Originally Posted by
TGS
Go bags are really personalized. Here's my take:
*medications, if needed.
*The above should be your only medical gear in the bag if you have separate medical gear (ankle kit, whatever). It's a go-bag, not a mass casualty triage bag. If you don't have a separate medical kit, then at most it should have an IFAK with the addition of a 2-4 tablets of immodium and 2 iodine wipes....the bare minimum important stuff to prevent bad shit from taking hold in a 24 hour period.
*Hygiene supplies. Wet wipes, hand sanitizer, soap. Compact tooth brush and compact tooth paste if you can fit it.
*Respirators/N95 masks.
*At least $400 in cash, no bills larger than $20.
*1 or 2 MREs each, at most. Any more than that and it's going to get heavy. It's a go bag, not a sustainment bag. If you want more food, it's a better idea to have easily accessible prepared meals that can be loaded into the car (like cases of MREs).
*Water. More than you think you need...most people put too much food, and not enough water. It's heavy, but you really need it, and it's not going to be in ready supply if there's a situation where you need your go-bag.
*A minimalist camp stove running on alcohol or esbit can be handy for heating up cans of soup that might avail yourself to. Anything more than that and you're getting into sustainment, not a go-bag.
*Water filters for a go bag are something I'm not sold on yet.....the small camping ones that are appropriate size/weight for a bailout bag aren't really filtering for the stuff that you need to worry about for a natural disaster in an urbanized area. Their filters get clogged super quick on anything that isn't relatively clean/clear water, as well. They're made for camping in nature, not disasters.
*"Survival" supplies should be kept limited. Ponchos are compact and useful for multiple things. One of those combination whistle/weatherproof matchbox/Firestarter thingies are small/light enough to not be a burden, and could be super useful if you need to abandon your car or sleep outside. Keep it realistic though.....are you going camping or trying to make it to a hotel/family's house?
*Road maps. GPS might not work.
*Plan for pets. Food/water/hygiene supplies.
*Power supply. Chargers, Mophie, 1-2 spare batteries, the likes.
*hand crack radio to keep up on the news and public broadcasts.
*Small LED headlamp, at most for lighting. You should already have a flashlight on you.
*1 pair undies, 1 pair socks. Other clothes as necessary for your clime.
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There should be no ammo, guns, tactical lights, tons of TEOTWAWKI survival supplies or knives in your go bag. That should already be on you, and don't get excessive. People with tons of extra ammo/guns in their bailout bags are playing a fantasy, not looking at what is realistically needed in historical American disasters. Tons of extra mags are appropriate for go bags if you're a security contractor in the Central African Republic...….not so much sumdood in urban America trying to get somewhere safe if there's a natural disaster or terrorist attack.
Keep it light. There's probably other bags you'll want to bring with you if you have the option. Don't make your go-bag so burdensome that you can't carry anything else. Be realistic.....if you have to evacuate your home due to nearby building collapse, infrastructure problems, fire, etc......Do you really want some go-bag from a TEOTWAWKI fantasy novel that is so burdensome you can't also bring anything else more applicable or important to you in a more realistic, infinitesimally more probable situation?
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