{"id":205,"date":"2023-07-17T13:17:45","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T13:17:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theselfsurvival.com\/b-o-b-mistakes-that-can-get-you-killed\/"},"modified":"2023-07-17T13:17:46","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T13:17:46","slug":"b-o-b-mistakes-that-can-get-you-killed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theselfsurvival.com\/b-o-b-mistakes-that-can-get-you-killed\/","title":{"rendered":"B.O.B. Mistakes That Can Get You Killed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bugging out is a last ditch option in times of need, yet a situation that one should consider. However, families all over the country are forced from their homes every day due to fires, natural disasters, evacuations and localized issues.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In putting together my own experience with my bug out bags over the years and seeing the kits of others, I came up with a list of 10 mistakes I see common in bug out bags.\u00a0Keep in mind there is no wrong B.O.B., any bug out bag is better than nothing. But avoiding these mistakes will save you money, hone your bag to a do anything be anything platform that can save your life, deliver you safely to your bug out location and serve as a basis for a larger survival system. Years ago, when I made my first B.O.B. I committed most, if not all the mistakes on this list. Over the years, as I reassessed my bug out situation, my needs of change, I recognized lots of these mistakes and began correcting them. If you\u2019re thinking about making your first B.O.B. (and everyone should have one), or perhaps you already have one and you\u2019re looking for inspiration on how to do it better hopefully this article will help. The goal of any bug out is to avoid conflict and reach your destination as fast and as safe as possible. Really, you want to hunker in as much as humanly possible especially if you have a family. If the neat arises you really want to be able to go from your not safe place to your safe place as quickly and safely as possible. This will help ensure your survival<\/a>. Only a well made plan and a proper execution of the plan will safely get you to your bug out location and your bug out bag will increase your likelihood of survival<\/a>. So, let\u2019s see the top ten mistakes.<\/p>\n

#1 Buying the B.O.B. first<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is an intuitive mistake to make and the most common. You think \u2018\u2019it\u2019s a B.O.B.\u2026the most important think is the bag right?\u2019\u2019 and there is truth in that but you want to take that decision appropriately, with as much information about what are you going to put into it as you possibly can. The first thing you need to know is how much stuff you are going to put in your B.O.B., how big it needs to be. My first advice is to put your kit together first then buy the bag. Assess what are the things you need to bring with you and buy the bag that\u2019s going to fit all that stuff properly and work well for you. If you buy the B.O.B. first you\u2019ll have the tendency to fill it up to the gills and then is way too heavy or you buy one that is too small and is not going to fit everything that you need. My second advice is to avoid buying your B.O.B. on the internet without having any experience with it. Get out there and try as many different bags as possible. Don\u2019t buy bug out bags for your wife and kids. Let them pick out their own. The bag may seem very comfortable for you but may be very uncomfortable and cause pains and discomfort for your kids or wife. The point here is that a bag that doesn\u2019t fit and ride well can cause you injuries and certainly not going to help you at all. Buy smart\u2026first put your kit together than buy the bag.<\/p>\n

#2 Your bug out bag is too tactical<\/strong><\/p>\n

I made this mistake too. Your B.O.B. is not an assault bag. If you walk out your front door in a bug out situation looking like a marine, then you got some issues with your B.O.B. If you\u2019re all dressed in camouflage and you have a big tactical military bag on your back, an AR 15 in your hands and a shotgun strapped to the side\u2026trust me\u2026that\u2019s not the way. The whole key of bugging out is that you need to blend in. Most preppers live in urban and suburban areas, so you want to blend in with that as much as possible. If you look, for instance, at special forces Navy Seals in Afghanistan most of the times you see them they\u2019re gonna be wearing indigenous clothing, growing beards and hair \u00a0to blend in. You want to keep a low profile and avoid getting involved in conflicts. I\u2019m not saying you don\u2019t have to take any tactical gear with you. Prepping is like life, everything within moderation. Surplus military equipment are great deals, durable and there\u2019s no problem working some of that into your gear. Certainly you want to have a firearm with you by all means, a concealed carry weapon\u00a0or something. The blending in with the society is your number one rule.<\/p>\n

#3 Your B.O.B. is \u2018\u2019to bushcraft\u2019\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

I call this the Bear Grills syndrome. I am all for bushcraft, survival techniques, survival skills. For the long term skills become very valuable and can really save lives if you run out of supplies. Regularly, when you see B.O.B.s that are relying too heavily on bushcraft and survival skills they don\u2019t have nearly enough solid life preserving equipment in them\u2026not enough food, not enough water to get them from point A to point B or from safe to safer to safest as quickly as possible. It\u2019s a dangerous assumption to make that you\u2019re going to get everything you need along the way. There are going to be others that think the same as you, so don\u2019t just assume that you\u2019re gonna be that one to do it, you\u2019re gonna be the one that\u2019s gonna make it, you\u2019re gonna be the one that\u2019s gonna survive. If anything goes wrong out there you\u2019ll have nothing to fall back on. So that bug out bag should be able to sustain you <\/a>for the amount of time that it takes to get to your bug out location.<\/p>\n

#4 No strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plan your movement strategy in advance. Practice your bug out. Choose your main route and always have a backup route. Practice it with your family so that when something happens and disaster strikes you\u2019re out and you\u2019re on your way to get to your safe place as quickly as you can get. The best way to do that is to know where you\u2019re going, how you\u2019re gonna get there and be well practiced in knowing how long is going to take, knowing exactly what you\u2019re gonna need along the way. If things go wrong you do have your bug out bag to help you out but you\u2019re main goal is to get from point A in point B as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that once you leave your house you have voluntarily made yourself a refugee, a well prepared refugee but still a refugee and you want to be in that situation for a shorter time as humanly possible.<\/p>\n

#5 You\u2019re out of shape<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not in shape and after 1 mile you\u2019re no longer able to walk it doesn\u2019t really matter what\u2019s in your B.O.B.. This could kill you and your family by slowing them too. Remember that your main goal is to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Having to spend more time on the way to your bug out location could mean more problems. If you have not practiced with your bag and you cannot carry your bag then you missed the point of bugging out. Test your bag in week-ends. Take 10-15 miles hikes with your bag to see if it fits you well, if it is too heavy or injures you. Involve all your family testing them too, otherwise you\u2019ll have to face all these problems when you really need to get to your bug out location and the bag will become a problem instead of helping you to get there safe.<\/p>\n

#6 \u2018\u2019Lone wolf\u2019\u2019 mentality<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a mentality that permeates a lot in the prepping community. Don\u2019t assume you\u2019re going to be alone. I see this mentality especially in survivalists. Chances are you\u2019re not going to be alone. If you react to disaster like everybody else you might be going the same way everybody else is going and you\u2019re not going to be by yourself so you have to deal with that. Especially if you have a family with you don\u2019t assume that you can compensate for them in a disaster. They have to be involved too. So if you\u2019re a prepper and you need to do a B.O.B. then they need to do it too and if you\u2019re going to practice then they need to do it too. They need to know what is going on, how to get there, they need to know exactly how to react in different scenarios. So you\u2019re not a lone wolf, you\u2019re not going to be alone because your family is going to be with you. That is the first reason we prep, to keep the loved ones safe.<\/p>\n

#7 No info in your B.O.B.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I carry in my B.O.B.an envelope with all the crucial info that I need in case TSHTF. Many preppers forget or don\u2019t even think about this aspect. This envelop contains all the relevant information that I need. Let\u2019s assume that the house catches fire and you have to leave immediately I will have information that I can use to help get our lives back together as quickly as possible. So let\u2019s see what this envelope contains:<\/p>\n

Family pictures, bank accounts, insurance info, credit cards info, photo copies of birth, wedding certificates, car titles, ID, driver license and the big thing that not many think to include\u2026a contact list. This contact list should include:<\/p>\n