[NASA Test Pilot]

My Go (Bug-Out) Bag

Part I – Back-Pack

You have one standard Back-Pack and you are going to fill it with the most important items for an emergency (your day). You can define the emergency or maybe it is a go-bag or a practical-bag. Assume you have less than 5 minutes and all that you can take with you is your pre-positioned Back-Pack (you grab it and you go). Describe the type of Back-Pack and describe what items you would put inside/attached to your Back-Pack. If you want to explain why (for any item) do so. The Back-Pack can be an Alice-Pack, Rucksack or Molle-Pack. Assume that all you have on your person are your standard clothes for the day to include your shoes (boots), socks, pants (belt), underwear, t-shirt, shirt, jacket, sun glasses, hat, keys, ring(s) and your wallet.

Points to consider in your Back-Pack include material, durability, capacity, compartments, loading design, comfort, cost.




Part II – Duffle Bag

You have one large standard issue military Duffle-Bag (can be Cargo Bag or Parachute Bag) in addition to your Back-Pack, what would you place in this Duffle-Bag. Assume the situation above where you define your emergency and you have less than 5 minutes and all that you can take with you are your pre-positioned Back-Pack, your pre-positioned Duffle Bag, and the standard items on your person as listed above.




Consider labeling your response either Back-Pack or Duffle-Bag. Feel free to do either or both.

Edit - I missed this thread-20132.html

[Windom Earle]

Lipstick in one, Nylons in the other.

Emergency situation = turning 6's into 9's in the post apocalyptic world.

[thoughtgypsy]

Generally, I'm not the type to worry, but even if the probability of needing a go bag is close to zero, the time investment to compile one is so low, and the potential reward so great, that I felt it to be well worth the effort.

My approach is to think about what my most pressing needs will be and addressing them first. From there, lower priorities can be addressed by including other items, but after a point there are diminishing returns and the added weight and volume become a negative.

Another parallel approach to consider is what systems engineers call failure mode analysis. Think of your body as the system that must continue to operate (live healthily). There are some failures that will lead to critical failure (i.e. mortal wounds), and some which will lead to lower functioning but which can be mitigated (i.e. bacterial infection, minor wounds, etc). The tools and items you bring should address the potentiality of these failure modes, and priority should be given to mitigating the most critical failure modes. An important aspect of mitigating failure modes is to develop parallel systems in the case of failures. As such, it is often useful to have multiple means to accomplish the same task. For instance, in addition to bringing water proof matches, it may also be useful to bring a magnesium/flint tool as a back up.

To be honest, I admittedly haven't spent much time or effort on compiling my bag, and should seriously come back to in the future. Most of the items I have were just thrown together from my camping gear. I will describe what I have brought:

Water: After 3 days without water, one will likely die. Water is heavy, so most likely it is best to procure water in situ (at the source).
- Iodine Tablets
- Fire starting equipment (to boil waterborne parasites)
- Metal camping cup (receptacle for water)
- Gear for collecting rain water

Fire: Fire is necessary to boil water, and to cook fish or game. It may also be used to scare off predators, though it also makes one visible from far off distances. Combined with a metal object, it can also cauterize wounds. It can provide heat during colder nights when hypothermia is a real threat.
- Match box in sealed plastic bag
- Magnesium/flint striker
- Bic lighter
- Zippo lighter with spare flint, cut out bike tire to prevent evaporation of lighter fluid
- Portable saw for fire making

Food: After water is secured, food will become a priority for survival.
- Snack bars for their small size and high shelf life.
- Fishing line and hooks for makeshift fishing rods.
- Paracord and Kabar knife for making snares and traps

Other
- Paracord for making snares and traps, helping with constructing shelters
- Carabiner for it's ability to withstand high tensile forces and produce more useful paracord systems
- Kabar for self defense, cauterizing wounds, digging, fileting, whittling and splitting fishing spears, etc etc
- Pocket knife or multi tool for various uses
- Mylar blanket for it's high thermal reflectivity (keep you warm) and light weight
- Sidearm with loaded spare mags and cleaning kit
- Surgical gloves for storing water, providing waterproof container for other things
- Unlubricated condoms for same reason
- First aid kit including bandages and antibiotics for disinfecting wounds, creating splints, etc.
- N94 or higher surgical mask to prevent inhalation of airborne infectious diseases (in case of pandemic), or in the case of NBC warfare, to prevent inhalation of nuclear fallout radioactive dust, ricin particles, etc.

I'm sure I've missed some. I'd be interested in what others have to add.

[Ski pro]

I'll be reading this thread with interest. Going to need one of these by the door for when the robots come.

[SvenTuga]

Found this link some time ago with a good list of items for a bug-out bag. You can probably get alternatives for much cheaper though.

People should prepare themselves, as tensions in the west rise and a civil war becomes more imminent.

[PapayaTapper]

My

= getting everything else I need as I go

[gmoneysauce]

This is an important point. In managing risk if you have a low probability risk but the impact of that risk is very high, and the cost of preparing for that risk is low, then it would behoove you to engage in the preparations.

For those that have read Taleb (Black Swan), then you understand that rare events are worth preparing for even if you don't know the nature of the event.

So, I tend to prepare for a diverse array of situations. I regularly have a Gerber multitool and my knife in my bag or on my belt and pocket. I also have an envelope of cash in a few currencies that might be relevant for my location. I carry a jug of water in my truck at all times and have three gallon jugs of water in my house. And I have a few other preparations for other contingencies.

I also have a rendevous point in another town that only a few people know about, just in case.

These events might not be civil unrest. It might just be that someone is looking for you and you need to GTFO quickly.

I basically have a bug out bag that is my regular backpack which is a small/medium size black military style that I travel with weekly or monthly so every time I leave the city I am "bugging out" in practice.

It can be fun preparation even if you never need it.

G

(04-30-2016 08:48 AM)thoughtgypsy Wrote:  

Generally, I'm not the type to worry, but even if the probability of needing a go bag is close to zero, the time investment to compile one is so low, and the potential reward so great, that I felt it to be well worth the effort.

[gmoneysauce]

(04-30-2016 08:48 AM)thoughtgypsy Wrote:  

- N94 or higher surgical mask to prevent inhalation of airborne infectious diseases (in case of pandemic), or in the case of NBC warfare, to prevent inhalation of nuclear fallout radioactive dust, ricin particles, etc.

In my truck I keep a clear face mask/respirator with the purple filters which is good for asbestos and organics. I wonder if that would work in place of your mask??

[Hannibal]

I don't have a bugout bag, so much as a collection of items I try to have on me at all times.

Opinel no 8 pocket knife. This is the carbon steel model, I keep this very sharp.

Generic chunk of magnesium for starting fires.

Pocket bellows. It's a glorified telescopic steel straw, but it uses the Diesel effect so you can light a fire with most anything (green wood, wet material, doesn't matter).

Sawyer products mini water filtration system. When I get around to it I'll probably go with the Lifestraw because you can drink directly through it. Admittedly I do not carry this on my person, but I always try to have it in my backpack just in case. You can't filter your piss with it, but you can definitely drink from a stream, puddle, or standing water. It filters out everything except heavy metal and viruses.

I want to get my conceal and carry so I can carry my Glock 17.

If I had to add to this list, I'd want one of those stainless steel camping cups that doubles as a coffee cup as well as a key fob eating tool.





I don't bother with 88 different camping type items because it's already at my apartment. My cookware is cast iron and stainless steel, I've got enough food to last me 4 or 5 months without refrigeration, on a good day I don't even need much, if any fuel to cook it (Sunflair solar oven, makeshift hay box). Machetes, hatchets, shovels, guns, I've got them all.

As far as water storage, I don't keep water but I do keep five gallon (foodsafe) buckets. I definitely should keep a rotating stock of water, though.

Preparing for different failure modes, if you can make a fire, procure drinkable water, cook a meal (it can be done with just a coffee cup, but it might take you all day) and you're reasonably fit (something preppers and survivalists forget to do), you've got a good chance of surviving a large amount of different events. Learning basic wilderness survival skills is also a good idea.

I absolutely have to emphasize physical fitness here. I used to troll prepper forums and you would not believe the amount of Big Gulp guzzling fatties who live on those forums and spend their entire paychecks on wheat grinding mills and whatnot.

If civilization collapses or the Aliens come, we're all fucked anyways because we wouldn't be able to feed ourselves without farming. The available flora and fauna wouldn't sustain a population a quarter of our size, which is why shows like The Walking Dead are retarded.

[Saweeep]

This "prepping" phenomena is just an American thing.

I can't make up my mind whether you guys are on to something or insane.

[NASA Test Pilot]

The Back-Pack pictured above with prioritized contents and my emergency is general survival.

I
-Hunting knife with button compass (hollow hilt for fishing line, matches), sheath with sharpening stone
-Mylar/Solar Blanket

II
-Collapsible .22 LR, ¼ of bag is for ammo
-Rifle (night) scope (3 x batteries)
-CamelBak – water
-Mini kit (anodized container (can be used for cooking) the size of your hand with velcro straps 3 x 5 x 1 1/2). Contents include:
Leatherman mini-tool, (8)water purifying tablets and 1(2) liter whirl pack bag, (SAS) button compass, signal mirror, Fox 40 (noise device). Fishing kit (including flies, hooks, weights, swivels, and braided fishing line). Mil-spec trip wire for snare making, Kevlar line. Fire kit - standard ferro (cerium) rod with a Gorilla Tape wrapped handle, (5) tinder tablets, 5 UCO stormproof matches, Fresnel Lens. Basic medical group ((2) electrolyte tablet, gauze pad, and Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Personal Medicine Vial), (4) safety pins (2 small, 2 large), (Photon) LED (red) Squeeze light. Urban escape and evade gear (Bogota Mini's lock picks, universal handcuff key, delta handcuff key, straight and key style shim). Ink cartridge, 4 waterproof rain paper rectangles, Military sewing kit, awl 120 needle for tarps, P-38 Can Opener, Folding Razor Blade, 2 ¾ hacksaw blade,
-Gloves*
-Pistol, ammo

III
-Epi-pen (adrenaline)
-Water purifying straw x 2
-Power Bar x 6
-MRE x 2
-Medical kit (include surgical thread, 6¨ Israeili bandage with pressure bar and a 4¨ Israeli emergency bandage, suture strips, z-pack gauze dressing, burn-jel)
-Antibiotics
-(more) Antibiotic ointment
-Magnesium stone (fire)
-Foot powder
-lighter
-50m (type III parachute cord)

IV
-Watch Cap
-Extra socks x 4
-1 pair cargo pants
-Cold weather long sleeve shirt
-Rain poncho
-Extra underwear
-Bandana
-1 over-shirt
-Extra boot laces
-Swim goggles
-Spoon-fork¬-knife combo utensil

V
-Night vision monocular
-Fish scaling knife
-Balloons (buoys for fishing)
-Leatherman pocket (multi) tool
-Wire-saw
-Sling shot
-Light weight sleeping hammock
-Mosquito net
-Velcro straps
-Torch – high powered flash light (extra batteries)
-Duct tape (camo)
-Sammy Cloth (dry towel)

VI
-Cash
-Tube 1 oz gold coins
-Tube 1/10 oz gold coins
-Passport
-Extra credit card
-Toiletries

VII
-Tie Grips
-Pulley
-Stuff sack
-List of what is inside the Back-Pack

VIII
-Attached to Back-Pack - Utility belt (H-harness), sheathed machete, canteens, ammo holders, Combat boots with socks. 5.56 Rifle

[Valentine]

The problem with prepping is opportunity cost. Time spent mentally, taking action and spending money all have costs associated.

If money isn't an issue, then the 80/20 of this is to buy a pre-assembled bug out bag with equipment and let the chips fall as they may.

Though I'd also say a pair of good boots is almost as important as your bugout bag in these circumstances.