[Westfalia]

I would like to challenge to whole Bug Out Bag (BOB) concept a little. This seems to one the foundations of survivalism together with the Get Home Bag (GHB), Bug Out Vehicle (BOV) and Bug Out Location (BOL) concept. Personally I feel that this concept is severely flawed in many aspects.

Can you name one real life scenario where a BOB have saved someone life or could have saved someone life? In other words when the BOB as a concept has saved anyone’s life.

My personal guess is that your Every Day Carry (EDC) makes a bigger difference than having a BOB. If you carry a pocket knife or multi tool, first aid kit, flashlight, phone, pocket survival kit etc this is items that can actually make a difference if you’re in an accident or crisis situation. I don’t think that the GHB will be the critical thing that allows people to get to their homes in a crisis, your shoes, car, bike and knowledge about your local area will most likely be the critical area. So why not talk about an Everyday Survival Bag (ESB)? An ESB would in other words be a bag that allows you to bring critical survival items with you every day. The main difference as I see it is that this bag would not be focused on getting you home, but to deal with threats to your life that you may face from accidents and more common forms of threats.

At last I want to say that I believe that there are many things that good with the BOB concept, it makes us think about what we need to survive and is very useful way to think about what we need when we go camping. The BOL concept is also interesting when it also lifts the aspect of what we need to survive in our own homes. So this is not intended to only be a rant, but to question the idea of BOB:s and maybe see new perspectives on how we can increase our chances to survive.

 

[AKpredator]

I am sure there are at least a few of them on here. Some tools have saved my bacon a few times and I have used my gear for other reasons that a bug out. The whole point of having the BOB is to be prepared and being aware so you you don't have to use it, allowing you to take appropriate steps. That said, nothing is going to make me get rid of my bags.

 

[Pragmatist]

Can you name one real life scenario where a BOB have saved someone life or could have saved someone life?

I find this to be an odd question.

In Alaska, we hear stories all the time of people surviving in the bush, being rescued, etc., because they had a survival bag along. I know I carry a bag of survival gear in my car, because if I tried to walk home without it mid winter here I'd be dead in a very short while.

Maybe the name could be changed, but the idea is the same. Carry what you need to survive, get home, etc. Not because it's likely you'll need it, but because it's better to be prepared and not need it than to need it and not be prepared.

 

[Chin]

Whoa! too easy an answer.

I'm sure others have other answers. But here's mine. Your BOB is foor fire and flood in your home. It means the difference between standing the snow with your PJs on and staying in a nice hotel with clean clothes and brushed teeth until the insurance adjuster decides to show up. And, in the event whatever caused you to evac has affected many others in your area and there are no vacancies at the hotels, it means full bellies until you can drive to where there are vacancies.

Preparedness 101. The most likely event that would cause you to evacuate, statistically, is a fire or flood in your home.

 

[Woodslass]

I think of my BOB as a stepping stone to learning about the whole idea of prepping. That's how I got started on my journey to where I am now.

At first, the BOB was "okay, I want to be able to jump in the car and go in case there's an emergency or something happens here in the house". I didn't buy just a complete kit bag, I bought a book "Build the Perfect Survival Kit" by John D. McCann (which is awesome, BTW) and learned what I would need in my bag.

When I felt comfortable knowing what I needed but most importantly WHY I needed it, then I also added what I wanted. Finding those things online then opened my eyes to other things I *might* need for a longer emergency, and that led to reading other books, reading other blogs, and here I am 8 months later, looking for a BOL and talking with all you fine folks

 

[sojurn87]

Ummm...

I have a bag that has things inside of it I might need for whatever...

 

[SgtBooker44]

Just trying to follow the motto "Be Prepared"

 

[High Kapacity]

You car wont get you anywhere when the roads jam with idiots trying to flee a metro area or city. You'll be walking, so having a bag with items to help you will be critical. Ever walk a mile? takes alot longer then driving yeah? think about how long would it take you to walk home from work, prolly a while.... GHB or BOB mines all the same. Its a bag to help me get somewhere from somewhere.

 

[The Saint]

OK there’s a knock at the door its 3am, a fireman is standing there in full breathing gear, there has been a chem. spill and the cloud will be here in about 10 mins, leave now .

you grab the wife, kids, dog cat hamster, and your BOBs. No matter where my family would end up that night we would be able to survive or exist comfortably for 72 hours without help from anyone.

This also includes all pertinent info , papers, SS Cards, copies of medical records, emergency phone numbers, cash, MRE's, travel games, personal first aid and toiletries kits, emergency meds for my Type I diabetic daughter, a gig stick with all of these documents too, in short more things that I normally carry in my EDC. And this is not a complete list.

The dog and cat even have their own BOBs. They carry their food, collapsible bowls, pee pads and 1 favorite toy.

 

[lanahi]

I find this to be an odd question.

In Alaska, we hear stories all the time of people surviving in the bush, being rescued, etc., because they had a survival bag along. I know I carry a bag of survival gear in my car, because if I tried to walk home without it mid winter here I'd be dead in a very short while.

Maybe the name could be changed, but the idea is the same. Carry what you need to survive, get home, etc. Not because it's likely you'll need it, but because it's better to be prepared and not need it than to need it and not be prepared.

Exactly.
I like to drive into the mountains now and then and take short hikes. It really isn't smart to NOT have some survival gear with you unless all you do is travel the paved streets of your town.
You can also come across accidents while travelling where the victims may need blankets to guard against shock or compresses to stop bleeding until an ambulance can get to them, which might take quite a while.
I've always had a bag or two in the car and a jug of water for whatever. I've only heard it called a BOB since finding this forum, so that's what I call it now. It's ANY emergency supplies, and often non-emergency supplies too, all the way from band-aids and aspirin to firestarter to water filters to extra clothing...it's all covered.

 

[The Saint]

Exactly.
I like to drive into the mountains now and then and take short hikes. It really isn't smart to NOT have some survival gear with you unless all you do is travel the paved streets of your town.
You can also come across accidents while travelling where the victims may need blankets to guard against shock or compresses to stop bleeding until an ambulance can get to them, which might take quite a while.
I've always had a bag in the car for whatever. I've only called it a BOB since finding this forum, so that's what I call it now. It's ANY emergency supplies, and often non-emergency supplies too, all the way from band-aids and aspirin to firestarter to water filters to extra clothing...it's all covered.

Good point.

I sold my kids on the concept by calling it their "zombie bag" to get them thinking about what to carry in it I would rent zombie movies and I would quiz them afterwards. "What would you do if you were in this situation?" What equipment should you have with you if the zombies suddenly attacked? The effect was that their "Z Bag’s" are probably better stocked than mine.

 

[Raven]

I have a lot of crap; it's just easier to keep it all in a bag, since I can't carry a cabinet around...

 

[gunner_11]

= "Do you really need a BOB?"

Not today, but tomorrow I might and if not tomorrow then the next day and if not that day then..... and so on and so on....
I might never need it but at least I have have one if I ever do

 

[Discordish]

I like the warm fuzzy feeling my BOB gives me. No I dont use it all the time, but man will I be happy I put the effort into one when I need it.

I use my EDC truck bag on a daily basis - its a 24 hour bag that covers a wide variety of things. I feel naked without it.

 

[chipmunk]

BOB is what you need for three days. Food-clothes-meds-hygene. Somehow it morphed into a survival bag. EVERYONE needs a BOB. Only people with skills can use a survival bag. You will find people here who would rather pack survival gear and know what to do with it. They feel they can forgo the usual BOB stuff and just concern themselves with the bigtime crisis tools. Im the BOB kind. I know that I have a 5000% greater chance of needing to leave my house due to a tornado or fire than a zombie attack.

 

[lanahi]

BOB is what you need for three days. Food-clothes-meds-hygene. Somehow it morphed into a survival bag. EVERYONE needs a BOB. Only people with skills can use a survival bag. You will find people here who would rather pack survival gear and know what to do with it. They feel they can forgo the usual BOB stuff and just concern themselves with the bigtime crisis tools. Im the BOB kind. I know that I have a 5000% greater chance of needing to leave my house due to a tornado or fire than a zombie attack.

It's just a matter of semantics. And there's nothing magical about three days and nothing black and white between a BOB and a survival bag. If you are headed out for a BOL 5 days away, your BOB would have five days worth of supplies or so. They should BOTH be survival bags, and yes, it helps to be able to know how to use everything you have. The survival bag will contain the "usual BOB stuff" but have more in it, I suppose...at least according to your three-day definition. I also think it is not just for a crisis...in fact, it is to AVOID a crisis that you have it. You can also use it for a normal one day camp out if you replace what you use.

 

[Crash2]

Do you need a BOB?

You'll find out in an emergency situation and you don't have one.
Ever need jumper cables and didn't have them? PITA
Needed a spare and didn't have one or just have a low tire donut? PITA
need a first aid kit and didn't have one ? PITA
Cold,wet, hungry, thirsty and no BOB? PITA

 

[Karnus]

Some people express views and/or live a life style that under the current administration make the need for a BOB and a BOL very prudent. Personal freedoms are dissapearing faster than flat screens during Katrina. And some of us can see that. And may just wanna walk away at some point, if we feel threatened enough to do so.

 

[Hells Toy Master]

PITA?

Regardless Crash is right in that you will know when you want it when you dont have it.

A BOB is a tool set... when you need it, you may not need everything in it, but by gorge you have a better chance of fixing said problem / getting through a rough spot.

FYI:

about 2 almost 3 years ago a conveyor belt broke at work... at the time I had yet to start getting into prepping but..

Anyways when the maintenance guys were saying, "cant be fixed must be replaced and it will take a week to get it back up and running" my boss went out to his car and got out of his G.O.O.D. bag, a 100'ft of what I assume is military grade para cord.

Anyways he managed to sew the belt back together by using the 550 cord and the punch on his leatherman.

While some would cite this as a simple example of being prepared, I would counter with, "so how are you going to store all your prep goods?" and "why not store your prep goods in a manner that allows you to easily transport them." keep fallowing the trails of logic and you arrive at the BOB.

 

[Basic Human Unit]

In addition to what has been said, I'm a rather disorganized person. Rather than having emergency supplies scattered all about the apartment, keeping a BOB has helped me keep emergency supplies organized in a single place. The mantra of being able to grab a single bag and leave served me well for correcting a secondary problem.