Have you ever read a post or watched a video that tells you what not to pack? I haven’t, so I am writing this article to deal with common mistakes that I have come across over the years. Especially prevalent amongst newbies, people just starting to prepare, is the tendency to try to pack for every eventuality or as many as possible.
My question always is, what good are these extras to you if you cannot get away in time or you are too slow to escape? If you are running with your BOB, then things have got too serious to leave in your vehicle or your vehicle has broken down and you need to get away from it as quickly as possible.
So, things not to carry:-
- Design and pack your own ingredients for your BOB. Don’t follow someone else’s list.
- Don’t buy a Premade Bugout bag.
- Leave the alcohol, tobacco and other “Trade Goods”.
- Don’t carry excessive amounts of water. It slows you down.
- Don’t Pack the incorrect types of food, like cans. They too slow you down and tire you out.
- Don’t pack a large tent or even a tent at all. Pack a tarpaulin to make a shelter.
- No extra bedding and clothing that takes up space and is extra weight. It slows you down.
- Leave the heavy ropes, you are not likely to go climbing.
- Your big calibre hunting rifle is big and heavy. Leave it, take a breakdown ,22 and if you have one, a handgun.
- The hand axe, fold-up spade, saw, and all those other specialised tools are weight and space. Leave them. Take multi-purpose tools instead.
- Leave your laptop, electric razor and other unnecessary electronics. Your BOB is for emergencies, to survive. Take only the absolute essentials.
Don’t Follow Someone Else’s List
When you are new to prepping, you often need some guidance, and that is OK and normal. The secret is to listen to others, read books and learn. You can then consider your unique situation and prepare for those circumstances. You need to take into account:
- The size of your party
- the ages
- Medical conditions
- fitness
- skills
- dietary and medicinal requirements
- Weather conditions in your area
- adversaries, if any.
Making your own bugout bag up will ensure that there are no useless items and that what you need is packed. You can always refer to other people’s lists for guidance to ensure that you have not forgotten anything. Packing your own bag will enable you to ensure that you have bought quality products that will not break the first time you use them.
Don’t Buy A Prepacked Bugout Bag
When you buy a prepacked bag, you are likely to get a bag with the most common requirements that people need and they will likely not be of the highest quality. The last thing you want is to use something for the first time and it breaks.
Buying a bag means that it has not been packed to suit your or your family’s requirements. What about shelter? How many people does it cater for? what weather conditions is it packed for? If it is packed for snow, it is not going to suit our South African conditions.
Take the time to join a prepping group in your area and learn from their years of experience. The one thing that I have learned is that they are always more than happy to help and teach others. YouTube has some awesome training videos that will also help you along but remember, you must take the South African conditions into account.
Packing your own bag will enable you to ensure that you have bought quality products that will not break the first time you use them. Most people who buy these prepacked bags look at the contents when they get the bag but then never take the time to learn how to use the contents. This leaves them at 6s and 7s when the time comes to use them.
Alcohol And Tobacco Are NO-Nos
Yes, I know that you would only take them with you for bartering!!!! Mmm, how often does it turn out that you barter with yourself when the going gets tough and it gets used to “uplift” the spirit and causes a problem? Ant the tobacco, it is just dead weight. If you use it, it will give your position away to the opposition, especially if you don’t know where they are or if they are waiting for you.
Don’t Carry Too Much Water
Water is an absolute must so you need to carry about 2 Lt each for the day. You need to collect water daily and treat it so make sure that you have the tablets and or equipment that you need for that job. You might also benefit from learning where to find water, how to collect water from plants etc. You might not find easily accessible water every day.
Carrying The Wrong Food
We really need to carry sufficient food for us to remain energised so that we can walk, run and survive. We need to ensure that we pack the right food for everyone. The wrong food is, for starters, canned food. They are heavy and you tend to leave evidence of your progress behind.
Rather learn to make your own MREs and snacks for the bags. Try, where possible to carry food that does not need heating or boiling water. Food that you can eat on the go. during the day you will have to drink water. Coffee and or tea can be made at night when you stop if you have a secure location so you can boil water.
I personally have packed high-quality nutritional shakes and meal bars. To this, I have added snack bars to supplement my protein and to keep my energy up. You can find more about these bars and nutritional shakes here.
There are some great recipes out there for making your own meal bars and snack bars as well. You don’t have to buy everything for your BOB.
A Tent?
Is a tent a necessity? I am of the opinion, and it is my personal opinion, that a tent is a luxury that we cannot always afford, and by afford, I do not mean financially. Weight will sap our energy and slow us down. A light plastic sheet (not white or any other bright colour) can serve as a suitable shelter, made with a piece of string or light rope, with sticks found out there.
At the end of the day, it is your decision and you must be guided by your personal circumstances.
Heavy Bedding & Excess Clothing
As long as you have a decent pair of longs, a heavy shirt and a good jacket, all you really need extra is spare underwear and socks. What you have to consider is the age of the rest of our group. Some age groups will need more and you need to cater for them but, clean clothes are not a necessity other than underwear and socks. Every extra item adds weight.
About That Climbing Rope
Many people are of the opinion that a climbing rope is a must. Just think of the weight and bulkiness of that rope. You would be far better served by each person carrying a 15mtr length of quality 550 paracord which can carry 550lbs. This is a multi-purpose item and it can be broken down into its inner cords which can be used for various things including fishing.
Paracord can easily help keep your balance across an obstacle and most cliffs etc. can be skirted around.
What About Heavy Weapons & Hunting/Fishing Equipment
We all feel better and more confident if we have a weapon to protect ourselves and our family but, a heavy calibre hunting rifle is heavy and clumsy to carry through the brush. Far better to have a light crossbow or a breakdown .22 calibre rifle. A sidearm would also do well.
Fishing is not going to be a priority and a fishing rod would be unnecessary weight. You could strip down the paracord and use the thin line to fish with. All you really need to carry with you are hooks. Hand lines and branches from brush and trees can also work as a fishing rod.
A Tool For Every Purpose
Tools are important, but, more important is the quality of the tools and how many tasks can it perform. Far better to have a multi-tool to carry out a number of tasks than a tool for each task. Instead of bringing an axe, a saw, and a hammer, you can bring a tool that has all three built-in. I have seen a good old “Trenching Tool” that had a saw blade on the side and a blade on the other so that it could saw and chop. Now that is a multi-tool.
Computers, Cameras And Other Electronic Equipment
Carrying a small radio or a cellphone would be advisable but laptops, electric razors etc. are definitely nice to-haves and would be a liability to you. Why carry DVD players and large radios when you will probably not be able to use them for a while?
Conclusion
There are definite benefits of joining a group of preppers to get help when you first start prepping. It will avoid the temptation of buying a prepacked BOB that is full of cheap gadgets that will probably not last. Take stock of your circumstances and requirements, make a list and build your own BOBs, one for each member of the family. Just remember to take into account, age, physique and fitness. If you follow these basic principles, you will probably set up a BOB that suits your needs.
I firmly believe that we Pray for the best outcome, but we prepare for the rest. If you need Help, Contact us here
“It is better to have prepared and never to need it than to be unprepared and be in desperate need of it”.
Be Aware. Be Safe. Be Prepared!