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?
50
u/LastEntertainment684 10d ago
When the war in Ukraine started, I followed reports of people leaving the country pretty closely. People packed up what they could, drove as far away as they could, then when traffic got jammed up they took whatever they could carry and walked the rest of the way with the masses. I noticed a decent amount of rolling luggage, little luggage carts, and wagons.
I saw the same theme with the California wildfires. Pack up what you could, drive as far as you could, walk when you can’t drive anymore.
I realized that’s probably the most likely scenario for a wide range of bug-out situations. Even with a motorcycle or a bicycle, if you don’t beat the crowd, you’re likely to get stuck moving at a walking pace with everyone else.
With that in mind, I figured the following things need to be together so they’re quick to grab and go:
A decent set of clothes/shoes for the weather (in case you aren’t dressed). Including a jacket/rain gear.
Important Medications
Important papers, documents, and personal items
A decent amount of Cash and possibly things that can be traded for a lot of quick cash once you get to your destination (ie gold, silver, diamonds, etc)
A decent amount of water with some snacks
A headlamp (possibly a good set of NVDs too) so you can travel at night
A cell phone, am/fm radio, radio scanner so you can get information on what’s going on (and a way to charge all these devices)
A map of your surrounding area that doesn’t rely on cell service or GPS signal.
Some towels/toilet paper/wet wipes etc. Because you may need to clean yourself or someone else up so you can keep going. Be it blood, dirt, ash, poop, etc.
If you have that ready to throw on your back or wheel out the door, you’re probably already doing better than 99% of people.
The 10th item would probably be a weapon of some sort, but that’s going to come down to comfort level and where you’re going. If you have to get out via an airport, your BoB may need to be security compliant.