Bug out kit

What do y'all have in your bug out/emergency kit? Do you carry a bag in your vehicle?

And what are the absolute basics that you HAVE to have. I assume if given the choice, knife, rifle, ammo, water, purification tablets, bandages, alcohol (for wounds not drinking), a blanket (solar?) but what else. Survival for Dummies book? Remember, you have to be able to carry all of this stuff, and possibly long distances. The scenario I like to use is that you are in a moderate climate (which is what I live in) but with no help, and you have to survive on your own. You have to survive for a month, with no help, there is game and fish available, and water is available also. What would you take? Remember, it needs to all fit in a small pack.

 

I will try to post a complete list of my kits laterb ut yes I keep 2 in my truck plus add ons loose in the truck, most notably a NEF 20 ga behind the seat and a couple boxes of shells. I have a small pack as the primary but also have a fishing type vest that I keep in there and grab when I go off in the woods or whatever with a more basic version of the pack in case of getting lost or hurt.
For now I will list what I would consider the most basics needed, all of which should be able to fit in a medium to large fanny pack.

minimum 2 means of makeing fire; bic liter(s), water proof matches, magnesium striker, whatever

spool of heavy twine; useful for building shelter, makeing traps for food/security, replace shoe laces, etc

10x 12 sheet heavy mil plastic; makes shelter, rain fly, water gatherer, helpful as blanket, can become rain suit, etc.

1-2 days food; can be as simple as a small bag of rice or a couple packs of ramen noodles

cooking pot of some type; can be as simple as an empty vegie can and things can be stored in it to carry

water purification tabs; theres not likely to be a faucet with pure water around when you need it

water container; a small canteen or even a 2 liter or a couple of 1 liter bottles that can be tied to the belt

first aid kit; can be as simple as a small tube of antibiotic cream, a couple bandaids, 10' of duct tape wraped on a business card and a couple feminine pads for major wounds, 3 day supply of perscription meds, small bottle of ibuprophen for fever and swelling controll, anti diareal meds since in emergency situation food/water may not be the best and dehydration from diarea could be fatal

T.P.; put at least some kind of napkins or paper towels or TP in a ziplock so it stays dry and good, you dont want to be stuck somewhere in trouble and find the only thing to wipe with is a pine cone

good and shard knife; a lock back knife or sheath knife with at least a 3"-4" blade though a bit larger would be good, dont cheap out it dosnt have to cost a fortune but dont go with the $5 cheapy, it can cut small sticks, dress/butcher game, be esed for TONS of important tasks

decent whet stone; whith heavy use all but the best knives will get dull by the end of a single day and a small whet stone isnt much bigger than your thumb and can be had under $10

fish hooks; toss a couple dozen large eyed/trot line hooks and a few small 9#6 or smaller) hooks and 25 to 30 foot of fish cord in a film can along with a few small split shot sinkers, you can use the large eye hooks with your twine to set limb/trot lines to catch larger fish while you sleep or do other things and the small hooks and line to go after blue gill/perch/bait fish as they are easiest to catch and hit when nothing else will and 20 of these can often be caught in an hour or 2 and make a decent meal

emergency whistle; you may not be able to yell if stranded for a day or 2 and may need to signal rescuers, even if you put this together with the thoughts of avoiding others you may have to trade with others and if it is a SHTF situation you dont want to walk up on others without anounceing yourself from a distance


This sounds like a lot of stuff but it is probably half of what I have in my vests pockets and packed well will fit in any med to large fanny pack or a normal sized womans purse and provides food, shelter, fire, medical, and basics to create more if you have the knowledge. Like I say I will post a list of whats in mine later as I get the chance but these are the escentials IMHO.

 

I want you to know Monkeyman, that while I was in town earlier this evening I started stocking up on some of the above. While at Lowe's I found on sale a three pack of 13" tool bags. These are going to go in each vehicle and be stocked with the above. My wife asked me "what are these fishing hooks for?"

 

Like I mentioned I will put up a full list of what all I keep in my kits later but for now I will list a few other things that you may want to seriously consider for a kit.

fire starters; I like the ones that you strike like a match and they burn for about 15 min, murpheys law if you need a fire it will be windy and wet

a small stove and fuel; you can get the colapsable sterno stoves and sterno for a few bucks or go like to cheaperthandirt.com and get the german folding trioxine stoves, can be a lot easier than gathering fire wood and not bulky or heavy

blanket; if nothing else an emergency blanket for $1-$2 at Walmart the shiny kind, or better yet if you have the room one of those down filled throws or one of those woven indian type bl;ankets, if you break down in the winter that can be REAL nice even just waiting on a tow truck or help

spare socks; if you wind up on foot you will be glad you have these

walking shoes; if you wear dress shoes/cloths for work or just often its a good idea to have a set of walking shoes and sensable clothes in with the kit in case of being stranded or worse

hatchet or camp ax; could be very useful if stranded for a couple days to cut wood and tent spikes as well as to drive them and much more

good book; one for entertainment can be good for the comfort factor but I also keep a copy of 'naked into the wilderness' by John McPhearson in mine which will tell you all you need to know to get by with literaly nothing out in the woods includeing how to make tools from stone and more though the learning curve would not be favorable if you hadnt practiced the skills before it is a good reference/reminder this is also writen by the guy who dose classes twice a year to train the special forces survival instructors for the military

seasonings; most wild meat dosnt taste that great cooked on an open fire with NO seasoning, same with wild plants like cat tails and such, I have 3 match cases about the size of film canisters (also have spare flint strikers on them) with seasoning salt, black pepper and garlic salt in the respectively , can make things a LOT less uncomfortable and keep moral up

drink mix; a few tea bags or instant coffee or coco can be a great comfort if stranded

flash light; you CAN get by without one especialy with a lighter but a light can be very helpful, I would recomend a LED light as they are not that high and many put out a good light while haveing several times the battery life, also add an extra set or 2 of batteries for it

radio; a small transistor radio can be good (try to have it use the same batteries as the light) both for comfort as well as news in case there is some kind of weather conditions that you need to know about or if the reason you need the kit is due to some kind of attack then being able to get news can be escential, a NOAA radio in hand held size with AM/FM also on it would be ideal

cash;if you can it is good to put maybe $50-$100 in small bills and a roll of quarters in the kit, if you are stranded a little cash may help you get a ride a tow or pulled out of a ditch, also if there has been a wide spread insident checks and credit cards may well be useless so this could be able to buy you food, stuff from vending machines, make calls if needed, buy other supplies if possible while with out it you may have thousands in the bank and not have acess to it to be able to so much as make a call or buy a soda

firearm and ammo; depending on your situation you may want to consider a firearm of some type, this dosnt have to be a high dollar 'black gun', I live in a rural area and keep a New England Arms single shot 20 ga shotgun behind the seat with some slugs and some field loads, sooner or later in our area you WILL hit a deer and this could put them out of thier missory, also if stranded especialy if hurt it would dispatch coyotes and could be used to get meat or should it be nessacery it could also be used for self defence

cell phone; even if you dont use a cell phone and cant aford to keep up a plan used cell phones can be had CHEAP to free and if you are in an area with service then under federal law EVEN A CELL PHONE THAT IS NOT ACTIVATED MUST BE ALLOWED TO CALL 911, if you happen on an accident or have one yourself this could be the most important thing in the whole kit, under federal law any cell tower that picks up a cell phone signal law trying to call 911 must put it through even if the phone is not activated has no time and is through a different company at no charge, I have used a phone in this manner more than once with no service on the phone, if it has a signal it WILL call 911

pen and paper;it may be useful to be able to leave a not in case you have to leave the vehicle and could use help to let folks know where you headed, also if you come on an accident it will help the paramedics if you can let them know any info you have and being able to wright it down will help when they get there like how long since the accident as far as you know, any info on patients you have gathered includeing anything you did to try to help or lisence numbers if you see a hit and run, etc.

first aid kit; I mentioned some minimum things above but a more full first aid kit is advisable, add some acidophilous to help with food poisoning, more bandages, tums, burn ointment, tweesers & needle for splinters, more feminen pads, more duct tape, first aid guide, etc.



There are several other things that can be good as well and I will post more later. Most of the things on this list can be done with out but the top list I would say are the escentials to have or some variation of them, beyond that list you have to consider what are situations you could run into and where you are , then decide what you would need in order to deal with those situations keeping in mind that you want to be able to carry your main kit if needed for long distances and dont want it to take up to much space or it will get pulled out to make room, then it is useless since the one time you dont have it will be the one time you need it. I drove my girl friend to work in her car a couple years ago one snowy morning and had not put a kit in her car, that was the day I came across an SUV upside down in the ditch and no first aid kit, blankets or anything, fortinatly they had been fine gotten a ride already but her car got a kit that afternoon.
These kits arent just for some kind of 'the end of the world as we know it' situations, they are for everyday things that sooner or later most all of us will encounter and things will go much smoother if you are prepared. One thing to remember is it is fine to use the things in your kit on a daily basis, even a good thing since you will remember it is there then if needed and know whats in it, just remember to REPLACE WHAT YOU USE so you still have it when needed.



ETA; This goes well here to but ment to post it in my related thread on the 'back to basics board, you may want to check it out as well. I want to get a thread going there on this subject for folks new to prepairedness. Heres a quick link; http://survivalmonkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=102

 

amen for seasonings

you can put taco meat seasoning on tree bark and make it taste good.

 

Here is what I use as my guide to determine my kits. This is the basics taught at military survival schools. First, rules of 3's. You can live for three hours in a extreme weather enviornment, for three days without water, you can live three weeks without food, You can live three years without TV. If %90 of your carry weight is shelter and water production and fire, then you have it right. If you are going to be hoofing it out, then you have better have a excellent first aid kit for blisters, cuts, and bug bites. Those things tend to infect and fester. If you are driving out, then you need to go heavy on tools and fuel, the things you need to keep your prime mover moving, kinda like the first aid for yourself. If you are going to walk out, put your gear on and then dump half of it, most people overload and then wear themselves out. Nothing like giving up after the first day because that heavy body armor is dragging you down!
I do have two types of gear, recon and combat. Recon gear is light on ammo and heavy on surveliance gear, the combat is heavy on armor and ammo, light on food type stuff.
Melbo, will this board allow us to attach word and excel files? I have all my gear on a word file that I update and review regularly, would be willing to attach it if I could

 

Its well worth mentioning also that kits should be adjusted with the seasons. Durring the winter you need more in the way of things to stay warm (sleeping bag, hot coco mix or instant coffee can be good, etc.) while in the summer these things arent needed as much as more water and gatorade mix to avoid dehydration.

 

On the first aid kits I still want to mention one thing.

Always rotate your medicine. The shelf life while longer than what the bottle says (say for aspirin type medication and such) is still not forever. It does break down. Same for prescription medications. If you are leaving that first aid kit in your car over the changing seasons then the medications will break down faster due to the heat and cold fluctuations.

This is not a wives tale guys and gals. There is a limit to the shelf life of any medication (you can extend the shelf life by storing it in a refrigerator but only for so long). If you have prescription medications, figure the potency will be between 6 months to 1 year longer than what it says (straight from the manufacturer it's actually between 3-5 yrs but once the pharmacy opens it to start counting out pills to people then the clock starts ticking and there's no telling how long it's sat in the pharmacy before you get it).

Okay, that's all I've got to say - you all know far more than I do on the rest.

 

Benadryl. Just in case of bee stings, allergic reactions, etc.

 

As promised I finaly got out my kits and did an inventory list to post. This is in no particular order other than the order I pulled stuff out in.


VEST;
4 STRIKEABLE FIRE STARTERS
4 EXTRA 36" BOOT LACES- can never have to much cord
Roll of life savers
bottle of water purification tabs
mini multi tool
small tin of bag balm- excelent for blisters, burns, scrapes, and gualding
altoids can full of cotton balls covered in vasoline-excelent fire starters
5 tea bags
1 1/2 cups beef base
pair of Jerrsey gloves
bag of loose tobaco and 100 papers
extra AAA batteries-for light
roll of tared nylon cord-make traps, trot lines, tie shelter, and so much more
foil type emergency blanket
4 inch lock blade knife
match tube w/ flint striker full of seasoning salt
match ' ' full of garlic salt
match ' ' full of black pepper
muscel rub cream
carabeaner style light
small binoculars
box of water proof matches
magnesium stricker w/ section of hacksaw blade for striker
bic lighter
fishing kit, in tobaco type can
15 large eyed hooks, catfish size
10 small perch size hooks
30' of 6# fishing line
10 small split shot sinkers
second roll tarred nylon cord
pill box with meds
acidophilous for food poisoning
tums
imodium AD
ibuprophen
Rx pain killers left from old script
hand full of napkins in ziplock-doubles as TP
4 feminine pads- for wound compression pads
15' of duct tape- wrapped on piece of plastic for easier storage
second handful of napkins in ziplock-TP of fire starters if desperate
full card of flints-for the zippo alwayse in my posket
4 MRE tobasco bottles filled with zipo fluid-each fills lighter once
pocket size dimond whet stone
second altoids can full of clean cotton balls-can be used for
cleaning,bandages,firestarters with bag balm on them
second set of spare AAA batteries
head lamp-3 settings, red or white LED and crypton, runs on 3 AAA batteries
10'x12' sheet of 5 mil plastic
75' of 770 paracord




PACK
'sport utility knife'-4" lock back blade AND utility knife with replaceable blades in
other end
3 packs ramen noodles
3 MRE acessory packs
8 gatorade mix pouches, each makes 1 quart
bottle of water purification tabs
3 MRE tobasco sauce bottles full of zipo fluid
spare zipo
card of flints for zipo
5" blade sheath knife
6 match type fire starters
pocket knife
LED flash light with color filters- runs on 3 AAA batteries
8 pack AAA batteries
first aid kit
box of 4x4 guaze pads
2 internal sutcher kits
3 surface sutcher kits
sutcher tool kit-tweezers, forceps, sisors
2 pair rubber gloves
pill box-pills as above
broncio diolator inhaler
hand sanatizer
tube A&D ointment
roll of TP in ziplock
2 rolls coban-from farm store sold for horses
roll duct tape
bandage sisors
triple antibiotic
foil type emergency blanket
hand held mirror-worst case to sutcher where you cant see
can of bag balm
12 feminine pads for compresses
roll tared nylon twine
100' 770 paracord
12'x15' sheet 5 mil plastic-shelter, water gatherer, rain gear, much more
note pad
pen
german mess kit-size of canteen has 3 cook pots
german triogine folding stove-in mess kit
6 trioxine bars- in mess kit
seasonings as mentioned above
2 boxes 20 guage shot gun shells-field loads
hatchet
boyscout manual
Naked into the Wilderness, by John McPhearson
4 1 liter bottles-tied to outside
bag with strap that holds 1 liter bottles
pillow case-to gather into as moveing among other uses




LOOSE IN TRUCK-kept in thier place but not in pack or vest due to regular use or size
NEF 20 guage shotgun
2 boxes of 20 guage slugs
1 box 20 guage field loads
2 hunting knives
2 quart canteen
500' 770 paracord
75' 5/8" arborist rope
lots of spare batteries
indian blanket or sleeping bag dependent on season
2 gallons spring water
6 MREs
'Dynamo' radio-powered by AA batteries, crank or plug-has AM,FM,TV,NOAA,white LED,red
LED, siren, charges cell phone batteries from crank
various tools and vehicle related stuff as well as work stuff


Sounds like a ton of stuff but the top list is all in the pockets of a fishing vest with a couple left over. The second list is all in a 3 compartment day pack like many kids carry school books in which stays in the tool box on the truck, and the third list is behind the seat and in the rest of the tool box of the truck. Along with full tool kits and most of my equiptment for tree climbing and trimming this stuff is all in the tool box or out of site in the cab of a standerd pickup, so needles to say it dosnt take a lot of space. If I had to leave the vehicle I could grab just the vest and get by but given 30 seconds or so I could grab the vest, pack, shotgun, favirot hunting knife, spare shells,blanket, and canteen along with extra empty bottles from floor or back and be WELL set for an indefinate trip through or stay in the woods or any where else and all of this (with water bottles empty) is well under 40 lbs. With me at 6'2" and a fairly solid 300 lbs thats not an excesive load and could be trimmed along the way if needed. On the very rare ocasions that I am in dress cloths or just shorts and not wearing sensable walking/work boots boots and work cloths are in there too along with a coat in winter and rain gear the rest of the time.
A couple of good things to add would be a couple of votive candles as they give enouph heat in a small space (like an emergency shelter or vehicle) to keep one from freezing to death in cold weather and a bag of rice, a couple pounds will feed you or suplement your gathered food for quite a while but Im still trying to come up with a seasoning mix that makes plane white rice something I will eat. I hate plain white rice! lol

 

Which would you load in your emergency kit, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide?

 

I go for hydrogen peroxide since it can help to bubble out debris from a wound, or at least thats my reasoning. Alcohol is good though in the sence that it burns well so can help build a fire as well as be an antiseptic.

 

HP and alcohol are not worth the weight, unless the alcohol is some good Irish whiskey meant for drinking. They used to teach us that you cleaned a cut with either of those, or even iodine. That has changed. The studies have shown that cleaning an open wound with any of the above kills not only the bad, but also the good. In other words it does more damage than it is worth.

Cleaning a wound should be done with boiled H2O only. Use a pressure type device (syringe, ziploc bag with a hole in the corner, camelback) to blast out dirt & debris. If you have topical antibiotics (Neosporin), cover the wound in a thin coating before you bandage. If the wound is deep, or looks like it is going to get medical attention shortly (before 2 hours?), don't bother. Just cover & go.

TLynn brings up a good point about rotating your meds. I know, as do you, that they can be used beyond their expiration date. However, I do not know what the limit is. It varies from drug to drug. Some just lose potency, others gain it and can become toxic after the expiration date. The way that they are stored can also affect the time they are effective. Heat will break them down faster. Cold is probably not bad for them, but I'm not sure that it prolongs their life span any.

Personally, I rotate my meds when their date is up. That way I have the most up to date with me when things go belly up. I don't know what I would do if TEOTWAWKI occured. I would probably gather what info I had on the drug in question, make a WAG, and pray that I guessed right. As for storage, cooler is better. That doesn't help the meds that are in your bag located in your auto. For those, I would rotate when the date is up. That way you are getting the most milage out of the meds that you bought, but aren't placing yourself in a dangerous situation.

Phishi

 

WOW, since I'm knew to the whole, "be prepared for the SHTF" scenario, I've got lots of work to do

I'lll get it done, the wife is behind me at least. We do already have most of the items needed, but I would like a kit for each vehicle and one, larger one for the house. We've started getting a couple of items each week with our regular groceries, it may take a month or two to get everything together, bet we'll get'er done

Ryan