Bug out bag

[boris]

good morning. your mission, should you choose to accept it...

IS TO GET Y'ALL'S KITS READY! hk4u's suggested website is a good place to begin. also, as far as car kits, both the state of texas and maricopa county, arizona have real good suggestions for car kits. i have a bug out vest and kits for both of my vans. i will be going through them this week and updateing them. with mother nature, terriorists and the normal everyday bad guys{!!!!!!} this is a important part of self defense. SO GET THOSE KITS DONE!{ funny, my sgts used to have this face all thetime......!}

 

[toreskha]

As far as water goes, a UV light may actually be better than iodine or water tablets. There's a lot of UV water purifiers available - basically you put it in a jar of water and it'll nuke it in about 1-2 minutes. Simple and easy - and all you need are batteries. There are large-scale and small personal models available. You might be able to use a regular UV light from anywhere, but it has to be at specific wavelengths to kill certain types of bacteria or protozoa.

The main limitations are that the water needs to be reasonably transparent to allow the light to get through, and it doesn't leave residual chemicals, so you should drink it right away. Of course, make sure to package the light securely so that it doesn't break. Plus, UV lights can be useful for lots of other things...you can write invisible messages to others with cat pee!

There is a TEOTWAWKI tactical issue with this, though...if you're really hiding out, the use of UV purification may give you away to anyone who thinks of using this to look for you. Some electronics that have been degraded will emit a magnetic discharge into the air, causing UV rays. So, it's possible these could be reasons for someone to be looking for UV emissions in such a situation - just keep that in mind.

 

[mom of 3 angels]

IS TO GET Y'ALL'S KITS READY! hk4u's suggested website is a good place to begin. also, as far as car kits, both the state of texas and maricopa county, arizona have real good suggestions for car kits. i have a bug out vest and kits for both of my vans. i will be going through them this week and updateing them. with mother nature, terriorists and the normal everyday bad guys{!!!!!!} this is a important part of self defense. SO GET THOSE KITS DONE!{ funny, my sgts used to have this face all thetime......!}

Okay, thanks for the motivation, will get all ours out and go through them again. I'll probably post here again with what I have in them (can't remember it all). We have one each for me, my husband, scaled down ones for our two oldest kids in case for any reason they get separated from us, and the youngest's stuff is packed in with my pack. I hope I don't have to go anywhere with it all as hiking out with 3 kids and all the gear would be quite a feat. Have mentioned to my husband that he should build me an all terrain wagon for such an event . . .

One thing I have done is to pack clothes, towels, etc with our foodsaver vacuum packer so they take up less space in the pack. Works great.

 

[boris]

way to go, mom!!!

good job!! review some of the links hk has posted and do some looking around on the web. there is a lot of good info out there. you are right about one thing. if we prepared as much as we wanted too, we would need a all terrain 18 wheeler. maybe we should all pitch in and buy a decommissioned aircraft carrier. the guns gotta work and we need to be able to drive it. maybe the navy guys culd help.....!!

 

[mom of 3 angels]

Got through 2 of the bags tonight after the kids went to bed.

In Mine/3 yr old's:
Water filter
Water purification tabs
Bottled water

Firestarting goods--matches, lighter, dryer lint, sappy sticks, magnesium firestarter thingy

Shake flashlight, solar/crank radio
Lightsticks

Razor blades, small wire, rope, fishing line/hooks, sewing kit, empty gallon ziplocks

Change of clothes and thermals for each of us, a pair of old but still good hiking boots tied to the outside, vacuum packed fleece baby blanket (if you were a kid would you honestly feel comforted wrapped in a crackly emergency blanket?)

Poncho, emergency blanket, compass, whistle

Pencil, paper, deck of cards

First Aid, wipes, hand warmers, TP

Toiletries--soap, contact solution and case (I wear them), backup glasses, toothbrush/paste, etc.--A note here, my dad used to fly overseas and the airline would give him travel size stuff--works great for these packs. Also feminine hygeine since I know what time of the month it will be if disaster strikes You men won't need to pack those!

Gerber tool, .22 ammo

Power bars, MRE's, Mountain House meals (probably too many, but I know I have a real low tolerance for missing meals and still being worth anything especially when doing any physical exertion. And I'm also packing extra for the young'uns that can only pack so heavy a pack of their own. AND I watched the Asian tsunami and Katrina coverage and the government/help was NOT able to get there in 3 days--more like a week to some places! So depending on the disaster, a "72 hour" kit is underrated.)

M&M's--there's no survival without chocolate

That about covers my pack, dad has the stove in his, so hopefully we'll be together When my kids were babies I had formula, bottles, baby cereal, bowls, baby spoon, and diapers in there.


My 6 yr old's pack (8 yr old's is similar):

Change of clothes plus thermals
Small stuffed animal
Poncho, emerg. blanket, small rope, matches, candle, fire starter sticks
Flashlight, lightsticks, whistle
Pencil, paper, flagging tape
1 MRE, tuna and crackers, 5 power bar/clif bars, candy
Bottled water

I put all theirs in those backpacks with wheels to make it easier for them to pack them. Now, I don't know if my pack is overkill, but I am the mom and were it just me I may be able to cut it down a bit, but it's not. Plus the more I research the more I find there's things I don't have in there that I could see being very useful. See why I need the wagon????

The kids all have red clothes and the flagging tape--I want to be able to find them--not sure if this is the best if others are looking for us, but I'm thinking standard natural disaster and trying to find my kids in our town/area if they are separated from mom and dad.

Also attaching a picture of one item I was able to remove from my pack--vacuum packed diapers (5 diapers in that pack)!

Link Removed

 

[mom of 3 angels]

Oh yeah, I do try to go through the kids' kits with them periodically so they know what they have and how to use it. They are still pretty little, so hopefully some of the information we discuss sticks!

 

[Brainchild]

M&M's--there's no survival without chocolate
Link Removed

Actually,that may not be as rediculous as some might think.Chocolate has sugar and a small amount of cafiene,as well as other chemicals that serve to enhance mood.That's why they call it 'the feel good food'.If someone(or everyone,as the case may be) in the group is having a hard time coping,chocoate might actually help.I think it is good to have in your pack.But,I'm no expert.

 

[whiptrackercracker]

Right on the money

Chocolate has shown up in rig packs, emergency rations, and soldier mre field kits for a long time. Many people dismiss it, but its a good thing to have in a bag. Its good for the needed quick boosts and a good calming agent in stressful situations. Not to mention you can use a little to polish up the bottom of a pepsi can and make a good sunlight fire maker. That along with chewing gum. Its good to have something to keep the mouth juices cycling in a waterless dehydration period. It does buy you a small amount of extra time. Its also better then sucking on rocks which is the alternative. Both are small and compact to take along. All other food items need to be high carb high protein items. But a little chocolate goes a long way in a critical stress period.

 

[boris]

Good Job, Mom!

i ma have overlooked it, but be sure to pack some food, maybe some instant oatmeal or grits if you are from the south also, not a bad idea fr MEN to pack some maxipads. can be a great help for major boo-boos!!! the troops are carrying these in medikits in iraq and afghanistan. think it's crazy? remember wat they are designed to do and then you won't!

 

[toreskha]

i ma have overlooked it, but be sure to pack some food, maybe some instant oatmeal or grits if you are from the south also, not a bad idea fr MEN to pack some maxipads. can be a great help for major boo-boos!!! the troops are carrying these in medikits in iraq and afghanistan. think it's crazy? remember wat they are designed to do and then you won't!

Maxipads are a good example of a multi-use item...it makes sense for women to pack them but they can also be used to dress wounds. Bandages on the other hand are not nearly as good at substituting for the conventional purpose of pads.

 

[whiptrackercracker]

Oh maxipads...Wow thats one I almost forgot. I can remember back in highschool one of the brutes got a severe laceration in his leg from horsing around the gym. It was bleeding really bad and pressure was not working very well. I yelled across the gym for someone to get a med kit and then the second word out of my mouth was "does anyone have any maxipads???". Honestly the looks I got were hilarious. But, sure enough one of the girls did and brought some over. They worked like a charm until the med kit was available. Better than using my dirty shirt at least.

 

[mom of 3 angels]

i ma have overlooked it, but be sure to pack some food, maybe some instant oatmeal or grits if you are from the south also, not a bad idea fr MEN to pack some maxipads. can be a great help for major boo-boos!!! the troops are carrying these in medikits in iraq and afghanistan. think it's crazy? remember wat they are designed to do and then you won't!

Well, I'll throw a few more pads in the pack--would hate to use them up on wounds and have only bandaids left for anything else!

As for the food, most of the pack weight is MRE's which are nasty, but high calorie/protein. Thought I'd rotate a few of my real old ones out by having them for lunch with my 3 year old. She wouldn't eat this last one, but the cat liked it

 

[boris]

MRE's..

be nasty stuff. combat rations are designed to keep you fed and to ... ahem... stop you up... .... if you know what i mean

 

[HK4U]

Boris e-mailed me the following site. There may be some info of interest as far as general survival/preparedness.


Link Removed

 

[gordo]

Bag Contents

I haven't read thru all of the links on what you should have, But I did note one item that seems to be missing from the lists on the posts. I think it would prove to be very valuable to have a pair of work gloves (preferably leather) to protect your hands.

 

[Brainchild]

That's a really good idea!

 

[gordo]

Thanks, BC. I learned the hard way that a cut or burn on your thumb or palm can render that hand almost useless! You hands are your #1 survival tool.

 

[boris]

gordo...

roger that....

 

[mom of 3 angels]

Very good on the gloves, I added a pair to my pack. Would hate to use up all the bandaids on something that could so easily have been prevented!

 

[boris]

another important thing....

having spent some time around specops guys{no, i was not one.} they taught me that the most important tool/weapon yu have is THE MIND. study and practice. work out standard procedures for things and have several back up plans and ideas in place. like my buddy Sgt. Murphy always says" no plan of attack stays intact after enemy contact." emergency prep is kind of like a combat situation or a good streetfight : always evolving. new tools, new techniques. it is up to the individual to try new things to see if the work and make sure all the stuff is there. and operating. you don't want to get into a firefight an discover that the bolt or firing pins are missing. bad juju. sorry about the rambling. did this even make any sense?