"An essential item for ANY outdoor outing and certainly in every Survival Kit and Bug Out Bag is a good quality Poncho. If you don’t have one and need one go to the NOT IF BUT WHEN STORE HERE. There is nothing more miserable (and dangerous) than getting soaked by rain. There are 100′s of different ponchos to choose from. I prefer a Military Style Poncho with grommeted corners and snap closure sides. These are typically constructed of a nice quality rip-stop nylon material that not only makes them water proof but very durable."
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What should be in the ideal bug out bag?
26 comments:
Deet.
I have yet to wear a pancho where I didn't get at least as wet from sweat wearing the thing as I would have from the rain. Get a wide-brimmed hat to keep your face and head dry instead, and to Hell with the pancho.
Fer shure, Sixty. I've been wondering how well those clip-on Off gizmos work.
Ice, I wonder if certain fabrics are breathable.
A must have for your bug out bag ... a printed copy of U S Army FM 21-76. Older printed copies can be found at various re-sale outlets...the size is pocket-able for any field jacket. I still have mine from 1968.
Depends on where you are bugging out to, how long and how far. Deet for sure in the terrain shown!!!
gun(s), ammo, knife(s),matches in a container, rope, hatchet hammer combination,water bottle(s), small amount of bleach, first aid kit, tarp or poncho, solar powered lighting (flashlight lantern types, solar powered radio. Dried fruit, jerkey and other dried food substances. A few plastic garbage bags, you can do all sorts of things with those.
Changes of socks. You can't go far if you have trench foot. Some light weight waterproof jacket/hoodies.
I'm sure there is more. Just think of it as really rough camping for longer than you would like to camp.
We don't plan to "bug out" but rather stay put and stand ground. Unless we are inundated with lava or something like that :-)
Hope the world doesn't come to an end in the next 4 days because we will be in Reno enjoying air polluting plant destroying hot rods at the Hot August Nites event.
Good advice. You should keep your 10 essentials in the auto and in a bug out bag. These are a minimum.
You should keep a fleece and blanket in the car too. It can get cold almost anywhere in the country in the winter and most of the country the rest of the year.
Handy Wipes.
I have a very tender bottom.
When it comes to "essentials" the field manual I cited covers most of them. Another shirt pocket-able necessary guide is Nature Bound by Ron Dawson. It compliments the FM 21-76 very nicely and is weather resistant to boot....mine is over 20 years old and has been wet in a shirt pocket.
Magic Mushrooms
Reservations and only meander 50 yards from cocktails.
Don't ever leave home without your P-38.
DBQ, please tell me you'll have his and hers bug out bags in your trunk, geared to desert survival :)
I'd never heard of bleach to purify water, chorine, duh. How much bleach to a gallon?
My daughter went on a hike for a couple days on a section of the Appalachian Trail. Very ill-prepared, she ended up with temporary plantar fasciitis due to ill-fitting boots. BUT the friends who teased her about carrying iodine tabs instead of a water filter ended up using her tabs because their filters were too slow.
Thanks for both suggestions, Ari. The best thing to do is practice before you end up out there.
Evi, your list had some negative comments over there :) I like that head lamp, looks nice and light weight.
I've been meaning to make some cold weather kits for my kids and family. Blanket, candle, water, food, etc.
Google: How to purify water with bleach.
And the Dept. of Health will pop up with a table. Not so chummy as to provide chairs though.
I always used to carry one of those very light mesh hammocks. It would fold up to the size of your fist, and was great to keep you off the wet ground or snow.
One time in winter while chugging Captain Morgan standing on the side of a steep icy peak with a buddy, my feet just suddenly slipped out from under me, and I shot down a steep incline on my backpack about 200 feet at high speed like on a water slide. I was heading for a cliff below that was about 1000 ft straight down. Just before going over it, I hit a downed tree that stopped me just a couple feet from the abyss. After resting a bit, I cut up the mesh hammock and used it used as a rope to throw around trees as I slowly climbed back up using my knife as an ice ax. It took me about an hour, and I was exhausted, but without the hammock to use as a rope, my buddy would have had to hike back to civilization and get a helicopter rescue.
We slept on foot-deep snow that night, and I was really sore and bruised. I could have used a new hammock to keep warm and dry, but the old one saved my life.
Now I always pack a length of rope that can support my weight, and remember to always have your own liquor just in case your buddy disappears over cliff, but be sure to pour a little out to honor your fallen comrade. Be prepared.
Since our last power outage I have been trying to get a battery powered lantern that I like - can't find one. They are not ideal for extended times without power, but around here we rarely go more than 3 days without electricity.
I have a small hand-crank radio/flashlight combo - it's cheap Chinese crap, but I repeat myself. Need to find a higher quality one.
Okay, Allen :)
Oh yeah, that flashlight combo also has ports for charging cell phones - that's kind of nice.
Were you standing like this bago?
Great story, btw :) I'll def add hammock to list. And rope.
Like many people, especially men, I'm always planning for disaster, and so we obsess about this stuff of having what you might need if things go wrong. 99% of that stuff has never been used in my entire long life of preparing for emergencies.
Dammit, I'm tired of waiting for Armageddon! Lets get on with it. I spent good money on this stuff and have it all figured out, but my stuff just sits here laughing at me.
One night over a doobie with some hot very stoned freak chicks in the desert Charley Manson promised me an all out war, and I've been preparing ever since. Now when I ask him about it, he just laughs and says "dude, I was trippin my ass off that night, and I don't even remember you being there." That hurts and really stresses my faith in mankind and friends. You can't trust anyone now days.
"Were you standing like this bago?"
That's very funny.
We just completed a long hike to the top, so just before I fell, I felt that I looked like this.
lol bago. What a story to tell.
Sixty, I have one of those too. Mine is red and has a Red Cross emblem on it. By gum, it works! Also has a solar collector across the top of the handle. I'm trying to see if it will charge now.
I also keep in my trunk, in clothes basket, a mish-mash of stuff I've thrown in over the years: solar blanket, iodine tabs, ponchos, orange safety vest, collapsible shovel, playing cards regular, playing cards Scooby Doo miniature, first aid manual, small first aid kit, sanitizer, wipes, etc.
Oh, does yours have a usb port??
Hee, never mind...that's how you charge the cell phone. It's pretty cool gizmo.
Great story, Bagoh.
DBQ's list sounds like experience. Add to that a fist sized hammock and rope.
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