What is something that you used to carry in your bag but don't anymore?
Posted by Virtual-Feature-9747@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 51 comments
Any items in your (get home/bug out/whatever) bag that you used to carry but don't anymore?
I just moved everything into a new bag and had been carrying some quarters in case I needed to use a pay phone. I don't remember the last time I even saw a pay phone and have no idea if they even still take quarters. Even the last vending machine I used in a rest area only took credit cards.
As the world changes, threats evolve and we learn and grow, what did you end up removing from your bag?
Decent-Apple9772@reddit
I would not include a roll of quarters in a hiking pack but I would consider them if I’m rolling my luggage in the shopping cart (vagrant style) or if it’s in the car.
Pay phones may not be a thing anymore but laundromats still are. Being able to get clean isn’t trivial.
Inflation has made coins less useful and you are more likely to need paper currency or a credit card.
Having a prepaid burner phone and a wad of cash in your bag makes more sense to me than many other options
ryan112ryan@reddit
Also parking meters. How F’d would you be if you’re away from home and your car gets towed because you didn’t have a few quarters.
Decent-Apple9772@reddit
Most parking meters don’t take quarters anymore.
Strange_Lady_Jane@reddit
I do have quarters for vending machines, on the assumption that in 99% of cases I'd be in a car. I figure if something was so shit I had to walk, I'm just automatically gonna leave a pile on the road behind me for anyone else. This means I'd drop a roll of quarters to start.
ryan112ryan@reddit
A tent, I’ve moved to a tarp IF I needed shelter. I’d likely just slog through and get home in one go.
No_Letterhead_3872@reddit
A lint roller...uses too much space only for your outfit to look neat
RoamingRivers@reddit
Used to keep a machete in the trunk of my car. I used it for work mostly, though also a good means of self defense if i had to walk home in an EMP event.
I leave it at home now, given how I don't need it for work every day, and it might raise some eyebrows with the cops if I ever get pulled over.
BatemansChainsaw@reddit
why would the cops even notice it if it's in the trunk of your car?
RoamingRivers@reddit
You never know when a cop will decide to be an asshole. You can't be too careful.
My car is also a compact SUV, so the trunk can be looked into through the back windows.
Adubue@reddit
Biggest change is... Y'all are going to hate me... Not having a bugout bag.
Why?
It's just not practical for me (and I'd imagine a lot of people) to "bugout", especially out into the woods or whatever.
Now my main "prepping" focus is on being ready for likely or reasonable situations that life could throw our way, which does not include bugging out.
Virtual-Feature-9747@reddit (OP)
No hate here. I feel there is too much focus on bugging out. I only have a get home bag.
Adubue@reddit
Agreed.
I keep things in my SUV that would certainly aid in getting home, but for 99% of likely circumstances, I'm just getting an Uber, Taxi, or paying someone $100 bucks for a ride.
BatemansChainsaw@reddit
keeping a few bills of cash in your phone case and forgetting about it is helpful in almost every instance of having to solve the problem of getting home, or getting away. it doesn't interfere with wireless charging at all either so it's a win/win
Noone1959@reddit
I'm bugging-in. Period.
SnooLobsters1308@reddit
House fire? 350,000 house fires a year ....
Noone1959@reddit
Yes, could happen.
verseandvermouth@reddit
My family is too big for a bugout bag, but the get home bag in the trunk of my car is my best friend.
oranggit@reddit
Bugging out doesn't necessarily mean bugging out in to the wilderness. It means getting the fuck out of wherever you are at the moment, to a safer place.
Strange_Lady_Jane@reddit
Never had to leave your house for any emergency whatsoever? Never had to make a trip to the ER for you or someone else? People aren't packing bugout bags to flee into the woods my dude.
Adubue@reddit
Slightly speculating here, but if you look at photos of bugout bags here and the plethora of people on YouTube/IG that share their "kits," most of them have things like fishing line, fire starters, and blah blah blah that would be intended for use surviving in the woods.
I wouldn't call being prepared to make a trip to the ER the same as "bugging out". It's honestly not the same thing at all and I don't think that's what most people would equate as a "bugout bag".
I always have a bagpack ready to go with things I would need for travel... But I travel a lot as is, and it's just easier to have the bag ready to go.
The other consideration is that ERs and/or "leaving for emergencies" all have food/water and a CVS or equivalent around the corner where a few hundred bucks in cash would get me anything I need.
justasque@reddit
A Ready-To-Travel bag has a lot in common with a Go Bag.
I think that’s true to a certain extent for travel, though I find it best to have certain basics with me rather than relying on having the time (and logistical feasibility) for a shopping trip. However, having done the ER trip quite a few times, my Go Bag is useful because it means I dont have to do the CVS run. Everything I need is in the bag, so I can focus on staying with my loved one, being there to listen to the docs (who tend to pop in at seemingly random times), being as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, and taking care of my own needs quickly and efficiently. I have my phone charger, a small Nalgene water bottle with a lid that is more convenient than the paper cup the ER would give me, a fleece pullover because ERs are usually cold, a comfy change of clothes so I can sleep in a chair, basic toiletries so I can brush my teeth when I’ve been there for a night (or two, or three), and so forth. Basically a travel bag that will sustain me for a couple days.
I also throw my Go Bag into the car when I’m taking a long day trip and might want or need to stay the night away from home.
Strange_Lady_Jane@reddit
Oh yeah, I don't watch Youtube mate. Or at least I wouldn't for that. My go bag is built of what off I've needed when I needed to leave fast. It doesn't have fire starters.
KJM100001@reddit
get home bag > bug out bag
pudding7@reddit
Same. My BoB is just our little fireproof safe with passports, credit cards, and birth certs in it. Everything else is replaceable.
endlesssearch482@reddit
I’m with you. I mean, if there’s a bad enough emergency, I need to go to work. I’m a fire medic and if shit goes wrong, I need to be working.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
Right?
I plan on staying put if I can.
I have a large bin full of camping gear that also doubles as a 'bug-out bin.'
If I only had 5 minutes to leave, I would grab that.
If hordes of looters are afoot, I've got worse problems. (I've only got a few thousand rounds)
TacTurtle@reddit
Software beats hardware, but pocket carried EDC can sure take you a long way.
PMMEYOURDOGPHOTOS@reddit
My “bug out bag” has evolved to a “I need to leave on short notice and this will help with the drive and week I’m away”
mozart357@reddit
Same. But I do have a piece of luggage with clothing, toiletries, a little cash, a couple bottles of water, and a few snacks. This is my “my apartment is on fire and I’ll need something to hold me over a few days while staying with a friend or hotel.”
This is a standard for me ever since I survived an apartment fire many years ago.
I also have a small bag with socks, underwear, power pack, charging cable, toiletries, and a list of my medications as well as phone numbers. I should have a few one dollar bills in there as well for vending machines. This is the bag I intend to grab if I need to go to the ER and maybe spend a few days in the hospital.
EverVigilant1@reddit
I don't have a bugout bag for the woods/roughing it.
When i finally decide to build a BOB it will be to bug out to my dad's house or my sister's house or a hotel, where I'll stay until it's safe to return home.
I mean, that's what I always thought a BOB was for - temporarily leaving home until the danger has passed and then you return home.
Morgue724@reddit
If it isn't in your skill set bugging out may be more harmful than helpful, we can only do as we think is best and hope it is enough.
less_butter@reddit
I live in the woods, not far from hundreds of thousands of acres of national forest and conserved wilderness areas. There are four things that would make me bug out:
But my "bugout bag" is basically my truck. I keep a ton of crap in there, including changes of clothes and camping gear.
If I was going to bug out, though, chances are I'd just go to the first hotel that's not at risk of whatever disaster is about to happen to my house.
Adubue@reddit
I'm in the same boat (aside from living in the woods, which would be cool). I've got a physical checklist of things to grab if a major, immediate natural disaster forced leaving my house. But the things I'm grabbing are less survival and moreso irreplaceable sentimental items. Yes I'd bring some clothes, firearms, and etc, but I'd just be going to a nice hotel.
Big-Kaleidoscope-182@reddit
ive considered multiple times for putting together a bug out bag but in reality i cant reason to maintain one. if im choosing to abandon my home ill spare 5 mins to gather the things to load the car.
Adubue@reddit
Agreed. I think the most important thing is to be mentally prepared knowing when you would actually abandon your home and where you would go.
As an avid backpacker who has hiked all across the US, I can tell you I will not be planning on living in the woods 😂
oranggit@reddit
Bic lighters and emergency candles in my vehicle GHB.
I live in Florida and I found my lighters all empty, probably as a result of the head expanding either the plastic body or the metal cap thing.
The heat also fused together my 6 pack of emergency candles into one giant blob.
booksandrats@reddit
Spare tube, patch kit, and pump for my bike. Realistically I'm never more than 5km away from home. So I can walk the bike back. Only ever had 3 flats anyways. Fixing at home>road side.
ResolutionMaterial81@reddit
Since I now live at my BOL....my BOBs are neglected & low priority.
On the other hand, my vehicle GBH Kits are very comprehensive. Fold out 350 lb dolleys & multiple dedicated inventoried bags for various scenarios. Pick out what may be needed....leave the rest.
The-Mond@reddit
Batteries (AA and/or AAA) for flashlights, small lanterns, AM/FM Radio - they just go bad over time and I'm trying to replace the items that require AA/AAA batteries with rechargeable devices. For any devices that still need AA/AAA batteries, I just attach a note that indicating to "get batteries from any remote control" - mostly for the benefit of others in my group.
ee-5e-ae-fb-f6-3c@reddit
I don't have a bugout bag. During fire season, I have stuff I stage, so I can load the pets and have some food for them, in addition to a very few things I'd need. My car has a lot of what I'd need already in it.
I guess I don't really stock canned food anymore, because I can afford lighter and more durable options now.
BigGreenQuackAttack@reddit
I am almost 60 years old, so I m not bugging out anywhere. The worst case scenario is my house being destroyed by either a fire or wind due to the two giant fir trees in my yard. Other than that I would hunker down. I do carry a number of items in my SUV should I need to walk for a period to get back home. People who say they are heading to the woods to live off the land are not being remotely realistic. Just watch one season of Alone to validate my point.
violetstrainj@reddit
Every six months when I go through the bag I wind up taking something out or replacing it with something more streamline or useful. The last time I changed something was I made a homemade bivvy sack from rip stop nylon and replaced the Mylar blanket.
One-Calligrapher1815@reddit
The bag itself. I determined that the 1st and only time I had to “bug out “ I wanted to bring way more stuff than what I had in my bag.
I’m no longer set to “bug out “ on foot with a bag but only by car with a large case full of “evacuation essentials “. I have it packed in sections to stay organized but also to be able to cache certain items that would not fly in a shelter.
I also have the bulk of my preps set in a stay at home set up and plan on 2 more versions of “stuff” one for a short term super lightweight “ go bag”and one as a heavier revamped version of my original bug out bag for the rarity of having to run with only one bag.
The bug out bag will have the lowest priority for now as long as I have a SUV. Redundant gear is a hard sell to the wife.
captcakester@reddit
I carry a bunch of stuff in my GHB that I'll likely never use but it rides around in my truck and I'm never more than a mile from truck at any given point so all that extra weight and space isn't as much of an issue. I should also point out that I'm not worried about much other than making the 27 mile journey home during extreme weather (live in northwest Colorado and the highway getting closed as well as alternate routes and spending the night in my truck or worst case walking home in a blizzard)... if the worst were to happen I'd likely drop most of my blades and tools and wear the extra clothes, at that point there's only a little food, water purifier, trinkets that might be helpful and first aid kit left in the bag with anything not needed or useful being left in the truck.
Thien425@reddit
Condoms.
Eredani@reddit
If that's due to a lack of opportunities, I hope your situation improves!
starktargaryen75@reddit
You don’t need a partner to use a condom
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
The bug out bag itself.
I don't plan on leaving my farm.
dreadedowl@reddit
Weight issues for me. Over the years, a leatherman replaced a larger multi tool. I no longer carry a hatchet. I just have a lightweight bag I use to go whenever I hike. So I use it all the time.
I've added gum and Canadian money (live near border)
TacoHell402@reddit
I’m still new to prepping bags but the biggest change I’ve made would probably be clothing. I’ve been getting more wool clothes to switch out with the old cotton clothes I was using before.
other4444@reddit
I stopped using a poncho and just use a regular frogtog rain gear. I get less wet and doesn't weigh that much more.