BOBs -- why?

A BOB?
Surely in most cases in built up areas a BOB is akin to a fallout shelter, yes?
I feel silly having a Baseball bat and some sort of Knife not far from my Bed at night.
Worrying about and preparing for unlikely events is a not a positive outlook.
I am new here so, no offense meant I find it unusual to have a pack to grab and run with like Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds asking his kids to grab a box of food as he grabbed his revolver and Tactical fighter.
The only pack I have ever had ready to go was a bag of essentials when my Wife has been due to give Birth.
Regards,

Macca
 
the events of 9/11 and katrina made me look very hard that the us goverment might not be has helpful as I thought. I starting looking and thinking about what me and my wife would need to survive for couple days. lurked on few websites and found some lists and what from there. Also when the us gov. and red cross recomened them I relized that every sould have one. A year later I have made a BOB,VSK, and little fanny pack kit. I think I am pretty much prepared.
 
It was reading military mags in the early 80s. Seeing alot of people not being prepared at all.

Remembering what my grandmother told why she preserve food .

"There was a time when a storm would hit and there was no contact for days , you had to make sure you had everything and that was the way we was taught"

Til this day she does it in her 90s. Always be prepared.

S/F,
CEYA!
 
Part of the reason I am the way I am is because of my Grampa and him telling me to always be prepared, with him it was a pocket knife, lighter, some bandaids in his billfold, and a small tin of anacin.

In 1991 I joined the Army, we were required to have a BOB. I was in the 3rd Infantry division, Rock of the Marne, HOOAH, we were required to keep a BOB, 3 of them to be exact, an A, B and C bag, our motto was around the world in 72 hours. What the Army requires us to have is the bare minimum and so I started expanding it. I have spent months and even years living in tents with nothing but what the Army supplied and I have learned what you need to have in order to be more comfortable and what you need if you are expected to deploy at a moments notice.

I also am a woods runner, hunting, fishing, canoeing and exploring so there is a certain amount of gear that I keep ready to go. I have all manner of different kits, most are for a specific purpose but I have a PSK, a pack and a MOLLE rifle case loaded and ready to go at all times. Chris
 
Danno4017 said:
A BOB?
Surely in most cases in built up areas a BOB is akin to a fallout shelter, yes?
I feel silly having a Baseball bat and some sort of Knife not far from my Bed at night.
Worrying about and preparing for unlikely events is a not a positive outlook.
I am new here so, no offense meant I find it unusual to have a pack to grab and run with like Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds asking his kids to grab a box of food as he grabbed his revolver and Tactical fighter.
The only pack I have ever had ready to go was a bag of essentials when my Wife has been due to give Birth.
Regards,

Macca
Click to expand...

While I suppose there are some people eaten up with paranoia about foriegn invasions, terrorist attacks, "perfect storms", zombies. etc., I think you will find that most of us here are pretty level headed individuals. Many of us were Boy Scouts in our youth, and still remember and heed the motto "Be Prepared". It is not so farfetched to think that a Hurricane will hit your Gulf Coast home, or a quake will shake your neighborhood in California, a snowstorm will close roads and down powerlines in the North, or a tornado will rip up your town here in the Midsouth. A train carrying hazardous materials can derail pretty much anywhere there are tracks, trucks bearing loads of the same can overturn anywhere there are highways, factories and refineries can explode and burn sending up clouds of deadly gasses anywhere there is industry. There are many things that could cause you to have to leave your home at a moment's notice for an undetermined period of time. SImple preparations like the BOB (I personally grin at the overuse of the anacronym) indicate a person who gives some forethought to the role personal responsibility plays in his life. It is being proactive, not reactive. It can make the difference in whether you are a homeless, posessionless refugee, or a prepared evacuee. For most of us, it is no different than keeping a spare tire and lug wrench in your car. Are you parinoid that you will have a flat? No, but flats do happen, and usually at inoportune times and places. Seldom in the parking lot of a tire store in broad daylight during business hours.

Keeping a means of self defense close by in your home is also a sign of accepting personal responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of yourself and your family. While our LEOs do an outstanding job, their role is not to protect the individual, but society as a whole. Most often, they can only respond after a crime has been comitted. It is faint comfort to know that the home invador who is about to kill you and your family is likely to be caught before he does the same to many more people.

Codger
 
Danno4017 said:
A BOB?
Surely in most cases in built up areas a BOB is akin to a fallout shelter, yes?
I feel silly having a Baseball bat and some sort of Knife not far from my Bed at night.
Worrying about and preparing for unlikely events is a not a positive outlook.
I am new here so, no offense meant I find it unusual to have a pack to grab and run with like Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds asking his kids to grab a box of food as he grabbed his revolver and Tactical fighter.
The only pack I have ever had ready to go was a bag of essentials when my Wife has been due to give Birth.
Regards,

Macca
Click to expand...

I hope if something bad happens that you have neighbors that are willing to help you, but why should they, they have their own families to take care of, as do you.:confused:
 
I've always had some form of a BOB in the truck or ready to go by the door. What made me rethink and even place greater stock in the BOB was that my son and his wife went to New Orleans for a long weekend a while back. You guessed it. By the time we called them with news of the impending Katrina it was too late, They were stuck there for five days in the hotel with the windows blown out, attached to the Super Dome. Rough time. My son did all he could do, (fill the bath tub so they had water etc.) and they faired better than most. They got out eventually but it was a long week for the family. They only took carry on luggage and he really missed a knife. From that time on his first stop after he lands at an airport is to hit the nearest hardware store and get a SAK and a butcher knife for the duration of the trip. The point is not that Zach should have had a BOB. That is impossible while flying. It is that sh..t happens. Zach and Tracy's experience just made it all more real. If we have to grab and go I have enough gear ready.
 
I live in NYC. So for me it was 9-11, the Blackout a couple of years ago, and to a lesser extent the transit strike which shut down the whole city. The biggest problem is getting to your residence and then physically getting out of the city. I now wear more comfortable dress shoe, Cole Han Nike Air, to aid in the 5 mile walk from my office to my apt. My main Bob is there, as well as my car and motorcycle. And it's 155 miles to my house in the mountains, so I try to keep the gas tank 3/4 full...
 
When I was 10 years old my neighborhood had to be evacuated VERY QUICKLY. Less than 200 yards from my home there was a semi trailer filled with tons of dynamite that had been sitting there for years and was just discovered. It was dripping with nitroglycerin and very unstable. We had to get out ASAP (we were gone in about five minutes). My dad had a bag with stuff for us to live out of for 24 hours (it has since been upgraded to a 72 hour bag). My parents and my younger brother spent several nights in a church that was used as a shelter.
This was a huge event for my little town. Helicopters, bomb squads, gaurd troops and all kinds of reporters. If the dynamite had exploded all at once they figured it would have made a crater about 3 feet deep and 1/4 to 1/2 a mile in diameter!:eek:

While in college, I was stuck in my apartment for several days without power due to a severe snow and ice storm.

9-11 was the next big wake up call.

Then I moved to Florida right before hurricaine Charlie almost put my brand new home under water. This time we stayed through the storm, but were very lucky. We did not get water in the house, but it was coming up the yard, and they had expected 7-18 feet of storm surge. This prediction came around 3 am after we had gone to bed and were told the storm was not coming directly at us. They were wrong! We were lucky! I thought that I was prepared for a storm and flooding, until I experienced Post Katrina New Orleans, and was stranded in Baton Rouge because of Rita!:eek:

I went to New Orleans less than a week after Katrina hit and did medical relief work for about four weeks. Rita hit as I was about to leave and delayed my trip home. The things I saw there more than drove to "Be Prepared" motto home. The people who were prepared (part of preparing is knowing when to bug out) may have lost all of their possessions, but they were mostly alive.

About a month later Wilma came to my town and my wife and I were smart enough to over prep and go to a safer location for the strom. Wilma did not destroy my home but a nice little tornado that spun off of her as she passed nearly did. I lost about 25-30 percent of my roof and was without power and running water for over a week.

So as you can see I have had every reason to have "preps" and several bug out bags.

The most important thing I learned is that it is easier to learn from other peoples mistakes than your own.

Enjoy today, learn from the past, and prepare for tommorow.:)
 
When I first started hanging out at WSS my feeling was "I don't need no stinkin' BOB, I'm gonna stay where I'm at." That's still my basic plan, I'm well stocked, and well away from chemical and nuclear plants, railroads, cities, major highways, flood plains and earthquake zones...BUT, nobody knows the future and some crap could come down the pipeline to make me get out.

Secondly, so many people were putting together BOBs, GHBs, PSKs, FAKs, and PPPs for the SHTFs, and showing neat pictures of their gear, kits, and all the goodies inside that I wanted some too. So I dug out my old ALICE pack and camping gear for an inventory of what could be used for a BOB...buying new toys too, which is lots-o-fun, especially since I can justify it with real useful purpose. I also picked up a red plastic toolbox in which I am building a real first aid kit, something our household lacks.

Thirdly, all of this is getting me out of my computer cockpit and back into the woods, something I used to do regularly until my last job turned me into an armchair mini-bureaucrat. :eek:

So that's why I love BOB :)
 
Since I was a Marine I've looked at things a little differently. To be prepared, if only so I can take care of myself and not be a burden to anyone else. But since I've been an LEO for 19+ years, I've been shown the value of a BOB. I carry one in my POV at all times. I like taking drives and sometimes I end up off the roadway a ways. I can't count how many times items in my BOB have saved my butt. I also lived in the badlands of North Dakota and most residences are spaced at about five miles apart. You have to count on yourself first. I believe your responsible for yourself first. Law enforcement won't always be there. I'll always carry a BOB, as I consider myself a sheepdog not a sheep.
 
I live in central Iowa, pretty much safe from most natural disasters (expept a potential earthquake from the Madrid fault). I don't have a BOB bag, never felt the need for one and until I started reading this forum in September, never had a clud so many people did. I grew up on a farm, and still work in AG so most of the people I know and work with have knives and guns as a second nature. That said, the idea of a BOB is great and I am know thinking about putting something together. Still, once I am at home, I am ten minutes from being able to put together everything I would need to "bug out". I feel sorry for you guys on the east and west coast surrounded by millions or clueless mornons that you would have to deal with if tshtf............
 
hikeeba said:
I think a lot of folks put together BOBs primarily because they're interested in the notion, and not so much because they see doom and gloom on the horizon. I see most BOB folks as being knife/wilderness skills/outdoor enthusiasts who are serious about their pursuits. Let's face it, playing and accumulating gear is fun and addicting!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing BOB folks at all. I may not have a stocked BOB ready to go, but that doesn't mean I'm not into that line of thinking. I probably have enough packs and gear around to amke up about 4 BOBs or so. I have a binder full of BOB lists and survival kit lists that I've been accumulating since I discovered this wonderful 'Internet' thing.

I see the BOB thing as a good thing on several levels. 1) It allows us to collect and play with gear. 2) It allows us to think of why we are putting together such a kit, thus forcing us to look to the future and plan ahead. 3) Most of us can't simply go out and immediately buy the stock we need for a BOB, so we are encouraged to think outside the box, and make the best use of the equipment we have on hand or can afford. There are probably lots of other benefits, too.

But as mentioned a million time before, BOB = Useless without skills and know-how. The best gear in the world can't help you if you don't know how to apply it.
Click to expand...

Good points and straight talk. There is a lot of what if and playing with our gear involved with all this,lol. However, there is also a serious and real benefit to being at least semi prepared. Semi as in at least having the gear, if not in a BOB. Last night the temp here was minus 40 and the power went out twice. The first thing that I did was get my shaker flash light. You know, give it 20-30 shakes and it will run for 15-20 minutes. The thing never needs batteries. The power came back on after about 15-20 minutes each time so things did not get serious, but.... at these extreme temps you must be prepared. I KNOW that my wife and I have the clothing,gear, skills and knowledge to survive a complete power outage in extreme temps, if need be. Things get basic fast and you get focused pretty damn quickly. I am no survivor man or whoever the survivor hero of the day is. But, we are prepared and can have it together when it comes down and sometimes it DOES come down.
 
Critisism and points accepted.
If I needed a "BOB" I would move to an area where it would only be a fantasy.
If Life meant having a "BOB" I would not be comfortable bringing my family up in that environment, If I have not got 20 minutes to organize myself in a crisis then I can not look after my families safety to any degree.
Regarding "Katrina" that was not a boxing day Tsunami was it?
There was plenty of notice of the storm coming as I recall.
The fact that the population of New Orleans in the Dome gave the world the image of wild gangs raping and killing everything that moves will only condem that City to a bleak future.
I like to take into account facts.
We have lost power in my City at times, never grabbed my BOB and gone "Bush"
Usually the power is back on before my Beer gets warm.
Anyway, maybe making and having the BOB is what its all about. :D
 
I understand that for many people even thinking that something unexpected coud happen makes them uncomfortable. Afterall, nothing has yet, so why should you expect that it might in the future? If the worst that has ever happened is that your beer got warm, congratulations, you live a charmed life. May you live long and prosper!

You know, as a kid I had this kind of outlook on life. It is a comfort to think everything will continue as you have always known it to be. It gives one a great sense of security, and even a feeling of immortality. That is why youngsters make the best soldiers. "It couldn't happen to me" is a warm fuzzy feeling.

As for Katrina, as best I can remember, it's direction of travel and strength was an on-again-off-again affair. By the time any evacuation warning was given, it was too blessed late for many. And most of the people in that dome were either visitors on vacation who were clueless as to what a hurricane could do, or residents caught unprepared. Too late to become evacuees, they became victims, and later refugees. Of course lawlessness moved into the vacuume left from the collapsed infrastructure. The few LEO's left chose to try to preserve life at the expense of preserving property. Like the rats and cockroaches emerging from Hiroshima, the dregs of society had their day, smiling like "Looter Smith" for the camera while loaded down with Heinekin and stolen tvs.

Regardless of how you prepare for disaster, making some sort of effort just makes sense, IMHO. "I coulda, woulda, shoulda..." is poor comfort after tragedy strikes.

Codger
 
I hear you Codger.

I live many thousand miles away in Australia, we knew Katrina was an issue well before it wiped out New Orleans.
The US government was a disgrace in what they did for that city in the days after the event.
I am not arguing about prepareadness for a crisis just maybe the reality.
We have had many lives lost through firestorms recently, in the news at the moment. With respect no backpack would make a difference
In Australia in 1975 Cyclone Tracy wiped out Darwin
Last year a Cyclone wiped out Innisfail in far north Queensland.
Small towns and Cities compared to New Orleans I accept.
In not one case in these towns of 10,000 plus did I hear that a BOB was the difference.
Surely a BOB is to survivalists what a Combat Busse is to the Office letter opener?
Anyway, I will retire on this point in this thread. I consider BOB's a fantasy that may be great fun to construct but in reality are meaningless.

Cheers
 
Where the evacuation kits made a difference to the people so prepared in New Orleans was when the people prepared and aware of the situation left. They had supplies and equipment to last them until they could get far enough North to find an empty motel room, or to make a camping trip out of being caught in stalled traffic on the highway. People who elected to stay had a better time of it if they had a stock of supplies to last a few days or a week or two.

Cyclones and firestorms are two great examples of why it makes sense to be prepared to leave you comfortable home, and with more than your keys and change in your pockets.

I know it has been popular worldwide to blame the U.S. Federal government for not swooping in in C-130's in a massive relief effort the day the Katrina storm passed. Heads rolled and agencies were reorganized because of it. The city and parish governments failed as well. But the greatest tragedy and hardship befell people who failed to heed warnings, who failed to make any sort of preparations. Again, we come back to personal responsibility for ourselves and our families. Depending on "them" to be prepared to rescue you, to me at least, is pure fantasy.

At the risk of comitting herasy, in most environs, preparedness does not mean a sack of combat knives. It does not mean being prepared to hide out in the Batcave, or turn Rambo. It means being prepared to provide security, food, shelter, and water for yourself and your family when disaster strikes. I know this flies in the face of the popular socialist mindset, but it is what I believe and what has worked for me. I even have an "I survived Hurricane Opal" t-shirt stashed somewhere.

Codger
 
Australians are different types of people to our American cousins I suspect
Most are hardy get on with it types that take it on the chin and don't complain.
As far as the Farce of aid to New Orleans is concerned, easy going or not the Politicians would have been crucified.
Aid gets to Bangladesh faster than New Orleans.
The whole senario was a frigging disgrace and the US of A went down hill big time in the eyes of the world with the lack of responce or concern.
It was not even 3rd world responce.
 
Your viewpoint is quite welcome. Without opposing viewpoints, discussions are rather boring. And I think we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable!;)

We don't get much news from Australia here, and in fact, most Australians probably know more about our county than we do yours.

This country isn't so unique.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21052118-1702,00.html

EXPLOSIVE gases inside a grain silo in the southern NSW town of Cootamundra have forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents from nearby homes.

About 100 residents were initially told to leave their homes near the silo about midday (AEDT) today and assemble at a local club, away from the danger, a police spokesman said.

But by late tonight more than 500 people had been forced to leave their homes and move to safety, he said.

NSW Fire Brigades Superintendent Ian Krimmer said no one would be allowed to return to their homes until at least tomorrow.

An 800 metre safety exclusion zone had been set up, Supt Krimmer said.

Despite an earlier police report of a blaze, Supt Krimmer said there was no evidence of fire inside the silo.

He said a chemical reaction process was generating intense heat and explosive gases.

The worry was that these gases would explode.

Firefighters have so far been unable to enter the silo to take readings for analysis.

"There is no getting to within 20 metres of the silo at the moment," Supt Krimmer said.

"What concerns us is that the gases within the silo are of an explosive nature.

"For that reason, as a precaution, the evacuations are happening. We are treating this with an extreme amount of caution.

"Our crews are going into the area, taking brief readings, then retreating fairly rapidly."

Attempts will be made overnight to vent the explosive gases, and also introduce neutralising gases, he said.

Community groups, including the Salvation Army, have been looking after the evacuees at their muster point, the Cootamundra Ex-Services Club.

A club spokeswoman said the evacuees would be accommodated tonight at hotels and motels in the town, which has a population of 8000.

Temperatures exceeding 40 degrees celsius in Cootamundra today only added to the strain on evacuees, especially elderly residents forced to leave their homes with only the clothes they were wearing.

"One minute they were at home, the next minute they were evacuated. They didn't have a choice - bang and they're gone with what they had on - grab the kids, lets go," a club spokeswoman said.
 
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