what's in the bag?

I knew there was no way I could come up with a bug out bag that would last any more than a week.  Maybe city folk think they can rough it by not taking the bus or subway but here in rural America, we travel by car, not by foot.  For me to carry everything that represents me and my culture would require a bunch of guys like in the Tarzan movies crossing darkest Africa.  Aint gonna happen by foot, unless I can't find the fuel to get me to the next gas station.  And then, I'd want to hunker down with my stuff and a good place to sleep until the shit blows over.  Doin that in a tent, out in the open, is like asking for a beatin. 

I have two cars at my disposal.  One is an Expedition with all the comforts of home with really shitty gas mileage.  The other is a 95 Caravan with a 5 speed tranny with lots of new parts.  In the event that the SHTF you'll want something inconspicuous that can fly under the radar and blend.  You also want something with good gas mileage.  The Caravan is a no-brainier.  Unless the driver is a total retard, that kind of vehicle can get through any checkpoint because of it's status as a soccermom_mobile.  Put a soccer ball icon on the back window and you're in like Flynn.

As far as bugging out, I got too much stuff for one pack.  I need a car to move all my shit.  I can't get by on minuscule provisions  from a dying economy, hoofing it to a better place hoping the zombies won't get me.  The plan is to look as normal as you can and not be eaten.

And that's the schizoid mindset of most bug out preppers.  What to put in the bag that will keep you alive for the rest of your life.  What precious 21st century possessions do you have that you can't live without?  How much of the crap you own can you set fire to?  99.9% of all the stuff that fills your living space and storage bins will be put in one pile and thirty pounds left over that will fit in a backpack.  I'll bet some of that stuff you keep will be clothes, fishing hooks and line, flashlight, a cook stove, a bic lighter, and a big bag of Raman noodles.  Maybe the most important thing to leave behind is your dependence on society.  You'll never catch a fish with hooks and string and you know it.  You'll eat your Raman noodles crunchy in the dark when your flashlight and lighter quits.  May as well lose the cook stove.

Here's what ya do.  Learn how to make a fire with sticks and rocks.  Once you got that down pat, go out in the woods with just the clothes on your back and spend a day learning how to put an edge on a rock and put a point on a stick.  Learn how to build a primitive shelter using only rocks and sticks.  Build a fire and think about finding water as you gather firewood.  Look for something edible like roots and berries.  Spend the night in your shelter and wake up cold because the fire went out.  Go home hungry and think about how you can do that two nights in a row and what you would do differently.

I don't expect anyone reading this will bother to attempt making fire, let alone spending the night in the woods, with or without a phone.  Doesn't that say something about how fragile we've become due to our dependence on society?  We can't survive without it.  It's pitiful when a single match could mean the difference between life or death from exposure.  Admittedly, I never made a fire from sticks and stones but I made them from coke bottles and my friends glasses.  I'll bet I could make fire from ice, if need be.

My point is, if you or I or anyone else were to spend one night in the wild and learn to make do with nothing but our wits, I'm sure we'd know exactly what to put in that backpack.