Bug out bags vs plastic containers.

Hi All,

I have been working on my survival plans for my family and have decided that humping it out with 2 small kids and bugout bags really won't get us very far.

How about resorting to plastic containers that could be loaded into the car if we need to leave ASAP?

D

The more supplies you can bring with you, the better. If you want to load up your car, then by all means, do it.

But don't forget to bring backpacks too. Car breaks down, gets wrecked, gets stuck in nightmare traffic, or impeded by some other impassable obstacle. Then you at least have the option of putting on backpacks and walking.

I use duffle bags for a lot of stuff, I find them at garage sales for a buck or so. I also have a travel pack (luggage bag with a belt and shoulder straps that come out of a zip pouch.

Look into getting a wheeled cart that you see people pile luggage on in an airport. I have one that folds up to a very small size (3-inchs round by 14-inches long) it’s called ClicKart and again it was a few bucks at a garage sale. I can get 3-duffle bags on it before it feels like it’s overloaded. Don’t forget to add a few bungee straps to hold stuff to the cart.

I'll do you one better.

Cabela's Super Mag Hauler

Not as small as a luggage cart, but far more rugged. 700 lbs load capacity with the dual wheel kit. No bungees for me. I have a set of 4 cambuckle tie downs to keep my load in place.

That’s great to haul a 180 pound deer to your pick up truck. It by itself would fill up the trunk of the average car. But for a bob item in the trunk of the family car, it’s not so good. An airport luggage carrier is a much better choice.

It'll fit in a minivan if anyone happens to own one of those. Might have to take out the back seat.

Or, here's another idea: get a utility trailer.

Gettin real expensive now, though.

Yah, you've gotta draw the line somewhere between "bugging out" and "moving".

I'd defintely second the rolling luggage option. With some sort of small bag (duffel or backpack) tucked in, in case you had to ditch that. Something small enough for the kids to carry (you and the spouse can go bigger if you feel OK with it), with each carrying a quart of water, their 10 essentials, and a few days of food.

Thanks guys. Ya With the little kids I really doubt we could make it very far with them walking. I guess I would rather, if need be, get 20-30 miles in the car before ditching it if need be. They can't carry much and I couldn't carry the water really for 2 adults and 2 kids + stuff and food...

D

How common is water in your area? I would carry a little, but at least in my area water is not a problem to find. Lake Erie is a few miles away and there are rivers & ponds all over. With a water filter you can make clean water faster then you can drink it. Also boiling is an option with a pot and a wood stove, or a Kelly Kettle or Thermette.

Pretty common. I feel the issue is more of a "getting out of town" than anything with 2 small kids.

If you are getting out by car, which most of us will be, totes are perfect. Inexpensive, easily stacked, reasonable water and vermin resistant, easy moved over short distances.

Of course, I'm used to cars that don't work as well as I would like. I don't trust infernal combustion engines.

That's a good idea I never thought of. Good rolling luggage is very mobile, allows you to carry quite a bit, and has a very large opening (allowing you to find and access items quickly). If you're real crafty you could probably even add shoulder straps to one, allowing another way to carry it.

These bags are quite durable with roller blade wheels and have a basic pack suspension. I drug one down miles of city streets but I don't know how well they would work cross-country. Also note that they are very large for a backpack and might be difficult to carry if fully loaded.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442506335&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302861417&bmUID=1220313490590

I am thinking that some adaptation of a golf trolley might work better over a variety of terrain and still be collapsable.

"...some adaptation of a golf trolley..."

In Worldwalk author Steven Newman used a wheeled golf bag carrier to haul his backpack across Australia. He reported that it worked very well. Large wheels do have an advantage over little ones...

In the trailer department we saw this Sylvan Sport trailer at the grand opening of the new Eastern Mountain Sports in our area.

My wife really liked it, which is justification enough to buy a piece of outdoor gear...

My thought is that I could store the camping supplies (stove, cooking gear, sleeping bags, 2nd tent), plus some other bug out type supplies (paperwork, picture backups, etc.) in heavy duty rubbermaid tubs on the bed of the trailer. The whole trailer would easily fit in the garage (at the expense of getting rid of junk, which we should do anyway...).

In a situation where we had to leave in a hurry it would be a matter of packing consumables into the van and attaching the trailer.

For my particular situation this would be a significant improvement. Fitting everything for a large family into the vehicle in a rapid loading time is nigh impossible, considering using roof-rack carrier and filling the cargo area to the maximum.

For the bulky stuff, plastic totes are good. I have put stuff in plastic totes, but I have also placed some of the smaller items that I might need to get to faster in a soft side ice chest (6-12 pack size).

First aid kit, radio, flash light, poncho, multitool, matches, whistle, hand sanitizer, a little money in change ... are in the cooler. The cooler rides up front.

If you have to go light, the cooler has a shoulder strap.

If not, a small cooler can come in handy for it's intended purpose if you want to buy some milk for the kids.

I like that idea. But most/all of the rubbermaid or similar tubs are not really waterproof. I would worry about moisture getting in if you were zipping down the road in the rain. Better use some plastic bags inside the tubs or something...

Lately, I've taken to the idea of having a trailer like like this:

Wells Cargo Mini Wagon

Pre-packed as an emergency kit. If you have to leave, you just hook it up and leave.

Of course, you still need to have options like backpacks if you can't take it, but it seems like it would be pretty slick.

-john

True. A lot of our supplies are already ziploc/vacuum packed, but would be simple to use a heavy duty trash bag in each container for additional protection.

However, another concern I have is security when on the road. Lockable containers might be a plus; not only secured to the trailer but secured shut (combo locks). Alternative is the WellsCargo mini that JohnN pointed out. The major benefit of the Sylvan is that it has basic shelter as a part of it (The tent stores up into the 'roof' of the trailer).

All this is moot until I can get the budget for putting a hitch on the van and then selecting a trailer.

That Sylvan Sport GO trailer is about the coolest thing I've seen in a long time! I currently drive a Chevy Avalanche so I wouldn't need too much extra space right now. Once I downsize my vehicle though, I'm going to look into getting one of these.