Tried the Search with kids

[JCD]

I'm sure in the nether regions of the forum, there is a section which deals with bugging out with children. I cannot find it...but maybe I used the wrong terms.

I have a wife, 3 kids and an obsteperous dog. The wife might be able to drag 30 pounds. I can maybe manage 50. The kids (5,6, and 9) are less able.

So far, this means my BOB is a Bug Out Box, a large plastic container which I throw in the minivan.

While I've started taking them on hikes, there is no way they can carry any meaningful amount of weight.

Get a wheelbarrow? Bug In? All options. Any other ideas?

[mithuth]

Having a wife and 4 kids, I'm interested in this topic too.

subscribed for future info.

[jamoni]

You'd be surprised what the kids can carry. My 4 year old routinely carries his own gear (food, water, light, FAK, space blanket, poncho, whistle etc.) on day hikes. The important part is to outfit them as well as you would yourself, with good boots, a good pack, etc. Focus on lightweight gear, and make sure they stay hydrated.
If they can carry their own food and water, then for the most part, you can use the gear in your pack. for instance, it doesn't make sense for the 5 year old to carry a camp saw or hatchet. Other than food and water, I put in the kind of things that my kid would need should he get seperated for a day. Make sure you show them how to use it.

[PistolPete]

With two small kids and a dog, I'd seriously look at bugging in. Use your resources to prepare towards a bug-in plan.

If you do feel the need for a bug-out plan, kids love to take part. Even a small backpack with a single bottle of water makes 'em feel like they're playing a part. Wheelbarrows would suck for a long trip, something like a decent wagon, a yard cart, a double stroller or one of the kid carriers you pull behind a bike would probably work better.

[herbalpagan]

another thing, other than outfitting them correctly, it to make available things like wheeled packs. I have one change of clothing and a days supply of food and water in my backpack and that is all....the rest of the stuff I would take is in wheeled carts/bags. I hope and plan to bug out at home, but my vehicle will have to carry anything other than that lone back pack if I have to bug out. Sometimes you just have to do with less.
The important thing is, as was said above, that your kids know what to do with what they have in case they get seperated from you.

[GossamerGA]

I am all about bugging in...a 5 year old, three cats, two dogs, a husband and my elderly mom. I cringe at the thought of having to pack them all up and hitting the road.

When TSHTF our home should be prepared for the long haul. I imagine that the emotional strain will be easier to manage in a comfortable surrounding.

Barring any disaster that forces us from the home - I want to stay put. My big question is should we stay in our current location or go ahead and find another one a little further out.

I would recommend including some light weight no tech toys: ie dice, a pack of cards, toy cars, coloring book etc. My worst nightmare is being on the road with a cranky kid with zero entertainment.

[meanstreak]

I don't have kids - yet - but I think this is what i'd do:

Small bookbag like one they take to preschool.
1 bottle of water
Some snack foods
2 or 3 capri sun drinks
a coloring book
a couple crayons
a boo boo pack (small IFAK)
If they are in diapers then some wet wipes, powder and extra diaper or two
a laminated "this is who to call if you find this child" card.

I would have to add some more items to my BOB for them but they can haul some basics.


For the dog, I would give them an Outward Hound backpack which is only $9 to carry food and some treats.

[Enter_Narne]

Kids are having to haul a lot of freakin' books around today for school. More than I ever did when I was growing up. It's mostly because schools are not allowing kids to have lockers anymore. Schools don't want the kids to hide weapons and/or drugs in them. So the kids have to haul everything. Your older kids may be able to carry more than you think if this is the case at their school. Even if it isn't the case maybe you should have the kids carry a backpack as often as possible so they can strengthen up. Even if a bug out scenario never comes at least they will be growing stronger both physically and in character.

+1 to juice pouches. No refrigeration. Good hydration. Good for kids' morale.

I agree with previous posters about morale. One upset child can affect the entire group. Just look at what one upset child can do to a plane full of people. Consider taking up some games now that can be played without game parts. I Spy With My Little Eye, 20 Questions, Spot the Celebrity, Trivia, Name That Tune... These are all games that can be played without game parts. Try it when you're all in the car. If you start playing now when there is no emergency they will get used to them. So when an emergency ever does occur, God forbid, you can play these games and it will not only keep them entertained, but it will remind them of happier times and keep them calm.

Don't forget that any clothes a larger person wears can also be worn by a smaller person, but not vise versa. It's harder for a little one to maintain core body temperature so one or more larger people could give up a garment or two to keep the smaller people warmer. Don't plan your clothing around this idea, just keep it in mind.

[crypto]

Give the kids a comfortable pair of shoes and a comfy pack, but dont overload it.

When I was a little kid, we'd go on hikes and stuff and I'd basically carry around an extra pair of socks, a walkie talkie, some food, and some water.

fast-forwarding today, you could give each of your kids the following and it wouldnt weigh a lot:

1 bottle of water (1lb)
1 MRE (1lb)
1pr each socks and underwear (<1lb)
GMRS radio + batteries (<1lb)
small first aid kit (<1lb)

Thats a significant amount of stuff that no longer has to go into your bag, and shouldnt be more than 3lb of cargo for them. They carry more than that in their bookbags at school. Don't forget to pack some extra candy in there, because, I mean, hey candy!

[Ricky Romero]

You'd be surprised how much weight a kid can handle if packed correctly. For extended hikes though, a kid's morale would be better preserved carrying nothing at all. I wrote a thread for the "Personal Experiences" forum a while ago about an urban hike I took with my then 3-year-old son. The link is below.

http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopi ... ht=marches

As my son gets older, I worry less about a pedestrian bug-out situation with kids in tow because 1) I'm more of a bug-in guy now. 2) kids over the age of 5 or 6 don't seem to pose the same challenges, or much of a challenge at all. 3) I'm teaching my son to ride a bike.

[JCD]

On our last (i.e. first) hike, every kid had to carry their lunch (a sandwich) some misc stuff and one or two water bottles.

My son had a 2 lb electronic gizmo which he griped about carrying.

Over all, they did well for a 3 mile trip. The girl, who had a "real" backpack (Barbie and pink) had the least problem. The other two had bike courier packs. She also had the heaviest load, so, real packs for a start.

If each of them could just carry their sleeping bags and some water, I think we could handle the rest, but an affordable sleeping bag for them is pretty bulky and heavy.

[Trebor]

If I was in your situation, my plans would revolve around "bugging in" as my first choice. That would put less strain on the family and you wouldn't have to worry about the kids "pulling their own weight" or how long it will take to travel with kids and a dog.

But, as you know, you might not have any choice in the matter. In a Katrina like situation if your house becomes unliveable (floodwater or tornado damage or whatever) you might have no choice but to evacuate. So, you do need a "bug out plan," even if it's not your primary plan.

The first thing I would do is repack your critical bug-out supplies into packs or bags. While you'll obviously want to bug out in the mini van if you can, you need to have the gear packed so you can continue on foot if needed or just leave on foot from the start.

What if the vehicle runs out of gas when you are stuck in mass evac traffic? Or what if it's destroyed by a falling tree in your driveway before you even try to leave? Or what if the roads are unpassable by vehicle due to debris, etc? You get the idea.

In any situation where you have to abandon the vehicle or just can't take it in the first place, you aren't going to be able get very far trying to carry things in those plastic storage boxes.

What I would do is prioritize your bug out supplies. Pack your most essential items in the packs you are your wife will carry. Give your kids some good kid packs and have them carry some extra water and maybe a little food. Water is going to be most important so the more, the better.

Once you have the packs packed for you and your wife, and small packs for the kids, repack the less essential stuff into bags that you could carry in addition to your packs. You'd probably only want to go a short distance with these extra bags, but if you make it close to your destination before you have to go on foot, you might want to have those extra supplies and the more convenient they are to carry, the better.

Finally, since Plan A is to take the Mini Van, don't be afraid to load it up with more then you could carry on your back, even if it's in those plastic boxes. Use the consumables (food, water) in the van first and save the stuff in the packs for last.

When you are bugging out with your kids, try to find room for some comfort items or fun items. A favorite toy or blanket or what not. If you can pack some "comfort food" as part of your planned food, that's good as well. Something as simple as the juice boxes they are used to drinking instead of just bottled water might make a difference.

Make sure they have good shoes and good clothes. Dress in layers so they can take off layers in the heat and put them back on when it gets cold. Hats are a must as well.

It's going to be even more important to have a plan and a destination if you are evacuating with your kids. In the end, they just aren't going to have the stamina to go as far as you would alone, and you are your wife aren't going to be able to travel as long, or as far, with the kids as you would alone. Figure that into your planning.

With that in mind, I'd error on the side of bugging out "too soon" as oppossed to "too late." I'm not sure where you live, but if you are in a hurricane area, etc, where the possibility of a evacuation is very real, I'd make it a point to keep informed enough so you could decide to evacuate well before everyone else gets the idea and well before any official announcement. The downside is that youre more likely to evacuate some time when it turns out you really wouldn't have needed to leave. If that happens, just consider it to be a "dry run" and see what you can learn from it from next time.


The dog is it's own issue. Don't waste space in your packs with dog food, but put some in the vehicle if your planning to take the vehicle. If you bring the dog, make sure you have a good leash. If the dog can wear a small pack with water, that would help. Don't forget a small dish or bowl for the dog to drink from.

[Vindex]

Get a wheelbarrow?

There's a thread around about using Garden Carts for bug outs. I suppose a kid could get off their tired feet and be pulled along in one of those.

Prepositioned caches along bug out routes could help cut down on the load also.

[Patient Zer0]

I have 4 kids, ages 4, 6 ,10, and 14. I have found that the youngest two can carry enough gear to cover their basic needs eg, extra clothing, some granola bars and trail mix, a couple of water bottles each, a flashlight, spare shoes, and some battery free toys. The 6 yo also carries her own sleeping bag. The older two can carry more, and the 14 yo has a back up first aid kit in his bag. In a situation where you would need to bug out, you will be able to convey the seriousness of the situation better if the kid has some kind of task that is their responsibility. Just be sure to make it age appropriate and double check them.


All that being said, our plan A is to bug in, infact we have a fall back bug in location as my brother in law and best friend live nearby, but we have our back up bug out plan as well.


Edit to fix spelling and add a coherent thought.

[Biff]

...

[crypto]

Not to hijack here but whats the legality of cracking a hydrant to put out your own fire? How long do you think it will take you to get wet stuff on the hot stuff from the time you realize you need to do it? Wouldnt it be better to spend that time calling 911 and getting important shit out of the structure?
Who's going to feed you hose while you're fighting that fire?

Actually, lets do this via PM, or better yet you should start a thread in self-sufficiency for it. I've got a hydrant on my corner, and I've always wondered about it.

Hijack over, carry on

[L1Z4RD]

Speaking of kids......what do y'all think of this?

[michelle]

I think getting them some gear to carry, that they'd like to have, would be important to them. Something like this radio is attractive to kids, and actually would be useful if bugging out.

[ali_marea]

First post here. I just wanted to say thank you for this thread. I have an 18 month old and he has a medical condition. (Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia for anyone who might ask. ) I'd been focusing on getting a well stocked pantry and in-house supplies. But then I thought all the Bug-Out stuff might make more sense. I think we'd have to Bug-In.

We have a decent-sized, finished basement, complete with a laundry room lined with shelves (pantry) and a mattress and boxspring. If we had to live down there for a while, we could do it comfortably.

Now I just need to find out how to keep enough meds in the house in the event that we can't leave for a few weeks.

Great thread!

[roscoe]

This is a pretty important thread, in my opinion. Most of us are not single, young, and unencumbered.

I have a double jog-stroller by BOB that has big wheels for rough terrain. Great for jogging, and would be used for bugging out by foot if the car weren't available. The two toddlers in the stroller and the wife and I would carry packs. I have a dog-pack so the mutt could carry her own food, but that is a distant concern.

In most any scenario I can think of we would bug in, so we are stocked with food, water, and medicine. Also, get some medical training, if possible - lots of threads on that.

I also keep 30 gallons of gas (with StaBil) in 5 gallon cans in the shed, and have extra hoses and belts, and tools, for the SUV. If I keep the SUV at 1/2 tank or more, I have a range of about 800 miles. That's about it.

[thorian]

I have been thinking about picking one of these up for deer season.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=354218

It is a cart with a 300lb capacity and solid rubber tires so they cant get flats. You could toss your packs on it and take turns pushing or pulling it. or even a person if someone gets hurt and cant walk.

[CaptainAttila]

One thing the wife and I found essential while hiking when the kids were little: a nice, loud whistle tied to each of their packs (and ours too). Makes it a lot easier to find each other if they get out of sight (and if you've got boys, they will )

[Fiacharrey]

I have a 4 year old, and I've been working on his bug-out kit. The idea of it is that he will have what he needs so that he can easily go with either one of us, or to a shelter with other family members if that is necessary.

He has been drilled in how to call us in a regular emergency, but that wouldn't help in a SHTF. So, in case he is separated from us, he has contact information for several family members on a card on a lanyard he would keep around his neck. The lanyard also has a small LED light and an emergency whistle.

His pack also has food, a small blanket, a change of underwear and socks, and some small games and favorite toys. Those have to be cycled out as he gets older. (I am planning to revisit it at least every 6 months along with my other bug-out gear.) He loves juice boxes, so those are in along with some water bottles.

The goal is to keep the pack no more than 20% of his bodyweight. He is about 50 lbs, so the max weight should be 10 lbs. Actually, I'm not sure how much his weighs now, but he can handle it fairly well. Going to have to check that out.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Finally I find this thread! Only other ones I could find on this subject were this, this, and my humble contribution here. Can't believe nobody's posted here since 2007. Maybe nobody else is having kids these days.

We are stationed in Europe, and we found a good pint-sized (well, gallon-sized) Jack Wolfskin bag. Appropriate for 3 years and up IMO. Has a whistle built into the sternum strap, of uncertain utility... not exactly an ear-splitting emergency whistle. Good reflective and high-visibility qualities. Sorry I can't find the link.

We also have the BabyBjorn for an infant and a rucksack-style baby carrier for pre-ambulatory kids, and a good jogging stroller (Phil & Teds) with waterproofing sheets of plastic that snap on, and deep pockets for carrying all sorts of things. We did well in frigid weather with a cheap fleece blanket, the plastic over-covering, and an order of hot fries in my daughter's lap. She even took her hat off as the plastic started to fog up!

But really my plan for bugging out with kids is with a vehicle, and so we store a lot of stuff in the vehicle. Not least of which is this item, invaluable for children of a certain age:
http://www.amazon.com/Kalencom-2-in-1-P ... 354&sr=8-3

So, those are my finds (actually my wife found most of that stuff) - what do the rest of you recommend for preparedness for families with young children?

Oh, and right after watching the movie TAKEN I bought this and some stuff on www.mypreciouskid.com . Probably overpriced though, maybe just generic dogtags would do the trick. And if you have unlimited funds there's this: https://www.amberalertgps.com/.