There are way too many options for bug out bags that it can be a little overwhelming choosing one unless you have experience with other packs for other applications.  There are many very complication breaks downs of what to look for so we are going to keep choosing a bug out bag simple.

Volume: At Least 3500 cubic inches – I have tried to put together a good bug out bag time and time again with lessor backs and it just isn’t enough space for multiple days of supplies

Color- Something low key- civilian outdoor colors are terrible for not being seen, example: I own an osprey that I use for recreational backpacking and I kid you not its neon orange red and black..in an urban survival situation you want to make sure both you and your BOB can hide if need be.

Fit:  Spend the money and get a pack that is fully adjustable.  Many people don’t know what its like to carry around a 50 plus lb bag for days at a time but trying to do so with a poorly fitting pack will kill your back.  ITS WORTH IT

Config: Lots of pockets is better! BOB don’t really need to hold large singular items so its best to use a bag that does your gear sorting for you, its really difficult to access your gear if its all in one big pouch and what you need is right in the middle.

Frame: This is a source of much debate and I will just claim my side right now.  CHOOSE AN EXTERNAL FRAME PACK.  External frames tend to hold more better.  That osprey I mentioned earlier is a great example.  Its an internal frame contoured pack and almost the same volume as my current bug our bag but it only holds about 60% of what i need due to its odd contoured shape.  My external framed BOB is a nice square main compartment with no odd curves keeping me from storing straight objects like tent poles, a shotgun, or even a shovel.  These external frames are great for additional use, from clipping other gear to them with MOLE or carabiners to being able to modify them for use as a sled in the snow…seriously they are way better, yes you will look like a boy scout but you will be better prepared

Now that you have a good guideline to what to look for in a bug out bag let me warn you of what to avoid: Almost everything you find easily in a retail setting branded as “Tactical” is a piece of junk, avoid it like the plague, they don’t work better, no one things you are cooler, and girls wont want to date you more..so forget about it.  Go for quality and fit before anything else.

Tomorrow I will be reviewing my BOB, until then all 3 of you will just have to wait to see what I use…I know the suspense is killing you.

I think it goes with out saying that ever bug out bag, every home medicine cabinet and every bug out vehicle, hell every daily driver NEEDS to have some sort of emergency medical kit to address your basic emergency needs. There are countless options available for a whole slew of applications, from simple medical kits used in backpacking type applications all the way up to very expensive field med type bags.

I have spent a lot of time looking for a good multi purpose medical kit to buy and Ive tried to build them from scratch only to realize its not that cost effective or easy to transport. I needed my emergency medial and survival kit to meet three basic criteria:
1. cost effective- no matter what I just dont want to spend 200 + bucks on a medical kit, mostly because I am not made of money, or gold, or expensive candy.
2. self contained- its best for your medical kit to be stand alone, even if you plan on packing it in your bug out bag, this way in a pinch you can grab on small bag and know you have what you need with our sorting through a bunch of loose gear
3. a survival twist-there are plenty of medial kits, but I wanted to make sure in a bare bones capacity that mine had integrated basic survival tools to treat as a super minimal mini bug out bag if need be.

So with thoes requirements in mind I went searching and what I found was the SOL 3  Survival, Medical and Gear Aid. Made by Adventure Medical Kits I found mine at REI for 53 bucks.  According to the AMK site this is what I had bought:

This 3-in-1 kit covers all the basics of outdoor safety. Containing medical supplies, survival tools, and gear repair items, the S.O.L. 3 enables you to survive almost anything that Mother Nature throws at you.

Ok ok ok, I don’t know about the last part, but in the scope of medical and survival gear is as follows:

Bandage Materials
4	Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1″ x 3″
2	Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle
4	Bandage, Butterfly Closure
1	Bandage, Conforming Gauze, 2″
2	Dressing, Gauze, Non-Sterile, 4″ x 4″
2	Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2″ x 2″, Pkg./2
2	Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 3″ x 3″, Pkg./2
2	Dressing, Non-Adherent, Sterile, 3″ x 4″
Bleeding
1	Gloves, Nitrile (Pair), Hand Wipe
Blister / Burn
11	Moleskin, Pre-Cut & Shaped
Duct Tape
1	Duct Tape, 2″ x 50″
Gear Repair
3	Cable Ties, 4″
3	Cable Ties, 8″
Instrument
1	EMT Shears, 4″
5	Safety Pins
Medication
2	After Bite Wipe
2	Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25 mg)
4	Ibuprofen (200 mg), Pkg./2
Survival Tools
2	Aluminum Foil, Heavy Duty, 3 Sq. Ft.
1	Compass, Button, Liquid Filled
1	Headlamp, 2 watt LED w/ headband
1	Heatsheet Survival Blanket
1	Magnesium Fire Starter, 4.5 mm, w/ Striker
1	Mini Rescue Flash Signal Mirror
1	Mini Rescue Howler Whistle
4	Nylon Cord, #18, Braided, (10 ft. 100lb test)
1	Tinder Quick
Wound Care
3	After Cuts & Scrapes Anethestic/Antiseptic Wipe
1	Povidone Iodine, 3/4 oz
1	Tape, 1/2″ x 10 Yards
1	Tincture of Benzoin Topical Adhesive, Vial
2	Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Single Use

Although this kit fit my needs, it, like almost all less expensive medical kits it is lacking in depth treatment of specific ailments. Depending on where you live and the dangers of exposure that you may face you should always consider beefing up your medical/survival kit with whatever else you need but I suggest keeping your total medical kit in its original packaging making sure it all still fits with whatever additions you have made.

Remember, no matter what kit you end up building, that a true urban survivalist not only has a lot of cool supplies but also knows how to use them. Take the time to unpack and repack your kit on a regular basis, making sure you know what you have, what its for and what needs to be replaced periodically.

Know that none of the turn key kits are 100% complete but the SOL kit is very complete for the money. If I have time tomorrow I will post pictures of my kit and the component breakdown.  I have personally used this kit two times for two different emergency situations in the last 4 months, and in both instances it did what it is supposed to do, providing an easy to use, compact affordable solution to my medical and survival preparation.

When bugging out of an urban environment, especially if you have limited resources, your first priority should be to get out of the most densely populated part of the city.  This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have a vehicle to take you thousands of miles away, often times even getting into a more suburban area can decrease your chances of being attacked or hurt after a disaster.

I like to plan on my BOV not working, after all its always best to plan for the worst. That being said your initial staging location or your bug out location should be with in a distance that is makeable on foot to insure that no matter what you have the ability to get to safety quickly.  Again the operative part of that last statement is “NO MATTER WHAT”.
Consider this, my Bug Out Bag fully loaded (with ammo and water) weights almost 50 Lbs, that’s not accounting for the dogs BOB and the additional supplies I usually carry for at least one additional person.  A normally fit person can walk an average of about 20 miles on paved ground in a day with out too much trouble beyond blisters and basic discomfort if they have not trained for a similar situation.

Many dense urban environments are only a few miles wide , think San Fransisco, think downtown San Diego.  If this is the case in your city you may be able to bug out on foot easily.  Your first stage Bug Out Location should be with in one days walk, which should be far enough to be safe but close enough to realistically hike to in a days time.  Beyond that if you see the need or have the ability to have a rural Bug Out Location, then by all means continue on to it.

In order to prepare for this very different type of urban Bug Out I suggest you ditch your military combat boots- they are designed for doing a lot of things adequately but not really one thing that well, and since we can assume you will be working with paved or non wilderness conditions ditch the full boot and go for a hybrid trail or real walking shoe.  Like any foot wear you are spending a good amount of time in, break your shoes in before hand…trust me your feet will thank you later.

Once you have your footwear situated you need to physically walk your bug out route with a loaded or weighted pack at least once. to make sure your ability and your route are both realistic.   I cover my route unloaded at least once a month, its great exercise and very necessary.  If possible vary your route testing for both night and day test runs, and develop at least one additional back up route to address road blocks, dangers and additional unplanned challenges.  DON’T SKIP ON THIS STEP, ITS CRITICAL I know many of you think ‘Ohh I’m fit i can walk the 15 miles to my mother in laws house with my gear no problem’  Well until you do it, you don’t know, so stop reading, get your butt out of that chair and go on a walk, it could save your life.

To Summarize

• Plan on your Bug Out Vehicle not working
• Set up a first stage But Out Location with in one walking day of your home
• Tailor your footwear to support the urban environment that your first stage Bug Out commands
• Get off your butt and test the routes, loaded, unloaded, night and day until you KNOW that you are capable of making it to your Bug Out Location under varied circumstances

When you live in the country, and have the luxury of building a branch dividian inspired compound, money providing, you can really go to town securing your property. Generators, underground shelters, huge water and food supplies are all a luxury that most of us don’t have. Even if you did have the space, do you have any idea what some of this stuff costs?

If you are like me and you live in a tiny place in the city we really don’t have the kind of options that our country and even suburban friends have.

Here are the challenges I face:  half my place is glass…yes half of it. There is one entrance, I’m up a few stories, and my car is always stored underground.

As a Southern Californian I don’t have to worry about much. Its not cold, it doesn’t rain much, it doesn’t get that hot, there are no hurricanes or tornadoes, and I haven’t seen a zombie in literally years. Before you pack up your bug out bag and come visit I should probably mention I live about 100 yards from the San Andreas Fault Line, and I only live about 3 feet about sea level and about three blocks from the water.

Not so great after all, at least not from a safety and security perspective. If a quake hit, I would potentially have to deal with a car crushed in an under ground garage filled with water, that is, if my apartment was still standing. Not only would I have trouble getting to higher ground, where I might find medical attention or I dunno, my family, I would also have a difficult time keeping whats left of my home safe from looters (because there is one thing we ALL know: Any time anything happens that isn’t normal, the whole city will be filled with looters and gangs and possibly zombies).  And don’t get me started on snipers!

With these odds against the fancy condo owner, how do you go about protecting your property?? The answer is simple

YOU DONT. YOU GET THE HELL OUT AND DON’T COME BACK TILL ITS 100% SAFE.

Half of Bugging Out is knowing when its no longer safe to stay in your home, the other half is having the tools to leave.

I will go over the contents of my BOB in a post very soon, but again, the first step is really understanding you will need to leave your home and possessions behind, for potentially a long time (think hurricane Katrina victims who are still living in FEMA camps).

Your homework for the day is to do an objective walk through of your house/apartment/condo and ask your self these questions:

• Can you safely secure this property?
• Do I have multiple escape/evacuation options?
• Do I have enough physical space to store a larger supply cache?
• Does my location make strategic sense? Good visibility, close to resources like water and medical care, etc..
• Do I have a sound community network who I can rely on for assistance?

If you said no to any of these questions you need to come to grips with the reality that in any number of worst care scenarios you will need to BUG OUT!

In order to do this you will need to secure a BOV (bug out vehicle), BOL (bug out location), and BOB (bug out bag).  We will go over these at length very soon, but again, the first step is making that clear conscious decision that you are either staying or leaving, and for most of us urbanite the choice is clear. BUG OUT!