Why aren't you at the forum? Go to the forum. 7. Gear Stuff: You Need It. A. Bug Out Bag The term "bug out bag" is generally used for a bag that you keep handy incase you need to "bug out", or in other words get out of town. In any sort of a disaster, you don't want to be scrambling around trying to figure out where you put your wallet and keys, and deciding what you need to leave behind and what you should take. Everyone should have some sort of an emergency kit in the event of a large scale natural disaster, terrorist attack, or who knows what else. In order to categorize and rate things based on importance, we've developed the "5 P's". This system allows you to rely on prematurely organizing your belongings based on their importance. This way, if something happens and you need to ditch your vehicle, or drop your backpack in order to swim or climb, you don't have to stop and think about what's in your backpack, or what you need to take out of it to bring with you. This list is by suggestion only. We can't anticipate everything you may be unable to live without, and we tried to include everything we could think of that could be important but may not be critical based on your particular situation. Use your own judgement and tailor the list as necessary. Think in terms of: Personal, Packable, Portable, Pileable, and Pointless. i. Personal Personal gear is stuff that should always be ON YOUR PERSON. Anything that you'll die without, can't replace, or that's light and small, or you can wear. Think: "pockets, fanny pack, holster". Anything you can easily climb or swim while wearing. -Handgun (See weapons section for advice on handgun selection) -Ammunition (At least 1 extra pre-loaded clip) -Boots (Hiking boots are comfortable, but if you're scrambling over busted wood, a nail will easily go through the sole and into your foot) -Drivers License/ID Card -Cash, Cigarettes, Liquor Flask (anything you can quickly barter with in exchange for a favor) -Lighter (Recommend a good Zippo) -Map & Compass (Just a map of wherever you are... Mountain, city, etc. If you have to drop and run, you'll want to be able to find your way back) -Multi-tool (Gerber or Leatherman) -Survival knife (Gerber LMF 2 or any low maintenance multipurpose, solid, hunting/survival knife) ii. Packable Packable gear is stuff you would keep in a backpack. This should be where you keep important but replaceable things, or things you could live 2-3 days without. -Primary Weapon (See weapons for advice on selecting a shotgun or rifle) -Ammunition (At least 1 extra pre-loaded clip for the primary and refills for both primary and secondary) -Large Skinning/Cutting Knife (ex: Ontario RTAK, RTA7, Kabar, Cold Steel Recon Scout/Trailmaster, etc) -Hatchet/handaxe -Hammock (a few of them, for sleeping, carrying fish or game, and on the spot gillie) -Manila folder w/ 2 copies of: Birth certificate, Social Security card, passport, medical records, drivers license -Dry bag (An extra bag INSIDE your backpack, for carrying up unexpected discoveries that won't fit in your backpack) -2 change of clothes (pants, shirts, jacket, underwear, hat, socks, balaclava) -Fire starting kit (flint and steel w/ magnesium strip, lint and wax balls, fire pistons, waterproof matches) -Water purification pump, tablets, or "polar pure" (Giardia is not fun) -Nalegene water bottles (4, full) -Dehydrated food, MREs, and trail mix (2-3 days worth) -Mess kit w/ utensils -First aid kit -Sewing kit (Avoid cotton thread; nylon thread can also double for emergency stitches, and is waterproof) -Rope (Woven twine or parachute cord, 50-100 feet for hanging food, fording rivers, tying stuff together, etc) -Dynamo (hand crank) flashlight and lantern -Dynamo phone charger/emergency radio combo -Pup tent w/ 2 tarps, one bright orange, one camouflage, depending on whether you want to be seen -Space blankets, wool blankets, Gortex rain gear, mummy sleeping bag, inflatable sleeping pad -Folding "survival" saw with aluminum frame -Sharpening/Whet stone -Playing Cards (Waterproof plastic cards are a bonus) -Pictures of loved ones (if this type of thing motivates you) -Walkie talkies or academy motorolas. (If you have a partner, each should have 1 walkie talkie in their bag. Consider ditching after initially locating each other) iii. Portable Portable gear is anything that can be brought with you with the aid of a vehicle, but is otherwise heavy, you wouldn't want to carry a long distance, or you don't need for basic survival. -Language Dictionaries (Non-Castillian Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, or whatever you're likely to encounter) -Flares and chem lights (multi colors) -Notepads, pens, pencils (wood, or a high quality mechanical pencil that's unlikely to rust or jam with dirt) -Calendar (marked with important weather dates, time changes, important events, rendezvous times, etc) -Clearing Knife (Machete, Bowie, Kukri or Woodmans Pal http://www.woodmanspal.com/) -Axe (Big 2 hander for chopping down trees) -Basic fishing gear (stocked tacklebox, collapsable rod) -WD40 (for tool maintenance) -Empty cans for....who knows iv. Pileable Pileable gear is stuff you would stockpile. Anything you would want to store up at your compound that would make long term living easier, but that if you needed to permanently abandon the compound, you wouldn't have to think twice about bringing it with you -Year supply of food -Board games -Empty bottles & cans -Exercise equipment -Gardening tools -Electric floor fans (assuming you have a generator) v. Pointless Everything not in one of those first 4 categories should be considered pointless. We're not going to list everything pointless here, but there's a number of things that may seem like they have value (TVs, computers, cell phones, etc), but in reality aren't worth trying to drag back home with you.