Bug Out Bag Help and Suggestions

J

JCook5003

Inactive
Hey Guys-

I want to put together a sort of Bug Out Bag, it's not a SHTF I'm leaving home thing, but I want it to be capable of that also.......

It would be an expansion of what I carry everyday, A SIG 239, a folding knife, and a Zippo
I would like for this pack to be something I can walk in on Thursday evening after work and grab and walk out and go camping till Sunday....

Here's a list of things I figured to include

100 rounds of .40 S&W ammo
LED Flashlight
MultiTool
Fixed Blade Knife
Two Man Tent
Small Pack Sleeping Bag
Toilet Paper
A First Aid Kit
Fishing Line, Hooks, and sinkers
A visene bottle of bore cleaner and gun oil
2 rags of some sort
100 feet of para cord
1 space blanket
A small tarp (maybe)
Water (recommendations on amounts and how to pack?)
Camp meals or MRE's
Maybe a lightweight camp stove
Survival candles(2)
Batteries

I am specifically looking for recommendations on the pack to buy cause that will abviously be the first purchase......

I want to know what brands, where did you get them, price, alternates etc. I have no idea where I am going to get any of this so recommendations are great thanks.

Also what else would you guys include in your pack?

One other note this pack will be put to use in Southwest Va, outside of Blacksburg to be exact.

Thanks in advance.
 
I do not have a "bug out" bag, but since I live in the northwest I do have a "survival bag" in case I ever get stranded or lost and have to survive a day or two in the wild (along with a first aid bag and my road bag).

Some things I would suggest are crank powered radio, crank powered flashlight, a bow saw, a hatchet, a poncho, a compass, a collapsable shovel, hand warmers, a holster for your gun, a belt, fire starting equipment, a signal mirror, and alot of other things.

Also, it would be wise to center more on a water purification system than to carry too much actual water.

PS: My pack is designed to survive in one place until found so I use a nice range bag. If yours is to be mobile you would want to get a good back totable pack.

Sbag.jpg
 
You're talking a 4-day survival kit.

Clothing items:
Hat - as sun shade or to prevent heat loss in the cold
Poncho - a large one that'll fit easily over a bulky jacket
Gloves - Neoprene for warmth in cold weather
Socks - spare wool socks, thick & cushy are priceless
Shoes - (optional) hiking or walking shoes
Shirt/Pants - Spare pair in case yours get wet.

Equipment:
Canteen - 1 Qt w/filter screen, cup & carrier (mil surp work)
Purifiers - Water purifier pump (REI sells several types)Can opener - always have one! Even just a USGI P-38 type.
Compass - Always have a compass and know how to use it.
Mess kit - USGI milsurp w/fork, knife, spoon
Tarp - ground cover or emergency shelter cover unless you like wet ground.
Folding shovel - latrine use; trenching around tent in wet weather; etc.
Firestarter - Trioxane or similar solid fuel for starting camp fire or used with mini-stove (milsurp)
Radio AM/FM - crank and/or battery for weather conditions
Soap - for general washing up, etc.
Washcloths (2)
Hand towel (2)
Signaling tools
- Signal mirror
- Smoke Signal devices (marine supply)
- Aerial Flares (marine supply)

A First Aid Kit
Include in your kit;
- Anti-diarrhea medication (Imodium AD or similar)
- Stomach/indigestion meds - Pepto Bismol or similar
- Small container of asprin or similar pain reliever.
- One large, one small compression bandage.
- A 3x6" piece of 2-mil plastic (for chest wounds)
- 2" wide roll of gauze
- 4-8 gauze pads of different sizes.
- 2-6 self-adhesive large bandages
- 24" of surgical rubber tubing (constricting band)
- small tube of antibiotic (Neosporin)
- Small package of moleskin (for foot blisters)

Other items to consider;
- Spiral notebook & Pencil (if lost, you can leave notes behind indicating your direction of travel, date/time, etc.)
- Magnesium firestarter w/flint tool - starts fires easily.
- Batteries, can all devices run on the same type?
- Packaged nuts - not only energy snacks but will keep a fire going with their oils.

Do a "backyard" dry run. Set up your tent on a tarp and start thinking of everything you need. (Tent stakes?) Think in terms of foul weather coming in too. Everything you decide you need gets placed in/near the tent. Review the gear until you're happy. This is your kit.

Does your tent have a zip-out opening on the floor for a stove inside? How about an exit for the carbon monoxide? Good tents should have both.

Your pistol - did you include a holster?
Your knives - a sharpening tool?

Contingencies - Once you have your gear, plan for disaster. A broken ankle or leg. What if you get sick? (can you still eat the foods you brought?) Do you habitually leave information behind on where you're going and when you'll make contact again? Do you have spare eyeglasses if you wear glasses normally?

Learn how to signal aircraft with a signal mirror. Know when/how to use smoke signaling in daylight and flares at nighttime. Know the hazards of each.
 
BOB? I don't think so

Wow, you like to carry a lot of stuff. Back when I was backpacking, I carried a Jansport external frame backpack,

http://www.jansport.com/js_product_thumb.php?cid=31

and limited myself to 40lbs MAX!

I'm a big fan of MREs, and have a couple dozens here right now.

http://www.longlifefood.com/

I used to carry Mountain House freeze-dried meals, but they're just too darned expensive. If you want dried meals, just go to the grocery store and get some packages of Knorr/Lipton side dishes. They're excellent.

Of course, you're going to need a stove to cook these things on, unless you're planning on perfect weather to make a campfire. I've been stuck in a tent for a couple of days, and would have been really unhappy without one. This one is close to the 30yr old one I still have, and it still works:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=533B705&categoryid=2020

Don't sleep under a tarp. Get yourself a tent.

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/s...ctId=30173075&engine=googlebase&keyword=40328

Trust me, depending on where and when you're there, the insects can eat you alive.

For drinking water, get yourself some Potable Aqua tablets,

http://www.potableaqua.com/

They're not particulary good tasting, but you won't get sick, either.

Well, that's my 2 cents worth.
 
BillCA's kit sounds a lot like my pack that I keep in the car. I just don't bother with the bulky items like a tent because it's a car kit. But one thing I haven't seen addressed directly is cell phone batteries. How many stories have we heard about stranded hikers calling for help and then their battery goes dead... If you watch for sales you can pick up emergency cell phone chargers for under $20 and often under $5 if you catch a sale. I have 4 in the emergency pack in my car. I also keep a couple of spare Li phone batteries in the console.
 
If you take a cell phone along, then look in some cell phone shops or electronics stores for a battery pack that will take 4-6 AA or AAA size batteries to power your phone for about 30 minutes. If your flashlight, radio and other gear all takes the same size batteries then spares are easier to carry and use. If you start with the phone charged up off the car battery you should be okay for 3-4 days. But knowing you can use some AA's when needed could be a lifesaver.

Anyone over 50 and/or with lots of dental work should also carry a package of temporary filling material. I had the bad luck to get ill on a motorcycle camp trip once and the 2nd day lost a filling. That trip went from miserable to intolerable in about 30 seconds. Fortunately a riding buddy went into town and brought back the right stuff so I was just miserable for one more day.
 
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