Alpha's Bug Out Gear Contents
We are asked a LOT, "what items do you recommend that a beginner carry in their BOB? We used to have a LOOoong list of items here that were "recommended BOB items for beginners", but times change and attitudes change, so at some point any list has to be updated. Such is the case with this one.
First off, the acronym BOB (Bug Out Bag) should actually be BOG (Bug Out Gear) since a "bag" simply isn't a realistic way to carry a lot of gear. I use a Medium ALICE pack and Blackhawk LBV (Load Bearing Vest, also reffered to as "web-gear") with pistol belt... I'll be referring to the items in your pack and web-gear as being your BOG throughout this article.
You all know what we here at Alpha Group preach... "Find out what works for YOU!!!" The only way to find out what works for you is to GET OUT and try it.
BOG is typically designed around travel on foot or 4 wheeler, So a suitable carry-pack is a must. Only YOU know your situation, plans, and the environment you will be traveling through... If you are in the city, a large "Day pack" may be effective camo while you move in an emergency. Personally, I use a Medium ALICE pack and associated web-gear because they are rugged and we really don't care who knows we are bugging out, if someone is stupid enough to try to take our stuff, well.....
If you plan to Bug Out in a vehicle, there is a whole separate article here just for that...
We also have shelters set up for Bugout locations... so this BOG only has to get us from where we are, to one of them. If we happen to be 50 miles away, it will take us longer to get there, so plan accordingly.
We plan our BOG for "worst case scenarios"... You Alpha Group members out there KNOW what we consider worst case.. but for the rest of you, it's "Waking up naked at 1 AM and having to leave the house on 2 minutes notice in a West Virginia snow storm, and THEN having to grab the kids from a sleep-over at a neighbors house"... With that in mind it makes sense to use ONLY QUALITY, QUALITY, QUALITY, equipment.... be it surplus Military equipment, or commercial gear.
Each person in your family should have BOG!!!! But the kids gear doesn't have to duplicate the contents of yours.
The kit itself should have separate bags inside, clearly marked, for each different section of stuff (I.E. Clothes in one bag, toilet bag in another, general stuff in another) These bags should be waterproof! Gallon sized Ziplock Bags RULE!
So.. here is OUR list.. You WILL have to heavily modify it to fit YOUR needs and YOUR plans! Modify it VERY heavily if you must. If you plan to live out of this BOG long-term in a national forest or something, you're probably screwed already... be realistic and come up with a better plan! I'd suggest you read Duncan Long's article on "Why Backpack survivalism doesn't work" in our files section. THIS BOG is designed with a 50 mile travel radius in mind, taking 4 to 5 days on the Southern East Coast
General Stuff:
Medium ALICE Pack with frame (I use a custom light-weight aluminum frame, see article)
Alpha Tent (See GI poncho below)
sleeping bag (OD or black) with ground pad
GI poncho (this is part of your Alpha Tent (see article))
2 poncho liners
3 disposable Space Blankets
2 - 1qt canteens w/carriers OR a Camel-Bak hydration system
1 2-quart Canteen with case (on outside of pack)
1 bottle of Water purifier tabs AND a QUALITY Water filter
Canteen cup and Ranger stove (I use a commercial stove like a Peak APEX)
10 Trioxane fuel tabs or a fuel bottle
fire starting material - (Bic Lighters, matches, flint, etc)
2 tub candles
6 black "lawn and garden" trash bags
tri-fold shovel with carrier (On web straps on outside of pack)
Night vision, in case (hey, it's in here)
Mini "AA" flashlight w/2 bulbs
1 extra 4-pack of Alkaline "AA" batteries
4 rechargeable "AA" Batteries (These are lighter than alkalines)
1 Angle head Military Flash light w/2 bulbs (I have one extra Halogen bulb for more light when needed, but they do burn up batteries fast)
1 extra 4-pack of Alkaline "D-cell" batteries
4 rechargeable "D-cell" Batteries
Small sized AM/FM/Short Wave radio "AA"
Solar battery recharger "AA" and D-cell
Radio Slack HTX200 Mini 2-meter Ham Radio OR Icom FRS Radio OR a quality Handheld CB, OR all of the above (a mini cell phone stays with me usually also)
2 - 50' hanks of 550 para cord - OD color
Folding "What a saw"
sunglasses w/case
Swiss army knife OR leatherman tool OR Gerber tool (I carry my leatherman in my Gerber BMF knife's sheath's front pocket)
50' Climbing rope (In rope bag), IF NEEDED
2 - locking Carbiners (attached to rope bag or pack)
2 - smoke grenades (LARGE "smoke bombs" Can be bought legally in SC)
1 roll duct tape
camo cream/stick
Compass and maps or GPS system
1st aid kit / personal meds kit
sewing kit contents (in 35mm film canister)
15 sewing needles
4-BDU style buttons
6 sewing bobbins with assorted shades of Green and black thread
Food Stuff
spoon/fork/knife
4-5 days of food (MREs with the "junk" stripped out)(at least 2 meals/day)
12 hi-energy food bars
fishing kit (Inside 35mm film canister)
small bobber
20 split shot
20 assort hooks
2 - sewing bobbins w/ 40'-80' 2lb & 10lb line ea.
Clothing
1pr boots (Top quality, the BEST that you can afford - Timberline, Red wings, etc)
2pr B.D.U. Pants (woodland camo)(wear 1 pr)
2pr B.D.U. shirts (woodland camo)(wear 1)
hat - subdued color, wide brimmed/Jungle or Ranger Cap with Ear flaps
4pr socks (in plastic bag)
4pr underwear (in plastic bag)
leather work gloves w/wool liners
wool sweater
M-65 Coat W/liner (Woodland Camo) IF NEEDED
boot laces (Should be made from 550 parachute cord)
Personal toilet bag contents:
Thin cotton towel - dark color, small to med size
Cotton Washcloth (dark)
unscented deodorant
lip balm
toothbrush/paste
3 disposable razors
insect repellent
soap (unscented)
TOILET PAPER!
Thin plastic case of Baby wipes (for cleaning)
Weapons/Protection:
Ka-bar field knife or equivalent (I use a Custom Rinaldi Warhawk or a Gerber BMF currently)
OC pepper spray 10%
Battle rifle (We use Mak-90 or AK rifles, in a case, temporarily attached to outside of pack)
6 - 30 rd magazines (loaded) (I carry three on my LBV chest pouches and 3 in a case on my ALICE pack)
100rds (in boxes, we can't survive a long term engagement, just carry enough ammo for self protection and/or hunting opportunities)
20 Tracers (2 or 3 in the bottom of each mag)
Magazine pouch (loaded, attached to web straps outside pack)
firearm cleaning kit
Pistol
Usually I don't carry this in the field anymore as it's considered a "transitional weapon" at best... when I do carry one in the field I use a Teflon coated Ruger P-89DC 9mm pistol, loaded, in a leg holster... if you don't want to carry a pistol, skip the rest of this section.
2 - 17rd magazines (loaded)
2 - 15rd (loaded)
dual magazine pistol pouch
This seems like a lot of stuff I know, but we can live totally off the packs contents for a LOOOOONG time. Total weight comes in well under "OH MY GOD" level.
If this list doesn't look like it's enough stuff for you, you can also see "Alpha's recommended list for full field gear" in this same "Equipment section" if you are interested.
REMEMBER, This is an "over inclusive list" for a BASIC skilled survivalist, the more knowledge you have, the less stuff you have to carry, so as you learn, pare down the things on this list that you no longer need!
Additional articles here along this same line...:
Basic Patrol Gear list (Equipment section)
advanced patrol gear list (Equipment section)
Re-packing for winter (Alpha Way Section)
A custom ALICE pack frame (Alpha Way Section)
The Alpha Tent (Alpha Way Section)
Warlord's patrol Pack and tips (Alpha Way Section)
Last Resort Survival Kit (Alpha Way Section)
Paring down your equipment (Alpha Way Section)
Gear Set up (Alpha Way Section)
BOV's For Bugout (Alpha Way Section)
BOV which one? (Advanced Survival Info Section)
Actually, MOST articles here are related, just read em all! ; )
Warlord
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