List of tool capabilities for urban bug out/ bug i

Here is my first list of tool capabilities for a urban bug out and bug in bag. Please comment.Some are names of tools. What do you recommend adding or deleting?
Knife
Blade Sharpener
Wood Cutting saw or ax
Metal Cutting saw
Tin Snips
Pliers
Bolt Cutting
Digging
Prying
Wire Cutting
Phillips Screw Drivers
Flat head screwdrivers
Can opener
Toothpick
Tweezers
Nail Clippers
Current Sniffer
Dental Pick
Restraints
Weapon Repair/ Maintenance
Tubing

It is all good, just keep in mind that you might have to carry it at some point, so you want to keep it as light as you can.

What to add? A bit of wire. The stainless snare wire is pretty good stuff, but the brass can be handy too.
It is light and easy to carry and has many more uses than just making snares.

You have some items that I don't understand, like restraints and a current sniffer.

The current sniffer sniffs for alternating current so you dont electrocute yourself on wires. The restraints are like plastic cuffs or hand cuffs for restraining people to keep them from harming themselves or yourself. Most of that stuff can be had with a leatherman. Bolt cutters are heavy but worth the weight when bugging in.

Thanks for the advise. I forgot to add wire, which I carry daily.

Off the top of my head, here are a few specific tools/gear that always come in handy for me. Might give you a few BOB ideas.

-Locking pliers (i.e. Vice-grips)
-Groove joint pliers (i.e. Channellocks)
-Adjustable wrenches
-Allen Wrenches
-Folding Ratchets along with:
--Self-sizing sockets (i.e. Gator Grip)
--Ratchet Extensions

Some other odds and ends:

-Hose clamps
-Electrical tape
-Duct tape
-Zip ties
-Super glue
-Epoxy putty
-Scraper blades
-Break-Free CLP Aerosol
-Construction pencils

Safety gear:

-Leather gloves
-Dust Masks
-Safety goggles (Goggles, not glasses. Glasses do nothing for dust.)
-Hard hat
-Bright colored flagging tape


On a side note, a lot of the items you listed could be taken care of with a single multi-tool or swiss army knife. (can opener, toothpick, tweezers, nail clippers, ect.)

I would add:

- a hammer to that list or some sort of impact device.
- some 1 inch webbing, rope, or even paracord, you never know when it could come in handy.
- Also consider some cheap clear swimming goggles. They are small and light weight and can keep dust out of your eyes.
- some ear plugs.

FWIW, survivalperson, I find it easier to make equipment lists by asking "what tasks will I possibly need to do?"

It's easier to see overlapping tools/capabilities from that angle.

My $0.02.

Nails to go with your hammer.

Since you're bugging in:
Pry bar
Fire Extinguisher
Gas wrench

I have to ask, why Tin Snips?

Wire strippers. You can make due with a regular knife, or a light touch with regular wire cutters, or even your teeth (make sure the wire isn’t live… hurts), but having to strip multiple wires will become annoying tedious doing it the hard way.

Dweste asked a similar question about tool kit for his boat.
You have to look at what tools you are likely to use in both his case and yours.
With a land kit you need to look at multiple use more while on a boat you can inventory every piece of machinery and each material and have the tools specific to it.
Also on land you have better opportunities to get a specific tool if you need it.
You will have access to garages, machinery shops and hardware stores, even if they are pretty much rubble.
So for working wire a good pair of end nippers or lineman's (electrician's) pliers.
Something to smash and bash with? A 16oz carpenter's hammer.

But again this all depends on what it weighs and what kind of an area you will be in. It also depends on what other equipment you have.
For example, if you wear eyeglasses you need at least one spare pair plus a repair kit. Luckily the kit for glasses is very small and light.
On the other hand a sledge hammer or fireman's axe would be nice for going through doors, but it weighs about 10lbs, is not likely to get used, is an awkward size to carry and there will likely be other ways of doing the same thing.
______
An aside, you do have safety glasses don't you? If not get some. If you need prescription get a pair of safety glasses in prescription and add a set of goggles that fit over them into your kit too. You don't want to get blinded when you are in a crisis.
Throw in a pair of work gloves too, no sense dying from an infected scratch.)
_______
There was a thread here about a household toolkit that might help.
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=12656&Number=161975#Post161946

If you enter "tools" in the forum's search box you might get a few other useful threads too.

Good tin snips are like scissors on steroids. They can cut paper, cloth, string and so on.....but they can also cut heavier duty items like sheetmetal, wire, some plastics, ect.

Thanks, Paul.

But I guess that was my point. Paper, cloth, string can all be cut with the knife. And metal and wire with the hacksaw and wire cutters respectively.

There are lots of tools I would like to have, but I was just thinking for a limited space/weight BOB are tin snips a luxury.

It depends how much room you've got I guess.

The main reason I like to keep them around as they do quick and clean work with sheet metal. That might not seem like it's worth much, but it's difficult to do with a knife or hacksaw, and sheet metal is a fairly common building material. You can find it just about anywhere (think of how much sheet metal you could get off the average car). From there, you can make a lot of various things (cooking implements, stoves, blades, arrow heads, scrapers, lock picks/slim jims, window coverings, roofing material, ect). I've even used it for impromptu auto body work when 4-wheeling.

Besides that, it is still a strong multi-purpose cutting implement...meaning it isn't just specialized to sheet metal. That gives it value in my book as something I would want to have around.

Do I keep one in my bug-out bag? No. Then again, I don't keep much in there as far as hand tools go anyway. But, do I have them throughout my home and vehicles, in all my tool kits? You betcha.

Also, if you happen to have anything in your bug out bag that is packaged in one of those blister packs, you are pretty much going to need the tin snips to get that darn package open… at least without tearing your hands up.

Man, I hate those things.

I personally wouldn't bug in or out without an electrical multimeter. You can't fix stuff if you can't diagnose the problem, and you can't improvise lighting or communications if you don't know what power you have available.

With bugging in you have a lot more space/resources available than with bugging out since your not limited to what you can carry. Tin scips for example since they were discussed above, I have a small toolbox in my garage with metalworking tools, tin snips, pop rivets, a few assorted taps and dies, calipers, hammer, center punch, hack saw blades, etc are all in it. Bugging in its available should I need it but doesn't get listed as part of my bug in/out gear since its not necessarially dedicated to either of those tasks. I have another box with welding stuff by my welder, a box of accessories and tools for the drill press beside it, a box of wooddorking tools, etc.

Bug out Bag is different, this is gear that can be used to bug in but take with me should I need to bug out or when I take overnight trips should I need to bug in or out from there. This has: case for my leatherman so I can move it to my belt rather then pocket.
Buck 110 knife for when the leatherman knife blade is too small.
AA/AAA battery charger with 120v and 12v cords (maha c401fs), bunch of eneloops (AA NiMH low self discharge rechargeables) and a bulk pack of AA's (non rechargeable).
Two flashlights, AA Mag lights, one of them LED.
Baggie full of breakfast and granola bars
Baggie with sample size soaps, shampoo, etc
Baggie with firestarting stuff, lighters, matches, etc
Spare socks
Handheld CB radio to communicate back with the BOV (truck)
Handheld scanner to listed to whats going on around.
spare battery packs/carriers for both loaded with batteries.
bottles of water
leatherman tool adapter and various bits
Three leatherman micras, EL, S4, P4
Small binoculers
Small first aid kit
roll of quarters
traskbags and baggies
handheld GPS with maps.

All good comments. I'm divided on whether to include tin snips and a fire extinguisher.

I don't plan on doing much electrical work, but i am worried about electrocution, thus the current sniffer. I guess i'd like to know if a multimeter would be better for this purpose.

I don't want to carry much weight, but i think the bolt cutters and pry bar are really important.I'll probably ditch the Entrenching tool.

I do have goggles and gloves and respirators as my personal protection group. I am just asking about the tool group.

Add a suitable wrench located near by or tethered to you gas regulator in case of tornado/hurricane, etc.

I've never understood the need for having a gas wrench, every gas valve I've ever seen I was able to shut off with plain old adjustable wrench, pliers, or even my leatherman.

In my experience, any large-ish wrench will do. I don't think Roarmeister is calling for a special gas wrench.

A Leatherman may indeed work. But some of these valves have been sitting in one position for 30 years, so in the event of spam/fan you might appreciate some extra leverage.

If you're just checking for live AC wires, a non-contact current sniffer is probably the better choice.

A multimeter lets you do a whole lot more, but you need the skills to go with it.

I was issued a EOD breacher bar similar to the one here http://countycomm.com/eodrtool.htm

I instantly fell in love with the thing having fun smashing things and ripping them apart doing renovations here at home. For any urban type BOB it is worth considering. It really spares abuse on your good blades as it holds a decent edge. If you manage to break it then you are a better man than I because I have put mine through hell and back without so much as bending it.

They come in bigger sizes I think

One thing I would not want to do without in a bug in or bug out is a pop rivet tool and an assortment of rivets. they can be used for repairing packs, sheaths, sheetmetal and lots of other stuff, and for making new things, too. They are small and relatively light weight, especially compared to their usefulness.
Just my thoughts.

Anybody know another source for these? Countycomm doesn't ship to Canada. Thanks.

If you do go with a digital multimeter, this one is about the minimum I would go with a digital multimeter, you can do basic stuff with it, it is a minimal investment, and makes a decent backup if you want to buy a more substantial meter in the future.

Good point. You're not going to take a Fluke bench unit with you on a bugout.

I find that I can buy a serviceable, cheapo digital or analog multimeter, on sale, for as little as $10. Basic AC and DC voltage, continuity, and polarity checks.

And if they get stolen or run over by a truck, you're not going to cry.

Yeah, I can see where a current sniffer might be nice, but couldn't you just short the wires or lock out the circuit before touching it?
I will share something about cutting sheet metal too.
If you scribe (score) it with a sharp blade, like a utility knife, and start folding it on the scribe line it will come apart there.
You don't want to fold it right over, that would put a bend in the sheet, but just enough to stress the scribed line.
This is effective on steel and on aluminum sheet, often it is the fastest way to cut it. Even faster than a saw.

Hi Dougwalkabout,

You're a Canadian so I have some serious advice... Buy everything that you 'need' now. Do not delay. Do not wait. 60% of my suppliers have stopped shipping to Canada. Soon, you won't be able to get any good equipment that isn't made in Canada. The trend is accelerating!


You can buy that bar here:
http://www.endtimesreport.com/survival_shop.html

-NIM

If there were wires down from a major storm, blocking the road or covering your car, for example, the sniffer would tell you if they're hot. Though I don't know if I'd trust it far enough to get out the bolt cutters and start snipping, and we all know what electrical crews and EMS would say about that ...

NIM, thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

There's generally no problem getting cool toys up here. I have too many already :-)