The Bug Out Bag.

A 72 hour survival supply kept ready and on hand in case of emergencies.

The focus in on survival. Why should you survive. Your family that needs you. The cause you wish to fight for needs you. The people that depend on you for their lives need you. To spread a message. Fear of death. Protect the life that God has given you.

All humans need the following to survive:

Water: Human Life is not possible beyond a few days without water.

Food: Human Life is not possible beyond a few weeks with out food.

Shelter: Human Life requires shelter for good mental and (pending on environmental conditions) physical health.

Security: Human Life requires security for good mental and physical health.

My Kit.

I don't think of a 72 hour emergency evacuation bag. I think in terms of survival in the worst of conditions, and hope for the best of conditions. If the situation is somewhere between, I am in good shape.

The first level survival kit is you brain and your attitude. You must be able to survive with no material goods. If you can go into the wilderness while naked, and yet come out with a full set of clothes, shoes on your feet, and an effective weapon in your hand, and a new address, you can survive anything. God has provided for us all that we need to live. If you look around, in all of nature, you will find what you need to live. If you bank on your knife for survival and loose or break your knife, you are DEAD. If you bank on your “AK-15 Winchester Wonder Rifle” and run out of ammo, you are DEAD. You need training, education, psychology, and physical fitness in order to build your first level survival kit. You need to rely on God for your help. Every person is different, and will need to address this area accordingly. You can not buy this in a store. This is the kit that you can not loose, or have stolen from you. All other stuff becomes a convenience.

The second level survival kit is a small group of things that will allow you some measure of comfort while en route to your place of safety or cache or Bug Out Bag. This should be on your person at all times, unless you want to rely on you level one kit. It should be legal to have on your person or nearby at all times.

My kit has the following items.

Pelican brand Lexan expedition box

Mylar silvered space blanket

Silva magnetic compass

Wire saw

Disposable gas lighter

Magnesium / Mensch Metal fire starter

Inova key chain size flashlight

Water proof match box

Several fish hooks

25 feet of 50 pound test fishing line

Utility knife blade

Single edge razor blade

Assorted sticky plasters

Dramamine

Benedryl

Immodium

Aspirin

Naprosyn

Rx Medications

Silver Nitrate Cauterization sticks

Spare eye glasses

The third level kit should have the stuff you want to live comfortably for at least 72 hours. This will allow you to get as far away from the trouble as you can in a three day period. My kit contains a 72 hour food supply. This is to allow me to cover as much distance between me and the trouble as I can. This kit will need water and high calorie food. This will allow you to travel without stopping for water and to feed along the way.

These are the items I have in my kit:

Second level kit +

LAPD large Bail Out Bag - Looks less like a problem in urban environments, can always carry a folded back pack for hands free in wilderness environments.

Spare eyeglasses, current Rx

Ewing GAD point bar and/or

EOD Breacher Bar. Handle wrapped with 550 cord

Tactical folding knife, Tekut Ares Folder

Combat knife, Tekut Ares

Tactical flashlight LED based with extra lithium batteries

SW/AM/FM Radio with extra lithium batteries

Change of clothing, civilian will not stand out, but subdued in color is good

Thermal underwear

45 ACP pistol with 200 rnds of ammo

Short range FRS band radios with extra lithium batteries

Roll of duct tape, dark color

Roll of 50 pound test fishing line

Canteen

Military issue poncho and liner

Freeze dried food stuffs or Survival food bars for 4000 calories per day for three days

Water purification tablets or a filter straw

Small metal pot or cup to boil water and cook

Good time piece

Boonie cap

Watch cap

Leather work gloves

Cold weather coat

Snare wire, stainless steel, coated or un-coated

50 feet of 550 para cord

One large tip standard screw driver

One large tip Phillips screw driver

One Multi Tool, Leatherman Wave tool

One Collapsing, pocket size Allen wrench set in SAE and Metric

One collapsing, pocket size Torx set with Security pin feature.

Weapon cleaning, maint kit

.22 Cal pistol, Ruger 22/45

500 rnds of ammo for .22 pistol

Dabba stainless steel lunch kit, with two pots and a lid

Steri-pen water serilizer with lithium batteries and lithium ion rechargeable batteries and charger

Stainless steel cup made from a 35mm film processing tank. I removed the plastic lid.

Items I would like to have in the third level kit:

Three full rounds of Sulfa based antibiotics

Strong, effective narcotic based pain control

Small military field surgery kit

Licensed suppressor for the .22 pistol

The fourth level kit should have the stuff for long term survival.

This is what I call my combat load out.

Back pack, dark in color

Web harness gear, with ammo pouches for the rifle magazines

Caliber 5.56 NATO rifle with Wilson combat flip up sites, and a red dot scope with extra batteries

Spare magazines, at least eight 30 rounders

500 rnds of ammo for rifle

2 changes of military BDU or other clothing in the camo pattern of the area

Extra boots broke in and fitted a little loose

Extra socks and underwear

Binoculars or field glasses

Bed roll or sleeping bag

Weapon cleaning, maint kit

High calories food bars

Extra Military issue poncho

Extra Canteen

The fifth level survival kit is vehicle or home based and may contain anything you want to add to the kits.

Things to remember. Faster than you think clothes rot, decay, and fall apart. Shoes will not last forever. Your pack will need replacing. Your ammo will run out. Your knife will dull and wear. Medication will be depleted. You will get infections, sick, teeth will get loose, infected and provide you with pain beyond belief. You may die from infection, broken bones, wounds, and such. A common case of diarrhea can kill.

As with anything in life. The more you have the more comfortable you will will be, but the heavier the load is to carry.

Art of War, Sun Szu....Carry your weapons with you to battle, get your food along the way, less you have run out of food, and have no weapons to fight with.

You are not trying to be found. You must be mobile, fast and low profile. Any shelter you find along the way can be found by other people. The harder the terrain is to transverse, the less others will use it. Conversely the harder it is for you to travel in it. Remember that tracers work both ways.

If the situation is escape and evade from others, the more your existence becomes a threat to them, the more assets they will bring to bear against you. The more your assets are known by others that have limited or dwindling assets, the more others will be a threat to you.

You must hunt for food and yet conserve your ammo for defensive purpose where possible. Noise from firearms will attract attention you do not want. Hunting primitive is the best for concealment, but will not be as efficient or effective as firearms.

Can you travel by car? Can you travel by boat? Can you fly? Can you sit tight at home? Must you walk out of trouble?

Are you caught in trouble without you stuff? If you have your level one kit, you can survive even if you are not as comfortable as you would like to be.

You are not trying to be found. Whistles and Flashing lights and mirrors and flares are not going to be used. Leave these at home. You are trying to escape and evade. People that have less than you or less trained and prepared as you will take your stuff. This will leave you dead or at best miserable. You must treat all others as the enemy until you are sure about their purpose. In emergencies government officials are not going to be freedom loving people. All government officials will be you enemy in that they will at best, in emergencies take what you have and confine you until the emergency has passed. If you want this, fine, if not, think first. Remember Katrina? The government officials on coming across anyone that was armed, disarmed them and left them to fend for themselves with no means of defense. You can expect no different treatment for yourself.

You are responsible for your own survival and that of your family and friends. You will not be able to rely on the government for help. You can not rely on others for help. It is your responsibility.

Survival:

Anyone can come up with many survival scenarios. There are basic survival skills that will help you through all situations.

The first thing to have is the mind set of a survivalist.

You must not give up.

You must know how to build a fire with what you find around you.

You must have the ability to improvise.

You must be in good physical condition.

You must be able to hunt or obtain food with out modern equipment.

You must be able to obtain water.

You must be able to provide shelter.

You must be able to find direction.

You must be able to use cover.

If you prepare for a total breakdown of society, you will also be prepared for less drastic situations. This is the situation that I chose to prepare for.

Scenario:

It is 11:30 Tuesday morning. You have slept in, having had a long tiring day at work the day before. You turn on the television and change to Fox News. You are shocked into full awake. The broadcaster is talking about a nuclear bomb that has detonated in Omaha. The carnage is beyond anything you have known. Hundreds of thousands are feared dead. As he talks, video of the blast and the devastated area come in. The broadcaster continues, talking about the previous bomb that had detonated four hours earlier in Houston. It begins to sink in, that the terrorists had struck. You realize that they are not through. The news man tells you that AL-Queda had taken credit for the strike, and has threatened four more bombs within the next 48 hours. It begins.

Katrina on a national scale.

The city of Shreveport:

A scene starts to unfold across the city. Approximately 70% of all the citizens of Shreveport are packing their vehicles in preparation to leave for the country side. They fear the next bomb will be in their city. They have a half tank of fuel. There is not time to fill the tank. The lines at the gas stations are impossibly long. As the city empties out of people, those that remain start to loot the stores for everything of value, all foods, all water, all medication and of course tennis shoes and television sets.

In the rural areas:

As in the country side the cars run out of gasoline. The people start to realize that there is no food or water. There is a ring forming along the highways, about 50 miles wide and concentrated at 300 miles around each city. Many of these people become desperate, looting everything they can find for food and water. They are on foot. It is cold and wet, raining every day for the last week. Exposure is a real threat to them, and clean water is scarce. Do you share your resources? Will you live without the things you share? How will you choose who will get your help. Can you cut them off when the time comes?

The government:

Caught be surprise as the government starts to set up blockades around the cities. They must prevent a humanitarian disaster. They call out the national guard and the police put a curfew in place. To make their job easier, everyone is being searched for weapons and disarmed. All hoarded food and water and gasoline is seized. No one is allowed to travel. All roads are shut down and guarded. Money has become worthless.

You live in a small community 70 miles from Shreveport. You keep your gas tank full. You have several vehicles to choose from. You hunt and know the rural areas around your residence. Suddenly the ground shakes, a vertical earthquake. It feels like the ground drops and then slams into your feet. A few minutes later, a rolling thunder sweeps over you, felt more than heard. Windows break, trees drop limbs on your roof. You step outside. In the south and west you see a rising ball of white, orange, blue and purple gas, a mile across. The small city of Minden has been hit. You check the wind and find that the cloud is not going to be coming your way. You realize that many people will be coming your way. They will be soon hungry, thirsty, cold and desperate. You get your food from Brookshires? Their warehouse is in Dallas Texas. The Cannery is in Decatur Illinois. The Farms are in Iowa. How will that farmer's food get to you?

What do you do?

Can you sit tight and defend your place? How long? Do you go to work? How long before food and water run out? How fast can you put together your supplies for a long term survival situation? How long before a few well armed people out flank you and take you out? At some point you will have to travel. Can you travel by motor vehicle? Can you travel by motorcycle? Can you travel by aircraft? Do you have to travel on foot? Where will you go? Do you know of a safe place? Can you carry your stuff? You should have five people that you can trust to maintain security. You will you trust to join you? How far can you travel per day and still provide food and water? Do you want to be seen by other people? Will they rob you? Will you have to fight? Do you want to call for help to the government? Can you take a life? Will you take a life?

Remember:

Avoid fighting and human contact at all costs. Even if you are a Rambo, any fight can result in an injury that is life threatening or crippling even if you win. Fighting will bring attention to you. If the enemy is in range, so are you. Any infection can life threatening. Fighting can deplete ammo, and damage weapons and equipment. Avoid fixed locations of habitation. You will leave trails that will be found. This will lead the desperate to you. The government is not there to help you as much as they are to control you. It is not in their interest to leave you armed and self sufficient. At some point order will be restored. You can at that time choose to come in from the cold. Expect that the order may not be the same as you left. The government and the people may have changed for the better or the worse.