Should a gun be in a properly outfitted bug out bag?

Status
Not open for further replies.
jmstevens2, you're right. The majority of the time there will be some warning about a hurricane coming in, but there are times when there is little or no warning, or when a hurricane is much more powerful than expected.

And I think Katrina entered the gulf as a cat 1 and then in a matter of days rose to a 5 and then fell to a 3 right before making landfall.

It's funny thinking about Katrina again. Reading a blog about a guy's experiences during and after the storm is really what lead me to start making a bug out bag in the first place. Unfortunately I can't seem to remember the name of it at the moment...
 
A hurricane, you'll have several days at minimum to prepare to leave under the assumption that everything you don't take with you will be gone.
Click to expand...

Uhh... no.

I live in coastal GA. Several days before landfall, the weather service doesn't know where the hurricane will make landfall. Next time one comes along look at its projected path, and you will see that 48-72 hrs before landfall, there will be a huge area in the projected path. We don't start packing up every time we are in the projected path of a hurricane 72 hrs before landfall. If you did, there are some summers and falls that all you would ever do is pack and unpack.

They don't issue evacuation orders till it is very certain when and where it will make landfall. I think 24 hrs is about the most you could hope for.
 
I firmly believe under most conditions "Bugging Out" is a bad idea.
Never volunteer to become a refugee, that being said I can understand if you live on the coast why you must prepare. I would like to say that gun in a bag needs to be in a holster not in a bag.
If any "Bugging" goes on it will be me getting back to home.
 
I consider my BOB to be more of a get home safe bag / survival away from home bag.

I carry it in my car, checking it often and change it seasonally as needed, and is more for breaking down on the side of the road or getting stuck in a snow storm than avoiding riots, surviving famine or any other astronomically rare event.

It does not currently have a gun in it, but I have kicked around the idea of grabbing a Hi Point C-9 and a few mags to keep in there.
 
Even if you aren't sure where or when it will make landfall, you should at least know there is in fact a hurricane brewing.

Having a few things put together for an emergency is a good idea no matter how you cut it.
Click to expand...

Hmmm.. is your point that you will have plenty of time to assemble the items you might need? or that you should have them assembled well in advance.
 
The validity of the BOB for hurricanes and tornadoes is real, in my experience of having lived through a number and helped do relief work after even more.

I'd keep room in one for a firearm.
 
I always have a pistol with me, so a gun in the BOB (more of a GHB really) is maybe redundant. That said, "One is none..." and such, I have a SU-16 folded up in a sack next to the BOB and my wife has a M-6 Scout folded up in her's.

Did I buy both those guns specifically for that purpose?

Yes, yes I did.
 
Not planning on BO but have an adequate BO setup. IMO a BOB is not complete w/o an extra firearm. Our kids are way past childhood so we are a bit more liberal with placing firearms and leaving them loaded.
 
Even if the hurricane CHANGING is a surprise, the fact that there was a hurricane was not.

You don't know how much time you will have to prepare for a bad event.
Click to expand...

And sometimes you bug out because your home is now a pile of rubble while the sewers are flowing in the street, mixed with heavy rains or ocean swell.
A lot of people in Joplin who lost everything to a tornado had to go somewhere. The ones with a change of underwear and a familiar handgun tend to do better under that kind of stress.
And, of course, if you get stuck in the super duper dome, you might want to set out on foot and find someplace better.
Bugging out isn't always about you choosing to leave a perfectly intact structure under the circumstances of your choice.
 
What do you guys think of adding a Kel Tec Sub2000 carbine that takes Glock 19 mags to a BOB, if your primary gun is a Glock 19 already? It is 16" folded and only weighs 4 pounds, and uses the same mags?
 
There are many circumstances where "bugging in" is not an option. Another is you run to your "safe area" and after the event look up and there is no town, like some of the tornadoes of the last 2 years.
 
fal762x51 said:
What do you guys think of adding a Kel Tec Sub2000 carbine that takes Glock 19 mags to a BOB, if your primary gun is a Glock 19 already? It is 16" folded and only weighs 4 pounds, and uses the same mags?
Click to expand...
I do that with the .40 S&W versions.
 
Live inland in florida with floor height set at 92 ft about mean sea level. House is very strong and for super powerful tornadoes My gun vault (6x16ft) doubles as a tornado shelter. The only foreseeable thing would be a chemical leak of ammonia and that would be over very quickly. So I am not maintaining a BOB.
Perhaps if you needed to run from someone say like the mob or worse a government entity yet, a BOB would be useful. Being hidden is most important. Cash would be the most important and extra fuel so you do not have to stop anywhere along the way until you reach your destination. For guns you want a compact carbine of some sort with a SBR being best (For me a folding stock AK), combat pistol, loaded mags, extra ammo, first aid and tourniquet, medicine, a scanner, internet device with safeguards (Not knowledgeable about this) and maybe a disguise kit (I know nothing about disguises).
 
barnetmill said:
Live inland in florida with floor height set at 92 ft about mean sea level. House is very strong and for super powerful tornadoes My gun vault (6x16ft) doubles as a tornado shelter. The only foreseeable thing would be a chemical leak of ammonia and that would be over very quickly. So I am not maintaining a BOB.
Perhaps if you needed to run from someone say like the mob or worse a government entity yet, a BOB would be useful. Being hidden is most important. Cash would be the most important and extra fuel so you do not have to stop anywhere along the way until you reach your destination. For guns you want a compact carbine of some sort with a SBR being best (For me a folding stock AK), combat pistol, loaded mags, extra ammo, first aid and tourniquet, medicine, a scanner, internet device with safeguards (Not knowledgeable about this) and maybe a disguise kit (I know nothing about disguises).
Click to expand...
So, you never have wildland fires in Florida? Or the aftermath of a Tsunami?
 
Barnetmill hit on some very important things. Fuel, cash, add food, water and your there.
 
jmsteven2: So, you never have wildland fires in Florida? Or the aftermath of a Tsunami?
Click to expand...
I keep the brush cut back from the house even through there is a bit in the nearby wetlands. My roof is steel and other than the porches the house will not burn. Concrete, bricks, and steel do not burn real well. But that is a point of concern. Tsunami: Our quakes originate either in Alabama or on the border with alabama and they are mild. I am quite bit inland. Although I have thought about huge waves too. My only fear would be an asteroid striking the gulf, but then that might wipe a third of the continent. Are rare, but geologically they do occur perhaps somewhat more frequently than Zombie attacks, but are not really common.
 
Regarding a gun in a bag -

I carry my laptop messenger bag (about 10 pounds worth of stuff) to and from work 5 day/week. It is essentially my "get home bag", as I don't really carry it everywhere I go, but have it close at hand when at work. In it, I have a handgun and spare mag in a drop-leg holster velcroed to the inside of the main compartment. It holds the gun upright, and has a thumb snap that rides over the hammer to keep it secure.

At night, I simply place the bag next to the bed, with the main compartment unzipped, and the holster unsnapped. It's a quick reach into the open bag to grab the gun for home defense situations (there is also a light on the gun).

If I were to "bug-out" or just needed to get to safety on foot in a situation where open-carry would not be an issue or liability, the drop-leg holster would simply come out of the bag and go on my thigh. I could then have some spare room in the bag for other essentials. The bag also contains things like water-purifying tablets, a storm-proof butane lighter, first aid kit, fixed blade knife, multi-tools, paracord, duct tape, etc.

So basically, have your primary defensive handgun in a holster and on your person if the situation allows, but have a dedicated quick-access spot in your BOB if not.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

X
  • Locked
bug out bags
2
Replies
41
Views
2K
TRX
TRX
J
  • Locked
Have you ever used your Bug out Bag
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
Tyrannosaurus
T
M
  • Locked
Bug Out Bag List
Replies
6
Views
1K
Yo Mama
Yo Mama
H
  • Locked
Bug Out Kit For Sale?
Replies
10
Views
907
joab
J
A
  • Locked
Bug Out Bags
2 3
Replies
51
Views
4K
Teufelhunden
T
Back
Top