Who would use a BOB the most?

[fnc]

Maybe go-bag is not the right term, but PSK or BOB are there to help you stay alive
and not accomplish some mission.

When you think of classifying by occupation, you naturally would consider some
occupational-specific equipment.

Another View: Classify by Industry
People in certain industries are more prone to be deployed to Tither and Yon:
military, relief agencies, mining, oil, electric power industry, etc. Even an accountant,
in one of these industries, might have to go into the field.

 

[mkhop]

Everyone unless you have a magic looking glass with EWS , many think they will never be in the situation to need one but i think most everyone would need one at least once in their life.

 

[marthinus]

I live in South Africa.....a country with highest levels of poverty, illegal immigrants due to political instability across our boarders....far remote distances.....nuff said

I think everyone needs to be prepared.

 

[koyote]

A go bag is a go bag- that's very much a different case. For ARES, our go bags are similar to BOBs, since disaster response time can be very important.


So, I read that article- http://www.deathvalleymag.com/2010/01/24/urban-survival-do-you-really-need-a-bug-out-bag-part-1/

And I read part 2.

And I disagree. Oh, yes, I've been in the middle east and the third world, and some deployments were "off base" and in westerner's compounds and such. I've seen breakdowns in what they call "civil order" - which is often a misnomer.

But I disagree, firmly, confidently, and loudly, with part 1 of the article.

Several points: 1- not all disasters will or can have quite as much warning as our contractor author seems to indicate.

One in a thousand shot? We live in a flight path for Sacramento International. One airplane crash in just the right spot and we need the bugout bags. Sure, helping survivors is near the top of my priority list- right AFTER taking my wife and children away from burning jet fuel.

Berryessa dam goes, during a wet season- sure, maybe we will have hours and hours of warning (not!) and I'll just happen to be listening to the radio at the exact moment that a reporter just happens to be watching the dam come down (not). 5-7 feet of sheet flooding, not a "wall of water"- yeah, a BOB makes sense.

This is a University town. I live with and am neighbors to several persons of Jewish descent, some of whom are Israeli citizens. As the "pro palestine" protests and boycotts get more and more openly anti-semitic, we have the - remote!- possibility that a spontaneous riot could come knocking on our door. Sure, and we are well enough armed to put up a couple squads, but at least some of the household members may be going over the back fence with their BOBs to keep the kids out of the way.

The author seems to think that Every Emergency is predictable and you have plenty of time to pack just because of the magic of the "first world". Tell that to how many people each year in CA wildfires? I admire the author's belief in the superiority of everything in the first world, but I don't think it is entirely realistic to think that everything is predictable days or months in advance just because it is the first world.


The author also makes a very common mistake in thinking-

A BOB doesn't negate other preparations. Having a BOB doesn't mean you CANNOT pack anything else into the car should you have time. A BOB doesn't mean every other firearm, can of food, gallon of water, and pair of socks in your house is USELESS. (Oh, to be sure, and he doesn't say it out load, but he does seem to feel that it's either a BOB or packing, not both.)

A BOB helps to ensure that you

1: have a plan.

2: haven't forgotten something in your 'bare minimum complete gear' in the rush of getting a pregnant wife, 6 year old, 3 year old, autistic 14 year old and her mother and 17 year old suster - all packed up and out the door. Think you have days and weeks to make sure you didn't forget someone's inhaler? yeah, wanna bet a child's life on it?

3: Slow down, stay calm, and do the REST of the job right. You have the BOB, you know you are good to go. Now you can calmly, confidently, face additional tasks and preps.

 

[texastonydobbs]

I carry one .....when I do field work. Retrieving a downed aircraft or helicopter .some crash in the city and some crash in remote locations . Better safe than sorry

 

[d_filgate]

Everyone unless you have a magic looking glass with EWS , many think they will never be in the situation to need one but i think most everyone would need one at least once in their life.

I agree that everyone should be prepared, but not many people do this.

I like the term "go-bag" that a poster used. That's more along the lines of
what I was thinking of. The bag would contain "survival essentials" that a
person would need in their specific occupation.

For example, for a trucker, there would be emergency shelter, a means of
keeping warm, some way of communication, water, food and other items,
because you never know when you are going to be stuck in the middle of
nowhere with a broken down truck waiting for someone to come and help
you fix your truck.

The bag a trucker would use, would perhaps be different than what an
office worker might use, or what a SAR person would use.

What I was wondering about, was in which occupations would you expect
to see these types bags as the "rule" more so than the "exception".

For example, I would expect to see a SAR, EMT, truck driver or Park Ranger
have a BOB, PSK or "go-bag" as a regular item in their kit rather than
someone like an accountant or office worker having one with them on a
regular basis.

Now, I'm not saying that an accountant or office worker won't have a bag
with them, but looking at things from an occupational point of view, it
might not be the "norm".
I was wondering about the types of occupations where it would be "the
norm" rather than the exception.

 

[jimh0220]

ANY job. Disasters are going to happen whether you are in a town, city, forest, etc. A BOB should not just be for the woods, but anytime you need it. I have a smaller fanny pack size for carry when I hike, take pics, etc., but I have a 3 day survival BOB that I keep in my car. Wherever I go, it goes. If I was in an office, I would have a small kit there also. Think earthquake or riots that might trap you there for a little while.

My .02.....

 

[d_filgate]

Maybe go-bag is not the right term, but PSK or BOB are
there to help you stay alive and not accomplish some mission.
When you think of classifying by occupation, you naturally would consider
some occupational-specific equipment.

I like the term "go-bag". That's perhaps the term that I should have used
instead of BOB. My idea was that it would be something that you have at
home, that you just grab when you head out the door on your way to
doing whatever it is that you are doing.

It would be something that would include basic survival items for you to
have available to you should you face an emergency situation.
Basics like a first aid kit, shelter, fire making, signaling, communication, etc.

Another View: Classify by Industry
People in certain industries are more prone to be deployed to Tither and Yon: military, relief agencies, mining, oil, electric power industry, etc. Even an accountant, in one of these industries, might have to go into the field.

Classifying by Industry is an excellent way of looking at it.
I used to work as an engineer for a television station. Whenever my
partner and I would go up on a mountain to fix a transmitter, we would
always take extra food and water as well as the ability to keep warm.
Shelter wasn't so much of a priority, as we usually had the truck and the
transmitter hut for shelter, but we always carried an axe or chain-saw in
the truck so that we could make shelter along the road if needed.

 

[jlouis976]

I work internationally on a monthly basis and I've found it is easier to carry a 'Bug-Out-Wallet' than a bug out bag.

Many times I am in social situations where a bag would be inappropriate. Get the basics as small as you can and drop them in your pocket. I have a bag when I can, but most of the time it just isn't practical.

 

[fnc]

So, I read that article- http://www.deathvalleymag.com/2010/01/24/urban-survival-do-you-really-need-a-bug-out-bag-part-1/

His first paragraph is a straw-man definition of BOB, hiding behind sarcasm.
It is fine to have some fun with sarcasm, but I do not like playing "now I am sarcastic,
and now I am not, and now I am, and now I am not". A BOB is a serious subject to
some of us.

His first paragraph in the link(in italics):

So you have your Bug Out Bag (From here on referred to as a “BOB”) with enough
food and water for 72 hours along with a fire starting kit, first aid kit, maps, medicine,
guns, food for your dog, knifes and camping gear so you can last indefinitely
anywhere in the world.


He said: "..so you can last indefinitely anywhere in the world".
I do not think any of us are thinking this way. He lost his credibility right away;
if I get more spare time, I may read more, maybe.

 

[gadgetgeek]

I carry one because
1. weather in southern alberta is odd
2. I drive rather old cars (currently have a phantom battery drain going on, haven't found it yet)
3. I take transit often
4. I work odd hours

Long, unplanned walks are a possibility and I like to have a few comforts if that happens. as for having to evac, not very likley, being snowed in, more so. get home and bug in is the most likley plan.

 

[Calebklyne]

I wouldnt say i have a bob waiting at my door but the stuff i have in my edc pack are the same things i would have in a bob for the most part, only thing i would add would be food(other than the granola bars i have with me) and (more) water and possibly one of my hawks if shtf

I carry one because
1. weather in southern alberta is odd
2. I drive rather old cars (currently have a phantom battery drain going on, haven't found it yet)
3. I take transit often
4. I work odd hours

Long, unplanned walks are a possibility and I like to have a few comforts if that happens. as for having to evac, not very likley, being snowed in, more so. get home and bug in is the most likley plan.

where do you live?