Bug Out Bag Exercise

[Tvandermyde]

Bug out Bag Internet Exercise

 

Considering I saw this on TTAG where they were going to do a little test on a bug out bag, I traded some emails with them and didn’t think the rules were all that great; $200 and start from scratch is what it looks like.

Knowing that most of us already have gear of sorts, my wife doth do protest my old army gear a little, I was thinking of doing a couple of these based upon different scenarios. I saw C3PO on Days of our Trailers did some talking about that and the mental much less practical exercises of looking around the house and web to get us thinking about it.

So I look at 3 different categories;

 

1. Vehicle bag. Something you would have with you because you work downtown and commute and would have to get home, or work at the capitol, 185 miles away from home and would have to get back.

 

2. Grab and Go Short term. You got about 10 min to get gone and are heading to another location that is preplanned to link up with others. Problem is, you will have survive 48 hours with your gear. Chances are you will be back home in 90 days.

 

3. SHTF going off the grid. Time to hit the road. You may not be coming back to this location and may or may not have a preplanned destination. You/your family are going to be on your own for a while till you can find your way to a safe house or another location.

 

Obviously each of these have different requirements and if you are single vs attached with significant other or family, things will be different for each of us. With a significant other you can divvy up ammo/weapons type. With a family, you will have to consider the age of kids and what they carry vs. what they need for sustenance.

All of this assumes you’re on foot.

 

So let’s try bag #1 for starters and then we can adjust the rules and such as we move on. Over on TTAG they had a requirement that weapons, be concealed from sight. Not really practical if you have been expecting something, but get caught out of town cuase Mr. Murphy decided to make an appearance in society and did not check with your scheduler about your itinerary for the week.

 

Situation: Things are getting edgy. And so you are going to stow a bag in your vehicle. You are at between 1 & 1 ½ hours from home by car – by yourself. You’re going to grab your gear and try to make it home.

Rules: you can start with any day pack you like or have in your inventory at home of 2000 cu. Inches or less. Largest pack size will be something akin to a 3 day or assault pack. No full size rucks or ALICE packs. Maxpedition Falcon is about what we are looking for. Something you would toss in the trunk that would not take up a lot of room. Something that if you were walking down the street would not normally draw a lot of attention.

Since most of us have some gear, to go along with your bag you are allowed 1 flash light, 1 knife and 1 hydration option from your home stash. You may add up to 2 accessory pouches from your home stash to your pack at no charge.

You’re allowed your choice of handgun and carry gear. i.e. holster and belt gear. Also single long gun is up to you. (as far as the long gun goes, if it has a light, that counts as your freebee flashlight. But you must account for minimum of 60 rounds of ammo for each.

You now have $200 to complete your bag with the other items you think you will need. Since this is my thread, I will umpire the entries and questions. I will be looking to a few others for judging. Looking for:

Resourcefulness

Thrifyness

Ingenuity

Creativity

 

Now I don’t expect everyone to have this done in an hour or even overnight. Today is Saturday and we all have better things to do that sit in front of the computer all day searching the web for gear and such. So lets take the week to sort it out, refine any rules or questions and start submitting entries next weekend. We would not plan to leave in the next 15 min so a little prep time is called for.

 

Then we will move on to another one.

 

At the end, you can post a list of your gear and or pics of the actual stuff or web pics of what you would get. And don’t forget the all important accounting for the $200

 

Ready, set, Go.

[Mr. Fife]

I think we need to know what the threat is, and other factors like what the season is, etc.

Why this is important: Protective gear, clothing considerations.

 

Why are we on foot? Did an EMP burst make cars undrivable or did a blast destroy the roads?

Why this is important: Communications may not work, footware choices.

 

Everyone is going to have a different situation, so we should define this better. As an example, some may be able to follow bicycle paths that go by lakes and streams all the way home, while others may have to pass through gang banging neighborhoods on their way to their suburban homes.

 

Since you kind of worded this as a contest with rules, and a ready, set, go... it would probably be best to define a common route and hazards that everyone will experience.

 

If we are just going to explain our own packs for our own route and hazards, I think that would be interesting too but there would need to be an explanation by each poster about why he included certain items but left others out, for his particular situation.

[milq]

Good questions Mr. Fife. My commute is mostly rural with a population 600 town along the way, definitely different than having to get thru Chi-town on foot.

 

I also had a question or two for clarification... If we currently have things like a multi-tool, does that go against the $200? I currently have 2 mags for my chosen handgun, but with 3 I could carry 57 rounds in mags....does this go against the $200?

 

You said "You must account for 60 rounds ammo each". Does this mean that I spend from my $200 for ammo or that I simply have to say how it's being carried?

 

I guess I'm just asking if my current items go against the $200 figure more than anything.

 

I usually don't get into these types of things but it does make sense to be better prepped and I commute 45 minutes to work so I fit this particular exercise fairly well. I carry a lot of stuff in my SUV but most isn't easily carried if needed, mostly tools and range gear. I do change what's in there based on the seasons but since I travel by motorcycle any time I can, the truck stuff tends to be geared toward colder weather.

 

Please don't ask for a BOB for a moto....it's an interesting problem but I guess if the zombie apocalypse happens when I'm on 2 wheels I'm going to be in a world of hurt.

[Mr. Fife]

Yeah, and things like clothing for example. If you already own a raincoat or rain gear, or a baseball cap, or a bandana, or hiking boots, does that count towards going in your bag, or can you just wear it? Or sunglasses that you can wear on your head instead of in your bag. By accounting for ammo, I assume Todd meant space and weight, not the cost.

[Tvandermyde]

Well, figuring that you’re an hour to an hour and half from home, chances are you will have to traverse both urban and suburban to rural areas.

 

I can tell you from my commute, I end up in Cook County, but have 17.5 miles of farmland to get past before hitting the x-burbs. So I think the idea should be you will have to navigate both. But we will leave room for those an individuality of kits as people think about their own situation.

 

So Mr. Fife, I agree with your idea about explaining individual kits, but all should assume having to transition across both urban/suburban areas to rural or vice versa i.e. Molly in Springfield trying to get home (urban to rural) or Shawn at my house trying to get back home (Kendall co to Chicago) don’t really know why but hey home is home.

 

MILQ --

Mags don’t count against the $200. Neither does ammo as most of us have that on hand. You just have to show, your toting 60 rounds of ammo for each “tool”

 

But the multi tool does. I have a Gerber in my tac-vest. And I know that if you have been around shooting, Boy scouts or the military if you are remotely like me, you have acquired a lot of stuff over time. In other Bug out load outs we will re-arrange the $ amounts and what you get to take from your inventory. Part of this it to show people you don’t have to spend all kinds of $$$ to have a bag with what will meet your basic needs. This is not so much about tacticool as it is about practical and economical.

 

To help with the economizing of things, we will amend the rules to allow for up to 10 items from home that one could reasonably attain for less than $5 each.

[TyGuy]

Not sure where I'd go. No one in my family has a mountain retreat, except my uncle out in Arizona, but in a SHTF scenario it will be hard to tavel that far. I still think hunkering down in my already prepared domicile is MY best option. Maybe I need a cabin in the northwoods? Hmm...

[eric2281]

Not sure where I'd go. No one in my family has a mountain retreat, except my uncle out in Arizona, but in a SHTF scenario it will be hard to tavel that far. I still think hunkering down in my already prepared domicile is MY best option. Maybe I need a cabin in the northwoods? Hmm...

 

+1

 

I really don't have anywhere to go. I think I'd just hunker down for a while too.

[Tvandermyde]

Guys the first exercise is not where to go if SHTF, but figuring most of your gear or family are at home base and you are not. So you have to get yourself back home.

 

We will get to the others exercises in due time.

[milq]

As a side note....got an email this morning, LA Police Gear has a sale on Bug out bags today. The smaller one (around 1200c.i.) is $19.99 and has a lot of exterior pockets, they also have one with less exterior pockets but more interior room for the same price, it's call the Zombie bag.

[Tvandermyde]

Ok so I stopped by Home Depot today to do some window shopping and plan somethings out, along with a trip around the corner to Dick's Sporting goods. I came across these at Depot, and ended up picking up some stuff at Dick's.

 

I know they may not be Leatherman or Gerber, but like I said the point is not to pay top dollar and break the bank.

[TyGuy]

Both of our vehicles and the house are all prepared. I just don't have a bug out destination.

[Tvandermyde]

so here is my bag that I am starting out with.

 

And we will build from here. I may change it as this progresses but this is the start point

[Mr. Fife]

Both of our vehicles and the house are all prepared. I just don't have a bug out destination.

 

This exercise is about building a "bug in" bag. If you are already at home, then I guess you won't need one

[TyGuy]

Topic title says "bug out" but maybe I read it wrong? I just wish I had a bug out location.

[Tvandermyde]

Ty -- read the whole OP there are 3 types of bags I describe. And we will get to the true SHTF bail out bag. But the first one is a your away from home and have to get back type of thing.

[Molly B.]

Topic title says "bug out" but maybe I read it wrong? I just wish I had a bug out location.

 

You are bugging out from work and trying to get home. There is a disaster of some sort, infrastructure is possibly down so it could take you a while to get there. What would you have with you in that type of scenario?

[F12Mahon]

 

 

You are bugging out from work and trying to get home. There is a disaster of some sort, infrastructure is possibly down so it could take you a while to get there. What would you have with you in that type of scenario?

 

Local disaster to where I work could be nuclear power plant meltdown or train derailment with chemical spill.

 

Chemical spill means go north a mile and cross a bridge. If it's out it's out a half hour drive becomes an hour minimum.

 

Nuclear disaster means go south about 10 miles before turning left or right. I should have a conversation with my family what we do if either disaster happens.

 

Eugene

contemplating scenarios

[bersa380]

Can anyone else not read the OP? Just shows up blank. Maybe because I am on my phone.

 

Sent from my MB870 using Tapatalk 2

[Mr. Fife]

I think this would be easier done if you were already alloted a decent backpack, a set of clothing, and $200 worth of stuff you might already have in addition to what you might buy. As an example, you may already have a working smart phone with GPS, or a boy scout sparker on your keychain.

 

Anyway, we should probably define a threat. Most average health people can easily walk 3 miles in an hour, so 1.5 hours is 4.5 miles. for most people. For others who are slower or faster, the distance will be nearer or farther.

 

You aren't going to cover 17.5 miles in 1.5 hours with a backpack unless you hijack a car, scooter, or bicycle. Everyone is going to have a different story, and different preparedness needs.

 

The key to preparedness is to first know your threat, what are you preparing for? On the west coast it may be earthquakes. In the rural midwest it might be tornadoes. In the urban midwest it might be a toxic cloud heading your way from a train derailment, etc.

 

My commute is about 20 miles as well. I'm pretty confident I could walk it home without a backpack and just a 2 liter soda bottle full of water, but it's going to take longer than 1.5 hours.

[Tvandermyde]

I think this would be easier done if you were already alloted a decent backpack, a set of clothing, and $200 worth of stuff you might already have in addition to what you might buy. As an example, you may already have a working smart phone with GPS, or a boy scout sparker on your keychain.

 

Fife -- I get it. And things will progress as we move on to the other situations. Most have cell phones, kinda like glasses. We don't know if they will work or not. I'm betting not, but toss it in and it won't count against anything.

 

Anyway, we should probably define a threat. Most average health people can easily walk 3 miles in an hour, so 1.5 hours is 4.5 miles. for most people. For others who are slower or faster, the distance will be nearer or farther.

 

You aren't going to cover 17.5 miles in 1.5 hours with a backpack unless you hijack a car, scooter, or bicycle. Everyone is going to have a different story, and different preparedness needs.

 

The key to preparedness is to first know your threat, what are you preparing for? On the west coast it may be earthquakes. In the rural midwest it might be tornadoes. In the urban midwest it might be a toxic cloud heading your way from a train derailment, etc.

 

My commute is about 20 miles as well. I'm pretty confident I could walk it home without a backpack and just a 2 liter soda bottle full of water, but it's going to take longer than 1.5 hours.

 

The 1.5 hours was a distance by car from home. To give it a sense of perspective that the probablity existed that you might not make it home in 24 hours. As for the threats, It al depends, but social unrest, looters from a natural disaster, lack of power for fuel at gas stations or resteraunts fro a Big Mac.

 

My commute is an hour to 1 1/4 for the 50 miles to or from work. I cover alomst 20 miles of rurla corn fields with a couple of subdivisions mixed in along the road. I end up in Cook County off of 294 & I-55. I don't think i can make the 50 miles in a day, So I would most likely have to overnight somewhere.

 

The idea is security as well as survival to get to where you are going to. So don't get hung up on knockingout in 1.5 hours. that was a distance by car, to get people in the mindset, your not around the corner. it's gonna take some thinking.

[willxjcherokee]

The main problem for me is defense. The way I take to work I cannot keep a defensive firearm in my car. Not to mention I start classes up again.

 

I'm going to make a bag anyways. I figure most of the time in a disaster I won't need to be operating(lol). Watching this thread!

[Mr. Fife]

 

The idea is security as well as survival to get to where you are going to. So don't get hung up on knockingout in 1.5 hours. that was a distance by car, to get people in the mindset, your not around the corner. it's gonna take some thinking.

 

1.5 miles by car, OK I get it now. That changes things a bit.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[stm]

Don't get too hung up on what the actual disaster is. Life is uncertain. If you are planning this in real life, you need to plan for a wide range of possibilities. But limit yourself to the more likely scenarios. While a Zombie Apocalypse or Alien Invasion may be fun and challenging to plan for, I am more likely to deal with tornadoes, earthquakes, nuclear plant disasters, or the Cubs winning the World Series. (Now THAT would be a disaster.)

[4thestars]

Lots of good stuff to think about. Like I should have some decent shoes for walking in case I'm wearing heels that day. No firearm for me because I work in (what will likely always be) a GFZ (parking lot included). Weight will be an issue, since I may need to move quickly through some not-so-nice areas and even a backpack is heavy for my frame.

 

1.5 hours by car could translate into a day or more for me. (I drive a bit too fast most times.) My real commute is 10 minutes which could translate into a couple of hours, depending on if I'm trying to not be seen.

 

I probably won't contribute a final list for this thread, but I appreciate the discussion an will be giving this topic significant thought for my own planning.

[eric2281]

I recognize the importance of a trunk-gun in this hypothetical scenario but for those in Chicago, Cook Co, or folks that travel regularly though either such as myself; We're out of luck and/ or SEVERELY limited on choices.

[Tvandermyde]

Eric -- I don't follow. I work in Cook County. have an office there. I routinely have guns with me. My 45 in a case on the front seat, an AR in the back seat or trunk.

[eric2281]

I get confused with Cook Co. and their AWB such as where it applies and where it doesn't. Excluding Chicago for a moment, I would have an AR "broken down in a non functioning state" in the trunk with several loaded mags and a pistol w/spare mags unloaded & encased somewhere inside the car. I also currently keep a few emergency things in the car such as granola bars, water, 100mph tape, basic handtools, flannel coats (2), blanket, flashlight, etc.

 

I will be starting my new job within a month or possibly less (knock on wood). In this case, I'll have no problems getting home if the SHTF. Lets just say I won't be traveling on the ground.

 

Although an EMP attack would provide for a very difficult challenge. I'd be hoofing it for miles & miles.

[Tvandermyde]

I quit worring about the Cook County ban. I keep what I want with me when I want. if they want to charge, its a county ordinance. i have a plan to sue and a defense -- same one raised by the DNR cops in Wilson. I am prepared to litigated it. And if they even think they are going to scare me with a BS UUW charge, I am not going to buckle. And then I am going to sue for 1983 damages.

[w00dc4ip]

Ok, I'll play and apparently be the first to really answer with a list of gear. This is not a direct answer to the first question though, this is what I actually carry every day and how I do it. This kit is simple, inexpensive and easy to assemble, as well as being convenient to carry every day. If I ever got wind that "things were getting edgy" any more than they are now, I would probably add other things to the car's trunk or just vacate the area rather than stay put and wait for the big boom carrying an EDC kit or BOB. This is everything I carry in a kit to get myself home assuming something happens during a normal day while I am away from home.

 

I gave up on the car version of my bug-out bag a few years ago when I realized that I never actually carried it anywhere and the things in it never got updated or used. I now favor the EDC (Every Day Carry) kit that goes with me everywhere, gets used and accessed constantly, and could get me through 3-5 days or more just about anywhere. Anything I use in my day-to-day activities gets updated or replaced as soon as I get home, so the kit is constantly kept up to date.

 

Before I go into the EDC "kit" I should mention that I constantly have in my pocket or on my belt:

1. Leatherman Pulse

2. Spyderco Knife

3. EpiPen

4. 4-Gig flash drive including a 1-gig encryped folder with all financial information (updated weekly), personal identification, medical records, family pictures, etc.

5. Carmex Lip Balm

6. Keys with MicroFlashlight keychain

7. Cash and wallet.

8. Cell phone - See notes below

The above things are always in my pocket, so they could be considered part of my EDC kit, depends on the rules. If I have to remove them from my pocket because I'm climbing for work, playing with kids, exercising or entering a sensitive area, they go into my backpack that contains my EDC kit and are immediately returned to my pocket as soon as possible.

 

Contents of the EDC kit:

1. Red Bandana ($2 - Walgreens)

2. Aquamira Frontier Emergency Water Filter Straw ($10 - Amazon.com)

3. Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pack ($25 - Amazon.com)

4. Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Trauma Pack w/ QuikClot ($16 - Amazon.com)

5. Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Ultralight & Watertight .7 ($20 - Amazon.com)

6. LED Head Lamp ($15 - Amazon.com)

7. 100' Black 550 Paracord ($10.00 - Amazon)

8. Books on Cell Phone ($24.00 - Amazon)

9. Solmate Universal Solar Charger for Cell Phone Battery ($20 - Amazon.com)

10. 20 Water Purification Tablets - 2 Litre each ($3 - Amazon)

Total Cost: $145 (I paid less for most of these things as I bought on sale or in bulk, the prices I list are what I just looked up)

 

Firearm and Ammo

I always have whatever my carry gun is for the day, usually either a Bersa .380 or a Sig P6 with 4 mags (28-32 rounds depending on the gun). The gun and ammo are kept in one of 3 locations. It's either 1. On my belt; 2. Unloaded in a locked watertight carry box which fits easily in the backpack that holds my EDC kit; 3. In the car.

 

Notes:

#5 is supplemented with 10 each @ Benedryl, Advil, Tylenol, Aspirin, Tums, Immodium AD, & wife's prescription drugs. Total coast for all the generics here would be approximately $15 from any drug store. My wife's prescriptions alone would blow the $200 budget for this exercise, but they're not something anyone else would need to carry.

#6 I have a Petzel Zipka Plus 2 HeadLamp, which costs around $45, but it was given to me free, and I would never pay that much for one, if I had to buy new I'd get one of the cheaper ones.

#8 Book List:

"Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties" by D. Beard

"Foragers Harvest" by S, Thayer

"SAS Survival Handbook" J. Wiseman

"Topographic and Street Atlas of Midwest - MI, OH, TN, KY, IL, WI, IA, MN" - Can't remember where I got this, but the important thing is it still works if the cell towers go down. It's essentially a zoomable PDF of the Rand McNally street atlas for all of those states, but combined. Maps can be viewed with streeet info or Longitude & Latitude, not both at the same time.

 

The EDC kit slides into the front pouch of any of the 4 different backpacks I carry with room to spare. I always have one backpack with me each day, but which bag I'm carrying is dictated by whether I have my tools or laptop or both that day, or my sailing bag. The total EDC kit (not including the gun box or my pocket items) weighs apporimately 2 pounds and sits either in a 2x7x8 or a 2x5x12 inch zipped bag (technically I have 2 identical EDC kits in 2 containers). The gun box almost always sits in the main compartment of each backpack at the bottom, empty if I'm carrying that day for easy storage of gun if I need to remove it from my belt. Occasionally I have to take the gun box out of the bag and leave it in my car if I know I'm entering a "secure" area for the day or somewhere I expect to be searched.

[Jason4567]

I quit worring about the Cook County ban. I keep what I want with me when I want. if they want to charge, its a county ordinance. i have a plan to sue and a defense -- same one raised by the DNR cops in Wilson. I am prepared to litigated it. And if they even think they are going to scare me with a BS UUW charge, I am not going to buckle. And then I am going to sue for 1983 damages.

 

lol, they would have picked the wrong person to mess with for sure!