ZS Presents: How to Build Your Bug Out Bag (B.O.B.)

[eugene]

If I were to carry a hose to siphon gas I would put it in a vehicle kit not in a BOB on my back.

[shoggoth80]

Though a section of that latex hose stuff would be a good idea. Could be a water siphon, a straw, a tourniquet, or a slingshot band, depending on need. Probably other uses for it... but those are the ones on top of my head. I actually should stop by a hardware store and get a couple feet of it. Call me lazy, and I have been, but this is one item that I think could be *very* utilitarian in a BOB, and one that I am kicking myself for *still* not having in there.

[aus.templar]

Tagged for later... Reminds me I need to do a thread with my one sometime

[actionavenue]

Thanks for the great information. My wife and I have actually had to get some bug out bags ready for the threat of flooding that has loomed over our area since end of May. It's always important to be prepared.

[JMart]

This is possibly the most useful thread I've ever seen. I doubt I'll get any sleep this week...great forum!

[azrael99]

wow

THAT a nice tread. it answered all my question in one shot.


THANKS!!

[Bruno_GO]

A really marvellous topic.
Tagged for always be checked.

[jehicks87]

B.O.B. Flashlight (part 1)

When it comes to your utility flashlight choice, look at the multi use aspect. I decided on the Streamlight Sidewinder IR LED flashlight for its numerous uses. Not only does the flashlight have multi colored LEDs, it has an IR (infrared) LED, which works with my NVG (Night Vision Goggles). The IR LED strobe feature can also be used as a “covert” signaling device. It also runs on “AA” batteries, which works with my “AA” solar rechargeable battery system.



The Sidewinder has twenty light functions, four selectable LED light colors and intensity levels, plus strobe, it is also lightweight and waterproof. The Sidewinder has more than 100-hours of runtime with any LED color at low intensity. At full-power, the Sidewinder has runtimes of between 7 and 12 hours, depending on LED selection.

Be careful with those sidewinder flashlights... I literally broke three of them on my last tour in Afghanistan. Each time, a simple fall from the top of a blackhawk (~15ft) to the FLS was all it took. And they are NOT cheap. lol

[ITZombie]

In regards to the keltec link that was posted, several pages appear to be fine but some pages cause google chrome to throw this warning up. You may want to be careful when visiting the site. As always make sure your system is up to date on all patches and that you have a quality anti-virus/anti-spyware system installed.

Warning: Something's Not Right Here!
www.keltecweapons.com contains malware. Your computer might catch a virus if you visit this site.
Google has found malicious software may be installed onto your computer if you proceed. If you've visited this site in the past or you trust this site, it's possible that it has just recently been compromised by a hacker. You should not proceed, and perhaps try again tomorrow or go somewhere else.
We have already notified http://www.keltecweapons.com that we found malware on the site. For more about the problems found on http://www.keltecweapons.com, visit the Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Some online games I play have ads from other games - and fairly often, the ads they display have loaders from various malware forms incorporated into the ads. Good, up to date anti-malware software will (usually) handle it, but, walking into obvious ambushes "may" not be intelligent; Give them time to fix the problem at Keltec and then see if you're still warned?

I'm getting to rebuild my BOB sorta from scratch (a family member "helped themselves", sigh) - Tough on a fixed income. In the Pacific Northwest (aka the "Silicon Rainforest" as some iof us call it) water isn't usually that hard to get, CLEAN water's the priority though; a transfer pump of some kind's probably a good idea at your BOL if not in your BOB.

[Rigamorphis]

Please forgive me if this link has been posted before.

I found it to be a pretty nice summation of what to consider when putting a BOB together. Have to admit however, that it's nowhere near as extensive as this thread.

Have a look.

http://artofmanliness.com/2011/03/07/how-to-make-a-bug-out-bag-your-72-hour-emergency-evacuation-survival-kit/

[spankyd]

These site's I have found to be particularly useful as well when having to store food for a long term, or if you're wanting to save money by helping your food last longer than normal.

http://www.preparewise.com/shop/index.php/food-storage-1/emergency-food.html

and

http://www.buyemergencyfoods.com/shop/index.php/food-storage/emergency-food-storage.html

[spankyd]

Also if those sites were helpful, you can definitely check out this one too:

http://www.shelfreliance.com/foodstorage

[spankyd]

And one more too. Sorry, last one.

http://www.emergencyfoodstoragepros.com/

[Rivers2Gates]

I am currently building my BOB bag for a trip to the mountains with a couple of buddies I plan on making in a couple of months (North Carolina mountains - probably where i'd end up in a SHTF situation). I have almost no formal (or informal) training on survival stategies. My plan is to take my BOB into the "wilderness" for 3 days to find out how well I'd fare. Obviously, I'm doing this to figure out my areas of greatest need and to determine what steps I should take to be more prepared should a real situation arise. This may sound crazy, but I'm curious to see how well I'd do if something were to happen this very moment, before I have had the time to prepare...

I'm sure most people probably start with selecting the actual bag first, but I'm working the other way around. I am still hesistant to purchase a bag for fear I will select the wrong one. A bag with a frame, or without a frame? How big does it have to be? It's probably the most frustrating part of the process for me!

I appreciate all the helpful material this site has to offer, it has been invaluable in building my bag.

Also, if anybody is from North Carolina or the surrounding areas, and has a suggestion on a great place to get away and do some backpacking for a few days... feel free to send me a message. Thanks guys.

[Guy Fawkes]

I am currently building my BOB bag for a trip to the mountains with a couple of buddies I plan on making in a couple of months (North Carolina mountains - probably where i'd end up in a SHTF situation). I have almost no formal (or informal) training on survival stategies. My plan is to take my BOB into the "wilderness" for 3 days to find out how well I'd fare. Obviously, I'm doing this to figure out my areas of greatest need and to determine what steps I should take to be more prepared should a real situation arise. This may sound crazy, but I'm curious to see how well I'd do if something were to happen this very moment, before I have had the time to prepare...

I'm sure most people probably start with selecting the actual bag first, but I'm working the other way around. I am still hesistant to purchase a bag for fear I will select the wrong one. A bag with a frame, or without a frame? How big does it have to be? It's probably the most frustrating part of the process for me!

I appreciate all the helpful material this site has to offer, it has been invaluable in building my bag.

Also, if anybody is from North Carolina or the surrounding areas, and has a suggestion on a great place to get away and do some backpacking for a few days... feel free to send me a message. Thanks guys.

I'm in NC.

South Mountains State Park, just south of Morganton, is a great place.

[Boondock]

Obviously, I'm doing this to figure out my areas of greatest need and to determine what steps I should take to be more prepared should a real situation arise. This may sound crazy, but I'm curious to see how well I'd do if something were to happen this very moment, before I have had the time to prepare...

There's always the Mock Bug Out contest, I think it's running all summer. Might be a good way to gauge where you stand.

[Dtrain]

Thyanks to all for an excellent thread...I carry what I and the Wife call the "Jack Pack" it carries the items I feel I would need or could use just to make my day go easier as a Truck driver and Dad...I guess in a pinch it could double as a "Bug out Bag Lite"..I have been looking at my "Jack Pack" as I do every so often to make sure everything is in it's place and ready to go along with the standard"Do I really need to Carry this particulair Item" evealuation...This has given me lots of ideas Thanks again

[Mikeyboy]

I do a lot of hiking and I can tell you that you will screw your body up if you decide to Bug Out carrying serious weight. What you don't want to do is carry a heavy pack, be slow as molasses, and hurt yourslf the first day so that you are completely useless. Sure you might be able to hump a heavy load to a BOL, but what happens if you can't, if you need to travel long distance, move quickly and live out of your backpack. I learned some lessons from AT thru-hikers that I'm trying to translate over to my survival BOBs. Granted some things that a AT Thru-Hiker uses to hike 2,000 miles in the woods may not translate well or fall sort in a disaster or ZPAW , but its a good start and something different to look at when planning your BOB.

Here is an article and a gear list.

http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_p ... cles/12659

[Boondock]

Here is an article and a gear list.

http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_p ... cles/12659

Groovy article. Thanks, man.