Re: The Start of My Bug Out Kit
i personally think the pictured kit is more of a bug-IN kit, meant to defend a common point. it is NOT a mobile, flexible, survival platform. immediate concerns are weight, redundancy, multiple ammo and battery platforms (how many of each size battery and extra ammo are you carrying?)
My BOB kit is MUCH lighter, will NOT be pictured on the net but also consists of items with most bang for the buck, least weight and most flexibility. knives? good gerber folder (my EDC Fairbarn) with a backup fixed blade (also EDC so i don't "forget to grab it", and a backup lightweight fixed and folder IN the BOB. One multitool (SOG), one hand crank multifrequency radio/scanner, 2 flashlights, both LED, and both take AAA OR AA batteries (neat little adapter to put AAA's in), food in the form of nutrition bars. NOT protien bars, but a general meal replacement high on vitamins and calories, with a good deal of fiber. Water storage - a collapsible bladder with a large fill hole and threaded insert so i can remove the nozzle and use the threaded ring to lock the bladder to a clear plastic tarp for water collection. Various forms of water purification. A cook kit using a collapsible Coleman cup and field expedient alcohol burning pop can stove which stores inside the cup. The cup is entirely self contained, pack-able, and SILENT. 150 feet of 500 para-cord - indispensable. Along with the paracord, i have a few yards of 1/2" wide 900lb nylon webbing - VERY strong stuff. a few other little do-dads, and it all fits into a sling style backpack for comfort and mobility. One thing few folks think about is how quiet the pack is also. My pants swishing and boots hitting the ground make more noise than the pack and it's contents. Money is useless in SHTF, so i have some barter goods too. a couple packs of smokes, and candy to start. Fuel for the stove is easy to come by and with the proper tools in the field and a little know how, making one's own ethanol or methanol is not hard, just takes time and local resources.
Most of what goes into a BOB is not carried in the BOB, but in the operators head. I battle daily with documenting some of the shit in my head for family members but i also think that should i be unable to continue and my family is okay, if someone got ahold of my knowledge, would this represent a bit of compromised OPSEC putting my family in near-immediate danger?
My BOP (bug out plan) also consists of a couple cached items in key locations. again, items that are light weight, inconspicuous, useful, flexible, adaptable, and most of all, the cache items add to quality of life - they are not NECESSITIES. Some cached items include ammo, additional foodstuffs (long term survival - rice, beans, freeze dried vacuum packed protiens, vitamins, gatorade/electrolite mix pouches, etc)
17 days to apocalypse