But everyone started somewhere, and since you are new to prepping you might not know what a bug-out bag is. That’s an easy fix, and we are going to take care of that in today’s short and sweet article.
The Bug-Out Bag
The Bug-Out Bag (almost always abbreviated “BOB”- prepper’s love acronyms!”) is a piece of luggage, as a rule a backpack but potentially some other kind of bag, that is kept loaded with supplies, equipment, weapons and other goodies for the express purposes of life support if a person ever needs to “bug out,” or in other words flee from their home or shelter to escape imminent danger or a deteriorating situation.
A BOB’s other salient features like material, frame style or lack thereof, coloration and other features are subjects of constant debate among prepping advocates and in fact are mostly dependent on an individual’s objectives and preferences.
The final determination of what is or is not a BOB remains that is kept packed and on standby in the case of a Shit-Hit-The-Fan emergency.
The Two Types of Bug Out Bags
There are two “types” of BOBs, each with their own set of gear: urban bug out bags and rural bug out bags.
Preppers in rural or urban settings have different needs, different survival goals, and different types of disasters they are likely to face. The two biggest differentiating factors between urban and rural scenarios include:
population count the distances one might have to travel BOB Essentials
A BOB is just a backpack if you don’t have it stuffed with the things you need to stay alive in an unforgiving and potentially hostile wilderness environment.
Discussing BOB loads for different needs is a school of prepper philosophy in itself, and one that I and other authors have written about in great detail right here on Survival Sullivan. Be sure and check out our other articles when you are done with this one.
To get you started, below is a quick down-and-dirty list of the things you should be in most BOB’s most of the time. Remember, there is no one-for-all BOB; each one is tailored and tuned to the user’s plans, needs and goals.
Shelter Tent or Tarp Blanket Reflector blanker Sleeping pad Spare Clothing suitable for climate
Exposure is one of the surest and swiftest killers that preppers will have to face, and unless you live in one of only a few ideal climate zones, you’ll need to be ready for it with the things you need to stay warm or cool accordingly. This includes items like clothing and proper shelter and bedding gear like tents, tarps, blankets and potentially sleeping bags.
Food and Water Food Utensils Snacks Water Water vessel Water filter and sterilization gear Beverages
You’ll be burning up calories like a furnace when bugging out, and even if you have ample stores of fat- ahem, solid fuel- around your middle you will still want stable, long lasting and easy to prepare meals and snacks for quick calorie intake and ready energy.
Not for nothing, a decent meal or even a tasty snack is a great morale booster even when you are in the middle of a crisis and some folks, old Tom here included, get cranky or “hangry” if they miss too many servings. You can live for a long time without food but your performance (including your mental performance) will start to degrade.
Water is however an urgent survival requirement, compared to food. You can go a few days without water, tops, and then it is lights out. The real rub is you will be severely debilitated well before you die from dehydration, with both physical and mental effects racking up fast as your water deficit climbs.
You, of course, will want to carry water with you, but water is heavy at around 8 pounds per gallon. To offset this, every BOB will have with it a water filter and water sterilization chemicals to make found water supplies safe to drink.
Fire Starting Stove with fuel Lighters Storm matches Ferro rod or flint and steel
The ability to create fire is not the sole concern of preppers in cold climates. Night time temperatures can plunge even in temperate seasons of warmer climates and if you are exposed outside you’ll be in trouble.
A roaring camp fire can keep you from freezing to death, dry out wet clothing, cook a tasty meal and signal for help.
The ability to create a fire in all weather conditions and using found or carried fuel sources is essential, and no prepper worth their salt will ever carry less than two fire starting methods in even the leanest BOB.
Lighting Flashlights Headlamps Chemlights
Even if you are a suburban or urban prepper, you must assume that power will be out for the duration of your particular event or that you’ll be bugging out to a place with no lights at all.
The ability to generate light on demand and banish the darkness is crucial. To do this, preppers use a variety of flashlights, hands-free headlamps and supplemental light sources like chemlights.
Lights of all kinds are also useful for signaling, marking and communications.
Navigation Maps Compass GPS
When you bug out, you have to know where you are going, how to get there, and where you are. Maps, compasses and hopefully a good GPS if you can afford one (and it still works after the event) will be required to find your way, even if you think you know your local area like the back of your hand.
First aid items Medical Kit Trauma Kit First-Aid Kit Prescription Meds
You’ll have to be the first-responder for yourself and your family or group members when disaster strikes. A fully equipped medical kit and the skills to make use of it should be an inseparable part of your kit.
Self-defense weapons on top of a bug out bag. Tools and Weapons Gun Knife Multi-tool Folding saw Duct Tape Vise-grips
You’ll have plenty of things that need fixing or repairing in the wake of a major disaster, and in the case of human or animal assailants, a few things that need breaking. You’ll need in your BOB the tools to fix and build rudimentary things you need and also defend yourself from an attack.
I highly recommend you check out our article of over 100 bug out bag essentials for more things to add and our top picks.
Other BOB Considerations
Some preppers seek to make their BOBs waterproof or modular in their construction for better flexibility in the field. We have articles covering both concepts for your perusal!
Conclusion
A BOB is your mobile supply room, tool chest, medicine cabinet and armory when the time comes to get out of Dodge. Make sure you take the time to choose and pack one so you are ready to bug out when the SHTF.
The post What Exactly is a Bug-Out Bag? appeared first on Survival Sullivan.
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