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Go bag / Bug out bag

Varmint said:
Like if SHTF and you and your family are 200 miles from home.
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Or an ice storm shuts down power to half the eastern seaboard while you are on the road or away from home. Shit happens.

550 cord is a good call.

Mountain, I have the Life Straws but have not tested them in the wild. Are there better for a decent price? Warmth & water are the top two priorities short term. Everything else is long term.
 
bigblue said:
Or an ice storm shuts down power to half the eastern seaboard while you are on the road or away from home. Shit happens.

550 cord is a good call.

Mountain, I have the Life Straws but have not tested them in the wild. Are there better for a decent price? Warmth & water are the top two priorities short term. Everything else is long term.
Click to expand...

Bigblue, I think Lifestraws are a nice, quick solution for one person per unit to drink from dirty water. I don't know how long they would last if the water is terrible, but would be concerned for long term performance since they can't be cleaned / backwashed. If you need to carry water, you would have to carry it 'dirty' and then drink with the Lifestraw. I should probably pack one for work travel- I'm frequently overseas and could feasibly be stuck somewhere without drinkable water and this is a quick solution.

The General Ecology filter has a long intake hose, which could be made longer if you wanted to do so. When drawing water, it makes it easier to keep yourself out of the water in some circumstances. Also if one must break or drill through ice, an intake hose would be better than trying to scoop water. Also, in the wild the water's surface usually has a lot more junk and 'bugs' than below.

My preference is to carry clean, drinkable water, which requires a decent pump type filter.

***************

One more thing I just thought of:

http://www.backcountry.com/snow-peak-gigapower-stove-auto-ignition?CMP_SKU=SNO0013&MER=0406&skid=SNO0013-OC-OS&CMP_ID=PLA_GOc001&mv_pc=r101&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PLA&mr:trackingCode=333AFC15-9B04-E011-887D-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=plaonline&gclid=CPyUgvvCxdECFQm5wAodagcBUQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

The Snow Peak GigaPower is a great stove. In its case, about the size of two cigarette lighters stuck together. The fuel canisters are slightly bulky but not too heavy.
 
Fuel canisters better than fuel tablets? How long does a canister last, it's been ages since I used a white fuel stove.

Water is tough, I am seeing the limitations of a straw for carrying the water but a pump filter would be rather bulky. Good info, I need to do some research.
 
I keep some of these $1.60 tuna packs in my car bug-out bag. Kinda tasty. They didn't freeze up during the latest cold snap either.

tuna.creations.lemon_pepper_0.png


With 14gs of protein, it'll get you up and over that hill to civilization
 
But... tuna. lol
Honey doesn't go bad but it's sugar and not particularly practical in bulk.
 
bigblue said:
Or an ice storm shuts down power to half the eastern seaboard while you are on the road or away from home. Shit happens.

550 cord is a good call.

Mountain, I have the Life Straws but have not tested them in the wild. Are there better for a decent price? Warmth & water are the top two priorities short term. Everything else is long term.
Click to expand...

I watch lots off youtube videos.
I ended up getting the Sawyer Squeeze water filter. I like the idea of the mini sawyer. But, the Squeeze is good to 1 million gallons.
A fire stick and striker is a good thing to have. With some cotton balls with Vaseline on them.
Any kind of tarp or two large construction trash bags.
 
This is generally what I have in the car. Whenever I go hiking the bag comes with me but I also grab some food and water. I need to add several items, such as a first aid kit.

  • Full size spare, jack, and tire iron
  • Phone charger
  • Jump cables
  • Air compressor
  • Ice scaper and snow brush
  • US/Canada/Mexico road atlas
  • Sweatshirt
  • Balaclava
  • Wool socks
  • Hand and toe warmers
  • Sapper shovel
  • Box cutter
  • Small Swiss Army knife with toothpick, tweezers, knife, file, and scissors
  • Large Swiss Army knife with knife, two saws, scissors, bottle and can openers, screwdrivers, etc
  • Multitool with pliers, scissors, knife, screwdrivers, bottle/can openers, etc
  • Pocket multitool with a can opener, knife, ruler, bottle opener, wrenches, saw, etc
  • Nail clipper and file
  • Signal mirror
  • Paracord bracelet with fishing line, hooks, fire starter, safety pins, alhocol pad, etc
  • Several compasses
  • Matches
  • Flint
  • Rain poncho
  • Reflective heat blanket
  • Lifestraw water filter
  • Flashlight
  • TP
  • Paper towels
  • Rope - need to get a better one
  • Duct tape
  • Ear plugs
  • Electronic ear muffs
  • Breath mints
  • Pens and pencils
  • Rubber gloves
  • Mechanic's gloves
  • Baseball cap
  • Whatever I'm carrying on my person.
 
While this has been covered before, in addition to most of the stuff here, I keep a spare pair of prescription eye glasses in a rugged (aka fugly) frame, and I also carry 5 days' worth of both my daily prescriptions and a shit-ton of ibuprofen and tylenol. I rotate the scripts every 90 days.

Anyone who thinks that going from your daily life to walking and sleeping on the ground outside for potentially days on end and isn't going to hurt everywhere is living in a masturbatory prepper fantasy.

I'll also suggest that anyone putting one of these bags together use their foodsaver and bags to vac-pack whatever they can to save space and keep dampness out. It has worked like a charm for me.

I also store about a (before curing) 2 pound pack of beef jerky, also vac-packed. Protein, salt replacement for sweating during exertion, and long-term storable. I have personally stored vac'd jerky for over a year in a cool basement. Temperature extremes in cars might make that shorter, but these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NATD7YE/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_5_w will keep a long time even in a hot car.

My truck also has a 6 pack or 2 of Dasani, which still has plastic bottles thick enough to withstand freezing.
 
JoseyWales said:
I keep some of these $1.60 tuna packs in my car bug-out bag. Kinda tasty. They didn't freeze up during the latest cold snap either.

tuna.creations.lemon_pepper_0.png


With 14gs of protein, it'll get you up and over that hill to civilization
Click to expand...

Great idea. Eat enough tuna without brushing and or flossing and I won't have to barter. Just breathe and people will fall over dead! Seriously, those packets won't melt in your pack like Cliff bars.
 
TP is bulky, are there backpacking alternatives? I download Google Maps offline so that can be used but I do have a 20 year old GPS that might be used in a pinch.
 
bigblue said:
TP is bulky, are there backpacking alternatives? I download Google Maps offline so that can be used but I do have a 20 year old GPS that might be used in a pinch.
Click to expand...
Target sells travel sized packs of tissues. Much smaller and flatter than rolls of tp
 
JoseyWales said:
I keep some of these $1.60 tuna packs in my car bug-out bag. Kinda tasty. They didn't freeze up during the latest cold snap either.

tuna.creations.lemon_pepper_0.png


With 14gs of protein, it'll get you up and over that hill to civilization
Click to expand...
I've packed my bags with these as well. Other benefit is that shelf life is excellent.

sent via Samsung Galaxy S6
 
I like these threads.

Windproof lighter. They are awesome. Bic-type lighters do not work well in the wind, and are very finicky in cold weather. And get some waterproof survival matches. They've got about 10 times the BTUs and burn time of regular matches, which suck even in they're in a waterproof container.

Only one flashlight??? I would put at LEAST two in there, one of them rechargeable. Batteries are heavy but at least one extra set for each battery powered light. PLUS a headlamp. Definitely a headlamp. Battery compatibility for everything that needs batteries is important. Maybe lose the solar cell charger and get a charger that uses compatible batteries.

You're not going to die in a week from starvation. I would lose the MRE's (bulky) and add some more Cliff bars, and ditch the trail mix.

You ARE going to die in a week from dehydration. I would add carried water, probably a 32 oz nalgene with a drop or two of bleach in there. Very heavy but very necessary. You may not be able to find sources of water to use your straw.

Books on plants and wildlife--Why? You could just read up on this and save the space and weight. And like I said above, you're not going to die from starvation in a week.

Chemlights are cool but unnecessary if you have enough real flashlights.

I like your choice of knife.

Sewing kit??? For one week?

I am not confident in my ability to use maps and compass to navigate. I prefer a small GPS that uses batteries compatible with other stuff in the bag. As a last resort, I know I can figure out which way is north in day or night. Unless it's cloudy.

Multitools are cool too but 90% of the stuff in there is not going to be used, and they are heavy (a "saw" blade and a file?). You've already got a knife. I would just toss in a small pair of pliers instead.

Toilet paper, paper towels and wet wipes.

Paracord. Zip ties. For fastening your tarp and/or shelter blanket.

What's in your IFAK? Do you have a tourniquet that you can apply to yourself with one hand?
 
Thanks for the comments Scatter, I like these threads bc despite being rehashed multiple times, someone always has suggestions or new products I haven't see before.

I do have collapsible water bottles instead of the Nalgene to save space. The multitool is as much for the screwdrivers and such as for the pliers. Sewing kit is tiny and if you rip your pants, you will wish you had something to fix it. I suppose you could do it roughly with 550 internals but for the space it takes, its worth it.

Another suggestion was Wizzy Wipes, will have to Google those.
 
mine has:

1 dozen Johnny Walker Red nips
1 box xtra large condoms
25 Slim Jims
6 Romeo & Julieta Churchill cigars
4 changes underwear (one/week/month)
3 socks
1 'nother dozen JWR nips
1 box large condoms (eyes were bigger than.....you know)
poncho ($1.99 from Disneyland in 1970s)
1 Penthouse magazine (also from the 70s)
1 box matches
1 qt gasoline
1 'nother box matches
for protection: 2 rape whistles and a rock
1 box medium condoms (my wife weighed in on this purchase)
1 fifth JWR
 
Last edited:
Cold weather gear, Shovel, a few protein bars and bottles of water, knife with window punch, flashlight, cell phone with power charger and my Glock 19. I'm prepared to if necessary stay overnight in my car during a severe blizzard. Other than that I don't prepare for a camping trip unless I'm going camping.
 
ridleyman said:
mine has:

1 dozen Johnny Walker Red nips
1 box xtra large condoms
25 Slim Jims
6 Romeo & Julieta Churchill cigars
4 changes underwear (one/week/month)
3 socks
1 'nother dozen JWR nips
1 box large condoms (eyes were bigger than.....you know)
poncho ($1.99 from Disneyland in 1970s)
1 Penthouse magazine (also from the 70s)
1 box matches
1 qt gasoline
1 'nother box matches
for protection: 2 rape whistles and a rock
1 box medium condoms (my wife weighed in on this purchase)
1 fifth JWR
Click to expand...

Best BOB evah.
 
Anybody weigh this pile of stuff yet ? Then see if it fits in the bag ? Then carried it until they had to stop ?

And I fail to see coffee. If the EOTWAWKI starts before coffee it's gonna have to damn wait a minute.
 
LOL, this one going off the rails...

Ditch the sewing kit and stash an awl needle and the heavy thread / cord used with it. You don't need the bulky and heavy bulb type handle for the awl- just use a multi-tool to drive the needle through whatever needs fixin'. For others I've repaired one pack shoulder strap and one hip strap. Not pretty, but the repairs held the rest of the backpacking trips. If the rape whistle and rock don't work for grizzly, you can sew your leg back on with this stuff.
 

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