bug out bag contents advice needed

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already have a nice 511 covert 18 backpack which i am using to build a BOB. notice there are many ready made kits which contain enough items for 72 hr survival. many of them look cheap; does anyone know of the best ones
 
Build your own is my advice.

There are hundreds of videos on youtube showing different peoples setups. Whatever you end up building out I would recommend walking around with it to make sure it's something you can realistically carry.

Somewhat related story... a few years back the territory I covered extended from Connecticut to Madawaska, Maine. My store in Madawaska you could stand in the parking lot and see Canada. Anyways my operations partner used to rib me for keeping a kit in my truck incase I broke down or needed to hike home. Long story short one day in April he was heading up to Madawaska from Massachusetts. The Store Manager neglected to inform him that a storm was coming through and he didn't due his due diligence to check for himself. There is only one place to stay up there and if you don't get there by 10 you are SOL. Well he got caught in the storm on a country road and literally had to pull over and sleep on the side of the road in his Ford Escape with no blankets, food etc. Luckily for him the next day a farmer came by with a tractor and pulled him out and sent him on his way. He called me that morning to tell me he would never give me shit again and wanted me to help him put together his own pack.
 
Build your own is my advice.

There are hundreds of videos on youtube showing different peoples setups. Whatever you end up building out I would recommend walking around with it to make sure it's something you can realistically carry.
This.

There are a couple of good threads here on NES. Bags should be individually tailored. I use a weight vs reward philosophy; i.e. you’re more likely to use a mini sewing kit or extra toilet paper than that extra Glock mag, pack accordingly.
 
First figure out what you're trying to accomplish.

Where are you bugging out from and trying to get to? Then figure out your area of Operations... not to larp too hard lol but are you a road warrior or is it basically to and from a 9 to 5... can you carry a gun etc etc

Then it's the basics water food fuel shelter medical and protection... and build from there
 
Experienced over the road drivers always had a bob in the truck. I Always carried a German Military sleeping bag, It had arms in it so they could hold on to the rifle and roll up the bottom and use it for a jacket, One thing that never gets mentioned is a map of the states you would be driving, I have an old Commercial Rand McNally that I keep in the car. Gives you millage between cities and towns. Foot wear and gloves, But everything changes on the climate. Some thing's go in and some taken out, Kinda like the Daylight savings time to check the batteries in your smoke detector
But Build your own
 
Google the 10 Cs of survival. I remember a few,
Combustion
Container
Cover
Compass
Cordage
Cutting tool
Candling (lighting)
The rest escapes me right now.
Also, I keep a survival manual (I think the one issued to the Rangers), some protein bars, a little medical, a hoodie and TP in mine. This is New England, where there's a dwelling every five miles or so, so it's not that super important to me. My truck rig (GUNZ!) on the other hand... Oh boy.
 
already have a nice 511 covert 18 backpack which i am using to build a BOB. notice there are many ready made kits which contain enough items for 72 hr survival. many of them look cheap; does anyone know of the best ones
I've spent enough time in the woods back country camping etc to know what to pack to survive 72 hours. I don't need a ready made kit......I could pack a bag for 72 hours from what I have already in my home. My point.....72 hours is not a long time.....if you need a ready made kit to survive 72 hours in the woods you are doing it wrong.
 
Build your own.

Starting point. How much do you weigh? Ideally the bag would be 20% or less of your weight. Do not exceed 30% or 50lbs, whichever is lower.

I have backpacked my whole life. I have gone on 2 week trips hiking 10+mi per day in my prime. In those extreme cases my framed pack was never over 70lbs and by the time the trip is over its under 50lbs because you ate all the food.

The heavier your pack is, the slower you are, the more blisters you'll get and the more injury prone you become.

Staying warm, staying dry and drinking water are your focus. Everything else is secondary. You don't need food for a couple days before fatigue become a real issue. You need water all the time.

A BOB is NOT and assault pack. Do not confuse a BOB with a bag for you to get in fights. A BOB is for EE, not for offense.
 
Have a box on 9mm and a way to post on classifieds. Someone will come save you.

I always keep a sleeping bag in my jeep, it's come in handy on more than one occasion. Plus a way to hold/filter water, a fladhlight, and a fire source. If I'm going somewhere more remote I'll pack more, but thats not really a pre prepped BOB
 
If I was specifically making a bag to move on foot for 72hrs, I'd do the following:

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather outside. If you need a BOB im your car and have work attire that isn't good for outdoors, keep a second bag in your car just with clothes to change into before you leave. I always carry a knife so I don't count that in a BOB. I have cell phone, so I have a compass and a map.

If GPS is down, the world is in trouble and you're probably going to die of whatever just destroyed every satellite in orbit.

In the BOB.
Two pairs of socks.
550 cord
A rubberized military poncho
A camelbak water pouch (ideally your backpack has a water pocket)
Firestarter packets for woodstoves.
A cheap lighter.
Waterproof matches
An ultralight hatchet (yes you could just use the knife if you don't care about it)
A military goretex sleeping bag shell
A 30F or lower synthetic sleeping bag.
Water purification tablets

Optional in place of camelbak - Lifestraw. This would require you to expose yourself to get water and I don't like the idea of not being able to carry water as yoy should be drinking all the time.
 
Food, high calorie, ready to eat

Clothing, a spare pair of ALREADY BROKEN IN boots, 2-3 pairs of wool socks, gloves, fleece under garment or bulky wool sweater, wool watch cap, rain gear spare denim or canvas pants, bulky wool shirt ( preferably green, brown or camo) two or three contractor size 6 mil trash bags. Insulated and non insulated gloves. ( 2 pairs each )

Weapons, pistol with spare mags, rifle ( already zeroed ) with spare mags and sufficient ammo, a solid knife, a multitool knife.
Cordage
Compass
Binoculars
Maps that have been laminated
Pens, pencils, grease pencils, sharpies.
Instant coffee, tea, bullion cubes,
Cook pot with a lid that will hold a cup of rice and two cups of water.
Three types of fire starting devices, matches, Bic lighters, flint/ steel, ferro rod etc.
Small bottle of gun oil ( light weight motor oil would work well )
Light weight, compact sleeping system or bivvy bag
Scarf
Extra gloves, insulated, non insulated leather.
OTC meds for pain, upset stomach, and imodium for diarrhea.
Life Straw water filter
Bolt cutters
Small solid hatchet
8x10 tarp
 
As someone who's been interested in this for a long time (even wrote a book on building a budget BOB), I can tell you, whatever you put together, you're going to change it over time. You'll think of things that are nice to have, realize there are things you don't need, find a bag that suits your needs better, learn new skills... keep this fluidity in mind as you are building. Leave a little room for extras, don't make it overweight, and be willing to change it as you see fit, don't get locked in to anything, and for God's sake, don't buy a pre-built BOB from ANYBODY! Start very basic, and go from there depending on your environment, where you will be bugging out to, and so on. Don't believe anyone completely, not because they are wrong, but because no one else has the exact same circumstances, needs, abilities as you do.
 
If you’re not familiar with needing or using some type of BOB it can be a little intimidating for people to really know what they need vs what they don’t need.

Most has been covered already, I’d just add for ease of the end user, don’t buy any pre-made kits ($$$), but look at the contents of said kits and you can nail down items of immediate use that you can pretty easily find of better quality and less cost as individual purchases, thus personalizing your own bag and saving $ at the same time.

You may find that 75% of the items needed are already in your home, just waiting to be downsized and packed in a good bag.

Pack your items accordingly to their priority of use. Less needed items to the bottom, emergency items to the top or outside pockets IE rain gear/shelter pack/fire starter, the elements will kill you a lot faster than not having good food. Pack your extra socks, which are considered a priority (along with foot powder) in plastic ziplock or sealed bags to keep them dry.

If you’re packing a couple MRE’s, field strip them, as in cut the top of the pouch off, and take out the garbage stuff that just adds weight and size, roll the top back down and tape it shut with some good 100MPH tape, now it’s only half the size. You can use the empty pouch afterwards to collect rain water or berries, and the tape to cover any holes in rain poncho or jacket. Everything should have a place and a purpose.
 
I don't need much...but I want a couple law 4s because I like the boy scout motto... there's a whole lot of gray area between the 2 lol
Oh I agree with you. Just pointing out that for a 72 hour pack, you mainly need water and something warm to sleep in. Most other stuff is a luxury. Most people can easily survive 3 days without food, but you will be hungry. Fires are dangerous because of light and smell.
 
I'm not bugging out from home. I have everything here. I did put together a 'Get Home Bag' for myself to keep in my car and one for my wife to keep in her office in Boston. They were each different because of conditions. Mine being on the road. And my wife's was getting home from the 22nd floor of a building in Boston and likely finding no public transportation available.
 
I used to drive trucks to Elizabeth NJ from Franklin Ma and back. 226 miles at the furthest point (depending on the route). In addition to the stuff already mentioned, I kept a little foldable Razor scooter on hand. The theory is, if moves me 3 steps for every kick, it turns a 226 mile journey into a 75 mile journey.
 
I used to drive trucks to Elizabeth NJ from Franklin Ma and back. 226 miles at the furthest point (depending on the route). In addition to the stuff already mentioned, I kept a little foldable Razor scooter on hand. The theory is, if moves me 3 steps for every kick, it turns a 226 mile journey into a 75 mile journey.
That right there is Dean Ing-levels of preparedness. If I recall correctly,
in one of his novels, upon the advent of nuclear war
the protagonist starts fleeing work in San Francisco in his van,
but as soon as the highway gridlocks, he dons his backpack,
pulls his moped out of the back, and zips home past
all of the soon-to-be-dead by driving on the side of the road.
 
already have a nice 511 covert 18 backpack which i am using to build a BOB. notice there are many ready made kits which contain enough items for 72 hr survival. many of them look cheap; does anyone know of the best ones
Need more information. What is your general idea you are planning for? Snow storm, power outage, local riots?

What are you using the 72 hours to accomplish? Get home, get to a secondary location? Urban or rural?
 
I've spent enough time in the woods back country camping etc to know what to pack to survive 72 hours. I don't need a ready made kit......I could pack a bag for 72 hours from what I have already in my home. My point.....72 hours is not a long time.....if you need a ready made kit to survive 72 hours in the woods you are doing it wrong.

Some of us have lives outside of the woods. ;)

That's like saying, "If you can't program a website, what are you doing on the internet?" "If you don't have a million dollars saved for retirement by 50, just kill yourself." You aren't dealing with everyone who is you particular boat.


I'm not bugging out from home. I have everything here. I did put together a 'Get Home Bag' for myself to keep in my car and one for my wife to keep in her office in Boston. They were each different because of conditions. Mine being on the road. And my wife's was getting home from the 22nd floor of a building in Boston and likely finding no public transportation available.

I concur.

BUT. . . . Iv'e been reading this series of books. Newish author. Fiction. I forget his name. Steven Konkoly or something. In this particular series - written 10 years ago - it's a pandemic and the main character's whole neighborhood goes to S-word. I got that.

Second book - asteroid hit. Whole east coast shut down. Gotta get somewhere else b/c their main area was too close to water and tsunami took it out. Suddenly, they need to move.

I found it interesting. Gonna rethink my strategies. What IF I had to move quickly? Would I be ready??? I think I'm gonna have a go bag set up in addition to the "get home" bags in each car.
 
Current contents of mine:

Base:
  • Water (Camelbak if I have time, pre-filled Nalgene if in a rush)
  • Water filter
  • First aid kit (added pain killers, antihistamine, and quick clot)
  • Morakniv companion
  • Multitool
  • 550 cord, zip ties, duct tape, carabiner
  • Lighter and backup water proof matches and backup backup flint (three separate compartments)
  • A handful of white glow sticks
  • Compass & state map
  • Whistle/mirror
  • Mini torch light
  • AA/CR2032 batteries (extra long storage versions)
  • Mini hand-crank radio/flashlight
  • Mags/rounds
  • Foil bivy
  • Misc plastic sheet (roll)
  • Work gloves
Grab and Go (situational)
  • Pre-packed ziplock bags of instant oatmeal & tuna packets & spork
  • Sanitary kit (soap, tooth brush/paste, compact squeegee towel)
  • Clothing
  • Sleeping bag
  • Larger chopping blade or saw

It all adds up rather quickly when it comes to weight, so I have made some of those items optional depending on the situation. Might defeat the purpose of a "go bag", but I think the core bag is enough.
 
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