When it comes to buying your kit, look at what works for you. Do not go and buy the latest and greatest because of a slick marketing campaign or trend. Always find the biggest bang for your buck. A word of caution, do research and read reviews of those who used and/or tested the gear. You do not want to buy cheap gear that won’t last, but you don’t also have to buy expensive gear that does not work for you. It is a personal choice. I don’t buy just from a single brand, I own HSGI taco pouches, TAG battle belt, 5:11 backpacks, Duluth pants, Solomon hiking boots, Boker knives, SOG multi tools, etc. Compatibility of the brands with other brands for modularity is one of the main factors I consider.
I always research the items for the specific need I will use it and, in most cases, look at the multipurpose use of the item. I also look for the compatibility of the brands with other brands for modularity. One note to make is to be sure to check the fastex buckles on the items, not all brands use the same type of buckle and make sure they are good for the weight/tension that will be placed on them. You don’t want to be moving through the Appalachians to your bug out location and have your chest rig fail and fall apart at the wrong moment. You will need to be ready to make some field repairs once you establish security. So always have some 550 cord, heavy duty sewing needles, 100 MPH tape and/or sturdy safety pins on hand.
When I plan out my kit or gear, I think of it in levels. Each level has a purpose and compliments the others. One level of kit has duplicate items of the others so you can resupply your lower-level kits or it has more robust items that may weigh heavier and require more logistics. In each kit you need the basic sustainment items to build a fire, gather, carry and purify water, build a shelter, signal for help or link up, hunt or trap for food, and basic medical needs like trauma to colds. The higher the level of kit, the more you have at your disposal.
Level 1 – Everyday Carry Kit (EDC) which should be on your person. Items in this kit would be a good knife (folder / fixed), Flashlight, Watch, Wrist compass (watch band), lighter, TQ / small IFAK and conceal carry firearm. Some other items you can have, is a multitool, 550 cord bracelet, lock pick kit, etc. Imagine walking around the mall with your family, what do you have on your person that can help in a crisis?
Level 2 – Vehicle Emergency Kit (VEK) which includes your Get Home Bag (GHB) with a possible augmentation of a chest rig with weapon if in a rural non-permissive AO. It should be in durable containers with extra supplies in your vehicle to augment your GHB for stay in place survival or walking home. These items will compliment your EDC in an emergency and enable you to move further and longer if you must walk home. Some things are tools, water, food, fuel, first aid, recovery gear, etc. The GHB will always be your go to bail out bag while driving your vehicle. On this level you will have items that will augment your level 1 kit (EDC). Enable you to carry more ammunition for your rifle and/or pistol so it will be readily available. You will have your Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) attached. You can also add more items for redundancy (2 is 1 and 1 is none). This kit will be kept in your vehicle so you can take it with you to work, or short road trips, etc.
Level 3 – Bug Out Bag kit (BOB) normally stored in your house and your bug out location but not in your vehicle unless you are bugging out. Your BOB Is used for an immediate egress from your Bug In / Bug Out location where you don’t have time to load up your larger Level 4 Kit (HEK). This kit should be a sturdy backpack of some type either internal framed or external framed. It needs to be able to hold about 50-80 lbs. of gear. You will use it as your bug out bag if you must depart one of your homes to your bug out or an alternate location. Some examples are, the Large Alice Ruck, Osprey, Kelty, REI, etc. This kit level will have added supplies to aid you in shelter, fire, medical, defense, food and water for when you have no choice (last resort) and bug out on foot over long distances.
Level 4 – House Emergency Kit (HEK). Durable containers containing additional supplies mainly used for long term survival, bugging in/out, and replenishing your other levels. They should not be too large to prevent from moving them by yourself. This will also cover your additional resources and supplies, like fuel, water, food, medical, ammunition, power, etc. This level should contain items that will aid you in moving longer distances to get to your destination and located at your house to aid you if you need to bug out and move to your alternate location. Ideally, you are able to bug in and these supplies will enable you to live and sustain without assistance.
Using this system of kit levels, you would normally have your Level 1 and Level 2 loaded up in your vehicle on your daily activities. If you find yourself in an emergency where your vehicle has broken down in a very rural area without cell reception, you then can stay put for several days or decide to execute your Get Home plan. If you are bugging out of your home then you will add your Level 3 Bug Out Bag, and your Level 4 Home Emergency kit to your vehicles, trailers and execute your Bug Out Plan to your Primary location.
Get Home Bag (GHB) - Should be a good intermediate backpack that can carry 20 – 50 lbs. of gear. The amount of gear and what kind of gear you carry depends on your experience, physical condition, location, and time-distance to travel. In a “get Home” scenario, you will use this GHB to “get home” from any place you frequent. It can be from your place of work 60 miles away, a business trip to a larger city a 100 miles away or from a family vacation in another part of the country. So this bag needs to be adjustable beyond the basics of survival. Put some thought into your planning for a GHB. Look at your daily activities and routes form work to home. Look at your specific scenarios to get home. Most of you will have a bag set up for your daily commute to work or daily activities around your AO. If you are in a more urban area and only commute via a train or bus, your bag will be slightly different, smaller, non-tactical etc. For flying away on vacations, you must consider the airline restrictions, TSA restrictions, the country or state you are vacationing in and their restrictions or laws. You may want to build a specific, smaller kit to add to a carry on or check bag for you to have while you are on vacation. There are many things to consider. One thing to remember is this bag is for you to use to get home or help you survive in a remote location. But the items in each of these will still follow the main categories in the list included in the GHB planning checklist.
Go Bag/Bail Out Bag – This bag should be your GHB. Depending on how you configure your GHB and where you store it, it may be a smaller bag like a sling style bag that contains extra ammo and first aid, etc. The term Go Bag came from Special Forces Teams that travel by vehicles in a semi-permissive or non-permissive environment. They would put survival items, extra food, water and ammo in them, just in case they had to “bail out” of the vehicle and go on foot. It can be your GHB while you are in a permissive environment (normal everyday living and working) where it would come into play if your vehicle broke down along a deserted rural road/highway and the only option is to walk home to get help retrieving or fixing your vehicle. Or if you are driving your vehicle in the middle of a disaster, civil unrest or economic collapse, encounter a hostile element; it would be your Go Bag/Bail Out Bag. You would use it in the same way, if you must “bail out” of your vehicle in a hurry due to hostile threats.
Bug Out Bag (BOB) – Is a good sturdy backpack that can carry about 50 -80 lbs. of gear. The amount of gear you carry depends on your physical condition, experience in the outdoors, time – distance to travel, Traveling alone or with a group (cross-load plan). 3 days of food and water is a good planning factor to consider when packing your BOB. If your destination is 7 days away by walking cross country (1-4 km per hour, depending on how tactical you need to be while moving), you will need to have some preplanned cache located along your primary and alternate routes. Or you can have intermediate destinations that you can hole up along the way (relative’s house, hunting cabin, vacation house, etc.) Here you can resupply, rest, adjust routes pending the environmental conditions or enemy situation. Lastly, you can plan your routes to travel by good water sources to resupply water, hunt small game along the way, or if your physical condition allows you to travel on one meal per day versus three, you could stretch your food supply longer. This bag would more than likely be located at your house/apartment. It would be used to leave your home to an alternate location due to the situation affecting your local area. It may be for a temporary length of time till the disaster has subsided (flood, hurricane, tornado etc.) or it can be for an indefinite length of time (civil unrest/war, economic collapse, etc.)
The type of bag you should use; military looking versus civilian looking is only pertinent to the type of environment you are located or find yourself in.
Permissive (no or low threats, low crime) area then a military style bag may bring added attention to yourself. It would be out of the norm to see one or several people walking through a neighborhood or city that people would normally been seen carry book bags, computer bags etc.
Semi-Permissive (moderate threats, moderate crime) area then again a military looking bag will attract the attention of law enforcement, concerned citizens, and the criminal that thinks you have items that he could use to further commit crimes (guns, knives, other “prepper” items). It would be good to use a non-descript type of civilian bag.
Non-Permissive (high threats, high crime) area then it really does not matter what kind of bag you have because if the threat is high enough to make it a non-permissive area, you would be moving in the periods of darkness and staying low and out of sight. You would use good covered and concealed routes through rural areas or side or back roads/routes through urban areas. You will have your chest rig, extra ammo, long gun and pistol. Hopefully, you will be moving with several members of your team.
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