Bug Out Essentials - What are they ?

[PolishedBrass]

Is the below outline missing anything?

To me "Bugging Out" is simply being prepared in the event of the unexpected,
knowing risk levels and having commensurate preparation ahead of time;
much like insurance provides measurable security in the event of an accident;
or similarly like a carrying CCL is insured against violent attacks.

Hence; Bug Out gear then has differing levels and considerations.

Levels and Issues:
1.) Individual - What is the perfect Kit ?
2.) Family - Plans, how much and scenarios for meeting up.
3.) Vehicle - Essentials - like vehicle clearance and puncture resistant truck tires.
4.) Group - meet ups
5.) Short term - Whats the wise average readiness # of days?
6.) Long Term - What if it takes a month or several?
7.) Insurgent / Underground / Resistance - What if it turns violent?
8.) From Urban to Wilderness locale. - Just where and do you have a planned route with minimal bridges or freeways to cross?
9.) What are the warning signs of which impending events and proper plans of action for each? - The internet turns off; cell phones are shut down and Barbara Walters is on every TV channel saying everything is fine ... "Terror Cells" are being collected in every city. (Is that scary?)
10.) What are your priorities of action and routes of escape in said situations? - Have you made your "Bug Out" plans panic free?

Read More

 

[ATCclears]

Four-Tier Survival for the Newbie, by C.H. - SurvivalBlog.com

 

[PolishedBrass]

Good info ...

Here is another favorite ... practical ... recent and likely a NWO test case:

<broken link removed>

 

[fyrediver]

I think the plan(s) evolve around the threat and the expected duration of the event. Bugging out due to local anarchy may be necessary, but may not last long before authorities restore order. An epidemic may involve bugging into your home and isolating yourself and your family from the general public for weeks. Absolute excessive rule of law (EROL) and totalitarianism may last years.

The Kit question also has lots of variability due to skill sets. A survival "expert" may not need as much stuff as a relatively inexperienced person. Additionally, how much discomfort are you/they willing to withstand and for how long?

I think that for truly long term survival and rebuilding you'd need to consider what was carried in the average Conestoga wagon on it's westbound journey. These people didn't have any stores to go to so brought everything the needed and they traveled with a hundred friends who were also similarly equipped!

 

[mosinguy1]

Wow there are so many variables here that it is a hard question to answer.

1.) As for an individual kit things that need to be considered is How far will you have to go? This will determine what all you should have as in amount of food and water you will need. Will you be in an urban or sub urban local this will determine how much resistance you might incounter and how easily you will be able to travel.

2.) As for family plans: How many family members and will there be more then 1 or 2 possibilities of diffrent points of origin for bugging out? I mean will you be at work wife at home or work with kids at school this will play a key part in all of it espicially if kids are in more then one school. We have kids in 3 diffrent schools plus wife and I work with the youngest at home with sitter. I work 72 miles from home, so how much help am i gonna be gathering up kids and helping out? See what I mean. My wife and sitter have the most responsabilities if it happens while I am at work. We have 4 diffrent plans for bugging out if we have to. I believe most things except natural disaster we will have a fair enough notice to take action if need be and i and kids will be at home allready. Luckily unless it is a N.B.C type of attack we will stay put.
3.) As for vehicle that depends on where you live and where you plan on going? I think a vehicle with AWD or FWD is a most, the size and type will be determined by how many. We have a tote in all vehicles that contain extra clothes for us and each kid with coats and blankets, nights get chilly even in the summer in the PNW, and approx. 6 gallons of water and protien bars, dehydrated food and snack stuff for about a week. There is also extra ammo for our weapons. Puncture resistant tires are a plus, and an AWD or FWD should have enough clearance for most of what ou might encounter.
4.) group meet ups would depend on what type of emergency.
5&6.) will be determined by amount of people and if you are meeting with a group somewhere does everyone have a specific set of things they are supposed to contribute or is each member of the group responsible for thier own supplies, or are there supplies all ready there.
7.) If it turns violent are you prepard and for how long do you think the violence will last?
8.) If it is a really bad event will you even be able to get to the roads if it is a natural disaster a volcano or earthquake you may have to sit in a bit till you can head out. Then God only knows if you will even be able to get out to your location.
9.) For some things like economical collapse you may have some fair warning as for natural disaster it all depends on what kind it is.
10.) Priorities are family and then getting with our group, it is 15 families that all live within our lil piece of the boondocks, we have teams to set road blocks and pull over sized logs that are waiting over the logging roads (3) that are behind us. We are looking at getting one member of each family qualified as HAM operators, so we can keep in touch with the group over the hill behind us. They are members of my families church and that ties in 12 more families.
As for panic free, I feel no matter how well planned there will always be a lil uncertanty when and if it actually pans out.

Hope this all helps ya look at things you have planned and fill in the gaps. There are a few good sites that have food prep calculators to help you figure out that part just google them.

 

[MountainBear]

Bugging out, as a last resort, needs to have food, water, shelter, defense, and a well thought out plan. The specifics are up to the end user...

 

[nwdrifter]

We have multiple plans based on travel options or restrictions. Boat, truck, jeep, motorcycles, bikes, or on foot. The problem is what if part of the family have to bug out while one is trapped across town?

our plan in such an event it to leave our destination (Key words) written on the inside of the cabinet we keep our drinking glasses in. Even if the place is looted the cabinet should still be on the wall with hints on the cash of weapons left hidden and out next meet location. In every location we will use whatever cupboard they use to store drinking glasses and just write with a sharpie inside. Every house every locations always the same , drinking glasses cabinet. Hope it never comes down to part of the group being separated, but there might come a time when the majority of the group has to bail to save themselves and cant wait days or weeks for someone to get home that might not even still be alive.

On a side note my wife works down town. In the event of an earthquake and down bridges we have a secluded meet spot picked out on the Willamette for pick up. The boat is either already on the water or 1/10 miles away with no obstructions. We can be on the columbia and booking to the willamette in minutes at 50 mph for a well armed pick up of the armed wife and her B.o.b

If you havnt throught up a plan to leave notes or have pick up meet locations you might want to start on some.

 

[Bushman]

When I lived in an apartment and had very little gear, my plan was to bug out with what I had.

Now that I own my own home etc. the plan is to bug in. There are very few circumstances where I would bug out, VERY few. I'm prepared for it, but bugging out makes you a refuge. I'd rather stay and defend. If I get killed in the process, well, I will take a few with me.

 

[AMProducts]

It sounds like what you're trying to develop here are a set of SOPs, or at least the nucleus thereof. Which is something I encourage, as a well-drilled SOP will make crisis situations that much easier to deal with. The SOPs I work off bear some similarity to your bullet list, individual gear, group gear, vehicle gear/plans, short/long duration plans, comms plans, etc.

Your SOP should contain the circumstances under which it becomes active. For example, your family meet up SOP may say "in case of major emergency or disturbance: eg. earthquake, riot, wildfire, power outage" and your SOP should detail how each situation may affect your execution, and should detail your primary and secondary meet up points. If you are going to try to communicate with your loved ones, how you will do so (e-mail, web page, SMS, ham or GMRS/FRS radio etc).

I highly recommend, regardless of your technical preparation that you have a communications plan. Even if your plan is based on the telephone, have phone # of out of state residents, friends or family in the SOP, perhaps print a business card that has the numbers and give it to each family member, including your kids. If you use radio, plan frequencies and PL tones, have primaries as well as fall-back frequencies, learn how to use any radios you own intimately. If you can communicate, it makes everything easier, just remember when you were a kid and you got lost at the supermarket, and you or your mom would go up to the front, and the person there would say "would .... come to the front, the rest of your party is waiting" over the loud speaker? Being able to communicate will save a lot of time.

You should also have an SOP that deals with going to the store before an anticipated emergency (snow storm, etc), which foods to buy, and which foods to avoid. If there are certain food items that people are allergic to, or simply won't eat, it's better not to buy them. This should also be done as a team, have two people in the car, and two people to do the shopping. The driver moves the car when the shoppers are coming out, the other person helps them load, and you all get out quick. It doesn't take much to practice this.

Your SOPs should cover how and where to setup camp, what jobs need to get done, and who can do them (I'll set up the tent if you will go gather wood, or get water), you can usually have mom and the kids gather wood and pinecones while you do the heavy lifting of camp setup. You should also have plans for establishing a latrine, a shower and a cooking area. These all should be addressed by your SOPs, if you have specific gear that isn't intuitive to operate like a stove, a water heater or water pump, this should be included in it's own SOP.

I said before, communication is important, and saves a lot of time, it also saves a lot of frustration, and SOPs are a very good way of communicating goals and intent to others, in the end the time you save may mean lives saved as well.

 

[PolishedBrass]

Nice Reply.

The Comm systems I have are as follows:

BaoFeng UV-5R with high db gain antennas. (Best Bang for the money)
Motorolla i355 Cell phones (For their off grid milspec coded communications capabilities. 15 Mile max walkies with the extra high db vehicle and carry antennas. Line of sight.)
Grundig World band receiver. Weather band radio.
Police radio.
CB handhelds with Side Side band chip.
Radar detector for roadblock advanced notice.
All the extra batteries charging gear, misc frs etc etc.

I had better gear but sold it at the end of it's tech lifecycle. (Still superior ... but what I have works. Except I don't have quad band directionals anymore. They could get you 20 miles. Line of sight.)

It sounds like a lot but is quite portable in 2 carry cases.


PolishedBrass

It sounds like what you're trying to develop here are a set of SOPs, or at least the nucleus thereof. Which is something I encourage, as a well-drilled SOP will make crisis situations that much easier to deal with. The SOPs I work off bear some similarity to your bullet list, individual gear, group gear, vehicle gear/plans, short/long duration plans, comms plans, etc.

Your SOP should contain the circumstances under which it becomes active. For example, your family meet up SOP may say "in case of major emergency or disturbance: eg. earthquake, riot, wildfire, power outage" and your SOP should detail how each situation may affect your execution, and should detail your primary and secondary meet up points. If you are going to try to communicate with your loved ones, how you will do so (e-mail, web page, SMS, ham or GMRS/FRS radio etc).

I highly recommend, regardless of your technical preparation that you have a communications plan. Even if your plan is based on the telephone, have phone # of out of state residents, friends or family in the SOP, perhaps print a business card that has the numbers and give it to each family member, including your kids. If you use radio, plan frequencies and PL tones, have primaries as well as fall-back frequencies, learn how to use any radios you own intimately. If you can communicate, it makes everything easier, just remember when you were a kid and you got lost at the supermarket, and you or your mom would go up to the front, and the person there would say "would .... come to the front, the rest of your party is waiting" over the loud speaker? Being able to communicate will save a lot of time.

You should also have an SOP that deals with going to the store before an anticipated emergency (snow storm, etc), which foods to buy, and which foods to avoid. If there are certain food items that people are allergic to, or simply won't eat, it's better not to buy them. This should also be done as a team, have two people in the car, and two people to do the shopping. The driver moves the car when the shoppers are coming out, the other person helps them load, and you all get out quick. It doesn't take much to practice this.

Your SOPs should cover how and where to setup camp, what jobs need to get done, and who can do them (I'll set up the tent if you will go gather wood, or get water), you can usually have mom and the kids gather wood and pinecones while you do the heavy lifting of camp setup. You should also have plans for establishing a latrine, a shower and a cooking area. These all should be addressed by your SOPs, if you have specific gear that isn't intuitive to operate like a stove, a water heater or water pump, this should be included in it's own SOP.

I said before, communication is important, and saves a lot of time, it also saves a lot of frustration, and SOPs are a very good way of communicating goals and intent to others, in the end the time you save may mean lives saved as well.

 

[nwdrifter]

Comm systems covered and in an emp proof box. Walkie talkies in each bug out bag,

Then again my prepper score was a 90 so I got alot covered. Well covered if i bug in, if i cant take it all with me on a bug out that would suck.

 

[Kevinkris]

found some awesome and cheap carabiners at fred meyers this morning. hardened steel, rated at 510 lbs, $2 each (picked up 2). made for linking chain, youll find them in hardware. great alternative to buying climbers carabiners, unless you keep climbing gear of course. all the same they would make great utility pulleys, clasps and many other uses. if you havnt picked up some that can hold some real weight, you should check em out. still wouldnt use em for climbing unless you really needed to.

Comm systems covered and in an emp proof box.

a good way to protect you stuff like this guys, put them in a container lined with a fine copper mess. a couple layers of it will do great, otherwise you will spend a hefty price for a box like that.

 

[AMProducts]

I try not to get to spun up about people and their "emp proof" boxes... if you want to know if something is EMP proof, turn your radio on, stand outside it with another radio and transmit. If the radio inside the box starts talking, it's a lousy "emp proof" box.

The Baofeng is a great radio... it doesn't do everything i want, but for the price it's damn near the perfect radio. I use it a lot more than my VX7 I paid all that money for. (The VX7 is quad band though... but it's package size sucks)

Another radio you may want to check out are the bowman/PRC-343/H4855 PRR, it's a 2.4ghz DS-FH radio, I found some at a surplus store a while back, low power for close in tactical use (~1000y) takes 2 AA batteries, is waterproof etc. Can be found on ebay for about $100.

The one thing I havn't quite settled on yet is a decent HF rig. The new prices for these things are fairly insane, and the used prices are equally insane. It's quite frustrating really... for the money, I may as well fork out a few thousand extra and get the radio I really want.

 

[Hook686]

A human in order to survive needs:

food, clothing, shelter, a source of energy and a means to protect same.

What works for you is up to you, but you will need those categories filled in order to survive.

 

[erudne]

Shelter
Water
Food
Security
Not necessarily in that order