The whole idea behind a bug out bag is that you have to, well, "bug out". Get the heck out of Dodge. Leave town. Move, now!Chris wrote:the whole 'bug out bag' idea is great, but what if you run out of your stuff? what happens if you run out of gas for your generator? again, if you don't know how to make due with available resources, a 'bug out bag' just briefly prolongs the inevitable.
At that point, your "stuff" is donated to those left behind. Gas for a generator is secondary to gas for your prime mover. During a bug out, you're not prolonging the inevitable; you're avoiding it, by moving to a location where there are alternatives.
Okay, lecture over.
I'm not a survivalist by any stretch. I always keep a full tank on my dual-tank pickup (empty one, switch to the other, fill the empty... mostly because the gauge doesn't work). I regularly lecture my wife about running our van down to vapors in the 25 gallon tank. I keep the generator and 3 days' worth of gas on hand and rotated. We always have several days' worth of canned goods, although we might grow weary of green beans and canned corn. I typically have at least two full 20 lb. tanks of LP, plus one in use, plus two 30 lb. tanks on the travel trailer (which gives us refrigeration with minimal electricity).
As for arms, I keep four handguns loaded with spare mags, all easy to grab-'n-go. (Ruger P97 .45; Ruger Mk.I .22LR; Taurus M85UL; Makarov 9x18.) I keep a Winchester 1300 Defender (wood, 18" cylinder choke) loaded and ready to go with a sling/bandoleer of #4 Buck, and a buttsock with slugs. I have .30 cal ammo cans loaded for whichever centerfire rifle I grab (almost certain to be .303, for one of my Enfields). Plus, I'll grab a .22 rifle and a brick of ammo. Small and quiet has its place.
Not mentioned thus far: cash. Lots of cash, at least enough to win a bidding war on gasoline or food. In the longer term, gold might take the place of U.S. currency; it's worth having some gold on hand, too.
In all of this, the problem is not what we'll take, but when to invoke the bug out order. How many false warnings from the NWS does it take, before you start ignoring them? When do you decide that "this is the one"?
Lots of stuff to think about here. Please think about them all, carefully.
Kevin