2012 Bug Out Bag Guide

You can find a more post apocalyptic survival here.

There has been a very lively debate about what, if anything, will occur on the winter solstice in 2012. Most reasonable people generally agree that nothing out of the ordinary will occur, with the exception of an interesting astronomical alignment that happens once every 28,500 years. This alignment of our universe with the center of the galaxy certainly makes for a very cool milestone in modern history, but it has happened over 150,000 times since mankind has walked the Earth. What makes this one different?

In the rare event something calamitous did occur, would you and your family be prepared with the best post apocalyptic survival gear? Is it better to have and not need than need and not have? I tend to think so, and I also think it is a great excuse to convince your wife to let you buy some amazing survival gadgets, you know, to keep your family safe...

A bug out bag is a pack that is kept ready for an emergency in a secure location, whether your car or your house, it is packed and ready to go in a moments notice in the event you have to get out of dodge with your family. A bug out bag generally is packed with enough gear to let you survive for 72 hours, long enough for some form of emergency assistance to come from the government. In a 2012 bug out bag, you will want to have enough supplies to sustain yourself longer than 72 hours in case society as we know it crumbles, earthquakes are wide spread or all of the nations power grid is shut down for an extended period of time. In our daily lives it is very easy to become complacent, relying on electricity for most of our daily lives and being able to conveniently acquire resources locally and relatively cheaply to sustain ourselves. If people had to actually catch and butcher their own meat, I would imagine a much larger percentage of them would be vegetarians in today's society. If society were to break down in 2012, and you and your family were forced to leave your community, you would want to make sure you had a well stocked 2012 bug out bag that allowed you and your family to have a better shot at living off the land.

All of the gear in the world will not be able to save you if you do not have concrete knowledge of survival concepts and apply common sense and instincts. Your gear should never be a substitute for being mentally and intellectually prepared. It is there to aid you in the event of an emergency. You can easily create a relatively cheap 2012 bug out bag that won't break the bank, get all or most of it shipped free through amazon, and rest easy knowing you are one of the few people who are much better prepared should a disaster occur in 2012 and you are forced to bug out to the wilderness.

In any survival situation there is a basic pyramid of needs that mankind requires. 2012 would be no different. No matter what happens on that day, if anything survives, it will be mankind. People may lack the strength or stamina of many of the creatures that inhabit the Earth, but they make up for it with vast intellect and an ability to adapt and overcome changes in the environment by crafting and molding their environment to meet their needs. The following list of gear is merely a recommendation.

I own most of the gear I recommend, and I have researched all of the gear at length before purchasing it, and even had the chance to field test it on lengthy wilderness excursions in the Appalachian mountains. I have broken the gear down in to several categories and divided it into the order of importance to the average person. I have come up with what I consider to be a solid 2012 bug out bag that will allow me and my family to survive indefinitely off the land as long as unforeseen circumstances or the unpredictability of nature don't get the best of me first.

Do your own research on the items and don't take my word for the gospel, this is your survival we are talking about here and it is not a subject to be taken lightly. Hopefully my kit will serve as a guide to those of you out there that stumble upon this article and I hope my experience and research can provide a solid foundation that could save you and your family in the event of a catasrophy.

All of the 2012 bug out bag items discussed here are also specifically chosen to ship free from Amazon.

Amazing gear can still fail in a 2012 bug out survival situation. You must be prepared mentally first and foremost. The best way to prepare is to study and practice your survival skills. This can be a lot of fun and can save you should a disaster happen. Survival guides are so numerous and varied it can be difficult to select a guide with solid information. The three books i swear by for a survival situation are, Bug Out, The U.S. Army Survival Manual and the S.A.S survival guide. I keep all three handy and have had great fun practicing the skills displayed in these books.

You also need to have a good map of your area. Maps of nearby wilderness also help immensely. Knowledge of the skills required to survive and knowledge of the land around you can mean the difference between life and death in your 2012 bug out bag.

The backpack to carry your gear is not to be overlooked. I do not recommend spending a fortune on the backpack itself (unless you can easily afford it) because their are many high quality bug out bag back packs available for a pretty cheap price. What you want to look for is a relatively light weight backpack with a good amount of space that has either an internal or external frame. It must be durable and it must be comfortable.

There are many backpacks you can get for under 50$ that fit the bill. I have two backpacks that are under 50$ that are both durable and comfortable the first is a Teton sports 3400 internal frame backpack. It is by far the best hiking backpack for this cheap I have ever encountered. It is rugged it has a ton of storage and it is cheap. What more can you want in a backpack?

The second is a standard military surplus medium ALICE pack in woodland camo. If it is good enough for the U.S. military it is good enough for me. These packs can be acquired, with a frame, in good condition, very cheap and they will never let you down.

If you are willing to spend more than 50$, I recommend a Maxpedition. They are the most solid, rugged, durable, comfortable 2012 bug out bags on the market. Unfortunately they are going to set you back around $100 bucks. With limited resources to spend on gear, save your money for more vital items and get a Teton 3400 or a military surplus Alice pack. If money is no option, spring for the Maxpedition!

Water is the most basic of our needs beyond oxygen. Most people last less than a week without water and much shorter in arid climates. Acquiring water and having the ability to purify it and make it safe to drink is one of the most crucial aspects of survival. In your 2012 bug out bag you will want at least a few ways of acquiring, storing and purifying water. The most basic method of purifying water is boiling it.

To boil water you will need a way to light a fire and a container capable of containing boiling water and withstanding the heat of a fire. Stainless steel is your best bet as it is light weight, cheap and capable of boiling your water supply. You will also need a solid container to carry your water in, in the event you have to bug out and hike long distances. Your most basic setup would be a canteen, preferably BPA free plastic and a canteen cup which fits over your canteen and doesn't take up much space. This canteen cup can be used to cook food as well, which will be discussed later.

If you are not concerned with the price of your equipment, I highly recommend investing in a light weight water filtration system which will allow you to safely drink any water you find much quicker.

To purify your water, to keep you warm, to cook your food and to scare off animals nothing beats fire. Fire is absolutely essential to human survival in a bug out scenario. Primitive ways of crafting fire will be necessary to learn long term, but in the short term you will need proven, effective light weight ways of crafting a fire to keep you warm and safe.

Some of the best ways to create fire are as simple as a cigarette lighter. Throw a couple in your bug out bag in a ziploc bag. For a 2012 bug out bag you are going to want to have at least 5 ways to start a fire. That it why I recomend sweedish firesteel. It is incredible.

Carrying lightweight, effective tools in your 2012 bug out bag will allow you to craft shelter, defend yourself, acquire food, craft tools and vastly improve your chances of survival. I have listed tools before shelter and food in this guide because the tools you carry can dramtically increase your ability to craft a shelter or catch food. There will also be many people who chose not to prepare who will be hungry and ready to attack those who thought ahead and prepared out of desperation. You must be able to defend yourself from those unfortunate souls as well.

Every 2012 survival bag should include a firearm, but we will not discuss that here. An entire book could be written on the best firearm and it is very much a personal choice.

What you will need first and foremost is a good survival knife. A knife is the most critical tool you can carry because it cannot be crafted in nature on the move. It can provide food, shelter and protection.

If you only have one tool for your 2012 bug out bag, make it a knife. If you would like to carry more tools to make life easier a machete, shovel, saw and hatchet can all be very useful.

Your 2012 bug out bag will also greatly benefit from some sort of easy to set up shelter. It can be as simple as a tarp or as elaborate as a tent. Some even opt for something as versatile as a hammock. A lot of your decision is based on the climate in your region as well.