Items for B.O.B./B.I.B:

I thought this thread was already started but either I SUCK at using the "Search" function or it was lost in the great 2010 debacle.

Lists of items for a BOB/BIB or some things one should have laying around the house to be prepared. No scenario needed or "what ifs" unless you so desire.

i.e.: Civil unrest, natural disaster, etc

Go:

Cotton balls
Small sewing kit
small pack knife
Plastic bags
paracord



Obviously: food and ammo

Yanno, Its not about what you squirrel away, its how good a squirrel you are. I am more or less a Tennessee hilljack, and have been without power for extended periods of time, had roads flooded or washed away completely, etc. so IMHO its more about mindset than an equipment list.
In your ordinary daily life you should already have candles and spare batteries for flashlights, drinking water and food stored, a decent selection of blankets, first aid and medical stuff, etc. so that in an "emergency" you can stay put and be just fine.

In every vehicle you own you should already have emergency supplies, but our modern life, where cars rarely actually break down, and if they do help is a cell call away, has done away with this. Folks from before the cellular revolution will remember breaking down miles from home and if you did not have the stuff to get going again, you were fucked. Again, the coolest roadside kit list of parts means jack shit if you have no clue how to use it, or do not have the mental fortitude to do so. That said, I gave a pretty standard list of "stuff" I keep in the car during the winter, the summer list is not much different.

Our modern times have made us technology dependent pussies, so put some thought into - if I did not have my cellphone, or radio, or for that matter my car did not work, what then? - sort of thinking. And then ask your wife the same thing...

let me know how that works for ya ;)

...old episodes of MacGuyver.