This page provides a brief overview of evacuation kits and survival kits, for people who are curious about what they can do to prepare but short on time and money. People interested in a more serious, involved approach to survival preparedness should visit the Bug Out Bag Oracle page maintained by black-rifles.com.
B.O.B.s
The acronym B.O.B. stands for bug out bag, an easily
transportable bag of supplies that you can grab and go, in the event of a
catastrophic event, also known as an evacuation kit. However, due to the term's simple,
inoffensive, enigmatic nature, I tend to use "B.O.B." as an all
encompassing term, covering both evacuation kits and larger, less easily
transported survival kits.
Building B.O.B.s--both evacuation
kits and survival kits--requires commitment. But you shouldn't let that deter you. Rather than spending a great deal of time and
money trying to buy everything at once, I suggest you decide what things you
want to include, make a detailed list, and then make a concerted effort to
accumulate those items over a reasonable period of time (perhaps three months
for the basics and a year for the more elaborate, expensive items). For example, each time you go to the grocery
store, pick up a few of the food items on your list.
The basic concept behind evacuation kits is the notion of
having supplies that you can grab and go, on short notice. So it doesn't work to say, "Well, we
usually have [such and such] at the house, so we don't need to buy it for the B.O.B.s," because you might be out of that item when
an emergency arises, or you might not have time to locate it. That's why it's good to stick to the
"pack them and then don't touch them until you need them" rule with B.O.B.s. You want to
know exactly what is in your B.O.B.s at all times.
Because the stuff that goes in your B.O.B.s is stuff you pay
good money to buy, store, and probably never use, don't
waste money trying to buy the best of everything. In fact, it probably makes more sense to buy
the cheapest of most things if that allows you to buy a wider range of
supplies. Sure, if the @%&$ ever
hits the fan, you'll be wishing you'd invested more money in your B.O.B.s, but I think it's better to have the things you
need, even if they're not top quality, than to NOT have a lot of things you
need because you spent your entire budget buying three or four top quality
items. This way, if you never
need your B.O.B.s, you're not out big bucks for top
quality, name brand items, but if you do need your B.O.B.s,
you're not wishing you had a bunch of items you don't. Having cheap supplies is better than having
no supplies.
Everything in the B.O.B.s should
be sealed in Ziploc or garbage bags.
This prevents items from being ruined by rain if, for instance, you have
to transport the B.O.B.s in the back of a pickup
truck or leave them outside overnight.
It also keeps items containing liquids (i.e., cans of soup) from ruining
other items if they rupture in the B.O.B.s. If an item is electronic in nature (i.e., a
portable radio, batteries, etc.), seal it in a plastic bag, wrap the plastic
bag in aluminum foil, and then seal it in another plastic bag. The layer of aluminum foil may help protect
the electronic item from the damaging effects of electromagnetic pulse if there
is a nuclear attack. Never pack
electronic items with the batteries installed because the batteries may leak
and cause damage.
Finally, I suggest keeping all evacuation kits (the stuff
you want to grab and go) in duffle bags and backpacks, as opposed to boxes,
because bags are easier to transport. Backpacks,
particularly those designed for hiking, are best. Thrift stores, like Goodwill, usually
sell knapsacks, duffle bags, and suitcases very cheaply. Store all your B.O.B.s together, if possible, so that you don't have to go
hunting for them if you need them. And
try to keep them somewhere where the temperature is relatively moderate. Extreme heat and cold will decrease the
useful life of many food and pharmaceutical items. Take note of the expiration date on the items
in your B.O.B.s (food, batteries, etc.) and do
periodic (once every 1-5 years) inspections and repacks of your B.O.B.s. Ideally,
each B.O.B. should include only one category of items (i.e., food, electronics,
cleaning supplies, etc). This helps
prevent the contamination of food items and/or the destruction of non-food
items. It also makes it easier to
inspect and repack your B.O.B.s, since you only have
to inspect and repack the ones containing perishable items.
I know this sounds like a lot of
effort and expense, but it can be managed if you're smart about it. Most importantly, DO WHAT YOU CAN
DO--Something is better than nothing.
You probably have old, unused items lying around your house that can
work in some of these categories. Other
items can be found cheaply at thrift stores and on eBay. Finally, as I've already suggested, spread
these purchases out over a few months.
Don't let it overwhelm you by trying to do it all at once.
When did
Noah build the ark? BEFORE
the rain.
THE LIST
Food:
CLICK HERE for more
detailed suggestions on food and water stores.
In short, each person needs at least enough food for 24 meals. If you're going to do ramen noodles for every
meal, I suggest you plan for 36 meals because ramen isn't very filling, and it
doesn't offer a lot of calories or protein.
Ramen packs are cheap, but the downside to dried food is that it
requires part of your water supply for preparation. Canned goods (fruits, vegetables, tuna, SPAM,
soup) are a good addition. Salt is
necessary to survive (try to get iodized salt).
Peanut butter and dried meat (jerky) are both high in protein. Honey doesn't ever go bad, so it's a good
thing to have. Rice lasts a long time
and has high nutritional value. Dry
beans have a long shelf life and contain a lot of protein. Crackers are a good survival food with a long
shelf life. Hard candy is a good,
long-lasting survival food. Flower, cornmeal,
sugar, yeast, and cooking oil can all come in very handy. Energy bars, like Power Bars and Marathon
Bars, are good long life "super foods." Multi-vitamins are an important thing to
have. Food tablets (http://www.campingsurvival.com/surtabnewcon.html)
are a good last resort if no other food is available.
Water:
Save some old juice containers (anything
with a screw-on lid, NOT milk containers), wash them, and fill them with HOT
water, straight from the tap. Store them
in the garage, pantry, closet, or whatever.
It's estimated that people need about a gallon of water per day, for
drinking and washing. Each person should
have a good canteen or water bottle. A
cheap biological water filter is a really good thing to have, as are water
purification tablets. Even a Brita style
water filter can filter sediment, such as nuclear fallout. Bleach can be used to kill bacteria in water (8 drops per gallon of clear water, 16 drops per gallon of murky
water).
If no filter is available, tightly woven fabric, such as bed sheets, can be used to filter some sediment from water. Boiling water for ten minutes (or three minutes, plus one minute for every thousand feet above sea level, if
fuel is in short supply) will also kill bacteria.
Toiletries:
Toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo,
hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, razors, tampons, condoms, etc. TOILETTE PAPER--lots and lots of toilette
paper! Washable
handkerchiefs (because tissues and toilette paper run out eventually).
Cleaning
Supplies:
Powdered laundry soap, powdered dishwashing
soap, powdered BLEACH (great for disinfecting, purifying water, and
neutralizing chemical and biological weapons), Lysol, 409, sponges, scrubbing
pads
First
Aid:
Rather it be a $10 first aid kit from a
grocery store or a more expensive first aid kit from an online supplier
(campingsurvial.com, cheaperthandirt.com, sportsmansguide.com), a good first
aid kit is a “must have.” Antiseptic,
petroleum jelly, bandages, medical tape, splints, gauze, tweezers, sunscreen,
etc., are all important things to have.
You can also buy suture kits, surgical kits, etc., online.
Over The
Counter Medication:
Advil, Aleve, Asprin, Tylenol, Imodium AD, ExLax,
Midol, Benadryl (for insect stings and snake bites), Claritin, etc.
Prescription
Medications:
Birth control pills, blood pressure
medication, migraine medication, allergy medication, etc.
Antibiotics:
Though you need to be careful not to
violate state and federal laws, Doxycyline and
Ciprofloxacin would be very good things to have. In a disaster situation, antibiotics could
mean the difference between life and death and be worth their weight in gold.
Clothes:
All-weather clothes. B.O.B.s. are a great way to get rid of clothes you don't wear
anymore. Think about things you might
need for a camping trip in every perceivable season or weather condition. Imagine you're packing for everything from a
summer backpacking trip to a winter snow skiing trip. Goodwill is a great place to find old jackets
and sweaters and stuff like that. I
strongly suggest packing some synthetic (nylon or polyester, NOT cotton) long
underwear into your B.O.B.s. One or two pairs of synthetic underwear (try
REI or Underarmour) and socks are also good things
for each person to have because, unlike cotton, they wick moisture away,
preventing infection and "jungle rot." Cheap rain gear or ponchos are definitely
good things to pack.
Linens:
Light/Heat:
You should have a good outdoor, water
resistant flashlight and a good headlamp, both with should be stored with the
batteries removed. There are a lot of
cheap models of battery-free flashlights available on Amazon.com. Some are charged with a hand crank; others
are charged by shaking them. Having one
or two of these could be invaluable and would be well worth the $10-$20
investment. You should also have a
couple of multi-packs of cigarette lighters, a pack of candles, and a bag of
newspaper and dryer lint (for fire starting). A kerosene lantern, with extra wicks and a bottle of lamp oil, can be a
good thing to have. Storing some
firewood or chemical fireplace logs with your survival kit isn't a bad
idea.
Electronics:
You need plenty of batteries (AA, AAA, C,
D, 9V). Hybrid/rechargeable batteries
and a solar charger (available on eBay and Amazon.com) would be an excellent
choice. A power inverter (the more watts
the inverter is rated for, the better) would allow you to get 110v AC power
from a car battery or jumpstart pack. A
solar trickle charger would be necessary for recharging your car battery or
jumpstart pack. Unlike a car battery, a
deep cycle marine battery is designed to be repeatedly discharged and recharged,
so a marine battery would last longer than a car battery in that
situation. A portable radio for news
updates is a “must have.” There are many
battery-free, hand-crank powered radios (often in combination with a
battery-free flashlight) available on Amazon.com. Some include shortwave reception, which could
be useful if regional radio stations were knocked out. A CB (citizens’ band) radio could be
effective for short-range communications with other survivors in your
region.
Miscellaneous
but VERY useful items to have:
Ziploc bags, garbage bags, aluminum foil,
duct tape (a large pack), electrical tape (a large pack), super glue, shoelaces, a sewing kit, chord
(parachute chord is good), razor blades, ballpoint pens and notebooks (It took
65 years to develop the ballpoint pen, so don't take the little things for
granted.)
Nuclear/Biological/Chemical
(NBC) Gear:
Most people probably won't want to spend a
lot of money on this kind of stuff, but if you want to get a few things, here
are the items I recommend:
A.
An Israeli Gas Mask for each person (the military M15 model is a little
better than the civilian model, but they both work). If your mask comes with a filter, the
included filter is probably expired but sufficient to keep you from inhaling
nuclear fallout; however, if you want protection against chemical agents (nerve
gas, chlorine gas) or biological agents (small pox, bird flu), you'll need a
current NBC rated filter (http://www.civiliangasmasks.com).
B. A
chemical suit for each person.
(Campingsurvival.com sells a $20 suit that would do the job)
C. A
pair of rubber dishwashing gloves for each person (cheaper than actual NBC
gloves and basically as effective).
D. A
bottle of Potassium Iodate (http://www.campingsurvival.com). This prevents your thyroid gland from
absorbing radioactive iodine after a nuclear attack.
E. A
CD V-742 dosimeter for each person (with a single CD V-750 charger per
household to calibrate them). Dosimeters
measure accumulated radiation doses. They
are available on eBay and from RadMeters4U.com. (http://www.radmeters4u.com/#7)
F. A
CD V-715 survey meter for each household.
These are also available on eBay and from RadMeters4U.com. (http://www.radmeters4u.com/#1a)
Here is the dosage information you'll need
to use with a dosimeter and/or survey meter (print and save it):
Expected health effects for an adult assuming the
cumulative total radiation exposure was all received within a week’s time. For
children, the effects can be expected at half these dose levels.
TOTAL EXPOSURE ONSET & DURATION OF INITIAL SYMPTOMS
& DISPOSITION
30 to 70 R From 6-12 hours: none to slight
incidence of transient headache and nausea;
vomiting
in up to 5 percent of personnel in upper part of dose range. Mild
lymphocyte
depression within 24 hours. Full recovery expected. (Fetus damage
possible
from 50R and above.)
70 to 150 R From 2-20 hours: transient mild nausea
and vomiting in 5 to 30 percent of
personnel.
Potential for delayed traumatic and surgical wound healing,
minimal
clinical effect. Moderate drop in lymphocycte,
platelet, and
granulocyte
counts. Increased susceptibility to opportunistic pathogens.
Full recovery expected.
150 to 300
R From 2 hours to three days:
transient to moderate nausea and vomiting in
20 to 70 percent; mild
to moderate fatigability and weakness in 25 to 60
percent
of personnel. At 3 to 5 weeks: medical care required for 10 to 50%.
At high end of range,
death may occur to maximum 10%. Anticipated medical
problems
include infection, bleeding, and fever. Wounding or burns will
geometrically
increase morbidity and mortality.
300 to 530
R From 2 hours to three days:
transient to moderate nausea and vomiting in 50
to
90 percent; mild to moderate fatigability in 50 to 90 percent of personnel.
At 2 to 5 weeks: medical
care required for 10 to 80%. At low end of range,
less
than 10% deaths; at high end, death may occur for more than 50%.
Anticipated medical
problems include frequent diarrheal stools, anorexia,
increased
fluid loss, ulceration. Increased infection susceptibility during
immunocompromised time-frame. Moderate to severe loss of
lymphocytes.
Hair
loss after 14 days.
530 to 830
R From 2 hours to two days: moderate
to severe nausea and vomiting in 80 to
100 percent of
personnel; From 2 hours to six weeks: moderate to
severe
fatigability
and weakness in 90 to 100 percent of personnel. At 10 days to
5 weeks: medical care
required for 50 to 100%. At low end of range, death
may
occur for more than 50% at six weeks. At high end, death may occur
for
99% of personnel. Anticipated medical problems include developing
pathogenic
and opportunistic infections, bleeding, fever, loss of appetite,
GI ulcerations, bloody
diarrhea, severe fluid and electrolyte shifts, capillary
leak,
hypotension. Combined with any significant physical trauma, survival
rates
will approach zero.
830 R Plus From 30 minutes to 2 days: severe
nausea, vomiting, fatigability, weakness,
dizziness,
and disorientation; moderate to severe fluid imbalance and headache.
Bone
marrow total depletion within days. CNS symptoms are predominant at
higher
radiation levels. Few, if any, survivors even with aggressive and
immediate
medical attention.
F. A
copy of Nuclear War Survival Skills. You can download it for free at http://www.oism.org/nwss/ and print it, or
you can buy it online at Amazon.com.
G. A
printout of the "Treatments
for Potential Terrorist Weapons" handbook found at CivilianGasMasks.com.
Tools:
A good multi-tool, an axe and/or hatchet, a shovel, a hoe, a handsaw, a hacksaw, a good tool kit (hammer, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, vice-grips, ratchet, socket set, etc.), assorted nails, assorted screws, assorted bolts, assorted nuts, assorted washers, a steel file for
sharpening tools, a hand-cranked drill.
Survival:
a good survival/hunting
knife, a wet stone for sharpening knives, a compass, a magnesium fire starter, a sleeping bag for each person, a camping pad for each person, a tent, a propane camping stove with extra propane bottles.
Firearms:
(NOTE: The only thing more dangerous than not having
a firearm when you need one is having a firearm and not knowing how to use it
properly. SEEK TRAINING IF YOU ARE
UNFAMILIAR WITH SAFE FIREARM HANDLING AND STORAGE TECHNIQUES! Hunter safety courses, concealed handgun
classes, and firearm self-defense classes are all good sources of firearm
training.)
My ideal would be for each person to have a
semiautomatic, military caliber rifle, a .22 rifle, a shotgun, a pistol, and a
large caliber hunting rifle with a scope, along with at least one thousand
rounds of ammunition for the semiautomatic, military caliber rifle, five
thousand rounds of ammunition for the .22 rifle, one thousand rounds of ammunition
for the shotgun, five hundred rounds of ammunition for the pistol, and one
thousand rounds of ammunition for the hunting rifle. Each gun listed serves a different
purpose. The semiautomatic, military
caliber rifle is the best choice for a defensive weapon. It can be effective at close range, medium
range, and moderate range; can be effectively used to defend against automatic
gun fire; and can also be used for hunting.
The .22 rifle is perfect for hunting small game, such as rabbits, and .22 long rifle ammunition is cheap enough to allow even
someone with a limited budget to build a large stockpile of it. The shotgun is a good short-range defensive
weapons and a good hunting weapon. The
pistol is a lightweight, portable self-defense weapon that can be carried
openly or concealed, by itself or as a backup to the semiautomatic, military
caliber rifle. The large caliber hunting
rifle with a scope is effective both for the long-range hunting of large game
and for use as a sniper rifle.
That's my ideal, but if we lived in an
ideal world, we wouldn't need any of the things on this list. Expecting people to purchase all of those
weapons and all of that ammunition isn't realistic. If you have a limited budget, as most of us
do, and are wondering which gun or guns to buy, the firearms in the preceding
list are listed in what I would consider to be the order of priority. However, there are other factors to consider
when choosing a firearm, beyond the order in which I listed them. For instance, if you had $200 to spend on a
gun and ammunition, you might be able to go to a gun show and get a cheap, used
SKS (semiautomatic, military caliber Soviet rifle that predates the AK-47) for
$175, and with your remaining $25, you could probably get 120 rounds of 7.62 x
39 mm ammunition to use with your new rifle.
Or you could probably get a semiautomatic .22 rifle for $150, and with
your remaining $50, you could probably get 2,000 rounds of .22 long rifle
ammunition to use with your new rifle.
So, whereas the SKS would be a better rifle for defense and large game
hunting, having 2,000 rounds of ammunition would be better than having 120
rounds of ammunition. I’m sure some
experts would disagree, but if I had to make that choice, I'd go with the
semiautomatic .22 rifle and the 2,000 rounds of ammunition.
Here are a
few websites where you can buy cheap survival gear:
http://www.campingsurvival.com
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com (also
sells cheap ammunition)
http://www.sportsmansguide.com (also
sells cheap ammunition)
I'm sure there are some things I forgot to include in this
list, and I'm sure you can probably think of some things I haven't considered,
but this list is a great place to start thinking about what you might want to
pack away, in case you ever have to survive “the day after.”
Along with building your B.O.B.s,
you should have a bug out plan and let your family know what it is. If
you live in a major metropolitan area, you probably won't want to stay there for
very long after the loss of electricity, running water, trash service, supply
lines, etc. But at the same time, anywhere you plan on going had better
not be more than a tank of gas away, or you won't have much of a chance of
making it there. Also, you should keep in mind that it may be safer to
stay put where you are, through the immediate aftermath of a major disaster,
even if you're stuck in a large city, than to risk getting stuck in the open,
without proper shelter, due to jammed evacuation routes.
Aside from stockpiling supplies to meet your immediate needs, you should put some thought into what it would take to survive if there is a serious, widespread, long-term disruption of the national infrastructure and economy. Anything you can stockpile will run out or wear out eventually. Then what? There are many books available on topics such as building improvised hunting traps, finding edible plants, making soap, making candles, making explosives, distilling alcohol for a fuel and antiseptic, treating injuries and ailments without a doctor, etc. Following a catastrophic national disaster, having a stockpile of food and supplies would probably be necessary to get you over the learning curve, while you adjusted to the collapse of our social infrastructure, but it's a good idea to have some sort of plan for what you'd do if and when that stockpile ran out. In the long term, having access to the right information would be more valuable than a small stockpile of canned goods. Check Amazon.com and Half.com for good deals on survival manuals, "how to" manuals, emergency medical handbooks, books on living “off the grid,” etc. Used book stores usually have a few old survival manuals lying around. The U.S. Army Survival Manual is a good place to start.
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