Different bug out bag ideas

[longautotech]

I have been putting my bags together but one question would be how big, I like the idea of a small back pack you can only fit about 2 days supplies in it but its light weight and easy to grab and won't take a lot of work to carry for any one. But if I go bigger to a 4-6 day pack with some more equipment it is more long term it becomes a little more bulky and would take a lot more effort and only people with the endurance would be able to manage it easily. It would weight about 50-75 pounds verses 25 but is it worth it.

[bacpacker]

It really all depends on what the bag is for. In my set up, I have a large butt pack with shoulder straps. I can carry enough for about 3 very sparce days. It's intended use is for get me home from work. It's about 35 miles and I expect to take 2 days+ to make the trip.

For a longer trip, bigger packs would be called for.

[Ken]

I have been putting my bags together but one question would be how big, I like the idea of a small back pack you can only fit about 2 days supplies in it but its light weight and easy to grab and won't take a lot of work to carry for any one. But if I go bigger to a 4-6 day pack with some more equipment it is more long term it becomes a little more bulky and would take a lot more effort and only people with the endurance would be able to manage it easily. It would weight about 50-75 pounds verses 25 but is it worth it.

How big? That's a question that only you can answer. It's kinda' like asking what size shoes you should buy. The proper size is what works for you.

We have lots of threads here that discuss bag size, contents, etc. Try using our search function.

You can start here: http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-What-are-they

[hunter63]

I try not to get locked into a "one bag" situation......but rather prefer building on a complete system.....from pockets to pick up truck

One bag no matter how big is gonna satisfy every situation.

What is the purpose of your bug out?.....Who will be Bugging Out?...What level of experience and tolerance is to be expected?

[crashdive123]

As others have said - you need to find out what works for you.

What are you most likely to bug out from (fire, flood, hurricane, meth lab, rail car derailment, etc)

Where are you most likely to but out to (woods, motel 6, relatives)

How long will you be bugged out (day, days, week, longer)

To answer those questions you really need to do a threat assessment. Potential threats to me might be totally different that to you. Here are some good links with some planning tools.

http://safezonellc.com/personalzone5_2.html

http://safezonellc.com/personalzone5_1.html

[rezmut]

I figured I'd give you the answer that I came up with to the same problem-I have a Swissgear pack that has an open space that looks like it was made to stuff a coat into-I use it to hold my smaller bag(a mountainsmith shoulder bag)-works great for me.

[Rick]

Think modular so that everything from your basic survival kit can be rolled into your final bug out bag. Whatever you use I agree with others it has to work for you and your family. A 75 pound pack would be strapped to the tank and would NEVER see my shoulders......ever.

[longautotech]

Thank you for the advice , the kit would be for mainly until I could make sure my family is OK and meet up with them some where in event of major disaster in mine or their area, they are both around 450 miles away and a 75 pound pack would have 4-6 days worth of food 3 changes of clothing warm weather, coldwealther and moderate and every thing needed to to accomplish accessing them and provide food along the way for my self and others if necessary and also about 200 rounds of amunition for my main weapon. ,2 pots. Hatchet/tactical tomahawk ,knives cleaning kit, first aid kit/medic kit, sowing kit and sleeping bag. Water proof jacket and tarp. 80 ft of 3/8 rope. Fishing rod and gear.water 1.5gal and treatment pills and maps. A 25 lb kit is 3 days food 100rounds ammo clothes .5gal water, fishing gear, tactical tomahawk and maps and a pot.

[Stairman]

IMO 75 lbs is way too heavy. I like muliple bags so things are easier to find. They can be all bungied and boltsnapped together and mine are designed for 3 days. Any longer and Ill need food. In winter I have my bulk layers, gloves etc in a separate pack that I take out in spring and add my summer bag with bugsuit, netting, repellents and snake gaitors. The other packs items are muti seasonal.

[greatgoogamooga]

Thank you for the advice , the kit would be for mainly until I could make sure my family is OK and meet up with them some where in event of major disaster in mine or their area, they are both around 450 miles away and a 75 pound pack would have 4-6 days worth of food 3 changes of clothing warm weather, coldwealther and moderate and every thing needed to to accomplish accessing them and provide food along the way for my self and others if necessary and also about 200 rounds of amunition for my main weapon. ,2 pots. Hatchet/tactical tomahawk ,knives cleaning kit, first aid kit/medic kit, sowing kit and sleeping bag. Water proof jacket and tarp. 80 ft of 3/8 rope. Fishing rod and gear.water 1.5gal and treatment pills and maps. A 25 lb kit is 3 days food 100rounds ammo clothes .5gal water, fishing gear, tactical tomahawk and maps and a pot.

If they are 450 miles away, how will you get there? What terrain/environment will you be travelling through? Do you need all of that where you are going?

Goog

[hunter63]

How far have you hiked with a 75 pound pack?.....a quick turn around the neighborhood is a real eye opener....or ball buster.
Keep doint it till you see what you can carry.

I think I would get rid of what ever clothes you don need "at the time'....I have a go everywhere bag that stays packed mostly basics and clothes, but change it out with the seasons......it's heavy.....a BOB would have a spare socks and undies, wear one wash one.

[aflineman]

Thank you for the advice , the kit would be for mainly until I could make sure my family is OK and meet up with them some where in event of major disaster in mine or their area, they are both around 450 miles away and a 75 pound pack would have 4-6 days worth of food 3 changes of clothing warm weather, coldwealther and moderate and every thing needed to to accomplish accessing them and provide food along the way for my self and others if necessary and also about 200 rounds of amunition for my main weapon. ,2 pots. Hatchet/tactical tomahawk ,knives cleaning kit, first aid kit/medic kit, sowing kit and sleeping bag. Water proof jacket and tarp. 80 ft of 3/8 rope. Fishing rod and gear.water 1.5gal and treatment pills and maps. A 25 lb kit is 3 days food 100rounds ammo clothes .5gal water, fishing gear, tactical tomahawk and maps and a pot.

I have about half that far to get home from work every week. I have a BOB at the trailer, and a smaller one in the car. The BOB from the trailer would also go in the car, if I had to make my way home. The BOB from the car is a nice Kelty pack that I have used for hiking and hunting before. I know how it carries. That being said, all would get severely paired down if I had to walk a large portion of the way.
Much of my stuff is things I use hiking and hunting, so I know how it will work. I have a mix of MREs, freeze dried, and canned stuff available, and have eaten all of it at one time or another, so I know what I like, and what agrees with me. Walking, most of the MREs would be stripped out, and mainly freez dried would be carried. A 30# to 35# pack is all I really want to carry, and that would include a good amount of water. I can go lighter in times of year whan I know water is readily available along my routes.
One thing to keep in mind on a 400+ (or any bug out route for that matter) is driving or walking the many different ways home. Accessible ways home for me vary with the season and weather. I have many bridges to cross, so knowing first hand ways around (not just from looking at a map) is a good thing. I try and take a a different way home a couple of times a month (especially during hunting season). Takes longer, but has been an eye opener a few times (Snow in July).

[finallyME]

Thank you for the advice , the kit would be for mainly until I could make sure my family is OK and meet up with them some where in event of major disaster in mine or their area, they are both around 450 miles away and a 75 pound pack would have 4-6 days worth of food 3 changes of clothing warm weather, coldwealther and moderate and every thing needed to to accomplish accessing them and provide food along the way for my self and others if necessary and also about 200 rounds of amunition for my main weapon. ,2 pots. Hatchet/tactical tomahawk ,knives cleaning kit, first aid kit/medic kit, sowing kit and sleeping bag. Water proof jacket and tarp. 80 ft of 3/8 rope. Fishing rod and gear.water 1.5gal and treatment pills and maps. A 25 lb kit is 3 days food 100rounds ammo clothes .5gal water, fishing gear, tactical tomahawk and maps and a pot.

That is a LOT of stuff. The difference between a 2 day bag and a 6 day bag should be the amount of food carried......that's it. A days worth of food should be about a pound and a half.

[Rick]

450 miles is less than 8 hours travel time unless it's all back roads. Even a major disaster such as a hurricane would put you pretty close by vehicle.

I would bet good money you won't make it in 6 days walking with a 75 pound pack even if it's flatland. Besides, unless you have the ability to communicate with them you have no assurance they will be there when you arrive no matter how long it takes. Buses began evacuating residents from New Orleans within hours of the 3rd landfall.

[GreatUsername]

I have been putting my bags together but one question would be how big, I like the idea of a small back pack you can only fit about 2 days supplies in it but its light weight and easy to grab and won't take a lot of work to carry for any one. But if I go bigger to a 4-6 day pack with some more equipment it is more long term it becomes a little more bulky and would take a lot more effort and only people with the endurance would be able to manage it easily. It would weight about 50-75 pounds verses 25 but is it worth it.

My feeling is that if it gets much bigger than 30, MAYBE 40 pounds of gear total if you're a big guy like me, you're going to see diminishing returns on effort put in. The idea of actually "bugging-out" requires mobility. If you want more than 30-40 lbs you're looking at taking a vehicle for mobility. If you plan on walking or biking, you've got to cut down a lot on weight. Remember that for most bug-out situations, a small bag with a gun, some food and first aid, a sleeping bag and a thick wad of cash is all you need, because most of the time you'll be going to Aunt Thema's house the next state over, or buying what you need once you get out of the disaster zone. Almost every disaster you ever encounter will not involve "running to the woods" (if you want to actually survive the disaster, that is). Look at the type of disasters you are likely to encounter where you'd actually try to "bug-out" : natural disasters where your hometown is no longer liveable, but you can find solace someplace else. Running to the woods really doesn't make sense for most disasters, because in any case where bugging out to civilization outside the disaster zone isn't an option, it would make more sense to bug-in-place than run off to the wilderness and starve or die of exposure.

Basically, bugging out is another term for "becoming a refugee in a way that is comfortable."

If you're looking at total societal breakdown or something, your two best options are to bug in place with a heavy set of supplies, food, weapons, and loyal friends and family to help you keep them, or to run off to some location outside the city, then bug in place there. Running around like Mad Max is a good way to get killed. The people who survived the Balkans Wars and other situations where there are no nearby places receiving refugees and no emergency services to take care of them were the people who consolidated supplies and security as fast as they could, dug in, laid low, and waiting things out in place. For this reason, remember that bug-out-bags are for natural disasters only, and plan accordingly.

[longautotech]

Thankyou for the ideas I will probably consolidate it to 50#s . my thoughts were I wouldn't need to make it in 6 days that is just the pre packed food hunt and gather other food. But also in a bad situation 2-3 days of back roads and a 3 day hike would put me at home. Where my family members are located there ain't nowhere to bus them 75 pounds would also support more people if needed. And I would rather trade or dump stuff I don't need than need it and think, I was going to pack that but it was to much weight.

[hunter63]

My feeling is that if it gets much bigger than 30, MAYBE 40 pounds of gear total if you're a big guy like me, you're going to see diminishing returns on effort put in. The idea of actually "bugging-out" requires mobility. If you want more than 30-40 lbs you're looking at taking a vehicle for mobility. If you plan on walking or biking, you've got to cut down a lot on weight. Remember that for most bug-out situations, a small bag with a gun, some food and first aid, a sleeping bag and a thick wad of cash is all you need, because most of the time you'll be going to Aunt Thema's house the next state over, or buying what you need once you get out of the disaster zone. Almost every disaster you ever encounter will not involve "running to the woods" (if you want to actually survive the disaster, that is). Look at the type of disasters you are likely to encounter where you'd actually try to "bug-out" : natural disasters where your hometown is no longer liveable, but you can find solace someplace else. Running to the woods really doesn't make sense for most disasters, because in any case where bugging out to civilization outside the disaster zone isn't an option, it would make more sense to bug-in-place than run off to the wilderness and starve or die of exposure.

Basically, bugging out is another term for "becoming a refugee in a way that is comfortable."

If you're looking at total societal breakdown or something, your two best options are to bug in place with a heavy set of supplies, food, weapons, and loyal friends and family to help you keep them, or to run off to some location outside the city, then bug in place there. Running around like Mad Max is a good way to get killed. The people who survived the Balkans Wars and other situations where there are no nearby places receiving refugees and no emergency services to take care of them were the people who consolidated supplies and security as fast as they could, dug in, laid low, and waiting things out in place. For this reason, remember that bug-out-bags are for natural disasters only, and plan accordingly.

Great post....can't give ya rep...says I need to spread it around.

[hunter63]

Thankyou for the ideas I will probably consolidate it to 50#s . my thoughts were I wouldn't need to make it in 6 days that is just the pre packed food hunt and gather other food. But also in a bad situation 2-3 days of back roads and a 3 day hike would put me at home. Where my family members are located there ain't nowhere to bus them 75 pounds would also support more people if needed. And I would rather trade or dump stuff I don't need than need it and think, I was going to pack that but it was to much weight.

What ever you decise to do....Maybe pack it all up and go for a hike.....This will give you an example of what to expect.

[greatgoogamooga]

Thankyou for the ideas I will probably consolidate it to 50#s . my thoughts were I wouldn't need to make it in 6 days that is just the pre packed food hunt and gather other food. But also in a bad situation 2-3 days of back roads and a 3 day hike would put me at home. Where my family members are located there ain't nowhere to bus them 75 pounds would also support more people if needed. And I would rather trade or dump stuff I don't need than need it and think, I was going to pack that but it was to much weight.

When thinking about what to carry, remember the rule of 3's. You can go 3 min without air, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. You should carry water, not food. Carry as much air as you want

Goog

[Rick]

Where my family members are located there ain't nowhere to bus them

You missed the point on that one. The folks bused out of New Orleans wound up in Texas, Florida, Indiana, S. Carolina....you name it. There's plenty of places to bus your folks to.