View Full Version : My 'Bug Out Kit' Build
bobbyfairbanks
05-15-2011, 01:05
Great start keep the posts coming with pics and lists!
Will work on my list at work. (LOL yeah I know, but weekends on watch are slow) I'll keep my list in the Original Post and perhaps prices too to put in perspective what I have spent.
bobbyfairbanks
05-15-2011, 05:53
Great idea I wish I had did that. I would help keep things in perspective. It is real easy to get carried away and start buying lots of useless crap that eats up the hard earned money in your wallet
divideman
05-15-2011, 06:24
Great start! Best wishes with your BOB.
Great idea I wish I had did that. I would help keep things in perspective. It is real easy to get carried away and start buying lots of useless crap that eats up the hard earned money in your wallet
Thanks! Hard earned money and limited space/weight.
This build is going to be my large kit, if my truck still works (zombie apocalypse, flood, etc) where I would need to leave home, It will be heavier than a backpack, but easy for two of us to grab and throw in the back of the pickup and go.
Once I get it built, I will work on the smaller bags for the kiddos and the two adults. I plan to have them compliment each other in a nested sort of way. So if I need to double up on things it will only be extremely useful items or items prome to being used up in a long-term situation. (Ammo, firestarters, food, water purification supplies, etc.) There are many pages on this section and all of them are really good reads. (I've already started reading 'one second after' lol)
Is there a core set of items that are a must have where I can start my research while I sort through the 9+ pages of threads in this section of the board?
KevDen2005
05-15-2011, 08:41
I really like these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKI3E-8TLW0
But they are relatively hard to find and pretty expensive these days.
I thought about getting that M7 survival rifle and watched some reviews on youtube, but figured I already have a Ruger 10/22 along with 2 other .22's and didn't think I really needed one
I have the AR7 in one of my BOB's and I'm happy with it. It's not going to win any competitions but I have to say it's pretty darn accurate with fixed sights. I have several BOB's and the one with the AR is actually a medic backpack with:
AR-7 (plus 300 rounds .22) and a cheapo scope
10 AR-7 magazines
Emergency Water
Firestarters
Knife and sharpener
Wire saw
Emergency blanket
Signal mirror
Binoculars
CB Radio w/weather band
...and all sorts of other stuff.
This is generally the bag I grab on my way out the door if I am spending the day in the mountains. I also have smaller emergency kits in all my cars that have many of the same items but are more handgun specific (holster, ammo, etc) since I rarely (if ever) leave the house without a pistol.
I figured I would pick up the AR-7 since it would be good for hunting small things, and .22LR is compact, and not all that hefty to keep a bunch of rounds in my kit for longer term. It also kinda just fell into my lap and the price was right. It will also help with space constraints. Ohh and it floats. LOL
I don't have a Ruger, plan on gettin one, but due to a break-in, my firearm shopping list took a dramatic change and it isn't really high on my list. sucks to have to replace everything. I rarely ever leave the house without my pistol so that is a good idea I can write down for the smaller kits. Unfortunately I work on federal property so carrying to work is not an option.
I like the CB idea. I used to have a handheld unit that had like a 10 foot antenna, it was fun to use after I graduated from walkie-talkies with my buddy way back when.
Emergency water... I read a couple threads about water storage, but a LDS buddy of mine said that stored water can get rancid after several years. The subject of the conversation was home storage in the 55-gallon drum version, but I guess for a small kit, it would be easy to rotate several gallons every once in a while, and not all that expensive. I do a lot of pressure canning at home, and too bad mason jars are glass, because I thought that it would be awesome to can up some water for really really long-term storage. Just a thought.
StagLefty
05-15-2011, 09:26
Emergency water... I read a couple threads about water storage, but a LDS buddy of mine said that stored water can get rancid after several years. The subject of the conversation was home storage in the 55-gallon drum version, but I guess for a small kit, it would be easy to rotate several gallons every once in a while, and not all that expensive. I do a lot of pressure canning at home, and too bad mason jars are glass, because I thought that it would be awesome to can up some water for really really long-term storage. Just a thought.
Don't rule out a small filtering system like a Katydin Hiker,that what I have in my small BOB. Keeps the weight down also. [Beer]
Paradude54
05-15-2011, 09:34
Good start. Just think of the things that your house provides. You have a means to cook and boil water at home, so fire should be a top priority. Water of course is a priority as is shelter which can be something as simple as a military poncho or tarp and some bungee cords or 550 cord. I'd put in a few different ways to make fire such as a lighter of course and then some tinder. Look into other ways to make fire and research what was done 100+ years ago; things like flint and steel along with char cloth to catch the spark.
I'm not telling you to get rid of the rifle that you have, but have you considered something like a Thompson Center G-2? It's pricier, but you can get barrels in everything from .22LR to .30-30 and with a screwdriver to remove the forend you can swap them out in seconds.
Speaking of screwdrivers, a good multi-tool is worth its weight in gold. A good quality knife as well for game or a ton of other uses is a must have as well.
Just my thoughts on the subject. One last thing. You might try packing the stuff in the big tote in smaller packages and labeling them so that if need be you can open it up and grab some stuff if you have to leave the big kit behind for any reason.
All the water that has ever existed on the planet, has always been here, and is the same water every time, so it really can't get that bad.
KevDen2005
05-15-2011, 09:50
I rotate gallon jugs of water, stored in my garage. I rotate about every 18 months.
All the water that has ever existed on the planet, has always been here, and is the same water every time, so it really can't get that bad.
That is what I figured when I was having the conversation with my friend. I mean even if stored water started tasting funny, it is still water, unless something bad got into the storage container, you should be good. I figured at the very most you may at some point have to run it through a filter if it got scummy. But stored water should be a heckuva lot better than something out of a local stream.
That's exactly what I was going to say. If you are going to end up filtering outside water at some point, might was well store as much of your own as you can. That way it will just extend the time you have before you have to start drinking gutter water. Also, if you built a still, then you'd be equipped to deal with really dirty water.
Wow there is a lot of stuff being said that I really have not thought about yet. Especially the smaller bags in the big kit labeled just in case you had to bug out of your bug out location.
bobbyfairbanks
05-15-2011, 10:26
The best way to really sort out your BOB set up is to go ok today we are gonna go camping but will only bring our BOB's. Really stick to this and just grab your box of kit/ bags that are at the door ready to go. Shake out over night and you will see you dont need half of what you brought and you need a couple dozen things that you forgot. When you are packing always try to pack things that are multi use to save space. Good luck with the shake out. It ends up being a lot of fun. I always keep a bottle of something in my go bags so that shake outs end up having a happy ending next to a camp fire. Even when you forget the tent and it is raining.[Beer]
The best way to really sort out your BOB set up is to go ok today we are gonna go camping but will only bring our BOB's. Really stick to this and just grab your box of kit/ bags that are at the door ready to go. Shake out over night and you will see you dont need half of what you brought and you need a couple dozen things that you forgot. When you are packing always try to pack things that are multi use to save space. Good luck with the shake out. It ends up being a lot of fun. I always keep a bottle of something in my go bags so that shake outs end up having a happy ending next to a camp fire. Even when you forget the tent and it is raining.[Beer]
:-) Great idea. :-) Homebrew. Check!
StagLefty
05-15-2011, 12:38
All the water that has ever existed on the planet, has always been here, and is the same water every time, so it really can't get that bad.
So you think it's okay to drink water from any natural source without some type of filtration ? I'm not talking about stored water.
KevDen2005
05-15-2011, 14:16
So you think it's okay to drink water from any natural source without some type of filtration ? I'm not talking about stored water.
I would still clean/purify the water in some way, unless it is absolute emergency and there are no other choices
flan7211
05-15-2011, 23:15
Big+ for the guys' comments above. Quick suggestion, I keep at a bare minimum 3 ways to make fire and purify water in my bag. I have a water pump, iodine pills, and a small pot to boil. For fire I keep 8 lighters, 10 books of matches, fire starter sticks, and flint. Just my 2 cents.
So you think it's okay to drink water from any natural source without some type of filtration ? I'm not talking about stored water.
Nooooo, I never said without filtration. I was just making the point that water can't go bad, just get dirty.
Big+ for the guys' comments above. Quick suggestion, I keep at a bare minimum 3 ways to make fire and purify water in my bag. I have a water pump, iodine pills, and a small pot to boil. For fire I keep 8 lighters, 10 books of matches, fire starter sticks, and flint. Just my 2 cents.
I was thinking the same thing... Water, and Fire are pretty high on the list of surviving neccessities, so I am thinking I would "nest" several ways of starting fires. For example on my person I always have a lighter. On my "grab and go" bags that is will be pretty much accessible at all times I'll have some sort of flint or magnesium starter, and for the big kit will be matches/another flint firestarter, etc.
For water filtration probably in the small kit I will have more Iodine tablets, and/or smaller filtration system (straw type, etc) since they are compact and things. In my larger kit I'll have the pump/more tablets/and a boiling vessel that can be dual utilized to boil/cook/reconstitute food.
StagLefty
05-16-2011, 07:43
Time for my Monday morning ESEE kool aid [ROFL1]-this is a great fire starter kit from them.Waterproof container with cotton balls and petroleum jelly packed inside,compass inside top, and going gear striker. Has not failed me yet to get a fire going.
http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab49/StagLefty/Knives/firekit.jpg
That is an awesome lookin tool StagLefty!
StagLefty
05-16-2011, 14:52
Here's a link if your interested. You can use a knife for a striker but I prefer not to and bought some strikers from goinggear.com.
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/product_info.php?cPath=496_686&products_id=3549
KevDen2005
05-16-2011, 17:02
Here's a link if your interested. You can use a knife for a striker but I prefer not to and bought some strikers from goinggear.com.
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/product_info.php?cPath=496_686&products_id=3549
Ordered one before I went to bed this morning.
And yes, after a long night's work I look at coar-15 before I go to bed.
Ordered one before I went to bed this morning.
And yes, after a long night's work I look at coar-15 before I go to bed.
As do I... My days are 13+ hours. ahh well pays the bills.
KevDen2005
05-16-2011, 20:14
As do I... My days are 13+ hours. ahh well pays the bills.
Can't go to bed without checking the forum though, it helps me sleep better
Anyone ever think about bringing things along like Salt that would be very useful practically (preservation) as well as for bartering?
Salt could be very saught-after for trading and such in a long-term situation.
StagLefty
05-18-2011, 07:54
I keep salt stored in the house but I don't think I'd pack it along with me. JMHO
I keep salt stored in the house but I don't think I'd pack it along with me. JMHO
Well I am sure it would be very heavy to have to carry any along that would be worth anything. [Weight]
I just wanted to add my opinion- just in case you are wondering, my experience comes from my time in the army - I am a SERE level C graduate, and have also planned several real world mission E&E plans. I was also in the Rep of Georgia during the russian incursion in 2008.
This advice is pertaining to the concept of emergency water. In all honesty, you should not waste money or space storing water. You should have water carrying capacity, but it should be stored empty. I have a large alice with 8 qt carrying capacity, but thats all, they are empty. All my go bags are literally that, bags. boxes are good for cache's or stashes, but you are depending on the mobility of a vehicle. Spend money on a filter system, I have a katadyn with reservoir for the vehicle, and hundreds of purification tablets in case we are hoofing it.
consolidate your guns to a specific caliber. I have only 5 calibers for any of my multiple systems. 22lr for the kids, 9mm for pistols (all glocks with interchangeable mag capability), 5.56 for all ar's (again they can all use the same mag)s. One rem 700 308, one socom 2, and one mp5 in 9mm. and 2 shotguns, one defense and one wing gun, both 12 ga. Am i going to carry all this on foot, no, pistols and ar's are all that will go on foot, the rest is staged for vehicle.
food storage is limited to 3 days per person in MRE's for foot, after that its scrounging. The vehicle can carry 9 cases, all lrp's meals, not standard mre's - saves space and more calories per sq in of occupied space.
also have a book on wild vegetation and insects with pictures, very very handy!!
keep battery operated items to a minimum, and for emergency use.
And as my ranting dies down - keep this in mind, you cannot carry everything you will need, therefore you must assume that you can resupply from your surroundings, pack for mobility and ease of movement, label bags and everybag is redundant as in how it is crossloaded, so no matter what bag you grab in a hurry, because you don't know how i will go down, you will always have the basics that you need, so resist the urge to consolidate!!
Randy - 18C
StagLefty
05-18-2011, 13:47
^ I agree [Beer]
Yeah I have a largish ALICE/MOLLE type pack I used in the AF before they change the Camo pattern. It is the type that has a frame with kidney pads and I have a 3 day pack that attaches to it. This is where I am going to put the stuff I will need if I need to Grab and go.
I agree with the water... So I think I am going to try to find some collapsible containers to put in my kit, along with a pump filter I think.
lead_magnet
05-19-2011, 01:52
I disagree with the water part. What if the best plan of action is to stay inside and lock the doors? Keep water in your house, cheap, easy, no reason not to. Thats like saying "don't keep ammo, you can always get some later" , not good planing IMHO. Water sources becomed contaminated, filters can get lost or broken, or left behind in a hurry, not to mention, a filter still needs water to filter, without that, its an expensive stick.
I keep at LEAST a gallon in every vehicle (along with a roadside hazard/emergency kit). I have a 2 liter jug (cheapo from walmart with handle) of water that goes with me EVERYWHERE, to work, to play, to my buddies house. Its part of my EDC, and it is constantly recycled because I try and drink all of it everyday to stay hydrated. Plus the emergency food bars are lighter and better for hoofing it if you ask me. I keep a few MREs in my bag, but only the entres and the heater.
Best way to stock up on water without breaking the bank or looking crazy is just to buy a few extra gallons everytime you go shoping. If you use it regularly, always add your new ones to storage and use the oldest jug you have first. The supply is always revolving and acumulates slowly over time.
The original thread is for a go bag, or bug out bag, not a pantry or vehicle storage. So keep that in mind when making suggestions.
you can store as much water as you like wherever you want, but how much are you going to put in your bag?? At 8.35 lbs per gallon, how much can you carry with you?
Like I said before, leave your bug out bag empty of so called "emergency water" have water carrying capacity to fill up when you have to move,
keep a gallon in the car if you like to fill the containers on the bag if you have to leave the vehicle.
If you are leaving from the house, I would hope you have some water stored to fill up and get going.
as for storing water in large quantities, not practical - and thats just the fact of the matter. If you were to base your system on accumulating water instead of the capability to purify found water, you won't get very far.
If the water resources are that contaminated that filtration doesn't work, then we are all screwed anyways, so keep stock piling if you like and prolong the inevitable.
As for filters breaking - follow the typiical rule, 1 is none, 2 is one and so on.
I'm not even going to touch on the emergency food bars issue with you - When you look up the calores in one LRP meal and compare that to how many food bars you have to consume to replenish what you used in a day, and just to get you on track, one LRP meal contains enough calories for an avg male to patrol all day, so 6000+
KevDen2005
05-19-2011, 17:26
have water carrying capacity to fill up when you have to move,
I agree, I keep an empty nalgene bottle in each of the survival kits as well as the 72 hour bag. I actually keep water in the nalgene bottles that are my in the pack that I refer to as my "Rescue Pack." I change the water out often.
As for filters breaking - follow the typiical rule, 1 is none, 2 is one and so on.
Some military redundancy rules are hard to break for me. I have my filter and water purification tablets.
LRP meal and compare that to how many food bars you have to consume to replenish what you used in a day, and just to get you on track, one LRP meal contains enough calories for an avg male to patrol all day, so 6000+
I got out of the Army in 2008 and don't recall LRP meals. What are they?
Jolly Green
05-19-2011, 17:31
It might be worth throwing an extra, light weight sleeping bag in your kit. They come in handy.
KevDen2005
05-19-2011, 17:43
It might be worth throwing an extra, light weight sleeping bag in your kit. They come in handy.
Keep one in the truck along with a poncho liner
I got out of the Army in 2008 and don't recall LRP meals. What are they?
LRP meals have been around since early 2000. They are more of a specialty application, So if you were not in a reconnaisance, ranger, or other spec ops unit, you probably didnt have need for them.
Basically it is a full days meal packed into 2 white vacuum selaed MRE bags, they are taped together. One has all three meals for the day, and the other has all the extras and snacks. So you get more calories than 3 mre's offer in the space of 2 mres. The packing idea was to cut down on waste from ratf*cking MRE bags when guys would go patrol. No right minded recon guy would take the whole MRE out - there is wasted space and junk in that bag. LRP's come 16 to a case.
The box will say "Meal Packet - Long Range Patrol"
packed by the Wornick Company.
The major benefit!! here it comes, they are all freeze dried, and made by the same producer as MountainHouse ( I think the packager is Oregon foods??). How cool is that!! so the shelf life is ridiculous versus an MRE.
If you want the NSN pm me, i'll get it off the box.
KevDen2005
05-19-2011, 19:11
LRP meals have been around since early 2000. They are more of a specialty application, So if you were not in a reconnaisance, ranger, or other spec ops unit, you probably didnt have need for them.
Basically it is a full days meal packed into 2 white vacuum selaed MRE bags, they are taped together. One has all three meals for the day, and the other has all the extras and snacks. So you get more calories than 3 mre's offer in the space of 2 mres. The packing idea was to cut down on waste from ratf*cking MRE bags when guys would go patrol. No right minded recon guy would take the whole MRE out - there is wasted space and junk in that bag. LRP's come 16 to a case.
The box will say "Meal Packet - Long Range Patrol"
packed by the Wornick Company.
The major benefit!! here it comes, they are all freeze dried, and made by the same producer as MountainHouse ( I think the packager is Oregon foods??). How cool is that!! so the shelf life is ridiculous versus an MRE.
If you want the NSN pm me, i'll get it off the box.
Will pm for sure. And that is a great idea. We often would take MRE's apart to save space...which is a habit I still do today. I never spent time in Ranger Batt., SF, or Division Level Scouts (or equivalent) so I see why I may not have either used them, seen them, or realized what they were if people had them.
And I totally forgot about that term and I am going to put it back into my vocabulary now [ROFL1]
I think for this kit I am going to not concentrate on water storage, and use the space/weight that the water would take up and replace it with a filtration/pump/purification solution, plus some collapsible containers to store water that I may have purified.
I think I will keep storing water to a minimum, because if I cannot find water I am in deep doo doo anyways. Possibly just take enough water to get me outta town or to a suitable shelter location. (canteen/gallon in car/couple 2 liter bottles. etc)
This kit is big... either for sheltering in place, or to grab and throw into the back of my vehicle. (which should have sufficient water stores for a lengthy trip anyways)
I think for this kit I am going to concentrate on water storage, and use the space/weight that the water would take up and replace it with a filtration/pump/purification solution.
I think I will keep storing water to a minimum, because if I cannot find water I am in deep doo doo anyways. Possibly just take enough water to get me outta town or to a suitable shelter location. (canteen/gallon in car/couple 2 liter bottles. etc)
This kit is big... either for sheltering in place, or to grab and throw into the back of my vehicle. (which should have sufficient water stores for a lengthy trip anyways)
That sounds like a good plan!! Just keep it modular and actually try using it sometime to make sure its feasible :)
lead_magnet
05-19-2011, 23:21
If you ask me alot of the training they give to the military / govt. guys doesn't pertain to alot of us lowly "normal" people. I personaly don't plan on backpacking it though the wilderness, as that would be absofuckinglutely retarded for someone in my situation. Nor do I want to gather water out of toilets in a pandemic. No one idea or theory is going to work for everyone. Where do you live? Middle of the grasslands Faaaaarrrr away from others, city, mountains? How far is the nearest river. Who is comming with you? Where are you going?
Here is another idea fellas, if your plan is to savenge and filter water, that involves a few things.
1: it has to be there to be found
2: you may have to compete with others for it
3: you have to have the means to filter it
4: you have to be able to get to it
Its hard to hunt for water when your leg is broken, or with a wounded companion, etc. Just something to think about, no need to get upset. I'm not by any means saying that one shouldn't have the means to filter water, and the knowledge to know how to find it, but to RELY on that doesn't seem wise to me. I though the idea of preparedness is to minimize the amount of things you rely on, otherwise we can all continue to rely on our kitchen sink.
As far as the food bars go you dont need the GI spec stuff ... these work fine.
http://www.firstaidkitproducts.com/product/FB12M
There are several brands, I personaly like the mayday ones, taste good, don't dry you out. A buddie of mine ate only these for a week just for funzies. I've always thought they would make a wiked pie crust.
Sorry for getting on a tangent about water there, but to me its a big deal for a guy like me, I have others depending on me to have it on hand at all times. Fortunately I only need to keep enough around to last me until I can link up with a friend of mine who has a 100,000 gallon tank on RO.
It's good to see alot of ideas floating around out there, collective knowledge and thinking is always better than going solo.
Everyone has there own plan for what to do when the SHTF...
First, military trained or not, survival is survival, and if you have to hike, then I'm sure you will whether you want to or not. If you have to hole up, then you will do that whether you like to or not.
And since water seems to be the overly stressed topic of the day LOL.
1. If you can't find water somewhere, then you might want to rethink your entire survival plan!!
2. The main goal of survival is to reduce competition for sustenance, hence the reason for go-bag's and bug-out kits, to get away from population in first vital moments.
3. The reason they invented backpack filters and chemical purifiers.
4. Getting to it is just a matter of ingenuity. Like I said, if you can't find it - rethink your plan... or become super human and be able to survive for more than 3 days without water.
In regards to your bars. ---
Amount Per Serving
Calories 400
Calories from Fat 150
--------------------------------
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 35mg 1%
Total Carb 55g 18%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 14g
--------------------------------
Protein 7g
Trans Fatty Acids 0g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
The average person uses 1500 to 2000 calories just sitting on their ass in a 24hr period. So now add survival to that. you are over 4000 calories a day at a minimum.
Just based on the 2000 calorie diet, you have to eat 4-5 bars to sit around and do nothing.
Are you going to eat 10 bars a day???
Mil-Spec foods are not a requirement, but they are handy - Food manufacturers for backpacking make the same stuff, with the same shelf life. Mountain House being one of them.
Survival is not about how much you can store - its about how well you can prepare.
Cujo0920
05-20-2011, 15:24
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=36016
Zombie squad has some excellent BoB examples with pictures.
Cujo0920
05-20-2011, 15:26
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4103
Solid builds for most of these BoBs.
Ordered some 1 gallon collapsible containers to add to the kit. I also am working on a Machete Survival kit. Once I get it planned out and finished I will post a list + pics. I'll get it all laid out this weekend.
I was thinking about storing some water storage for the car, and I figured a couple 2 liters would be useful in the car (up to 6 bottles in the family suburban) enough for 4 kids +2 adults. (yeah I have 4 kids) I found some 2 liter pallet trays that hold the 2 liter bottles in an upright position, they were 2.50 each and I figure they will keep the bottles from being an annoyance rolling around the trunk. Once I get them in the mail I'll take a pic and post it.
As far as water storage in the bug out kits... I'm going to concentrate on ready storage + a means of purifying water found x2. Water is heavy and takes up precious space for survival supplies. Less water means I can carry more filters/purification tabs wich will allow me to forage longer.
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