RE Notes - Bug Out Bag Concepts | 3 Days - 3 Weeks - 3 Months - What Is In My (BOB) A List of Contents

Submitted by Greg Durham
You will find quite a few videos here on my blog about Bug Out Gear, Food Storage, Off The Grid information & Survival. If you're new to this concept of preparing for a disaster scenario don't let people's BOB lists or videos of contents overwhelm you. Some people have been in this preparation mind set for a few years or more now and have given this serious subject some serious thought.  I'll try not to get into the importance of having a BOB in this day and age, after all if you're reading this you have already come to that realization.

To help you keep things in perspective, some have awakened and others still have not due to either ignorance or their belief system. However you have awakened to the FACT that natural or man made disaster has become more intense and much more frequent around our planet. That hasn't got a thing to do with anyone's belief system, that is a fact. It is why your reading this and it is why I've taken the time to actually list the contents of my BOB for you to bookmark for easy reference at any given time. 

Keep in mind, this is my BOB, not yours. Your contents may slightly differ depending on the amount of people, your location, laws, skills or taste. However I can assure you 95% or more of what is in my BOB should absolutely be in your BOB.

So let's get started and let's remember these goals of three. 3 days, 3 weeks & 3 months. When you start to prepare do so in that order and you won't feel so overwhelmed. I'll give you what you need to think about for each time frame and you'll need figure out the amounts depending on just who your prepping for. Yourself, your family, your friends, pets or even strangers you may encounter that haven't prepared are all people you may want or need to account for. After all, most likely they will be watching your back and you will be watching theirs. Not a bad deal for a smile and a Power Bar.

Joplin MO

3 days - This is your classic Bug Out Bag or (BOB). The Large with frame or Medium Alice packs or even my Kelty 3100 or larger works fine for this amount of stuff. If you're going to purchase a backpack it's important to measure your torso length before hand. My BOB typically will have (my minimum) my weapon, extra clips, knife, pepperspray, sling shot, multi-tool, food, water, a way to filter or purify water, water container or canteen with canteen cup & stove, mess kit and or meal kit, utensils, stove, edibles book, bible, dry bag, a change of clothes and smartwool socks...

You must take care of your feet! I can't stress that enough. If you have a good pair of quality broke in hiking boots or hybrids and some smartwool socks, all this other stuff is a cake walk. Consider liners too so there is more friction between the sock and liner and not your skin. You don't need the most expensive just a good quality pair and break them in asap. I prefer all leather, waterproof and no mesh but i'm in the mountains. If they're not broke in properly and you begin to feel hot spots try putting some tape over the hot spot before it heats up to a blister. Your welcome. Lets continue, a jacket, hat, blaze orange bandana, knit & work gloves, poncho, 6x8 tarp, 550 cord, bank line, fire starters, sawvivor, flash light, head lamp, time piece, simple directional compass, thermometer, regular compass, GPS, binoculars, tornado whistle, dust masks, quick dry towel, heavy duty aluminum foil, ziplock bags, local topo, & national map, map case, first aid kit, first aid guide, aspirin, any extra meds or insulin if needed, sunglasses, contacts & solution, handheld CB, scanner, emergency radio, AA batteries, duct tape, camera, silver coins, cash, jewelry, toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, bar of soap and any important papers like deeds, insurance policy's, wills, birth certificates, ss cards, passports etc.. Consider things like a small fishing kit or trotline and hooks, snare wire and even a mouse trap. Don't forget your scavenging and foraging skills will improve or need to improve immensely after a disaster too.

You see the BOB is what will get you through until help arrives typically in 1-3 days, but is also what you need to survive in case your out and about longer than expected, get it? If you live in a city with millions of others like NY, LA, Chicago etc... your BOB contents will be slightly different then if you lived in the suburbs or in the country. 

Depending upon your area, if you have the room or more than yourself consider a bed roll, sleeping bags, a look at different size tents (7.74 lbs) vs tents (2lbs 9oz) maybe some gaiters etc.. How about an entrenching tool, maybe an axe for your bag or to pawn off on someone else. Trust me, if your headed for the woods your going to want an axe as well as that saw... just add a Q-tip and we'll build you a shopping mall. (Spouses & kids make great pack mules) or at least keep these things in your car along with a decent first-aid kit and plenty more water. Believe me, after a disaster you'll love knowing you have a case or two of freeze dried food, Ramen Noodles  or maybe power bars in your car. You can't count on being able to get to your car but you may have a better chance finding your car and it's contents after a disaster than possibly your house and it's contents. See photo. 

No matter where your current location is, the city, the suburbs, the country or mountains and no matter what type of natural or man-made disaster, tornado, earthquake, tsunami or solar storm you simply must have at the very least a PLAN and a Bug Out Bag. For crying out loud Hurricane Season starts in a few days. One more thing, if you don't have a motorcycle or scooter don't ever count on being able to drive out of anywhere before, during or after a disaster. Don't even count on that you're going to make it to any store and on top of that think there will be any supplies left for you to purchase and waltz out into the parking lot like normal. Nothing will be normal at such a time, that ship has sailed! If your in a big city count on grid lock during an evacuation. Even a scooter or moped could save your life and you should be prepared to defend it.


3 Weeks - Now if you're prepping for three weeks or more your prepping for an ELE or a major solar flare.  Basically some event which could disable vehicles and knock out social services for weeks, months or longer. You're also assuming you live in a place where you can stay and you would actually want to stay 3 weeks or more and your home made it through what ever it was with all of it's contents in tact... Along with food and water, store plenty of medical supply's like peroxide, cough/flu medicine, bandages and plenty of ammo too, you're going to need it to use or trade. Remember, no social services means no electricity, no city water, no cops, no phone or cell phone, no hospitals, no grocery store. It's basically you and the neighbors holding down the neighborhood. You're off grid.

3 Months -  If you're thinking along the lines of three months or more then you're home, you have reasoned things out and this is where you will make the best of it. Other than the increase in quantity for stored items to make it to 3 months it's during this time you need to seriously be planning and working toward being able to have complete independence from your storage supply. To sustain yourself and the others that are depending on you beyond that time. Think about seeds and a garden, hunting, trapping, fishing, green energy like solar, hydro and wind etc... it's about location location location. Your location and how you can utilize that particular climate and local resources is key. The only good news I can offer if you made it this far is you're well on your way or you have already achieved being self-reliant and your welcome to be my neighbor any time. 

"I can skin a buck or run a trot line and a country boy can survive." Hank Williams Jr.


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