Whats the point of a bug out bag? RANT warning

[07JKX]

There are over 5+ million residents in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. Most have about 3 days worth of food stored and less in liquids. If there is no power, no water, no delivery of food or medicine in a timely fashion, you are trapped with a few million hungry people willing to kill to keep their children alive. Look how quickly society degraded when Katrina hit N.O. Even LEOs abandoned duty and were looting. The conditions at the Superdome were atrocious with people dying and no way to dispose of the dead bodies or living human waste. Sometimes, even if you are well prepared, bugging in is not a safe bet if you are in a densely populated area - once someone suspects you have food, you become the target. Even if they don't find out about your food and water stash, do you really want to be in the cesspool of rampant bacteria and virus? Bottom line is that it's safer where no one can find you and that's why people bug out. If done right, your BOB is not for you to go camping in the woods, but to get you where you need to go where you already have stuff stored for survival.

Of course, all this depends on how quickly order is restored. But if you are a true prepper, you would prepare for the worst and not rely on the government to come save your ass, because more likely than not, they'll take everything you have.

i plan on making myself a target so I can eat better... gonna put a sign in my yard that says "Free food... go around back and wait next to chainsaw"

kinda like the windowless panel vans next to a playground... they cant resist it!

 

[jsquared]

Are you a religious man, OP? Just wondering. A lot of people use the same logic when talkking about faith and being "Saved", would you rather have salvation and never need it or need it and never have it? I am not a religious man so I think thats crap, but you might be.

 

[Bellman2]

I have what some people would call a 3 day bag in my car. I do not plan on putting it on my back and leaving home. I have it in my car for a reason. Wherever I am, my car is normally no more than 100 yards from me at all times. It has a firearm, ammunition, emergency first aid supplies, 2 Garmin Rino GPS/GMRS radios, 3 days worth of food and water, cooking equipment, rudimentary shelter, edged weapons, tools, gas masks, fuel, survival equipment, etc.

I have lived through several natural and man-made disasters: hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, forest fires, car wrecks, industrial accidents. Each and every time, I've been glad that I had the things with me to help me deal with the unique problems at hand. I do not think that I will ever NEED to grab my bag and get out of Dodge but I do find comfort in knowing that I have the supplies at hand to help me and perhaps someone else get through a tough situation.

During the hurricanes, I was glad I had a generator and a fresh water supply.
During the tornado, I was glad I had bolt cutters and a saw and pry-bars.
During the flood, I was glad I had extra gasoline, water, food.
During the car wrecks, I was glad to be the first on the scene with Red Cross certification and a decent first aid kit. Same goes for industrial accidents at work.
There was a forest fire one day on my way home from work. I put my military gas mask on and drove on through the 5 miles of thick smoke and it was like there was no smoke at all, just a little foggy.

While you might think the idea of grabbing a bag and getting out of your house quickly seems strange, my bag is not for that purpose. My bag is designed for the best that the world can thrown at me. I have a fire safe at home to protect my important documents and guns but I'll be glad I have supplies in my car with me just in case my home ever catches fire while I'm not at home.

Another unique set of equipment I keep in my car is caving equipment. I keep several hundred feet of static rope, a helmet, lights, batteries, climbing harness, ascenders, carabiners, rappelling rack, etc. If I ever need shelter or I need to disappear, I've been trained and can enter one of the hundreds of caves in the north Georgia area and stay for a while. Only an extremely small portion of the population is equipped to go into a cave under any circumstance. Caving is not something that you would normally do alone but an emergency is an emergency.

... and on a lighter note... if the zombies ever attack or the cops are looking for me or there's an EMP and I can't drive home, the go bag would be useful for helping me make the 30 mile trek back home.

... and you would be the guy broke down on the side of the road asking somebody else for help.

WOW..........What type of car do you drive???????? Most people would have trouble getting all that stuff in their truck!!!!!!

 

[GAGunguy]

Leaving metro Atlanta for points that they cant find you sounds like camping in the the woods.

Katrina's a bad example, we dont live in a city/state that is below sea level. This is GA and Atlanta is a high plain, way above sea level. The worst event is the chattahoocoo flooding, and since we've been in an extended drought, that doesnt seem likely.

Hurrican Andrew is another bad example, no hurricane is coming anywhere near metro ATL to do any reall harm except to make it rain, which is sorely needed.

Tornados suck but are fairlly localized and dont lead the the breakdown of society.

Zombies dont exist

Aliens dont exist.

Iran cant reach us with their missles

Terrorists are fixated on NYC

There is plenty of oil for the next 10 years

I dont believe the government will suddenly fail, and if that happens a bug out bag isnt going to help.

If I am in a place where society fails and have to walk home, no body's bothering me as I dont have a big ole bag of supplies on my back. So no I wont be one the side of the road waiting for help. I will be walking, walked out of NYC during 911, will walk home next time too. No body bothered me on my way across the Brooklyn Bridge, on my long walk home after 911, cant think of another scenario worse than that, at least one thats likely. Almost walked home during the ATL ice storm 2 years ago, but managed to drive home.

I still see no reason to pack a bag and have it sitting by the door to "bug out"

And still think you guys are all sitting around with a solution to a problem that doesnt exist.

 

[jsquared]

And we still think you are trolling. Fun, isnt it? I am literally right now sitting around here in my duty belt typing this, fully loaded, sidearm and everything. Had some new gear to try out while I installed a build, plus it makes me feel safe against the viruses on the Internet..

 

[LewisBrookshire]

^ Yep

 

[07JKX]

Leaving metro Atlanta for points that they cant find you sounds like camping in the the woods.

Katrina's a bad example, we dont live in a city/state that is below sea level. This is GA and Atlanta is a high plain, way above sea level. The worst event is the chattahoocoo flooding, and since we've been in an extended drought, that doesnt seem likely.

Hurrican Andrew is another bad example, no hurricane is coming anywhere near metro ATL to do any reall harm except to make it rain, which is sorely needed.

Tornados suck but are fairlly localized and dont lead the the breakdown of society.

Zombies dont exist

Aliens dont exist.

Iran cant reach us with their missles

Terrorists are fixated on NYC

There is plenty of oil for the next 10 years

I dont believe the government will suddenly fail, and if that happens a bug out bag isnt going to help.

If I am in a place where society fails and have to walk home, no body's bothering me as I dont have a big ole bag of supplies on my back. So no I wont be one the side of the road waiting for help. I will be walking, walked out of NYC during 911, will walk home next time too. No body bothered me on my way across the Brooklyn Bridge, on my long walk home after 911, cant think of another scenario worse than that, at least one thats likely. Almost walked home during the ATL ice storm 2 years ago, but managed to drive home.

I still see no reason to pack a bag and have it sitting by the door to "bug out"

And still think you guys are all sitting around with a solution to a problem that doesnt exist.

hopefully you are right... and we never need to bug out or survive... but if we do... I will eat your arm

 

[LewisBrookshire]

^ Haha....

 

[obiwan]

Zombies dont exist

I beg your pardon, you just insulted the entire forum!

 

[JDG.]

this guy is trolling. he knows everything. Bet you saw 9-11 coming. O wait you didnt, you cant ever say something wont ever happen. who are you to say any of that crap wont happen? if you dont think it will, great for you. the rest of us hope it wont happen but know for a fact that odd things do happen from time to time.

a bug out bag is merely a place to store survival equipment. nothing more nothing less