What's in your Bug-out bag?

[IonDragon]

A bug-out bag (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug-out_bag) is commonly defined as a quick grab bag that will have all the things you will need to survive for 72 hours or longer. 72 hours is the commonly agreed upon balance between reasonable weight, and preparedness. A bug-out bag or BOB has many uses, and is a great boon in case of any emergency (flood, fire, alien invasion, zombie apocalypse, et. all). I keep mine next to my computer, though many people keep theirs next to the front door.

What I want to know from the Playrgound is: Do you have a BOB? What is in yours and where do you keep it?

[thubby]

didnt know that had a name, but each of the family cars has some basic medical supplies, energy bars, work gloves, etc.

since most emergencies demand you leave your house, that always made more sense to me.

[Feytalist]

There's only one thing in mine: a bottle of Johnny Walker black. The only thing I'll need.

[SurlySeraph]

Energy bars, dried fruit and nuts, water filter (http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-Vario-Multi-Water-Microfilter/dp/B000KUVVY4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1308921084&sr=8-4), filled water bottle, Leatherman tool, hunting knife, bandanna, change of clothes, space blanket, rain jacket, work gloves, lighter, matches, compass, duct tape, paracord, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.

[Matticus]

20000 bottlecaps. I'm going to be the richest man in the wasteland!

[Feytalist]

Energy bars, dried fruit and nuts, water filter (http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-Vario-Multi-Water-Microfilter/dp/B000KUVVY4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1308921084&sr=8-4), filled water bottle, Leatherman tool, hunting knife, bandanna, change of clothes, space blanket, rain jacket, work gloves, lighter, matches, compass, duct tape, paracord, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.

Like a bottle of whiskey. For snake bites and such, ya'know.

Edit: And radscorpion stings.

[Z3ro]

water filter (http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-Vario-Multi-Water-Microfilter/dp/B000KUVVY4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1308921084&sr=8-4)

That's the exact same water filter I have! And it's in my bag as well (really it's my backpacking bag, but it doubles as a get out of dodge quick pack cause I could live on it for like a week).

[CynicalAvocado]

didnt know that had a name, but each of the family cars has some basic medical supplies, energy bars, work gloves, etc.

since most emergencies demand you leave your house, that always made more sense to me.

same here.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Nothing. We figure my family are all inside-people, we're gonna die anyways.

[CynicalAvocado]

dont forget your towel

[Orzel]

There's only one thing in mine: a bottle of Johnny Walker black. The only thing I'll need.

Same here.

Oh and the spare phone charger.

[TheThan]

its a bit unfinished but here's the full kit


Utility:
Large Survival knife (cold steel SRK, bushman or something of the sort)
Pocket knife (Swiss army knives are wonderful for this)
Sharpening stick or stone
Cordage (as much as you can carry, 100 meters is preferred)
Work gloves
Heavy Pliers and adjustable wrench
Gardening spade/military entrenching tool
Tomahawk/ hatchet or pocket chainsaw

Food and water:
Cooking kit
Canteen (water bottle will do)
Water filter (or iodine tablets)
Hobo stove
Seasoning (salt/pepper packets, honey packets, soy sauce, ketchup etc)
Fork and spoon (raid the kitchen, just don’t take our wife’s expensive silver)
Food rations (energy bars, etc)
Snares for hunting
Fishing line and hooks

Shelter:
First aid kit
Fire starting kit
Water/wind proof matches
Butane lighter
Ferro rod
Tinder (charcloth, cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly, etc).
Book on edible plants (preferably with photographs not drawn pictures)
10x10 tarp
Plastic poncho
Large Heavy duty 3 ply garbage bag (you will be surprised what you can do with this)
Fleece sweater (for cold weather)

Travel
Map and compass (with backup compass, maps should be laminated to protect it from the elements)
GPS system with spare batteries
Walking stick.

Comfort and miscellaneous:
Deck of playing cards
Harmonica
Writing tablet and pencil/pen


The condensed Kit:

Survival knife & sharpening stick
Pocket knife
Cordage
Cooking kit
First aid kit
Fire starting kit
Plastic poncho
Map and compass
Harmonica

[CynicalAvocado]

cant forget my shotgun

[Tyndmyr]

What I want to know from the Playrgound is: Do you have a BOB? What is in yours and where do you keep it?

I do not. I work roughly a five minute drive from my house, so it's unlikely that a disaster could keep me from getting home. It's in easy walking distance if need be. I also live in an area that is not prone to earthquakes, flooding, tornados, hurricanes, etc, so the odds of needing to evacuate my home are minimal.

I do keep a fire extinguisher in the car, though. I've seen some nasty car fires, seemed a reasonable thing to keep around. One in the house as well.

Everything in my home is covered by insurance, too, so in case of fire, it'll suck, but I'll get it back.

That said, if we're going truly survivalist, I keep a goodly supply of groceries on hand, including bottled water and the like. It's more because I hate running out of things, but I could easily live out of my apartment for months. And, of course, I've got enough weapons and ammunition to hold off a rather impressive zombie hoard. I figure if I don't find something else after the first couple thousand zombies, I'm clearly an extra and won't be living anyway.

[TheThan]

Oh something I forgot.
I’ve come up with what I call “digital dog tags”

All it is, is a large (read space) USB jump drive attached to a chain and hung around the neck, or put on your car keys, etc. What you do is put all your important information on it. Things like the following:

Identification (drivers license, Social security number etc)
Mortgage paperwork
Insurance paperwork
Medical history and copies of all your Rx medications
Emergency contact information

You keep the jump drive on you at all times , so that if something happens and all your information is destroyed (say a house fire for instance), you have a digital copy standing by ready for use when you deal with the aftermath of that horrible disaster.

“yes I do have tornado insurance, here’s a copy of the paperwork”.

[thubby]

seems dangerous to leave all that info with your keys.

there are disaster proof boxes made just for storing important papers and whatnot.

[Tyndmyr]

That's what the internet is for. I don't even have a paper copy of proof of renter's insurance. I just need to find a computer to print a copy off.

[Winter_Wolf]

I don't have a bug-out bag. What I do have, is a couple of pocket knives, of which I keep one in my pocket at almost all times. And my wallet, but it's of questionable worth at this time. A good pocket knife helps solve a lot of problems.

[Jack Squat]

I had a BOB for a bit, then I started asking what the point was. Disregarding a disaster that wipes out the entire east side of the United States, I can't think of a disaster that would necessitate my leaving home while at the same time cutting off accessibility to aid within that 72 hour time frame. I'm a college kid in the South-East US, I'm not an ex-pat in a 3rd world country, an operative, or in any other position that would put me in a position to where I would need to be on the lam. If it's a big disaster, I'm staying home, where there's at least a couple weeks worth of food and water. If I have to leave, I have a multitude of places to go to both within driving and walking distance. Now, the closest thing I have to a BOB is my hiking bag.

I keep more of an overnight bag/GHB (get-home-bag). It's a spare set of clothes, a pocket knife, flashlight, pens & paper, some stripped down MREs and a nalgene, back-up cash, and a map. This rides in the trunk of my car, right next to my first aid bag, and I'll grab it if I'm going to an event such as a concert or festival - mostly for the water and food.

It's meant to get me comfortably through events where I unexpectedly have to stay the night somewhere that's not home - and it's much more likely that I'm going to have my car break down in another city, I get thoroughly soaked in a downpour, or I crash at a friends place after spending the night drinking than something that would require I support myself out of a bag for a couple days.


A good pocket knife helps solve a lot of problems.
A true statement if I've ever seen one. I've been carrying a knife on me every day for 12 years now, and I use more days than not. Heck, just today I used it to get back into my office after I left the keys inside and brilliantly locked myself out.

[Tyndmyr]

I had a BOB for a bit, then I started asking what the point was. Disregarding a disaster that wipes out the entire east side of the United States, I can't think of a disaster that would necessitate my leaving home while at the same time cutting off accessibility to aid within that 72 hour time frame.

Yeah, that's kind of where I'm at. If you live in a place that gets nasty things routinely, plan appropriately, but there's no point planning for things that don't happen where you are.

TBH, the only thing I REALLY need within 72 hours is water. So, I could grab a coupla bottles of water in the odd disaster and be good to go. But it'd still be a pretty wild event for me to not have either car or house.

[IonDragon]

Yeah, that's kind of where I'm at. If you live in a place that gets nasty things routinely, plan appropriately, but there's no point planning for things that don't happen where you are.

TBH, the only thing I REALLY need within 72 hours is water. So, I could grab a coupla bottles of water in the odd disaster and be good to go. But it'd still be a pretty wild event for me to not have either car or house.

The real idea is simply preparedness. If you don't end up using it, you've spent maybe $40 on stuff that you'll probably take camping with you anyway, or like to have around. I mean, I don't plan to be in a car accident, but I still pay for insurance. If I don't have a car accident in the next 30 years then good for me, but I'll still pay for insurance because you can't predict everything.

The only real natural disasters that may strike where I live are fire and flood. The California central valley hasn't flooded in forever, but given the right circumstances it could. Fire is always a possibility unless you live in a cement bunker.

[TheThan]

The United States government (heck most governments), have shown an amazing inability to deal with natural disasters, (the Iceland volcano, the Japan earthquake and tsunami, the New Zealand earthquake, hurricane Katrina, the list goes on). None of these disasters were dealt with adequately, so it’s a safe to assume that should you be hit by something (earthquake, tornado, hurricane, house fire etc), that you can’t rely on the government of your perspective country to actually help you in your time of need.

With that in mind, learning how to survive without the conveniences of modern civilized life (running water, electricity, grocery stores etc) is a perfectly logical and sensible thing to do. Even if you are never forced to fall back on such survival skills, having that knowledge (and keeping in practice) can still be beneficial to you.

Survival training can teach you not only survival skills, but also give you self confidence and a “can do attitude”, I’ve known many people who simply assumed they could not do this or that without even trying. By learning how to build a fire by rubbing two sticks together you learn how to do things that you didn’t know how to do before and (possibly) didn’t think you could do. Suddenly you begin to realize that a person can accomplish just about any task if he/she sets out to do it. It can be a very life changing experience. This change in point of view carries over into the “real” world. Where now, you can apply that can do attitude and that self confidence to work, social life, home life etc.

Bail out bags, x day kits, get home bags whatever is just a natural step in studying and training for survival. You are simply providing yourself with the tools necessary for survival in case you have to leave home or are caught without water and electricity for several days. Sure there are the crazy’s tin hat wearers out there that think the government’s after them, but most reasonable survivalists aren’t like that.


Tl;dr version
Governments suck and can’t be trusted to actually help you, best be able to help yourself.

Whew now that I’m done ranting…
The thing about the digital dog tags, is to have that information on you should the original hard copies be destroyed, lost, or stolen. It’s a good idea to store them in a safe location (like in a safe). But most of the affordable fire proof safes I’ve seen are man portable, meaning that someone can pick it up and carry it (even though they are a bit heavy). Good luck finding that safe after a tornado finishes throwing it 5 miles away from your house.


The real idea is simply preparedness. If you don't end up using it, you've spent maybe $40 on stuff that you'll probably take camping with you anyway, or like to have around. I mean, I don't plan to be in a car accident, but I still pay for insurance. If I don't have a car accident in the next 30 years then good for me, but I'll still pay for insurance because you can't predict everything.

The only real natural disasters that may strike where I live are fire and flood. The California central valley hasn't flooded in forever, but given the right circumstances it could. Fire is always a possibility unless you live in a cement bunker.

well said, I live in the California central valley too, and we do have the rare flood watch/advisory. our major concern is the fire epidemic. I can't remember a single summer where there wasn't a rather large fire happening someplace.

Oh yeah, another big thing in the central valley is short black outs. These short power outages strike randomly and can last anywhere from 10 minutes to all day. There are many different reasons for these, but the chief one is that the power supply here cannot support the load that has been thrust upon it. The obvious solution is to build more power plants, but there is enough special interest groups that oppose the idea to shoot it down every time it comes up.

So yeah, we deal with loss of power a lot, try cooking without electricity or surviving 110 degree heat (43.33 Celsius) without air conditioning, trust me it sucks.

[Jack Squat]

I'm all for being prepared, but how many realistic scenarios are there where you only have time to grab one bag on your way out the door? House fires have been mentioned, and I can throw chemical leaks out there too - but do you really need to tote 3 days of camping gear with you? I know several people that are easily within a day's journey who I could give a call and they'd take me in for a couple days at the least; which is more than enough time to get everything together. At worst, I could grab a hotel room somewhere.

Everything else I can think of, there's either plenty of warning to pack up a car and leave, or there's absolutely no warning and you're stuck where you are. It would seem to me that it's generally a better plan (in first world countries) to plan on "bugging in" rather than out. YMMV.

EDIT: I feel like I should clarify that I'm not knocking people having bug-out bags. I just don't feel that they're necessary, despite them having become a sort of symbol of being prepared.

[Nibleswick]

My religion recommends keeping 72-hour kits like this. I figure that if a disaster strikes most of the stuff in them won't be used by the people that have them. They are primarily for being able to help the people around you.

[Tyndmyr]

I'm all for being prepared, but how many realistic scenarios are there where you only have time to grab one bag on your way out the door? House fires have been mentioned, and I can throw chemical leaks out there too - but do you really need to tote 3 days of camping gear with you? I know several people that are easily within a day's journey who I could give a call and they'd take me in for a couple days at the least; which is more than enough time to get everything together. At worst, I could grab a hotel room somewhere.

See, there's my issue.

I mean, if flooding suddenly happened here, well above sea level...well inland, where it never floods....I would drive away. Or be very happy that I live on the second floor.

If it burns, I get the hell out of the house. With any luck, with pants, wallet and car keys. Crash at a friends place(and yes, this would work even without those...but it'd be much nicer with), or grab a hotel. Meh. It's highly unlikely that my car would burn too, given how far away it's parked.


Preparedness is great, but starting with a BOB doesn't make sense for everyone. If evacuation is a real danger in your area, it's logical. If not...skip it. Do something else. Like I said, I could live in my apartment for months, if I had to. That's more than enough preparedness. I also have practical disaster skills, such as medical training. Starting a fire with sticks is something I haven't done since I was a kid. Sure, it's possible, but there are infinitely more practical skills to pick up, and tbh, my wilderness survival skills are mostly going to be useless here in any sort of disaster.

[Kroozer101]

Since I live on a boat, the odds are that I die at sea, far from land. My bag contains nothing but margarita mix, a glass, one of those little umbrella thingies, water wings, and Groucho Marx glasses. Nothing more, nothing less.

[druid91]

A bokken.

That's it.

[THAC0]

I have several.

Next to the bed I have a small bag with clothes, shoes, money, checkbook, and (not yet but soon) an encrypted flash drive of important documents. This is in case of fire.

Alternatively, I almost always have two backpacking packs packed and grab-able. I also regularly run through the order in which to assemble things given 30, 60, 120, 6 hours, 12 hours, etc, to get out of town.

ETA: also keep very robust bags in the car, with lots of first aid/car accident stuff, since that's most likely statistically.

[TheThan]

Urban survival is much different than wilderness survival. Sure some skills may overlap, but there are things that an urbanite will have to deal with that a suburbanite or even a ruralite (eat your heart out Shakespeare) will not have to deal with. Some of the principles are the same (food & water, shelter, fire, comfort etc) but how you go about doing it is much different. For example just the simple fact, cities are loaded with people means that you are going to have to deal with them so the chance of a hostile encounter with someone rises dramatically.

Keeping supplies and tools in one easy to reach location is a good idea incase something happens. In the list of equipment I mentioned one could easily turn it into a multi-day pack and cut out the map/compass, gps and walking stick, it’ll still serve the same purpose, even though you aren’t planning on leaving.

[Seffbasilisk]

I stopped having a Bug-out Bag when my paranoia and OCD had me cannibalizing camping equipment and reaching upwards of 190lbs.

I do have my gaming bag, that I've taken on a number of overnights, and I rarely take things out of.

Things in that:

PHB, six character sheets.
Yellow sticky pad.
Dice bag
Gold Plated d6 (2)
Pencils (2, and 1 mechanical)
Eraser.
Throwing Knife.
Shock-collar.
Remote-control for shock-collar.
Socks.
Socks sealed in plastic (x2)
Wizard World t-shirt.
Shorts.
Hoodie.
Over a pound of peppermint candy.
Candy Cane.
Spearmint 'Candy Cane'
Silver butterknife.
Whetstone (currently MIA will be returned when I find it.)
Blessed Shortsword (whetted with holy water as well.)
Spool of Kite String.
Adventurer's Club Canteen (full of water)
Ninja Adhesive Bandages (Free Toy Inside!)
Axe Deodorant/Bodyspray
Black Sharpie
Worry-stone
A touchstone (a la Inception)
two polaroid photos of friends from college, labeled only with first-names, one with a phone number.
Mechanical pencil erasers
Bic Lighter
.22 Powder Tool.
Q-Tip
Man of Steel boxers.
Holy Water
A spool of clear lanyard
Boxer-briefs
Incense
Jester's Cap
Plastic Bag containing....a peppermint pole.
A coil of waxed cord (stronger than kite-string).
Head-mounted flashlight.
5pcs Precision Screw-Driver Set
Serenity DVD
Another pencil.
A rubber band.
*ahem* Three different forms of 'Feminine Hygiene Products'
What?! If there's some disaster, I don't want to be alone, and if we can't find more in three months....well. I guess the term 'being on the rag' will come back into use.

[turkishproverb]

I'm afraid to ask...

....Why is a shock collar in that bag?

[Trog]

Well Trog's gonna to go then! And Trog doesn't need any of this. Trog doesn't need this stuff, and Trog doesn't need *you*. Trog doesn't need anything. Except this.

*picks up an ashtray*

And that's the only thing Trog needs is *this*. Trog doesn't need this or this. Just this ashtray... And this paddle game. - The ashtray and the paddle game and that's all Trog needs...

And this remote control.

The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that's all Trog needs...

And these matches.

The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control, and the paddle ball...

And this lamp.

The ashtray, this paddle game, and the remote control, and the lamp, and that's all *Trog* needs. And that's *all* Trog needs too. Trog doesn't need one other thing, not one...

Trog needs this.

The paddle game and the tonic water, and the remote control, and the matches for sure. Well what are you looking at? What do you think Trog's some kind of a jerk or something!

And this. That's all Trog needs.

*walks outside*

The ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, and this magazine, and the tonic water.

And Trog doesn't need one other thing, except Trog's bartender.

*Cosmo growls at him*

Trog doesn't need Trog's bartender.

*wanders off*

[Seffbasilisk]

I'm afraid to ask...

....Why is a shock collar in that bag?

Sometimes DMs are bad.

Kinky Sex.

Who knows? Maybe I'll meet Miss. Right.

Edit: I actually have a few bags. I suppose the closest thing to a 'basic survival' bag I have, has water purification tablets, a hatchet, flint and steel, a blanket, and a length of rope.

[IonDragon]

I'm all for being prepared, but how many realistic scenarios are there where you only have time to grab one bag on your way out the door?

It's a risk/reward thing. I have not spent more than $40 on my bag, it's mostly things I've scavenged from my normal camping gear, and stuff I've gotten for special trips. I have a 1 man tent and 3 LB sleeping bag from my 4 day kayaking trip, my backpack I got for skiing, and so on. I readily admit that it is unlikely that I need it, however in the event that I were to need it, it would be worth more than what I paid, tenfold.

It's not as if I went out and spent $500 on all new gear just so I could have an emergency grab bag. Plus, when I go camping, or dirt biking or whatever, I just grab this bag and swap out a couple things, just in case.

My bag includes: (I'm at work, so I may be missing a few items)

Camel Backpack
One man tent
3# stuff bag (rated to 0 degrees C)
50' 550 Paracord
Leatherman multi tool
4" Kershaw locking knife
40 rounds 7.62x54r
Beef jerky
Granola bars
Dry rice
Ear plugs
Expanded basic first aid kit
Neosporine, gauze, bandaids, latex gloves, medical tape, hand sanitizer.
Personal hygene items
zip lock bags
Trash bags
Bandana
Patch kit
Fishing line
Hooks
Medications
Pry bar
Work gloves
Matches
Magnesium and striker
Lighter
Steel Wool and 9 Volt battery
You can never have too many ways to start a fire.



Kinky Sex.

Who knows? Maybe I'll meet Miss. Right.

Edit: I actually have a few bags. I suppose the closest thing to a 'basic survival' bag I have, has water purification tablets, a hatchet, flint and steel, a blanket, and a length of rope.

Is the rope also for "Ms. Right"?

[THAC0]

I'm all for being prepared, but how many realistic scenarios are there where you only have time to grab one bag on your way out the door? House fires have been mentioned, and I can throw chemical leaks out there too - but do you really need to tote 3 days of camping gear with you? I know several people that are easily within a day's journey who I could give a call and they'd take me in for a couple days at the least; which is more than enough time to get everything together. At worst, I could grab a hotel room somewhere.



Good luck grabbing a hotel room if all your photo ids, credit cards, atm cards, etc, got burned up. :smallwink:

The other thing with the bug out bag is it's a mindset of preparedness. Yes, there are many disasters that will give you a few hours to prepare, but how many people have thought about what to do in those 1-12 hours? Look at the people evacuated from the fire, I heard some stories where they had an hour to pack, but all they managed to grab was a tooth brush and a guitar.

Where you live is also a factor. I'm not preparing to evacuate from a hurricane when I live in Alaska. I am prepared for winter survival if my car breaks down, and to shelter in place for weeks if there's a bad earthquake.

[RandomNPC]

I keep a knife and lighter in my pockets, a phone charger, a towel, a blanket, and two pairs of socks in the car, and that's bare minimum. I've usually got more. As for food and water, if that big of a disaster hit around here, having a few days supply would just mean starving a few days later, you'd need a months worth or a large capacity purifier, both being out of my price range, or my ability to store that much.

[TheThan]

It's a risk/reward thing. I have not spent more than $40 on my bag, it's mostly things I've scavenged from my normal camping gear, and stuff I've gotten for special trips. I have a 1 man tent and 3 LB sleeping bag from my 4 day kayaking trip, my backpack I got for skiing, and so on. I readily admit that it is unlikely that I need it, however in the event that I were to need it, it would be worth more than what I paid, tenfold.

It's not as if I went out and spent $500 on all new gear just so I could have an emergency grab bag. Plus, when I go camping, or dirt biking or whatever, I just grab this bag and swap out a couple things, just in case.

My bag includes: (I'm at work, so I may be missing a few items)

Camel Backpack
One man tent
3# stuff bag (rated to 0 degrees C)
50' 550 Paracord
Leatherman multi tool
4" Kershaw locking knife
40 rounds 7.62x54r
Beef jerky
Granola bars
Dry rice
Ear plugs
Expanded basic first aid kit
Neosporine, gauze, bandaids, latex gloves, medical tape, hand sanitizer.
Personal hygene items
zip lock bags
Trash bags
Bandana
Patch kit
Fishing line
Hooks
Medications
Pry bar
Work gloves
Matches
Magnesium and striker
Lighter
Steel Wool and 9 Volt battery
You can never have too many ways to start a fire.






what sort of rifle you packing out? and why 7.62x54? a person is much better off with a .22 you can carry far more ammunition and hunt animals of surprisingly large size. Unless you're not planing on using it on animals... :smalleek:

[Seffbasilisk]

Is the rope also for "Ms. Right"?

Could be. Could be.

Or it could be that I have a +23 to Use Rope.

[Solaris]

didnt know that had a name, but each of the family cars has some basic medical supplies, energy bars, work gloves, etc.

since most emergencies demand you leave your house, that always made more sense to me.

Clearly you weren't around for the Great Blackout of '03. Most emergencies that aren't a natural disaster actually encourage you to stay put rather than, y'know, clog the roads with needless panicked flight.


what sort of rifle you packing out? and why 7.62x54? a person is much better off with a .22 you can carry far more ammunition and hunt animals of surprisingly large size. Unless you're not planing on using it on animals... :smalleek:

I don't know about you, but where I'm from humans are the most dangerous critters wandering around. They also have the most meat on 'em, and they're a whole hell of a lot easier to hunt than deer, pigs, or other wild critters.
Just sayin'.

I don't have a BOB per se, but at one point in time I did. That was when I was in theater and there was a possibility we might get overrun. It had a coupla extra magazines, a bottle of water (I had a camelbak on or near my person, too), pogie bait, an MRE of dubious provenance, even for an MRE, a spare t-shirt, couple changes of socks, and I kept my hygiene bag in it. Used to have a grenade until they made us give 'em back.

[IonDragon]

what sort of rifle you packing out? and why 7.62x54? a person is much better off with a .22 you can carry far more ammunition and hunt animals of surprisingly large size. Unless you're not planing on using it on animals... :smalleek:

A Mosin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosin) 1891/30. I'm not particularly good with it yet, so I doubt it would be any use in hunting. Though I imagine if I were to hit a deer pretty much anywhere it would be crippled and simply a matter of finding it and finishing it off.

My roommate has the 12 gauge and my other roommate has the .22. And as a side note, we prepare for zombies because if you're prepared for the worst, you're prepared for everything else already.


I don't know about you, but where I'm from humans are the most dangerous critters wandering around. They also have the most meat on 'em, and they're a whole hell of a lot easier to hunt than deer, pigs, or other wild critters.
Just sayin'.

I'm hoping not to have to use it at all, but it is a BIG GUN, and that is often deterrent enough. After Katrina one armed man with an "assault rifle" clone stood off four armed punks with lesser weapons. They decided they were outgunned and fled for easier pickings.

EDIT: In regard to "I'll just wait it out" and "I've got stuff in my car" Hurricane Katrina taught us many valuable lessons.

Hurricanes are common there, and even with the precautions taken approximately 2500 people are confirmed dead or MIA and feared dead.

Congested traffic and sudden demand for fuel may leave you dead on the road with an empty tank. Be prepared to hoof it, if you must. Many cars were abandoned on the side of the road.

Avoid large public shelters as they likely will prohibit weapons and lack security. Numerous assaults were reported at the Superdome and Convention Center, two confirmed rapes occurred at the former and one confirmed murder occurred at the latter shelter.

Streets that set up their own armed neighborhood watches were pretty much left alone. Some included elderly grandmothers with ancient revolvers sitting on their porches but this was enough to deter most bad guys. At least until the government came and confiscated their guns.

[THAC0]

A Mosin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosin) 1891/30. I'm not particularly good with it yet, so I doubt it would be any use in hunting. Though I imagine if I were to hit a deer pretty much anywhere it would be crippled and simply a matter of finding it and finishing it off.



Those matters are hardly as simple as you make it sound. A gutshot animal can run quite far and it's quite possible to lose one, leaving it to die a quite nasty death. Not very ethical.

I'd practice a lot more before hunting.

On a similar note, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to be packing a gun for an emergency unless you truly know how to use it. Intimidation factor is not to be relied on.

[TheThan]

I would prefer the shotgun to a big honking battle rifle like that, most people know what shotguns can do and would prefer not to deal with it.
As for guns in general, yeah depending on how rural or urban you are, you might need one for self defense. I’d be far more concerned about human predators than animal predators. As with any weapon you have to train with it to be proficient with it. While any blithering idiot can pull a trigger, it really does pay to be a decent to good shot. Granted I hope no one here ever has to use a gun against another human, the point is to be capable of doing so and surviving.
A lot of people have this misconception that when the apocalypse comes they’re going to grab their guns and go fight. Not a very good idea if you ask me, but having, and knowing how to use a firearm can be a huge benefit (even just in the physiological department, safety in a gun).

[Solaris]

I would prefer the shotgun to a big honking battle rifle like that, most people know what shotguns can do and would prefer not to deal with it.

Eh, I'd rather have the rifle. I'm proficient with it, and it has better range as compared to the shotgun. I'm also not here for 'intimidation factor'. If I draw a weapon on someone and don't immediately fire, it's because I was ordered not to - I have to follow escalation of force procedure, for example. Just recall that EOF only happens in situations where you will kill the target unless he desists in what he's doing. In absence of orders, when the weapon comes out it doesn't go away until someone dies. It's simply too powerful and too terrible a thing to be fooling around with.


As for guns in general, yeah depending on how rural or urban you are, you might need one for self defense. I’d be far more concerned about human predators than animal predators. As with any weapon you have to train with it to be proficient with it. While any blithering idiot can pull a trigger, it really does pay to be a decent to good shot. Granted I hope no one here ever has to use a gun against another human, the point is to be capable of doing so and surviving.
A lot of people have this misconception that when the apocalypse comes they’re going to grab their guns and go fight. Not a very good idea if you ask me, but having, and knowing how to use a firearm can be a huge benefit (even just in the physiological department, safety in a gun).

Step one: Learn safety.
Step two: Learn your weapon. I'm a lousy shot, and even I hardly ever miss at thirty feet or less. Safety is the more important part.

No foolin', in the military you learn how to be safe with your weapon and to respect its capabilities before you even lay hands on it. Some NRA cats who'd come in to talk to us about weapon safety said they were pleasantly surprised to encounter such a large number of people who were very safe with our weapons. For example, it's more natural for me to hold my weapon with my finger along the trigger well rather than actually on the trigger. It's reflex to check what's in the way when I move my weapon around, just in case it goes off. Little stuff like that, not just "Check to see if it's loaded".

[TheThan]

Eh, I'd rather have the rifle. I'm proficient with it, and it has better range as compared to the shotgun. I'm also not here for 'intimidation factor'. If I draw a weapon on someone and don't immediately fire, it's because I was ordered not to - I have to follow escalation of force procedure, for example. Just recall that EOF only happens in situations where you will kill the target unless he desists in what he's doing. In absence of orders, when the weapon comes out it doesn't go away until someone dies. It's simply too powerful and too terrible a thing to be fooling around with.



Step one: Learn safety.
Step two: Learn your weapon. I'm a lousy shot, and even I hardly ever miss at thirty feet or less. Safety is the more important part.

No foolin', in the military you learn how to be safe with your weapon and to respect its capabilities before you even lay hands on it. Some NRA cats who'd come in to talk to us about weapon safety said they were pleasantly surprised to encounter such a large number of people who were very safe with our weapons. For example, it's more natural for me to hold my weapon with my finger along the trigger well rather than actually on the trigger. It's reflex to check what's in the way when I move my weapon around, just in case it goes off. Little stuff like that, not just "Check to see if it's loaded".

I come from a shooting family so I’m proficient with rifles, shotguns and handguns, so I can use any of the three with relative ease.

Very true, safety is the most important part of learning how to use firearms. It goes hand in hand with proper training. I’ve been instilled with a great respect for guns, so safety is a top concern. Without respect it’s very easy to get careless and that’s how accidents happen (just ask **** Chaney’s hunting partner). Its amazingly easy to do, especially for people that have grown up with guns and are used to them. You have to have it at the forefront of your mind whenever you go out shooting or hunting.

[Solaris]

I come from a shooting family so I’m proficient with rifles, shotguns and handguns, so I can use any of the three with relative ease.

How in the world do you? Pistols + me = Miss. Even on ranges where I'm barely paying attention and drilling the targets between the eyes with an M4, I'm doing real good to hit anything within the frame with a handgun.

[THAC0]

How in the world do you? Pistols + me = Miss. Even on ranges where I'm barely paying attention and drilling the targets between the eyes with an M4, I'm doing real good to hit anything within the frame with a handgun.

What handgun are you shooting? If it's the M9, that thing has such a ridiculous trigger pull on it that I don't know how anyone could hit the broad side of a barn with it.

[TheThan]

How in the world do you? Pistols + me = Miss. Even on ranges where I'm barely paying attention and drilling the targets between the eyes with an M4, I'm doing real good to hit anything within the frame with a handgun.

Well I’m a civilian so I don’t have any experience with military firearms, aside from a few pistols built off the 1911 framework ( John browning was a genius). It’s hard to see why you can’t hit anything without actually watching you shoot. But here’s a protip that will probably help, it’s the “push/pull” method. With the gun in your strong hand, push forward at your target, then with your other hand, pull backwards towards you. Both your arms should be either straight out, or slightly bent when this is done. This should give you a stable firing platform that won’t wiggle around on you much at all. It works very well with automatics as the grip design is made for two handed operation.


I don’t like the “horse stance”, with your feet at shoulder width apart, I find the recoil of the gun can throw you off balance very easily. Instead with your feet shoulder width apart, take one step forward with the opposite leg from your strong hand (ie if your left-handed, take a step with your right foot). Then put most of your weight on that foot, it should counterbalance the recoil of the pistol.
[edit]
Also point your toes at your target and square your shoulders (like your shooting a shotgun). don't stand sideways like your shooting a rifle.

Also what distance are you shooting at? If you’re shooting at targets up to rifle range (50-100+ yards) then that’ll help explain why. Handguns really don’t have that much effective range, if you hit something at that range, it’ll do damage, but it’s difficult to hit what your aiming at. Instead start out at 10 yards and see how you do. Pistols are close quarters weapons anyway, so you shouldn’t be trying to snipe something with them (baring hunting pistols built for that purpose).

Well I’ll be quiet now, since we’ve managed to sufficiently derail the thread.

[Solaris]

What handgun are you shooting? If it's the M9, that thing has such a ridiculous trigger pull on it that I don't know how anyone could hit the broad side of a barn with it.

It did have some pull to it, yeah. My buddy, he's... special. The pistol's his; I'd prefer to get something like a shotgun or rifle.
For one, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what my sight picture was supposed to be.


Well I’m a civilian so I don’t have any experience with military firearms, aside from a few pistols built off the 1911 framework ( John browning was a genius). It’s hard to see why you can’t hit anything without actually watching you shoot. But here’s a protip that will probably help, it’s the “push/pull” method. With the gun in your strong hand, push forward at your target, then with your other hand, pull backwards towards you. Both your arms should be either straight out, or slightly bent when this is done. This should give you a stable firing platform that won’t wiggle around on you much at all. It works very well with automatics as the grip design is made for two handed operation.

I was using my buddy's pistols. Both have a kick - one was some fool .45 revolver that had a grip half the length of anybody's palm. Nobody hit anything with that. The other was another .45, but I don't recall the make. It was of a more modern design, and sufficient size so that I could paw it.
That should help, though, the push/pull method. I was shooting with one hand on the grip, the other hand on the bottom. I learned to shoot at the BRM range in basic, y'see. I'm a shakyhands type, so generally I try to avoid having both hands involved with the weapon. I'll try that push/pull thing next go-round. Thanks.


I don’t like the “horse stance”, with your feet at shoulder width apart, I find the recoil of the gun can throw you off balance very easily. Instead with your feet shoulder width apart, take one step forward with the leg matching your strong hand (ie if your left-handed, take a step with your left foot). Then put most of your weight on that foot, it should counterbalance the recoil of the pistol.

Nobody with half a brain likes the horse-riding stance. I don't even use it for CQM with the rifle when I have dumdums yelling at me to do it. I've always used the stance you prescribe, 'cept I fall back with the right (my dominant hand) rather than step forward with my left.


Also what distance are you shooting at? If you’re shooting at targets up to rifle range (50-100+ yards) then that’ll help explain why. Handguns really don’t have that much effective range, if you hit something at that range, it’ll do damage, but it’s difficult to hit what your aiming at. Instead start out at 10 yards and see how you do. Pistols are close quarters weapons anyway, so you shouldn’t be trying to snipe something with them (barring hunting pistols built for that purpose).

About 20 feet, actually. It's a small range, designed for pistols. Don't worry, we got permission from the owner to use the rifles on account of 5.56mm being such a sissy round.


Well I’ll be quiet now, since we’ve managed to sufficiently derail the thread.

Bah, it's GitP. Threads get derailed so often around here that I get scared and confused when they stay on topic for more than a page.

[NikitaDarkstar]

I don't have one, but possibly I should.

I'd stick my survival guide from the scouts in there, knife, matches, some dried food stuffs, mp3 player (yes, for my sanity.), once I get one a gun, basic medical supplies (first aid kit+my own meds), extra leash and collar for the dog, cellphone, and well a general weekend camping gear equipment. (Minus the tent, I effin hate tents, give me a portable lean-to with or without the poles and I'm good. Better than in a tent actually.)

[IonDragon]

Those matters are hardly as simple as you make it sound. A gutshot animal can run quite far and it's quite possible to lose one, leaving it to die a quite nasty death. Not very ethical.

I'd practice a lot more before hunting.

On a similar note, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to be packing a gun for an emergency unless you truly know how to use it. Intimidation factor is not to be relied on.

There were just so many things that bothered me with that, I don't think I can respond further without sounding like I'm trolling.


I would prefer the shotgun to a big honking battle rifle like that, most people know what shotguns can do and would prefer not to deal with it.

Well there's three of us, and we have the three firearms so as to cover as many situations as possible each of us takes one. If he is abducted by aliens in his sleep or carried away in a wash out, I'll probably ditch the rifle for the shotgun.

I plan on practicing with the rifle, and he will do the same with the shotgun and we will familiarize ourselves with each other's weapons in case of afore mentioned alien abduction.

There's also the matter of aesthetics, and I don't mean strictly how it looks. I like my gear beat to ****. It means two things to me, one it's already shown it can take a beating and two I don't need to be gentle with it (I am not gentle with my things). This gun has a long history, and the only upgrade I am considering is an M1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Garand).

[THAC0]

There were just so many things that bothered me with that, I don't think I can respond further without sounding like I'm trolling.




...Color me confused. :smallconfused:

[RabbitHoleLost]

I have a first aid kit, a box of granola bars, bottles of water, and a flashlight in my car just in case.

Then again, my car is a mess, so goodluck to me on finding those things if I ever do need them.

[Tyndmyr]

what sort of rifle you packing out? and why 7.62x54? a person is much better off with a .22 you can carry far more ammunition and hunt animals of surprisingly large size. Unless you're not planing on using it on animals... :smalleek:

.22 is an excellent target caliber, and can be used for hunting in a pinch. It's not terribly good at it. I'd grab the 5.56 AR myself, and the .22s would only get tossed in the car because they are valuable, if I had extra time. Remember, .22 has a non-negligible misfire rate, and not a ton of downrange energy. Running out of ammo is generally not the first concern in the rare instance you need to use a firearm.

That said, I did invest in a hundred round drum for mine. So...running out of ammo should not ever be a practical concern for me.


I would prefer the shotgun to a big honking battle rifle like that, most people know what shotguns can do and would prefer not to deal with it.

The imagery of an AK or an M-16 is extremely common. People know they are serious guns. Nothing wrong with a shotgun, but ammo supply with them IS generally limited and heavy. Self defense rounds also differ significantly from most sporting rounds with shotguns. It's nice being able to use target loads in a pinch...most people don't want to bother with multiple specialized setups.

The main problem with long guns is that they're noticable and intimidating, IMO. You're not going to want to walk around with an AR over your shoulder. It'll attract attention and not generally in a good way. Handguns are vastly more concealable, less fuss in general.

But hey...any time you have to leave your home, you'll be subject to a lot more hardship and risk. Preparing to shelter in place is better, if viable. There are comparatively few disasters that cannot be prepared for in this way...floods are one, but even there, you can certainly prepare by avoiding being in a vulnerable location to begin with(say, below water level).

[Narren]

I'm also not here for 'intimidation factor'. If I draw a weapon on someone and don't immediately fire, it's because I was ordered not to - I have to follow escalation of force procedure, for example. Just recall that EOF only happens in situations where you will kill the target unless he desists in what he's doing. In absence of orders, when the weapon comes out it doesn't go away until someone dies. It's simply too powerful and too terrible a thing to be fooling around with.


I have to disagree with you on that. That mindset works in a military setting, but in an urban environment you need a little more finesse. I'm a police officer in a pretty large city. I pull my weapon about once a day, and it's pointing at someone at least a couple of times a week (not a very good part of town). I usually don't have anyone around to give me orders, and even if I did they wouldn't. No supervisor will tell when to shoot/no shoot, you need to make that decision based on your own observations (except maybe a sniper/barricaded suspect scenario, but that's a bit different).

If I shot everybody I've ever pointed a gun at, then I would have been fired a long time ago.

Back on topic, I do have a couple of bug-out bags in a closet near the door (mine and my fiances). I keep a few MRE's, a few large bottles of water, a pistol (.45 in one, .357 in the other) and 50 rounds of ammo, a small first aid kit, some spare clothes, two lighters and waterproof matches, and a leatherman tool. It's not enough to live off the land comfortably, but something to get by if need be. I also keep my house well-stocked with canned goods and water that I rotate out every so often. I own 30+ firearms (been collecting since I was a kid), so I've got plenty of rifles/shotguns/handguns to go around, and would grab the additional ammo and weapons if possible.

In the past, I wasn't too worried about an emergency like this. I figured nothing would happen that wouldn't be resolved quickly and easily. We had a very minor gas shortage in my city one year that turned into a week of chaos. Everyone starting buying up all the gas and hording it, and then we were completely out. People were selling it for inflated prices on the side of the interstate because everyone was running out. Stores weren't opening because the employees couldn't make it to work. We had to limit our response to non-emergency calls, and ride two to a car, because even we didn't have much gas left. And this was a MINOR shortage. That made me realize just how fragile our infrastructure really is, and that's when I decided to make a bug-out bag and start hording food and supplies. I wouldn't last that long with what I have...a month maybe. But it's something.

EDIT - And I just realized how old this thread was. Not ancient, but kind of old. Sorry about that.

[Jack Squat]

EDIT - And I just realized how old this thread was. Not ancient, but kind of old. Sorry about that.

So long as you have new information to add, restarting discussions are generally encouraged around here - well until they get past that 1 month/3 page rule.

On the Escalation of Force, I think (and I could be wrong) that Solaris's point was that you don't pull a gun if you don't have a plan to use it. I often hear people mentioning keeping an empty/unchambered gun around "just in-case" because people are going to stop what they're doing just because a gun is pointed at them, as if they're some sort of magic wand. The most common variant of this is "the racking of a shotgun will send any ne'er-do-well running". People often forget that there's two parts to the "flight or fight" repsonse, and you just might need the ammo and ability in case of the latter.

If you don't have the skills or means to use a gun effectively, you're probably better off using something else.

As far as your bug out/in gear, I'd say that a month's stock is pretty decent. Better than mine currently (just moved). Be sure to keep everything rotated.

[Narren]

On the Escalation of Force, I think (and I could be wrong) that Solaris's point was that you don't pull a gun if you don't have a plan to use it. I often hear people mentioning keeping an empty/unchambered gun around "just in-case" because people are going to stop what they're doing just because a gun is pointed at them, as if they're some sort of magic wand. The most common variant of this is "the racking of a shotgun will send any ne'er-do-well running". People often forget that there's two parts to the "flight or fight" repsonse, and you just might need the ammo and ability in case of the latter.


I agree 100% with that, never brandish a weapon of any sort unless you have the ability and will to use it. That being said, we DO keep our shotguns "cruise ready" while on patrol. That means the safety is on and the chamber is empty. I've never asked, but I assume it's for safety reasons, and not the intimidating racking noise. We rack a shell in as soon as we deploy it, and it takes a moment to retrieve it, so we'll never use it as an immediate response.

[TheThan]

EDIT - And I just realized how old this thread was. Not ancient, but kind of old. Sorry about that.

Meh, don’t worry about it, it’s actually nice to have an officer in the thread to give us some insight into emergency situations.

What I’m getting at, unless you need to shoot someone immediately, scaring them off is probably your next best bet. Naturally if you ever have to point a gun at someone, you should be ready to use it, which I hope no-one in this thread ever find themselves in that position.

Anyway on the .22, if your hunting game, you’re most likely going to be very close to your target, I’d say 50 feet or so for small game. Just watch any hunting show, they get as close as they can before they take their shot. Anyway 50 feet is well within the killing range of a .22. Likewise almost every gunfight ever has been in very close quarters.

Now back to the bug out bags.

As Jack said, keeping everything rotated and current is important, especially medications. Old drugs will either be completely useless or lack the proper potency. This goes for prescriptions as well as over the counter drugs like Aspirin.

[ForzaFiori]

I don't have a bug out bag, mainly because the area I live in have very few disasters that would take out my house. Earthquakes happen on the coast, not in the mountains (the only Earthquake of note here was in Charleston), Even during droughts, we typically don't get the raging fires you see in Cali or Florida, Hurricanes don't hit this far in (We get some bad thunderstorms, but nothing that isn't usual for the summer around here anyway). The worst tornados we see barely take the roof off of a house, which wouldn't make mine unlivable due to our full basement. While floods do occasionally happen, my house is on the highest point of our property, and it's divided up between two empty creakbeds, so we have some excellent drainage.

Because of this, we just have a survival house. Part of the basement is a storm shelter, we have an amazingly huge fridge/freezer, as well as a spare, 3 full pantries of mostly non-perishable food items, a bunch of candles, rope, a large fireplace, a chainsaw, 10 acres of woods, a log splitter and (if my grandpa ever returns it) a gas generator. While the generator might not last long (though we do tend to keep gas around anyway, for the chainsaw, splitter, and whatnot, we've never had a problem lasting until the power was back on, even when we had a huge ice storm (I think it was...2003 maybe), and our power was out for a little over a week, and that's probably the worst thing that could happen bar some sort of end of the world.

The only thing we don't have (and that I plan on correcting if I move out) is some sort of firearm. I'm fairly proficient with rifles and shotguns, and ok with pistols, because many of my friends families have them, and I've shot theirs. But no one in my family actually owns one (well, except my grandpa, but he lives about 30 min away, so if there's a need for guns, I doubt we'll have the time.)

[Caewil]

No bug out bag, the government here is actually competent. If there was a major disaster, they'd probably just mobilise everyone since we have universal male conscription and get disaster relief going ASAP.

[JoseB]

FWIW, I had a bug-out bag when I lived in Tokyo (1995-1998). Never had to use it, although there was one occassion when I thought that I might have to (in the end it was just a scare). Earthquakes and all that, you know.

Right now I live in the Netherlands. Basically, the only realistic scenario for a natural disaster here would be a flood. I have some stuff in case the dikes fail catastrophically and I have to get the hell out and try to find some place that is not below sea level. I keep it to a minimum, though.

If I end up having to get the hell out, most likely I am going to have water up to my waist at the very least, with more water coming behind me. The last thing I want is to carry heavy stuff. Bare essentials in a waterproof bag, that's what I have.

[THAC0]

Since training is just as important as equipment, I thought I'd mention this here since it was just brought to my attention.

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is a program in place in many cities and states. I don't know about all of them, but the training in my particular area is completely free. Free! And you'll learn things to enable you to better help yourself and your community in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.

[IonDragon]

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is a program in place in many cities and states. I don't know about all of them, but the training in my particular area is completely free. Free! And you'll learn things to enable you to better help yourself and your community in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.

CERT is an excellent idea that I have looked into, but with my unwieldy work schedule it hasn't worked out for me. I know they include first aid training, but what else is included?

[THAC0]

CERT is an excellent idea that I have looked into, but with my unwieldy work schedule it hasn't worked out for me. I know they include first aid training, but what else is included?

I haven't taken it yet (starting in September!) but the course syllabus includes disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, psychology, team organization and WMD.

[Yora]

Given that I live in a city, my bag has my keys (including the one for my bike chain), my money, ID, and phone. There's also a pen and a lighter, you never know when they come in handy.