Saturday, September 17, 2011

New Prepper Series: The Bug Out Bag

The Bug Out Bag

What it is:
It's esentially a kit that  has all the essential supplies you need to get by for at least 72 hours. I've also heard of it referred to as a GoBag, a Get out of dodge (GOOD), You're on your own (YOYO) bag.

Not sure if I can even call myself a prepper at this point, maybe a prepper apprentice.

I don't have a huge stockpile of stuff. I'm not too familiar with a lot of the essential tools for survival. I don't have a military background.

But there's always a starting point.

I love watching vids, shows, and reading about preparedness and survivalism. So consider me a prepper neophyte. There are tons of info to be sifted through and it becomes overwhelming to process it all but I'm doing my best.

What I learned so far is that there are basics or essentials to consider such as water, water purification, food, shelter (tent/tarp/sleeping bag), first aid kit, toiletries, cooking supplies, fire starters, maps, cash, IDs, important docs, some extra clothes.

Then you can personalize it to your needs. Consider your environment for example. Do you live in a rural area or do you live in a city? Do you have medical conditions that need to be addressed? Do you have a vehicle? Pets? How many family members?

Regardless of the scenario you're preparing for there's always some kind of debate what needs to be in your pack.

My question is, not all scenarios are created equal - what you'd need in case of a hurricane evac is different from when you have a more extreme end of the world type situation, so how do you decide what goes in your kit?

I know some people pack two different kits based on seasons/weather condition or multiple kits for different scenarios.

For now, since I'm addressing the noob prepper (myself included) here's my take on it.
You don't have to spend a lot of money to get started, look around your house, what you need is more than likely readily available to you already.

Customize your own pack accordingly. Have one for each member of the family. And just have it stashed in a closet in your home.

So below is my personal bug out bag contents (last updated contents for Hurricane Irene). In this case we have family right outside the city that we can crash with so this isn't your rural/camping kit. Keep in mind this is just MY bag, we all have one each, including emergency supplies for the pets.

LED flashlight
water (I had more stashed in my truck)food (granola bars, beef jerky)
first aid kit (gauze, band aids, hyrdocortisone ointment, triple antibiotic cream, glucometer w/ strips, alcohol pads, liquid skin, tweezer, ibuprofen)
A small sewing kit
toiletries
extra clothes - rain coat that can be multifunction - it's waterproof
cash, ids, imprant docs in ziplock back as well as flash drive w/ the same info.
extra pair of glasses.
extra sets of batteries.
portable multipleband radio (it's battery operated) will upgrade to a handcrank/solar-powered one)
2-way radio
a small blanket
pocketknife
multitool
ducttape
playing cards
multivitamins
Phone and charger
laptop and charger
Tablet and charger

I'm currently looking into getting a few supplies to add on to my primary bug out bag, such as a portable stove, some sort of water purification system, and a survival knife.

I'm pretty sure I'm leaving stuff out, but you kind of get the idea here. Putting together your first bug out bag is a great jumping off point to get into the prepper mindset because it' a self-contained, personalized way of focusing on the essentials.

I'd love to hear from all of you new preppers out there, do share your experiences.

Next post in the new prepper series is about bugging in. Until then, be safe.

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