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Among survivalists it’s called a “Go Bag” or “Bug Out Bag”, or just “BOB”, but no matter what you call it, it could be you most essential piece of survival gear.
It is basically a large survival kit that’s filled with everything you need to survive during and after a disaster. Your Bug Out Bag allows you to quickly grab what you need should be forced to get out of dodge in a hurry.
FEMA and the other preparedness agencies of the world will tell you that your Bug Out Bag should have enough supplies to last for at least 72-hours. Since most major disasters will disrupt services and your normal life for a lot longer than three days, it’s best if you have stuff in your Bug Out Bag that will get you by for longer than that. There is, however, only so much you can carry, but The official US Army Survival Manual says even the smallest survival kit, if properly prepared, is invaluable when faced with a survival problem.
Your Bug Out Bag should be packed and ready, and easily accessible whenever you should need it. You may want to keep your Bug Out Bag in your car, or your designated “Bug Out” vehicle. Each family member should have their own Bug Out Bag stocked with the baseline essentials, and other more specific items based on their age, gender, and other personal needs.
You need to take your Bug Out Bag with you when hiking, camping and traveling by boat, or any other means of transportation where you may wind up in a survival situation.
How much equipment you put in your kit depends on how you will carry the kit. A kit carried on your body will have to be smaller than one carried in a vehicle. Always layer your Bug Out Bag, keeping the most important items on your body. For example, your knife and compass should always be on your body – or in the most readily accessible pockets of your Bug Out Bag.
Make sure your Bug Out Bag is built to fit your needs; some people may need items that are not on this list.
Additional Items
Even the best of kits should never be considered “complete.”
The above outline and details are intended to provide you with the Bug Out Bag “baseline essentials”. You will want to customize your Bag to your individual size and physical abilities. You also will want to personalize with individual toiletry or other personal items for men, women, and children etc.
Some additional items you may want to include are:
It is recommended that you only include weapons in your Bug Out Bag, if the situation you are going into dictates it, and only if you have been properly trained in their use. A folding “survival rifle” like the AR-7 used by the US Air Force is a great Bug Out Bag firearm.
If you are talking about a “survival rifle” in its most literal sense of the word, then it has to be lightweight and easily mobile. At the same time it must have enough firepower to be capable of procuring food, or to offer you protection against a hostile threat.
In my experience there is none better at that than the AR-7. The AR-7 made by Henry Arms is the civilian available version of the famous U.S. Air Force “floating survival rifle.” The components of the AR-7 break down, and all fit into the waterproof stock of the weapon; it becomes small enough to carry in your Bug Out Bag. It is a favorite of bush pilots, boaters, and outdoorsman the world over. It is chambered for .22 long rifle ammo, making the ammunition cheap and plentiful. You can get 500 rounds of .22L for under 20.00. The action is semi-auto, and it takes an 8 round magazine, two of which also fit into the stock. It is ideal to have in your Bug Out Bag for picking off squirrels, rabbits or other small game, and in the hands of a good shooter, adequate for self-defense in an emergency situation. The whole weapon is as light as a feather weighing only 2.5lbs. It will float both when collapsed and when fully assembled. This rifle is also inexpensive and goes for anywhere from $150 used to $250 for the new ones.
Tips and Takeaways
The Right Knife
Ever since the movie “Rambo” came out, everybody thinks a “Survival Knife” is this huge piece of steel, with a hollow handle to hold a survival kit. It looks cool in the movies, and you can find them all over the internet. But that’s exactly where they should stay – in the movies and on your computer screens – not in your survival pack!
First of all, that hollow metal or plastic handle that you think is so spiffy is only held on with a simple nut or even a small dab of epoxy glue in the real cheap examples! They can easily break under the kind of abuse a real survival knife needs to be built to take. And about the stuff in that handle – yes it is good stuff to have, but what happens if you lose the knife? Now you are down both a knife, and a bunch of useful supplies! You would be better off carrying the water-proof matches, fishing line, etc. that is concealed in the handle, in your pocket, or a small personal kit, or other container.
Remember the purpose of a knife in your Bug Out Bag is not to be a weapon, but a tool, and you want a knife that was best designed for that purpose, and nothing else. You need to look for a knife that is a “full tang.” This is also sometimes called a “one piece” or “integrated design.”
Stick to name brands in knives or machetes like SOG or Gerber. You will never hear a complaint from someone who spent top-dollar on a survival blade; you probably won’t hear at all from someone who didn’t!
How to Use A Compass
A compass is a Bug Out Bag essential, but it won’t do you squat if you don’t know how to use it, and chances are – you don’t.
Forget more completed orienteering type “map” compasses, they are too complicated for the average user, and are designed for sophisticated navigation. You just don’t want to get lost. A good simple camping style pocket compass can be your best friend in a survival situation, and requires no special skills to use. Here’s how to use a basic compass.
Proper Position for Holding Your Compass
Last Word
Your Bug Out Bag is critically important, but only as a vital tool that will help you survive. Never forget that YOU are still your best and most ULTIMATE survival tool. It is your confidence, your skills, your knowledge, and your will to survive that will be the biggest determining factor of whether you will make it or not.
By James Durr
Contributor of www.MyFamilySurvivalPlan.com
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