The Bug out Bag Medical Kit

While I’m working on whittling down my Bug out Bag (BoB) inventory (as time permits) to reduce weight and size, one area where I’ll probably add a few ounces is medical supplies.

Bugging out by vehicle in an emergency situation – local disaster or TEOTWAWKI – might make it slightly less important to have a well stocked medical kit due to less chance of mishap, but if you end up on foot for days, weeks, or more, a little prevention goes a long way. There are two primary areas and one related area that I’m focusing on

The semi-related (to medical supplies) is sanitation. Bugging out could mean less access to soap and water for cleaning, which could be a problem with food handling, and minor cuts could become infected. My solution here it to bring plenty of water for hand washing in the Bug out Vehicle (BoV), or at least plan on it, and, if on foot, plenty of moist hand towels/wipes and hand sanitizer. The goal is prevention.

The first primary area to focus on for the medical kit is a good supply of basic over the counter (OTC) medications. This might seem like a no-brainer but there might be some areas to put on a checklist. Item number uno is a bunch of anti-diarrhea medication (e.g. Imodium AD) – it’s gonna happen sooner or later.

Some of the items in my inventory may seem frivolous considering tight weight restraints (anti-fungal and anti-itch creams, insect repellent, large amounts of cold meds, etc.), but I have a different take. If you’re on foot you’ll need to get good rest. Preventing insect bites, stopping the itch from them (or athletes foot) will help you/others get sleep and recharge. Same thing with all the OTC cold medications. The last thing you want is a hacking cough preventing you/others from sleeping and getting enough rest.

Some items I don’t have listed but will be adding are Anbesol (for tooth aches, teething, canker sores, etc.) and Delsym to prevent coughing (or anything with Dextromethorphan). I will also be adding more Ibuprofen – prescription Motrin is just 800 mg of Ibuprofen, so stock up.

Some context; a guy a work recently cracked a tooth badly and had to wait several days to get it pulled (you don’t want this to happen post-TSHTF). Motrin kept the pain to a manageable level, but he got several canker sores after the tooth was extracted. Anbesol helped there. I personally just got over a cold where I was coughing a lot. Prescription cough medication with codeine didn’t help (will still make you feel good!), but an OTC product with Dextromethorphan did. Know what works for you/family and have it in your BoB.

The second area of focus for medical supplies are antibiotics. For most there is no easy answer here, but I suggest you do what you can to build up at least a course per person who would bug out with you. If you’re going on a long hiking trip/traveling to a third world country, some docs will give you a prescription for antibiotics, just in case. Another option is fish antibiotics – I’m looking into this but can’t recommend for/against it, yet.

The bottom line is, if you think you’ll need to bug out on foot for more than a few days, I think it’s worth it to go a little overboard on your medical kit at the expense of other items in your BoB. Preventing infection and getting enough rest could make the difference.

Outfitting Firearms and Beefing Up the BoB

Over the past year my brothers and I have purchased a variety of firearms. Now that we’ve had them for a bit and know they’re keepers, we’re finally getting around to some minor accessorizing; optics, slings, bipods, and mounts for them. Also stocking up on magazines and ammunition. Nothing exotic, but it still adds up fairly fast.

Aside from the ammunition and magazines, these items aren’t required for survival weapons. However they do make the weapons more usable and can make them much more effective. Reviews to follow over the next several months.

There are tons of options and I suggest you spent some time online figuring out what seems to work with your specific firearms. For some scope mounts drilling and tapping (I recommend having a gunsmith do this) the rifle receiver is required – it costs more but in many cases will be the best choice. Beside regular searches, two forums have been particularly useful; The High Road (THR) and Perfect Union.

Most of our purchases have been through CDNN and Cheaper Than Dirt, though a few have been through Amazon.com. For the best ammo prices I always check Gun-Deal.com.

I’ve also been revamping my Bug Out Bag (BoB). Haven’t had time to update the BoB inventory yet, but have tried to free up some space and reduce the weight, since if/when it really needs to be used, more stuff will be added last minute that will fill it up and weight it down.

Besides thinning things out in general, I replaced the small fleece sleeping bags with Thermo-Lite 2.0 Bivy Sacks. While not a long-term solution, these take up about a quarter of the space/weight, which I believe will be more important initially.

Some of the things I’ve added are for the long-term bug out situation, including snares from Bruce “Buckshot” Hemming’s site, and some smaller traps from Presleys Outdoors. The idea would be to catch a meal while sleeping, silently, and without expending ammo or much energy.

I’ve never used either snare or traps and won’t try them out where I live as I’d probably only get cats and a few squirrels. But there is a lot of info available on both snares and traps to create some simplified instructions to put in the BoB, and of course I’ll experiment with the snares/traps before packing them away.

A few blogs talk about how cheap it can be to prep, living in a trailer off-grid, relying on old bolt-action rifles (nice, but unlikely to fit the bill for longer-term survival), etc. If you don’t have any dependents and already have a retreat stocked with most things you’d need, sure, it’s relatively cheap to prep.

For everyone else, I think you’d be doing yourself a disservice by skimping on some firearms accessories and not having a well outfitted BoB (Contrary to what some may say, IMO even if you have a squared away retreat, you need a good BoB, just in case. Just wait until the Golden Horde is at your gate – or a fast-moving fire is blowing towards it.)

Sometimes doing a lot of research and spending extra can make a big difference in the outcome.

Selecting a Night Vision Device

If you read much about post-TEOTWAWKI survival scenarios, the value and benefit of night vision devices quickly becomes apparent; nothing like seeing in the dark. I’m not an expert on night vision, but have been researching it for several months to select the most appropriate device for my bug out plans and after.

There are two basic categories of night vision devices; image intensification and thermal imaging. While thermal imaging devices are probably superior, they’re also several hundred or thousand dollars more expensive than their image intensifying counterparts, so I’m not considering them.

There are five broad “generations” of image intensification night vision;

• Generation 0 – The original night-vision system created by the United States Army and used in World War II and the Korean War…
• Generation 1 – … Once dubbed Starlight by the U.S. Army, these NVDs use ambient light provided by the moon and stars to augment the normal amounts of reflected infrared in the environment…
• Generation 2 – … They offer improved resolution and performance over Generation-1 devices, and are considerably more reliable. The biggest gain in Generation 2 is the ability to see in extremely low light conditions, such as a moonless night…
• Generation 3 – Generation 3 is currently used by the U.S. military. While there are no substantial changes in the underlying technology from Generation 2, these NVDs have even better resolution and sensitivity…
• Generation 4 – What is generally known as Generation 4 or “filmless and gated” technology shows significant overall improvement in both low- and high-level light environments…

I haven’t seen any generation 0 equipment for sale. There are also a few sub-generations or types, for example generation 1+ that falls in-between gen 1 and gen 2. Usually gen 1 and gen 1+ are the most affordable under $500, while gen 2 will deliver a much better image for $500-1,000 over gen 1 devices. Gen 3 gets into the multi-thousand dollar range and breaks my budget.

Finally there are three general applications; monocular, binocular, and scope (for mounting to firearms). Monoculars and binoculars can be mounted in headgear for hands free operation.

Many units come with an IR illuminator, that puts out a beam invisible to human eyes but that will work like a flashlight for the night vision device. From what I’ve read this works well but there are two major downsides. First, it uses batteries much faster. Second, and perhaps more important in a SHTF situation, the IR illuminator will be a beacon to anyone else using a night vision device, so can give away the fact you’re even there as well as your exact position.

I haven’t decided on which type I’ll purchase, but have narrowed it down to monocular (could be used driving) or scope (no need to elaborate). Probably a gen 1+ but maybe a low-end gen 2. In a bug out scenario, having night vision could make the difference between success and failure. However, it’s also a fairly large investment that won’t get much use unless TSHTF, so I’m not in a rush to spend perhaps $500 that could go to food storage, medical supplies, savings or other necessary preparations.

As always, you need to evaluate your specific circumstances and how you might use such equipment post-TEOTWAWKI. My primary application would be for bugging out, but night vision would also be very useful for keeping watch at a retreat.

Book Review: Bug Out

As readers of this blog know, bugging out is a primary focus of mine, so I was pretty much destined to read, Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic disaster Before It’s Too Late (2010), by Scott B. Williams (also see his Bug Out Survival Blog).

The book consists of 12 chapters. Part I, Bug-Out Basics (chapters one through four) deal with the philosophy and mechanics of bugging out, while Part II, Bug-Out Locations (chapters five through 12) roughly identify and explain some of what you’ll need to know about the different geographical regions of the United States. The appendixes include checklists and other useful references.

At around $10 per copy, this is a good value and the author is not out to make a killing – get if for your survival library, it’s a no brainer. Even if you live in your retreat, someday you might have to bug out, and if you haven’t been dwelling on the problem, this book will help you.

While I recommend this book as a buy for most folks, I didn’t personally gain much from the first section. Why? Because I live on the east coast and am obsessed with the need to bug out should TSHTF while my family and I still live here. I spend many hours a week thinking about and planning for bugging out, which I’m guessing isn’t normal. I did glean some unknown information from both sections (more in the Part II on locations) and will absolutely keep it in my bug out vehicle (BoV) as a reference. If you’re not obsessive about planning to bug out, you probably need this book.

The introduction does a good job of explaining why you need to plan on bugging out and I think this quote sums it up:

History is full of examples of people who stayed behind and died because they were not willing to pack their bags and leave. This has happened both in natural disasters such as Katrina and in times of unrest and outright war. (pg. 5)

The author also does something I appreciate – explains why it’s not crazy to plan on bugging out and living in the wilderness for awhile. If bugging out and my family and I had to abandon the BoV for whatever reason, we’d have to head for the hills, literally, while working our way towards the family retreat in Nebraska. Related posts deal with firearms, BoV (and here), bug out bags (BoB), getting home, leaving the BoV on foot, and the overall plan for bugging out.

Because Part II deals with specific geographical regions, I must admit I didn’t read the entire book. I did read the sections dealing with areas I would travel through bugging out, and skimmed through the rest looking at the maps that show where all the parks are located.

I need to include a few mild criticisms. First, it seems geared more towards single people than families. It can still be adapted, just be aware. Also, I think if you included everything in the BoB checklist your bag would be huge and too heavy to carry (this comment might seem hypocritical coming from me, I know, but I’m carrying for more than myself). These are minor issues.

This book is not a “must have,” but it is a “very good to have” resource, especially for those who haven’t put much time into considering bugging out. I suggest using this book as a base to build your bug out plan. I’m putting this book in my truck took box in the ziplock bag with all the maps.

See more reviews at Survival Cache, Modern Survival Online, Suburban Survival Blog, The Urban Survivalist, and several others. Amazon also has several reviews, including comments where the author did a good job of winning over a skeptical potential reader.