Bug Out Bags

[Noslack71]

I have a two part question. What would you folks recommend in the way of a Bug Out Bag. Two scenerios. The first is you are in a foreign country on business and have to hit the road quickly. The second scenerio is domestic travel far from home. What would you folks carry and why? Would you use a small back pack, large Dopp Kit or brief case?Because of the security issues weapons would be severly limited. The point is to get back home alive? I normally travel by myself or, with one other person from the office. I am also interested because when the family goes on vacation I want to get them to safety as well. Any suggestions, tips or reccommendations would be greatly appreciated!

[NousDefionsDoc]

Mission?
Target country?
Status?
Threats?
Obstacles?
Support mechanisms?
Experience?
Training?
Special Considerations?

Moved in here. This is not an SF Fieldcraft question - NDD

[Pete]

Mission?
Target country?
Status?
Threats?
Obstacles?
Support mechanisms?
Experience?
Training?
Special Considerations?

Moved in here. This is not an SF Fieldcraft question - NDD

1. Size? Will it make it through Customs (Status, see above). Wallet size, shaving bag or briefcase.

2. Duration? (Support mechanisms, Experience, Training, see above). 24, 36 or 48 hours or to the next country?

Pete

There were some long threads in here that covered a lot of the basics.

[Noslack71]

Sorry about the placement of the thread. Took a guess which was the proper forum and guessed wrong, Mea Culpa!
Mission- To get to US govt controlled area, friendly embassy, military etc
Threats- Overseas, those generally faced by USG employee in an area where either general order has broken down or become downright unfriendly to the US an its citizens. Transportation, border crossing, unfriendly local govt/police etc.
Obstacles- Alone, unfamilar terrain (probably urban) obvious foreigner
language(s), age, not running marathons, still running & lifting, residuals of a mispent youth:D
Support Mech. Myself and the USG if I have a means of communication
Experience- 7 years living and working in SE Asia, Central & South America, No. Africa Europe and Japan. Can get by in LatAm Spanish, German, some Arabic & little French. Combat Infantry, 2 years + undercover cop in large US city,


Training- Jungle, mountain, desert & urban survival, Airborne, Infantry, Amphibious, some medical, civilian SCUBA, hunting, fishing, Above average land nav, physical combatives & weapons training/use.
Special Considerations- very motivated!

Thank you very much for your help!
Noslack

[Noslack71]

Pete , I searched under Bug Out bags and, apparently I picked the wrong topic I did not find much.Hopefully I would not be out of pocket any longer than 72 hrs. Other considerations, what one could bring in using offcial US passport.

Noslack

[Pete]

..I searched under Bug Out bags and, apparently I picked the wrong topic ....

Bug Out, Bail Out, E&E, Survival, etc.

You are talking about a few basic items to help you get by.

It all depends on where you are, what you are doing and how well trained you are?

An international phone card works wonders in a big city but is of little use in a place with no phones. A fishing net in Chad? Long walk to the river.

Pete

[NousDefionsDoc]

Target country or region?

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

This is very situation dependent and you are not going to find a cookie cutter solution where one size fits all. A good analysis of the particular situation and both direct and exogenous variables will drive what you need to do. You might also consider caching part of your kit where you can get to it if you have to run without returning to the site where your "bug out" gear is located.

[The Reaper]

What was wrong with this thread?

http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9082

Or this one?

http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1540

Agreed, to target a specific set of needs, we would need to know as many of the parameters as possible.

TR

[Noslack71]

My apologizes. I obviously did not research the threads well. I also failed to frame the question well. The basic situation is an American businessman who travels quite a bit to third world countries. The primary limitating factor on kit is going in and out of airports.I am sure all of you are aware, certain kit draws the attention of every baggage screener/customs official encountered. I pick up some basic cheap essentials in country and unless I need them, I drop them off before going to the airport For example, if I was staying in Cochabamba Bolivia and some form of civil unrest occured I would want to either make it to Chile or La Paz 3-450 km over hard ball roads. No guns if possible. The only thing I always have with me is a small briefcase. I always carry a small flashlight, a Swiss Army knife, an eye drop bottle full of cholrine, a lighter, a cheap compass, needle and thread, a cell phone and International phone cards plus $1000 US greenbacks. These items do not seem to cause any concern (Ihave not flown since the liquids became an issue). In addition,I also take some meds (Tylenol, Lomotil and nausea meds). This would be a very low key E&E. I have a fair amount of military training but, nothing like you folks. I work at blending in with my surroundings and can get around in a couple of languages, better if I rememeber to drop the Buenos Dias Y'All part of my accent. I understand it may be impossible to offer any advice due to the vagueness of my request but, I often never know where I will be going ahead of time. I am looking for a few small ideas that might give me an edge for 48 -96 hours. I have thought about a small GPS and perhaps a satellite phone. I would want to avoid giving the impression I was connected to a military or govt. operation. Again, I apologize for not doing better job with the search button and for such a poorly constructed question. Thank you for any ideas you may provide with such a limited amount of information avaliable.

Noslack

[The Reaper]

Okay, this is based somewhat on my own generic travel gear.

Hope it gives you some ideas or at least helps.

TR

Wear/Carry-On Person on Aircraft
Passport, driver’s license, shot record and med alerts, credit cards, and airline tickets/itinerary with international contact numbers in waterproof bag
Appropriate clothing for the weather and environment, to include a pair of boots or shoes that you could walk home in
Enough cash to buy a one-way ticket home
Sturdy pen like Write in the Rain, Space Pen, or Meisterstuck
Sunglasses
Good gold ring or chain of value
Good waterproofed topo map covering at least the primary and secondary escape routes, but unmarked
Good, sturdy, multifunction watch
Quality compass
SureFire L4 flashlight
Photon Micro-Light
International phone cards
International cell phone

In Carry-on (Camelbak pack or briefcase)
Good wind and water resistant jacket
GPS (consider that IIRC, some PALM devices come with GPS built in, as long as the power lasts)
Spare shorts, t-shirt, socks, vacuum packed
Miniature shortwave radio
Spare batteries
Assorted Zip-Locs
Day/Night signal mirror
Panel Marker, Survival, Aviation Personnel (in film can)
Personal prescription meds
Water purification drops/Tabs
Cell phone charger (12v., if you plan to E&E by vehicle) and spare battery
Mini-Binoculars
Small digital camera
Laptop with cables, disks and charger

In Carry-on shaving kit
Toiletries and hygiene items (as permitted)
Matches
First aid kit with OTCs and small wound items for travel needs, PLUS, a small trauma kit, and a little moleskin (minus blades)
MIOX Water Purification Device with salt
Surefire L2 flashlight with spare batteries
Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak (minus blades)
Survival blanket
550 cord (camouflage as spare shoelaces, if necessary)
Spider Wire and stainless snare wire, wrapped around Surefire and covered with at least 12” of 100mph tape
Cravat

Checked Bags
Leatherman Charge XTi or New Wave
Wire saw
Butane lighters
Sewing/fishing kit
Remaining shaving kit
Additional clothing/footwear

Local Purchase
Garbage bag
1 L. Nalgene bottle
Bouillon cubes and hard candies
Energy food (as desired)
Instant coffee or tea with sugar packets
Powdered Gatorade or ORS
A few feet of insulated wire
Pick up a machete before initiating E&E

[Noslack71]

Reaper, I would like to Thank you and everyone else. All of your comments and suggestions have been very helpful! I am starting this AM to collect some of the items you and others suggested. I am prepacking my travel kit, one overseas and one domestic bag Just In Case. Thanks again!

Noslack


Il Legitimus Non Carborendum

[Pete]

There is nothing more funny that watching someone try and use something that they never used before.

Does anyone remember this last survivor show? The one where the two girls in the final vote-off had to make fire as a tie breaker? They had been with the others for 30 days but after 1 1/2 hours they still could not make fire. They were given matches and one use them all up with no fire and the other was down to her last one or two matches before she finally got it going.

For you who have never done it, pack your survival "kit" and pick a weekend date about six weeks out. Then no matter what the weather go to your nearest state or local park with a wilderness area that allows camping. Use only what's in you kit and see how you do for 48 hours.

Have a small pot to boil things in? How about a food can that can be turned into a boiler with the aid of a little wire from your kit? No can? check the park trash can as you start out.

If nothing else, you'll know why you don't want to be in a survival situation.

Pete

Who's little girls could use a metal match to start a fire when they were 7ish.

[mtnfrog]

I think there are two things that come to play here. Bail-out bag, small pack to roll out from a hotel room or place where you have been for a bit. bug-out bag, the kind I would refer to as a small 800-1K ci shoulder bag, fag bag what-ever. It's the bag you put in the vehicle wigh you, is always at your side no matter what. If you get compromised or threatened anywhere you use it to get you out. It has money (local currency) maps, sat phone, spare mags, lightweight jacket (change appearance rapidly in a crowd) etc. Those items you need to get you around a country or from one to another. I would not consider a bug out bag something to carry clothes and a toilet kit in. Just my thoughts. You can find good examples at Eagle, S.O. tech or Mystery Ranch.

[The Reaper]

Frog:

I hear what you are saying, but if you read through the thread, he was looking for something to carry, perhaps in his attache case, that would be acceptable for business trips. Since there are a lot of things that you cannot carry on a plane these days, the kit had to be layered and scattered through the checked and carry on bags.

The basic situation is an American businessman who travels quite a bit to third world countries. The primary limitating factor on kit is going in and out of airports.

Last I heard, the TSA was not allowing spare mags through security any more.

The threads that I linked to earlier above lead to at least one thread on bail out or E&E bags for combatants.

As you suggest, I carry a small bag and a civilian ruck with me pretty much everywhere with a full load of survival gear in it. If I am somewhere that I can have a firearm, then I have that on me and the extra mags in the bag as well.

Hope that helps clarify.

TR