BOB Abridged
Bug out Bag
building your first Bug Out Bag can seem like a big task. Weeding through what is or isn’t a necessity might not be a frame of mind you typically think in. but if you cover all of the basics in a survival situation you will still be much better off that 99% of the people who are caught unprepared. The main principle here is to pack enough essential gear to keep you alive and prepared for three days in the event of a major disaster. 72 hours is the average amount of time for any kind of Aid or rescue to arrive, hopefully. any more than this requires more long term planning.

to put this in summation for those of you who don’t care to hear my opinions below. I am not by any means a survival expert. this is just my understanding and individual interpretation of the BOB concept. in the end go with what works for you.

3 Day camel back pack
3 to 4 liters of water
3 MRE meals
3 energy bars
a hand full of hard candy
1 pair of pants
1 pair of gloves
1 pair of sturdy shoes or boots
2 pairs of Socks
2 pairs of underwear long and short
2 shirts long and Short sleeve
1 waterproof jacket
1 Hat
1 bandana/Shemagh
1 First Aid kit
1 Survival knife
1 Fire arm
Ammo
Means of identification
loose cash
matches
fire striker
Flashlight
tarp
tent
emergency blanket
Signaling mirror
Multi tool
Mess kit
batterie,crank or solar operated Radio
extra batteries
water purification tablets
Snare wire
compass
maps
ductape
paracord



The Bag
First things first. You need a bag, it needs to be sturdy to withstand real punishment, and big enough to carry three days worth of essential gear. how big is that you might ask, well i got good news. there are a lot of bags especially the military type that are specifically made in tiers for one, three, and five day deployment. makes things easier, and if its good enough for them then its probably good enough for us. I like these Bags because their MOLLE modular webbing means you can attach a wide assortment of pouches and other gear to them, and i enjoy me some versatility. here are some examples of bags,for now I’m just stick with the three day bags. the one day assault bags are more something we’ll talk about for a GHB bag.
three day bags
5.11 Rush bag $179
Condor 3 day assault bag $62.36
VooDoo Tactical Assault pack $79.95
Drago Assault Pack $56.09
Modgear 3 day Tracker $44.51

now another thing to think about is that you may want your bag to be waterproof if you live in areas with heavy rain, hurricanes, are near the ocean, or want the ability to use your pack as a floatation device “seen bear grylls do that”. i honestly don’t know which packs are, but it something to consider. if your pack is not waterproof then certain items in your pack may need to be kept in watertight containers like matches for instance.


CLOTHING
clothing is an essential part of survival infact its first on the list of priorities. Its protection from weather conditions and environmental hazard. in high heat or cold. without proper protection your not gonna last long enough to find food, water or make shelter so think this one through.

many BOB lists suggest that you take

• A pair of sturdy boots or shoes

now i don’t really think these should be IN the bag so much as by the bag or on your feet, know what I mean? but footwear is important you need them to last. They need to be comfortable preferably, so i would break them in too when you have a chance.

• A pair of long pants

not really gonna make any kind of call on this. I’ve been in the habit of wearing the Dickey’s work pants. some pairs lasting up to 4 years. there are probably better pants but i don’t have enough experience to know. if you think it will be wet then something water resistant probably a safe bet either way.

• 2 Pairs of socks

I had a friend of mine who was in the marine core tell me extra pairs of quality socks are the most important thing in your bag. if your feet get wet or sweaty from marching for three days, not only is it uncomfortable but you can get trench foot. Get that and you're not going anywhere, and and if you're not...well you're probably gonna die.

• 2 Shirts

Maybe one long sleeve, and one short sleeve for layering. pretty self explanatory.Layers of clothing will keep you warmer then just a single heavy garment.

• A Jacket that is both warm and protects you from rain.

For this obviously you need a jacket that’s water resistant on the outside but has a warm lining on the inside. recently bought the Condor Summit jacket and I love it. Any excuse to wear it i will. its loaded with pockets for carrying whatever you need. took me like an hour to find them all. it has a nice large hood which can be zipped into the collar. like the pants, there’s probably better stuff but it works for me. go with what works for you if anything else

other jackets

5.11 5 in 1 jacket 264.99

• Bear Grylls 3 in 1 $110.73
• Voodoo special ops tactical jacket $80.99
• Bass Pro shops Storm Jacket $66.99
• Warm long underwear of some kind

ith this one i would probably pack two, I've never worn long underwear but it’s probably not a bad idea. I would pack shorter ones too in case you need to get in the water for something but you don’t want the rest of your clothes to get wet. Soggy long johns which take longer to dry out? No thank you.

• A hat

I’ve never liked wearing hats but I Guess the bill of the hat is what makes it important. it keeps the sun out of your eyes and off of your face without limiting your vision or head movement like the hood on a jacket would. protecting your head from the heat is important too but you could also do that with the item listed below.

• A Bandana

this item can have dozens of uses. longer than i care to list on this document. but head cover, scarf, water filter, arm sling, tie down, toilet paper. signal flag and if you got nothing else fire tender to name a few. I like the bigger softer Shemaghs myself, I've rolled it up and used it as a pillow before.

Water
you can last a week or two without food, but you can only last three days without water so that  comes next. The average person needs about  3 liters of water a day in moderate weather. for 72 hours that mean you would need 3 liters... “der im gud at math” but more is suggested for personal hygiene, clean your hands and face, brush your teeth, Etc. I’ve seen 72 hour emergency kits  packed drinking water in them which is cool. you could carry that in bottled water but its bulky and takes up unneeded space in your pack. as stated above most of the packs are camel-back compatible which i think is the best choice. even better you can get a hydration pouch WITH a filter like this one. for $20 and holds EXACTLY 3 liters. just keep some bottled water around so you can fill it when you have time.

I think its a good idea to have backup plans. so to expand your capability to survive longer than a couple of days you will need a water purification system. water purification could be an issue if you need to collect or drink water from environmental sources. In  disaster or survival situation you may have to. so having water purification tablets in your pack like these is a good idea. cause its light and if you put them in a ziplock bag, don't take up much space. there are also water filters out there like the Katadyn Vario Microfilter
which is great but a little pricey at $80 to $100  for some, so here is a Cheaper alternative at $25.
you may only have to use this once, but I would like to note sometimes you get what you pay for and that katadyn filter will probably be worth its weight in gold. If you want something even smaller, you can go with an emergency straw which filters water for you. paper Coffee filters can be used to extend the life of these filters too.  

As a general rule of collecting water from environmental sources you should ALWAYS BOIL IT WHENEVER POSSIBLE to kill any bacteria. getting any kind of illness in a survival situation can lower your chances of surviving, or worse. So I'm a big fan of Bear Grylls and some of his products, especially this canteen. it comes with an aluminum outer cup which you can use to boil water if you have a fire or stove.the Metal cup has insulated handles so you don’t burn your hands and a nice nylon belt sheath. there are probably similar products out there so shop around.

FOOD
I love food so this is an important subject. To survive for three days MRE’s and Energy bars are a great way to go. They are light weight, don’t take up much space and last a long time.

But lets say your not one of those nuts who sits around hoping the zombie apocalypse will come. The shit hits the fan, you need to leave and you're staring in your cupboard wondering what to bring. you obviously don’t want to bring things that spoil. There is a change in thinking here. Dried beans and rice if you have any are good. if you move them into smaller ziplock bags they don't take much space. the beans are high in calories and the rice will fill you up. Dried foods are great because of their shelf life. jerky and slim jims can provide you with protein. dried fruits and nuts can give you good nutrients and as i said earlier, energy bars can accomplish most of that too.

expending energy in these situations well make you hungry but rationing the food is important. so small hard candy is a nice little trick. it provides you with sugars for energy, but the saliva produced by sucking on them, fools your brain and stomach into thinking you’ve eaten and can curb that hungry feeling. so Jolly Ranchers and lifeSavers are on my list...no pun intended.

now if you're like me, no matter how good for you water is, I can only drink it for two days before i go nuts and crave something with flavor. so Packets of kool aid or sports drink powder like gatorade aren't a bad idea. like the candy it provides sugars which can help keep you going.

last of all i would suggest spices. I love to cook and if you're pretty skilled at hunting, setting traps, or fishing, then you're in good shape. you can eat some things raw but cooking food or meat whenever you can is a good idea and it doesn't hurt to have some basic spices. I recently bought a small container for camping like this one real cheap. should things go long term. you can use the salts and spices for drying out meat to make jerky.

SHELTER
no matter where you are, you will most likely need protection from the elements and a warm dry place to sleep.

A tent
many of the lists I read just say “a tent” or a tarp. my problem with this is that haven’t seen many tents that actually fit INSIDE a pack. you would probably have to tie to your pack or it’s frame if your backpack has one. on a recent trip to an Arei i couldn't find a tent small enough. when i was in scouts as a kid i had a simple pup tent that would fit but the closest thing i could find to that now was this or this. if you can find something i've missed. let me know.the only other option is you could buy a bigger pack.

A Tarp
regardless of if you have a tent, you should have some kind of Tarp. you could use this as an insulator under your tent, or use the tarp itself to make a sheet shelter. there are dozens of other uses as well.

Further down i talk about the need for paracord, which can be used to create a sheet shelter with the tarp or tie to tent stakes should your tent break.

First Aid kit
there are a lot of pre made kits out there that you can get at any hardware or camping store which i think is definitely better than having nothing. but the train of thought I’m hearing is that its best to make your own kit using a mix of these as some have different contents. this is also a good idea because it means that you are intimately familiar with what's actually in your first aid kit. so when a situation arises you know what to do.

obviously you need a lot of first aid basics like bandages of various sizes antiseptic cream, cotton swabs, which can also be used as tinder. any medication that you may need, bandage wraps, rubber gloves, pain relievers, and hand sanitizer.

Survival Gear
this section is really about various items that will just be invaluable in a tight spot. things you probably don’t have right now but you would kill for when you're really gonna need em. i've heard some people say to improvise some of this stuff, “like you're the son of fuckin chuck norris and mcguyver.” But most of it doesn't take up much room in your bag. do yourself a favor and make your life easier. in a survival situation you will have enough on your mind as it is. So much about survival is mentality and clear decision making. so here’s a list of some of the stuff i think will be super useful.

Multi tool
shouldn't every man have one of these!? come on you know there were days where you wish you had one on you. they’ve taken the swiss army knife and amped it up. this is one of those items you can go Cheap on. cause the cheap ones will break, then won’t  you feel stupid. you can find them at any hardware store for decent prices but Gerber makes some gone ones. and while you're at it you can kill several other items off this list by just buying this tool pack.

Rain Poncho
you can find these at any hardware, or sporting good store typically for camping. you may feel like you don’t need it since you have a jacket in your pack. but you never know. its always good to have extras maybe for a friend, you could cover holes in your tent, or even improvise a shelter with it.

Three ways to make fire
obviously matches and lighters wont last forever but all of these items are so small that thers no excuse not to pack some of each. options are always good, and i think the Fire strikers are the best bang for your buck. i plan getting two. you can often find they come in survival kits or with knives.

• fire striker
• matches
• lighters
• 9 volt and some steel wool

Small mess kit
You're gonna need a way to eat your meals, or at the least boil your water. My Girlfriend recently Got me this Kit for christmas. its lightweight and compact. can’t wait to try it out.


2 flashlights
I imagine the reason for 2 flashlights is that you will use a smaller one for navigation and a larger one like a lantern or signal light for rescue. i like getting the most out of my gear so I got one that had a strike face bezel on the front like this one. which can be used for self defense or breaking glass should you need it. Now you could go with one of those high powered tactical flashlight, but i notice the battery life on those doesn't last long. they're typically intended for law enforcement or firearm use. they're also really expensive. So a cheap Sturdy Maglite still gets the job done with a lower price and a longer battery life. hardware store, need i say more.

Survival knife
here’s a subject that requirescareful thought as there are many options. Your kinfe is probably one of the most crucial most, used item in your pack. You're gonna use it as a tool, as a weapon, for hunting for eating, for anything. the Japanese use to say your sword is your life, your soul, and in situations like this, they're right. the simplest rules i can think of are that you want a fixed blade that goes the length of the handle (Full tang) and with a heavier thickness than most knives for durability. there's a lot of debate over type of steel, serrated or non-serrated,  bla bla bla. Again go with what works for you. i wouldnt buy anything cheaper than $40 but probably don’t need anything more expansive then $150 unless your super serious about your knifes and use them heavily. versatility is a huge factor for me so i bought the Bear Grylls Ultimate Fixed Blade knife. it was a hard choice between this and the LMF but I love this knife. the handle and weigh feels great, the sheath comes with a sharpener, and fire striker. and at the pommel ther a flat metal surface you can use as a hammer. the hangle has holes for a lanyard or so that it can be lashed down to make a spear. great versatility.

here are some other knives i considered
Gerber LMF infantry $108.00
Bear Grylls Paracord fixed blade $39
KA-BAR Fighting knife $60.67
KA-BAR Becker TacTool $99.97


A Fire Arm
In Dangerous situations history shows us that people don’t always act morally or rationally. so it may be necessary to protect yourself, particularly if you know local law enforcement or military will have their hands full. in the worst situations that may be who you need protection from. so personal firearms are a good Possibility.

This is another subject that is a matter of personal taste but there are things to consider. how much ammo you can carry. what kind of ammo is abundant in your area. I.E average gun owners and stores have a lot of 9mm, law enforcement is carring .45 and 5.56, so you may want to stick with these if your are in the U.S. you can argue about caliber effectiveness if you want but at the end of the day bullets of any kind do their job. Shotguns aren’t a bad idea. their affordable, powerful, legal, and can fire a versatile array of ammunition. Short files and carbines can give you a longer effective range and good mag capacity.

Small Survival Kits
the items below can typically be found in small survival kits, packed into compact carrying cases you can take anywhere. good for your BOB or GHB bags

Fishing kit
sewing kit
Snare wire
cotton balls
a small signaling mirror
550 cord “paracord”
wire saw
emergency blanket

examples
Bear Grylls Ultimate survival pack $52.00
SOL Origin Pocket Survival Kit $32.58
Proforce Combat Survival Tin $24.99
Emergency Kit in a Bottle $19.97


EXTRAS
hand warmers
just great little things to have when its cold. can find them at any sporting good, or hardware store for cheap.

Automatic fishing reel
this is something i haven't tried yet but seems really cool. almost too good to be true. I've been fishing since i was young and i didn't believe it would work, but its got nothing but good reviews i may have to try it.

small candles
Good to have so you don't kill the batteries in your flashlight too fast. if you need light to read, or do some task in the dark, cause you need your hands free rather than hold a flashlight.

glowsticks
Same as above. they’re both cheap

compass
whether you need to head for rescue, or away from danger know which direction is crucial. you’ll need one of these. especially if you're unfamiliar with the area your in.

maps
Good to know where you’re going. Even better to have an escape route or rally point planned.

extra cash
some disasters aren’t a matter of complete collapse. some places may still be in business even if the powers out. or you can buy supplies or whatever you may  need from those around you. you’ll need cash on hand.

can opener
in some situations your immediate area may be evacuated or worse, in an urban environment there’s probably tons of canned food around. or you just happen to stumble on some. you don’t want to be standing there with tons of canned food and no way to open it do you?


small hatchet

knife Sharpener

i used a lot of different refernces to put together the information in this Doc, so thanks needs to be given to Survivalcache.com, Wikipedia, and bear Grylls