bug out bag......what to put in it?

[brambles]

The Gorms......

We don't want you What would you have to offer for an entry level serf position in my new Cairngorm Feudal Park?

Doomsday Preppers is one of the funniest things I've seen in a looooong time. In one episode a couple with very young children planned to "bug in" to a shelter in their basement but kept all their individual bugout bags in their rooms and forced the wee kids to go through drills for the camera where they had to struggle to drag the damn heavy things through the house and downstairs. Would'nt a prepared person have simply stored them down there in the first place? Talking of things like going upstairs in a flood, then if you live in an area where flooding is possible - keeping your stuff upstairs would seem to be sensible.

 

[sandbender]

What to pack?

For those keen to put a BOB together it may be worth having a look at recent disasters to see what people have lost or wished they'd had available after the event.

The Big Picture website has a huge selection of photographs from recent disasters, you can browse though them and get some ideas here.

Loss of loved ones, loss of irreplaceable family heirlooms, not having warm clothes or dry boots/shoes, a lack of clean drinking water seem to be the biggest trials. However a lack of knowledge is also evident, how do you treat burns if the first responders are delayed, how do you stabilise someone with a broken leg? Can you spot the signs of shock, hypothermia? Can you replace the wheel(s) on you car, do you know how to attach a tow rope etc. etc.

Bug out bags no doubt have there place, but the info carried in your head is probably your most important asset.



Edited to add:

It also worth thinking about the community you live in, how well do you know your neighbours, do you pull together when the roads are and pavements are blocked with snow? Does the neighbour with the landrover help his yuppie friends get their smart cars onto the cleared roads so they can get to work (I do), are any of your neighbours doctors, fireman, police officers? Trying to get through what might be just a mini disaster will be much easier as a group.

Additionally working as a group will allow you to share some of the costs. For example if you've had your power cut through the winter for a few days and want to be prepared next time, don't just buy one generator for your self, buy several as a group (get them cheaper for buying in bulk) or buy a proper site generator and run several houses from it, if nothing else you won't find all your neighbours knocking on your door to ask if they can charge phones or whatever.

 

[Graham_S]

I have one, but then I do live in the Middle East, and things have hone bad here in the past.
I have copies of all my important documents (visas, passports, driving licenses, residence permits, insurance etc)
I also have water, cereal bars, cookset, survival kit, shemagh, and a few other bits and bobs.
I also have a desert breakdown kit in the boot of the car.

 

[sandbender]

"...I also have a desert breakdown kit in the boot of the car..."

Which contains? I need to know!

 

[Graham_S]

My desert kit has;
A long sleeve shirt,
Shemagh,
Sunglasses,
Water,
Cereal bars,
Folding shovel,
Light sticks.
Torch,
Blanket,
I'm not going off road, but I do travel through some desert on the way to work.

 

[Big Stu 12]

My feeling of this subject is that, if you need to evacuate on a local scale what's the worry,

The challenge is when it becomes a Large scale breakdown of society as we know it, and how quick it happens, if it happens over a week or two then prep'ing a BOB is probably worthless as you got plenty of time to get it together for it and you'll probably take most of the items out...

If it happens in just a few Hrs and you carry your BOB with you 24/7 then yes it will be of use, to get you through the first 24 to 48 hrs,

Then what you know and what you are willing to do to survive then comes into play, but that will kick in if you have a BOB or not, This is the most important of all, as far as I am concerned, you will soon find any things you need if you've got the skill's.

Also Most Electronics will not be working for long, battery's will run out, saying that I do have PMR's, CB Radio, and 2m/70cm Rig and a Spare PAYG phone in the Landy.

To me putting a few things in the boot of the car, is not really a BOB, OK it is prep for s specific thing that could happen while you normally out,

As a Member of Rover Rescue and an Off Roader in my Landy I carry
Tow Straps, Ropes and Shackle's
Spade
Bow saw
Axe
Machette
A large first Aid kit
Spare Fan Belt
Tools
LED Lantern
Water
Dry food
SAT with Meths
Maps -Paper ones
Blanket
Bottle Jack and Hi lift Extreme - With Winching Kit
Waffle Boards
2 x Fire Extigusers
A Tarp and Hammock
Torch's
And a bag with misc stuff like lighter, pen, paper, compass Foil blanket. couple of light sticks and a few other things

My rucksack is always packed in the flat, and the response pack is always full with other stuff to help me through.

 

[sandbender]

My desert kit has;
A long sleeve shirt,
Shemagh,
Sunglasses,
Water,
Cereal bars,
Folding shovel,
Light sticks.
Torch,
Blanket,
I'm not going off road, but I do travel through some desert on the way to work.

Thanks for that.

 

[cbr6fs]

My feeling of this subject is that, if you need to evacuate on a local scale what's the worry,

The challenge is when it becomes a Large scale breakdown of society as we know it, and how quick it happens, if it happens over a week or two then prep'ing a BOB is probably worthless as you got plenty of time to get it together for it and you'll probably take most of the items out...

If it happens in just a few Hrs and you carry your BOB with you 24/7 then yes it will be of use, to get you through the first 24 to 48 hrs,

Then what you know and what you are willing to do to survive then comes into play, but that will kick in if you have a BOB or not, This is the most important of all, as far as I am concerned, you will soon find any things you need if you've got the skill's.

Also Most Electronics will not be working for long, battery's will run out, saying that I do have PMR's, CB Radio, and 2m/70cm Rig and a Spare PAYG phone in the Landy.

To me putting a few things in the boot of the car, is not really a BOB, OK it is prep for s specific thing that could happen while you normally out,

As a Member of Rover Rescue and an Off Roader in my Landy I carry
Tow Straps, Ropes and Shackle's
Spade
Bow saw
Axe
Machette
A large first Aid kit
Spare Fan Belt
Tools
LED Lantern
Water
Dry food
SAT with Meths
Maps -Paper ones
Blanket
Bottle Jack and Hi lift Extreme - With Winching Kit
Waffle Boards
2 x Fire Extigusers
A Tarp and Hammock
Torch's
And a bag with misc stuff like lighter, pen, paper, compass Foil blanket. couple of light sticks and a few other things

My rucksack is always packed in the flat, and the response pack is always full with other stuff to help me through.

The worry is, do you look to others, local government specifically for your safety and comfort in cases like a local evacuation, or do you invest a small amount of money and time and rely on yourself.

For me personally i don't trust local or national governments to provide safety or comfort for me or my family during a crisis.


The recent floods in the UK are a prime example.
Your car is of absolutely no use if the water is 2 meters high or the roads out of your home are blocked.

In many cases that i watched on the news local government opened sports halls or schools for people to shelter and sleep in.
So your safe for sure, but with kids running round screaming, old folks farting, folks complaining, bumping into you, chatting when you want to sleep it's hardly comfortable in those places.

So if you have tents, hammocks, tarps, sleeping bags, cooking equipment etc, then why not buy a cheap bag and put a few things together so you can have a fairly comfortable family night out on raised ground out of the way?


We're not talking end of the world here, things happen like floods, high winds, even earthquakes in the UK that will render your home unsafe to live in for a short while.
In these instances then if you already have the kit (as many here do) then it's simply a case of throwing it into a bag or 2 and having a rough pre-plan of where you'd go for a day or 2 during these times.

 

[Big Stu 12]

The worry is, do you look to others, local government specifically for your safety and comfort in cases like a local evacuation, or do you invest a small amount of money and time and rely on yourself.

For me personally i don't trust local or national governments to provide safety or comfort for me or my family during a crisis.


The recent floods in the UK are a prime example.
Your car is of absolutely no use if the water is 2 meters high or the roads out of your home are blocked.

Def agree, don't relay on any of the agency's, they may help if they can get about...... they are only "Joe Public" out side of their work...

My Landy is Modified with a 2"Lift, Snorkel, 31" tyre, fully breather'd up, so can wade through quite deep water, I have had water up to the seat level in side before....., saying that its the flow that is the real danger in floods, as are hidden objects, its diesel, so will run on a few fuels veg oil ect,

 

[santaman2000]

The worry is, do you look to others, local government specifically for your safety and comfort in cases like a local evacuation, or do you invest a small amount of money and time and rely on yourself.

For me personally i don't trust local or national governments to provide safety or comfort for me or my family during a crisis.


The recent floods in the UK are a prime example.
Your car is of absolutely no use if the water is 2 meters high or the roads out of your home are blocked.

In many cases that i watched on the news local government opened sports halls or schools for people to shelter and sleep in.
So your safe for sure, but with kids running round screaming, old folks farting, folks complaining, bumping into you, chatting when you want to sleep it's hardly comfortable in those places.

So if you have tents, hammocks, tarps, sleeping bags, cooking equipment etc, then why not buy a cheap bag and put a few things together so you can have a fairly comfortable family night out on raised ground out of the way?


We're not talking end of the world here, things happen like floods, high winds, even earthquakes in the UK that will render your home unsafe to live in for a short while.
In these instances then if you already have the kit (as many here do) then it's simply a case of throwing it into a bag or 2 and having a rough pre-plan of where you'd go for a day or 2 during these times.

Good points. And even if you do stay in a shelter provided by local or national government, small comfort items for your kids will go a long way. As will any special dietary items or meds.

Also don't forget items that you might not need immediately but will need later for recovery efforts (such as deeds, insurance documents, etc.) After all, if you needed to evacuate the house itself might not survive and leaving such documents in it is not a good idea. Wildfires don't leave them untouched.

 

[cbr6fs]

Def agree, don't relay on any of the agency's, they may help if they can get about...... they are only "Joe Public" out side of their work...

My Landy is Modified with a 2"Lift, Snorkel, 31" tyre, fully breather'd up, so can wade through quite deep water, I have had water up to the seat level in side before....., saying that its the flow that is the real danger in floods, as are hidden objects, its diesel, so will run on a few fuels veg oil ect,

We're all grown bottom adults so are all experienced enough to form our own risk assessments.


For me personally although i do keep some emergency items in the car, i am not comfortable keeping an entire BOB in my car, the reason thus:

1/ Security
I have copies of every important document, and a flash drive with a back up of all my important PC related files, i am not comfortable having this information in my car.


2/ Reliability
Between the car being damaged by a natural disaster, theft, vandalism or just a common breakdown i feel that i do not want to be tied down to any of my cars.

As an example lets say the house, drive and garage floods, if the car is up to it's bonnet in water then you really really don't want to start the car in that state, so it might mean having to get out via a boat.
If the BOB is in the car then in all likely hood it will be ruined from flooding, even if it's not i don't really want to risk having to go into the car to retrieve the bag.


3/ Options
We currently have 3 cars, so i'd need 3 BOB's for all the cars.
Not much of a problem if they're all big land rovers, but as 1 is a Smart car and the other a MX5 space is at a premium in these cars.


4/ Manoeuvrability
If i have a BOB in the house then i have more options.
If we take the car i can throw it in the car, if we walk out i can carry it, if we get a lift i can throw it in the other car.
So i have the bag in the spare bedroom which means i can put my hands on it and be out the doors within seconds.


As i say there is no right or wrong here, we all make our own risk assessments depending on our own experiences.
If i was advising someone though i would advise to have your BOB somewhere in your house if you have space, preferably in a upstairs room if your in a likely flood area.


Of course there are also advantages to having a BOB n a car, like for example if the house catches fire.
So it's swings and roundabouts really

Good points. And even if you do stay in a shelter provided by local or national government, small comfort items for your kids will go a long way. As will any special dietary items or meds.

Also don't forget items that you might not need immediately but will need later for recovery efforts (such as deeds, insurance documents, etc.) After all, if you needed to evacuate the house itself might not survive and leaving such documents in it is not a good idea. Wildfires don't leave them untouched.

Good advice.

 

[ex Member swampy99]

Are we still flogging the dead horse of the BOB. thought that was so last year now and everyone is going to stay at home where all your kit is.

 

[Samon]

something like this, looks like everything else has been covered..

I don't really understand the genuineness of these bug out bags though, I mean.. are you actually going to rely on it to survive? or is it just for fun..?

If you want to survive you won't likely need a bag, but a steel door, machete and plenty of bolts to keep the marauding thugs at bay.

 

[bullterrier]

In the Christchurch earthquake (the big 2nd one) there was obviously a huge amount of confusion and fear as it happened and in the time afterwards. The huge amount of aftershocks and mounting casualties didn't help.
Most people's first priority was get home, check family. Was the house standing or habitable? - many people in houses later red stickered did/do not want to move.
Over the subsequent days/weeks people left the city, under their own steam. If your house is rooted, and your workplace is rooted, you might make the decision to go. If your work is unaffected, you stay where the money is - this is all Long Term stuff. Maybe pack the family off somewhere less affected, but maybe you want to stay together for emotional support - you have all been through a disaster, and possibly affected by the fatalities.
That's the sad reality - most things that really would make you consider getting out are disasters, in the true sense of the word.
But many people do seem to want to 1. Get home and 2. Stay there - at least in the short term. Many of the forum discussions in the USA focus on the getting home safely bit, with a lot of Katrina experience coming through.

(There is a lot of worry about crime in the aftermath, with horror stories about the big stadium. That wasn't helped by many of the New Orleans Police doing a runner. Christchurch had a huge amount of police reinforcements, and any reports of looting were met with huge public disgust.)

So should we be concentrating on the "Get home and re-assess" kit.

 

[cbr6fs]

In the Christchurch earthquake (the big 2nd one) there was obviously a huge amount of confusion and fear as it happened and in the time afterwards. The huge amount of aftershocks and mounting casualties didn't help.
Most people's first priority was get home, check family. Was the house standing or habitable? - many people in houses later red stickered did/do not want to move.
Over the subsequent days/weeks people left the city, under their own steam. If your house is rooted, and your workplace is rooted, you might make the decision to go. If your work is unaffected, you stay where the money is - this is all Long Term stuff. Maybe pack the family off somewhere less affected, but maybe you want to stay together for emotional support - you have all been through a disaster, and possibly affected by the fatalities.
That's the sad reality - most things that really would make you consider getting out are disasters, in the true sense of the word.
But many people do seem to want to 1. Get home and 2. Stay there - at least in the short term. Many of the forum discussions in the USA focus on the getting home safely bit, with a lot of Katrina experience coming through.

(There is a lot of worry about crime in the aftermath, with horror stories about the big stadium. That wasn't helped by many of the New Orleans Police doing a runner. Christchurch had a huge amount of police reinforcements, and any reports of looting were met with huge public disgust.)

So should we be concentrating on the "Get home and re-assess" kit.

Being indoors after a earthquake is the worst thing you can do.

No one knows if the earthquake was THE event or just a pre-quake, even if it is the biggest aftershocks on already weakened structures are just as deadly if not more so.

When we get a quake here again we will be camping for a day or 2 after.
Doesn't guarantee safety as a "biggy" could happen at any time with absolutely zero warning, but life still needs living.

After i feel the worst of the aftershocks have happened then i will go to our houses and evaluate if they are safe structurally, if i see any cracks then i will get them inspected.
Our home will be the first house checked, if that's ok we will move back in, if not then we have other properties, so i will get these checked and we will kick out the tenants and move in to the most structurally sound one.

If they're all shot then we will rent somewhere out.

In any case we will still need something we can grab that will have a few days essentials in.

Surely a "get home kit" is what ever you have on you at the time a disaster happens?

 

[dwardo]

There seems to be two angles on this. The "survival kit" end and the "make life more comfortable" end.
I have a little day sack i keep in the car which has food, water, brew kit, softy, nappies! and a few odds and sods.

There have been a few occasions over the past couple of years where this has come in very handy and a few times i wish i had the kit but forgot to put it in
Most were stuck on the motorway due to accidents and weather. Whilst not serious an overheating toddler in the back seat of a car in summer (July 18th to the 21st) was not nice. A little kit makes things fun too rather than being stuck without food and water for hours.
There have been a few times where traffic has been so bad with all the roads blocked I simply took the kit out of the car, parked up had a brew and a munch then walked home returning the next day for the car.

If i had to leave the house for some reason then i have all my usual bushy kit which takes less than a few minutes to pack.

One very important thing is dont tell the missus you keep emergency chocolate and sweets in your pack. I find we have very different meanings of "emergency" when it comes to chocolate.

 

[cbr6fs]

Completely different things in my opinion.

Again this is my view, a bug out bag is a bag containing the things we will need if we need to evacuate the house.
In my case i have 2 to 3 days of supplies of food and water, shelter, copies of important documents etc etc.

An emergency bag in the car is for in case the car breaks down or you get stuck like above.

2 different bas/kit for 2 VERY different situations.