I’ve seen a few folks mention go bags/bugout bags lately, as the situation in the US continues to decline. Seems like a good idea to ask y’all what should go in a go bag, and I can make a follow-up post with a list of ideas for folks who want to be prepared to leave if/when the time comes.
Cheaper is probably better, since the most vulnerable of us are likely to have the least resources available to plan for the future.
Canned foods are pretty heavy per calorie. I'm stashing a bunch of datrex and other 5-year lifeboat bars; not healthy, not tasty, but they're definitely dense. Or freeze dried camp food, but that's $$$
Yeah, dried beans would be way more efficient than canned. Yes, you'd need to soak them, but if you don't have access to clean water, food is the least of your worries.
I mean, at the "literally just trying to survive" point, you'd be hard pressed to beat fats. Peanut butter, or even just a straight up bottle of canola oil.
I think I remember reading that arctic explorers would sip straight oil in some cases. I can't think of anything more calorically dense than that, but if someone else can, speak up!! I'd really enjoy other ideas.
They needed the fat from oil to stave off "rabbit" starvation. Typically the small game available in the artic, and even most deciduous areas, is very lean; rabbit, squirrel, even deer don't have enough significant calories in body fat to keep folks alive. You can eat 2k kcal a day in protein and starve to death pretty quickly without fat. Something else that would be good to have would be a vitamin C supplement. You could survive for years with enough complete protein, fat and vitamin C, though without other micronutrients your health would deteriorate.
- Download osmand+ (a better, more detailed GPS mapping app than the default) on your phone and download local area maps ahead of time
- A radio would be nice, the classic baofeng uv-5r comes with a nice flashlight and a long battery life for $25. I don't think anyone will mind you breaking FCC regs anyway if you find yourself in need of it.
- Tarps/trash bags
- Matches/lighter
- A solar charger maybe?
- Tea bags :comfy:
I wonder if they make those bullet-resistant schoolbags in adult sizes
My bug out plans are nearly right-winger gun heavy, but I'm in an area where guns are pretty uncommon, and I want to make sure I have enough to arm some comrades if the need arises.
One of these is key
Sawyer Products MINI Water Filtration System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FA2RLX2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_YS5B0J61KH6Y8JAZTP5G
Do not get the mini. They get clogged very easily and the flow rate drops to basically nothing. Get the full size Sawyer Squeeze.
I was just about to say that. or iodine or a "life straw", etc.
You can technically survive a long ass time as long as you have enough water.Yeah, you can filter about 20kl of water for about $40. At 3.3l a day that will last you roughly ten years. Obviously you'd need to find food before then, but water is really important.
o7 will do
If this doesn’t get a lot of engagement (even with my minion photo), I’ll do my own research and come up with something that’ll hopefully be more helpful than nothing at all.
Reject prepping, embrace being prepared.
The difference is intent I think. Preparing a go bag to evacuate from a natural disaster or if your home is unsafe and you have to gtfo is totally reasonable. Just don't pretend like youre going to restart civilization after an apocalypse or something.
Have a bag with everything you'd need to be comfortable for an unexpected long weekend trip basically, and work from there to fit your specific needs. If you avoid tacticool larping, being as prepared as your situation allows isnt a bad idea
Have a bag with everything you’d need to be comfortable for an unexpected long weekend trip basically, and work from there to fit your specific needs.
You nailed it, I have an unhealthy obsession with prepper forums and the amount of times I've seen JimOffTheGrid69 post their bugout bag full of MRE's, axes, three handguns, two long guns and a water filtration system like hes going to live in a cave in the woods is hilarious. It goes from reasonable precaution to delusional security blanket real fast.
Have a destination in mind and plan accordingly, you dont need to stockpile beans if your plan is to take your car three hours over state lines to your aunts house.
well said!! I'm not preparing for an alien invasion--I'm preparing for a climate disaster or an even worse pandemic, etc.
High in potassium and an effective deterrent to pursuers... Good call
Best advice I saw on r/collapse when I used to follow it (before it blew up) and it applies to everything, not just bags: you want to look as boring and normal as possible. It's called "gray man". If you can get everything into an old gym bag or your backpack from when you were in school, use that. Tacticool just makes you a massive target.
