Traveling to Texas via car. It will be a 22 hour drive there and back. Bringing a 40L backpack. I have the basics but would love to hear what everyone thinks I should pack for this trip. Thinking more on the lines of a road bugout bag

Just a question by a concerned citizen.

Hey everyone, I live about an hour north of Pittsburgh and I'm looking to purchase a bugout camp. I'm considering the general areas of Tionesta, Leeper, Kennerdell or in that general area. It is a 1 to 2 hour drive for me to get there from home (1 hour for Kennerdell, 2 for tionesta).

Any thoughts on this?

My second option is to buy a homesteading property (fulltime living location) in the area of Portersville/Ellwood City PA but I'm concerned that the population density is still to high in that area.

Possibly stupid question here, do you pack something fun into your bugout bag assuming it will help pass time when your bugging out and keeping your mind straight. Thinking like a pack of cards, handheld video game, whatever you find fun

https://twitter.com/ControlledPairs/status/1845156538958201079?t=qNBKeJoRgpZSeiEn_qKXSA&s=19

Thank you all in advance for any info you can share with me. Here's my deal. I live in NJ and I want to build a BOB. I have a wife and baby so not sure if it should be for me or for three. I drive to work, it's about a 3/4 day's walk away from my house if I had to. I'm debating on building a get home bag just for me so in the event my car is no longer an option I have what I need to get to home base. Or should I build a full-on bug out bag just in case I'm driving far away from home and need to ditch the car? So what kind of bag should I buy and what do I put in it? I'd love a Mystery Ranch but I'm not open to spending $300+ on the bag alone. I'd like to be at $300-$400 all-in. Thanks!

https://youtu.be/jFuXI6esaHU?feature=shared

I want 2 weeks worth of dog food for a large, medium, and small dog. I know there are 30 pound bags you can get at the store, but I really don't want to carry 30 pounds + some gear on my back. Any ideas for dog food I should get?

Preface: I know this is going to read as an ignorant post thats because it is.

*I know nothing about this stuff. Here it goes!

Thinking about some of things Ive read it seems that Gold has a limited use case in a societal collapse type situation. It would be awesome for someone knowledgable to create a free trade list in the order of when those things would be useful and when they wouldn’t.

Example:

First day of Societal Collapse - (Fiat currency is no longer valuable) Gold and Silver would be the default valuable currency for trade of goods.

Second Month of Societal Collapse - (Gold and Silver is no longer the most valuable currency for trade) Generators and fuel become the most valuable currency for trade.

6 Months of Societal Collapse - (Generators, and fuel are no longer the most valuable) Weapons and ammo are the most valuable currency for trade.

1 Year of societal collapse - ( Weapons and Ammo are no longer the most valuable) Food and Water are the most valuable currency for trade.

Can someone tailor this to be even remotely accurate or speak to it. I find this fascinating to think about.

Before I start, I'm writing the disclaimer of bug in as my first and 2nd and maybe third plan for most scenarios. Living in Western NY I have bugged in multiple time in my life for extreme snow, and lose of power. In high school I spent just over a week without power in sub freezing conditions and helping neighbors along side my dad, and as a kid, we got stuck for 3-4 days 25 miles from home due to an extreme snow event, and where lucky enough to have a hotel take us in. In that storm the hotel housed 4 school buses full of kids and by the last day they were running out of food for the kids and guest, and employees stranded.

Just some background on my experiences and mind sets. I do have some scenarios where buging out would be the base case, or a last resort as well.

Questions:

First, for those who are using tactical molle style bags, what size are you using and what molle attachments do you find make sense for your use as a BOB / Camping weekend pack?

I have a Mystery Ranch Blitz I plan to make into my go bag / BOB but also use it for camping trips ect. And I'm curious with the molle where it is located (upper sides) and on the back pockets what is even smart or useful to attach there? To increase efficiency or ease of carrying something / or adding more usable space.

Second,

I'd love resources to dig into, or advice on how best to pack your bag. Seems like a decent amount of supplies to fit into a limited space. The more I look at my list, and gear ect, the more I'm like do I throw it all in the High Sierra 90L bag? lol

Lastly, non bag related, but what are people prepping for pets if they do need to bug out, as a last resort? We have a small, medium and Large dogs and its wears on my mind that if we had to gtfo on short notice it may be hard to pack and accommodate for their additional needs. In the bug in scenario's I'm starting to have a few options like buying extra bagged food and rotating it so I have a bag always, and having canned food to supplement with rice / oats ect if we get to that point.

Thanks and looking forward to learning some stuff from other who may have more experience, or time and thought into these subjects.

Recommendations for safe/firebox/etc that will fit legal size paper.. yes, I could fold it but really trying not to if avoidable

I'm wondering if capacitor batteries designed as a 12 volt replacement is a better option to have with a 100w solar panel. Having no knowledge of batteries or energy storage. I bought an unused 100 watt solar panel from a garage sale and started thinking about a battery to use for it from what very little knowledge I have, I am of the understanding that capacitors Store energy quicker as they have less resistance than regular batteries. Hence the cost difference.

My thinking is with a capacitor battery I will be able to store power quicker and be able to use it Better than a conventional battery.

Hi— new to this, looking into things I need for BOB if on the go, or sheltering in place. Any recommendations for how to secure a glass sliding door if sheltering in place? Everything I can find online is a security bar but I’m looking for how to secure the glass itself.

Any other advice, tips for a newb are greatly appreciated as well

TYIA

I was wondering what the best way to store non rechargeable and rechargeable batteries was I know it’s probably best to always go for rechargeable batteries but I do get regular batteries for free there usually used in a clock for a few hours or maybe a day or 2 but that’s it they’re supposed to be changed every break/shift change at this location and I was wondering what a good way to put them up and save them would be to where they keep more of there charge longer also how the healthiest way to store a rechargeable battery both battery packs and regular recharge conventional style batteries like AA-AAA ETC was should they be fully charged half charged completely drained and dead? I’ve always been taught that would ruin them so I’m not sure the best way

so I just bought a mollie med pack didn't come with medical supplies. eh wasn't planning on getting the 1 cent med supplies it provided. but as I stood in target and Walmart looking at the wrap bandages, compresses sterile non stick bandages, waterproof tape, anti inflammatory pastes and creams and the like I started thinking that these are unsanitary if used on anyone with an infection or general one time use. so I was thinking of my jobsiteed box and the single use packs of some of these items and thought that may be a better acquisition than the store bought big tube's or boxes... thoughts and if so where would be a good place to buy the latter please don't say amazon I hate amazon

I've been working on a personal project that I'm pretty excited about, and I thought I'd share it with you all to get your input and maybe inspire some of you to create something similar.

The concept? A "digital go bag" - essentially, a custom Linux gaming/gpu laptop loaded with 4TB of critical offline information and tools that we usually rely on the internet for. ( all works without any internet) Here's what I've included so far:

1. Offline AI Models: Latest open-source LLM AI models (Llama 3.1, Gemma2, Phi, Mistral) running locally on GPU. ( and uncensored)
2. Knowledge Base: Full offline copy of Wikipedia, including images.
3. Navigation:
   • Worldwide street-level maps with topography and navigation
   • Marine navigation charts for all US waters
   • Database of all US airstrips
   • VFR maps for the entire US
4. Communication: SDR tools for monitoring UHF and VHF frequencies, including ADSB aircraft tracking, AIS ship tracking, and satellite weather images.
5. Survival Library: Collection of out-of-copyright survivalist books, fully searchable.
6. Auto-Update System: Custom software to pull updates for all components when internet is available.

What do you think? What crucial offline resources am I missing? Has anyone else built something similar? I'd love to hear your ideas and experiences!

If you're interested in the technical details or want to chat more about building your own, feel free to ask.

What do you guys recommend for bugging out when far from home and going through TSA? I have been getting into prepping lately and occasionally fly to far away cities. I have a 2 day trip coming up and wondering if anyone has an airport friendly kit recommendation, as well as ideas on how to get home if they grid goes down and you're a 17 hour drive from home. I'm thinking if cars don't work, bike would be the best way but its very long/far and would I have enough time to get out of the city (without drawing much attention) on a bike?

I know that's a lot but it's been on my mind so I thought I'd post here to see what more experienced people would think.

For those who are following that post but live outside of the aforementioned area of concern, this link will take you to a site that you can punch in your specific area and pinpoint right down to your neighborhood how far above sea level you are...
Those from other countries can use the dropdown box to select their area...

https://en-us.topographic-map.com/place-c9c9m/United-States/

I'm assuming most people in this sub know about "the big one" up/out here in the Pacific Northwest. The big one is a major pressure release of the Juan de Fuca plate that is subducting underneath the North American Plate.

• Geologists put a 9.0 or higher Cascadian (Cascadia being another name for the PNW) earthquake happening in the next 50 years at 37%. It's not a question of if, but a question of when.
• The director of FEMA said "everything west of i5 will be toast" in the event of a Cascadian suduction zone earthquake
• If a building or bridge was built before 1994, it does not meet earthquake codes unless it has been retroactively upgraded to be earthquake resilient
• In Portland Oregon alone, there are about 1,600 unreinforced masonry buildings in the city and around 1,300 have not been retrofitted
• The Casciadian mega quake will be the worst natural disaster in the history of the USA, and FEMA says the region will be without resources (water/power/food) for up to 2 weeks, especially the Oregon coast, which might be without resources for many MONTHS.

So, there is basically a 1 in 3 chance this earthquake will happen in my lifetime in the city I live in (Portland).

If I survive, hunkering down might not be an option. Even if my house survives the quake enough to still be safe and livable,I won't have water or electricity and I SERIOUSLY DOUBT emergency services and government will have services restored in two weeks. Last winter,we had a major ice storm and there were entire neighborhoods without power for weeks. How is the government going to get services back for an entire region of the USA in two weeks?

It won't.

So, that leaves me with the option to try and survive in my house for months, while my neighbors and city starve and fall into chaos, or BUG OUT!

I'm thinking I'd be safe once I get to Boise, Idaho. Boise should be relatively unaffected by the earthquake. It's the biggest city east of me that will be safe. From there I can get help and my family can get to me.

But how do I get there? My car will be useless. All the highway bridges will have been destroyed and mountain roads will have areas of landslides. That leaves me with a bicycle and my own damn legs. I adon't know how to operate a motorcycle and thus, don't own one.

It's a seven day walk to Boise. Probably longer considering road conditions and I'm assuming Google maps doesn't factor in sleep or rest time.

• Is it possible for a relatively healthy 41 year old man to grab a bag and walk/possibly bike from Portland to Boise? Just me, by myself.
• What would I need to take?
• Can I even carry enough water to make it?
• Can I carry enough food to make it?
• What if it's winter? Can I make it over the Cascade mountain range without freezing?
• Should I carry a weapon or is that unnecessary weight?
• What route should I take?
• What else am I not taking into consideration?
• What would YOU do?

Hello,

does anyone know a good 45-60L Bag in the 80 to 150 Euro range that is not Military or has any bright color like most trekking/ hiking backpacks have? preferably with a couple organization compartments

I curently have a Mardingtop 50L that I mostly bought because i looked cool but it probably makes more sense to have something that is a bit less eye catching in an urban inviroment, especially since the main bug out senario i could find myself in is geting kicked out/ being homeless for a while.

all sugetions are apriciated.

Has anyone ever seen a waterproof spiral atlas map book? If so where did you buy it?

I want to carry heavier backpack so I have been trying to find a better way to do it. I had to take a look into hiking community because I couldn't find any videos about it in preppers/bug out community on youtube. Hell, there is no post about it in our community as well !

So the point of trekking poles is that they reduce the load on your hips, knees etc ... and they would help you walk longer with heavier loads, even in flat terrain. Basically the longer you walk the more benefits that you get, also help with going up and down in rough terrains as well.

4 points of contacts/supports is definitely better than 2, especially if you want to walk for greater distance with heavier load. The downsides are you would need to get used to it and it would turn eyes from some ppl especially if you are young and healthy, but if I have to bugging out then I don't really care anymore.

I purchased a set of 2 ways on Amazon. Just to have something. We just had a tornado where I'm at and it's not common and we're all kinda like whoa. Me I had already started getting stuff ready for well, whatever. So I thought it would be a good time to check out the 2 ways. I was a little shocked reading the instructions and it's saying u need some kind of fed license to use em? Seriously? So my question. DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY PAY THEM THE MONEY FOR THIS LICENSE, OR IS THIS SOMETHING THEY TRY TO SCARE U WITH TO MAKE MONEY? IM A NOOB. I KNOW NOTHING. also... If anyone has any tips for getting started with the radios, absolutely do's or donts... I'm all ears. Thanks.

Do you just keep painkillers, or have you expanded into carrying antibiotics, maybe other items like petroleum jelly?

Just another reminder to stay at least minimally prepared. Im not a huge prepper by any means but go camping a lot so know what I need to survive and be comfortable. A wildfire struck up 15 miles from my house yesterday and we are near the voluntary evacuation order line. Mandatory is still 10 miles away.

Anyways, we got water, food, dog food, toiletries, clothes bag, sleeping pads, valuables bag, and bikes ready to rock if needed. Otherwise we are chilling and making dinner like normal and will be ready to go if needed. I'm tooting my horn a little bit but a lot of people don't realize shit can happen. I live in a 75,000 person town that might need to be evacuated.

Bugging out is not always wilderness survival. We might just need to leave for a few days and hopefully our house is still here when we get back.

I'm considering bugging out and going full offgrid for the next 6-9 months. Has anyone done this lately and if so how did it go and what state are you in and what did you bring

Does anyone know the cutting dimensions on a tipi? Let’s say 16’? You can find them on google but they don’t say the dimensions on the smoke flaps or the door. I need it for 3 people and a fire. Thank you.

Hey folks! This is a list of items in my bugout bag, which doubles as my overnight hiking / hunting pack as well. This kit has been well-tested over a dozen or so overnight hikes and as many hunting trips over the last couple of years. I've just upgraded from a smaller pack and have done a couple of winter hikes so I figure now is as good a time as any to share it here.

I remove the shelter / hunting gear as needed for either hiking vs. hunting and day vs. overnight, but keep all the gear in the pack where it lives in my 4x4 for emergencies. With the hatchet mounted to the exterior, along with the 1L bottle, knife, and first-aid pack in the side pockets, and the water-proof bag clipped to the webbing holding the sleeping bag, pillow, thermal clothes, and rain jacket, I have about 50% of the main pocket capacity left for food.

I'm still working on a good store of emergency food for the pack that offers maximum calories, light weight, and long shelf life, so I haven't listed any food here. Usually for my hiking and hunting I carry pre-cooked wet meals I make at home prior (max 2 days shelf life in cold weather). I can afford to carry wet food due to the light weight of the pack. As well as the meals I carry the usual trail mix, some tinned tuna and biscuits, a few dry pasta meals as backup, some teabags, and some other snacks. I've just been leaving pasta / tuna in there for emergencies but obviously need to work on that. MREs I find are too bulky for a use in a lightweight pack for the calories they deliver, not to mention the cost. For a pack like this, something less tasty or varied but offering bulk calories to last more days is going to be a better use of space in an emergency.

Some self-criticisms:

• The steel pegs are heavy but are temporary as I've yet to find decent replacements for my good old plastic ones. New ones I've tried break immediately or wear out very quickly when being bashed in with a rock. Sticks / rocks work in place of pegs, so for an emergency-only pack, you could omit them altogether.
• The hatchet is a bit of a toy but actually is sharp and perfect for splitting off kindling, which is all I need it for. If you want to cut timber for shelter-building, pack a small folding saw.
• The hardware-store paracord in the picture is heavy, bulky, and frays badly when cut, so don't buy that. I have it because it's strong enough to hang a deer for dressing. Purely for shelter-building, there's better, thinner stuff which is more akin to what lightweight guy ropes are made from.
• I haven't got any water purification at the moment

Image of my gear

Pack:

1. Caribee M35 Incursion - 35L 50x32x24cm

Shelter:

2. Sleeping-bag
3. Hiking pillow
4. Surfboard self-inflating mattress
5. Mozzie net
6. 4x tent pegs
7. Army Hootchie
8. Para-cord 30m

Misc:

5. Waterproof bag - doubles as bucket
6. Rain jacket
7. Thermal pants
8. Thermal top
9. Bog roll in zip-lock bag
10. Bushman insect repellent
11. Spare boot laces
12. 20% full baby wipes pack
13. 2x garbage bags

Tools:

18. lightweight hatchet to split kindling
19. Electrical tape
20. Phillips / flathead screwdrivers
21. Spare AAAs for torch
22. LED torch, 3x AAAs
23. Safety pin
24. Orienteering compass
25. Bic lighter

Cooking:

26. Tea towel
27. Collapsible bowl
28. Plastic cutlery set
29. Plastic cup
30. Furno 360 stove
31. Gas for stove
32. Cooking pot with bag

Drinking:

33. 1L water bottle
34. 2L bladder pack

Hunting gear:

35. Microfiber lens cloth
36. 3x plastic bags for meat haulage
37. Winter shooter's mittens
38. Face wrap / scarf, camo
39. Fingerless gloves, camo
40. Sambar call
41. Rifle barrel brass pull-thru
42. Knife, 22cm w/ canvas sheath

First aid:

43. St. John's first aid kit

Edit: Forgot to include my toiletries pouch! That has toothbrush, toothpaste, ibuprofen, blister patches, deodorant, and some hydralite tablets in it.

Bug out cart

What do you guys think about this Bug out cart ? I think it's the best solution that I have seen so far. Big wheels for easier maneuver on the road and in the wood, you can even lift it up for short distance over obstacles.

Of course it's not for every terrains but it's quite compact compare to other solutions, it's not a lot of stuffs but that's a whole another bug out bag right there. One bag is just not enough for me, this cart can carry additional supplies like food and water.

Thoughts on using frozenwater ration packs in a small car cooler to save space? I carry a water bottle but want to have some spare for emergencies/ for others. Would constantly refreshing them compromise the integrity of the packaging?