{"id":4845,"date":"2011-03-22T03:56:33","date_gmt":"2011-03-22T10:56:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/ClaireWolfe\/?p=4845"},"modified":"2011-03-22T03:56:33","modified_gmt":"2011-03-22T10:56:33","slug":"rethinking-a-bug-out-bag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/22\/rethinking-a-bug-out-bag\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking a bug-out bag"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I wrote about why I’m re-creating my bug-out bag<\/a>. it needs to be renewed for a scenario I’ve never faced before.<\/p>\n

Today I promised I’d list the “ingredients” in the bag and welcome your suggestions. You’ve already made some good ones in the comments to yesterday’s blog.<\/p>\n

While putting together the new kit, I poked around online to refine my ideas. One thing that struck me immediately is that there is no “right” bug-out bag or grab-and-go kit. Some are geared toward hardcore outdoor survival<\/a>. Others seem more geared to getting you adjusted to conditions in a shelter<\/a>. Yet other recommendations focus on food<\/a>, special medical needs<\/a>, or car kits<\/a>. <\/p>\n

I even visited a couple of government sites where (mind-bogglingly) the only items recommended for a grab-and-go kit were … government papers secured in plastic. You might starve or die of thirst or exposure, but by golly, when somebody finally happens upon your moldering carcass, they’ll know your birthdate, your social security number, and what property you owned. (Granted, some of those sites did offer useful thoughts<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Anyway, the bottom line is that every kit should be designed for local conditions and individual needs. Mine is for a quick escape, short distance, in wet weather, with the focus on an earthquake and locally generated tsunami. So here goes. Tell me what’s missing and where you think I’ve gone wrong. (I’m still trying to decide how much “official paperwork” I need to tote.)<\/p>\n

THE KIT LIST<\/B><\/p>\n

By catetory:<\/p>\n

Water<\/b><\/p>\n

* One gallon in an insulated container with shoulder strap
\n* Water purifier + extra batteries
\nI’m not bringing extra water for the dogs because there’s always water in the woods for them to drink, and in any case, I can’t carry more than this.<\/p>\n

Food<\/b><\/p>\n

* 2 pounds raw, unsalted nuts (almonds and sunflower seeds)
\n* 1 pound mixed dried fruits
\n* 14 MRE entrees
\n* Utensils
\n* 1 box of peanut brittle
\n* Tea bags
\n* Stevia packets for sweetening tea
\n* Small metal pan\/cup for drinking tea
\n* Emergency stove
\nThe stove is only for heating water. I’m not bringing any foods that require cooking<\/p>\n

Shelter\/warmth\/weather protection<\/b><\/p>\n

* 8×10 white poly tarp (the most waterproof I could find)
\n* 50-feet of nylon cord (for rigging tarp into a tent and misc. purposes)
\n* Ground pad
\n* Sleeping bag (though after reading some comments I may swap this for a wool blanket)
\n* Reflective mylar emergency blanket
\n* Plastic rain poncho
\n* Four large plastic bags
\n* 3 18-hour handwarmers<\/p>\n

Clothing<\/b>
\n* Hooded waterproof rain jacket
\n* Mittens
\n* Earmuffs
\n* Sweat pants
\n* Turtleneck
\n* Tee shirt
\n* Underwear
\n* Long underwear
\n* Baseball cap
\n* 2 pairs of wool sox
\n* 1 pair of spandex sox (to wear under wool for reflecting warmth)<\/p>\n

Dog items<\/b><\/p>\n

* Several days worth of regular dog food for the younger dogs
\n* Several days worth of “mature” dog food for my oldest
\n* Leashes<\/p>\n

Communications\/light<\/b><\/p>\n

* LED headlamp
\n* 2 cellphones (these are actually in my everyday fannypack, which I’ll also grab)
\n* Cellphone charger
\n* Super-duper floating emergency radio\/light\/flasher\/siren with multiple radio bands and multiple power options
\n* Extra batteries for radio
\n* 2 “snaplight” light sticks<\/p>\n

Comfort items<\/b><\/p>\n

* Paper towels
\n* Toilet paper
\n* Baby wipes
\n* Small bottle of alcohol hand sanitizer
\n* Travel toothbrush and toothpaste
\n* Bag of airline-sized toiletries
\n* Spare eyeglasses<\/p>\n

First aid<\/b><\/p>\n

* Band-aids
\n* Gauze and tape
\n* Triple antibiotic ointment
\n* Insect repellant
\n* Anti-itch cream
\n* Pain meds
\n* Muscle relaxants
\n* Anti-diarrhea med
\n* Pink bismuth
\n* Tissues<\/p>\n

Data<\/b><\/p>\n

*USB flash drive with 1) data backup, 2) scans of vital documents
\nI’ll take my computer if I think I can, but in a “head for hills on foot” scenario, it might be too much.<\/p>\n

Misc. items<\/b><\/p>\n

* Whistle with lanyard
\n* Compass
\n* Map
\n* Matches in waterproof case
\n* Firestarters
\n* Rubber gloves
\n* Work gloves
\n* Three-bladed survival knife
\n* Multi-bladed pocket knife
\n* Firearm
\n* Extra ammo
\n* $20<\/p>\n

And that’s it so far for my kit. I’m not done yet. A few of the above items must still be gathered or purchased. And I seem to get a new idea for something to add several times a day.<\/p>\n

Oh yeah, and although I realize that most people like to pack their kits into backpacks (though some prefer large plastic tubs for the going-to-the-shelter scenario), mine is all going into — or being strapped onto — a large wheeled suitcase with a handle. My rationale for this is 1) the only backpacks I own are too small, 2) I don’t expect to go too far, and 3) the suitcase holds a lot and can be wheeled, dragged through the woods, or carried, as need be. Not ideal perhaps — but then neither would it be ideal to invest serious money in a backpack that would end up being too large and heavy for me.<\/p>\n

Here’s more on BOBs and general preparedness courtesy of EN<\/a> and courtesy of DrillSgtK<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I wrote about why I’m re-creating my bug-out bag. it needs to be renewed for a scenario I’ve never faced before. Today I promised I’d list the “ingredients” in the bag and welcome your suggestions. You’ve already made some good ones in the comments to yesterday’s blog. While putting together the new kit, I poked around online to refine my ideas. One thing that struck me immediately is that there is no “right” bug-out bag or grab-and-go kit. Some are geared toward hardcore outdoor survival. Others seem more geared to getting you adjusted to conditions in a shelter. Yet…<\/p>\n

Continue readingRethinking a bug-out bag<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-preparedness","ratio-natural","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4845\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}