOUT BAG IDEAS, PLEASE

[N_N_R]

Hi guys,

This week I went through my most horrific nights in my life ever. You might have heard that Bulgaria was hit by a strong earthquake with an epicentre in exactly MY smurfin city. I've never been a prepper myself, but after that terrible night I promised myself to prepare one such bag. I'll pray for the need to use it to NEVER arise, but still. Please, those of you who're experienced and know what to do, give me ideas what I should have in one such backpack.

Thank you

[borgwarrior]

I'd like to get some tips as well, Hungary is getting more and more floodlike rains every year.
For the bag, I have an Eagle AIII.

[N_N_R]

I don't even know what bag I'll use at all. I have a Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II, but I use it almost on a daily basis. SO, the questino is, shall I leave the Pygmy for a bugout bag or shall I use sth more crappy for that....

[AimlessWanderer]

As a quick prompter (hopefully I'll be able to give a longer post later) the categories to think about are:

First Aid (based on your knowledge and abilities) Don't try and pack an entire pharmacy, remember duck tape and safety pins can double up for first aid and other stuff
Shelter (including spare clothes and fire as well as a "roof" and "blanket")
Water (means to collect, filter AND purify)
Food (& means to get it) ... including money
Signalling (whistle, mirror, flashlight)
Tools and protection (including gloves, sunglasses, bandana/buff)
Knowledge (a basic reference guide to refer to when your mind is scrambled)

Make a list, then figure out what items you can combine/replace to make that list as small as possible. No good packing everything then not being able to carry it any distance

[N_N_R]

I've made a short list of what I will include in the bag when I get home. Those are the things which I'd taken with me and which I needed and also things that I needed, but didn't have with me.

Wallet & Phone of course- they're with me all the time, anyway, thank God I managed to take them that night
Phone charger - something I couldn't take
Saved cash in the house - sth I took
Flashlights & batteries - sth I took
Whatever Multi at hand- sth I took
Copies of documents - sth I didn't take
Jacket or a blanket - sth I didn't take, but my mother did
A lighter - sth I took
A small portable radio - sth none of us thought of taking, but we needed it
A battery charger - sth I didn't take
an umbrella - sth we didn't take, thank God it wasn't raining
water and some canned or whatever food- sth we didn't take and had to go back to the building to take later x-)
Pen and paper - we didn't take that. But during the first hour all mobile systems and everything had shut down so we had no way of communication at all, may be we would need it





EDIT: Thanks, 50ft-trad!

I was thinking of a whistle, thanks for reminding

[dks]

Also make sure your house is earthquake resistant, so that you can get your bag safely!

Some older houses may not be strong enough.

[N_N_R]

Also make sure your house is earthquake resistant, so that you can get your bag safely!

Some older houses may not be strong enough.

Thanks. We live in a 7-floor building, on the 6th floor. It was really really scary. The earthquake was 5.9... the buildings don't have real damages, more of... cosmetic ones, but most people have been afraid to go back and we moved to friends and relatives' houses which have only one floor. It seems our buildings proved resistant or we turned out really really lucky.


I also managed to get a flash drive.... in case I get to a PC.. but what of.. don't know, lol

I thought a camera & cables would be useless, I did consider taking them and then didn't.... and eventually it turned out that the state wold give some money for people to repair their homes if needed, but only if they presented pictures of the damages. Gr. I'm still not at home, so I'll have to get to the cables & apply for money for my granny's house later...



Knowledge (a basic reference guide to refer to when your mind is scrambled)

Oh yeah, it definitely was..

[dks]

Oh, yes with earthquakes the higher you are the more the movement.

I was in a, I think, 20 floor building abroad when one happened and you can see everything move, inside and outside. Pretty weird.

[AimlessWanderer]

Scan all your important docs to the flash drive to save carrying all the originals or in case the originals get lost/damaged/stolen ... but keep it close as you don't want that going walkabouts - and password protect it! Worth putting emergency contact details on there too ... NOT password protected

I wouldn't worry too much about camera stuff for the bag, main thing is getting yourself through the initial chaos. You can always borrow a camera for insurance pics later. Got a camera on your phone instead?

Think maximum versatility/capability, but minimum stuff  The old adage applies that the more you have in your head, the less you need in your bag. It's easier to run with a full head than a full bag 

[Steinar]

This forum has a lot of Californian members, so I guess we'll get a lot of experienced input about earthquakes as day breaks over there. I am not prepared in these matters, but I have prepared a very, very simple BOB just in case our house burns down or a similar minor disaster. My (thankfully) inexperienced $ .02:

1: A possibly simplified BOB is useful as EDC-bag. If you need something or wants to save something when the smurf hits the fan, it is useful that you actually have the BOB with you, even if you aren't at home. A prepared BOB that isn't used will be stowed away, forgotten and hard to find. Also, some stuff, like medicines and food must be rotated to avoid standing there with expired goods.

2: Scan your important documents in high quality, and put them on a USB-stick. Not as good as the originals, but they will let you rebuild your identity easier. This also lets you have an offsite backup of these documents in general. Dragging around a filing cabinet is no fun at the best of times. Also, a USB-stick handles water just fine, documents don't.

3: Ensure you have some kind of high quality ID. This also makes kickstarting your life again easier. I have high quality ID in my wallet of course, but I put my passport in the BOB to double up.

4: For small disasters, it may be that what you really wish you included was something to make your life easier, not pure survival. I have clean underwear in socks in my BOB-list. Weighs very little, can be re-appropriated for bandages or whatever, but if I'm just evacuated on cause of a gas leak or something, my night at the hotel will be a little nicer. This goes against the minimal weight, optimal utility of a BOB, but we all plan for what we find likely scenarios around us. For me the most likely uses of BOB will be linked with evacuation under relatively controlled circumstances. Clean socks are good for morale!

5: Do you expect to pass security checkpoints when smurf breaks loose? If so, pack in way that won't make the kit useless if you are forced to ditch parts of it.

Personally, I currently use a Red-Oxx Gator as a combined EDC and BOB. So not a 72 hr bag, just “grab this and run”.

[Steinar]

Scan all your important docs to the flash drive to save carrying all the originals or in case the originals get lost/damaged/stolen ... but keep it close as you don't want that going walkabouts - and password protect it! Worth putting emergency contact details on there too ... NOT password protected

Yeah, I do that as well. Encrypt everything except what I actively want others to discover. Just remember to use a good pass phrase you use often enough that you don't forget it. Same thing as with food, really.

[N_N_R]

Got a camera on your phone instead?

Think maximum versatility/capability, but minimum stuff  The old adage applies that the more you have in your head, the less you need in your bag. It's easier to run with a full head than a full bag 

Yeah, I have a pretty good camera on the phone, but of course, I didn't take the cable with which I can extract pictures. I'm pretty sure I could buy one somewhere, BUT....

Yes, the thing about full head/full bag is true, I know. I'd just never before experienced such a thing and I'm not sure how I'll feel when go back home. I'm pretty happy with what I managed to take with me during the whole panic, btw. My poor parents ran out only with their phones and a jackets....

I might convince my mother to prepare one such bag for herself, too. I hope she wont' call me crazy, we all got pretty scared.

Oh, yes with earthquakes the higher you are the more the movement.

I was in a, I think, 20 floor building abroad when one happened and you can see everything move, inside and outside. Pretty weird.

omG, 20 floor must've been sth I wouldn't have survived x-) x-)



Steinar,

I've never been a fan of carrying a huge bag with me... but yeah I'm starting to reconsider my.... likes and dislikes.

On the flashstick I have some documents but not scanned- those are pictures taken by my phone, which does them in a pretty high quality I must say.


RIGHT, I must get socks there. The second day it rained and my smurfin cheap trainers I got fell apart x-) gr
 Good idea


No, I don't expect any security whatever.... there were no representatives of the authorities or whatsoever. We had to run for our lives on our own @=

[Lynn LeFey]

I've been working on a Bugout bag for ... well, I guess years now. Slowly, because I have very limited resources to put toward it. One thing i would say is to go to some forum dedicated to this kind of prepper stuff, where much more information is available and has been discussed more widely than one thread could ever hope to cover.

I went through several of these forums, since most were too militant/radical for my taste. I finally found a group called 'Zombie Squad'. They are sort of more light-hearted in some ways, using the analogy of a Zombie Apocalypse as a metaphor for anything that could go bad, but also do actual fund-raising and hands-on assistance for real-world disasters.

http://zombiehunters.org/forum/index.php

It was actually from those boards that someone introduced me to these boards. I know myself and several other members here are all registered over there.

Okay, that being said...

There is this thing that preppers say over and over, 'Two is one, one is none'. That means gear fails, so, for critical things, you should have backups. Have two ways to filter water. Multiple ways to start fire, multiple ways to make basic shelter, if you wear eyeglasses, you should have a spare pair in your bag. And, as you learned, backup shoes... which, by the way, very few people consider.

I'm personally big on the idea of cash. It is lightweight, and can almost always be used to get what you need. But, since it can't get everything, you also want to have the bare essentials with you; food, water, shelter, communication, etc.

Of all your needs, surviving the elements is most important. Pack clothes accordingly. You might want to change these out depending on the season. Don't forget sunblock, lip balm, sunglasses, and that sort of thing. Water is probably next most important. Not only should you have a way to treat water for consumption, but you should have probably a day's worth of water with you. You can live a lot longer without food, so this is an area you can skimp on if necessary. I keep cans of food in my bag, with high calorie food that doesn't require heating or water. Open the can, eat the contents. These are shelf-stable foods, so they'll last 5 years or more before I need to rotate them out of my bag. Some people use military MREs or lifeboat rations. I use canned food because it's actual food (as opposed to lifeboat rations) and it's a lot cheaper and not a lot heavier than MREs.

You should also set a very reasonable limit to the weight of the pack you make, which will then tell you what the limit is for the gear you can take.

My purse is my 'get home bag', so I'm trying to make it a very basic survival kit. On top of that, my Bug Out Bag has mostly clothing, food, and water. it's still a mess, and a work in progress. if I ever need it, I'm sure I'll start learning quick where I screwed up in deciding what to pack.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Don't forget the humble bicycle

During the Fukashima crisis, aid workers and civilians alike had to depend on the bicycle as it was the only means of covering distance quickly and safely

[Lynn LeFey]

Bicycles... absolutely. They won't run out of fuel, and have about the best all-terrain ability. If the terrain IS too rough, you can carry them. They're also very simple to fix, with a minimal kit.

N_N_R... I just made a post in the 'Show us Your EDC gear!!!' thread with my 'get home bag' set-up. Hopefully it'll give you some ideas.

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,9225.msg607123.html#msg607123

[N_N_R]

Lynn,

Thanks for the forum link, I'll check it when I'm back home.


Have two ways to filter water.

Actually I don't think I know of any ways..... :X Which terrible as in some areas here they didn't have water but.... mud running from the taps x-)


And, as you learned, backup shoes... which, by the way, very few people consider.

Right.. x-)


I'm personally big on the idea of cash. It is lightweight, and can almost always be used to get what you need. But, since it can't get everything,

Yeah, me too. I can't but have lots of cahs on me for that reason x-) And when I grabbed the money after the first three severe quakes, I then thought: wtf, I'm taking the money and what if there's nothing remaining outside tomorrow to buy FROM?


You can live a lot longer without food,

Yeah, btw, I and my mother didn't feel hunger and couldn't eat at all for a couple of days, actually...


And yeah, I was thinking of canned food, but then of the weight..... I'll figure that out... And where the hell do people normally keep those bags, anyway x-) lol. I mean... crap, whatever. I guess somewhere around the door, lol


if I ever need it, I'm sure I'll start learning quick where I screwed up in deciding what to pac

That's what I'm actually doing now.. I hope you'll never have to figure it out.

Don't forget the humble bicycle

During the Fukashima crisis, aid workers and civilians alike had to depend on the bicycle as it was the only means of covering distance quickly and safely

Thanks for the idea.. but I still live with my mother & father, moreover, my father's disabled.... so I can't actually use a bike and... abandon them.. although I did see people running away on bikes that night.



Lynn

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely borrow ideas. Especially about the way to .. pack & organize stuff so that I get as much as possible in as compact a package as possible.
Thanks for the links.

[dks]

You lot worry too much....



 

 

[Lynn LeFey]

I'll see about posting pics of my bug-out bag shortly. I keep taking it apart and reworking it.

I was going to talk about water for a minute. In my Bug Out Bag, I have a water bottle with built-in filter. You can fill it up with whatever, and the filter/straw cleans it. If you get something like that, get one with a good filter.

I also carry two 1-liter soda bottles, filled with tap water, which I rotate occasionally, and treat with a couple drops of chlorine bleach (plain, unscented bleach). Those bottles, which are clear plastic, can be used for SODIS... solar disinfection. Here's a link on SODIS, and how to do it.
http://www.sodis.ch/index_EN

I also have Chlor-floc packets in my Bug-out-bag (and in my first-aid kit in my purse). Chlor-floc stands for Chlorination-Flocculation. The chlorine kills the bad stuff in the water in about 45 minutes. The flocculant binds sediments together and makes them settle out of the water, so it's more clear. In my bug-out bag, they can be used with the emptied 1-liter bottles. In my purse, I carry heavy-duty ziplock bags to use them with.

Here's a link to them on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Chlor-Floc-Military-Purification-Powder-Packets/dp/B0002UCSEO

Failing all that, I can boil the water in the canteen cup that I carry in my purse.

You might want to throw some kind of flavor packets in any kit for the water. I am still trying things out, but I like Country Time Lemonade packets. I also carry teabags.

For food, in my Bug Out Bag, I just carry cans of beans, chili, and beef stew, instant rice, a small plastic jar of peanut butter, and granola bars. I test various MRE things from time to time. I'm trying to find a good cracker/bread that won't get destroyed to go with the peanut butter. I might settle with MRE snack bread. For the instant rice, I have chicken bouillon cubes and cayanne pepper packets, or I can just throw it in with beans or chili and after about 15 minutes, it will absorb enough liquid to be edible.

I suppose, along with mentioning weight, you should also consider duration that you want your bag to cover. This becomes very important in covering your food. The longer you want it to last, the lighter your food options have to be. I intend mine to last for 3+ days, and I have a top weight of 30 lbs. (13.6kg) for my entire Bug Out Bag. That's about the most I can comfortably carry long distances.

Hope this isn't too much information to dump all at once.

[N_N_R]

You lot worry too much....



 

 

I do.... L haven't experienced such a thing before and.. I thought my parents could always rely on me... and what happened actually was that if it hadn't been for my mother, I'd have passed out right there, me the idiot....



Lynn, as for the info... I WILL definitely reread it again when I'm back home, lol. Not that it's much... it's just me, who got all crazy and I haven't been able even to concentrate and talk about normal stuff for ages *wall*  It's very helpful to get info and "be told what to do" when you have no smurfin idea, so your effort's really appreciated.

[Sparky415]

This was posted on BB today, lots of interesting stuff if it will run for you 

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2721455542891667646#

[N_N_R]

sparky, thanks, it was a really interesting video : )

[ironraven]

First question: Other than this earthquake, what reasons do you have to have to leave your home immediately forever or at least for a week, and do so on no warning.

Second question: OK, you've bugged out- where do you go after that? Because having a place to bug out to is what separates a prepared person and a refugee.

A bug out bag is a lot like an ejector seat- you don't want to ever use it, but if you do, you need to have a plan.

[N_N_R]

First question: Other than this earthquake, what reasons do you have to have to leave your home immediately forever or at least for a week, and do so on no warning.

Second question: OK, you've bugged out- where do you go after that? Because having a place to bug out to is what separates a prepared person and a refugee.

A bug out bag is a lot like an ejector seat- you don't want to ever use it, but if you do, you need to have a plan.

Well, I really have no idea or desire to see what else apart from an earthquake could make me leave my home. Also, it may happen when I'm outside home, so ...

As for the places... we're currently at my granny's house... we could also go to another city, where my sister lives. I'm not sure I understand the question properly.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I may be late to the party, but I'm glad to see you are ok.  We are still missing a Japanese member, last heard from just before the quake in Japan last year.

Def

[ironraven]

Well, it isn't so much a matter of wanting. I've had a BoB most of my life, never needed it, came close a few times, and VERY glad I've never actually needed it. But I'm asking because in an earthquake you have self rescue potentials, a need to to be able to turn off gas valves, etc; in a flood, you've got different self rescue issues, something other than your heavy boots or bare feet if you are going to be in the water; etc. Some people love their gas masks, I'm not one of them, but when I lived next to a factory with multiple cubic meter chlorine tanks, I was too poor for a mask and I hated every day of it- the plan was to grab my bag (at the door), my boots (at the door), my little brother (by his hair if needed) and RUN up the hill behind where we were living.

As for the where to go, that's possibly the hardest thing to think about. Great, the city just went to poop, and you've got your bug out bag, and... now what? If you are going to head to a public shelter, then you need clothes, bedding, your own meds, nothing sharp. If you are going to head to your sister's, assume you have to walk it- can you hump your BoB, even in just a road march, and how long do you think it will get there becuase you'll need that much food plus a few days for the plan not going according to plan. And does your sister know you are coming? Can you stash stuff with her, does she have her own reserves, is she likely to get sick of you and think about stuffing you in a couple garbage cans after a few weeks?  Remember, you and BoB and no plan, refugee; you and BoB and a plan, and you win.

Personally, always have a couple plans. Some times the best thing to do is hunker down; other times, you bug to a friend in town; sometimes the only thing to do is head for the hills and hope.

Minimally?

Protective gear: Boots, spare pair of feild clothes, another spare pair of skivvies and tshirt, two more spare pairs of socks, spare Rx glasses (NOT contacts, contacts are the devil's grandmother's thumb in dust, flood, chem exposure, et al) or safety glasses/goggles, work gloves, hard hat isn't a bad idea, dust masks. Rain coat. Thermal layer. Hat for sun. Ear plugs.

Tools: Multitool, small fixed blade, head lamp, duct tape, adjustable wrench. Utility cord, always. Spare light, spare batteries. Serious garbage bags. I like to have a pair of locking pliers around. Depending on your enviroment, a pry bar (not a little one, I mean a real, 50cm pry bar), crash/rescue axe/hatchet, saw, bolt cutters, full sized shovel, they all may come into play, but they  get heavy fast

Shelter: Tarp, blanket or sleeping bag, ground pad.

Comms: Cell phones are great and the only thing that goes down faster than gravity- bring a battery or crank charger and don't count on it working. I'd love to say a prepaid phone card, but can't think of many places that have payphones any more in the US and I understand it is worse in Europe. Small radio. Whistle. High visibility safety vest.

Papers: Drivers license (or equivalent), work ID, passport, birth certificate, bank book/statement. An index card that has phone numbers and insurance policies on it. Photos of your family, so you can say "have you seen this person." Scan everything else, put it on the thumb drive along with photos of your stuff which you'll never see again- you'll need it for insurance. Paper and pencil. Cash- I know, easy word to say, harder to have a pile of it, but don't count on plastic working and do count on price gouging.

Water: It's heavy and it's wonderful. Up to you how much you need, but always have at least a day's worth. Carry iodine or bleach or water purification tablets and some kind of filter, even if it's just a bandana or some coffee filters to get the worst of the chunks out- water supplies are fragile.

Food: It's heavy, and you don't need as much. My plan is under 1800 calories (Kcalories for everyone outside North America IIRC) per day and I'll metabolize the rest from onboard reserves. How much you need is dependent on your plan- my plan E is a 120 mile road march.

Medical: A good first aid kit with training and heavy on the wound management and disinfectant. 30 days of whatever meds you need. Copies of your prescriptions, including glasses. Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss.

Pets: No matter how much I want a cat, there are more reasons than the land lord says no that causes me not to have one. Unless it is a larger dog, forget going on foot.

So, the container... I always plan on the truck not making it, so I lean towards a ruck. Can  you have everything in totes and load those and throw an empty ruck on top of them and pack if you must, yes, but it's not that convenient. But totes are easy to store and throw in a vehicle.

Or do you have a vehicle? By foot calls for different things than by bicycle in terms of how you distribute the load; by motor cycle vs by car, again, differences. And if you commute by car, how do you get home? Abandon in place your stuff and head out with BoB in your rig, drive home, walk home- in which case, your EDC needs to be supplementable to a get home kit. If you don't drive, what can you stash at the office?


So, you're brain probably overloaded. It's ok, mine boggles to. Start at the basics. Fill and store water bottles, 4L/day/person, and each week add one meal of stored food for each person. Get a first aid kit, get your paperwork in order and give a copy of that thumb drive to your sister to hang on to. That lets you shelter in place, 3-5 days minimum. Then a back pack with a couple liters of water, some canned goods, basic tools, flashlight, a thermal layer and meds for each household member, and used kids wagon for your other stuff. This gets you to a local shelter on foot. Start getting in shape- if you smoke, every cent you don't burn, put it in the survival jar. Self rescue items. Then start building the big BoB.



Irrrr... yeah, you might be guessing I've done this once or thrice. And no, I don't want things to happen, I"m not one of those guys, to me this is like a seat belt AND air bags AND good tires. You hope you never need them, but when you do... it's gonna suck, but you'll alive to complain about it.

IronRaven, inactive member Equipped to Survive and Zombie Squad forums.

[N_N_R]

IronRaven, thanks for the advice. It certainly sounds like a whole lot of load to carry.

[tattoosteve99]

I may offer some advice. BOB are typically for just get the hell out. If you want something more sustainable trying caching some food and water in well hidden, non public places. That way you keep your load down to a minimum and are still able to survive. If you have several small caches here and there it is less likely they will be found. 

[colt 1911]

Well the list can be long but this is what i carry ever day everywhere.

1. canteen, stove, fuel, first aid, poncho, food, radio, life straw, 550 cord, phone,
knife, multi tool, duct tape, compass, the list goes on. just start loading a bag, you will
find out what works for you in a edc. I am always changing mine do to weather or weight
or where i am going. I use my edc everyday except the food. Have fun with it , you are on the right track.

[N_N_R]

I may offer some advice. BOB are typically for just get the hell out.

Yeah, sure. Thanks.

Well the list can be long but this is what i carry ever day everywhere.

1. canteen, stove, fuel, first aid, poncho, food, radio, life straw, 550 cord, phone,
knife, multi tool, duct tape, compass, the list goes on. just start loading a bag, you will
find out what works for you in a edc. I am always changing mine do to weather or weight
or where i am going. I use my edc everyday except the food. Have fun with it , you are on the right track.

Wow, interesting.... especially the stove, canteen, poncho and fuel... Are those things you use every day, too?

[colt 1911]

The stove I don't use  but i carry it anyways, it fits under the canteen so it goes with. The fuel is solid fuel cubes, super light. I live in a earthquake area so getting home could take some time.