Panic Boxes, Bugout Bags, etc....

[Dave McCracken]

Got asked off line about my Panic Box, and on the concept of fast,armed evacuation. This is slightly OT, but here goes..

Here at Casa McC is a large ammo box. A good quality sling with QD swivels is clipped to the handles for hands free carry. Inside is ammo for each of the many firearms here, from the little 10-22 to my HBAR. That's a Hill Billy Assault Rifle, a Model 94 Winchester in 30-30.

While the 20 gauge YE I got for the kids is not usually considered a "Serious" tool here, the box includes 20 gauge #3 buck and some slugs. There's also 10 KO Brenekkes and 20 Estate 00 in 12 gauge in there.

One box each of 45ACP and 38 Special +P+, one box of 30-30, and 200 rounds of the 22HP the little Ruger "Likes" complete the load. Total, counting box and sling, less than 20 lbs.

The drill is this....

It's hit the fan and for some reason we have to leave quickly. Each of the 4 of us here grabs at least one shoulder arm, one sidearm, and one of us grabs the Panic Box while another grabs a large brief case full of First Aid supplies. The ammo carrier kept with my HD shotgun is also worn or toted.And kept with that carrier is another sling with QD swivels. All of us have cell phones and there's things like space blankets and flashlights in all our vehicles. SAKs and Leatherman tools fill pockets, purses and belt holsters.

As to why so little 12 gauge ammo in the box, my "Militia" ammo carrier has 50 rounds of slugs and buck, and both "Serious" 870s are kept loaded, one with SideSaddle.Neither wears a sling for HD mode, so this has them available if needed.

And,if we're on the run, we're into Escape and Evasion, not leading a counterattack.25 rounds of 12 gauge ammo weighs just under 5 lbs.

Bugout Bags tend towards the same idea, with more survival stuff. One poor but intelligent guy I know has his duffle bag set up with a 20 gauge H&R in it broken down. The Ruger Mark I that is the other half of his gun collection is nearby, and extra mags and ammo for both are in the bag.

Questions, comments?

 

[FPrice]

Dave...

"Questions, comments?"

It sounds like you have a good, well thought out plan there Dave. Of course, almost any plan is better than no plan at all (there is a saying in the planning community, "A failure to plan is a plan for failure."). But you seem to have some specific goals and that is good.

I am trying to do some serious "bug-out" planning right now. But the biggest problem seems to be where to bug-out to. One portion of the planning process is involved with the logistics of what to take. The other portion is concerned with where to go. Without a destination in mind you become just another vehicle on a very crowded parking lot.

My ultimate goal is to retire to a place where I will be much less likely to have to leave. Perhaps a small, hopefully close-knit community somewhere in the west. Until then I have to contend with being in New England.

 

[Al in Md]

As for the cell phones I offer the following. I did a reverse bug out on 9/11/2001. I was working at Dulles Airport that day and had to drive about 100 mi. to get home. This drive included the Wash. area beltway and at rush hours is a parking lot anyway. Any attempt at a phone use was met with a busy signal. My cell phone was a Nextel with the Walkie-Talkie feature and I was able to talk to my work partner because he was in front of me and we were located in the same cell. Something to consider if your bug out is going to include more than one vehicle hanging together. Al

 

[Dave McCracken]

Thanks for the responses....

Frosty, much more likely is some kind of emergency where Casa McC becomes Castle McC. I won't divulge all the security measures on a public BB, but it's a little more secure than most townhouses.

And, with the neighbors I have,we're much more likely to survive a real emergency.

But life has taught me to have a Plan B, and soemtimes C, D and so on.

Al, the DC Beltway was designed by a Russian mole at the height of the Cold War. The Legion Bridge and 270 spur is guaranteed to be stopped from dawn to well past dark. Staying put may be the best alternative.

And, a Panic box doesn't have to be toted to be a plus. It supplies a ready ammo stash for any time I'm elsewhere and the family needs long arms.They know where to go and get ammo rat then.

We also have CB radios,though I admit they're not used day to day.

 

[Al Thompson]

Hmmm.... I need to think about this one. When Y2K was in the headlines, I had a load out plan for the one relative that I knew would be in trouble if social unrest broke out.

Don't have one as we speak.

I do keep all my interior truck junk in a cheap tool box. The top holds pens, sunglasses, tire gage, etc.,etc. The bottom holds gloves and a box of ammo for every firearm I may carry with the exception of rifle calibers. Rifles get a Uh-Oh basic load when they get cased for movement.

Once I had an incident in a parking lot that ended with a display of a 1911. Only problem was that I was returning from a range trip and had no ammo. The spare ammo in the truck is there for just that sort of problem or to suppliment my carry load if needed.

 

[cpileri]

hi

nice to see a few more stuck in MD like me. One more year and I am reassigned, but in the meantime its nice to know I may run into a friendly face- or name- or screen name anyway.
well, that's all I have to say about that.
C-

 

[Dave McCracken]

Courage, C, it's not forever. Meanwhile, PM me when you have some time and maybe we can meet at PGC one Sunday for a spot of trap, etc.

Al in Md, same thing. Sundays are my only day off these days and not always then.

Back to the topic....

I'm not terribly paranoid, just used to bad things happening. I've kept from assuming ambient temperature a few times by being careful and prepared. It's habit-forming...

Al Thompson, the only prob I have with carrying ammo like that is that ammo tends to degrade when kept in a car with temperature extremes occuring. Changing it often will negate that.

 

[Sven]

Dave,

Please detail your med kit. Anti-radiation meds? Just curious...

Thanks,

-s

 

[blades67]

My "Troubles Box" includes a couple of Motorolla hand-held radios because cell phones are useless out in the middle of the desert.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Sven, the kit's been around since the early 80s, with upgrades and the essential replacement of dated stuff. Similar to an industrial kit, it includes hemostats,forceps and several sized of sutures. A few battlefield dressings top off the usual bandages,antiseptics,Neosporin, antibiotics, painkillers and anti inflammatories.

BTW, disposable diapers make decent dressings for sucking chest wounds and other major trauma.

We've had GI Potassium Iodide since 9-11. Some rides in each car,some in Wife's capacious handbag. More's kept on the shelf where all essential meds are, to be swept into the madical kit as needed.

Little other Bio Chemical stuff here.Maybe that's poor planning, but the stuff that really works runs high. We're not broke, but money's tight.

Blades, I've used those little Walkabouts hunting. They work, within their ranges but eat batteries though.

 

[JeremyIA]

Two things (aside from the rest) that I keep in my med kit are tampons and duct tape. If you are in a hurry and need to plug a gaping hole, shove a tampon in it and secure it in place with duct tape. It's a giant band-aid for the big stuff that needs to be slowed down while moving quickly to another location where serious attention can be paid to the wound.

 

[Mannlicher]

Short of a real catagory 5 Hurricane, I don't see many things that will mean bugging out for me. For one thing, Miami is one hard place to get out of. Traffic is already a night mare, and with an evacuation, I just don't see how the infrastructure could handle the crowd.

My biggest concern is getting home from work, as one already mentioned, a 'reverse bugout' Fortunately my wife and I work in the same building. We live about 20 miles north of home, so getting south in an emergency would put us at risk. All the ways home are through Overtown or Liberty City. I am still working on how we would accomplish this.

The family car is equipped with a fairly well thought out kit. The kit is configured so if we have to hoof it, the important parts are portable. One Mossberg 500C in 20ga, currently for a rifle, an Armalite Shorty, my Model 65, and the wife's Model 60 are included.

 

[Dave McCracken]

First I heard of Tampons, Jeremy. Thanks.

Mann, we're located between DC and B-more. Our traffic probs are of epic size everyday. Still I could make it back if needed.

I hope this thread has caused some thought and that some of us are getting better prepared.

Failure to plan is planning to fail...

 

[curt]

A couple of thoughts. I didn't see anything about food or water. Also you may want to make sure tht you have something a little more carrying friendly than a box in case you have to leave the car. Also a set of relevant weather clothing in case your caught in your sunday clothes and its 30 degrees.

I dont know what it was like where you were at Dave but on september 11th i was in the tysons area and my cell phone rapidly became useless. I wouldn't count on any comms that require infrastructure cause its either going to get overloaded or shut down. The nextel walkie talkie feature was interesting. Another thing to consider is that some folks are trying to set up a relay network in the DC area using FRS radios, they are doing a test this sunday. Go to www.dcradio.org for more info. When i get reemployed i'm going to look into getting a handheld ham radio (2 actually).

Spare gas stored in good container would be good. As is stuff like shovels and rope suitable for getting pulled out.

The other thing is that if i have to evacuate i'm gonna figure i can't come back. So i'm taking important personal papers and photoalbums.

 

[curt]

P.S.- don't forget the zombie loads!

 

[Dave McCracken]

Curt, there's about 30 gallons of potable water here in 4 gallon containers, and some food set up for a fast haul out. More food is around, we're much more liekly to bug in.

Vehicles have entrenching tools, flares, etc. A large lawn and leaf bag holds not only my hunting togs, but stuff that fits the family, mostly in Woodland camo.There's extra gloves and warm hats also.

I work my day job in BDUs, and am armed.

 

[curt]

Dave,
I hear you about the bugging in part. I have small children and it would have to be a very bad day before i subjected us to the uncertainties of a mass evacuation in washington area traffic, we'd be much safer here except for extreme circumstances.

A few more things i thought of prescription medicines, a shelter of some type, tobacco and cafeine(if you use..heck even if you don't) since it would probably be a bad time to quit, and your preferred spirits because at some point by god you'll need a drink.

BTW i don't know if your family are big mil drinkers but parmalait (sp?) milk is stored nonrefrigerated and tastes pretty good. It was big in europe back in the day when i was making med cruises.

 

[Steve Smith]

You need some water purification tabs.

 

[harrydog]

A Katadyn Pocket filter would be a great choice.

 

[Onslaught]

I definitely have some work to do on my "preparedness supplies", but as many of you have said, it would have to be grim indeed before I bugged out. Wifey and I are putting our house on the market this month, and one of the requirements for the next house is "as far from town as we can tolerate having to drive twice a day to and from work". Of course, that also makes "reverse bugouts" more difficult.

I am quickly assembling "make do" kits for each vehicle, and your suggestions are very helpful. There won't be any tents, snowsuits, and MRE's, but a couple of nutrition bars and a field coat are on the list.

Most of my planning is going into boarding up and staying "anti-social" for a while. Not like we have any place to "bug out" to anyway...

 

[Dave McCracken]

Curt, bugging out means leaving a lot of stuff behind, including a decent set of neighbors who would be good partners in getting through trouble.

A few doors away is a hospital administrator who married a nurse with ER experience. He was an Infantry Lt during the Nam Mess. The Hull Elf lives nearby, and the lady next door works for the Gummint and shoots in a pistol league.

No tobacco fiends here, and very light drinkers. We like to remember the fun we have(G)...

There's some Everclear 190 proof I use to dilute my old flytying cement and to degrease small parts. It would serve as a bracer and antiseptic at need. There's also a bottle of Chivas here, kitchen whiskey.

Water purification would be handled here by the Brita pitcher and a few drops of bleach. Boiling's an option too.

Onslaught, all vehicles should have a good flashlight, first aid kit, means of making a fire, hatchet or large knife and shovel. A folding saw's a nice idea also.

 

[ahadams]

Al in MD - when I was living inside the beltway (mostly in Alexandria of Tenn. Ave which is NOT the well to do part of town) my bugout was side streets to at least Falls Church and then 66 west, or if that wasn't possible, more side streets over to the far side of Fairfax and try to pick up route 50 there. I have NEVER seen a good route to MD in a crunch situation, so you might want to consider an interim location / rally point outside the immediate metro area to the west. just a thought...

 

[labgrade]

Any "Kotex" is already "sanitary" & a great massive trauma/bleeder dressing. Duct tape is always a plus.

"Instant fire" from a car is a $1 railroad flare. No sense being "shy" at that time.

The mylar "emergency blankets" make a great "sucking wound" seal if cut to size. They work pretty well as designed-for as well. Cheap, compact - multi-use.

Those 2-litre "coke bottles" are literally indestructable. Completely filled & don't break when even frozen. Same-same for the 1-litres. I prefer Sweps just because they have a wider mouth for refilling.

Bugging in is always better than bugging out.