I put together this Bug Out Bag for emergency situations. You can't plan for every scenario, but you can cover the basics, Security, Shelter, Water, and Food. My bag is a work in progress, I am constantly changing the gear I pack to better suit my needs. I don't think a Mad Max TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it) scenario is very likely, but with any breakdown of society (Storms, floods, fires, riots, chemical spills) there are difficulties to overcome. I think any rational person can see a scenario where they are forced to leave their home with little or no warning. Even if you are evacuating your home only to stay with friends and family, you will need some belongings.
If the need arises I plan to Bug Out, I think there is some merit to stockpiling food and gear, but I think that in any long term scenario your home will become more of a target rather than a safe-haven.
In any situation I think we can all agree that it would be foolish to assume that everyone will behave and be calm.....
I wanted to catalog my bug out bag items, its a handy way to have a reference of what you have stored away in there without disassembling the pack every time and so my wife wont kill me for exploding my gear in the living room.
First we start off with the bag, its an older Kelty Redwing, I scavenged a Camelbak bladder and hose to fit in the hydration compartment. I like this bag because it has a semi rigid frame and a full size hip belt (My previous bag fit all my gear but it lacked the stability of a bigger pack). It weighs about 30 to 45 lbs, depending on the configuration. Its' comfortable and has a little extra room for more gear, plus the compartmentalized pockets keep everything accessible and distribute the weight.
Next, we take a look at the organizer pocket, I use this pocket for misc items, and things that are handy to have at the ready.
Below you can see:
- Chemical light stick (When Murphy's law strikes, it will be in the dark)
- Fero-magnesium fire starter
- Box cutter
- Wetwipes (Toilet paper is good.... wet wipes are better, and have you ever taken a sponge bath with wet toilet paper.... I didn't think so)
- Waterproof document case (Useful for passports, birth certificates, social security cards, etc...)
- Pens/Notebook (Leave notes for family, start a checklist, record directions, start a fire with the paper)
- Pack of survival fishing gear (Hooks, sinkers, line, all sealed in plastic)
- OC/Tear Gas Spray (I've been tear gassed, and I've been OC sprayed... neither is an event that I want to repeat. The combination of the two effects is a very strong deterrent for most aggressors. Keep this in a plastic bag until you Bug Out, you don't want to contaminate your gear)
And then,
Medical Kit, this is a basic kit, you may need to add or remove items depending on your setup. There are various other first aid items in other places in the pack (redundancy) this kit is just a quick and ready package that fits in the first zippered compartment for easy access, I also have a separate container for pills and assorted medicines. The goal here is basic first aid, I have a full trauma bag (not pictured, perhaps in another post) for stitches, fever, diarrhea, etc.
- Carabiner
- Imodium
- Waterproof medical tape
- Micro-pore paper tape (Excellent for small cuts and abrasions and blisters, it allows the skin to breathe unlike band-aids)
- Pepto-bismol (You never know what you may hafta eat!)
- EMT Shears (These shears will cut almost anything, you can snip a penny in half if necessary)
- Cuticle Snips
- Folding mirror (Good for signaling, can also be used to see to treat yourself in the case of back, dental or other hard to see places injuries)
- Lighter (will sterilize metal objects like needles for removing splinters)
- Mil-Surplus compression bandage (Camouflaged! Plenty of good uses)
- Safety Pins (Useful when wrapping bandages, replacing lost buttons, torn clothing, etc...)
- 4 pairs of latex gloves
- Tweezers
- Pen
- Mil-Surplus first aid dressings
- QuikClot (Very dangerous if used incorrectly, use only in the worst case emergency of major hemorrhaging)
- Triple anti-biotic ointment
And then again
General supplies
- Shamwow!
- Scrubbing Sponge
- Silverware
- One large cooking spoon
- 2 forks
- 2 spoons
- 1 small spoon
- Assorted zip ties (These are a must have item, you can fix and make almost anything with zip ties and duct-tape)
- 3 tea candles
- Coffee filters (good for filtering muddy water, wrapping leftover food, or starting fires)
- Dust Masks
- Packable one liter water/wine/liquor container
- Plastic resealable bags
- Clorox wipes
Some more
General supplies cont.
- 1 Pouch of emergency drinking water (Best used for first aid to irrigate wounds)
- Siphon tube (Can be used to suck water from hard to reach places)
- Water treatment tablets
- Waterproof match case w/ matches (Bottom of case has an included flint)
- Salt and pepper (hot-sauce and other small condiments are also excellent)
- Can opener/corkscrew/bottle opener
- Wet Fire fire starters
- Opinel folding knife
- 2 Sterno cans
- Pill case
- Dish washing detergent
- MRE condiment pack (I have tons of these laying around from old Military MealReadytoEat's, each one may have a different assortment of goodies)
- Matches
- Hot-sauce
- Toilet paper
- Coffee/tea mix
- Chewing gum
- Moist towelette
- Salt
- Cotton bag to contain everything
And some more
General supplies cont.
- Mil-surplus Arthropod/mosquito repellent (This comes as a paste and it is very strong, use it sparingly, it has the added bonus of being a tick repellant)
- Shampoo/body wash (You could possibly Bug Out to a friends house, it's nice to bring your own toiletries)
- Hand sanitizer (Works excellent as a fire starter as well)
- Dental floss (much stronger than thread for clothing/pack repairs)
- Sunscreen (Ever tried to carry a pack with sun burned shoulders?)
- Lip Balm
- Large safety pin (Use it to attach a lanyard to your gear)
- Nail Clippers
More
General supplies
- Tooth brush
- Toilet paper
- Disposable razors
- Bar soap
- Wet-wipes
- Cotton swabs
- Cotton bag to contain everything
And more
General supplies
- Crank radio (I really like this compact radio because it has a flashlight and USB charging port)
- Folding saw
- Small Trowel (Dig latrines/roots/water/hot coals)
- Generic Sandals (Good to have around camp while your shoes/feet dry, or if you happen to Bug Out without shoes)
Yep, there's more
General supplies cont.
- Plastic drop cloth (Shelter building)
- SOL emergency bivy sleeping sack
- 2 Nylon rain jackets
- Tent stakes
- Heavy duty sharpie
- 4 Hand warmers
- Super-glue (Good for everything from repairs to gluing cuts closed)
- Reflective blanket
- Extra AA batteries
Still going
General supplies cont.
- 50 ft of para-cord (So many uses that I'd hafta start a new post)
- Lock and key
- Vice Grip pliers
- Rubber dipped work gloves
- 70 ft of all purpose nylon rope
- Sewing kit
- Fishing bobber
- Duct-tape (Blisters, waterproofing, ripped clothing repairs, shelter building, perhaps I need another roll...)
Yet another
General Supplies
- 8x10 Tarp (Perfect shelter for two, can also be rolled up to make a makeshift pack)
- Stainless steel pot
Quick access supplies, I keep these in an easy to reach side pocket, if the power is out I want a ready light source to rig my gear with.
- Chemical light sticks
- Mil-Surplus waterproof stuff sacks (If I need to bug out in a hurry, I can take this sack around the house and fill it with food, gear and necessaries. If I fill it with gear and air space before I tie it off it will float my pack in water)
- Compressed towels
- Insect repellant band
Now on to some of the exciting stuff
Last Ditch Bug Out fanny pack. If you can only carry one thing, and you need to ditch the rest of the Bug Out Bag, this fanny pack pistol combo may not be tacti-cool, but it is practical. It will leave you with some standard survival items and a throw away pistol (The first rule of gun fighting is "Don't get into a gun fight", but should you break rule one, default to rule two "If you get into a gun fight.... Bring a gun!")
Last Ditch Fanny
- Compass w/ instructions
- Leatherman multi-tool
- Headlamp, Princeton-tec Byte (Something may be wrong with mine because the batteries keep dying)
- Quikclot sponge (Much safer to use than the Quikclot powder that was listed above, just put it on the wound, or poke it into the hemorrhaging hole)
- MRE condiment pack
- Smoked oysters
- Jetscream whistle
- Heavy duty can opener
- Wetfire fire starters
- Pen
Pistol. This beauty is a Russian CZ-52, with a U.S. made modified firing pin (eliminates the reliability issues with the original Russian design), It fires a sub-machine gun 7.62x25 round. It is a roller lock, single action only pistol and the holster carries an extra magazine and cleaning rod. With the improved firing pin it is a reliable semi-auto, and should you need extra ammunition there are 50 extra rounds in the Bug Out Bag.
My Light-fighter gun belt setup
- Covered double mag pouch
- Blackhawk Nite-Ops Gladius flashlight
- ITS Tactical IFAK
- Blood chit belt clip
- Benchmade Osborne fighting knife
- Kimber Target Eclipse II .45 1911
- Blackhawk Serpa holster
- Heavy nylon duty belt
Kimber Target Eclipse II .45 1911
- Adjustable Tritium target night sights
- Wilson Combat slim wood grips
- 3 Magazines loaded with Hornady Critical Defense
Gun belt in detail
- ITS Tactical IFAK
- Quikclot combat gauze
- 2 HALO chest seals
- Mojo-dart decompression needle
- Israeli Bandage
- Gauze pack
- Heavy duty latex gloves
- Airway
- SOF Tourniquet
- Blackhawk Nite-Ops Gladius
- Benchmade Osborne fighting knife
Bug Out Rifle
- Robinson Armament XCR-L 5.56
- Magpul collapsible folding stock
- YHM flip up forward iron post sight
- A.R.M.S. flip up rear iron peep sight
- Magpul AFG
- EOTECH holographic sight
- Surefire combat light
Thats all for now. Ill try to post pics of my Light Fighter setup soon.
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