Bug Out Bag/Emergency Camping

[JanetMarie]

In the article below Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, stated "This is going to be our new normal", in CNN's State of the Union.

This thread is not about that statement, but I do want to say since she seems to know, and I won't say more than: "Angels Don't Play this H.A.A.R.P."

Severe weather 'new normal,' US emergency chief warns after tornadoes

More powerful, destructive, and deadlier storms will be the "new normal" as the effects of climate change take root, the top US emergency management official said Sunday after massive tornadoes ravaged six states.

phys.org

Getting to the SS discussion:

Are you prepared with a bug out bag in the situation where there is no habitable shelter anywhere?

If so what items do you have in your bag?

Do you have bug out location(s) in mind?

What skills do you have in building a shelter?

How quickly can you grab your stuff and run to the hills?

Will you take your pets?

 

[livinglandnz]

At the moment I would leave to my block of land if things got that bad, all of my hunting gear is together and I believe I could thrown it all in the back of my 4x4 in probably 20 minutes. All going to plan I will be living on my land by December, so once there I won't be leaving as it is/will be set up for my safe place with all the resources I need. It is going to be 100% off grid so I don't have to rely on anyone or the Government.
Food isn't a problem, the place is crawling with deer and as my diet is almost pure carnivore I certainly won't starve.

 

[baymule]

It seems most of us have prepared our homes and properties as places to hunker down.

Exactly. Why would we run for it, when we are already there?

 

[the_whingnut]

I keep a get home bag in each vehicle. We have stages to bug out (left over from living in hampton roads). Rv level (which we live in now) truck level (with motorcycle on the back) motorcycle level then on foot level. All set up to get us to our location here so time to retune. After 3 hurricanes, one flood and countless blackouts in my adult life. I like having options. That being said. Set up for what you need.

Bug out should have
Shelter
Cook set or way to boil water
Water filtering or purifier
Sleep system
Emergency rations
Navigation
Cash or coin
Spare clothes for the season
First aid
Self defense or hunting if you so choose
Hygiene kit
Duct tape
A decent multi tool
Knife and fire kit
Tarp
Garage bags
Meds
There are tons of examples out there.
Get a nondescript bag and assemble it Based on where you are going and what you need. BOBs are usually only for 72hrs max.

Get home bags are for getting to home like having to walk home. Mine fit behind the seat of the truck or the saddle bag of the bike
Water / life straw
Rations (protien bar)
Navigation (local map)
Emergency blanket
Small tarp
Cash / coin
Small bag


I dress for the weather and keep a rain coat in the trucks. Rain gear on the bike.

Trying figure out what you need is tough for the first bag. You can get a pre made one for 60 to 500 bucks to start then tune it to fit you. Or do the walmarts bob from a solid youtuber.
I did buy a stealth angel 5 person kit to see what it was like for 200 bucks. Not bad not great. Ok once i added a few things to fit us.

Our (DW, Cato, doggo and I) setup started life as a 4 day camping backpack kit 17 yrs ago. And i adapted it over time.
Buy good gear. Not expensive not cheap just good.
Buy second hand if possible on tools or gear never on rations or water filtering.
Train your pets to wear a harness ( process on going with Teddy) so they can carry thier own gear.
Never buy flashy bags or bags that are out of place in your area or where you are going.
YMMV

 

[Britesea]

Our two biggest disasters would be wildfire, which is pretty much an annual thing, and volcanic eruption- lots more damage very quickly, but not a common occurrence. We have a small travel trailer that we can evacuate with if necessary (if we have time to evacuate). We've done what we can to cover most disasters, and leave the rest in God's hands.

 

[NH Homesteader]

We have a couple places to go, one is a house in a smaller town that’s easier to get away from things and the other is a hardcore hide out, live in a cave type place (I hope that is never necessary lol). I am definitely going to be quite reliant on my DH if the situation ever arises because I am clueless about loads of things unfortunately.

We’d bring our house dogs, once we have a trailer we could bring our sheep and LGDs without much of an issue. The LGDs protect us as much as the livestock.

 

[tortoise]

I have said it before and I'll say it again - I have no plans of leaving. In our area hurricanes are the largest threat. That's why I bought the storm shelter. For those who have more recently joined this is what we invested in.

https://www.safesheds.com/

We are south of Houston and worry more about hurricanes and the tornadoes that they can spawn...but the shed is rated to withstand both. Evacuating for a hurricane can be a lot worse than it sounds. My son tried to evacuate for Hurricane Rita, in 2005, (which reached Cat 5 strength) and spent 12+ hours on the road and never made it north of Houston. Ludicrous! If the hurricane would have made a direct hit on this area - thousands stranded in their cars during a storm of that size would have perished. Also, if you go, you have to be able to get back. That's a problem in and of itself.

We have several generators that run on different fuels. I try to stay stocked up on both propane and gasoline.

I know the shelter doesn't cover any other type of disaster but I think we've got storms coveredW

When I was a kid my family was visiting family in FL. The day we were going home, there was an incoming hurricane and evacuation. The traffic was unbelievable. There's just 2 interstates running north/south in the state (they split off in the north), 1 diagonal in across the middle. This was before GPS, navigation, and we didn't have a county road map - nor was there a chance of getting off and back on the interstate. It was really scary even though we were not feeling threatened by the weather and were not concerned about property or pets. It was an enlightening experience. It helps me understand why some don't evacuate. I cannot imagine living in a hurricane area.

 

[Hinotori]

We're set up that I could leave in 20 minutes except the cats. Give me an hour and all the birds would be crated and ready to go. Important papers are in a small document safe in the big fire safe. Give me 5 minutes to toss meds and a few more clothes in the bug out bags.

We had that scare with the fire coming this way 2 summers ago. I do keep everything mowed away from buildings.

If the mountain starts bulging this way, Im gone. Not going to be in the zone for a repeat performance of a lateral blast on a Cascade volcano. We are close enough that ash will be an issue with a normal eruption. We are not in a Lahar area. I kept that in mind when we got a house.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

Tornados and winter storms are our biggest threat, not enough to evacuate here and we are probably safer in our 1920 build farm house than on the road. We have a wood stove in case we lose electricity and a generator for back up.

But we do have bug out bags, more for if the SHTF or something else that would endanger our safety. We have another plot of land in the woods that we could go to and then another place farther remote. Everything is ready to go- food, water, supplies, animal crates and firearms. The only thing I would have to gather is the hens. We would take a car and a truck with trailer.

I got through the bags every 6 months and trade clothe sizes for the kids, check food dates, etc.

 

[Hinotori]

Natural disasters are what we prepare for mostly.

For societal disasters, I think the tweekers will end up dead long before they get to the countryside. Town is more pickings and easier for them to get to so they'll all end up shot in that type of scenario within a month max.

We do have the military base here, and it's highly likely that they would step in to control the surrounding area. Makes sense from a logistics standpoint as many service members live in the surrounding areas. Both off us are old enough to be off of Fleet Reserve recall so won't be called back. We do get all our medical and meds from base, though.