Bug out kits

[Crappingbear]

There is no perfect kit and you should tailor yours based on your own needs and abilities. These aren't meant to be kits you survive forever on, but to get you buy a couple days if you break down. Mine is a simple canvas bag I got from an army surplus store cheap.

First aid kit. Mine was prepackaged from an outdoor store so its not crap from Wal Mart. Then I added extra stuff that wasn't it it such as burn meds, blister pads for your feet, Benedryl for stings/allergic reactions, dental floss (use as thread and ultra strong), super glue to seal up cuts, pepto bismol tablets and other stuff I'd have to go back and look at to remember.

chemical light sticks.

Fire: cig lighter, old 35mm film container filled with strike anywhere kitchen matches, magnesium fire starter. Again, I believe in backup.

2 space blankets. A few large garbage/leaf bags. You can use these for shade or stuff with leaves for sleeping bag or to stay warm by making a tube out of them and pulling them over your legs, body with leaves in them.

Compact rain jacket with hood.

Water: couple bottles of water, water purifying tablets, (I keep my PUR water purifying pump in my backpack large bugout kit).

Food: handful of power bars.

Tucks individually wrapped personal wipes. Better than toilet paper with the added benefit that since they have witchhazel you can use them to stop the burn of bites and stings.

Purell hand sanitizer.

Parachute cord. Many uses.

I'm sure there are other odds and ends in there but I'd have to unpack it to remember. All of this stuff takes up very little room and can live in the trunk of your car forever.

And yes, there is a pistol in the car so not needed in the bugout kit. :) I also keep Surefire flashlights with extra batteries and multi-tool knives in every vehicle.

[MikePizzoff]

Is that you, Les Stroud?

[Crappingbear]

Is that you, Les Stroud?

Nah, he irritates me. My own personal survival fav is the late, great David Alloway. His book on desert survival is tremendous and its real world stuff where he tells you not to mess with the goofy stuff that even experts ahve trouble with. His philosophy is don't waste more sweat and energy trying to do something if sitting still is better. Very down to earth advice and I highly recommend buying this book. One big regret is I never got to take one of his courses out in Big Bend, TX before he died. His team continues, so maybe one day. http://www.survival.com/alloway.htm

Here is the book. http://www.amazon.com/Desert-Survival-Skills-David-Alloway/dp/0292704925

I once had to haul a couple of people out of Big Bend while on vacation. I was quite a few miles down one of the off roads in the middle of the hot summer afternoon and came up on two guys walking. No hats, no water, no nothing and no clue to simply wait in the shade till dark and walk out at night following the road when its cooler. They had buried their vehicle trying to cross a "dry" creekbed. I gave them water and hauled them in to Study Butte to get a wrecker. People die all the time having no clue how to survive a single day or go into rough country unprepared.

I love the wild outdoors and take every vacation getting as far away as I can with the Colorado/Utah/Arizona/New Mexico back country being my favorites. Thats rough country and you need to be prepapared, which I am. Its not really survival-ism, its just common sense.