In Part 1 I covered I covered your EDC, Bail out Bag and briefly a CERT bag.

In the second installment I want to cover Bug Out Bags and Get Out Of Dodge bags.

Bug Out Bags (BOB) are for getting from point A to point B. Usually these are “3 day” bags. Their primary purpose is to get you from where you are to home in about 3 days. So you should build your bag accordingly. These should be backpacks so you can carry your needed items and have your hands free. Personally I use an old Woodland Alice pack with frame that I paid $35 for. I highly recommend the pack have great padded shoulder straps and a hip / waist belt.

You could spend a lot of money on a new Mall Ninja 5.11 pack but why? If you want to be more discrete and not noticed as much a solid color pack without all the attachments is a better option. This is called being a “grey man” a person who just blends in and does not stand out. For such a pack I would recommend a grey or brown pack such as the ones from LA Police Gear. While they have more webbing than I like, I do have one and it fits about 90% of what I keep in my 3 day.

How much you pack is up to you. In my case I am an IT Mercenary (Computer repairman). I fix what the small business cannot, thus I travel regularly over 3 counties and normally attend training no more than a 4 hour drive from my home. If a solar flare took out my vehicle, I would want to get home as quickly and in as good shape as I can. The super majority of the time I should be able to walk home in 3 days or less. If you live in League City Texas and work in Downtown Houston, well, you are screwed. It will take you longer to get home, and the more days that pass after a disaster the more dangerous other people get.

With my bag I already have my EDC. I would add my BoB and some items from my CERT pack mentioned in the previous article.

In the BOB bag I have SWAT Fuel multi-vitamins. My body will be under additional stress and I want to be as mentally and physically alert as I can. Three MRE’s.

Three sets of socks and three sets of underwear with two t-shirts and one pair of pants. I keep a radio/flashlight/compass, as well as a poncho and poncho liner (woobie) and a small “2 person” tent. There is another small 1st aid kit, shiny emergency blanket, misc. medicine (gas x, Tylenol et al). I do keep a military mess kit, 2 water filters (life straw and water bottle with filter), wood matches, another lighter (fire good), a boonie hat, binoculars, a hatchet and good Leatherman multi-tool. Bug spray, a state and several city maps as well as a good broken in pair of hiking boots. There are a couple more glow sticks, and a straight blade knife / bayonet, playing cards. There is tick removal pads, hand alcohol gel and a small container of liquid soap. I keep a hand towel, tan duct tape, another 50’ of rope, 4 “AA”, 4 “AAA”, and 2 “C” batteries as well as a comb.

In the summer I have a mosquito net that goes over my hat and head along with sun block.

In the winter I add 4 sets of hand / foot warmers, replace the socks with thick ones and add a set of thermal underwear.

A Get out of Dodge bag (GOOD) is the final type of bag I want to talk about and classify as different.

I don’t keep in my vehicle but at home. It is a 7 to 10 day bag to get me out and I’m never coming back. Things are bad, I have 15 minutes to pull out of the driveway never to return. It is based on having transportation simply because there is too much to carry and I don’t have a horse or mule. I use a “duffle” bag for this one.

While I would prefer to have an AR-15, 300 rounds of ammo and $300,000 cash in small bills. This would be based on me needing to go but the rest of the world is in its normal state. That is not what I have or expect. Mostly because I don’t have “those” people after me.

A GOOD bag for post-apocalyptic events would also be different. If I had sheltered in place and then decided to make a GOOD bag in case I had to go quickly, it would be setup based on what was transpiring.

I would be grabbing items out of my trunk or other bags above such as but not limited to Rifle, Multi-tool, binoculars, tent, and hatchet.
In my normal GOOD bag, there would be double clothes and food that is in my BOB (I’m not taking the time to strip my BOB), cash, some “junk” silver. I would have copies of my birth certificate and other important documents and those of my family.

Extra magazines loaded with ammo for a rifle. The pistol is taken care of with my EDC and Bob.

A GOOD bag needs prescription meds for 10 days and lots of middle medical. Middle medical is more than my 1st aid / boo-boo kit, and less than my trauma kit. We are talking a SAMs splint, stomach meds, pain relievers, allergy meds, more vitamins, Day and Night cold and flu meds, sun block, lots of gauze, a couple of bandage dressings. Of course there is a “Ditch Medicine” book too, for all that I don’t remember.

Other than medical it would include a poncho, a small pillow, shaving items, soap, shampoo, a full size towel and wash cloth. I keep a larger water filter, still portable, it is just bigger. I have a solar battery charger with batteries in it.

Well that is enough for now, until we meet again, keep your booger hooker off the bang switch until on target and ready to fire.