Building Your Bug-Out-Bag (Part 1)

I teach preparedness classes, with the foundation of the rule of 3's, the basics of survival. Survival is just a foundation, a starting point. We can survive 3 minutes without air 3 hours in inclement weather without shelter 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. These are averages of course, your mileage may vary. So with the rule of 3 basis, I=ve developed an acronym for what I consider the basics of survival. ASWiFFS Air, Shelter, Water, Food, Fire, and Security A = Air We obviously need air. Air is all around us and pretty easy to provide. There are times when air is contaminated or taken away such as smoke, chemicals, or drowning. S = Shelter Shelter is very important because it can give you a base which to operate from. W = Water Water is something we all know is critical. Water, like are, is pure until it is contaminated. Water may evaporate but to not be potable, things must be added to it either naturally, like salt water, or man-made, like pollution. F = Food Each of us probably ate today. The U.S. has it=s problems but generally speaking, we all eat. F = Fire Fire is what we live with every day. We cook with it, heat with it, heat water with it and in survival more it gives us light, comfort, and disinfects water. S = Security All of us have security in our lives. We have the best law enforcement in the world. We lock our cars and homes. We practice safety and security all the time. Your BOB should cover all these basics and have some redundancy. In survival there is a saying that 2 is 1 and 1 is none. I want several ways to purify water. I want several ways to make fire. I want redundancy in my security. POU is philosophy of use. (From Youtuber Nutnfancy) The reason behind and many uses of the skill or gear. You should have a strong POU to include items in your BOB. 72 Hour Kit-Bug Out Bag-Air Bandana/Shemagh to cover mouth and nose N79 masks for some chemical and biological emergencies Gas masks. If you have the money, training, and feel the need these take care of all problems. They can be expensive, bulky, and heavy. I have the training and the masks, but I do not carry them in my BOB. 72 Hour Kit-Bug Out Bag-Shelter SWB (size, weight, bulk) ounces count! POU depending on emergencies that may be prevalent in your area. For instance I would not worry about volcanoes in Kansas. But I would be concerned about tornados. I carry a tube tent and SOS bags. That’s a very minimal shelter. Sleeping bags These come in a variety of sizes, weights, and styles. Styles: Mummy, Barrel, Rectangle Ratings: -40 F TO +4 F, +5 F TO +29 F, +30 F TO +55 (most common this area) Liners: Fleece, etc Tents Double wall B Tent with rain fly Most common, most 2 or 3 season Single wall B No fly Most 3 or 4 season Minimal: Poncho, Tarp, Tube tent, Bivy Styles: These come in a variety of styles too. Do your research and testing. Buy tents out of season (fall, winter) for best deals Low impact colors (security, blend with outdoors) Clips vs sleeves for dome tents. Sealed seams: How well the tent you are considering is made. Fly that covers most of tent (tie outs) replace string with rope/para cord Floor plan for larger tents. Poles (aluminum over fiberglass) Stakes (usually replace with your own) Size (minus 1) Whatever the manufacturer suggests for occupancy, subtract one for closer to reality. Ground cloth: Barrier,Tent protection Pad: Air mattress (manually inflated), Air Pad (self inflated), Thin/thick foam (closed cell) Field shelters (learn building skills) This skill is not difficult but it does take some practice and experience. Heat Sources: Commercial heaters and starters, Home-made heater Fire Elements (safety), fire building, learning to build, and the uses of, different fires Fire starting kit, Home-made starters Primitive starting (Plough, flint and steel, bow and drill) All these methods require special items, some can be made in the wild. All require lots of practice and experimentation. They can be very time consuming. Be patient. This is part 1 of a series to assist in building your bug-out-bag. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn