Everyone is embarrassed to say it, but tampons are an excellent addition to a survival kit. I have a whole box in mine. Not just for women who might need them, but they're understandably excellent at plugging puncture wounds.
For fire-starters, I have cotton balls soaked in vaseline I keep in a little baggie. They haven't gone dry in years. Throw a couple in your fire pit and light them up.
If you get MREs, the penne pasta and vegetable manicotti ones are good. Avoid anything with whatever they pretend is cheese. Peanut butter also carries an enormous number of calories in a pretty compact package.
Also, no paracord in your list? I have literally traded lengths of paracord for a knife before. That stuff is fucking gold. :)
Well said. Menstrual cups are so much cleaner anyway and you don't have to change it as often as a tampon. Nor does it cause toxic shock. I kicked the tampons years ago. Saves a ton of money and space.
Some old fashioned white birch bark is amazing. You can put it in water and hit it with a flame and it will burn due to the oils in it.
Also pine pitch. It's Amazing burns like model glue ( old world model glue ) when you see a pine with a natural break or old cut and it's thick and white. Use a blade scrape it onto a piece of birch bark. Shits amazing
Nature provides so much for us
Enough to start wet wood. Depends how much you use. The bark you can scrape and make like a dust to hit with a flint rod
Pitch needs a flame to start .. search bushcraft " fatwood "
Lighter and matches should be in a kit ( just remembered that )
Add tea-tree oil, clove oil and lavender oil. Also pack a decent jar of coconut oil, to dilute the essentials. It is better not to use straight essential oil. Lavender is safe for your liver if taken internally (even for small children) if you have a tooth-ache, or as an emergency tooth cleaner (a few drops on toothbrush.). I have cured kidney infections with lavender oil before, by swallowing some and rubbing it on the outside.
Clove oil kills pain, but it will also kill nerve-endings in the long run. A sort of do-it-yourself root-canal, in emergencies. Don't put clove-oil on open wounds, it burns. Rather use lavender.
Tea-tree is excellent for bites, warts, small cuts etc.
Coconut oil is very soothing for sun-burn, cleaning dirty scalp, face treatment, and toothbrushing etc. Trust me, when you are living rough, it is a true blessing. Some people like cooking with it, but I detest the flavour.
I have nearly none of this and I love the list so thank you very much for sharing. I am just wondering....where is everyone planning to go (and is wandering through the wildness really safer than just fortifying your home)???? Maybe I'm just a big homebody but if shtf I was planning to just hunker in with my nuts and seeds and almond butter and compost pile and candles and books. Meditate more. Fast more. Consume less. I have some concerns about long term water (I have short term supplies stocked) but otherwise why not just stay home or group together with friends or families in a home/safe place situation instead of wandering in the wilderness? I am probably very naive so not trying to criticize anyone for these great suggestions, just maybe having trouble imagining a world where we are all sneaking around and hiding from each other.
So a bug out bag is kind of a double edge sword. It is generally safer to stay put at home. If you think about it, what are the chances something happens in your neighborhood? Most likely slim to none. The bag is more of a oh shit, we have to retreat last ditch effort. Lets be real, you are not running at the first sign of trouble. Or even the fourth sign. You are going at the point you know you have to go. Like the wild fires are a block away type thing.
No one smart will tell you where they are going. That is their family secret. In regards ro wandering the forest, no it is more dangerous in the forest then your home.
Fortifying your home and getting family friends, and neighbors to form a small group is ideal. Each one looks after the other. Your home is ideal because it has all your stuff in it.
I generally say the stuff in your bug out bag should be in your home in a bag. That way you know where it is, its all in one place, and if you need to run, you grab the bag and run. No looking for shit, no checklists, no nothing. I have a bag. But my bag has 10% of the stuff. The rest is in a bin in my house. I use my bag daily so i dont need to carry fire starting or compass or a rifle in it.
If you start collecting the stuff on this list, it is more important to be able to use it then to actually have it if that makes any sense. If you are not trained in trauma, get trained. If you cant shoot for shit learn. If you think looking at a compass is all you need to tell where north is, you are wrong.
I’m in San Diego , was thinking the same thing! Wish I was living in Tenn or somewhere safer , but where to go? If I am in the woods hope I run into one of these guys lol
I am thinking just the opposite that I hope I don't run into anyone like this! From a preparedness and skills standpoint it is awesome to have someone like this on your team if you plan for that in advance and they know and trust you but in shtf situation I imagine people's mindset defaults to suspicion and fear and mistrust so I would rather not encounter anyone who is likely to quickly form a judgment that I am a potential threat to them or a liability....I can think of worse things than having them view me as a threat or liability too but I don't want to let myself go there now. I'm still in shock and even denial, I think, at what is unfolding in our beloved country. But that is not an excuse for inaction so I will direct more energy to learning and preparing in some way every day. Thanks again for the list and ideas, original poster.
Ahh... I see you wrote water filtration tube, and I was thinking it was just the tube. What kind do you use? I have a cheap one that I pump straight from the stream.
I practiced for the Appalachian Trail with weight on my back, but on the trail, what did me, and others like me, in, after 7-10 days, was being on uneven terrain after having practiced on flat land. Our knees were done in. For a month I crossed streets and went down stairs like I was a hundred years old. Plenty of energy, though. People who rode bikes, their knees were ok.
Yea , decents are rough on the knees ..
I haven't hiked the AT. Been on sections of it and the LT... I live on the NH / MA border , mid state. We have lots of small trails. We use for training.. I used to put plate steel in my older pack. Now I keep my tent sleep pad quilt acook kit etc in it even on 2 Mile hikes. It an average of 16-20 lbs depending if I carry water or filter, depending on water sources and availability
I know their name is tarnished now. But the oath keepers had a video ..hmmm 5-6 years back. On how to make a drone proof ( invisible to thermal infferd etc ) guillie suit ...made with emergency blankets ?? It's a great idea I'm sure it's still available. And it's simple. 2 layers of emergency blankets ( not the 99c ones get decent ones )and a thin layer of insulation basically reflects all heat back to you on the inside and reflects signatures away from you on the out side while covered in the traditional Guillie suit. Camo up cowboys !!
Fantastic post ! Honest Q where are you bugging off to ? Fortified home is ideal also. If everyone heads to the mountains in my geography many will be unwelcome is all I'm saying.. Keeping your list thank you Patriot !
I love my hook billed machete. Versatile tool in the woods and swamps. Can be used to butcher game, build shelters, firewood, hacking your way through a swamp or through a skull. Id also add a ceramic sharpener.
I can’t take credit, but my coworker is a vet and big time camper and he suggested keeping a baggie full of lint from the dryer as a fire starter. I’d never heard of this but he said it’s highly flammable and works great! 🤷🏼♀️
I know nothing about starting fires like this or really starting fires at all so I’m curious how the melted wax over the dryer lint was helpful as a fire starter. 🤔 I wish my great grandparents were still living, I know they would have all kinds of useful tips for us.
Interesting, I never would have thought of that either. 🤔 Now, if I could just win the lottery, I’d put even the best of preppers to shame. I’d go full on bomb bunker w/ enough room and food and ammo for all my GAW frens. 😜🥰
I'm not a camel pack fan , I have several. I've found 1.5 liter bottles by smart water are awesome. I have 2 that are well over a year old. Easy to fill and a couple Sawyer 1 liter bags.
Also I add headlamps and water purification tablets. Boiling water or snow melt is good. But time consuming and I like a emergency bivy. Little more weight but it has a few more purposes .
I love seeing this shit on here. Sadly we may need it and I pray we don't
My neighbor cut most of his hand off in a chainsaw accident and his wife poured honey (almost whole jar) on it. Prevented infection and allowed most (about 75%) return of function to hand after surgery. Doctor said it probably saved him from amputation. (note: raw, unfiltered local honey not store brand garbage from south america).
I got my pack ready to go. Lots of good suggestions here. Thank-you. I just got my boots I ordered yesterday. Wearing them now to make sure they get broken in good and got some waterproof wax to take care of them with. Also got some merino socks. The boots were expensive as hell but, they are nice. I went with Kenetrek Mountain Extremes. They have 400 grams of thinsulation and waterproof. I figure if I'm going to be walking I better have some damn good pair of boots to do it in. I haven't figured out what gloves to get yet. Any suggestions?
Thank you for all that. I'll consider what you said. I like a second layer of skin on my hands to protect me. If I'm in cold snowy weather I'll need winter gloves. In fair weather climbing around on rocks I need them to keep me from cuts and may be snake bites. Also, if I'm having to chop, saw or dig to keep me from blisters. I do like the hard knuckle gloves idea.
'YUNNAN PAIYAO' is a great blood stopper, u can put it on a wound and consume it, if is a Chinese formula, it has been credited to saving many lives. Had a dog bleeding in the nose due to cancer nothing the vet had stopped it, by the 2nd dose it was stopped, and yes it was made for humans.
You don't think a 92lb pack is far too much for a SHTF scenario? I, and only based off the veteran so I'll give you more than I'm sure it's worth when we were in but you don't go 3 miles with a 92lb pack. Most of your shit isn't necessary. Binos? Rifle scope. If you really want to be ready have a bug out place, most land in rural southwest is 10k for 20 acres or more. Get a map and look for roads marked like this - - - - - that means dirt road, and find ways to your place that won't be blocked. Your bug out bag should be 35 or less, you're bugging the fuck out. You'll need to be agile, and I bet lose that armor in the first 10 miles. In a vehicle kit go nuts. But keep that bug out light so you can be light
No I didn't misunderstand, 92lbs is too heavy and i guarantee you'll shed it in the first 10 miles. Yea major roads hence why I pointed out a paper map and dirt roads. What you're just gonna hike over mountains with a 92lb pack? One way or another you'll use roads
So roughly how heavy is the pack? Also, how big is the pack? I assume we're talking about a backpack as that would seem the best way to haul the load over long distances. Seems like it would have to be a pretty large backpack to fit all this stuff.
Also, I don't understand this:
Don’t forget to include an IFAK in your fishing tackle that is separate from the medical in your daypack. Don’t mix those two up.
Everyone is embarrassed to say it, but tampons are an excellent addition to a survival kit. I have a whole box in mine. Not just for women who might need them, but they're understandably excellent at plugging puncture wounds.
For fire-starters, I have cotton balls soaked in vaseline I keep in a little baggie. They haven't gone dry in years. Throw a couple in your fire pit and light them up.
If you get MREs, the penne pasta and vegetable manicotti ones are good. Avoid anything with whatever they pretend is cheese. Peanut butter also carries an enormous number of calories in a pretty compact package.
Also, no paracord in your list? I have literally traded lengths of paracord for a knife before. That stuff is fucking gold. :)
I like em and the crackers
I am blanking on remembering if it was called a ranger cracker or ranger bread, but whatever dry flavorless wafer thing was usually the best part.
Especially since those were the ones that came with jelly packets, and you can usually trade those. People love sugar.
Ranger bread lol I have some at home
Is that like those really thin "pilot bread" cracker like deals?
Lol yes.
Well said. Menstrual cups are so much cleaner anyway and you don't have to change it as often as a tampon. Nor does it cause toxic shock. I kicked the tampons years ago. Saves a ton of money and space.
Some old fashioned white birch bark is amazing. You can put it in water and hit it with a flame and it will burn due to the oils in it. Also pine pitch. It's Amazing burns like model glue ( old world model glue ) when you see a pine with a natural break or old cut and it's thick and white. Use a blade scrape it onto a piece of birch bark. Shits amazing Nature provides so much for us
How long will it burn for
Enough to start wet wood. Depends how much you use. The bark you can scrape and make like a dust to hit with a flint rod Pitch needs a flame to start .. search bushcraft " fatwood "
Lighter and matches should be in a kit ( just remembered that )
Thermal Reflective Tarp is an absolute must have. You cannot camouflage your body temp without one.
This !!!
Is there a way to add bullets on here? I’m sure there’s probably a clever way to do it via directly writing the code.
Or just use asterisks.
Theres all sorts of formatting
Techniques that youcan use
headers are made with a '# <text>'
code formatting is done with back ticks
three backticks makes a code block
Hey, that's swell. Thank you.
Add tea-tree oil, clove oil and lavender oil. Also pack a decent jar of coconut oil, to dilute the essentials. It is better not to use straight essential oil. Lavender is safe for your liver if taken internally (even for small children) if you have a tooth-ache, or as an emergency tooth cleaner (a few drops on toothbrush.). I have cured kidney infections with lavender oil before, by swallowing some and rubbing it on the outside. Clove oil kills pain, but it will also kill nerve-endings in the long run. A sort of do-it-yourself root-canal, in emergencies. Don't put clove-oil on open wounds, it burns. Rather use lavender. Tea-tree is excellent for bites, warts, small cuts etc. Coconut oil is very soothing for sun-burn, cleaning dirty scalp, face treatment, and toothbrushing etc. Trust me, when you are living rough, it is a true blessing. Some people like cooking with it, but I detest the flavour.
rosemary or chamomile, but they are much more expensive. Both of those are safe to use on infants (diluted of course).
All i am missing is 22lr and a safety mirror. Yay im prepped almost.
I have nearly none of this and I love the list so thank you very much for sharing. I am just wondering....where is everyone planning to go (and is wandering through the wildness really safer than just fortifying your home)???? Maybe I'm just a big homebody but if shtf I was planning to just hunker in with my nuts and seeds and almond butter and compost pile and candles and books. Meditate more. Fast more. Consume less. I have some concerns about long term water (I have short term supplies stocked) but otherwise why not just stay home or group together with friends or families in a home/safe place situation instead of wandering in the wilderness? I am probably very naive so not trying to criticize anyone for these great suggestions, just maybe having trouble imagining a world where we are all sneaking around and hiding from each other.
So a bug out bag is kind of a double edge sword. It is generally safer to stay put at home. If you think about it, what are the chances something happens in your neighborhood? Most likely slim to none. The bag is more of a oh shit, we have to retreat last ditch effort. Lets be real, you are not running at the first sign of trouble. Or even the fourth sign. You are going at the point you know you have to go. Like the wild fires are a block away type thing.
No one smart will tell you where they are going. That is their family secret. In regards ro wandering the forest, no it is more dangerous in the forest then your home.
Fortifying your home and getting family friends, and neighbors to form a small group is ideal. Each one looks after the other. Your home is ideal because it has all your stuff in it.
I generally say the stuff in your bug out bag should be in your home in a bag. That way you know where it is, its all in one place, and if you need to run, you grab the bag and run. No looking for shit, no checklists, no nothing. I have a bag. But my bag has 10% of the stuff. The rest is in a bin in my house. I use my bag daily so i dont need to carry fire starting or compass or a rifle in it.
If you start collecting the stuff on this list, it is more important to be able to use it then to actually have it if that makes any sense. If you are not trained in trauma, get trained. If you cant shoot for shit learn. If you think looking at a compass is all you need to tell where north is, you are wrong.
Thanks for taking time to address this question and for the great ideas about the bin and the bag and becoming more skilled. I appreciate it.
No problem. My pleasure
I’m in San Diego , was thinking the same thing! Wish I was living in Tenn or somewhere safer , but where to go? If I am in the woods hope I run into one of these guys lol
I am thinking just the opposite that I hope I don't run into anyone like this! From a preparedness and skills standpoint it is awesome to have someone like this on your team if you plan for that in advance and they know and trust you but in shtf situation I imagine people's mindset defaults to suspicion and fear and mistrust so I would rather not encounter anyone who is likely to quickly form a judgment that I am a potential threat to them or a liability....I can think of worse things than having them view me as a threat or liability too but I don't want to let myself go there now. I'm still in shock and even denial, I think, at what is unfolding in our beloved country. But that is not an excuse for inaction so I will direct more energy to learning and preparing in some way every day. Thanks again for the list and ideas, original poster.
Nice list. I would add basic water filter and uv water sterilization pen.
Ahh... I see you wrote water filtration tube, and I was thinking it was just the tube. What kind do you use? I have a cheap one that I pump straight from the stream.
A womans load out is about 25 pounds if she is to have any energy left to walk. I wont even imagine running.
Will do.
Practice practice practice. Go rucking !!!
Ok.
u/Stephanie1
I practiced for the Appalachian Trail with weight on my back, but on the trail, what did me, and others like me, in, after 7-10 days, was being on uneven terrain after having practiced on flat land. Our knees were done in. For a month I crossed streets and went down stairs like I was a hundred years old. Plenty of energy, though. People who rode bikes, their knees were ok.
Yea , decents are rough on the knees .. I haven't hiked the AT. Been on sections of it and the LT... I live on the NH / MA border , mid state. We have lots of small trails. We use for training.. I used to put plate steel in my older pack. Now I keep my tent sleep pad quilt acook kit etc in it even on 2 Mile hikes. It an average of 16-20 lbs depending if I carry water or filter, depending on water sources and availability
I know their name is tarnished now. But the oath keepers had a video ..hmmm 5-6 years back. On how to make a drone proof ( invisible to thermal infferd etc ) guillie suit ...made with emergency blankets ?? It's a great idea I'm sure it's still available. And it's simple. 2 layers of emergency blankets ( not the 99c ones get decent ones )and a thin layer of insulation basically reflects all heat back to you on the inside and reflects signatures away from you on the out side while covered in the traditional Guillie suit. Camo up cowboys !!
Thank you frens. This talk makes me smile. I friggin love it ..
This should be stickied!!! well done indeed
Thanks fren, good info!
Fantastic post ! Honest Q where are you bugging off to ? Fortified home is ideal also. If everyone heads to the mountains in my geography many will be unwelcome is all I'm saying.. Keeping your list thank you Patriot !
I love that in the middle of all this serous shit, you used the term woobie 🐸👌❤
Nice
Great info, thank you. My question is, where is a good place to go if one must bug out?
Somewhere rural and atleast 8 miles away from an interstate. Preferably also atleast 8 miles from a major US route as well.
Interesting take, thank you. I'd love to be a million miles away from those thing, lol.
Hmm. Good points. Thanks.
I love my hook billed machete. Versatile tool in the woods and swamps. Can be used to butcher game, build shelters, firewood, hacking your way through a swamp or through a skull. Id also add a ceramic sharpener.
We have the best preppers folks
Magnifying glass and curved plastic bottles are useful to channel solar energy for many uses.
Aluminum foil and wax paper are easy to keep around.
A box of rubber bands as they ae versatile to make sling shots or even to keep things together.
A face mesh to protect your face from bugs.
A wide rimmed hat to protect most of your body if standing in direct sunlight for prolonged periods.
Having a whistle to communicate long distances if separated is a great tool. Bullhorn is even better.
Thanks so much for this. My wife and I have been slowly acquiring over the last 18 months, and this fills in so many holes we overlooked.
I can’t take credit, but my coworker is a vet and big time camper and he suggested keeping a baggie full of lint from the dryer as a fire starter. I’d never heard of this but he said it’s highly flammable and works great! 🤷🏼♀️
I know nothing about starting fires like this or really starting fires at all so I’m curious how the melted wax over the dryer lint was helpful as a fire starter. 🤔 I wish my great grandparents were still living, I know they would have all kinds of useful tips for us.
Ahhhh, makes sense. Storing these tips away for a rainy day! 😉
Interesting, I never would have thought of that either. 🤔 Now, if I could just win the lottery, I’d put even the best of preppers to shame. I’d go full on bomb bunker w/ enough room and food and ammo for all my GAW frens. 😜🥰
I'm not a camel pack fan , I have several. I've found 1.5 liter bottles by smart water are awesome. I have 2 that are well over a year old. Easy to fill and a couple Sawyer 1 liter bags.
Also I add headlamps and water purification tablets. Boiling water or snow melt is good. But time consuming and I like a emergency bivy. Little more weight but it has a few more purposes .
I love seeing this shit on here. Sadly we may need it and I pray we don't
I live in the north east. And filters freeze so they work well for winter adventures ...
My neighbor cut most of his hand off in a chainsaw accident and his wife poured honey (almost whole jar) on it. Prevented infection and allowed most (about 75%) return of function to hand after surgery. Doctor said it probably saved him from amputation. (note: raw, unfiltered local honey not store brand garbage from south america).
Thank you. I’m adding to what I have now.
Non lubricated condoms.
Lots of stuff. Elastic band, make any container clean and waterproof, protect wounds...
Thanks
I got my pack ready to go. Lots of good suggestions here. Thank-you. I just got my boots I ordered yesterday. Wearing them now to make sure they get broken in good and got some waterproof wax to take care of them with. Also got some merino socks. The boots were expensive as hell but, they are nice. I went with Kenetrek Mountain Extremes. They have 400 grams of thinsulation and waterproof. I figure if I'm going to be walking I better have some damn good pair of boots to do it in. I haven't figured out what gloves to get yet. Any suggestions?
Thank you for all that. I'll consider what you said. I like a second layer of skin on my hands to protect me. If I'm in cold snowy weather I'll need winter gloves. In fair weather climbing around on rocks I need them to keep me from cuts and may be snake bites. Also, if I'm having to chop, saw or dig to keep me from blisters. I do like the hard knuckle gloves idea.
Note: add a schrade https://www.schrade.com/tools/shovel-saw-combo/1124292.html to the list. A snake, bee and insect bit kit. And if allergic to bees medication.
'YUNNAN PAIYAO' is a great blood stopper, u can put it on a wound and consume it, if is a Chinese formula, it has been credited to saving many lives. Had a dog bleeding in the nose due to cancer nothing the vet had stopped it, by the 2nd dose it was stopped, and yes it was made for humans.
Wow, one bug out bag will be huge! Are you carrying that around or spreading it out and hiding the "bags'?
All that and you didn't list your pack weight including armor. Sound like a larper considering Potassium permanganate is a controlled chemical
lol he called you a larper...ahaha
good list btw dude.... got a few things to add to my kit now. Your med loadout makes me think you went to CLS
edit adding my own personal item for you crazies out there... https://gosun.co/products/sport
You don't think a 92lb pack is far too much for a SHTF scenario? I, and only based off the veteran so I'll give you more than I'm sure it's worth when we were in but you don't go 3 miles with a 92lb pack. Most of your shit isn't necessary. Binos? Rifle scope. If you really want to be ready have a bug out place, most land in rural southwest is 10k for 20 acres or more. Get a map and look for roads marked like this - - - - - that means dirt road, and find ways to your place that won't be blocked. Your bug out bag should be 35 or less, you're bugging the fuck out. You'll need to be agile, and I bet lose that armor in the first 10 miles. In a vehicle kit go nuts. But keep that bug out light so you can be light
No I didn't misunderstand, 92lbs is too heavy and i guarantee you'll shed it in the first 10 miles. Yea major roads hence why I pointed out a paper map and dirt roads. What you're just gonna hike over mountains with a 92lb pack? One way or another you'll use roads
Thanks for the info.
So roughly how heavy is the pack? Also, how big is the pack? I assume we're talking about a backpack as that would seem the best way to haul the load over long distances. Seems like it would have to be a pretty large backpack to fit all this stuff.
Also, I don't understand this:
Fuck Roads ...... Train Tracks is the way
"Where we're going we don't need roads"😎
Meh I got 4x4, have fun packing it hundreds of miles along the train tracks. Gallon of water is over 8 lbs how long you walking?