Do You Have a BOB?

If I had just 5 minutes to get out of Dodge, I'd be in deep sh*t.

I guess I have enough time to grab my MTG collection and hope I can sell it
for enough to live on for a few weeks.

Who needs a "bob", when you can just do a "New Orleans" or "Tottenham" and grab what you need from the supermarkets?

Make sure to pack a pair of clean underwear.

Now that I'm living in earthquake waiting San Francisco, I'm putting one together for the first time in my life.

This site is very helpful:

Are you prepared?

I need to do this, although I've always wondered if we would even manage to get away from the coast.
This is Southern Cali...not as bad in San Dog as it was/is in LA...but somebody sneezes and traffic backs up for miles...let alone irate and stressed people trying to escape death in an emergency.
Maybe I'll tie a raft to the roof and ride a tsunami to Arizona.

Seriously though, I know you've put some thought into this situation so...

I'm wondering whether to have dehydrated food (which would require extra water) or have cans, which generally contain their own fluid. ...which obviously gets the weight factor up. In taking a family...
Which do you think would be more practical?



You had me wondering for a minute there Kurt, till I read the thread...I seriously had an ex that told me BOB stood for Battery Operated Boyfriend....:p

Jim, battery operated boyfriend is the first thing that came to my mind when I read the thread title too!
Kurt,
I do have a bob aka bug out bag.Actually 2 because I have to have one for dialysis supplies and a regular one. The idea being if I can get to a center that has power to minimize my impact on their supplies.

Actually, I was going through my BOB and here's my food:
Peanut butter (highest density calories I can find. High in protein, carbs and fat, all good in emergency)

Then I have a big ziplock bag filled with a mixture of chocolate protein shake mix, Slimfast and powdered milk. The Slimfast adds nutrients and with the milk and protein is a pretty well balanced meal.

I can eat the powder mixture plain, mixed with water or dip a spoonful of peanut butter into the mixture for a healthy "peanut butter cup". It actually tastes pretty good.

I like the powdered mix because it will hold up well in the truck/car because heat or freezing temps don't affect it, so it works well to put in the vehicle ahead of time and not have to worry about it. It can come in handy if you ever break down on the road while waiting for AAA.

Where do you live Kurt? Do you live in a hurricane prone region or another area where natural disaster is a realistic possibility? I realize that natural disasters can happen anywhere, but I live in the midwest where it's unlikely that anything catastropic will happen. Still, the unforseen is never expected and I have entertained the thought of being prepared, for what I'm not sure though.

The Clothes, Towels and Toiletries Bob I have in my car trunk with water, a presto log, a sleeping bag/ground cover, camera, flash light, radio, umbrella, extra boots and shoes and hydrogen peroxide. Since 1990s.

Going to add bottle of bleach - just a drop can sterilize a gallon of water at least to wash in.

For Sterno I have a Fondue pot and an extra bottle of fluid in the house - I have peanut butter, triple chocolate power crunch bars, water, tuna, oats, sunflower seeds, canned and frozen fruit; candles and flash lights in a few different sizes, batteries for battery op radio/cd player, matches and (lots of batteries in the refrigerator of all sizes).

I have brief case and file case ready to slam everything (IDs) and my laptop into them. I try to have cash stashed somewhere for an emergency - ATMs were down in San Francisco for days in the 1989 quake.

somewhere in this house i have a cot and air mattress and if i ever find it, it is going in the car too.

Always have your gas tank full in case of an emergency departure. There might not be any gas stations open or operating. hard to get out of dodge with all your stuff and have no gas.

If this building ever goes, it will be the front side sliding down a bluff into the Bay and I am shooting out the back to the carport (which anybody else would call the front door).

Gee Kurt - I'm ready. Bet you didn't expect that one.

I can't eat peanut butter so I always opt for refried beans and chips, although I don't like to eat much corn anymore because it's mostly GMO now. The hardest thing for me to get into the car fast is the computer - but you better believe, if I have to bug out, it's going with. I have a Jeep Patriot so have no problem with a place to sleep.

Mojojuju - midwest --- as in maybe in the range of the New Maridian fault line? Tornadoes? Floods? Never heard of anywhere in the Midwest that had no natural disaster hazards. And you are right - my mother would roll in her grave if I didn't have a change of underwear.

Kurt - here's one for an emergency kit that a lot of people forget -- Superglue. Also those buddy burners? You can make those with dryer lint, too. I have firestarting sticks and always have a few pieces of wood and old newspaper in the car, too. I like fire. Rope - fishing line, tools. I just keep the can opener in the car because it's a real genuine drag to forget it when you have cans of food, and it's one item people seem to forget. And a mini sewing kit, too.

All I have to hope is that if I anything happens over here, it's natural. I live 40 miles one direction and about 70 in another from military bases and just found out some of the bio-weapons they have stored at one of them. GMO chollera that's 100 percent deadly within a certain range? WTF do we even need stuff like that to exist for?

Patricia's really prepared and I have a presto log in my truck too.

Sal - Actually, I have super glue in my BOB too, as well as a couple of sticks from a glue gun I can heat with fire.

In case some aren't aware, super glue is excellent for closing cuts when you don't want to/can't use stitches, so it's multi-purpose.

Like Sal, I'm also big on having fire. I bet half my weight is from buddy burners.

And I also have tons lighters and matches...Which are wrapped and taped to be water-proof. I need another source though...

The thing I carry that many don't is a big roll of foil. It can be used in so many ways. Also, I have a roll of duct tape, a cheap $10 tarp (can use it for a tent or make a poncho, etc) and a 4-pack of emergency mylar blankets. Between the tarp, mylar blankets, duct tape, foil and buddy burners, I can survive a few nites in some pretty cold temps. I plan on using the duct tape to reinforce the mylar and tarp where needed, and place the mylar inside the tarp leaving about 6 inches of insulation. The mylar should reflect the heat from the buddy burners back on me very well.

Also, if there's firewood for a fire in the area, the foil can be made into a hobo stove with a chimney, to save the buddy burners.

Another thing I carry that most don't is a couple of oven bags, the big ones for turkeys. They are tough and very light and compact. And since they can withstand heat, they are great for boiling water in an emergency. They can also carry water and other things, as well as water-proof things you need to keep dry. They can also be used for solar stills and solar ovens, etc.

I don't carry any cookware, that's what I have foil and oven bags for. Plus the food I carry doesn't need cooking, but I do like hot water for my protein powder mix. If I catch a fish or something, the foil can be used to cook it.

I have a couple of plastic spoons and forks. And I also pack a couple of straws, incase I need to slurp some water out of places I couldn't reach otherwise. (And don't forget the water purification tablets)

p.s. i also have a wrench in my front seat - to smack a carjacker if closing his fingers in the windows and punching the gas doesn't work. maybe all three simultaneously. :p

also for busting out the glass until i find a glass buster - i sold my last SSEI leaving in it the dealy to cut the seat belts - so i have to find one of those again too.

i also have satellite - onstar car phone, emergency, road service and diagnostics.

Really nicely timed thread Kurt.

Southern Cali from parts of Orange county, all the way down to Ensenada to the south, and parts of Arizona (from what I heard on the radio earlier) lost power at 3:40 pm.
I missed the game... $%^**;
I have an old Dewalt radio/battery charger for power tools that just happened to be charged, so had local radio (which have backup generators).
Even cell phones went out for a bit..this was massive.

I heard about three reports that ONE employee on the Arizona/ Cali border caused this. Sophistication at it's finest...

Those off grid solar panels are starting to sound good right now.
It's been almost twelve hours here, I woke up because the fans came on at roughly 2:50 am.
We have had some record breaking heat here and in the Southwest for a few day's now.
Still trying to find reports on what the hell happened...SDGE sounded as confused as anyone else.

From what news I could get it sounds like 4-5 million people lost power.
Many people are still without power, because of having to switch on small areas at a time.

Interesting, it seems more people are getting aware how a BOB can save their lives. I don't have any at home (been creating one for each family member, but many things missing so far), but at least have a plan with wife and close relatives of what to do and where to go in case of emergency: 2 different spots, each country house has everything we could need in a emergency.

Hopefully we'll never need it.

Hey Jim...

Just a quick check on ebay and these solar cells are enough to create about 1/3 of the electricity needed for the ave. US home for $700. Of course you need more than just the cells, but it shows how cheap things are getting. These are high quality cells with a few minor chips in the edges.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...ectorid=229466

Hey Fernando...

You bring up an excellent point. What happens if a family member is at work or shopping or at school and everyone has to evacuate? What's the plan to meet up later in case you get seperated?

It doesn't hurt to make a plan and discuss these things with family members.

No but thats because I live in the boring UK where all it ever does is rain!

Someone, red cross? Don't remember - did some surveys and even in areas where disasters are extremely likely, people don't have a clue. It's really unbelievable that someone could live in a majorly disaster prone area and not have some sort of idea of how to cope with that disaster. Instead they count on others to risk their lives to save them. Refuse to evac when told? Let you die, I think. It sickens me to see rescuers die because someone insists on being stupid. I know in CO if you start running around in mine tunnels, S&R isn't always going to go in after you just to pull your dead carcass out of the shaft. That's the way it should be. Weed out the gene pool.

Kurt - tinfoil is a great idea. I have 3 pans that I keep in the car at all times - for dog water and food mostly, but also have some "car silverware and a spatula for cooking - and a gold pan, too, which can double for cooking, and a tin cup. Always jugs of water and duct tape - which saved my butt when a blew a radiator hose in the middle on nowhere in NW Nebraska where I was rock hunting. If it hadn't been for the duct tape, I'd ruined my rig on the way back to a town. I don't like the thought of even turning a car on if it's got no water in it even to run it far enough to get another 500 feet and shut it down again. Same with oil.

I have a roll of industrial size garbage bags. I need some more poles though. I like to make teepees instead of tents. That way you have a hole in the top and smoke from a fire goes out the top of the teepee but it's warm and comfy on the ground. I always have layers of clothes and boots sufficient to do a hike out, too. I'm not adverse to walking out - done it several times. What fries me is to see people take a "scenic drive" into the mountains in winter wearing their cute little sunday clothes with no emergency clothes. People die every year doing that crap, yet others just follow suit. You wouldn't believe, either, how many people go to the mountains for a day and don't take a lighter -- "I don't smoke". Don't think much either, eh? If I were ever caught in the mountains without a way to make a fire, it would be just as well to die - I'd be too embarrassed to face a rescue team.

I think part of the problem with people refusing to prepare is that they've just plain lost touch with reality. They have cell phones. They think that whenever and wherever something happens, they can just pick up their cell phone and someone will come and rescue them. Why does it not occur to people with cell phones that there are regions they will not get reception - and just because they can call out, doesn't mean someone can get to them in time. If they can't get out, why to they assume someone can get in?

Honestly, I've lost patience with people who just neglect their own safety. When Blitz and I used to go after lost hunters, I did that for free. We did get a lot of fresh wild meat for it in return - but now days, if I go look for someone, it's going to cost - a lot unless it's the type disaster that they could get blindsided and in dutch no matter how prepared they are.

OK...Here's the duct taped plane I wrote about above and just one reason why I always have a big roll in my BOB.

Duct tape use 4,526: Repair plane after bear destroys it | Crave - CNET

i always leave my half empty water bottles in my car as emergency engine water, though I admit I would really have to think about where the radiator cap is. When the hell did cars get so complex? I just paid an arm and a leg to replace a battery that went dead because someone broke into my car and left the door partially open. The mechanic has to take the wheel off to change the battery. No one will steal it any time soon but I keep my cars for years, insha Allah, so I replace a few batteries over time.

But I digress. I have a case of water in my trunk and it has been there a few months. Should I be concerned about the summer heat and the fact that the water is in plastic bottles? Is it safe to consume?

To answer the OP, I don't have a BOB but I do have a conscious knowledge of where everything important is. I live in an extremely dense area and as such, I would more likely be bugging in rather than out. I also have pets and they are still discriminated against when it comes to shelters.

I have everything I need here. Enough food and water for at least 6 months. There is not much benefit to arming myself because I could never have enough bullets, nor could I cover all the windows, etc. If I had enough forewarning to get out before the panic hits the streets, I do have a safer place to go but I would also be sharing resouces with a lot more people there.

It's always a good idea to have such emergency supplies in areas of natural disasters

Yes, it is always good to have a backup plan of action. Take a look at a Family Disaster Plan I created below. I referenced the information from the Los Angeles Fire Department's website. Enjoy!

A couple more things I'm adding to my BOB:

A deck of playing cards - boredom/stress

Rat trap - for catching squirels, etc

Tampon - tinder/kindling, also perfect for field dressing wounds. Just need the nerve to buy a box at the store.

Folding saw

small sewing kit

red crayon - for writing in all weather, marking trees/rocks

pepper spray