# BOB thoughts and questions. IKR?



## AlphaResist (Nov 4, 2014)

Hello all, new member here.  As a fairly new person in the world of prepping i am having difficulty with some things. I will try to explain myself as best i can.

Short term goals.
1. B.O.B
2. Vehicle kits
3. EDC

Medium goals.
1. Food storage
2. weapon and ammo storage

Long term goals.

1. 30-50 acres of land with house
2. self sustaining

For now i will just comment on the short term goals. As i was putting together version 2.0 of our BOB's and i asked my wife why do we need all the stuff i was putting in there. Such things as vasalene cotton balls, candles, cordage, knives, soap, flashlights etc.

We talked about likely scenarios that will affect us. What we came up with is forest fires and floods. Just a side note, we live in a small town with a major Canadian city 2 hrs east, and another similar size town 1 hr west. Thinking of either disaster and depending on which way it was coming there are places to go. I have family living in both city/towns that i could stay with for a while.

So I am trying to understand why i would need a lot of the stuff i have? I am fairly bush wise and enjoy the outdoors, but most of what i read seems to focus on surviving in the outdoors. So many scenarios i come up with make that unnecessary. To add to this i also have a 35' trailer that can be hooked up in minutes so my thinking is to stock that. What do you guys who have more experience than I think?


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

While I do have small Get home bags in my vehicles, I have no BOB. I do have my RV that I can leave with at a moments notice. Everyone has different needs due to their local situation.


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## tenntex (Oct 27, 2011)

Thoughtful question!!! I've wondered the same myself.

If the only scenario you are envisioning is the evacuation of your house due to a *local* natural event, then it makes more sense (to me) to pack as if you were going on vacation: clothes, shoes, toiletries, money, credit cards, etc. Plus sentimental things you want to keep if the house burns down: photographs, jewelry, etc. AND insurance info!

Because you're probably going to stay in a motel or family or friends home for awhile.

If you're preparing to evacuate due to a breakdown of society, then you would be packing differently.


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

Assume that in any areawide disaster, roads and other modes of transportation are blocked and your house is in a shambles. You should be able to either camp in your yard or hike out of the disaster zone.

With that in mind if you don't know why you have something, you probably don't need it.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Can you comfortably say what part of Canada you are in, that makes a big difference to how I would answer, But IMO a person needs to be able to start a fire, it provides a lot of other things we need,


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## AlphaResist (Nov 4, 2014)

Geek999 said:


> Assume that in any areawide disaster, roads and other modes of transportation are blocked and your house is in a shambles. You should be able to either camp in your yard or hike out of the disaster zone.
> 
> With that in mind if you don't know why you have something, you probably don't need it.


Why is the area around me all of a sudden in shambles? :dunno: If we are totally honest we will have signs that things are going south before the world is an apocalyptic wasteland. Therefore if the need is to bug out it will be before everything is shut down. And as far as what i do and do not need i was just using examples so i could meditate on what is truly needed.

As far as where i am from, Alberta. I am re evaluating my short term goals. Chatted with my MIL and she agrees that as far as bugging out goes, not much in our area would have us do that. But we are still being prepared.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

AlphaResist said:


> ...difficulty with some things... why i would need a lot of the stuff i have?...


I'm not saying this is your case, I'm saying that I believe this is a possibility in _some_ Preppers cases.

Why do they have so much in their bag? Lack of confidence in themselves.

They don't trust their abilities or judgements and are afraid the one thing they don't pack would lead to a major live changing catastrophe. So their response would be to pack everything and try to lug it all around with them.

How to start a fire would be an example of my reasoning:

Acetylene torch.
Butane torch.
Short across a charge vehicle battery.
Shorting steel wool across a 9 volt transistor radio battery .
Shorting household wiring.
Cigarette lighter.
Convex magnifying lens.
Arc welder
Both lenses from eye glasses placed back-to-back, filled with water and edges sealed.
Rubbing two stick together.
Matches.

Instead of carrying all of the above, I have 2 butane cigarette lighters and a magnifying lens in my bag. Worst comes to worst I have confidence in my abilities to find the means to start a fire without either the lighters or lens.


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

AlphaResist said:


> Why is the area around me all of a sudden in shambles? :dunno: If we are totally honest we will have signs that things are going south before the world is an apocalyptic wasteland. Therefore if the need is to bug out it will be before everything is shut down. And as far as what i do and do not need i was just using examples so i could meditate on what is truly needed.
> 
> As far as where i am from, Alberta. I am re evaluating my short term goals. Chatted with my MIL and she agrees that as far as bugging out goes, not much in our area would have us do that. But we are still being prepared.


Lots of things happen with little warning or turn out worse than expected. Tornados and earthquakes come to mind. I personally was in the WTC when it was hit on 9/11/01. My house wasn't destroyed, but my office certainly was. I also had a tree dropped on my roof during one Hurricane (not Sandy). Fortunately the damage was minor.

You mentioned forest fires and floods. Either one of those could affect your home and depending on the geography, block roads.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Yellowhead county?? or somewhere near it?, one of the bug out causes west of the 2 would be oil patch related, maybe a well blow out or a wreck, the slow one would be some form of grid damage, fuel stops everything stops.


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## Wikkador (Oct 22, 2014)

I decided long ago that I would forget about gearing a kit toward some specific crisis and instead I gear toward a specified duration. A kit built around hours and days... not distance. I do not assume that I can simply go-home and being prepared to "go-home" is a relatively low preparedness level. 72 hrs is the universal accepted "base" and that is goal I had in mind when building my kit. If I do not need 72hrs worth if "stuff", great but if I do.. I have it.


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## AlphaResist (Nov 4, 2014)

I like your thinking.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

You should try some "practice runs"... just for an hour or two, then work up from there.

You'll find out fast what you need and don't need.

I carry minimal fire starting stuff. Fire is useless if you need to "stay moving". Food and Water, Clothes and boots are more important to me when hiking long distances. If you are resourceful and are still in a civilized area - water, fire and shelter are actually pretty easy to come by.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

Great subject!

All you really need is your brain. Truly.

Everyone's needs are different and no one can tell you exactly what you'll need. Although there are some things I would never want to be without, such as a medium length, strong, sharp knife. Very useful!! But caught without one I can still sharpen a stick or rock to get by.

There are basics to learn no matter where you are and they're more important than anything you can pack in a bag, in my opinion... water sources, plant and animal information, where certain things are like abandoned buildings and such. 

Personally I keep 3 bags packed and together they equal comfort. But even just the smallest will give me a big boost. I also have 3 modes of transportation depending on the event sending me on my way... truck, horse and foot. With the first I can take more including the horse and some food animals. with the second I can take a smaller amount but much more than alone on foot. 

In the end, if you're run out of your place with nothing but PJs and houseshoes you can still make it


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## BobR1 (Jan 13, 2011)

The warning signs may not be realized in time.
Big Earth Quake (New Madrid) comes to mind. If the Big One comes without any real warning it will be BAD. Make a drive by your local Electric Company pole yard, and see how many poles are on hand. If we have the Big One millions of power poles are estimated to be broken off. Not enough poles in the US to even get started fixing things. I live far enough away that the predicted damage would be cracked foundations, some ruined wells, cracked or broken windows. Nothing big Except the power being off for a very long time. Living without power for an extended period of time will be a real challenge.
Now if one lived in St Louis where some real damage is expected you now have a much bigger problem. If the power goes out so does the Water, Sewer, Heat, Refridgeration, Gas cannot be pumped at the station. Now factor in the damage to Buildings, Roads, and Bridges. Walmart may be able to operate until the Diesel Fuel runs out for the generator, then what?
Fires burning out of control, looters stealing anything they think they may need. It would probably take a couple weeks for emergency response to even get started in any meaningful way. Now you have compounded problems to factor in. Getting out of the Jungle would be on my list of priorities.

How about Yellow Stone?? If it ever goes up, or should I say when it goes up, we will have a major problem from that. My understanding with prevailing winds it will affect a huge area. Someone living 100 miles away from Yellow Stone is not going to relocate until they are 100% sure they have a real problem. That is probably too late in the game.

It is hard to be prepaired for anything that could happen. But realizing some likely things that could happen, and being a little prepaired is a good start.
Little things can make a huge difference. An example might be fueling you car when it gets down to 3/4 tank, instead of empty. A full gas tank might save your life. Same thing with keeping cold weather gear in your vehicle all Winter. I had a 60 mile drive to work before retiring. I kept a milk carton in the back of my Jeep with a Parker, Insulated Overalls, Pac Boots, Heavy Mittens, Heavy Socks, Sock Hat, etc in it. Not meant to be a BOB, but just good practice to be a little prepaired for winter emergencys.

Bob


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

AlphaResist said:


> Hello all, new member here.  As a fairly new person in the world of prepping i am having difficulty with some things. I will try to explain myself as best i can.
> 
> Short term goals.
> 1. B.O.B
> ...


So, correct, it sounds like your bug out bag is geared to living out in the woods.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND bugging out to the woods as one of your top three plans, it is a "plan" of last resort.

So why a pack geared toward the woods?

I believe that EVERY prepper should have at least three plans, because two is one and one is none!

The question is bug in or bug out...that's option one. Option two is always going to be the opposite, and option three is bug out to an alternative location.

I don't care if you live in Fort Knox unless your house is a hardened bunker that could survive a direct hit by an ICBM or asteroid, to be truly prepared you need to consider the possibility that your house burns down, is over run, or otherwise made unviable!

If you have to bug out your prefered option is to a place nearby. When I say bug out I always presume that I am bugging out to someplace, not chosen refugee status. However, there is always the possibility that bug in is not an option because your entire region is not viable, in such a situation ideally you want a bug out location that is far enough away to escape regional disaster (minimum 100-200 miles).

So herein lies the answer to your question. If you need to bug out more than (or get home from) 20 miles you need to be prepared for the possibility that at least a portion of that distance must be covered on foot. If you are bugging out on foot it is likely others are on foot as well and likely that soft accommodations may not be available, or safe... of survival priorities, shelter is second only to air, and much more important than food or even water. Thus a bug out bag is not a day bag...you don't NEED extra clothing...it is aimed toward survival. Priorities:
You can live 3 minutes without air (think 95 masks or gas masks).
You can live 3 hours without shelter, particularly in the midst of a violent weather system (tarps, rope, fire, etc). You can live 3 days without water and so you want some water and a means to filter and purify water. You can live 3 weeks without food, and so you want something to eat and means of catching more. Finally since someone can kill you in about 3 seconds you might want a means of self defense.

If you have these priorities covered you will be able bug out to, or get home from almost anywhere, and in a worse case scenario even bug out to the woods if all other options are exhausted.


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## sillybilly (Sep 18, 2014)

I picked 3 reasons for prepping in our region that is more realistic and prepped 2-3 times small redundancy: earthquake, volcanic eruption and as with most reasons, civil unrest. MOST of the deaths from hurricane Katrina were murders from mobs knocking on a door, owners opened the door and got a bullet to the head. (Look on the Internet and you will find this). So, in our preps, i incorporated usually triple redundancy to starting fires, water purification, food and lastly, protection. But IF you are bugging out from your house, know that martial law MAY be instituted within say 2-3 hours or longer and then you are stuck inside the perimeter. So, depending on how bad it is, that's a decision you will have to make fairly soon.
If an earthquake wrecks your house, you should have camping gear like tents, sleeping bags etc in your preps,;if a volcano erupts and ash is everywhere, you need stuff like P95's or I actually bought a full face 3M with spare filters so one of us can be out if needed. See where I am going with this? We bought the biggest utility trailer from HF and storing most of our preps in it do all we need is to hook it up and go. Remember one thing about leaving your home that is ok and still standing, once you leave, first you are now in refugee status and two, IF you come back, squatters could be there and most stuff like tv's and worth items will be gone from looters..
But if you stay, be prepared for a fight as thugs that laughed at you prepping will do anything when their kids are hungry. Are you willing to take lives to protect your stuff and family? Lots to think about. We started 3 weeks after Japan had their quake and I saw a line of ppl 3 miles long for a quart of water and said not me or my family. We are now about 90% done with our list and then practice and keep buying food.


Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum


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## AlphaResist (Nov 4, 2014)

Sillybilly, it's great that you are doing what you feel is needed to survive and good on you. However, its people like you who make me want to whittle down my bag even more. I just don't agree with the overboard approach to prepping anymore.

Its because we will never know the disaster that may befall any of us is the reason I'm going with the simplistic approach from now on. The basic preps and then I will work on my practical education. For the record no disrespect intended.


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## sillybilly (Sep 18, 2014)

Yeah, and since both of our posts, I agree. I think it impossible to prep for every possibility that "could" happen. We will keep what we have and organize it all. We have a great amount of stuff but need to work on food for 4 or more ppl. I told other family members that always that we we're crazy don't come knocking unless you can add to what we have like camping gear, weapons or food. 


Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum


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## Wikkador (Oct 22, 2014)

I try not to over think it as most survival consideration within the same geographical region are pretty basic. As far as (2 is 1 and 1 is none) goes, its an interesting quip and I agree with the basic sentiment but lets be honest, 1 certainly is 1 for as long as I have it and for as long as its working.. no matter if its a weapon, vehicle, shelter or whatever. Is it a good idea to have a backup plan for some of your critical issues?..sure but quips and mantras are typically intended to foster a general mindset rather than some rigid absolute. 

If you have water and can replenish it, carry it, purify it.. if you can create some type of shelter from wind, rain, sun,... if you can make a fire and sustain it,... if you have proper clothing for the season,... if you have a mobile light source,... if you can tend general injuries,... if you can protect yourself from attack,... if you are in average physical condition,... if you have a means to receive information,... if you can communicate with others,...if you have some food,...if you can cut, dig, bind and chop and if you keep your head while staying resolute in your intent to survive and dont give in to despair.. you are well ahead of the general public.


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## zilte (Mar 1, 2015)

depending on climate and terrain, you can need a lot more than your brain and need it a lot faster than you can "gather" it from the local area. For instance, be in a car wreck that results in a fire, in really cold rain and wind. your gas is gone and so is your shelter, and probably all your gear, too, depending on how bad the wreck is, you can be injured badly, bleeding,etc. Your brain, by itself, is not going to suffice.


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## zilte (Mar 1, 2015)

I built my BOB to be "adjustable", from the 20 lbs that includes the pistol and spare mag, but not the rifle stuff, nor the armor, all the way up to the 35 lbs "full on" gear to handle the Apocolypse if need be.

Many carry a lot of ammo (or say that they plan to do so) because they plan on missing a lot. I do not.  If you HIT 5 guys in any one ecounter, you'll have done as much or more than any Medal of Honor winner since the advent of the AK. If you are hitting, there's going to be more guns and ammo to pick up, so why bother to lug around much of it? I do restrict myself to 9mm, 223 and .22lr, cause in the US, those are by far the most likely calibers to be bartered for, found or taken from the Dead.


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## zilte (Mar 1, 2015)

The 20 lb setup is for handling local type stuff (quake, fires, flood, riots, storms) and the plan is to buy my way out of the effected area, basically. For the Apocolypse, realistic long term survival will require either predation or cached goodies. Neither method requires the carrying of lots of gear. I have caches, so I only set up to cover myself vs minor obstacles/time frames on the way to the caches.


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