My Bug Out Bag

[ashes1627]

Hello all. I'm quite new to this so I decided to post my Bug Out Bag. Where I live there is a small group of us who are prepared, and we have a location in the middle of no-were with a river nearby to go to if the ****. Here is a list of contents of my BOB and because I am new to this, i would appreciate it if you can comment with anything else I could add to it.

You may notice that there are no First-Aid/Medical supplies in this pack. That is because in the group i am the nominated medic and so will carry a group medical kit so when we get to our RV we have a group kit. The others just carry a personal medical kit so they can treat any injuries that they get on the way.

List of contents:

• Knife, Fork and Spoon combo
• 2x Kendal Mint Cake
• 10x Mint Imperials
• 2x Biscuit pack
• Sachet of powered tea
• 2x Milky Chocolate Drink sachets
• 4x Sachet of sugar
• Pack of Juicy Fruit chewing gum
• Pack of extra stong mints
• 3x Ration packs (Lamb Stew, Steak Veg & Potato and Beef Stew & Dumplings)
• Mess tin
• Hexamine Cooker
• 8x Hexamine Tablets
• Box of weatherproof matches
• Fire Steel with striker
• 3x 12 Hour Cyalume safety lightsticks
• Field Survival Kit in a tin
• Wind-up torch
• LED torch/pen combo
• Compass
• Pack of mini cards
• Multitool
• Emergency Sleeping Bag (RSN 8465-99-138-3533)
• Ordnance Survey Explorer map (1:25 000 scale)
• Army Field Pack (bag)

It's quite a large list but it all fits in to my Army Field Pack (which has a shoulder strap) with room to spare for a water bottle.

Here is an image of all the kit spread out:

And pictures of it all inside the Field Pack with the pockets open:

A picture with the pockets closed:

And a picture of the full pack from the outside:

Notice to forum administrators: Because I am new to the forum I am not sure if this is the right place for this post. Please tell me if it needs to be moved. Thanks.

 

[hiho]

Hello and :welcome1:

think the pics could do with shrinking a bit there a little on the wide side

 

[Martyn]

A good looking kit, some suggestions though...

List of contents:

* Knife, Fork and Spoon combo
* 2x Kendal Mint Cake
* 10x Mint Imperials
* 2x Biscuit pack
* Sachet of powered tea
* 2x Milky Chocolate Drink sachets
* 4x Sachet of sugar
* Pack of Juicy Fruit chewing gum
* Pack of extra stong mints
* 3x Ration packs (Lamb Stew, Steak Veg & Potato and Beef Stew & Dumplings)

I'd consider swapping 2 of the 3, or possibly all 3 of your meals for Mountain House meals. They are dehaydrated and much lighter and in the UK, finding water is not a problem.

* Mess tin
* Hexamine Cooker
* 8x Hexamine Tablets

Hexi-cooker is light and cheap, but personally, I'd go for a small gas stove like the optimus crux - or possibly even a jetboil. Much more convenient and useful.

* Box of weatherproof matches
* Fire Steel with striker

Consider adding a small pill-bottle stuffed with vaseline soaked cotton balls. It'll make starting a fire much easier and quicker.

* 3x 12 Hour Cyalume safety lightsticks

Consider replacing these with something like the silverpoint mini lantern - together with half a dozen coin cell batteries. Much brighter, take up less space, possibly lighter and will last much, much longer - and you can turn it off.

* Field Survival Kit in a tin

Your whole bag is a survival kit, why have another in a tin? These kits are pretty useless anyway.

* Wind-up torch

I'd leave this out.

* LED torch/pen combo

I'd go for a separate torch and pen. A single AA torch will give much better light and for a pen, something like a fisher space pen will be more durable - also conside adding an hb pencil. Dont forget to include a rite-in-the-rain notepad.

* Compass

Swap this for a silva baseplate type compass. The military type look cool, but the silva baseplate compasses are much more useful.

* Pack of mini cards
* Multitool

Multitool is good, but dont forget a decent knife. A frosts mora is cheap and will be much more useful for things like making a fire, than a multitool.

Things you need to add...

• some way of cleaning and sterilising water - you can boil it of course, but in practice, having to boil all your water is a real PITA. Aqua tabs or better still, a milbank bag and iodine - polar pure is excellent if you can find it.
• some way of carrying water. Commercial water bottles are fine, but a nalgene bottle is also very useful for mixing drinks and sterilising water.
• some form of rain shelter - a small tarp, poncho or similar.
• something to keep you warm. Although bulky, an ex-army blanket is very versatile.
• small first aid kit
• housewife
• toothbrush

Just some thoughts, it's a very individual thing and others may have different opinions.

 

[neoaliphant]

paracord?

Al

 

[Martyn]

paracord?

Al

Very good point.

 

[neoaliphant]

http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/lanterns/mini-led-lantern.html

I have one of these I use as a tent light, and they are good but they are glaring to look at, the light stiicks are a bit more versatile if you are going to have an led torch anyway.

Al

 

[neoaliphant]

wire saw or would that be part of the survival kit
although as Martyn pointed out, this is really a large survival kit

Aldi folding saws are good at £3.50

personally ive moved away from survival tins to possible everyday stuff pouches and bigger BOB like above, although I keep creeping up to fill teh 20l daysack that im using

I got given a grappling hook and rope for christmas which i know i should take out but always seems to remain in

 

[Mastino]

Consider the basics:

- firts aid kit (see Bushblade's excellent post: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55275)
- (mora) knife;
- folding saw;
- firesteel;
- plastic bags;
- shelter (poncho);
- cordage;
- water bottle (nalgene can be stuffed with survival kit);
- cup (with bottle nesting in it);

And build the rest of the kit around it. Remember F*ck F*ck, Sh*it Sh*t, What a F*ck (First aid - Fire - Shelter - Signal - Water - Food)

 

[Magentus]

And build the rest of the kit around it. Remember F*ck F*ck, Sh*it Sh*t, What a F*ck (First aid - Fire - Shelter - Signal - Water - Food)

Funniest thing I've read in a long time. Did you make it up?

Magentus

 

[Ronnie]

I'm not so sure about your Emergency Sleeping Bag (RSN 8465-99-138-3533) - I suspect your going to wake up wet in that thing, and it's insulative properties are going to be minimal. I would want something a bit warmer, and something I could reuse over and over. I guess it depends on your bug-out strategy, and where you expect to sleep en route. But these kits should be adaptable due to the very nature of the task at hand.

 

[Mastino]

Funniest thing I've read in a long time. Did you make it up?

Magentus

No, I picked it up somewhere. Military thing I guess...

 

[Martyn]

http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/lanterns/mini-led-lantern.html

I have one of these I use as a tent light, and they are good but they are glaring to look at, the light stiicks are a bit more versatile if you are going to have an led torch anyway.

Al

I used this stuff...
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9254060

masked off the body and sprayed the glass-froster on the window bit. Works well, reduces the light output slightly, but it's now artefact free and diffused.

 

[ged]

You can never have too much cordage. I would consider caching stuff (for example fuel and handy materials) at the RV, so I'd want to take a small spade to recover it. In your part of the world anything cached had better either be completely waterproof and vermin proof or be in a very waterproof and vermin proof container like a sealed ammo box. Make sure the metal detector crowd won't find it. A radio might become important, I have a solar powered one that weighs about 50g and my 'phone has an FM radio too although I'd be thinking long/medium waves not FM in a what-hit-the-fan scenario. Wear a good watch and learn how to use it in Emergency Navigation. You're going to want to know how to hunt and be able to. Fish hooks and line are part of my survival kit. I'd take a long, hard look at that Field Survival Kit.

Practice bugging out. You'll soon find out what things you miss the most.

 

[chris_irwin]

I would be tempted to include a few first aid bits and bobs in your pack as well. What if you get separated from the group kit or can't pick it up for whatever reason...

 

[Martyn]

You can never have too much cordage. I would consider caching stuff (for example fuel and handy materials) at the RV, so I'd want to take a small spade to recover it. In your part of the world anything cached had better either be completely waterproof and vermin proof or be in a very waterproof and vermin proof container like a sealed ammo box. Make sure the metal detector crowd won't find it. A radio might become important, I have a solar powered one that weighs about 50g and my 'phone has an FM radio too although I'd be thinking long/medium waves not FM in a what-hit-the-fan scenario. Wear a good watch and learn how to use it in Emergency Navigation. You're going to want to know how to hunt and be able to. Fish hooks and line are part of my survival kit. I'd take a long, hard look at that Field Survival Kit.

Practice bugging out. You'll soon find out what things you miss the most.

Good points, but I think much depends on what you think you're going to be bugging out from.

I think in reality, it's more likely to be something like a flood or perhaps a chemical spill or something. If your kit is geared towards the end of the world, post-apocalyptic zombie hunting (or whatever, but you see my point), then it is going to be of less use if you are spending 2 nights in the village hall with everyone else getting out of the way of the flood. This is why I think things like a small gas stove are preferable to a hexi burner, or that wire saws, snares and fishing kits are a bit redundant. There is (to me) the more realistic BOB, which is geared towards temporary displacement due to some unpleasant, but recoverable thing happening, rather than a kit for long term survival in the post apocalyptic world ...which I personally think is such a long-remote possibility as to be wholly in the realms of fantasy. Besides, if ...IF there were an apocalypse which killed off 95% of humanity, then you would have a 95% chance of being dead along with the other 94.9999% and all your planning and expense would be wasted, not to mention that any kit stashed away would be ruined/trashed/robbed/consumed in short order anyway. Hoarding doesnt work either, because even if their is an apocalypse and even if I am one of the 5% that survive and if I have been negligent and not stored anything, I'm only going to be good natured about it for a week or so, then when I'm hungry enough, me and me hungry mates will steal yours.

 

[naefearjustbeer]

Interesting ideas in this thread about what is needed. I take it a Bug out bag is for when the poo hits a fast rotating bladed wind generating machine. However I am intrigued as to why it is called a Bug Out Bag. Where does the terminology come from?

 

[Frogo]

I would also include something to hunt with, Slingshot, snares a decent fishing kit.

Also include a couple of foil blankets.

 

[chris_irwin]

I would also include something to hunt with, Slingshot, snares a decent fishing kit.

Also include a couple of foil blankets.

"Bug out bag, evolved from “bail-out-bag” a term coined, by military personnel, to be more exact, military pilots and their crew. Carried for survival, in the unfortunate event of being shot down.

The term has caught on and is now widely use by law enforcement personnel, survivalist and the general public."

taken from here

 

[thebushcraftdude]

Looks good, Yeah I would replace those rat packs with freeze dried ones. Try pack 'n go (ultra light but taste of plastic ) or mountain house rations as they take up half the room, half the weight and make for easier storage (they say they last for 3 years, I had one when the exp date was 1999 and it tastes fine) Also consider making some cashes at your bug out location, maybe put some tinned food or one of those big mountain house tubs.
Other than that, best kit I've seen in ages. You'll surive ages mate