Bug out bags: more like bug out BAGS

[Pops1911]

Wife and I live in a reasonably private rural area. Neighbors mind their own business and wave at one another passing on the road. When we formerly lived up in Seattle our BOB situation and needs were quite different than they are now. From Seattle to our safe location was a 2-3 day hump depending on the weather. About a 2 hour drive if roads were available. Now where we live it is only about 7 miles into town...or 5 if one knows the right trails. We both carry packs in our autos. Carry only what might be necessary for the walk home. Home is our last stand location. No longer any need for seriously weighted BOBs to get home. Just move fast, avoid crowds, get home safely.

 

[MannyGlocks]

"avoiding crowds" is often 'unpossible'.

 

[Bushman]

I have two bags I roll with usually (Retired SOF so the multiple a/b bags, kit bags still persists LOL). One is an old Kelty 7500 in3 military pack with all the "nice to haves". Jetboil, fuel, bestglide survival kits, batteries, personal hygiene, cordage, machete, camp axe, H2O, rations, spare ammunition, water purifiers, sleeping bag, spare cloths, illumination, bungie cords, ground tarp and poncho etc. The other is a Mystery Ranch 3 day assault pack.
This gets paired with the plate carrier, battle belt, and helmet, if I have to E&E may way home or whatever the scenario is. That contains an E&E kit, spare ammo/mags, NODS, rations, illumination devices, smaller survival kit, power bars, H2O, bivy bag, lightweight tarp, and the most precious piece of kit ever devised.....the woobie!

This was largely my issue. When I posted this I was going camping and I was sitting there with a large backpacking pack with bare minimum stuff (sil nylon tarp and summer sleeping bag) not even an entrenching tool, then my assault pack with NOD's, ammo, then another bag with the boom stick, battle belt, chest rig, then another bag...

I thought to myself, this is great for traveling to a site and kitting up, but I still won't be able to attach and carry the assault pack ONTOP of the backpacking pack. I was already carring 70lbs of gear including boom stick. With the assault pack you can add 20 lbs to make it 90lbs.

So I decided to try just using a bin for camping stuff, and it barely took up any room, it was so light even compared to a pack. I think the pack itself weighed 5 lbs.

Then I stuffed my assault pack in there on top of the tarp, stove, tent stakes, stanley cook pot, and very minimal other gear. Stuff my light weight sleeping bag in there, then my chest rig with 6 mags, trauma kit, smoke grenades and thermal monocular and was even able to take my mini boom stick that I can conceal carry apart and put it in there on the top of it all. A single bin to go bug out now. If I have to bail, the assault pack has mylar blankets and a poncho (I've used these for shelter) and an MRE besides two extra mags, batteries, gloves, head lamp, shemagh, water bottle with sawyer mini, etc. that I could survive with for a few days.

So I take the assault pack and make a run for it...leaving the rest behind. If I have to hike out away from the car I attach the tarp and sleeping bag on the bottom of the assault pack. All else is a luxury. But otherwise I just grab the pack and run.

I can't believe how well this system works. It's also very greyman. Neighbors see me moving totes in and out all the time anyways. Now I move a single tote in and out, rather than 4-6 duffle and backpacking bags. Mind you this is just an 18 Liter tote!

I ditched the battle belt idea to downsize as well. I'm debating taking the chest rig out of the bin and putting my ceramic armor plates and carrier in there instead with just 3 mags tucked into the front flap and 3 more in my assault pack.

Overall the kit is coming together nicely after many years of tweaking, but this one change was a HUGE game changer for me. It really forces you to pair things down and only take the essentials due to room in the bin and ultimately if I had to run for it I'd rather run with a 25 lb assault pack than 60-90 lbs of gear. If I'm running that's likely a situation I want to be light and mobile wearing body armor, not a huge amount of backpacks and duffle bags weighing me down with body armor that is difficult to get to in them for me to put on suddenly. The nice thing with the bin is that my chest rig and assault pack are right next to each other and my boom stick just sits on top. Very easy to slap it together then throw the other two on and boogie. Especially the plate carrier since I can just put it on like a shirt and cinch it down later.

 

[Bushman]

As with several other members here, I have a lot of past experience with packs, patrolling and road marches. There are three basic types of packs I've employed in my past lives -

The Campaign Pack - Rule number one of the Grunt Life, light infantry isn't. This is the type of pack that's carried on foot everywhere and is stuffed with all the gear higher ups think you need for sustained operations - food, water, hygiene kit, extra uniforms, ammunition for crew served weapons, etc. These usually weigh in at over 100 pounds and the large size Alice was the one I usually carried. There's almost no chance of stealth due to the heft and you had better be in very good physical condition to travel any distance with it on your back.

The Patrol Pack - The rule is mission essentials only, keep the size and weight to a minimum. The intent is operating in the field for three to seven days without resupply yet maintaining capability to move rapidly and unnoticed. I preferred the small Alice pack; one side had a 2-qt canteen, the other a pouch for six extra magazines, large first aid kit, several pairs of socks, minimal food, rope, rain parka, etc. I tried very hard to keep the weight down to under 45 pounds but seldom could.

The Security/Assault Pack - The idea is carrying the minimal items for 24 hours or less of either physical security duty or a short vehicle operation. Some sort of hydration bladder carrier works great. Keep it under 20 pounds; water, food, a few spare magazines, socks, bug spray, first aid kit. Small and light.

So, for the topic at hand, a bug out bag would be somewhere between a patrol pack and an assault pack. Bugging out means getting from where you are the a pre-determined safe location.

As noted previously, longterm survival in some remote woodland without resupply or a support is impractical; few of us are in good enough condition to carry all of the gear needed.

My suggestion for packs is a get-home pack and then a basic security pack, both tailored to your circumstances and home neighborhood.

In any survival situation, there is no way any of us can keep our individual homes secure by ourselves. It's going to require a network of neighbors and allies mutually supporting each other. Build connections now and prepare to work within that larger team.

Set yourself up with the gear to equip friends and family that are late to the party - arms, ammo and a small patrol pack for each. You will need the help, they need the leadership.

I've rambled a bit but hopefully added a little re food for thought.

This 1,000%!!!I have a large duffle that I could roll this stuff all into but yes, it would be 80-100+ lbs and even though I'm in shape, I'm not getting far with that in the hills. I've done 16 mile hikes with steep elevation gains with a hiking pack and it was OK when I was younger, nothing to it, but now it's really going to eat me alive.

I plan to bug in first. If I have to leave I will do so by car obviously. The faster I can load my car the better. My car is setup for camping already, I could leave with just that, the bin is my good stuff though, what I train with. I'd much rather take one maybe two bins to the car than 4-6 large bags so I can leave quickly. For some reason the bin's store things better. The stuff that filled my entire backpacking pack barely filled the bottom of an 18 liter bin...

If I now have to leave my car, I'm not going to take the bin with me. I'm going to pop the top of the bin, put on my chest rig or armor, grab my assault pack and try to get as far as I can lightly and quickly, leaving the few remaining contents of the bin behind or stashing them nearby. I've practiced surviving with just a poncho and mylar blankets. It's not super comfortable but it's doable.

Ultimately I found a system that finally works for me and also keeps me from adding too much gear. I'm trying to limit myself to a single bin which is where I'm at now. I had recently purchased knee and elbow pads but am thinking of returning them to avoid the sprawl of gear to a second bin.

The nice thing about the bin too is that if your car breaks down or you get in a wreck and have to uber out of there, a bin is very grey man, where as long black duffle bags and backpacking packs scream "survivalist!!!" to anyone watching. I had a neighbor once call me out on what I was moving into and out of the house in a duffle bag once...that house didn't have a garage, and even those that did I rarely used for loading. Sometimes but not always.

 

[Bob D]

I do a lot of remote wilderness backpacking, and I have a few different setups of varying weights. I usually take at least my 10/22 takedown with me, but when I'm more concerned about cougars/bears I bring a .45 auto.

I don't really consider bugging out on foot to be a reasonable solution to much of anything, but if it happens I will be bringing much more survival gear than battle gear. I really don't want to wind up in a situation where I'm taking apart 5.56 cartridges to start a fire.

 

[Bob D]

"avoiding crowds" is often 'unpossible'.

Blending in with crowds is just as useful.

 

[The Heretic]

http://dixonrollerpack.com/3327.html

 

[Camelfilter]

http://dixonrollerpack.com/3327.html

Yup.

Something like above, or a travois, pulk or a cart.

Heck even a peddle bike, yet loaded down & walked.

Anything to carry more with less on body would be helpful in moving more supplies than just in a pack. Faster? Maybe. Maybe not. More efficient? Probably.

 

[The Heretic]

Yup.

Something like above, or a travois, pulk or a cart.

Heck even a peddle bike, yet loaded down & walked.

Anything to carry more with less on body would be helpful in moving more supplies than just in a pack. Faster? Maybe. Maybe not. More efficient? Probably.

There are variations of this too - depending on how much you want to spend and how much you want to carry.

Personally, I would like to make something like this with a better wheel and more capacity. Hopefully I would never try to bug out to live in the woods (without shelter - I already live in the woods) as I would not survive for long, but I do anticipate that if we had a large earthquake, my kids may need something like this to get to my house/BOL.

 

[CamoDeafie]

I'm tempted to hack a ladies MTB frame and use the rear triangle, a handlebar stems, and two boards with which to attach large ALICE rucksacks or MOLLE Main Bags, depending on the size and availability... into a sort of off road bag cart. Or two FILBE main bags (I have one already). We'll see. The biggest issue is the FILBE is enormous, with a rather small ALICE sized frame space. It might be better set up horizontally on top of the assembly

 

[The Heretic]

I believe it is important to keep the weight as low as possible, which is why I am not a fan of game carriers that put a large wheel in the middle of the 'cart' or anything that otherwise results in an elevated COG.

Moreover, I am a fan of carry mechanisms that allow your hands to be free - important if you are carrying a firearm and need to access it quickly. Beyond that, it is nice to be able to dump the load quickly should a person need to seek cover.

Finally, a carrier that allows a person to move an injured or sick person for a good distance, is a big plus.

 

[powersbj]

Strap some luggage to a dolly and toss a tarp on top... Probably work better than the tacticool carts. Look up pictures of people walking away from Katrina, its boxes, plastic sacks and airport luggage if I had to I'd try to Grey man in that mess.

Don't forget grocery carts!

 

[Diamondback]

View attachment 738884

Gunkid Assault Wheelbarrow, The Next Generation?

 

[The Heretic]

Strap some luggage to a dolly and toss a tarp on top... Probably work better than the tacticool carts. Look up pictures of people walking away from Katrina, its boxes, plastic sacks and airport luggage if I had to I'd try to Grey man in that mess.

Don't forget grocery carts!

Most (all? depends on what you mean by a "dolly") of that won't work on any kind of rough terrain.

Think about what happens during an earthquake:




And why you are going to be on foot in the first place. Then think about moving across that with a shopping cart or a "dolly".

 

[powersbj]

Most (all? depends on what you mean by a "dolly") of that won't work on any kind of rough terrain.

Think about what happens during an earthquake:

View attachment 744969
View attachment 744970

And why you are going to be on foot in the first place. Then think about moving across that with a shopping cart or a "dolly".

We could sit here role-playing a million and one scenarios where a cart/dolly/game hauler could be a help or a hindrance. My point is more about function over form, be flexible and use whats around.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Beach dollies, carts, and all terrain dollies/hand trucks as well as garden carts are also viable options in addition to the game carts

 

[The Heretic]

We could sit here role-playing a million and one scenarios where a cart/dolly/game hauler could be a help or a hindrance. My point is more about function over form, be flexible and use whats around.

Certainly, make use of what is at hand, but if you are going to acquire something to carry loads beforehand, then give some thought as to how it will be used. Having moved loads by hand across rough terrain, including using wheeled conveyances, I am well aware of what works and what is more a hindrance than a help. The larger the wheel, and the lower the COG, the easier it is to move something over rough terrain.

If I windup on foot, it is more than likely that a shopping cart would be of limited use for most of the distance I have to travel - even a gravel road would be very difficult for a shopping cart.

 

[Bushman]

http://dixonrollerpack.com/3327.html

I've considered that kind of stuff, even just a regular luggage bag I have. The issue I have with it is if you have to bolt.

Though now that I don't have multiple bags, just a bin with a small assault pack of absolute essential gear, I could just wear that on my back if I have to leave the car and roll this thing behind me if I have to ditch it.

But again, if I have to leave my car, then it's likely because it's more bang bang time than it is bug out time, and I intend to ditch comfort items. I have a water bottle/filter and steel cup, mylar blankets, poncho, cordage, NODS and thermal in my assault pack with med kit. Ferro rod, fatwood, compass, lighter and other survival essentials are ALWAYS carried in pockets and are part of my EDC anyways.

 

[The Heretic]

My issue is that I have a bad back/neck (from flipping a car end for end, twice, when I was 17) and it only gets worse. Any kind of weight on my shoulders/neck/back, causes more pain than I already am enduring.

Something like a carrier rolling behind me would take a lot of that weight off me and would allow me to go faster/farther and carry more weight (I would still opt for the lightest weight I could setup).

It isn't a perfect solution, but it would help.

What I want is a foldable e-bike with full suspension and at least a 50 mile range on the worst terrain (I live on a mountain and I would need full electric assist to get up it) with at least 30 MPH speed going up a hill. I also would want to have my "carrier" serve as a "trailer" for the e-bike.

I would hope such a setup would reduce my "get home" time from days to hours. Once home, it would also serve as transport into town and home again (for meds/etc.).

 

[Ben B.]

Water, warmth, dryness, doctoring, food, fixing, fighting. That's the order of the priorities I have plans for, and infantry-type gear Is definitely the last consideration. 2 bags, one in the house and one in the truck, 30#s each, 4 liters of water each. My main concern is disaster from earthquake that necessitates hoofing it for some awful reason. Which would really stink with 3 kids. I really enjoy my nice easy life.