premade bugout bags?

[The Heretic]

For that price it should include the rifle.

Also, I would suggest an 8 watt Baofeng 2M/70 cm handset instead of the Motorola. At least you could upgrade the antenna as needed and it has other advantages. I supposed the chose the Motorola so people would get in trouble with Ham bands if they weren't licensed.

Or for that matter, a single mode flashlight that only lasts 7 hours on two batteries.

I could probably pick apart a number of other things in the BOB that you could do better if you chose them yourself.

 

[Caveman Jim]

realistically... some of the el-cheapo walmart kits arn't too bad. Compared to a custom kit, they have things that will go unused, and are kinda expensive compared to the custom kit (depending on how custom). Really, to me it sounds like what you want is a duffel bag with 4 solas rations and half a case of water. Maybe with a cheap windbreaker and a box of matches.

To me, the cheapest "ready made kit" is a grocery bag with a gallon of water, and 2 jars of peanut butter.

Xtra crunchy peanut butter!!!!!!!

 

[Sgt Nambu]

The lack of a monkey fist probably accounts for the price difference!

 

[PDX1953]

I'm with Slimmer...I've tried "kits" for a while.

First Aid Kits/IFAKs
Survival Kits
Sewing Kits

All of these companies either cut corners on quality and you'll end up tossing the junk items or you'll pay out the nose for name brand items or from items that you can otherwise find yourself.

If you want, I can send you a list of items that I sent to my Militia guys...it's very link heavy so you can just click and buy directly from the sites (most are from Amazon) or at least gives you an idea what to look for.

*edit*

Our S1 even recently bought a few IFAKs....we ended up having to toss a lot of the items, thus ending up with an overpriced pouch and EMT scissors!

I'd like a copy of the list. I tried to PM you but your inbox is full.

 

[mkwerx]

I just assembled a new overnight / get home / emergency bag. Bugging out is pretty much a non-option for me & mine, at least bugging out in a "lets go live in the woods now" sense. But my work has me going anywhere at a moments notice - in the last couple weeks alone I've been to Astoria a few times, Castle Rock, Kelso, Eugene, Terrabonne, Gold Hill, Bend a couple times and plenty of places in between. The cold weather has spurred me to reinvent my system. That, and the fact that I pretty much ruined my old bag for anything but fishing use since a bottle of shrimp oil that was in the bag on my last fishing excursion leaked it's contents out, saturating the bag...

I've been operating on a limited budget but I've been trying to put the best quality items I could find and afford into it.

I wound up with a made in china bag - but finances didn't allow for "buy american" on this kit.

The bag is a "red rock tactical" or something - I was weighing this bag vs Kelty's lower end offering - and while Kelty is a known and respected bag maker - the zippers on there seemed pretty cheesy and weak, the bag itself was only a couple compartments and would've been a mess for organization, and it came down to price and perceived quality. I didn't really want a military looking bag - but it's what I wound up with. It's a 22 liter bag, IIRC. It's got two small outer compartments, a full size but shallow middle compartment, and a roomy main compartment with a full length zipper that allows the bag to fold open like a split clam shell, and that compartment further has a nylon mesh pouch on one side that is full size, which is nice for stuffing a fleece vest into. plus a thin full length map pocket behind that. The back has air vents and channels molded in. My biggest complaints are the shoulder straps which are spaced a bit narrow for my sasquatch frame (but all the bags in my price range were like that...) and the shoulder straps themselves have a nice wide padded portion, but then the nylon straps at the bottom are only 1" - would've prefered 1.5" for comfort and load bearing. Also - the strap stitching is box-X, but single stitched. Double stitching would make me feel a bit better. The bag is also a bit heavy - but that's not a big deal for a bag which lives 99% of it's time on/under a truck seat.

In the bag I have:

Main compartment:

2 pair socks
1 pair undies
1 set of polypro long underwear
1 pair work pants (5.11 tac lite pro)
1 sweat wicking t shirt
1 long sleeve light weight moisture wicking shirt
1 fleece vest

Middle compartment:

1 twin size synthetic fleece blanket
3 spare pistol mags tucked in to a small pocket on the inside of this compartment

Small outer compartment (first aid):

5x5 gauze bandages
Large butterfly type band aids
Medical tape
Alcohol wipes
Antibiotic ointment
Burn cream
Ibuprofen
Foot powder

Larger outer compartment (tools & consumables):

1 Mag Lite Mini Mag LED
1 Streamlight pen light
1 small folding knife
Two pair foreceps (wouldn't fit in the small compartment)
Spare batteries
Scissors
N95 dust masks (started carrying those during the fire season last year, I was having probs with all that smoke)
Matches in a waterproof container
Ferro rod
Lighter
Write in the rain notepad
Sharpie
Ball point pen
Foil packs of tuna (eat from the bag, no drain type)
Protein bars
CRKT "EatNTool"

The bag, being tacticoool has lots of PALS webbing. On the outside I slid a small single AA LED light - I think the brand was "River Rock" or "Rock River" (not the same as the gun maker though - it was a $10 target special years ago) and a Gerber EVO Jr folding knife in the webbing next to it.

The bag actually has a decent grab handle on top, so to that I clipped an S biner on, and have a 1 liter stainless steel water bottle attached. There are 4 compression straps on the sides, and the bottle hangs low enough to secure with one of the compression straps.

The bag isn't totally waterproof but there is waterproof rubberized material seemingly used randomly in the larger compartments. The big compartment makes sense - it has the rubber between the contents and your back. The other compartments though - its' on the outsides but it's not all encompassing and isn't in every compartment. They could've foregone all the extra rubberized stuff and saved weight, and used the money per bag to better the shoulder straps and waist belt, which is super cheesy.

I had 90% of the stuff already on hand - in other bags. I purchased the EatNTool on a larf, and have used it once. It makes an OK spoon - but I learned that you can't easily use it to eat large chunks of food, nor does it do noodles. Have not tried out the screw driver or hex wrench features yet. As a do-over, I'd just buy a set of reusable plastic utensils.

There are a few more things I'm going to tweak - the first aid kit is pretty spartan and I want to beef it up, add a tourniquet, and I want to add more water carrying ability via another water bottle.

Some of the pals webbing on the first aid compartment has velcro overlay - so I'm thinking of eventually throwing on a red cross patch to indicate that it's the first aid pouch, in case I'm not the one who has to dig through the bag for whatever reason. I plan on slipping a couple topo maps of the areas I find myself in frequently into the map compartment. Also plan on adding some thick mil garbage bags - they're handy and have quite a few uses.

The stuff in the bag, plus the stuff on my body and a few other things that live in the truck would get me by. I keep rain pants and have an issued rain coat in the truck. They're high visibility items which may or may not be a benefit in the event I have to hoof it. I also keep a spare subdued color fleece jacket in the truck for the days I want a jacket, but not the heavy one. There's also a couple pair of leather work gloves I always have in my vehicles. A big D cell LED mag light if I need it (very bright light, makes an excellent club or hammer too). Machete with a saw back under the passenger seat. Usually have at least one or two extra liters of water stuffed in some cubby in the truck too. Always have a hat and eye protection handy too.

The #1 use for this assemblage of gear is the occasional overnight run I find myself on, or if I have to change clothes without going home. I bought the blanket in the pack a month ago when I found myself on a last minute run to Bend on my Friday. Didn't want to front the cash for a hotel room. Couldn't drive home same day. Stopped in at Freddies and picked up dinner and the blanket. Drove to a nice scenic overlook (at least it's scenic in teh daylight) outside Sisters, ran the heater full bore for a little while to get the cab as hot as I could tolerate, then shut 'er down and curled up on the back seat under the blanket and got some shut eye. It was 33 degrees outside when I went to sleep and 26 when I woke up. I stayed really toasty under that blanket.

I've thought about adding cordage and a tarp - but the tarp would have to be pretty thin to fit in either main compartment, as they're both pretty full. I've also considered that for shelter - a couple contractor grade garbage bags slipped mouth over mouth with a breathin' hole or two slit into one end, with the fleece blanket wrapped around me would make for a likely drier and more compact shelter. The contractor bag could double as a rain poncho, pack cover, or made into a hobo sack if the need arose. And hoofing it is my absolute last ditch option for getting home.

 

[Riot]

Who could go even a single day without a monkey fist? lol

A Monkey's wife...


Couldn't resist...

 

[mjbskwim]

2 pair socks
1 pair undies
1 set of polypro long underwear
1 pair work pants (5.11 tac lite pro)
1 sweat wicking t shirt
1 long sleeve light weight moisture wicking shirt
1 fleece vest

Hmmm,I've read this list 5 times and can't find a 'spare hat' on it.
I read most of the lists,or try,so I can see what I might have missing. One of the most important things,YEAR 'ROUND, is your hats.Summer for shade (after prolonged exposure,,blah blah) and in the winter you have to remember most of your heat loss is thru your head
And mkwerx and other workin' men,when your regular hat is sweaty ,it will get cold after you stop.A spare hat doesn't take much room at all.
OK I'm done scolding everyone this AM

 

[whiskeybill]

When I look at the range of "Bug-out Bags" available, I get pretty amused once the sticker shock wears off. But then, over the years I have likely spent way too much money on "just in case" essentials. Before you run out and buy a ready made bag of any kind, take a look at what you have on hand and maybe build your own.
First aid kits do not have to be extravagant, but you do need one. Always check these for expired common meds such as Advil, Tylenol, etc. You be the judge of what kind of med kit you may need.
You have a compass, and do you know how to use it? Do you have the maps you will likely need? (GPS can fail).
Flint and steel. Get it and keep it in your kit.
Space blanket? Check.
Knife, folding or otherwise. Maybe a hunting knife and a Leatherman.
A "Wyoming Saw". It is a breakdown hunting saw with wood cutting blades, and bone blades. Very useful and compact.
Some kind of MRE's. Again, you be the judge as to what you will need.
Water filtration. For a bug-out kit, keep it simple. Either water purification tablets or a simple filtration bottle.
I have been hunting and an avid outdoorsman for most of my life. I have accumulated a lot of stuff over the years. As a young Boy Scout, I kind of took it serious about "Always Prepared", and that was long before the preppers came along.
I think that if you do a little research on what goes into these bags, and then take stock of your own plunder, you might be surprised on what you can put together on your own.

 

[etrain16]

The lack of a monkey fist probably accounts for the price difference!

I knew my BOB was missing something!

I'll rush out and by my Monkey Fist Jig right away! I prefer 80% Monkey Fists so there is no registration

 

[mkwerx]

Hmmm,I've read this list 5 times and can't find a 'spare hat' on it.
I read most of the lists,or try,so I can see what I might have missing. One of the most important things,YEAR 'ROUND, is your hats.Summer for shade (after prolonged exposure,,blah blah) and in the winter you have to remember most of your heat loss is thru your head
And mkwerx and other workin' men,when your regular hat is sweaty ,it will get cold after you stop.A spare hat doesn't take much room at all.
OK I'm done scolding everyone this AM

You do have a good point. I do usually have a couple ball caps, and one wide billed hat hiding on the dash or under the seat, but throwing in a wool cap into the bag would take up no more room or weight really. Good idea.