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5/25/13

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Many of you living in big cities are beginning to wake up to the possibility of some event taking place that may affect things such that you need to “get out of Dodge” in a hurry. With the many events taking place and shaping up in the world these days, getting out of town is something to take seriously. Widespread civil disorder with a pending declaration of martial law, or nuclear, biological, chemical events are just some of the things that would require you to flee the city. Keep an ear to the ground and be ready to go.

This is not something we like to dwell on, but neither is thinking about your home burning to the ground; it is a possibility and that is why you have fire insurance. Even the state of California recommends that all citizens have earthquake kits to keep them going for up to a week in the event they get hit with another big one. It’s just something out there that is a real possibility but no one dwells there. Don’t fixate on danger, just take steps to be covered and then you let it work for you in the background; it is called peace-of-mind! Makes you sleep well at night.

Another name for peace-of-mind is an emergency grab-bag, or, as it has become known, the bug-out-bag (BOB). Get one and keep it handy and then you will not have to be in a panic when everyone else is! When others are just beginning to have the light bulb go on over their heads that something is wrong, you want to be two jumps ahead and already making your move out of town with your family. This is important to avoid the traffic jams that will form after “Bubba” gets his stuff together and decides to head out himself. Plan on being long-gone before this.

You need a bit more planning to be complete, such as where you want to go if an emergency pops up. This is almost an article in itself, but involves having some idea on the best way to get to your destination and having maps or GPS, and plenty of gas in the vehicle. Some common sense and a cool attitude help too. Basically, plan on going to a relative somewhere outside of you major area, a minimum of 100 miles away. This will be something of a buffer between you and whatever is causing you to evacuate the big city. The further away, the better, in most cases.

This is not going to be a style-driven trip. You will be leaving for a very serious calamity taking place, so decide what you will need and get out as quickly as possible. Leave the comfort and fashion items behind. Perhaps a few small toys to keep the kids occupied, but that’s it.

Getting Your Vehicle Ready

While we are really intent on building a BOB, having one is pointless unless you first have a reliable vehicle to get you out of town. This means regular maintenance and inspection on your conveyance. Many of you are good at doing scheduled maintenance, but some are not. As well as the usual oil and filter changes and lube job, you will also need to keep an eye on your battery. The last thing you need in a situation is a poorly charged or dead battery. Very little is required to keep your battery happy. Just make sure the connections are tight and that no corrosion is appearing at the terminals and is securely anchored in the engine compartment. Age is one measure of you battery’s likely remaining life. Most lead-acid units go for about 2 to 3 years. One very good battery to have is the Optima gel-cell battery which is just about bullet proof; very little to go wrong there.

They are expensive, but have been known to last for 5 years. Since most of today’s autos have full gauges, monitor the voltage to see that it is at least 12 volts or more. The standard car battery is really about 14 volts brand new which allows for some voltage drop in the lines. As it gets a bit older, it will show a drop to less than 13-14 volts to around 12 volts. When it drops below 12 volts, start checking things out and ask yourself if it is time to change it out. Of course, your alternator may be the guilty culprit in a low battery. If it checks out to be under-charging, then either replace it yourself or have it done. Serpentine belts are self-tensioning, so as long as you have a belt, it is turning the alternator. A set of quality jumper cables are always considered a necessity.

Hopefully you have bought some top quality tires such as Michelin. Keep them monitored for even wear. Rotate as your owner’s manual suggests. Be sure your spare is in top shape, preferably a brand new tire. If your vehicle came with a mini-spare and you have room for a full size tire, change it out right now! Mini-spares are only good for a few miles at rather low speeds, just enough to get you to a repair center, which may not even be available in a situation. One thing to consider is having metal valve stems installed next time you go in for new tires. These are much less likely to break and fail than the rubber ones. Is your jacking system actually in the vehicle? May not be. Double check. An item not furnished with cars or trucks is the four-way lug wrench. You have to have one of these no matter if you plan on bugging out or not. The standard tire tool is only good for popping off hub caps, if cars even have them any more. Trying to get a lug nut off with one is just about impossible, especially if they have been installed with an impact wrench. Get the four-way tool at your local auto store.

Have a small 12 volt air compressor in the parts bag or trunk. This is handy for several reasons but is absolutely a must-have for that low tire you don’t have time or the tools to fix. Be sure to have an extension cord long enough to reach ALL tires! Take the time to actually hook it up and inflate all the tires. Don’t just assume it will reach.

Keep your drive belt or belts checked to make sure they are not about to fail. Most of today’s newer vehicles use a serpentine belt which is good and bad; good in that there is only one belt to change, but bad in that if it breaks you lose all it is powering. Best to also keep one in the car or truck as a spare along with the required wrenches for replacing in the field. Synthetic oil may be the best choice for the oil you run. It can easily go 7,500 miles between changes. You can also just change the oil filter in cases where that’s all you can do and that will extend the range on that batch of oil, so keep a spare oil filter on hand too. Keep one quart of that same oil on hand to top off the crankcase after the filter-only change. Be sure to have an oil filter wrench to get the old one off.

Gasoline. Try to always keep your tank one-half full or better. When you see the needle getting to the middle of the gauge, stop and fill up. You never want to get in the car during an emergency on a quarter-tank or less! This habit takes a bit of getting used to, and is not always practical, but it just may save you in a tight spot. Consider keeping a filled 5 gallon Jerry can in your garage to throw on the vehicle as part of your bug-out plan to extend the range of your trip. In a real situation, gas stations may be closed, so extra gas could be the difference in getting there or being stranded. Be sure your can has the correct spout firmly taped to the side or top of the can or in the spare parts bag; you cannot fill your tank without one. Add some gas stabilizer mixed to the ratio for extended storage (1 year) which is usually double the recommended dose. If you go longer than that without using, dump that fuel in your vehicle and put fresh fuel in the can.

It is recommended that you have some kind of truck or SUV to bug-out in. However, you can make-do with a family sedan if that is all you have. Just be sure to keep all the above checked and in good order.

Do some math to determine how far you can get on one tank of gas and the spare 5 gallons. If that is not enough, then make plans to carry two 5 gallon cans of gas. This is about as much as you are likely to have room for unless you have a full sized pickup and extended cab. But, if that still won’t get you there, carry a third can. The problem is not only taking it with you, but some cities have ordinances against storing over 5 gallons of gasoline inside city limits. Check that one out at your local level.

If you drive a family sedan, do not store the gas can in the trunk or inside vehicle. Fumes can get to you and they are also quite explosive. Try to find a bumper hitch mount for both the gas and water cans.

Never pass by an open gas station without giving close scrutiny for taking on gas, oil, water, air, or a rest-room stop. Remember, have cash for gas and anything else along the way. Use you credit cards first if they are still working, but have some “green” just in case. You may find that in a real situation, all businesses are closed, including gas stations.

Have a heavy tarp or cover of sorts to not only keep your load dry, but to keep prying eyes off your equipment. Have some means of tying it down such as the always-handy parachute cord or nylon cargo straps. Bungee cord nets are also good to secure a load.

One-hundred-mile-per-hour duct tape is one of the items you should have somewhere in your vehicle at all times; worth its weight in gold. It can be cut to length and then torn in smaller widths to use to secure small bandages or used like electrical tape if the need arises. Get the stuff that looks like canvas if you can find it.

A “come-along” is carried by most off-roaders to get themselves out of a rut or tough spot. It is a device with about 50 feet of wire rope on a ratcheting lever that hooks to your bumper. The other end attaches to a tree or anything you can latch onto that will support the weight of your vehicle. It can pull you out of a ditch or mud hole if the need arises. Takes up very little space and is inexpensive. Get one. A nylon tow strap is used for another vehicle to pull you out; have one also.

Have a set of spare fuses. Small item but big trouble if you don’t have any when you need them.

An A-B-C fire extinguisher is always good to have in any car or truck.

Where To Go?

If you don’t have any relatives situated far enough outside your area, then you need to scout someplace to go. You can do this on a weekend and disguise it as a family drive with the wife and kids. Just head out in the likely direction you would travel and see what’s out there. You may find that you need to go several hundred miles to come up with a place you would feel safe in. That’s fine. Just adjust your plans on the actual trip for spare gas and supplies to allow for the extra distance.

It’s no use heading in the direction of another large city within 250 miles, so plan your route to make the most of your efforts. There is not a universal “good” direction to journey. Just take your best guess on the map and check it out. You may find you have to go to a relative in another state! If so, then plan and make it happen when the time comes. This is where the “head start” you are getting will give you an edge over others, allowing you to get going before any panic hits the streets, traffic builds, and then jams.

A word of caution. Do not plan on a destination in some park or forest area. You are going to need some permanent shelter. There is not any protection in the open from bad weather or any wandering hordes that may eventually come around.

So, plan on getting to a place with a real roof and walls! A possible compromise between a relative’s place and camping-out is a travel trailer such as an Airstream or the like. You will find trailer parks for vacationers such as KOA that are scattered around the highways and byways. There is safety in numbers, and you will be seeing others like you showing up with their families. You may be the first one there, but others will show up. Plus, you will have clean water, showers, electrical power, ice, and most of the things you will need to get by for a few weeks. You may still be limited on supplies, depending on how far away from a city you are, but you will be better off than camping in the open.

One down-side to a trailer is where to park it at the house. You may have to find a place to keep it stored nearby if your city does not allow such vehicles to be parked on the front side of the house. The high-side is that you can always use it for weekend get-aways. Another plus is that your relative may be glad to receive you, but they have no room for any guests to sleep. Your trailer would work out well in this situation.

A self-propelled mobile home is not the recommended vehicle. Once on the road, the time may come that you need to go somewhere and leave the “home” behind, for many reasons. Thus, a self-powered travel vehicle is just not practical for bug-out purposes. These “behemoths” require lots of maintenance and use lots of fuel; their mileage is usually given in gallons per mile. The very real possibility of a break-down would require a wrecker of the “battleship” class to come get you; not likely to happen.

One more possibility is a smaller utility trailer to load your bug-out-stuff in. These can be stored easily in your back yard or driveway. Once the decision to go is made, it can be quickly hooked-up and loaded and you still have all the room in your vehicle for the family to ride uncluttered.

Whatever your destination, and whatever vehicle you use to get there, you will still need the basic BOB.

Making the List

Before buying anything for your BOB, make a list and go over it a number of times. This is akin to making an outline to a book before you begin writing; it just makes sense to have your thought process correct before you start spending money.

Some of what you are going to need is determined by your family itself. Is it just you and your wife? Do you have children? How old are the kids? Do the children have special needs? Many such questions are there, but you must take the most pressing and put them into your mental computer and turn the crank to come up with the highest priority needs. This is not a “move” where you get a moving truck or van and take all your possessions.

You will have to streamline your load to a great extent, so start thinking!

The basics of getting out of your home are always, water, food, clothing, shelter, and personal protection. The first four items are usually bulky items, and the last can be as compact as a hard hitting handgun (i.e., .357 Magnum) or even a compact rifle such as a CAR-15 or AK-47 folder. The main purpose of the BOB is to get you and your loved ones from point A to point B with enough provisions to see you through some less than ideal situations. Your relatives should have either enough supplies to carry you for several weeks or longer or you should pre-position items that you will be need once you get there. This is a bit more than we need to cover here, but we will touch on it.

Checklist

This is something you need to make and use. Yes, things will be clear in your mind for a few weeks or even months after you put them away, but after a while has passed, you will become fuzzy on some of the details of your plan. Keep a checklist handy in the vehicle and where you store your stuff. Checklists work! The US Air Force has a marvelous safety record because they create and use checklists for operating all their aircraft. Review your checklist every 3 months just to keep it current. If something has changed about your plan or equipment, then make a notation on your checklist.

The Bag Itself

This is where you need to determine how you are going to carry all that loot when you leave. Granted, you will not get every single thing in that bag, but try to get most of the smaller items fitted inside. It is recommended that you get a Mil-Spec type pack as they are reinforced in the right places and have lots of pockets and attachment points to hang stuff on when you run out of room on the inside. Don’t worry about it being too heavy to actually strap on you back because you will not be doing that. You need something that has a carry strap firmly sewn on to literally grab and run with. The amount of loot you can store in that pack will surprise you if you plan it out. Plus, using A.L.I.C.E. clips to hang items on the outside will greatly add to not only the bulk capacity but you can reach things you may need to grab while in transit such as flashlights, radios, knives, or whatever you think needs to be quickly gotten. The latest method of attaching items is the M.O.L.L.E. pack where hook and loop fasteners are used. There are many, many configurations of pouches and things that can be added to your pack. The best feature of a back-pack is the convenience of having separate compartments for everything and you know exactly where to look for them.

If you have a fair-sized family, then you may want to go with a duffle bag. These can haul a HUGE amount of gear. You may have to dump everything out when you want to find something, but that’s OK. Having it all in one bag is the idea here. You may even want to go with two duffle bags. Mark them Bag 1 and Bag 2 and have a list on the outside of what is in each bag.

The thrust of the main BOB is being able to grab, ideally, one single bag with all the basics to make your escape. You can add a duffle bag, but the BOB is the core of your equipment and will usually contain the most needed and most expensive items. We cannot know the future and how quickly you may have to leave town, so if you have the main bag ready, and have 5 gallons of water stored, you are at least covered with enough to get you down the road.

Some will like to carry their BOBs with them in the car or truck. Some will not. Let your own sense of style dictate how you want to organize. The main thing is to have your stuff somewhere and well organized.

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