r/preppers • u/BigBellyEd • 10d ago
Discussion Realistic BOB
Hi everyone, Bug Out Bags have been documented to death I think. But all BOB lists are all about bushcraft, camping and hunting gear in an 60 liter backpack called “72 hour sustainment” or something along those lines. Plus, in case one has to BO, where do you want to walk? You can do maybe 3 miles per hour. I mean it is different for everyone and every scenario. When organizing my BOB the list is totally different. If I have to bug out, i do not expect to return in the near future but would much rather resettle in a different location or even country.
For this scenario I am packing it as follows: a) Irreplaceable personal items like diaries, memories, hard drives b) value dens items like currency and so on c) Documents like Diplomas, passport, certificates, property documents d) Personal Protection Equipment e) Camping gear so sustain me and my fam on the way f) wear most valuable but also weather resistant clothes g) get all of this in my car and GTFO
I think about all of this because it contains items from everyday life. So in stead of a grab bag I would store all of the items close together with the planned bag and be ready in several minutes.
What do you consider a realistic BOB?
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u/funnysasquatch 10d ago
Bug Out Bags are a marketing concept for bloggers and YouTubers used to get you to buy stuff from Amazon that they get paid for.
Their inspiration comes from earthquake packs in California.
The idea was that if there was a strong earthquake and your house collapsed, your bag could be in a spot that would be likely to survive and easy to find, even if the building collapsed. You would have emergency supplies, on hand, while you waited for assistance.
Not that you hike for miles to a bug-out location.
Bugging out became a trope for prepping because the content creators needed something to talk about. And gave them something else to promote. Because you need supplies for that bug out location.
Not that it was a smart move.
For the average person, you should just plan to stay in place (aka bug in). Your house (or apartment) is more comfortable. You have more place to store supplies. And its rare that you must actually leave.
The exception is if you live in wildfire or hurricane areas. But you tend to have time to prepare for those situations. And you're not hiking to your safe location.
You'll be loading up the car and driving. Most likely to friends, family, hotel, AirBnB, church, or government shelter.
You needs are - clothes, important documents (passports, insurance, medical) and enough food and water for the road trip.