DISASTER BOBs / Inch Bags etc...why so little food?

[20Gauge]

Due to life in general and the recent spat of Hurricanes, bad weather and possible need to evacuate in SE Georgia the last few years, we have begun to put together a BOB for both the wife and I.

Over time we have watched just about every single video on evac bags and the one thing that seems to strike me as strange is the lack of food. Yes, they will all have some food, but it wouldn't last a single adult even one day. Or they have some lifeboat food that no one unless really desperate would eat.

1) My question is simply why so little food?

Side questions...

2) Who has a BOB ?

3) If you have one, how much food do you have in it?

Thanks!

 

[Meemur]

Why so little food? Because a lot of these bags are put together by "Rambo" types who don't live in the same world that the rest of us do. If you call them on it, they will remind you that you can live for 3 weeks without food but only 3 days without water (or some such).

Back here in Meemur Land, there's a Go Bag in the cupboard by the backdoor with cans of tuna, crackers, peanut butter, etc., that can be snatched up on the way out. As the temps have been below zero lately, nothing I eat is left in the car overnight.

 

[tanstaafl]

As with most things, it depends on what scenario you're planning for. A very fast grab-and-run-for-your-life-on-foot pack by definition can't involve a lot of weight and looking for things that may not all be located in the same place (for example, you probably won't have time to dig out your personal papers and guns that you normally keep locked away). If you have a car, think the roads will be passable, and have even a half-hour to pack, you can have lots of food and water, weapons and ammo, and maybe even a pre-packed trailer with everything you need to survive for six months. Maybe you have a remote bugout location and only have to survive to get there. And every possible scenario in between.

The easier short answer is that food takes up a lot of space and water is heavy and takes up a lot of space.

 

[20Gauge]

Why so little food? Because a lot of these bags are put together by "Rambo" types who don't live in the same world that the rest of us do. If you call them on it, they will remind you that you can live for 3 weeks without food but only 3 days without water (or some such).

Back here in Meemur Land, there's a Go Bag in the cupboard by the backdoor with cans of tuna, crackers, peanut butter, etc., that can be snatched up on the way out. As the temps have been below zero lately, nothing I eat is left in the car overnight.

We have the same. A bin for 7 days of food for 2, two bags with misc things needed to live either out of the car on by the side of a road. I could never figure out how they were going to eat. I thought they were going cannibal or something.

 

[Jeep]

Some of the Youtube commando's think they will be the only one's in the woods and they can easily live off the land. I give them a week to 10 days at most. We keep at a minimum of 2 weeks of food in our BOB's with an extra shoulder pack with more food ready to go. I will say that 1/2 of our food is freeze dried and lightweight. Also, unless Russian or Chinese troops are marching up the street towards our house, I am not bugging out.

 

[20Gauge]

As with most things, it depends on what scenario you're planning for. A very fast grab-and-run-for-your-life-on-foot pack by definition can't involve a lot of weight and looking for things that may not all be located in the same place (for example, you probably won't have time to dig out your personal papers and guns that you normally keep locked away). If you have a car, think the roads will be passable, and have even a half-hour to pack, you can have lots of food and water, weapons and ammo, and maybe even a pre-packed trailer with everything you need to survive for six months. Maybe you have a remote bugout location and only have to survive to get there. And every possible scenario in between.

The easier short answer is that food takes up a lot of space and water is heavy and takes up a lot of space.

The water in understandable. We are working on a couple of ways to handle that.

My concern was that these guys/gals are popping off with under an "emergency" you need to be able to survive 3 days..etc. Yet, it seems they are more gear orientated that actually getting somewhere. None of these guys could function under 3 days without food....ie: carrying a 40 pound pack and walking upteen miles

 

[20Gauge]

Some of the Youtube commando's think they will be the only one's in the woods and they can easily live off the land. I give them a week to 10 days at most. We keep at a minimum of 2 weeks of food in our BOB's with an extra shoulder pack with more food ready to go. I will say that 1/2 of our food is freeze dried and lightweight. Also, unless Russian or Chinese troops are marching up the street towards our house, I am not bugging out.

We flood a lot! So the need to leave is a real possibility, but even with that we do plan on staying put unless absolutely needed.
The 2 weeks sounds better, but we do have a bit to go to reach that. We still have some basic holes that need to be filled in order to do that well.
Yes, we have or will have a total of 3 packs also.

 

[TidesofTruth]

I have multiple Modular BOBs and 2 different get home bags.

It all depends on the scenario.

I have a bag that is all food packets. Can't take it unless I have a vehicle to go in. I also have large pails of year long food. (these are worthless if I have to bug out without a vehicle)

I have 6 tents of various sizes and various tarps. A set of tarps and a tent is always with me in a get home bag but would be very difficult for long term use if I did not get back home.

You have to go through the different scenarios, type of terrain you are in and where you would go if you were bugging out. You must also consider how you would adapt to bugging in. And for those of you who have "cans" of tuna you might consider the newer packs of tuna that come in mylar. You can find them very inexpensive on sale and rotate out your cans for weight purposes.

 

[20Gauge]

I have multiple Modular BOBs and 2 different get home bags.

It all depends on the scenario.

I have a bag that is all food packets. Can't take it unless I have a vehicle to go in. I also have large pails of year long food. (these are worthless if I have to bug out without a vehicle)

I have 6 tents of various sizes and various tarps. A set of tarps and a tent is always with me in a get home bag but would be very difficult for long term use if I did not get back home.

You have to go through the different scenarios, type of terrain you are in and where you would go if you were bugging out. You must also consider how you would adapt to bugging in. And for those of you who have "cans" of tuna you might consider the newer packs of tuna that come in mylar. You can find them very inexpensive on sale and rotate out your cans for weight purposes.

Question...

If your food is in a different bag, if you go on foot does that mean no food. Not thinking of the pails as I have the same problem. I was interested in the actually needing to hoof it and having some food for a week or so.

 

[Meemur]

I was interested in the actually needing to hoof it and having some food for a week or so.

If you're going to hoof it for a week, you need to be in shape enough to do that, and then the camping stores/etc can help you with suitable amounts of freeze-dried and dehydrated food. If you don't regularly hike and camp, that may not be your best bet.

Since most of that sort of food leaves me too plugged up to function and since I'm pushing 60, I'm a lot more realistic about the circumstances under which I'll leave and how far I will go. Barring a direct hit from a tornado, I'm sheltering in place.

On the other hand, I usually have food with me as part of my "winter survival kit," which TPTB want us to have since being stranded by the side of the road in sub-zero temps is a possibility. I also keep the possibility of a house fire in mind.

 

[20Gauge]

If you're going to hoof it for a week, you need to be in shape enough to do that, and then the camping stores/etc can help you with suitable amounts of freeze-dried and dehydrated food. If you don't regularly hike and camp, that may not be your best bet.

Since most of that sort of food leaves me too plugged up to function and since I'm pushing 60, I'm a lot more realistic about the circumstances under which I'll leave and how far I will go. Barring a direct hit from a tornado, I'm sheltering in place.

On the other hand, I usually have food with me as part of my "winter survival kit," which TPTB want us to have since being stranded by the side of the road in sub-zero temps is a possibility. I also keep the possibility of a house fire in mind.

That makes sense to me. But I do like to plan for the worst and we did have people who evacuated and their cars broke down and ended up doing a bit of walking. My plan is Stay in house, Leave in Truck, walk only if needed.

My whole point was if you do the BOB that are suggested, then where's the food go?

 

[L.A.B.]

16 oz Pumpkinseed’s with a light spray of sea salt and maple syrup. It requires extreme discipline to not justify rotating them out every week. A pound of Almonds not so tempting just good food.

Several healthy nutrition bars free of crap that many use.

Canned fish from the Northern Atlantic

My favorite powdered green drink mix.

I’m under 100,000 feet from my workplace, but unlike Denzel Washington’s character in The Book of Eli, I’m holding off from the neighbors cat’s for ALAP!

Not some much a BOB, more a under 13 pound GHB.

 

[tanstaafl]

People who aren't used to it will be stunned to find out how quickly they can feel weak and lethargic without regular meals. You may still be trudging along the road or trail three or four days after your last meal, but there's a fair bet your situational awareness will at the best be dulled and at worst be non-existent. That is, by then you might be walking with head down and the grim determination to just keep putting one foot in front of the other ... in mutant zombie biker terms, you'll become a "target."

Part of my bugout gear is two medium-sized duffles each filled with two weeks of Mountain House pouched food and with enough chemical heaters to make every meal a hot one (in some scenarios fires may simply not be an option). That way I can grab one if I'll be on foot and both if I'll be in a vehicle. This approach is not cheap, but the bags aren't particularly heavy and could be carried by hand for quite awhile or even lashed atop a backpack (although that would likely be awkward). Food is probably the only thing you'll be carrying that will get lighter in weight the longer you're out there.

One of the easiest approaches to the idea of a bugout bag is simply to have and keep a backpack prepared at all times and packed (including its own food stash) as if you're going out for a multi-day stay in the wilderness. Just rotate the water every few months to keep it fresh and don't forget to air out your sleeping bag every now and again. I keep my backpack next to the food duffles, so it's a very easy thing to supplement the food supply if the situation calls for it.

If you're determined to carry more, you can always get one of the game carts made for hunters to haul out deer. By definition they're designed for off-road use and heavier weight than you can comfortably carry, and you can get them with solid wheels if the thought of inner tube blowouts make you winch.

 

[Profit of Doom]

I am working on in-home food storage using those black and yellow 27 gallon bins at Costco ($6!) I treat them as a boundary container, (this is emergency food inside!) and it keeps everything neat.
I’m using this as my basic plan:
http://halturnerradioshow.com/index...ly-for-4-from-sam-s-and-walmart#disqus_thread

Not much for bugging out, but working on get home bags.

 

[ainitfunny]

Granny sez- You who think nothing of spending $50-$100 and up for a friggin’ jackknife or other exotic gear, THINK SMART and spend $50-$100 for a folding GAME CART to enable you to actually bug out (even on foot if the car breaks down) with enough food and water to not SUFFER deprivation in addition to exhaustion and stress during your relocation! You may “find” water you can purify along the way, but “finding FOOD” during a mass bugout is unlikely and will SERIOUSLY extend the time necessary to get from point A to point B if it periodically takes you hours to hunt, scavange, or gather something to eat!

BTW- Those expensive “lifeboat” and other “emergency survival rations” (MAINSTAY, DATREX, ETC) are just compressed BARS OF WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, CRISCO FAT, with maybe (rarely) a little protein powder, some Vit C powder, and lemon or Vanilla flavoring. YOU COULD EASILY MAKE THEM FOR 1/20th of what they cost!

I would have trouble choking down even one bar, But these “survival bars” can make the basis of some HEARTY SOUPS. Crush up half a bar in a quart of water and add ketchup, or tomatoes, or tomato sauce/paste and you can even add some of that “precooked bacon” you can buy and you have a great, filling tomato soup! Or, in a quart of water crush half a “survival bar” n’ add some dried chipped beef, dried mushrooms and onions for another hearty soup.

TIP- Buy dried, chipped BEEF (in small GLASS JARS) and leave it in the jars until you need to bug out or go hiking, CAMPING, THEN TRANSFER IT TO ZIPLOCK FREEZER BAGS to save on weight ( it wont go bad in the short term!)

I COPIED THE INGREDIENTS FROM ONE BAR(this one adds vitamin powder but nothing you cant stir up yourself!)

Ingredients
Enriched Flour, Vegetable Shortening, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Soy Flour, Corn Starch, Potassium Sorbate, Vitamins (Vitamin A, Iron, Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Copper, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Thiamin, Niacin, Falate, Biotin, Iodine, Zinc), Artificial Lemon Flavoring, Artificial Vanilla Flavoring, Artificial Butter Flavoring, Artificial Coloring (Egg Shade).

THIS is what you get in a DATREX Bar:

Ingredients: Wheat flour, vegetable shortening, cane sugar, water, coconut, and salt.

THIS is what you get in a MAINSTAY bar:

. Ingredients: Enriched flour (Added Vitamins A, B1, B2, D, E, B6, B12 Niacin, Iron, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Phosphorous), Vegetable Shortening (partially hydrogenated soybena and cottonseed Oils), Granulated Sugar, Corn Starch, Corn Syrup, Natural Lemon flavor, artificial butter flavor, artificial vanilla flavor (tantrazine, FD&C yellow #5, FD&C Red #40), artificial color, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), gamma/delta tocopherois as a natural antioxident

 

[Meemur]

My whole point was if you do the BOB that are suggested, then where's the food go?

It wouldn't fit in most of the suggested BOBs: you'd need a bigger bag or different carrying system.

 

[changed]

Some of my past posts on BOB/backpacking food (lots of armchair critics responded):


http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?474852-Five-day-bug-out-bag-food&highlight=hiking+food

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...ng-food-list-with-pic&highlight=backpack+food

 

[Cardinal]

20Gauge, take a look at folks who hike the appalachian trail and see what/how they pack. Again, everything depends on what shape you are in and what you are planning for. But these folks pack light (relatively speaking, that is, they actually weight everything they pack) and to survive in their circumstances. I took my cues from them.

 

[TerryK]

If you are in good health, you can actually function better and have as good or better endurance without eating any food for the first 3 or 4 days.
You will function normally for at least 10 days with no food.
After that, things start to deteriorate if you don't eat.
No one says you won't be hungry during that time, you will, but the human body was made to function well for days without food.
Otherwise our species would have died out.
Your physical acuity actually gets better, at least for the first week. It's an evolutionary survival mechanism built into all of us.

 

[TerryK]

20Gauge, take a look at folks who hike the appalachian trail and see what/how they pack. Again, everything depends on what shape you are in and what you are planning for. But these folks pack light (relatively speaking, that is, they actually weight everything they pack) and to survive in their circumstances. I took my cues from them.

I agree with this. If you haven't walked 5 miles at a stretch a few times in the last year don't expect to bug out and cover a lot of ground on foot.
If you want a realistic assessment of your ability, go out your front door and just walk for 3 or 4 hours or until you're tired, and see how you do. Call home and have someone drive and pick you up and measure the distance.
Now could you do that 3 to 5 days in a row, carrying a light load without your feet, legs or back giving out?

Most of us, including myself, have an unrealistic opinion of just what we can comfortably do, unless we regularly test ourselves.
The good news is that walking is easy and safe and our bodies were meant to do it.


As far as bugging out and being on the road more than a few days, I'm waiting to hear from MS on this. He actually walked the Appalachian trail, more than once I believe.

 

[Cardinal]

https://www.rei.com/blog/travel/appalachian-trail-backpacking-gear-list

Take a look at this list. Can you pack all that and still walk?

 

[Profit of Doom]

https://www.rei.com/blog/travel/appalachian-trail-backpacking-gear-list

Take a look at this list. Can you pack all that and still walk?

I would love to see how they make 6,000 calories per day from those food items. Anybody have a menu for that?

 

[ainitfunny]

THIS could be the best $60 (FREE SHIPPING- Use Coupon Code SH2735 at Checkout ) you spend to “prep” for emergencies:
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Carry downed game with ease!
Guide Gear Deer Cart
Item # WX2-120146
Mfg. Number: 3A-HT103
UPC: 885344035754IN STOCK
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Features
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Perfectly balanced design
300-lb. weight capacity
Folds flat
Includes 3 lashing straps
Platform measures 19" x 64"
Weighs 28.31 lbs.

 

[20Gauge]

It wouldn't fit in most of the suggested BOBs: you'd need a bigger bag or different carrying system.

That seems to be the case. Which makes most BOBs useless or less than useful. No food = no success after 3-4 days...

 

[20Gauge]

20Gauge, take a look at folks who hike the appalachian trail and see what/how they pack. Again, everything depends on what shape you are in and what you are planning for. But these folks pack light (relatively speaking, that is, they actually weight everything they pack) and to survive in their circumstances. I took my cues from them.

I have been also. We were able to reduce the weight of the food by changing the types of food. Dried vs Wet.
That helped. It is also what got me to thinking about the BOBs and lack of food. Those who hike take quite a bit of food for 3-4 days.

 

[Cardinal]

I have been also. We were able to reduce the weight of the food by changing the types of food. Dried vs Wet.
That helped. It is also what got me to thinking about the BOBs and lack of food. Those who hike take quite a bit of food for 3-4 days.

Ainit's idea of the deer cart is also something I have looked at. Right now I am going with a small mountain bike that I can ride over rough terrain and hang my bag on. If I could find a quiet enough dirt bike I'd get one. I know from experience that my shoulders can't take too much of what is in my bag right now.

 

[Cruiser]

I have separate BOB and INCH bags as well as box's for the BOV. All of them have freeze dries as well as rice and beans. If I'm just down the BOB's on foot I have seriously messed up...

 

[tanstaafl]

I agree with this. If you haven't walked 5 miles at a stretch a few times in the last year don't expect to bug out and cover a lot of ground on foot.
If you want a realistic assessment of your ability, go out your front door and just walk for 3 or 4 hours or until you're tired, and see how you do. Call home and have someone drive and pick you up and measure the distance.
Now could you do that 3 to 5 days in a row, carrying a light load without your feet, legs or back giving out?

Most of us, including myself, have an unrealistic opinion of just what we can comfortably do, unless we regularly test ourselves.
The good news is that walking is easy and safe and our bodies were meant to do it.

As far as bugging out and being on the road more than a few days, I'm waiting to hear from MS on this. He actually walked the Appalachian trail, more than once I believe.

It's even worse than that. I walk five miles every day on a treadmill, but treadmill walking is definitely not the same as walking on a trail. It's like folks who jog and then think they can ride a bike long distances with no buildup at all -- different muscles and different motions mean very sore muscles and very likely blisters on the feet. Most especially for those who are no longer young. So all that mall walking isn't going to do much for you when you get off a sidewalk or off a road. Not to mention there's even a subtle difference between treadmill walking and sidewalk walking.

From what I understand of it, regardless of what you see in the movies and read in action books, bulging muscles and no fat isn't the ideal survival body. If the body has little to no fat to break up for energy when there's no food, it's going to go straight to breaking down muscle mass instead. At the other extreme, morbidly obese isn't just a convenient way to store up energy for tough times.

Also, if you use the backpack-as-a-BOB approach, seriously consider getting a medium sized pack without a bunch of pockets rather than the biggest backpack and the most pockets you can find. It's extremely difficult to resist filling up all the space available, so don't give yourself so much space that the end result is a backpack you can't carry.

 

[Meemur]

Don't lecture me, but I'd like to see a little of Europe before I get too old. I bought a 35L women's Ospray pack, which I load with about 15-18 pounds (and I'm a minimalist packer on trips, anyway). I've been going on daily walks around the neighborhood with it, and when it's warmer, I'll add outdoor stairs, like going up and down several times daily at the Capitol Building to build up those muscles.

It's rough! I wouldn't even begin to want to carry around 40+ pounds.

I'm also not going to haul a wheeled suitcase around Europe. I think that a light pack is much better idea.

 

[China Connection]

Normally in the shed these days. I sprout it for the chickens etc. If I had to I could easily live off it. Need water but to sprout it. Say I could last 6 weeks on a bag.


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Wheat, sorghum, corn, oats, black sunflower, peas, safflower, grey sunflower and/or millet.

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[ainitfunny]

A ziplock bag of bisquick mix will help provide that (I HAVE EATEN FOOD feeling, rather than the “I ate a candy bar/junk food” feeling)
It is high calorie, can be used to make biscuits, gravy, bread fish, thicken and enrich soups, make pancakes/waffles, ( I also have a stovetop/campfire waffle iron that has built in (cold/cook/hot) thermometer on each side for car bug out camping.)


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordic-War...m-Stove-Top-/332505063044?hash=item4d6ad89e84 BID NOW AT $10

 

[Coulter]

Why so little food? Because a lot of these bags are put together by "Rambo" types who don't live in the same world that the rest of us do. If you call them on it, they will remind you that you can live for 3 weeks without food but only 3 days without water (or some such).

Back here in Meemur Land, there's a Go Bag in the cupboard by the backdoor with cans of tuna, crackers, peanut butter, etc., that can be snatched up on the way out. As the temps have been below zero lately, nothing I eat is left in the car overnight.

Good point.

But what most (not all) fail to mention is that after 3 days or more without food you become a walking zombie - barely able at times to even move. After a few days (not sure how many) your body starts to feed on its self. I've read this is very painful. Probably why a hunger strike is NEVER sucessful.

The above is another reason why I felt so SO very sorry for those in the concentration camps who were sick - beaten - frozen - and yet forced to work.

What a NIGHTMARE.

 

[Coulter]

I have thought about starting a thread on just this.

Nobody EVER mentions - dogs.

If you bug out you are going to encounter - MEAN DOGS.

How can you successfully prepare yourself for this?

Wild dog packs - even single dogs are going to be a nightmare.

I have watched many many bug out bags and inch bag videos and NOBODY mentions this problem.

 

[Terriannie]

THIS could be the best $60 (FREE SHIPPING- Use Coupon Code SH2735 at Checkout ) you spend to “prep” for emergencies:
(can someone post a photo here? I’m on my ipad and it won’t let me post a photo!)
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/guide-gear-deer-cart?a=351879
Carry downed game with ease!
Guide Gear Deer Cart
Item # WX2-120146
Mfg. Number: 3A-HT103
UPC: 885344035754IN STOCK
5 stars
4.5(434)Write a review
Buyer's Club Info $53.99
Non-Member $59.99

Features
Solid steel frame
16" solid-rubber spoked wheels
Perfectly balanced design
300-lb. weight capacity
Folds flat
Includes 3 lashing straps
Platform measures 19" x 64"
Weighs 28.31 lbs.

Your cart makes much more sense to carry heavier items then my idea of a folding cart that I carry in my car for groceries. I could just see my wheels give out in no time flat.

 

[ericha]

Over time we have watched just about every single video on evac bags and the one thing that seems to strike me as strange is the lack of food. Yes, they will all have some food, but it wouldn't last a single adult even one day. Or they have some lifeboat food that no one unless really desperate would eat.

I noticed the same thing. It's pretty ridiculous to see someone's idea of necessary gear, and invariably they throw in "one is none...blah, blah" stuff. Then admit their pack comes out to 50 lbs, but justify that by observing that soldiers carry that much all the time. But you see in the video he is a marshmallow soft city boy, and you realize you just wasted 10 minutes listening to an idiot spouting nonsense.

 

[Vtshooter]

I have thought about starting a thread on just this.

Nobody EVER mentions - dogs.

If you bug out you are going to encounter - MEAN DOGS.

How can you successfully prepare yourself for this?

Wild dog packs - even single dogs are going to be a nightmare.

I have watched many many bug out bags and inch bag videos and NOBODY mentions this problem.

Maybe that's the food source that's missing from the BOB.

You're also likely to encounter mean people. I assume you deal with each in a similar manner.

 

[Ractivist]

I have thought about starting a thread on just this.

Nobody EVER mentions - dogs.

If you bug out you are going to encounter - MEAN DOGS.

How can you successfully prepare yourself for this?

Wild dog packs - even single dogs are going to be a nightmare.

I have watched many many bug out bags and inch bag videos and NOBODY mentions this problem.

The solution to that problem does not rest in the BOB, it's on your hip...... obviously you need more time around dogs. That's a whole nutter sit.....

All bags must be taylor made for your size, stamina and the duration factor. Multiple bags or carrying devices are another solution, especially if there is two or more. Back pack, or pack frame, belly pack, hand carried bag, same with shoulder strap........ with all contents spread in the most logical, and loseable way. And two is one, that reality needs to be considered with the most valuable things, and they need to go in different bags should one lose one. Food should be dispersed, lighters, water filters, ammo, etc....... as time goes, so do the bags and the organization.

 

[Txkstew]

I wish I could find one, but my Brother had a little bird trap. It was a spring loaded hoop that would clamp around the birds head when it pecked at the piece of grain on the trigger. He had a long string tied to it, and when the bird started flopping around, he'd run over and wring it's neck. He said in an hour of sitting on a park bench, he could get 4 or 5 birds that way. He was living very austerely at that time.

A co-worker was telling me how him and his wife liked to cruise the back log roads, just looking around and drinking beer. He carried a small ultra light fishing pole rig, and if he saw a large enough area of standing water, he'd make a few cast. He said you'd be surprised at how many fish are in these rain water runoff pools. The fish were small, but they would add up.

 

[eXe]

People always give me a hard time about how much food I have in my bug out bags. I have 4 different ones for 4 different scenarios. All have a decent supply of either freeze dried or MRE entrees and enough for more than a few days. Perhaps I need to take one as a "get home bag" while on a trip, or perhaps I need to set up a shelter and do ham radio comms from there, or perhaps we are being evacuated for a few nights due to some emergency, that is what my BOBs are for and they are pretty food heavy as well as lots of other gear. I can carry any one of them on my back (no, not all of them at once lol) a long distance if need be, not like they are 100 lbs lol but they are packed.

Since I live where I do, I wont be heading for the hills at the first word of disaster, that said my INCH (im never coming home) kit, is made up of rubbermaid tubs, along with tossing ALL the different bug out bags in the vehicle (surburban). Certainly would not walk away from my home with just a BOB, I have a bigger set up (that I just rotated) of 6 rubbermaid tubs that has food, supplies, meds, you name it, right down to towels just in case.

 

[L.A.B.]

I have thought about starting a thread on just this.

Nobody EVER mentions - dogs.

If you bug out you are going to encounter - MEAN DOGS.

How can you successfully prepare yourself for this?

Wild dog packs - even single dogs are going to be a nightmare.

I have watched many many bug out bags and inch bag videos and NOBODY mentions this problem.

Feral dog packs are great hunters. My experience is from 20 years ago. This Man’s best friend was another hiker with the The same Semi-Auto 12 GA that day.

As two of us were hiking a few miles into a dry desert stream bed, I noticed a 12 foot terraced dry water fall. Climbing up revealed 2 dogs at about 200 plus yards and very broken grassy mounds of terrain. Suddenly out of the cover of broken vision, the two dogs were joined by five others. These were BIG DOG’s. The smaller ones were medium sized German Shepherds. (No German Shepherds) were part of this dog pack.

My friend was a few seconds behind. The packs Alpha spotted me just seconds after I spotted him. He drove his body down over his front paws, I guess this meant something to the Bravo who seemed to mimic it as the rest of the pack responded by attempting to flank me. Oh yes! They are very practiced flankers. The crazed 360 degree panic paw-prints from a rabbit I spotted earlier were the ‘dead’ give away to begin looking for the vectors of canine predators. I spotted them at just a little more than 120 degrees apart. One straight on. One blind side.

As I called out to my friend who had not yet been spotted by the dogs, he crouched low and asked if I was “top off” shell wise in capacity. I nodded and he smiled.

The dogs noticed a second person and decided before getting into buckshot range to bolt off for softer targets.

The bottom line. A pack of feral dogs will not hesitate to run down a solo hiker. They know better when two people are together.