How To Start a BOB (Bug Out Bag) (This is a post that I wrote for a Christian Prepper group that Im a member of, and thought Id go ahead and share it here too...) I havent really contributed to the group yet... Ive just been kinda laying in wait to see how it formed up and developed. Im really happy with the direction its going. I especially like the daily prayers and devotionals! Not that I agree with all of the commentary, but Im not one of those people that have to agree with every word of everything I see to get significant value out of it... But thats a whole nother post... I figured Id pipe in with my first post to discuss the wonderful enigma known colloquially as BOB. This is the Bug Out Bag. Some people call them Get Home Bag, Emergency Kit, or a variety of other colorful names we wont go into here... Me, myself? I just call it my back pack. Its one of those little one shoulder jobbies. Nothing tactical about it, no MOLLE webbing, only a couple of pockets, sporterized black and grey with a red liner. Looks rather allot like a school book bag that high school or minimalist college students carry, if not just a bit smaller. thats it... not much to it really... picked it up at the DAV for $3.50. I picked this bag because it doesnt look like a bug out bag. Its non-descript. Nobody wants to steal it and nobody is curious whats in it. Now what everyone here really wants to know; Whats In It? I have no idea! Yup, thats the truth! I havent got a clue. Well, sorta kinda... And no, Im not going to unload it, to splay it all out over the floor, take pictures, post them on the web, with a complete itemized inventory list. Theres nothing wrong with doing that. But if thats what youre looking for you will find thousands of other comprehensive sources in literally 0.3 seconds before you even finish typing the query into your browser. Try it! Type what should I put in my Bug Out Bag into any internet browser and youll start getting results before you finish the word Bug... Anyway my bag is filled with stuff! I carry a little Walther P22 pistol in the interior pocket. Some ammo. I carry a 9mm on my person, but the .22 stays in my bag. I carry a vehicle emergency tool as well. Its actually a tactical, tanto blade knife with a seat belt cutter and glass breaker. $10.00 at Northern Tool. Is it the the best knife in the world? No, absolutely Not! But its not the one in my pocket that I have to use all day every day - this particular knife only has to work once and Im confident itll do that... I have a first aid kit, the contents of which change almost as often as those of my bag. I have pen, paper, and a Sharpie marker. I have about 50 of 550 cord (which doesnt occupy nearly as much space as youd think it would), a little over 1/2 roll of duct tape, and an unnumbered mass of 7 zip ties (7 being the most versatile size with the greatest flexibility of uses from my experience). I also carry a hand towel because Ford Prefect was right. Theres probably 25 pairs of ear plugs and definitely some safety glasses. A smallish fishing kit. A flint and steel with some fire starters and usually a bic lighter or two. Then theres the snacks, you will usually find something dried, non-perishable, and tasty in my bag... you wont live on it, but itll get you there. And theres probably at least one bottle of water too... Those are the permanent residence of my bag. Not much really. All in all it takes up about 1/3 of the pack maybe a little more. But the pack remains filled... Some times theres an extra shirt or light weight jacket stuffed in it. An extra baseball cap. Maybe a book. Often a largish package of quick-clot if Im headed to the range. Its not unusual to find various tool kits or even loose tools in my bag. Some times its just more of the same stuff I usually carry... But more often than not, my bag is filed with useful things that change out frequently because it never sits static. I use it and replenish it constantly in my day to day busy life. But how did my bag get this way? Its a menagerie of gear and stuff... Well most people asking What do I put in my Bug Out Bag are asking out of a heart felt concern because of the confusing enigma so called experts have created. You need this bag because it has 250 million cubic inches of space 20,000 hidden pockets, its bullet proof against .50 caliber tank killer bunker busting rounds, able to withstand an EF5 tornado, its water proof, fire proof, can be used as a life raft, it only weighs 2.2 ounces and comes in camo pink for the ladies... You must have this, this, this, and that at the low, low supreamly affordable cost of only $100,000.00 or you are not truly prepared for the Trouble With Tribbels that is certainly without a doubt coming tomorrow because the brother of my cousins super secret source in the government told me so... HORSE HOCKEY!!! Get you a bag... An old lap top bag, an old purse, one of those green reusable grocery sacks, a tool bag, your 13 yr old daughters old Dora The Explorer back pack from first grade... You now have your bag! Put a knife, and a first aid kit in it. Put in a couple of granola bars and a bottle of water. A smallish 1/2 sized spiral and something to write with. Then carry it with you every day. You could really splurge, get you a laptop back pack and actually carry your lap top in it! The point is youve started with the basics right here. When you use something or wish you had something, write it down in your notebook and add or replace it ASAP. Do Not Wait! Add or replace within 24-48 hours. Put $5-10 a week aside to buy a bigger better bag or for supplies to add to your bag. And start shopping now researching all the stats and features of available every day carry packs. By the time you have enough to afford the bag you want for a BOB, you will actually know what you want for a BOB and you can buy it without going into debt. You will have been carrying a BOB and establishing the habits necessary for it to be an effective tool for your survival. You will have your supplies in a bag that is by now bursting at the seams, your list, and your wish list. You will know what you want to carry, but more importantly you will know what you dont want to carry. (BTW toilet paper is an important and often overlooked commodity in most bug out bags - better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it...) In a few short weeks youll be the expert! But first you have to get started... And the lonely Cookie Monster back pack lying forgotten in the bottom of your coat closet could use a new life... Hope this helps someone out there... -Kyle
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 01:58:57 +0000
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