A letter to JWR I guess most people in Louisiana figured it (Katrina) wasn’t going to get that bad or decided at the last minute to take whatever they needed. Either way, “help” did not come for them for four long days, in some cases longer. Many people died from dehydration along with other things such as drowning, infection, and medical complications. Three Day Kits are Obsolete: It hit me that the 72-hour Emergency Kit, 72-hour Bug Out Bag, or Bail Out Bag or whatever you call it is obsolete. I am now convinced that the 5 or 7 day Bug Out Bag is the way to go. Hurricane Katrina was a huge lesson to the American preparedness community. We watched while a lot people struggled, died, and became victims. Our financial situation here in the U.S. is crumbling. Programs are being cut, resources running low, and politicians don’t ever think a disaster can happen to us or they might not care. Either way help will be a long way off from three days. Even if your Bug Out Location is only two days away by car. Running into unforeseen problems could extend that trip (will discuss later). For those who have flee on foot, vehicles, and boats having a 5 to 7 day bag might have extended some of these individuals’ lifespan. Having more is a lot better than having less especially in a disaster situation. Like many people say: "It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it." Just something to think about for the folks that are planning to BO
I am working on that as well. I have my 72-hr kit ready, but, like you say there, needing more than 72-hr is better. If there was a fire that took out your neighborhood, you will have immediate help from RedCross (or similar agency), but, if the entire city was under siege from a fire (thinking about the wild-fires of California last year), RedCross wouldn't be able to do anything to help. That is where your BOV becomes your best course of action. It would be "impossible" for a single person to hike-out on foot with a weeks worth of provisions, unless that person has trained for years and practiced every year for those kinds of situations. A buddy of mine and his new bride did a week-long hiking trip for their honeymoon - both were in peak physical condition and both had between 120lbs and 150lbs of gear strapped to their backs for the week - and that was minimalist hiking in Canada. No guns. No ammo. Just a couple of belt-knives, tent, clothing and food. What would it take to bring children along as well in a foot BugOut? I would hate to find out. A BOV setup to haul the group, extra fuel and always setup with food / clothing / shelter for 2 weeks would be my plan. No - I will admit, I am not there, yet, but, I am working on it as funds allow.
I have been concerned about this also and am planning for a week. We plan on bugging in first. If we have to go I am planning on being flexible and using car, boat or bicycle. Hiking would be a last resort. A 3 day bag will be good for getting me back to my family when out in my sales territory.
Not trying to cause problems here but what were they carrying in packs weighing between 120-150 lbs? I don't think I've ever carried over 50 lbs. for a two night backpacking excursion and that included food and (usually) a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 magnum handgun and about 25 rounds of ammo. If their basic gear weighs 50 lbs. that would leave 70 lbs of food - per person - for a seven day trip (with the 120 lbs. total weight). That's 10 lbs. of food per day. Even with canned food that's a lot of chow!
Remember Jerry talks about the Game Cart option often. For a family with small ones, a Game Cart can easily lash onto the top of the mini van and come into play as needed. Packed / lashed with backpacks or duffels with straps, the cart could easily be unloaded to ford or cross obstacles. For a loner or prepared duo, backpacks of course would be the quickest trveling option.
hand carts I like the idea of pulling my gear instead of carrying it . However , I think I would rather have one like the ones Northern tool sells . I'm referring to the 2 or 4 wheelers with a poly tub . Seems a better option for wet areas or for crossing shallow streams . They even have a 4 wheel kit that you can mount your own tub to . But if you go with pneumatic tires , you'll definitely need puncture sealer and a hand pump . I suppose you could even haul game with it . Consider all options and be well
:scratch I don't know what to say, Your friend is either clue-less or yanking your chain. Maybe BOTH.
I'll have to confirm all the stuff with them, but, if I remember correctly: Climbing ropes Biners Peckers Pitons Rock Hammer Cams Tent, Sleeping Bags, Stove / Fuel, Cookware, Clothing, Footware, RainGear, SunGear, SnowGear (they did crest a couple of moutain tops). From their report afterwards, they figure that they did just over 100km (60 miles) at a rate of between 15 to 25km per day (depending on terrain). They used the ropes / climbing gear for a couple of climbs and the rest of the time it was easy trails - but - they needed to have the climbing gear along with.
The picture is a bit old, but represents the ballpark of my "quick" bug-out gear. If it's a short duration or we need to stay light, the camo backpacks on the 2nd from bottom shelf is all we need. If it's a longer duration and depending on the bug-out scenario, all the other bags come into play. Each is for a different purpose. - The orange buckets are food. - The yellow duffel bag is NBC protection - The tan duffel bag is tents/cots - One bag is sleeping gear - One bag is body armor - One bag is extended medical gear - One bag is extended utility (extra ropes, water purification...) - One bag is tools - One bag is cover and concealment items - A case of water There's a couple more bags in there as well...
bczoom, that's fantastic! We all need to be that ready! (gulp...I'm not...) Have the stuff, just not all together and organized. Thanks for a great example!
Wow.....My equipment has 40+ years of blood and mud embedded into it. You might be 190# of pure Bad'a$$, But if stopped at a check-point manned by locals your pretty equipment could cause the locals to see you as a wilderness virgin, and easy-meat. I am not trying to flame you, just my observation, get that stuff dirty, even if you just drag it around the backyard. Again I mean to help, not hurt.......:kiss:
Some good observations. I saw a post on another site where someone was considering using one of those angling packs (chest and back comparements) as part of his BOB system. Advantages (?): - a more balanced load - commonly used items can be stored in chest pack for quicker access Disadvantages (?): - Capacity - Comfort of the harness system - durability
