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Friday, March 30, 2012

The Bug Out Bag Quarterly Review

My cat heps prepare the BOB.
    
     It is the end of March, and therefore we are a quarter of the way through the year. I have decided that as a result this is a good time to do a review of my bug out bag, to see where it is at, and how much more I need to get done by the end of the year. So this right now is the basic state that my bug out bag is in.



     So I start with my two biggest things. The bag, and my sleeping bag. The bag I am using for my bug out bag is a fairly regular size backpack. With a couple of different pockets in it, I think it works well for me. It should provide enough space to pack what I need, without allowing me to pack to much. This way I am not weighed down by unneccessary items.

     The sleeping bag is part of my bug out bag for the simple reason that it is the only sleeping bag I have. It is not the warmest, smallest or lightest, but for the moment it will have to do. In the future I would like to get a smaller bag, but for the time being I am not going to put it too high on my "to get" list.



     Next up we have hygeine. So far in the hygeine section is a toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, razor, hairties (can also be used for other things much in the same way as a rubber bands), hand sanitizer, and a small hand towel (because regular towels are not going to fit).



     In the tools section so far there is two flashlights. One is battery powered and one is a hand crank, this way there are two light sources. If one breaks, hopefully the other will continue to work. For fire there is a a box of matches and three bic lighters, for when the matches fail you.

     There is also an am/fm radio with headphones to hopefully allow me to tune into any emergency broadcasts and potentially alert me to any evac plans and routes, as well as potential refugee camps. This will allow me to know where and when these things are happening, and it will allow me to find those places if neccessary, or avoid them as I see fit.

     A multi tool is always present because that is always useful. Shoe laces are good to replace a worn out pair, or to double as string. Meanwhile a deck of cards is there to prevent bordom, and spool of thread and a needle (which is stuck in the spool, but you can't see it from the picture) is there for all the many number of uses that you can use both for. Finally there is a pair of ear plugs which are definatly useful if you are going to be using a gun and have time to stick them in. They can also be useful if you just need some peace and quite from your constantly talking best friend who survived the sh*t hitting the fan with you, and is now driving you mad.



     On to the beginnings of my food storage. Yes I know it is rather sad looking. It also is meant to end up in my BOB like that if I can help it. I am getting together a stock of differernt foods that can be combined together to create my own MRE's because actually buying them are very expensive. So far I have individual tuna packets, cider packets, tea bags, and miso soup. For those that don't know miso soup is a Japanese soup, and it lends itself very well to being put in small packages to be made into soup later with just water. Also included in this section is my water bottle.



     The last section of my BOB is the medical kit. It is certainly not complete yet. More things will be put in, and somethings will likely be taken out. However for the time being, this what is in there. From the top left, trying to go down in columns: allergy relief pills, ibuprofin, a lighter, eye drops, hand sanitizer, aloe vera, 100 repel bug spray, off bug spray. Column two: soap and antibactierial wet wipes. Column three: bandaids, vaseline (can also be used for fire starting), two gauze wraps, cotton swabs, ace bandage. Column four: more bandaids, small and large gauze pads, and kleenex.

     So there it is. This is the beginnigs of my BOB. It is a long way from being finished but it is definatly a start. The things I am going to be working on next are clothing, aquiring a small tent, a tarp, a survival knife, and other tools. I will also be continue to increase my food storage and hopefull I can start making some MRE's soon.

     I know there are a lot of you out there with your own BOBs. What do you have in yours? Any suggestions for mine? Would love to see lists, pictures and any comments!

~Sara

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