Security Whip

I’ve carried a bug-out-bag  (BOB) with me for years now, so you would think that it would be an easy topic to write about, on the contrary it’s a very complicated subject.  I guess that’s why you see numerous articles across the Internet from people asking what a bug-out-bag is, what the contents should be, and do I really need one.  To make the subject even more complicated people use a myriad of different names for bug-out-bags, such as, Bail Out Bags, Ditch Kit, Go Bag, 72 hr kit, Get Home Bag, Every Day Carry (EDC), Get Out Of Dodge. (G.O.O.D) and the list goes on.

In its simplest form, a bug-out-bag is literally a bag of emergency supplies/gear that “you” believe would sustain you in an emergency situation or catastrophic event to get you from point A to point B.  Is a bug-out-bag going to save your life, maybe, maybe not? I don’t know if I’ve read where a person stated that a bug-out-bag absolutely saved his or her life.  Nonetheless, in the event of an emergency if you have a bug-out-bag I can almost guarantee you, that you will be more prepared than 99% of the other individuals in the same situation. You will also have a psychological advantage as well, so while the majority of people may be frantic because they are unprepared, you able are to move in a confident manner because you took the time to prepare.

So what’s my philosophy on bug-out-bags? When I design and build bug-out-bags I build urban bags.  The reason is quite simply, I live in the suburbs and need to get from the city back to the burbs or from the burbs to my bug out location.  In either event, I’m not heading off to the woods, so my bags will consist of items for that particular task.  My bags will look like any other bag, I want to blend into the crowd and be just another brick in wall.

Sit down and think about your average day and where you spend the majority of your time.  For me, I spend the most time in my home, driving in my vehicle and at work.  In reality I spend about as much time away from my home as I do in it.  So, it might make sense to have a bug-out-bag located in your vehicle, your place of work, and your home. For some that might not be practical, it may be better to carry one bag to each of your locations.  This is totally up to you, but its something to consider.

So what’s inside a bug-out-bag? I promise, that no two people will agree on the contents of a bug-out-bag. Why? Because each one of us has different opinions on what’s important and each of our situations is different based on things such as location, geography, personal needs, where we are going, etc.  Having said that, I do believe that most people (not all) will agree on certain “core” elements of a bug-out-bag. After you obtain your core items what you add after that is entirely up to you.

Core items should include the following:

• Light
• Fire
• Communications
• Navigation
• Water
• Food
• Clothing
• Signaling
• Shelter
• Tools
• First Aid
• Money

*You will notice right off the bat that I did not add a weapon to the core elements.  From a security and liability stand point; this bag will generally be lying around possibly unattended or in a vehicle, so it’s probably not a wise idea to keep a weapon in the bag. But, here again this is entirely up to you.

You can easily buy pre-made kits off of the Internet to get you started, but I personally prefer to build my own kits from scratch. The problem I have with pre-made kits is, how can a whole survival kit cost only $40 bucks when you can’t even purchase a good backpack for less than $100 now days.  It just doesn’t add up.  Plus, in the event that a disaster does strike, I don’t want to have to guess if my equipment will work or stand up to harsh conditions.  A bug-out-bag should be something like an investment.

The main things that I consider when building a bug-out-bag:

1.  Weight

2.  Durability

3.  Cost

You will inevitable have a number of problems related to an emergency situation and the weight of you bug-out-bag is going to top your list, not at first mind you, but later when you become exhausted.  To help with this, you need to “field strip” everything in your bag including the bag itself.  Remove anything that is unnecessary to your survival such as packaging surrounding your gear, as an example ITS Tactical has a great video on field striping an MRE.  Don’t stop there, go through your entire bag and do the same with everything in the bag.

What’s in your urban bug-out-bag?

Thanks

Security Guy

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