Putting Together a Bug out Bag (72 Hour Kit, Aka the BOB)

Putting Together a Bug Out Bag (72 Hour Kit, aka the BOB) Presented by Jack Spirko Modern Survivalism What It Is, What It Isn’t It Is Not This It Is More Like This The Bug Out Bag – What Is It The Bug Out Bag is also known as the 72 Hour Kit. It is designed to support an individual for a minimum period of 3 days as far as basic comfort, sanitation and consumption needs. The Bug Out Bag – What It Is Not The Bug Out Bag is NOT a combat pack designed to support you for an indefinite period of time while you fight a Red Dawn style war. It also can NOT provide you with everything you want or the ability to live like you are still in your air-conditioned living room, drinking a cold beer and playing Nintendo Wii. Nor do I consider it a “wilderness survival kit”. The Bug Out Bag – Why You Need One Put simply you need a bug out bag because some times things simply do not go the way we have them planned. Some Reasons You Might Have to Bug Out If you have seen it once you will probably see it again. • Forest Fires • Flooding • Earthquakes • Nuclear Accidents • Hurricanes • Hazardous Material Release • Riots • Volcanic Activity • Ice Storms • Terrorist Activity • Pandemic • Landslides • Tsunamis • Long Term Black Outs Please Understand – If you are given an evacuation order and ignore it you are considered “own your own” by authorities. The Bug Out Bag – What Makes a Good Bag • Rugged • Modular (nice to have) • Hands Free Carry • Able to Lash Items to It • Does Not Exceed Carrying Capacity The Core • Built on Dave Canterbury's 5 C’s of Survivability • Cutting Tool • Cordage • Combustion – (sure fire) • Container – (must be steel) • Cover The Basics • Clothing (for 3 days, not like a vacation!) • Food • Water (ability to purify water, you can’t carry enough) • Wet Weather Clothing (can save your life) • Duct Tape (if you can’t fix it with duct tape you can’t fix it in the field) • A Good Flash Light And Batteries • Radio – (solar/crank is fine but it better take batteries too) • Sanitation Kit and a FAK – First Aid Kit, Medicines, Etc. • Wool Blanket • Bags – 2-4 Contractor Bags and 4 Zip Lock Gallon Bags • Self Defense - At least one “non lethal option” • Maps Specific Items and Recommendations • Food – Pack anything you like that stores well and is easy to prepare but Mountain House, etc. is hard to beat. • Water – Filters are great but boiling is the only guarantee and you only have to boil water for ZERO seconds. • Also carry as much water as you can, you can’t be guaranteed to find a source to purify. The Core – Cutting Tool (Tools) Your Knife is Your Life! I carry three cutting tools at all times as part of my EDC. In My BOB I include an additional knife, a machete and a hatchet. A cutting tool is the most complicated tool to improvise, it can build any other thing you need, there is no such thing as too much cutting redundancy. The Core – Combustion Device Fire is your friend, it can cook food, it can keep your warm, it can signal for help, it can increase moral, it can be used to make tools. In ancient history a fire maker was a prominent member of any society. Fire is “energy” and is something you do not want to be without, ever. The Core – Cordage Next to a cutting tool cordage is the most difficult item to improvise especially in quantity. With a cutting tool and cordage you can make shelter, set traps, catch fish, make nets, make just about anything. You can carry 100 feet of cordage with almost no weight. Tarred line beats parachute cord 6 ways from Sunday. The Core – Container While urban, suburban and even rural areas are almost always littered with containers it is something to important to go without. Entire civilazations have been built around containers, they are that important. You must be able to boil water and cook in at least one container that you carry. The Core – Cover With a good cover you can improvise a tent, stay dry, create a “warm hole” build a lean-to, use it as a blanket, use it as a bag to carry items and about a million other uses. While a tent is ideal it may not always be practical. You can even heat MREs on a good canvas cover like a GI Shelter Half. I say go with heavy canvas as an option. Wet Weather Gear When it comes to wet weather gear I really like “Frogg Toggs”. They are light weight, keep you dry, come in any color pattern you can think of and are affordable. They also won’t make you sweat your brains out. Flashlight I prefer a metal body tactical style light in a compact form factor. Such as the Coleman Max WRB Light. I also like Maglite, Victorinox and many others, buy what you want just make sure it is quality, long battery life and compact Radio I own at Grundig FR200 and LOVE it. It is no longer made the Eton FR250 (SW) and FR300 (NOAA) are the replacements. They will also charge your cell phone but I have been less then impressed by such devices. In this case though it does “work”. Radio The Eton Raptor and Scorpion are also both good radios but do not allow the use of replaceable batteries. I own both but see them as a redundancy not a primary radio. Remember there is nothing wrong with a simple portable radio. Non Lethal Self Defense When you only have a hammer every problem looks like a nail and bullets do not have a back button. I recommend you get a CCP if possible and carry a gun but keep at least one non lethal option on your person in and you BOB. Pepper Spray is your best option. Check local laws! The Nice to Have’s • Fishing Kit, Snare Wire, Etc. • Small Tool Kit • Leatherman or Similar • Hatchet, Axe, Tomahawk or Machete • Hammock • Sleeping Pad • Sleeping Bag • Pens, Paper Pads, Etc. • GPS • Stove – (wood is great, fuel based stoves have limitations) • Alcohol (Yes the kind you can drink) The Most Important Elements • A positive mindset of I WILL SURVIVE • Knowledge of the situation • Proper planning and forethought • A set of skills that allow you to adapt and over come • Flexibility • Constant Situational Awareness • A Belief that what YOU do matters.

Load more