Gear Your BOB

What gear do you keep in your BOB that is a not often thought of? Ill start..

 

Unread paperback book. First it's a book, then it's tinder.

 

Did not do all of the things I have done to BO so no BOB Needed. I live here and I will die here one way or the other.

And on a side note, that security guard could really stand to lose a good 50 if not 75 pounds. Seriously he couldn't catch a box turtle.

 

Wonderbar.

It's seen as a burglary tool, and it can be, but it comes in handy for many tasks around the house.

 

Or used to answer nature's call when someone nicks your toilet paper thinking its a big joke. LOL!

@hot diggity A wonderbar (pry bar) is ALWAYS handy. I try to keep one in the truck but the damn things seem to grow legs and walk away never to be seen again!

 

That F-15 that Joe Biden said I'd need..

 

Gorilla Tape, zip ties and a 10k mAH battery brick which can recharge lights and cellphone.

 

The first thing that goes into a BOB is a map with multiple routes to your bug out location. Whut? We don't just run into the woods and eat pinecones and stuff? Before you think about what goes into your BOB make sure you have a BOL that has the resources you need to survive. Most are better off by bugging in.

The bag you do need is a Get Home Bag. You might want a 12 or 24 hour bag you keep at work or in the car you use to commute. Make sure you keep a pair of well worn hiking boots and extra socks in your vehicle. When you travel you need enough capacity for sleeping gear and extra food, so that might be more like a full size backpack. You really also need a bicycle, because walking sucks after 50 miles or so.

What goes in ANY bag? Look up "the ten essentials" first. This is the guide used by backpackers, mountain climbers, and hunters to make sure they have their basic needs met. Keep it light since you need to carry it. Don't depend on electronic gadgets, so paper water treated maps and good old magnetic compasses. A SMALL weather radio is nice. Your cell might mot work depending upon scenario, so consider alternate comms to you can check in on your family or friends. No bright colors on anything, but no military looking stuff either, Stick with greens, greys, blacks and browns that have a harmless civvie look.

Consider a chest pack to hold the stuff you need close at hand like that map and compass, flashlight, pistol, etc..

Don't go too heavy on guns. In real life they are much heavier to carry and draw more attention than they do in survival fiction. Be stealthy and where possible travel under cover and/or at night if the situation is dangerous.

Test your plan. Have somebody drop you off with your gear so you can try making it home. If you insist on the bug out strategy, do the same. Have your partner wake you up at 2AM unexpectedly (because that's the most inconvenient AND likely time you would need to split) and jump into to already prepared bug out vehicle (you need one of them too) and follow the map prepared for the exercise. Have the map doctored so that you have an impasse along your primary route and have to use an alternate. Your test plan might also include a vehicle failure or simulated impassible road condition requiring you to hop on a bicycle or simply hoof it. Do this in all four seasons so you will learn what seasonal adjustments to make for your gear.

I bug in, so to me bugging out means a place I can go to recuperate, rest, and re-arm before returning to kill the sunsabeaches that drove me out of my home in the first place.

HA! I bet you thought you asked an easy question!

EDIT: For the smaller GHB type pack take a look at the 5.11 Daily Deploy bag. It's a tactical bag that's designed to not draw the attention of a tactical bag. In black it looks like every other smaller pack out there. It's heavy enough to be tough, light enough to not be a burden, has MOLLE so you can add and adapt if needed.

 

Unless we all go under water I'm not bugging out anywhere but maybe to a relative's home further inland.

These two items are part of everyday life in Eastern North Carolina, and copies of them are in my kitchen, car, pockets and bags. The Bic is wrapped with waxed hemp wick cordage. It allows me to "flick my Bic" for a second and then have a burning wick to light my bug coils, campfire, or go through a leisurely cigar or pipe lighting routine with no additional flint or butane use.

The wick is also ideal for lighting gas or kerosene lamps or lanterns.

Great strong cordage too.

The mosquito coils are my "Redneck Thermacell."

 

Nice trick on the Pic lighter. New to me, soon to be copied - thanks for sharing!

 

Good Write up! And another word for bug out is......... Refugee.

 

I regularly drift between a GHB and BOB in my rig. I lean towards camping and hunting handy gear as well. Optimally, based on the threat I can throw bunch of shit I don't need on the side of the road and maybe load some stuff from the vehicle assortment. Full face respirator, tyvek, chemical gloves not needed? Ditch them. Oh shit they are needed? Dump some pioneering gear and add some more duct tape and visqueen. 2A restrictions and searches everywhere? Leave the carbine and mags but grap the subcompact, mags, and maybe a hawk to go with the bowie....
I have more accessories than Barbie in that vehicle. Need a radiation placarded traffic cone? Got it.

 

@hot diggity "The Bic is wrapped with waxed hemp wick cordage."
That is a great idea. Do you make the 'waxed hemp wick cordage' yourself or buy it?

I like this idea and want one for the truck!

 

Me three! It's genius!

 

I had to have that discussion a few years back with a female second cousin who having been forced to move to the SLC area from Portland wound up getting a whole new perspective on life and wound up morphing into a mountain woman.She started out as a very liberal party girl and bought in to all the usual lefty nonsense.

She was at that partial stage where the lights were coming on and started to become aware of the potential for societal collapse. When she mentioned that if things go bad she was going to bug out. A very interesting conversation ensued when I asked "where to" and she replied "the woods, silly!".

 

SLC is Salt Lake? Woods are kinda rare west and south.

 

If I had a lot of free time I could probably find some ditch weed to make my own. Since I don't have that kind of time I buy it in 100' rolls from Poland for about $8 a roll. The wax and the gas to melt it would be more than that if I wanted to spin my own.



I will keep an eye out for some runaway hemp plants to practice making cordage from, but I guarantee that it wouldn't be as consistent as this imported stuff.

 

Found some


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I2TXJEY/?tag=survivalmonke-20

 

I had to order a roll just out of curiosity. It says both "product of USA" and "imported" in the description. Looks much more processed than the raw hemp from Poland, but at four cents a foot it's good stuff to have around. At half the diameter I could get twice as much on a lighter.

 

@hot diggity @Tempstar Thanks you guys! I have put one in the basket and will order it the next time I order from Amazon...which seems to be too damn often lately. Thanks!