For all of the ladies out there you have a giant head start on the men. Almost everything you would need in a BOB you carry in your purse. Well if you carry one of those big purses. Men this is stuff we might have in the car or truck but odds are it is spread out throughout the vehicle and there is no way for us to gather all of these items and bail out quickly. We want to be able to grab the bag and maybe one or two other items very quickly and leave the vehicle.
Bailing out of the truck or other vehicle is something I have had to do a few times. Most of these incidents were after car wrecks on the freeway. Think of what you would need if your car broke down in the middle of the road and you needed to get away from it with no ability to us any items or supplies you might have in the vehicle. Any bag you put together needs to be customized to you, your surroundings and give you flexibility to deal with fluid situations. The bag in this blog is customized to me and my daily situation. Does it cover every situation you could face? No and it is not designed or meant to do this. This bag gives me tools to work with when something happens and operates as my EVERYDAY BAG.
Just a plain bag, nothing which scream 'TACTICAL' or 'ZOMBIE HUNTER'. The idea is to just blend in when the need to arises which means having a bag you can go anywhere with without drawing to much attention. I live near the coast and the bag is a 'surfer' bag. Nothing which looks out of place in my area I spend most of my time. (By the way, I cannot surf to save my life!) Also from a distance the bag looks just like any other book bag and I try to keep it this way. This allows me to bring the bag with me everywhere I go and not attract unwanted attention. If I covered the bag with motivation patches or stickers I would stick out like a sore thumb. I also fly with this bag and only have to alter what the bag is carrying slightly to make it through security at the airport. Remember customize the bag to your environment, needs and the task at hand.
In one of the outside pockets I carry my wallet when it is not on my person. This way it is not sitting in the center console when I have to get out of the truck. Along with the wallet is another form of Identification and a few other items of I.D. I do not want pictures of on the internet, work stuff. Inside the ziplock is address and directions to the in-laws house and a few others items.
Next pocket holds some emergency medical stuff and a spare knife incase I do not have my normal EDC knife on me at the time. The knife in the photo used to be the my everyday knife.
The upper outside pocket, which is lined with fleece, holds my sunglasses. Also inside the pocket are a paracord bracelet and some extra money. A lighter also lives in the ziplock.
Several of the other outside pockets are empty but a GPS and a way to power my electronic devices live in two of the pockets.
A solar charging system (which I highly recommend) and a few extra items live in one inner pocket.
The main compartment holds items I use all the time and some which are kept there just for emergencies.Rain gear and gear to stay warm take up the most room. The weather out here rarely gets colder than what I handle with a jacket, gloves and a watch cap. Some of the other items are medicine tailored to me, rain pants, hat, back up flashlight, cordage and a Life Straw. My favorite nut mix and some dried fruit is hiding in the bag somewhere also. There are a few other items which come and go depending on what I have planned that day.
I live in an urban/suburban area and my bag reflexes this. There is no need for me to carry fishing gear, hunting gear or a complete armory. Short of the apocalypse there are stores, hotels and restaurants all along the routes I travel on a regular basis. Also I need to keep the bag light, to combine with and enhance my everyday carry items I keep on me. There are other versions or concepts of Bail Out Bags, each designed to the situation those folks are faced with.
As Always,
Stay Safe!!!!
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