Bug Out Bags 101

[teddy12b]

It's funny to see these old threads get resurrected and look at some of my old photos of old loadouts. I've pretty much quit using any form of a haversack entirely in the last two years, just because of the uneven pressure on my back. Some of the stuff in my own photos I just shake my head at anymore. Everything in those pictures is still in use one way or another, but I've switched my edc knife to a swiss army fieldmaster that has a little folding saw on it rather than those packable chain saw. They're just a lot more weight for something that'll get used very little.

 

[WETSU]

It's funny to see these old threads get resurrected and look at some of my old photos of old loadouts. I've pretty much quit using any form of a haversack entirely in the last two years, just because of the uneven pressure on my back. Some of the stuff in my own photos I just shake my head at anymore. Everything in those pictures is still in use one way or another, but I've switched my edc knife to a swiss army fieldmaster that has a little folding saw on it rather than those packable chain saw. They're just a lot more weight for something that'll get used very little.

You've come a long way Grasshopper

 

[tactrav]

Lots of good ideas here, I like the some of the satchel ideas!

 

[Festan]

It seems that bug out bags have multiple purposes, from short to long duration's and number of people supported. Mine is a kind of hybrid first responder/one week deployment with extended "stay" if necessary. Is it typical to grab the bag and assume you are never returning?

 

[Trigger Time]

It seems that bug out bags have multiple purposes, from short to long duration's and number of people supported. Mine is a kind of hybrid first responder/one week deployment with extended "stay" if necessary. Is it typical to grab the bag and assume you are never returning?

A lot of people get Bug Out Bags (BOB) which are meant for extended trips, mixed up with Get Home Bags (GHB) which are just meant to get you back to your home or camp where other supplies are.
There are a host of other bag options it's really just adapting one or more to your scenario you expect.
I think modularity is key. If you make a complete system that is like the Onion, and then you can peel off layers of that system or onion as you need them for specific tasks or durations.
Also being familiar with your kit and being able to grab something even if it's dark because maybe you dont want to use a light for security purposes. Also packing with a purpose for weight distribution, flotation, ect. Lots of factors one has to look at, plan for, then practice.

To answer your last question, yes. A BOB should be able to be grabbed if you dont Intend to return and you could use the contents to start over and create new tools, housing, ect.
Also you could choose to plan ahead and use a system of caches along possible travel routes to resupply. And of coarse a final destination or bug out location where you have supplies.
But some people would be nomadic I guess.

 

[Ziggidy]

Over the years I have read many a post that discusses what to put in your BOB. Over the years I have said, yes, that sounds good - I need to add that, and that and that.

I now have 14 storage units and looking to buy a mobile home to transport all of the stuff I have. Either that or I can now open my own camping / survival store.

 

[teddy12b]

Over the years I have read many a post that discusses what to put in your BOB. Over the years I have said, yes, that sounds good - I need to add that, and that and that.

I now have 14 storage units and looking to buy a mobile home to transport all of the stuff I have. Either that or I can now open my own camping / survival store.

More than once, I've joked about having an Army Surplus/REI store in my basement. There's something to be said for some good basecamp type of gear, and there's something to be said for having a backpack with the most minimal amount of stuff you'd need to get by for a week. I can't speak for everyone, but for me, the best thing that ever happened to me was an interest in backpacking. It doesn't take many miles with all your goodies in your backpack to start putting a target on all their backs because of weight. It doesn't take many days of lots of miles before you look at everything in your pack that you haven't used with a little bit of hate and disgust. Last year I was out for just over a week straight and the only thing in my pack that I didn't use with some extra bankline. This year I have a similar backpacking trip coming up where I'm being very particular about what gear goes with me again.

 

[spencer rifle]

Our oldest son has a rule for our backpacking trips - whatever you don't use you have to eat. Makes you think twice about a lot of things.

 

[JeepHammer]

368 posts, and the obvious is still as present as ever...

You don't know what is useful in the field until you go to the field.

*IF* this is so important to you...
Spend a full week IN THE FIELD!

Build & tear down camps every day so you KNOW what you use the most of, what's re-useable/salvageable and what just makes 'Survival' easier...

Having spent 16 years in the Marines, most of 14 years deployed, and having a job that put me in the field A LOT...
I found the 'Field Issue' to be a joke, OK if you were moving with a unit that had field kitchens, big tents, lots of support/supply etc., but small unit (usually 2 to 8 men) the issued crap was dead weight.

An old grunt saying,
"Ounces equal pounds, Pounds equal pain"

Bunny hugging hikers figured this out, why can't 'Preppers'?
Because 'Preppers' never get far enough from the internet or dinner table to find out!

--------

Rule #1.
Never think your camp/hide is a base of operations in hostile areas.
Anything you don't have on your person gets left behind when the camp/hide is discovered.
If you aren't carrying it RIGHT NOW, it's a crap shoot if you will have it 10 minutes from now...

Rule #2.
If you don't use it everyday (sometimes several times a day),
AND,
It doesn't have at least 2 uses, don't carry it.
Example:
Metal canteens carry water, but they also allow you to BOIL water...
Example:
Baking soda brushes teeth, calms raging gut problems, makes those rotting socks tolerable, works as deodorant so the 'Bad Guys' & game don't smell you a mile away, treats bug bites & scratches, cleans equipment...

--- This excludes medical equipment, you won't need all medical equipment everyday, but it's mission critical gear when you do need it to survive and continue the mission.

Rule #3.
Is not about 'Comfort', it's about the mission and/or survival, nothing else.
Example:
Clean, dry socks are mission critical, if you can't walk, you can't complete.
Socks dry on the outside of the pack, so a color that doesn't get you killed.
Your FEET will be the first thing that goes (unless you drink untreated water), and your mission is dead when your feet go.
Period.

Rule #4.
'Shelter' is a relative term...
If it's raining, rain poncho.
If it's snowing, rain poncho.
If it's stupid cold, rain poncho with insulation, native or liner.
If it's blisteringly hot and you NEED shade, rain poncho.
If you need to collect water, rain poncho.
If you need a ground sheet, rain poncho.
Need a camo surround, camo rain poncho.
Need a signaling device, bright colored rain poncho.
Want a hammock? Choose a sturdy poncho or sew a fish net into your poncho.
(Now you have a poncho, fish/cargo/load net & hammock)

Are you seeing a pattern here?...

It's not like you won't be able to find natural & man made shelters EVERYWHERE in the USA, it's not like you are going to the jungle or deserts that are largely uninhabited...

Rule #5.
The 'One Knife' idea is stupid beyond belief...
Disregard and run from any idiot expounding on this idea!

First off, DO carry a sterile scalpel blade!
They weigh nothing, they cost nothing, they take up no room, they tuck away anywhere in your gear, including wallet,
If you are in the brush/boonies and you DON'T think you will have to dig out fish hooks, lance boils, remove big honking splinters or thorns, you aren't going to make it anyway...
Lack of hygiene level YOU ARE USED TO is most certainly going to cause boils, your gear is going to rub crud into your skin, and your body IS going to have an immune response, you ARE going to get splinters, thorns, etc. And your an idiot if you go digging around with some dirty, thick blade knife...

Keep in mind a scalpel blade is so small & compact, most times it won't be detected in searches.
I know of people that fly with blades passing right through TSA screening to this day.

DO carry a camp/utility/skinning knife, straight blade, full tang is most dependable.
Keep in mind that 'Skeletonized' knives don't come with 'Scales', and are easy to wrap para cord around, concealing something in the handle if you want to...
Paracord being super useful, so is music wire wrap for a handle, both common & easy to aquire, no slip surfaces when done.

The uber long 'Rambo' knife isn't what I'm talking about, something fairly short & manageable, perferably with a thicker blade that will crack bone & can be hammered on.
I personally perferably a PARTLY serrated blade, good for the stuff you normally would use an axe/wire cutters, etc for.

A knife is a tool, they are CONSUMABLE, you WILL damage the blade/handle as they work, if nothing more than frequant sharpening from use.
If you paid WAY too much for your utility/camp knife so you won't use it, then it's useless...
If you won't open cans, can't clean an animal, can't hammer on the back of the knife, it's useless as a camp/utility knife.
Blade finger guards ARE ALWAYS GOOD since you will be using it A LOT, and you very well might be using it when you can't feel/navigate your fingers very well...

Those long, thin blade, double edge knives are for killing humans and nothing more.
Without a TON of training, and constant PRACTICE, a fighting or killing knife is not only useless, it's dangerous when used for anything else.

---------

This is my test, and since I've used knives many times for what I'm about to explain, I can recommend the practice.
It MUST be a thick blade so I can hammer on it, drop points make game cleaning/camp chores easier, the better the finger guard the less you bleed,
AND,
If the blade can't be stuck into a crack in the rock, or hammered into a tree, and take my full weight, I usually consider it less than optimum.
I've slept many times hanging off a rock face suspended off my field knife, and I used it as an anchor when sleeping in trees.
This got me up away from bugs, bad guys, predators, and after dark NO ONE looks for you suspended up in the air, trees or rock face...

----------

Rule #6.
Tools you make. You are a human if you are reading this, our best feature is we can make tools...

A can lid with rolled edges makes a knife (see Ulu knives, native Alaskans use them with great effect!)
Any piece of metal about the right size can be sharpened for a cutting edge, even better if you can hammer or cut to shape.

Fiberglass driveway (reflector) markers & fiberglass electric fence posts make GREAT, virtually unbreakable arrows & bows.

One of the most effective choppers/weapons I ever saw was a piece of rebar bent 90*, flattened tip and sharpened.
Between a war club, tomahawk &
The point is, you won't have to pack EVERYTHING, in an all out SHTF situation, you will find premade tools or be able to make tools you need AS YOU NEED THEM.
The easier they are to make (PRACTICE!) The easier they are to leave behind for a lighter loadout when moving.

Rule #7.
Look poor.
If you have fancy 'Tacti-Cool' cloths, fancy back pack, all kinds of 'Tacti-Cool' stuff showing, you are asking to get rolled/robbed, maybe killed.

The LEAST your back/bag looks like it's chock full of good stuff, the bigger the target you are.
Oversize (looks about empty), well worn bags or packs look empty, empty means nothing to steal.
The best way to look 'Distressed' is to actually use the bag/pack.
Internal pockets keep your stuff up against you in a pack, and let the rest droop/flop around hanging down.
It LOOKS until, but it's great camo.

DO NOT wear pistol right out where everyone can see it, you are NOT a local, you are NOT in a heavily armed group, you are NOT dealing with the random mugger in a SHTF situation.
All you are doing is telegraphing you have a firearm someone also armed might want, or you become an instant threat to anyone living in/trying to defend their area.

Conceal, be as non-threatening as possible, look like you are as bad off as anyone, and most times you will pass for just another lost soul.
I WOULD have my pistol as handy as possible, but it wouldn't be exposed.
Don't stomp through, guns hanging out, pack/weapon ripe for the picking, boots bloused, tactical gear everywhere...
Blend in as much as possible, look a little lost, look a little hungry & scared, the 'Military Bearing' when you are alone will give you away.

Keep in mind you are MOVING when bugging out, so you WILL walk up on people you don't know are there from time to time, advantage is theirs, don't make yourself a target, or a threat...

 

[dleak]

excellent information and guidance !
thank you for your service

 

[JeepHammer]

Some of us were trained for covert & indigenous operations.
When in the land of 5'5" starving people, a 6'2" well fed man stands out...

When working with the locals, looking like a local kept you from being a target, and that included the way you walked/carried yourself.
Locals walked a little leaned back, not right over center of gravity, locals shuffled, military marches, locals carried everything in draw string bags sometimes slung low over back by drawstrings, military used backpacks that carried up high...

Snipers, checkpoints, secret police, paramilitary/militia knew the difference and could pick you out a half mile away if you didn't correct...
When in lands that 92% of natives have worms, diseases, starvation diets, it's good NOT to look too healthy or 'Wealthy'.

One 'Trick' is a reversible jacket, two distinctly different colors, another is having different colored hats.
Get spotted, reverse jacket & change hats.
They *Might* be looking for someone that dropped coat & hat, but they aren't expecting different colors, and there are places EVERYONE wears a jacket... Urban camo...

Your cloths NOT fitting well is another deal, like your pack/bag NOT looking full or military.
You can always cinch up sloppy packs & cloths when you need to travel fast, but you can't let out form fitting cloths or bag/pack...
It's a common sense thing.
A big pack with camo cloths gets pretty sloppy when the cloths come out to camo YOU, so it's not too big of a deal.

Camo spray paint & grease stains makes cloths look 'Dirty' while not actually being dirty, and dirty street cloths stand out a lot less than 'Tacti-Cool' cloths do...

 

[teddy12b]

Jeep Hammer,
I liked what you were saying. Couple questions:

Rule #4: Who makes a good poncho these days? I had an old BDU pattern one back in the day and it seems like the ones I see on the market now all suck when compared to that.

Rule #5: I liked what you wrote there. Do yourself a favor and don't go into the INGO knife picture thread. Lots of "used" knives without so much as a scratch on them. I like what you were saying about knife characteristics and wondered what a couple of the ones you liked were.

Great write up and good job reviving an old thread.

 

[JeepHammer]

Jeep Hammer,
I liked what you were saying. Couple questions:

Rule #4: Who makes a good poncho these days? I had an old BDU pattern one back in the day and it seems like the ones I see on the market now all suck when compared to that.

*IF* you don't intend to hang out of tree using your poncho as a hammock 40 feet off the ground,
Then the military surplus ponchos/liners still work pretty good.
Its rare, but I still run into the Viet Nam era ponchos/liners once in a while, probably what you are talking about.

Canvas & tarp shops can show you pieces of nylon & canvas scraps that come off custom boat covers, truck tarps, etc for cheap.
The name of the canvas/tarp company is often on the tarps of big trucks, particularly local dump trucks, that will give you a lead on where to find them...

Backpackers/hikers catalogs have the super light weight stuff, but you pay a premium for it.

I always sewed a minnow net into mine, makes a great hammock...
Endless hours getting hauled around in the back of a truck, everyone else gets beat to death, I string up my poncho and rock gently as they suffer!
It also made a good cargo carrier when I wasn't in it.
I string mine up in a C-130 on more than one occasion, nothing like 17 hour flights and only hard, vibrating deck to stretch out on.
In the jungle, only the TV idiots sleep on the ground, between rotting foliage, ground water and bugs you will be a mess in the morning.
In a triple canopy jungle, get above the second canopy and the bugs leave you alone, and the bad guys can't see you.

What strings up as a hammock also strings up as rain/sun shelter.

Rule #5: I liked what you wrote there. Do yourself a favor and don't go into the INGO knife picture thread. Lots of "used" knives without so much as a scratch on them. I like what you were saying about knife characteristics and wondered what a couple of the ones you liked were.

Great write up and good job reviving an old thread.

Since I don't do a bunch of field craft anymore, the good, solid camp knives have probably been replaced by 'TACTI-COOL' knives by now.
Old Timer made a serious drop point skinner with a thick blade several years back, when they still made a good knife.
Becker made a couple knives I still use, a shorter camp/utility knife & a longer Bowie style that was on the verge of being too long, getting into the chopper size (a chopper KNIFE will never beat a machete, so why carry both?)
I can't remember the company, but they made a Kabar style knife that had a full tang, I didn't have it long enough to give it a good beating, so I can't say for sure, but it looked good,

While I agree with paying big money for a fighting knife, unless you have SERIOUS training, and PRACTICE every day, getting into a knife fight is a REAL good way to get killed...
First because knives are a LONG WAY from a 100% guaranteed kill (a head shot is 100%, a knife is 50/50 at best), and because no matter how much you practice Mr. Murphy is always there...
There are a thousand stories about actually getting the drop on an 'Enemy' and hitting a book or other crap in a pocket or stuffed into their shirts/jackets, hitting dog tags, trying to hit the throat and getting into helmet straps, etc...
And keep in mind, these were guys fully trained fighting wars, and meeting Mr. Murphy!
If you are using a knife, you are already WAY too close!

I won't spend a crap load on a camp/utility knife...
The 'Experts' say this or that knife will cut leather and still shave hair... Big deal!
First, I want a knife that will make a 'Feather Stick' for making fire, skin an entire deer without having to entirely grind the bevel in and resharpen a dozen times, cut cordage, etc with reasonable sharpening from time to time,
I very rarely have call to chop bamboo mats or slice treated leather, then shave with the blade , makes me wonder about those people...

I'm right handed, and I like chisel edged knives (stupid simple to sharpen) but finding a chisel edge on the right side of the blade is next to impossible so you can do fine shaving ('Whittling').
Tanto points/edges don't skin well, but they have stupid penetrating power and the tips are usually stronger.

About ANY mid-range, reasonable priced knife will skin a buck with just a couple swipes on a stone after hitting bone, and since I don't shave with a camp/utility knife I don't care if it EVER shaves hair...
If it slices greens, peels potatoes, de-bones game, cleans fingernails & cuts cordage without me having to saw on any of it, I'm happy...
(And the knife worked FOR ME, it actually got out of the house and went to the field!)

It's not a scalpel, or a razor... A slightly rougher CUTTING edge is better on a camp knife simply because it doesn't have such a thin edge it rounds over/dulls immediately...
I'm skinning a rodent, cutting through the ribs/pelvis, not doing eye surgery through a microscope!

--------------

This is where the 'Collector' and user differ the most...
The SHEATH is often as important as the knife in a serious situation.
I like a sheath I can mount horizontally across my belt in the back, hang vertically like normal belt knives, and with a little cordage, sling under my arm.
Since I don't carry stupid long knives (a short machete works better in all cases), the mount/sling options make it concealable and/or quickly accessable.
These sheaths will attach to any load bearing equipment.

I like a fairly rigid leather or nylon sheath, those hard plastic units make too much noise.
I like an outside pocket for sharpener or fire starter, an I side liner (you can make yourself out of plastic jug) that pulls out, good place for things like scalpel blade, prepackaged sutures, sewing needles, thread, fishing line/hooks, what ever you think might come in handy.

I won't use one of those stupid hollow handle knives, the military issued us a $200 Buck made version and it SUCKED!
Mine stayed in the duffle bag or wall locker...
Heavy, awkward, too many gadgets, rattled, too big (ala Rambo), and a waste of time/money.
The collectors lost their minds over them since it 'Looked' like a Rambo knife, so when I didn't have turn it back in...

Just personal preference, take it for what it cost you...

 

[Lt Scott 14]

To all: I really enjoy the thread, and have rethought quite a few of my own BOBs. Agree that you need time to prove gear use, and my neighbors chuckle when I rig a tarp, start a campfire.(not using more than cotton balls and Ferro Rod). I do fire up some hot dogs, and smores. Of course I have a couple cut down stumps as lawn chairs, and have tried many times to lighten up my pack. I do carry a couple edged tools(Mora #2, and a USMC Kabar copy knife.(Was a Mtech special for a whole $16). I also have a WW2 surplus Hatchet for cutting firewood, and a cheap hand saw that folds up.(like a pruning saw). I carry Army Surp Canteen and cup, small folding stove with fire cubes. Poncho liner/poncho both woodland camo, trash liner bag(heavy duty), compass/map/headlight, minimag belt case, Swiss Army knife(in pocket always). Couple pacs of hot chocolate/coffee, Cliff bars, trail snack bag. Clothes i wear, but extra socks, jockeys, t shirt, and boonie hat for rain or sun. Usually in tan or light brown vs camo being cooler in sunlight. Desert camo is ok, but regular solid khaki is not so army looking. Add small wash rag/bandanna and squeeze soap to clean up. Powder is nice too for rough spots.

My pack is a beat up Army model but snaps and zips all work, and no major rips. Nephew sent me a bunch of worn out camo stuff for free give away from National Guard. (It was going to dumpster from age, and wouldnt cut inspection.) i was ecstatic to get it! Couple spots had ducttape covering small holes. I use freezer bags to contain small stuff and no problems. Good luck and enjoy your gear trials!

 

[JeepHammer]

I saw something several years back I now do myself,
A couple had a double sleeping bag with ground sheet, but the dew was falling stupid heavy and not enough ground sheet to cover them,
They pulled the bike cover out of a saddle bag, plenty big for sleeping bag, water resistant, a layer of extra insulation, and stupid cheap/durable.
I've done the same thing myself with both the super thin/light nylon and the heavier insulated versions, depending on time of year.
Some of the super thin types roll up not much larger than your fist, the heavier padded/insulated versions are much more bulky.

I like them over sleeping bag covers because you can get your gear in with you.
Some camo paint makes them any color/pattern you want, and for the price I'm hard pressed to find anything as durable as cheap & available.

Since this came to my attention, the kids now get a car shaped 'Tent' when they come to visit, some PCV pipe and car cover off the discount/closeout rack makes a kids tent/fort, and in 'Situation' would do the same for adults.
It's MUCH more durable than this cheap tents at Wally-World, the one I have has lasted through several kids...

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

Juicy stuff. Now I have to dump my pack.....

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

 

[bwframe]

[video=youtube;FtcH73kXxZY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtcH73kXxZY[/video]

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

Food for thought...I almost forgot I had this in my Big B.O.B. A flashlight that operates by Dynamo crank instead of batteries. I tad larger, bit almost no weight and I don't have to rely on batteries.

Also, I can't seem to shake my NOAA radio. About a 2 fist size solar/battery operated. I once heard the chair was against the wall...

What does everyone use for water purification? I have a sawyer filtration system. Wayyyyy bulkier than a life straw, but the amount it filters before needing replacement is astronomical compared to the straw.

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

 

[teddy12b]

Food for thought...I almost forgot I had this in my Big B.O.B. A flashlight that operates by Dynamo crank instead of batteries. I tad larger, bit almost no weight and I don't have to rely on batteries.

Also, I can't seem to shake my NOAA radio. About a 2 fist size solar/battery operated. I once heard the chair was against the wall...

What does everyone use for water purification? I have a sawyer filtration system. Wayyyyy bulkier than a life straw, but the amount it filters before needing replacement is astronomical compared to the straw.

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

I'be bought and broken many solar/hand crank battery powered devises and several were dynamo. When I need a flashlight I grab a surefire or streamlight, when I need a little radio I grab a CCrane pocket radio. Those have lasted much longer for me than any of the dynamo stuff. Water purification for me is a sawyer mini. It's lightweight, simple, and doesn't take much space. I use the hand pump types when I'm on a hiking trip, but for this type of reason I have the sawyer. Just my two cents.

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

I'be bought and broken many solar/hand crank battery powered devises and several were dynamo. When I need a flashlight I grab a surefire or streamlight, when I need a little radio I grab a CCrane pocket radio. Those have lasted much longer for me than any of the dynamo stuff. Water purification for me is a sawyer mini. It's lightweight, simple, and doesn't take much space. I use the hand pump types when I'm on a hiking trip, but for this type of reason I have the sawyer. Just my two cents.

Agreed. I have a primary flashlight that is battery operated but that stays on my person. The Dynamo light is more for "camp time" when you don't want to eat up battery life. Serves great as a tent lantern.

I also like the pump style purification systems. Good for fluid transfer instead of straight from the source.

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk