TAOB Bug out bag advice

A bug out bag is subjective to each user.

Everyone's idea of a bug out bag differs from person to person. But we here at Tough as old Boots would like to point people in the right direction.

A bug out bag isn't a suitcase. So don't try taking everything with you. You can't move quick and quietly when carrying the kitchen sink.

So we will lay out the fundamentals for you to decide.

Creating a Bug out bag shouldn't be difficult.

Don't over complicate it, thats the main fundamental thing you should take away. So here we go:

Choose the right bag for you.

The first item you should choose is the bag, remember its a grab and go.

So keep in mind, the material, the storage space, what gear you intend to carry inside or on the outside.

Food and water.

The staple of any survival situation! 

The general rule of thumb for surviving without water is 3 days. But environmental factors, physical condition and your activity level should all be taken into consideration.

Food is different. The approximation of survival without food is 3 weeks. However, this is a general guideline, and individual survival times can vary significantly based on factors like water intake, environmental conditions, and individual health. 

So here's a list of requirments:

• Clean drinking water (3litres)
• A hard water bottle, either metal or a hard durable plastic.
• Water purification (house hold iodine, water purification tablets)
• A metal container for boiling.
• A life saver straw.

We highly recommend a good reputable life saver straw. These will filter 99.9% of harmful bacteria. Without the need of boiling or water purifying. They are compact and light weight.

Food can come in many forms. You can purchase many items these days, from Military MRE's to freeze dried packaged items. But these will all use your fresh water reserves. Non perishable items are always available and can be quite cost effective. So here's a list for food items you may require:

• KFS (Knife fork spoon) they come in both metal and plastic and some even come as a single item.
• A fire source/ heating source - fire making apparatus, a jet boil, a portable stove, 
• MRE's/Dehydrated meals
• A metal cup- you can even use it to boil a good cup of tea.

Clothing

Now clothing, choosing the right clothing is 100% down to you. But we go for the standard ideas of -

• Wet kit- you need to stay dry in wet weather. Becoming wet will reduce your core body temperature, thus using more calories and energy.
• Dry kit- Now dry kit is literally that. It's kit thats kept dry incase you end up wet through and need an emergency change of clothes. 
• Warm kit- staying warm is for the same reason as staying dry. 
• Cool kit- getting to hot can lead to serious complications, heat exhaustion can very quickly lead to death. So remaining cool in the heat is paramount

So a quick list of what we here recommend:

• Shorts
• T-shirts
• Underwear
• Socks- wool socks, lightweight boot socks
• A fleece, both lightweight and a thicker one. 
• Hats- booner hat, baseball cap, thermal insulated hat.
• Waterproofs- Gortex/waterproof jacket and bottoms.
• Scarves - knitted/swollen, a shemagh

Shelters

A shelter doesn't have to be a large lavish tent. It's to keep you out of the elements. Dry and windproof are the basics.

• A basha- it's what the forces use, it's easy to erect. Set it up how you wish, the standard A-Frame is a good go to. 
• Tent- light weight and compact. Don't grab the family size 10 man tent. You will not be moving quick with that.
• Sleeping bag- an all season one is probably the easy choice here. It's a solid all rounder.
• Ground mat- keeping yourself off of the natural ground will help body heat being absorbed by the ground. Yes thats a real thing.
• A hammock- now a hammock allows you to get off of the ground, you can put up a basha above it to ensure you're not only dry but also comfortable.

Warmth

It's needless to say, keeping warm is paramount in survival. We are fond of fires. You can use them to cook on, boil water on, dry clothes above it and it keeps you warm for hours and even days if it's maintained.

• Lighter- preferably a jet lighter or a zippo. Great for wind resistance.
• Ferro rod and striker- it's basic, lightweight weight and easy to use.
• Tinder- tinder needs to be kept dry, its lightweight and can be found in the wild.
• Windproof matches- most windproof matches come in what we can only describe as a pill bottle with a striker typically on the top or side. They tend to typically be weather resistant also. So not a bad choice.

Tools

It's self explanatory really, if you are making a fire you will need the capability to source the fuel for that fire, if you hunt down a nice bit of protein, you will need to be able to process that meat so it doesn't spoil. It doesn't need to be the most expensive, best looking. It's all about the practicality.

• A good camping/survival knife. It's always good to find one where the sheathe also incorporates a sharpener on it also. Allowing you to keep the blade sharp.
• An Axe, axes come in all shapes and sizes these days. You need something thats short so a Hatchet style would be recommendable. These can also be doubled up as a hammer.
• Machete- it's not a necessity to have a machete but some people prefer them. The Kukri is also a very good versatile tool.
• Combi-tool, a good combi-tool will have basically everything you need in one place. 

Wrapping it up

So we have come to the end near enough of our basic recommendations for a bug out bag. We hope you have learned something or found some inspiration in what we've presented to you. 

Other items to consider 

• Local area maps
• Compass
• Waterproof notepad and pencil/pen
• Emergency whistle
• A good length of paracord 
• Money
• Waterproof bags to store everything in.

We here at Tough as old Boots only put this out as a guide. We know you will make the right choices when it comes to your survival. The most precious commodity is your life, look after it.

Thank you for reading

We hope to have many more items available in the store over the coming months. Many of which have been listed. We are just ironing out the kinks and will be updating as we go.

Thanks again

-Team TAOB.