Go Bags, what to have in one

[baptizo]

Man, I've tried to like Mountain House concoctions and honestly, it's like eating wet cardboard.

I need to find a good source for MRE's and stick with what I know will suffice for sustenance on the move.

[swingset]

Man, I've tried to like Mountain House concoctions and honestly, it's like eating wet cardboard.

I need to find a good source for MRE's and stick with what I know will suffice for sustenance on the move.

MH is terrible, and although most all freeze-dried stuff is high in sodium the MH stuff is like death in a bag.

For a go-bag, honestly, I think it makes a lot of sense to carry dense nutrition bars and high-calorie stuff you can stow and eat with minimal or no-preparation. I make my own energy/sustenance bars, but you can buy some that are pretty good or combine common store stuff to make some good stuff.

Element bars are really good, hand-made ones and you can tailor them for your nutritional needs:

http://www.elementbars.com/

I think what gets lost in the "go bag" prep is that chances are in a real disaster or urban upheaval situation you're likely not going to want to sit and prepare meals, and ones that can be unwrapped and consumed offer good advantages. Same with the "daily calorie" needs. Yeah, we all need 2000 calories, but for a short-term survival situation you'll still be operating on stored food from before you grabbed that go bag, so you'll want carbs/protein and hydration to keep you moving until you can re-supply or get home.

My go-bag isn't a camp bag, it's for quickly getting me from bad places to safe places with the stuff I need to survive for 1-3 days.

[rsvRidr]

Hopefully this not a repost, but I found the book by Fernando Aguirre , “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” very insightful and in general, a good read.

Here is an essay he wrote about surviving the 2001 Economic situation/riots in Argentina and what he learned from it.

http://www.survivalandbeyond.net/urban-survival-fernando-ferfal-aguirre/

His website

http://www.themodernsurvivalist.com/about

[jbot]

Mmmm astronaut ice cream. I could live on those.

[chevysoldier]

Try to keep it simple. If you want a hammer and an axe in your bag, instead of yep separate tools, get one with both. Pack 550 paracord. Can be used for lashing on a shelter our your bag, traps, the inner threads for sewing, etc. Playing cards, boredom sucks. Magnesium strip for fires as well as lighters and or matches. Water purification tablets. Mess kit with utensils. Learn how top make soap from ashes. Small camo net good for shade or a hammock too. Book of edible plants. Flashlight and batteries our a solar charger. Red lens for being tactical. Extra socks and underwear. sun washing clothes is good too know how to do. Chapstick as well as basic medical supplies. A tourniquet. Learn how too adapt. A brace from your ruck can be used as a splint. Of course water. A camel bak is great to have. water proof bag for keeping dry what must stay dry. Hat and sunglasses, sunscreen even in winter. Compass. Maps. Water proof notebook and pencils. Fixed blades and a folder. Multttool like a leatherman. Needle and thread. .22, a larger caliber handgun, rifle and ammo for all. Spare mags. Basic cleaning kit.

It's all what you want to be able to do, have space for and how long to last. There is a lot more I could add but it sucks on my phone and that is off the top of my head.

[JStump]

Try to keep it simple. If you want a hammer and an axe in your bag, instead of yep separate tools, get one with both. Pack 550 paracord. Can be used for lashing on a shelter our your bag, traps, the inner threads for sewing, etc. Playing cards, boredom sucks. Magnesium strip for fires as well as lighters and or matches. Water purification tablets. Mess kit with utensils. Learn how top make soap from ashes. Small camo net good for shade or a hammock too. Book of edible plants. Flashlight and batteries our a solar charger. Red lens for being tactical. Extra socks and underwear. sun washing clothes is good too know how to do. Chapstick as well as basic medical supplies. A tourniquet. Learn how too adapt. A brace from your ruck can be used as a splint. Of course water. A camel bak is great to have. water proof bag for keeping dry what must stay dry. Hat and sunglasses, sunscreen even in winter. Compass. Maps. Water proof notebook and pencils. Fixed blades and a folder. Multttool like a leatherman. Needle and thread. .22, a larger caliber handgun, rifle and ammo for all. Spare mags. Basic cleaning kit.

It's all what you want to be able to do, have space for and how long to last. There is a lot more I could add but it sucks on my phone and that is off the top of my head.

So it turns out boyscouts has actually been useful because that's a lot of what I carried in my pack and I have pretty much mastered how to use all of that, just need to make a trip to my parents attic haha. I think I even have an entire bottle of that biodegradable non toxic camp soap, emergency blanket and a nice first aid kit I made myself for a merit badge made with legit medical supplies my grandma swiped from the hospital as well!

[motozachl]

Riddle me this: so what did cowboys and pioneers bring? I don't see them carrying around 75# massive packs on their backs with the doomsday paranoia. Just living was a basic everyday life

[BadTrainDriver]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuckwagon

[jbot]

Riddle me this: so what did cowboys and pioneers bring? I don't see them carrying around 75# massive packs on their backs with the doomsday paranoia. Just living was a basic everyday life

a LOT of them died is what they brought lol

[OsuMj]

Riddle me this: so what did cowboys and pioneers bring? I don't see them carrying around 75# massive packs on their backs with the doomsday paranoia. Just living was a basic everyday life

this is kinda silly, don't you think? Having a kit prepared in case of a disaster of any sort is just being prepared really. I would say filling an entire room with food, ammo, and the like is closer to paranoia. Besides, the point of this thread is to ponder what is really necessary, so that you can have a smaller pack, something you can actually use.

Anyway, most people don't know how to survive without their luxuries, so its not a horrible thing to think about, what if i don't have electricity to keep me warm, what if clean water doesn't come out of the faucet....

[ShawnR]

Mine isn't really a "Go bag", but technically more of a "get home bag". I am going with the assumption that the EMP is going to hit during the day when I am at work and I will be forced to walk home. It is 30 miles on the road, shorter if I take the RR tracks. All of this crap is in a full frame military pack in the truck of the car at all times.

purification tablets

water filter (Katadyn hiker pro)

Small packets of powdered drink mix (to help water taste)

MRE x2

energy food bars / hard candy (for sugar)

large heavy duty garbage bags x2

matches / lighters

compass & paper Delaware & Morrow county maps

cable saw

parachute cord

fishing line (snares & whatever)

small assorted zip ties

gallon ziplock baggie

disposable rubber gloves

knife

hatchet

hammock

space blankets x2

guns (M&P 9 carry gun & HiPoint 995) / ammo

clothes

-socks & shoes

-jeans

-sweatshirt

-gloves

The pack is modified every spring & fall when the weather changes. Energy bars & MREs are swapped out. There is always bottled water in the trunk of the car too. Kids go through that regularly.

Edited December 4, 2012 by ShawnR

[OsuMj]

^ that's a good point as well. I work ~8 miles from home... I keep a pair of tennis shoes and mace with me most of the time. hopefully that will get me home in about an hour and a half. yeah, i need a better get home plan.

[CBBaron]

Youre thinking bacteria and living organism based contaminants. Boiling does nothing for chemical based contaminants..

Boiling is the easiest way to ensure a reasonably safe water supply. Boiling will kill all of the organisms that can make you sick. And these are very common, especially where there are many other people.

Chemical contaminants are a problem, but usually only for long term health. If the water looks and smells clean then it is probably safe for short term (days to weeks) with boiling.

Carbon filters will remove some of these contaminants. Carbon filters work by reacting and binding with various compounds. They usually dont provide much in the microscopic particle filtering. If a filter is claiming to remove bacteria then it has an additional microscopic particle filter. The carbon itself does not do the job.

As for calories. sugars, carbs, and proteins are all 4 cal per gram, fat is 10cal/g. Rice is primarily a carb. If you want the most bang per gram stock up on the fats.

I remember reading on Iditabike riders are required to carry so many calories as they may become stranded in sub zero weather and you will freeze much faster if you dont fuel your body. Most carry butter as you need to keep the load light to make the best time and butter has the most calories per pound.

Craig

Edited December 4, 2012 by CBBaron

[motozachl]

this is kinda silly, don't you think? Having a kit prepared in case of a disaster of any sort is just being prepared really. I would say filling an entire room with food, ammo, and the like is closer to paranoia. Besides, the point of this thread is to ponder what is really necessary, so that you can have a smaller pack, something you can actually use.

Anyway, most people don't know how to survive without their luxuries, so its not a horrible thing to think about, what if i don't have electricity to keep me warm, what if clean water doesn't come out of the faucet....

Point taken. It just seems that all this preparations talk, zombies, taking away guns, attacks, end of world movies & jargon around me it kinda gets shoved down my throat. Some small planning for such an event is smart however many take it way overboard. Perhaps its just my state of mind as well but if the world gets into some of these situations, it just doesn't seem worth living in many of them. The constant state of fear, hunting & gathering daily just to live plus add on the chaos of everyone else doing the same doesn't sound to enjoyable.

[swingset]

Riddle me this: so what did cowboys and pioneers bring? I don't see them carrying around 75# massive packs on their backs with the doomsday paranoia. Just living was a basic everyday life

I don't have any thoughts about doomsday nonsense. My prep is for two things only, in order of likelihood. First being natural disaster, which I've had to cope with and will probably again before my days are done. Second is a riot or civil unrest, which is not as common but given I work in a large metro that has had in my lifetime two incidents of this, it's certainly possible.

In both situations, my goal is simply to remove myself from any danger and get to safety.

And, my home prep is to weather any incidents of extended loss of power (which I've lived through), or loss of mobility (which I've lived through) or even job loss (which I've lived through).

I'm not preparing for zombies and UN troops, neither will happen. My goal is to prep for the things that are either a certainty given enough time or a strong possibility given my location and climate.

Cowboys almost never traveled alone or without quick access to supply wagons or towns, btw, and when they did they carried as much as they could fit to sustain themselves - which in the 19th century wasn't ideal as far as shelter or nutrition. That's probably why their life expectancy wasn't so hot.

Thankfully we live in better times, and can more easily prepare for life's shitty hand.

Edited December 4, 2012 by swingset

[ducatihottie999]

Mine isn't really a "Go bag", but technically more of a "get home bag". I am going with the assumption that the EMP is going to hit during the day when I am at work and I will be forced to walk home. It is 30 miles on the road, shorter if I take the RR tracks. All of this crap is in a full frame military pack in the truck of the car at all times.

purification tablets

water filter (Katadyn hiker pro)

Small packets of powdered drink mix (to help water taste)

MRE x2

energy food bars / hard candy (for sugar)

large heavy duty garbage bags x2

matches / lighters

compass & paper Delaware & Morrow county maps

cable saw

parachute cord

fishing line (snares & whatever)

small assorted zip ties

gallon ziplock baggie

disposable rubber gloves

knife

hatchet

hammock

space blankets x2

guns (M&P 9 carry gun & HiPoint 995) / ammo

clothes

-socks & shoes

-jeans

-sweatshirt

-gloves

The pack is modified every spring & fall when the weather changes. Energy bars & MREs are swapped out. There is always bottled water in the trunk of the car too. Kids go through that regularly.

+++

Almost same as ours but i also incorporated high calorie protein ( IE: beefcake) powder. And topographical maps which you can download for free online.

I unfortunately work over 30 miles from home so i keep hiking boots and a case of water in my car. I also have a dream list i want to purchase a nice set of two way military spec murs radios and a high quality scanner.

Just picked up a hennessey hammock on ebay w/snake and tree bands.

There is an awesome video on youtube no link cause i am at work (blocked)

BUT its called hennessey hammock ultra fast set up and its amazing!! Trust me buy 10$ in parts at lowes and try it. You will be amazed !

Check out survivalblog.com its one of the best sites going!!!!

[Pokey]

I don't have any thoughts about doomsday nonsense. My prep is for two things only, in order of likelihood. First being natural disaster, which I've had to cope with and will probably again before my days are done. Second is a riot or civil unrest, which is not as common but given I work in a large metro that has had in my lifetime two incidents of this, it's certainly possible.

In both situations, my goal is simply to remove myself from any danger and get to safety.

And, my home prep is to weather any incidents of extended loss of power (which I've lived through), or loss of mobility (which I've lived through) or even job loss (which I've lived through).

I'm not preparing for zombies and UN troops, neither will happen. My goal is to prep for the things that are either a certainty given enough time or a strong possibility given my location and climate.

Cowboys almost never traveled alone or without quick access to supply wagons or towns, btw, and when they did they carried as much as they could fit to sustain themselves - which in the 19th century wasn't ideal as far as shelter or nutrition. That's probably why their life expectancy wasn't so hot.

Thankfully we live in better times, and can more easily prepare for life's shitty hand.

Will you help me with my bag Craig?

[swingset]

Will you help me with my bag Craig?

Yeah, and we'll go bug out together to test it.

[Pokey]

Yeah, and we'll go bug out together to test it.

I only pitch, no catching. Really would like for you to maybe help me put one together, less is more IMHO.

[BadTrainDriver]

^ That's a fucking great movie(until the last 15min.)!!

[swingset]

I only pitch, no catching. Really would like for you to maybe help me put one together, less is more IMHO.

Srsly, be glad to. Always fun to put one together and figure out what works and what doesn't.

[Radio Flyer]

This is the water filter I got. Screws directly on to he top of a wide mouth Nalgene bottle. It's a Katadyn Vario. Good for 500 gallons of water.

[cmh_sprint]

Sadly, I think that's a little bit of a last minute decision for me. My family has a farm about 100 miles north of here and that is a possibility. The next and more favorable option would be a family property in the UP (VERY remote, lots of wildlife in the back yard, fishing hole down the road, close to canada eh). But ultimately, you have to decide if you would either try to hold up in the house till things calm down, or get the out of the city entirely. It just depends on what is going on. Is it rioting? Is it flooding/tornado/other natural disaster? Is it civil war? Is it an outside attack? I think a good flee plan will include a couple possible locations and room for improvising in case something goes wrong.

My opinion is you have to think about things like how you're going to protect yourself after you leave your home (how much ammo can you really carry???). What happens if you get to your destination and its destroyed- what's your backup plan?

Where in the UP? My mom lives about 45 minutes north of the bridge on an island. The UP has always been part of my plan is the situation would allow.

[speedytriple]

I have a uncle that lives in the hills of Tenn we already have our plan set up if shtf. Much better climate to survive in a loss of power/water situation. He has well and septic with genny backup. Wood burner for heat and a nice sized house he is willing to put us up in till we can build shelter of our own. It is in the middle of almost 3000 acres of wilderness.

[OsuMj]

Where in the UP? My mom lives about 45 minutes north of the bridge on an island. The UP has always been part of my plan is the situation would allow.

Hopefully the bridge is still good Its on the far east side near the water. NW of Detour and SE of Sault St Marie... its like a 20 minute drive from detour.

Edited December 27, 2012 by OsuMj