Bugging Out. Carrying All That Weight.

[Keith]

http://australiansurvivalandpreppers.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/bugging-out-carrying-all-that-weight.html

 

[lonewolf]

water weighs heavy, 1 pint weighs 1 LB, I have a 3 pint canteen so that weighs 3LBS, dosent sound much does it but carry that all day and you'll know about it, you need a minimum of 2.5 litres per day and that's just for drinking, the suggested limit is usually 5 litres/ 1 gallon a day and that's heavy!!!

 

[Keith]

water weighs heavy, 1 pint weighs 1 LB, I have a 3 pint canteen so that weighs 3LBS, dosent sound much does it but carry that all day and you'll know about it, you need a minimum of 2.5 litres per day and that's just for drinking, the suggested limit is usually 5 litres/ 1 gallon a day and that's heavy!!!

Agreed, but as you said in another post, water is not a problem in the UK. The best way is to follow a water course if you can, we have a creek here that goes in the right direction for us IF we had to leave. If there is no water course to follow then the water you carry only has to get you from one water hole to the next. Food is also important, so this must be factored in when loading your transport.
Keith.

 

[Prime]

Bugging out seems to get a lot of people knees deep in a personal fantasy and suddenly the BOB out bag becomes a INCH bag. The TRUE point of a Bug out bag started with the military and its original intent was to extricate oneself from an area of immediate Danger TO an area of Safety as quickly as possible.

Somewhere along the lines Preppers have got hold of the term and evolved it into something quite different , its important to remember that a B-O-B's raison d'etre is to aid a person in moving away from the danger zone is good speed.

So that being said, to me ( personal opinion time ) anything beyond the basic fundamentals of items that keep a person moving , protected and fed/watered are a little over the top.
Many BOB's seem to have become a bag of various bits an pieces for LONG TERM wilderness living - whilst the emphasis should be on speed via a light weight philosophy of use being considered.

It could be argued that if you feel you have to travel a very very large distance under unknown circumstances ( End of World event ) you'll be unaware of how long you need to spend 'out there' and so the extra kit is justified.
Its far more likely that you will have to extricate yourself from a potential short term localised threat - Gas leak , localised flooding , Snow storm , Possibly even a small Civil / Riot disorder type situation.

So my argument would be keep the kit in your BOB lightweight , generic and multifunctional -if its a true BOB you should be able to maintain a light jog or speed march with it. Not pack everything and be so heavy and over laden that you consume and need more calories than you can physically carry ( within your BOB ) with a slow pace of movement to match.

 

[lonewolf]

a BOB is just that, a bag to get you out of the immediate danger area with just a modicum of basic supplies, speed rather than weight being the principal thing, an INCH bag is when you are carrying "all your worldly goods" on your back.

 

[Prime]

Nice to see you agree again.

 

[lonewolf]

yep.

 

[Prime]

Good.

 

[Keith]

Obviously we all have different opinions on the "bug-out" scenario & bag. Anyone having to evacuate quickly because of a natural disaster would be better off with more gear than less. Why limit yourself? If you can still jog with your bug-out bag then I don't see the problem.
But from what I have read to date, the bug-out scenario is one of leaving the city for the bush in a major shtf situation, where one is not thinking of returning any time soon. In which case you need to carry equipment & supplies to suit long term wilderness living. In the UK you are never far from civilisation, you have small country town dotted all over the place. These towns & villages are within walking distance. Here is Australia towns are vast distances apart. I live in a forest, & I can walk out my door & travel for months without seeing anyone. I think the size & use of the "bug-out" bag should be left to the individual to suit their own purpose.
Keith.

 

[lonewolf]

I think in a British context a BOB is just to get someone out of the immediate danger area, very few if any British people will "go bush", more likely to head for a "premier inn" or other type motel rather than head into the woods.