Posted: 1/12/2009 12:42:00 PM EDT
| Who makes a good bug out bag (BoB) and what do you keep in them? |
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Maxpedition
Generally whatever it takes for you to survive for at least 72 hrs. minimum. Check here for some good info. |
| I like a good back pack in case you need o walk home, with room for 3 days rations and emergency equipment, a firearm with ammo, flashlight, knife and multitool and water. personaql hygene items and Medication. Don't forget the cash if SHTF the cash machines will be down or there will be a run on them. |
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My bag is from Blackhawk. It is made fairly well. It is the older model. It has 3 ar mag pouches that holds 6 total. It has pistol pouches on the exterior, two of them. on the opposite side it has a pouch that is good for a GPS or Phone. It also has a radio pouch inside with a slit in the lid for the antenna. It has a map pouch. in the lid. Inside it has 12 Shot Shell loops, velcro in one compartment for the Blackhawk acc. It has a Universal (adjustable) holder in the velcro area that can be adjusted to hold a sidearm and another mag. It is on their website.
I have 6 mags for ar 3 G22 mags pepper spray, rubber gloves, first aid kit, a couple of snacks and a bolttle of water, 12 12 gauge rounds, gerber multi tool, extra batteries CR123 and AA 2 more 20 round boxes of 223 ammo inside, and an extra 6 volt pelican light. I think that raps it up. Mine stays in my Patrol car trunk for an active shooter Bug out Bag. |
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Check out EM Gear
Dustin is in North Georgia and keeps just about everything Maxpedition stocks. He is mail order only but may be able to meet you if you need something. He also carries a full line of BOB necessities to include Mountain House food. I use a Maxpedition Malaga and Condor II for my BOB's. My Condor is my 3 day pack and the Malaga is my Emergency kit. I also have two Falcon packs that I use as my range bags. Maxpedition stuff is well made and priced well. |
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I love Maxpedition products (I have a couple), but I wanted something a little less military for my BOB. I did some research and came up with a Kelty Rewing 3100. It is comfortable, built very well, has a lifetime warranty, big enough, and it would definately pass for just a regular old backpack, because that is what it is. They are closing out the 2008's right now. My wife got me one for less than $55 for Christmas. Here is an example: Redwing
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I hope this isn't a really stupid question, but what exactly is the purpose of a BoB? I mean, I understand what you would do with one and what you'd pack in it, but when would you ever expect to use one?
I'm having trouble envisioning a situation where one would be needed. First, any situation where I might want/need one seems so remote the value is questionable. Second, if a situation where it would be useful were to occur I can't see it being enough with 2 small children - especially in the area of caring for my 5 month old. |
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Remember back on 9/11? I was at Emory and I parked in the same parking deck that the CDC used. Emory closed the school and told everyone to go home. The CDC closed the ramp and told me I could get anything out of my car I needed but I couldn't move the vehicles as the ramp was locked down.
Now Imagine if the attack had happened here instead. Mass transit down, car locked down, 40 miles from home with the only choice being to hoof it. Be nice to have a nondescript bag with food, medical supplies and a gun to get you home. That's the theory anyway. In practice, you'll probably never need one and you'll probably not remember to cycle your supplies if you do have one leading to expired aspirin and stale Twinkies. 
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Quoted:
In practice, you'll probably never need one and you'll probably not remember to cycle your supplies if you do have one leading to expired aspirin and stale Twinkies. I didn't think Twinkies had a shelf life... just a half life of about 200 years... 
Seriously a thought proviking string here.... makes me think, what a "fuster cluck", it would be at my house, trying to determine what to bring and what not to bring.... Chris |
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Quoted:
I hope this isn't a really stupid question, but what exactly is the purpose of a BoB? I mean, I understand what you would do with one and what you'd pack in it, but when would you ever expect to use one? you have one to be one of the cool kids! everyone else is doing it. so should you. |
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Quoted:
you have one to be one of the cool kids! everyone else is doing it. so should you. Well, I would be glad to do it if I could find a reasonable justification. To DKing's point, I work from home so I'm here 100% of the time during the week (except to take the kids to daycare). My wife works down by the perimeter at our office and although I could see being there for a meeting or something, nothing short of an armored vehicle blocking all the deck exits would stop me from getting my car out of the building. Should I somehow end up somewhere I was unable to retrieve my car, I can think of no less than 2 dozen friends and family members who would brave any number of blockades or roadblocks to come get me/us. Same thing if I had to go get my wife - short of shooting me in transit, there is little-to-no way of preventing me getting there and getting back. |
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More of a Utility bag, but can carry various things.
Conty Comm Bob I am looking at a pack type myself for something to keep handy. Will probably get one of the larger Maxpedition bags. I love the couple smaller ones I have from them. As Dking pointed out, having one away from home is great. You may think having one at home is not needed. A couple things just off the top of my head, natural disasters. Say a tornado knocks your house down. Would be nice to have some necessities right where you could have access to them. Yeah, you may have a place to go, and that is best, but say the area is hard hit. A Katrina type event. Home about to be underwater, no choice to stay. I have a daughter to think about and my current grab bag has things in there for her too. i kind of picked up the habit of having a bag like this from years of living ib Southern California. In school, each student had an earthquake kit, and all of my family to this day keeps a kit on hand at home. Oh yeah, Zombies.... |
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Quoted:
I hope this isn't a really stupid question, but what exactly is the purpose of a BoB? I mean, I understand what you would do with one and what you'd pack in it, but when would you ever expect to use one? I'm having trouble envisioning a situation where one would be needed. First, any situation where I might want/need one seems so remote the value is questionable. Second, if a situation where it would be useful were to occur I can't see it being enough with 2 small children - especially in the area of caring for my 5 month old. so i'm back from the other side of the world to give my unwanted opinion: i seriously seriously doubt i will ever be in a bug-out type situation. i kinda laugh at the thought of it, but hey- look at new orleans... New madrid and all that jazz.... yeah. whatever... I have a back-pack in my truck that goes with me everywhere. it is essentially a 3-day hiking pack with a few extra goodies. yes, i actually have been on 3-day hikes with it. what i've found it to be most useful for is those nights where you stay somewhere you didn't expect- and need the hygiene products... When you're out of town on a sales trip and get the runs- go to the med bag and grab the cork (aka: pepcid). you're over at a friend's and someone has an allergic reaction to some food- here comes the bennedryl. I've made one of these "what if" type bags for all of my family and my g/f. They looked at me like i was insane at first, but each of them has thanked me numerous times for it. the common thread is: "i never thought i'd need that thing, but last week..." |
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Quoted:
Do you have Comcast Digital cable perchance? I do - something in the "On Demand" section? Quoted:
A couple things just off the top of my head, natural disasters. Say a tornado knocks your house down. Would be nice to have some necessities right where you could have access to them. Yeah, you may have a place to go, and that is best, but say the area is hard hit. A Katrina type event. Home about to be underwater, no choice to stay. I can see that as a valid example, but again I'm weighing the odds. I would say our chance of being leveled by a tornado are somewhere in the 1:1,000,000 range, and just not a good enough reason when there are other things to spend time and money on. Quoted:
I have a back-pack in my truck that goes with me everywhere. it is essentially a 3-day hiking pack with a few extra goodies. yes, i actually have been on 3-day hikes with it. what i've found it to be most useful for is those nights where you stay somewhere you didn't expect- and need the hygiene products... When you're out of town on a sales trip and get the runs- go to the med bag and grab the cork (aka: pepcid). you're over at a friend's and someone has an allergic reaction to some food- here comes the bennedryl. I've made one of these "what if" type bags for all of my family and my g/f. They looked at me like i was insane at first, but each of them has thanked me numerous times for it. the common thread is: "i never thought i'd need that thing, but last week..." I can say I have never (in almost 40 years) been in that situation. When I travel, my toiletries bag has all medicines I might need already. At a friends house in the suburbs (any), a pharmacy (with pharmacist until 10 pm) is no more than 2-5 minutes away. Don't get me wrong - I think all of these are valid examples of why someone needs or needed what they have. I just haven't seen one yet that makes sense to me - maybe I'm just an exception. |
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I don't really see the need for a Bug Out Bag to be constantly ready. I want to get home where my supplies, tools, clothes are. So I value a Get Home Bag. The GHB is much smaller and can be easily constructed to weight under 40 pounds and get you through 3 days of trouble.
A GHB is highly valuable for many things, not just SHTF. It carries stuff you could use in any pinch when away from home. Forgot to floss before that interview? Look in the side pocket. Have a hang-over and uneasy stomach from too much chili and beer at the deer camp? The Excedrin, antacid and spare draws are in the main compartment. I keep my GHB locked in my toolbox. My boots are under the rear seat, right next to the truck gun and bottled water. I grab it all if I have to "go" on foot. W/O the sleeping bag strapped to it, the height of my GHB is a snug fit across the width of my toolbox. I don't see the point in spending alot on something that I only use very rarely, so I don't go buying all the tacticool stuff for it. If you can't get the contents at Walmart, your pantry, closet and the army surplus store, you really don't need it. So here's mine on the cheap. It helps to think of the contents by category necessary for survival and comfort. Bag Surplus German Alpine rucksack Shelter 2-3 USGI ponchos - snap together to make a lean-to 100' 550 cord Metal L-shaped tent stakes (small and light) folding saw Warmth Clothes: BDU pants, shirt, Tshirt, jacket, flight gloves, boonie hat, watch cap, cotton & heavy socks, underwear (all in a big ziploc bag) Sleeping bag in compression bag Fire: Matches, magnesium/steel, Vaseline coated cotton balls in containers and/or ziploc bags Water Pre-filled canteens and bottled water USGI canteen cup Katadyn backpack filter, water purification tablets Food Esbit stove & trioxane tabs - good to boil water, too GI mess kit MREs, canned tuna, soup, beef jerky, power bars, trail mix, etc. P-38 can opener Vitamins Health/Hygiene Toilet paper Toothpaste & brush, floss Moist wipes, soap hand towels First Aid Kit Moleskin Ibuprofen, Aleve, excedrin, sinus med, antacid, etc. Mirror, tweezers, needle Insect repellant Sunscreen Tools 2 or more Cree LED flashlights, headlamp, extra batteries. Coleman Max at Walmart are good. Leatherman multi-tool Pocket knife, larger folding knife - they don't have to be tacticool. Whetrock Duct tape, wire, zip ties, more 550 cord Compass, AO map Pencil, pen, notepad Small binoculars That will get me out of most any jam I can imagine. GHBs - they're not just for zombie invasions anymore. |