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LJ's Bugout Bag - January 2012
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Obviously, some items in the kit are in there just so that they stay together with the rest of the kit. Anything with a sheath, scabbard or holster will come out and be mounted and worn in their respective "homes." For instance, the Ka-Bar, multi-tool, flashlight and hunting knife hang out in the kit, but at my first opportunity, they're going to be put on my belt.
The rifle on the right is a Mosin-Nagant M38, which is one of the shorter carbine versions of the M91/30, but does not have the permanently-affixed side-folding bayonet like the M44. This rifle is accurate enough to do the job and very powerful. The pouches are loaded with 20 rounds of ammunition each. The lighter pouch on the bottom holds 40 rounds of Wolf Gold 180gr. BTSP. The darker brown pouch on top holds 20 rounds of 203gr. Brown Bear SP for bigger game, and 20 rounds of 1970's production Russian light ball steel core ammo, in case I need light armor-piercing capability. The handgun is a Ruger P89TH in a Fobus paddle holster, with three 15 round magazines. The handgun are rifle are stored separated from my BOB, but nearby, and are essentially ready-to-go at a moment's notice. I list these only because I have supplementary components in my bag for them - it doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to be walking around town with a rifle case with a rifle in it...
The backpack I've chosen to use is an older Camelbak Trail Blazer that I purchased a few years ago from REI for about $60. I believe it was on sale when I ordered it, as the list price for this no-longer made daypack was considerably higher. It is fairly small and portable but carries a lot of gear, as you'll soon see. Like all other Camelbak backpacks, the highlight of the bag is the hydration bladder that it carries. Mine has one of the larger 100 oz. bladder in it, as I replaced the smaller bladder it once carried. There is a very adjustable waist strap, as well as a sternum strap, though these really are not required given the smaller design of the bag. I chose this particular pack because it is an appropriate earth-tone neutral color, has very few reflective strips (unlike other civilian backpacks) and also because it does not look like something a solider or Marine would be issued -- I don't want to look like G.I. Joe because I'm not G.I. Joe.
 Whistle on carabiner |  Canteen on carabiner |  Hydration is good! |
The backpack itself is basically stock, but with two simple modifications. Attached to one of the D-rings on the front is a carabiner than has a whistle attached to it. This is meant for unsecured distance communication, should I run out of batteries for my radio. There is an American Flag Misfits patch that I've attached on one side of the pack, as my wonderful girlfriend gave it to me back when she and I first started dating almost a year ago. I've also attached a canteen and canteen cover to the outside on one of the attachment points, as pictured above.
Let's start with the outside pouches first, then work our way towards the main pouch.
Right Mesh Exterior Pocket
 Right exterior pocket |  Left to right: poncho, camouflage face veil, cord, hunting knife |
On the right side of the pack in a mesh exterior pocket, I keep a camouflage poncho, a camouflage veil, some random cordage and my old Winchester hunting knife. The poncho is fairly large and has many different uses, and the veil breaks up the very identifiable silhouette of a human face. It is made of a tight mesh, which will also protect my face and neck from mosquito bites. The hunting knife isn't anything special, but I keep it around to do finer detail jobs that the Ka-Bar is entirely too large to do.
Left Mesh Exterior Pocket
 Left side of backpack |  Left to right: Midland FRS/GMRS, flask full of Jack Daniel's wonderful Tennessee whiskey, white bandanna, and multi-tool |
The radio is a very basic Midland XT20 FRS/GMRS, and Maricely and I each have one in our kits to communicate should we get separated from one another. I do not store mine with batteries in it, but I do have batteries in my kit elsewhere specifically for this radio. The range isn't super far but it'll do the job. I'm not a big drinker, but I do appreciate a little bit of liquid courage like anyone else. The flask in my kit has a couple of good swigs of Jack Daniel's in it, and it's delicious and has a whole lot of different uses, though this is just for consumption. The bandanna is kept folded and stashed low so that it isn't mistaken as a Texas white-tails flash. The multi-tool is an inexpensive Winchester tool but it's pretty useful; not nearly as good as a Leatherman or Victorinox but I managed to luck out and get one that passed QC. The little bits that come with it aren't very good but they're handy nonetheless.
Outer Pocket - Quick Access Items
 Outer pocket, packed |
 Left to right: Assorted batteries, rifle cleaning kit, duct tape, fire kit, bug repellent, replacement shoe lace, Mini-mag LED, pocket survival kit |  PSK - Chafing cream, water purification tablets, candle, matches, swabs, bullion cubes, snare line, dry flies, sewing needle, etc. |
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My firemaking kit is a two-part kit, using two Zip-lock bags to keep everything super dry. The "inner" Zip-lock bag contains the items that are water-sensitive - the two books and two boxes of matches and the Bic lighter live in that. I prefer starting fires with matches from books as they are more flexible and burn more intensely, but the boxed matches are made of wood, which offers 100% dry tinder and can be used to supplement the bird's nest of tinder. The Bic lighter is the easiest way to start a fire, hence why it's there.
In the outer bag, I keep the first bag tightly sealed, plus the rest of the items as they are immune to moisture. There is the orange tube of waterproof matches, which are my fallback should nothing else work - those will be used to light one of the five Wetfire tinders that I keep in the kit. There's also a magnesium rod, and attached to it is a neat little firestarter that I picked up from Academy for my birthday last year called the "Sparkie" fire starter, by Ultimate Survival Technlogies. It literally showers sparks and can be operated with one hand, and I highly recommend it to anyone for an inexpensive BOB fire starter.
Main Compartment
Again, like the outer pocket, everything is pretty much self-explanatory. There's two more things that are in my kit that can help me get a fire started - the chafing dish fuel and my homemade "fire-squares." These are sections of clean denim that have been treated with lots of petroleum jelly. They burn nicely, especially after being shredded up by hand and having a tiny amount of chafing dish fuel poured on them, though that isn't necessary. Left to right: Snack bag, notebook/pen/radio instructions, stove fuel, mess kit, hygiene kit, hard knuckled gloves, utensils, Ka-Bar, modified group first aid kit, and my homemade "firesquares" |
 There's sunscreen in there somewhere... |  Packed - I keep the first aid kit up top for quick access |
The first aid kit started life as a regular Johnson & Johnson kit, but over time I've found it's not exactly ideal in it's original setup. I've added quite a few components to it, like a latex tourniquet strap, more lots more medicine and clean wound dressings, a syringe, a real pair of tweezers, a good ACE bandage, moleskin, and so on. It's come in handy more than once, that's for sure. One complaint I have is that it doesn't have a flushing or irrigation kit in it, but the canteen or my Camelbak bladder can easily do that job. Frankly, the only thing I would do with this kit is to put it into a different package, as the box takes up a lot of space in my backpack - however, it does offer crush resistance and it's very easy to remove... and that's why I keep using it.
(On a side note, just having a first aid kit on you doesn't help as much as knowing how to use it does. I am American Red Cross first aid certified, and in my opinion, this is the bare minimum of medical knowledge a person should have.)
Weaknesses and Planned Improvements
My 72-hour kit isn't perfect. It's not going to be a long-term survival kit, though with a few additions it could be made into one pretty easily.
First of all, there is not much food. However, it's only meant to get me through for 72 hours. I can pretty easily go that length of time without a bite to eat as it is now, though it would be uncomfortable. The little bit of food that is in there is meant to supplement me long enough until I can obtain more, and believe you me, I will eat a lot of different things.
Second, there's no way to easily boil large quantities of water, however I do have water treatment in the kit. I can water by the cup using the mess kit or possibly even the flask, but this would get old FAST. I used to keep a large can in the kit, and in the future, I'll replace it with another.
Once I figure out a way to carry a Timberhammer around, that's also getting added! =)
It doesn't carry a whole lot of ammunition. 80 rifle rounds, and 45 for the handgun... not much at all. I'm still working around this. I'm not planning on getting into firefights, so I think this is probably sufficient.
There's no change of clothes. This isn't as important down here in the Rio Grande Valley as it was up North, and I'd rather have the extra space anyway.
First of all, there is not much food. However, it's only meant to get me through for 72 hours. I can pretty easily go that length of time without a bite to eat as it is now, though it would be uncomfortable. The little bit of food that is in there is meant to supplement me long enough until I can obtain more, and believe you me, I will eat a lot of different things.
Second, there's no way to easily boil large quantities of water, however I do have water treatment in the kit. I can water by the cup using the mess kit or possibly even the flask, but this would get old FAST. I used to keep a large can in the kit, and in the future, I'll replace it with another.
Once I figure out a way to carry a Timberhammer around, that's also getting added! =)
It doesn't carry a whole lot of ammunition. 80 rifle rounds, and 45 for the handgun... not much at all. I'm still working around this. I'm not planning on getting into firefights, so I think this is probably sufficient.
There's no change of clothes. This isn't as important down here in the Rio Grande Valley as it was up North, and I'd rather have the extra space anyway.
Let me know what you think! I've started a thread below, feel free to comment or start your own.
~LJ126
~LJ126
LJ126 |
Latest page update: made by LJ126
, Apr 9 2012, 2:43 PM EDT
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| LJ126 | LJ's Bugout Bag - Updated (page: 1 2 3) | 49 | Mar 27 2012, 11:03 AM EDT by LJ126 | ||
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Thread started: Jan 13 2012, 4:28 PM EST
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http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/page/LJ%27s+Bugout+Bag+-+January+2012
Check it out, let me know what you think. As indicated at the bottom, it's not perfect, but maybe you guys will see something that I've missed. There are a lot of pictures, but I've tried to reduce the photo size to a point that download will be easier... hopefully that helps. Thanks again guys! ~LJ
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