I have worked as an I.T. professional for the last 13 years. I understand strong passwords and have always used something that a dictionary attack could not touch. However, I learned last week that this is not enough.
I use gmail for my primary email address. I've move and changed internet providers enough to get sick of having to send out my new email address to everyone each time so it is just easier to use a web-based email address that doesn't change. I use a complex password, but I use the same password on everything that has any secure info, like on-line retailers that store my credit card or my bank or paypal, etc... I use a simpler one for stuff like forums and news groups. That way, I only have 2 passwords to remember.
Last week, my wife and I went out to enjoy the nice weather in her convertible. I'm out of work right now so I have my gmail account setup on her Blackberry so I can see if I get any emails from recruiters while we are out. About an hour after we left the house, my gmail account got flooded with postmaster undeliverable emails. Apparently, someone hacked my password and sent out spam to everyone in my contacts. I found the nearest public library, jumped on the 'net and changed my password and sent out a warning email telling everyone what had happened and not to click the link. When we got home that evening, I changed the password on ALL my accounts that used that password but it took forever to find one that fit all the different sites requirements.
I decided to do what I should have done years ago. I needed a unique, complex password for each site so that if one did get hacked, the others weren't in danger. To do that, I needed a good password manager application so I could remember them all. After some research, I downloaded a nice little free app called KeePass. It works great, and if you download the portable version you can keep a copy on a usb flash drive on your keychain so you always have it with you.
I just thought I'd share this so that maybe a few of you can learn from my mistake. There are lots of different free password manager apps out there. Get one and use it. Crap like this really does happen.
Stay safe out there and watch your six.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Report from the 2010 NRA Annual Meeting
Today was a very good day. My wife and I attended the 2010 NRA Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC. We had a LOT of fun and met some amazing people. There were a few negatives so I'll get them out of the way first so I can focus on the good stuff...
First, the line management entering the hall was horrible. We were queued up in a line to enter, but people were allowed to just stream past the line and break to the front with no one challenging them. It's a small thing, but it bothered me. Also, I really wanted to go to the Chuck Norris book signing, but the line was far too long. That part isn't a complaint. It's good for him that he has so many fans and my loss that I didn't get in the line earlier. My complaint is the sign at the entrance to the line saying he would not allow anyone to photograph him and would not sign anything except his book. That just seemed rather crappy to me. If people are going to stand in a 2 - 3 hour line (and that is probably on the low side) you ought to sign anything they want and I can't see the harm of a quick snapshot with them when you are done. I still think the world of him, but I didn't like that at all. The last thing was at the very end. As we left, we saw a group of 8 - 10 protesters standing outside with lame handwritten signs that said things like "Lax gun laws kill" and "Close the gun show loophole". Inside, there was around 60,000 NRA members and this handful of losers were where the focus of the news crews were. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it is amazing to me that they can justify focusing on a TINY group while ignoring the HUGE group inside.
Okay, enough of the bitching. Let's talk about all the cool stuff...
First thing when we got onto the convention room floor, we headed straight to the Glock booth to try to get to meet R. Lee Ermey a.k.a. "Gunny". He wasn't there yet, but the line was already forming so we took our place and waited. He showed up about 9:30 and the line started moving really slow. I figured out why when we got to the front. He is just an amazingly nice guy and wanted to take the time to actually talk to each person instead of just signing a picture and sending them on their way. It was well worth it. I brought my copy of Full Metal Jacket on bluray and he signed the cover for me as well as one of the stock pictures. He also signed my wife's Glock hat she had just bought in the booth and a pic for her too. Then, he took the time to pose for a picture with me, then my wife, and then both of us. It was an amazing experience to get to meet and talk to him. He really is one of my heroes.
After that, we started walking the show floor and checking out all the cool merchandise. We saw a really cool circular gun safe from a company called Pendelton that was lit on the inside and had a rotating display case inside. We fondled the Springfield XDm in .45ACP and liked it. We handled the Bushmaster ACR and liked it, but not for the price. We handled the FN SKAR and liked it too, but also didn't think it was worth the price. I handled the Dan Wesson Valor in Stainless and liked it. I handled the new Remington 1911R1 and was surprisingly impressed. I saw the Kimber Custom Shop Super Carry Pro (Series 1!) and absolutely LOVED it! I also got to handle the new Ruger LCR in .357 Magnum and liked it a lot too. I also got to handle the Sig P238 and liked it but realized it was bigger than I had imagined so I'll stick with my LCP. I got to handle one of the new Sig P226 E2's and my wife and I both agreed the new grip is amazing! We also both really loved the grip on the HK P30 we got to handle. We got swag (a.k.a. free stuff) everywhere! We got pins and pens and playing cards and bottle openers and bags and catalogs and... well, a ton of stuff.
Now for more celebrity sitings... The first one I spotted (actually as we headed into the show) was Steve Lee. Later, we found him at a booth and got to speak to him and get his autograph. If you aren't familiar with him, he is the musician that wrote the song "I Like Guns". You can watch the video here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TC2xTCb_GU
Next was of course the Gunny and that was great. I got to see Ronnie Barrett but he was doing an on camera interview so I didn't have the chance to speak with him. After seeing all the cool stuff, we headed over to The Outdoor Channel booth and I got to have a nice 5 minute conversation with Michael Bane. He is a very cool, funny and nice guy and you'd never know he was a pseudo-celebrity from meeting him. We swung by the Smith & Wesson booth on the way out and found Jerry Miculek so I got his autograph. By that point I was pretty tired and not real talkative myself, but he seemed like a very nice guy as well.
There were also a large selection of MMA fighters at different booths but since I don't follow the sport I didn't know who they were and didn't ask for autographs. I had hoped to get a chance to meet Ted Nugent, but his signing session was just starting and we were running out of steam. My wife had worked 6pm - 6am the night before and then stayed up to go the show with me so I didn't want to push my luck by asking her to stay longer for one more autograph.
Overall, it was an amazing day. It was great to see all the nice people and the great products.
Oh... one more story that my wife witnessed and told me about later. About 1:30 we were getting hungry and made our way over to the concession stand. The line was long and the tables were full which was expected. My wife and I saw an elderly man behind us in line and when a seat opened up at the table next to the line we heard the people he was standing beside tell him to go ahead and sit down and they'd bring him his food. A minute later two more seats opened up at the table so my wife went to save those while I stayed in line to buy lunch. She said that the people brought the older man his food and he gave them the money. The younger guy went to get some ketchup for the older man and when he came back and handed him the fries with ketchup, he gave him the money back and said lunch was on him. Before the older guy could argue, they younger couple slipped away through the crowd. It turned out they didn't even know him. They just saw an older man standing in line and looking exhausted so they came over, helped him out then bought his lunch. THOSE are the people I'll remember from my experience today. Not the line breakers or the protesters but the genuinely good people that walked that convention hall floor today and did a good deed just because it was good.
I am truly blessed to live in this country and I am doubly blessed to have a wife who dealt with the crowds all day after working all night just because she knew it meant a lot to me. Thank you honey. I love you!
To the rest of you... stay safe out there and watch your six.
First, the line management entering the hall was horrible. We were queued up in a line to enter, but people were allowed to just stream past the line and break to the front with no one challenging them. It's a small thing, but it bothered me. Also, I really wanted to go to the Chuck Norris book signing, but the line was far too long. That part isn't a complaint. It's good for him that he has so many fans and my loss that I didn't get in the line earlier. My complaint is the sign at the entrance to the line saying he would not allow anyone to photograph him and would not sign anything except his book. That just seemed rather crappy to me. If people are going to stand in a 2 - 3 hour line (and that is probably on the low side) you ought to sign anything they want and I can't see the harm of a quick snapshot with them when you are done. I still think the world of him, but I didn't like that at all. The last thing was at the very end. As we left, we saw a group of 8 - 10 protesters standing outside with lame handwritten signs that said things like "Lax gun laws kill" and "Close the gun show loophole". Inside, there was around 60,000 NRA members and this handful of losers were where the focus of the news crews were. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it is amazing to me that they can justify focusing on a TINY group while ignoring the HUGE group inside.
Okay, enough of the bitching. Let's talk about all the cool stuff...
First thing when we got onto the convention room floor, we headed straight to the Glock booth to try to get to meet R. Lee Ermey a.k.a. "Gunny". He wasn't there yet, but the line was already forming so we took our place and waited. He showed up about 9:30 and the line started moving really slow. I figured out why when we got to the front. He is just an amazingly nice guy and wanted to take the time to actually talk to each person instead of just signing a picture and sending them on their way. It was well worth it. I brought my copy of Full Metal Jacket on bluray and he signed the cover for me as well as one of the stock pictures. He also signed my wife's Glock hat she had just bought in the booth and a pic for her too. Then, he took the time to pose for a picture with me, then my wife, and then both of us. It was an amazing experience to get to meet and talk to him. He really is one of my heroes.
After that, we started walking the show floor and checking out all the cool merchandise. We saw a really cool circular gun safe from a company called Pendelton that was lit on the inside and had a rotating display case inside. We fondled the Springfield XDm in .45ACP and liked it. We handled the Bushmaster ACR and liked it, but not for the price. We handled the FN SKAR and liked it too, but also didn't think it was worth the price. I handled the Dan Wesson Valor in Stainless and liked it. I handled the new Remington 1911R1 and was surprisingly impressed. I saw the Kimber Custom Shop Super Carry Pro (Series 1!) and absolutely LOVED it! I also got to handle the new Ruger LCR in .357 Magnum and liked it a lot too. I also got to handle the Sig P238 and liked it but realized it was bigger than I had imagined so I'll stick with my LCP. I got to handle one of the new Sig P226 E2's and my wife and I both agreed the new grip is amazing! We also both really loved the grip on the HK P30 we got to handle. We got swag (a.k.a. free stuff) everywhere! We got pins and pens and playing cards and bottle openers and bags and catalogs and... well, a ton of stuff.
Now for more celebrity sitings... The first one I spotted (actually as we headed into the show) was Steve Lee. Later, we found him at a booth and got to speak to him and get his autograph. If you aren't familiar with him, he is the musician that wrote the song "I Like Guns". You can watch the video here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TC2xTCb_GU
Next was of course the Gunny and that was great. I got to see Ronnie Barrett but he was doing an on camera interview so I didn't have the chance to speak with him. After seeing all the cool stuff, we headed over to The Outdoor Channel booth and I got to have a nice 5 minute conversation with Michael Bane. He is a very cool, funny and nice guy and you'd never know he was a pseudo-celebrity from meeting him. We swung by the Smith & Wesson booth on the way out and found Jerry Miculek so I got his autograph. By that point I was pretty tired and not real talkative myself, but he seemed like a very nice guy as well.
There were also a large selection of MMA fighters at different booths but since I don't follow the sport I didn't know who they were and didn't ask for autographs. I had hoped to get a chance to meet Ted Nugent, but his signing session was just starting and we were running out of steam. My wife had worked 6pm - 6am the night before and then stayed up to go the show with me so I didn't want to push my luck by asking her to stay longer for one more autograph.
Overall, it was an amazing day. It was great to see all the nice people and the great products.
Oh... one more story that my wife witnessed and told me about later. About 1:30 we were getting hungry and made our way over to the concession stand. The line was long and the tables were full which was expected. My wife and I saw an elderly man behind us in line and when a seat opened up at the table next to the line we heard the people he was standing beside tell him to go ahead and sit down and they'd bring him his food. A minute later two more seats opened up at the table so my wife went to save those while I stayed in line to buy lunch. She said that the people brought the older man his food and he gave them the money. The younger guy went to get some ketchup for the older man and when he came back and handed him the fries with ketchup, he gave him the money back and said lunch was on him. Before the older guy could argue, they younger couple slipped away through the crowd. It turned out they didn't even know him. They just saw an older man standing in line and looking exhausted so they came over, helped him out then bought his lunch. THOSE are the people I'll remember from my experience today. Not the line breakers or the protesters but the genuinely good people that walked that convention hall floor today and did a good deed just because it was good.
I am truly blessed to live in this country and I am doubly blessed to have a wife who dealt with the crowds all day after working all night just because she knew it meant a lot to me. Thank you honey. I love you!
To the rest of you... stay safe out there and watch your six.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
I never knew how much I didn't know
I have been talking for years about wanting to take some top quality training from one of the big schools like Gunsite or Thunder Ranch, but time and money never allowed this. The other day, I got a copy of Magpul Dynamics, The Art of the Tactical Carbine DVD set. I only had time to watch about 35 minutes so far, but something has already become VERY obvious. I had no idea how much I didn't know. I can't wait to go through the whole course on DVD and I already want to pick up The Art of the Tactical Carbine II and The Art of the Tactical Handgun by them. Production quality is top notch and the instructors seem to really know their stuff. It is no substitute for a 3 day carbine course, but it is definitely teaching me things.
Don't spend your gun money on a new gun this year if you can use that to get some good training instead. I'm realizing that knowing how to use the guns I have is far more important than getting a new gun. Ammo and training is where the money really needs to be spent.
Stay safe out there and watch your six.
Don't spend your gun money on a new gun this year if you can use that to get some good training instead. I'm realizing that knowing how to use the guns I have is far more important than getting a new gun. Ammo and training is where the money really needs to be spent.
Stay safe out there and watch your six.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Why I love my Dan Wesson CBOB
First, for those that are not familiar with this gun, it is a 1911 style gun made by Dan Wesson, which is owned by CZ-USA. CBOB is short for Commander Bobtail. The Bobtail was invented (as far as I know) by Ed Brown. Basically, he took a Commander sized 1911 and bobbed the tail off of it by cutting the corner off the mainspring housing. This accomplished a couple of things. It made the gun easier to conceal since the part that was mostly likely to print under your concealment garment was that corner. It also removed some weight. Lastly, it made the gun it bit more comfortable in the hand.
It was an awesome idea and an Ed Brown Kobra Karry which is the gun he does this feature on is an amazing gun. Unfortunately, it is also WAY out of my price range. I'm not saying it isn't worth it. I'm just saying I can't afford it. Then, came Dan Wesson. They started producing their own bobbed 1911 and the great part was that they use a lot of Ed Brown parts so the quality is still very good. They fit tight, work well, are basically MIM free (it would take too long to explain the pros and cons of MIM parts so just google it. You'll find more info than you can shake a stick at) and they cost about 1/3 the price of the Ed Brown model. I got mine a little over a year ago for $850. Today, they sell for right around $1000 but I heard that Dan Wesson plans a 25% price increase next year.
The gun shoots great, looks great and is setup pretty close to exactly how I would have a gun built if I had it done custom. My favorite part is that they come with yellow rear and green front night sights which is my favorite configuration. I have the same setup on 2 of my 3 Glocks. BTW, if you want to know what one looks like, it is the gun I chose to use for the graphic at the top of the blog.
Stay safe out there... and watch your six.
It was an awesome idea and an Ed Brown Kobra Karry which is the gun he does this feature on is an amazing gun. Unfortunately, it is also WAY out of my price range. I'm not saying it isn't worth it. I'm just saying I can't afford it. Then, came Dan Wesson. They started producing their own bobbed 1911 and the great part was that they use a lot of Ed Brown parts so the quality is still very good. They fit tight, work well, are basically MIM free (it would take too long to explain the pros and cons of MIM parts so just google it. You'll find more info than you can shake a stick at) and they cost about 1/3 the price of the Ed Brown model. I got mine a little over a year ago for $850. Today, they sell for right around $1000 but I heard that Dan Wesson plans a 25% price increase next year.
The gun shoots great, looks great and is setup pretty close to exactly how I would have a gun built if I had it done custom. My favorite part is that they come with yellow rear and green front night sights which is my favorite configuration. I have the same setup on 2 of my 3 Glocks. BTW, if you want to know what one looks like, it is the gun I chose to use for the graphic at the top of the blog.
Stay safe out there... and watch your six.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Life is too short
Yesterday, I wrote an article here blasting a radio personality that had done something to seriously offend me. I then went on several gun forums and expanded on my gripe with this person. After thinking about it all day, I have deleted my previous post. What I have decided is that life is too short to get so wound up about what someone else says. If the old post offended anyone, I apologize. I was just pissed and needed to vent. If you missed it and want to know what it was about, don't ask. I'm not going to rehash it again. It was something unimportant that I made way too big of a deal about. I'll try to write something more useful to my readers (both of you) in the next day or two.
Until then, stay safe out there and watch your six.
Until then, stay safe out there and watch your six.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
A rant about gun shop sales people
I had originally planned to write this article on my new concealed carry pistol. Unfortunately, the used gun I bought turned out to be a jam-o-matic and thankfully the seller gave me a full refund. This meant that I headed out yesterday to hit the gun shops and try once again to find my new concealed carry gun.
First, let me qualify this by saying that I worked for over a year and a half at the largest gun shop in the Carolinas. Also, my family ran a pawn shop and gun shop for most of my life and I worked there off and on from the time I could see over the counter so I know what it is like to be on the sales person's side of the counter.
I walked into a local pawn shop that I have visited many times before and while they are small, there selection and prices on guns is generally very good. I took a look at a S&W M&P9c and really liked the feel of the gun in my hand. However, as I was examining it I noticed a small hole toward the back of the frame that looked suspiciously like an internal lock. I have a philosophical hatred for internal locks for several reasons that I'll go into later. I asked the salesman if that hole was an internal lock and without hesitating he just said "Nope, that gun doesn't have a lock."
A less knowledgeable customer would probably have just took him at his word, but the little circular arrow and letter 'L' next to it sure did look like a lock. I asked if I could see the owner's manual and after browsing it, I found a picture of that section of the gun that identified it as an internal lock. Apparently, that model is offered in a variation with the lock and another variation without it. Since the only one they had was with the lock, I thanked them for their time and left.
I then headed to another gun shop I've bought from before and asked them if they had an M&P9c. Yes, they had just gotten a shipment in and they pulled one out of the case to show me. I looked it over and there was that pock mark on the side of the gun again. I pointed this out to the salesman and asked if they had one without the lock. First, the guy looked at me like an idiot and told me that wasn't a lock. When I explained to him and I had just gone through this at another shop and if he'd like to get out the manual, I'd prove it to him too, he suddenly realized it was a lock. Then, instead of checking his inventory he decided to ask me in a rather condescending voice what I had against the lock.
I explained to him my objections...
1. They are ugly. They are a pock mark on a beautiful gun.
2. On lighter weight, heavy recoiling models they have been known to self-engage turning the gun you were just firing into a very expensive paper weight and possibly getting you killed if it happened at the worst time.
3. The KISS principle says to keep it simple and the lock is just one added complication.
4. It is the principle of the fact that S&W and others caved to the corporate lawyers and installed a useless device.
He looked down his nose at me and just said that you couldn't find these guns anywhere and if I wanted one I needed to just get one with the lock. He didn't seem to like it when I told him I wasn't going to spend nearly $600 on something that wasn't the model that I wanted.
I ended up going to the large shop I used to work at and bought a Glock 26 which is what I should have bought to begin with.
So, if you work at a gun shop here are a few pieces of advice...
1. Know the products you are selling.
2. If a customer asks a question you don't know the answer to, find out the answer instead of just making something up. You are selling devices that people may use to defend their lives. You better give them accurate info.
3. Don't stand there and argue with a customer about what they want. Especially, when the customer has already proven he knows more about the product than you do.
The first shop was kind enough to pull out the manual and gave me no grief about what I was looking for. I'm not happy that the salesman initially gave me bad info but at least he didn't argue with me about it and he even agreed he hated the locks too. The second shop will never get my business again. This is not the first time that someone there has given me bad info and then argued with me about it. A couple of years ago I was looking for a new gun that had just came out. When I checked with them, they told me that none had shipped and they were not available yet. When I told them I had just left another gun shop where I held one in my hand but could not buy it because it was pre-sold to someone else, they actually called me a liar and said none would ship for at least another month. Oddly enough, I managed to buy two of those guns within a week of that conversation. Their attitude sucks and they won't get any more of my money. I really don't know why I shopped with them again after the last incident. This is a shame because they are the shop closest to my house and actually have a very large selection and pretty good prices.
People refer to a lot of gun shop sales staff as gun shop commandos. Today, I got a great lesson in what those people mean. We are in an uphill fight to keep our gun rights. The only way we win is to bring more people into our hobby. We can't do this when people interested in getting into the hobby run into goons like I met today. That will turn them off and we will lose a new ally. Ok, my rant is over. Stay safe out there and watch your six.
First, let me qualify this by saying that I worked for over a year and a half at the largest gun shop in the Carolinas. Also, my family ran a pawn shop and gun shop for most of my life and I worked there off and on from the time I could see over the counter so I know what it is like to be on the sales person's side of the counter.
I walked into a local pawn shop that I have visited many times before and while they are small, there selection and prices on guns is generally very good. I took a look at a S&W M&P9c and really liked the feel of the gun in my hand. However, as I was examining it I noticed a small hole toward the back of the frame that looked suspiciously like an internal lock. I have a philosophical hatred for internal locks for several reasons that I'll go into later. I asked the salesman if that hole was an internal lock and without hesitating he just said "Nope, that gun doesn't have a lock."
A less knowledgeable customer would probably have just took him at his word, but the little circular arrow and letter 'L' next to it sure did look like a lock. I asked if I could see the owner's manual and after browsing it, I found a picture of that section of the gun that identified it as an internal lock. Apparently, that model is offered in a variation with the lock and another variation without it. Since the only one they had was with the lock, I thanked them for their time and left.
I then headed to another gun shop I've bought from before and asked them if they had an M&P9c. Yes, they had just gotten a shipment in and they pulled one out of the case to show me. I looked it over and there was that pock mark on the side of the gun again. I pointed this out to the salesman and asked if they had one without the lock. First, the guy looked at me like an idiot and told me that wasn't a lock. When I explained to him and I had just gone through this at another shop and if he'd like to get out the manual, I'd prove it to him too, he suddenly realized it was a lock. Then, instead of checking his inventory he decided to ask me in a rather condescending voice what I had against the lock.
I explained to him my objections...
1. They are ugly. They are a pock mark on a beautiful gun.
2. On lighter weight, heavy recoiling models they have been known to self-engage turning the gun you were just firing into a very expensive paper weight and possibly getting you killed if it happened at the worst time.
3. The KISS principle says to keep it simple and the lock is just one added complication.
4. It is the principle of the fact that S&W and others caved to the corporate lawyers and installed a useless device.
He looked down his nose at me and just said that you couldn't find these guns anywhere and if I wanted one I needed to just get one with the lock. He didn't seem to like it when I told him I wasn't going to spend nearly $600 on something that wasn't the model that I wanted.
I ended up going to the large shop I used to work at and bought a Glock 26 which is what I should have bought to begin with.
So, if you work at a gun shop here are a few pieces of advice...
1. Know the products you are selling.
2. If a customer asks a question you don't know the answer to, find out the answer instead of just making something up. You are selling devices that people may use to defend their lives. You better give them accurate info.
3. Don't stand there and argue with a customer about what they want. Especially, when the customer has already proven he knows more about the product than you do.
The first shop was kind enough to pull out the manual and gave me no grief about what I was looking for. I'm not happy that the salesman initially gave me bad info but at least he didn't argue with me about it and he even agreed he hated the locks too. The second shop will never get my business again. This is not the first time that someone there has given me bad info and then argued with me about it. A couple of years ago I was looking for a new gun that had just came out. When I checked with them, they told me that none had shipped and they were not available yet. When I told them I had just left another gun shop where I held one in my hand but could not buy it because it was pre-sold to someone else, they actually called me a liar and said none would ship for at least another month. Oddly enough, I managed to buy two of those guns within a week of that conversation. Their attitude sucks and they won't get any more of my money. I really don't know why I shopped with them again after the last incident. This is a shame because they are the shop closest to my house and actually have a very large selection and pretty good prices.
People refer to a lot of gun shop sales staff as gun shop commandos. Today, I got a great lesson in what those people mean. We are in an uphill fight to keep our gun rights. The only way we win is to bring more people into our hobby. We can't do this when people interested in getting into the hobby run into goons like I met today. That will turn them off and we will lose a new ally. Ok, my rant is over. Stay safe out there and watch your six.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Bug Out Bag / Get Home Bag / 72 Hour Kit
This is a subject I've been thinking about a lot lately and I wanted to share my philosophy on it. First, for those that aren't familiar with it, I'll define it. A Bug Out Bag (known as a BOB) is a bag or box or container that holds the things you would need to grab if you had to leave your home in a moment's notice and not know when you would return. Think of it this way... if emergency crews banged on your door in the middle of the night and told you there was a mandatory evacuation due to a wild fire or a gas leak or a crazy man with a gun on the loose, this is the bag you'd grab as you ran out the door. They aren't going to stand around while you pack so if you don't have it ready to go you'll leave with the clothes on your back. A Get Home Bag is a bag you usually keep in your car so that if you are not at home when the emergency hits you can either get home (in the car or on foot if needed) or can get to where you plan to meet up with your family. A 72 Hour Kit is the supplies you'd need to survive for 72 hours if no utilities or other resources are available.
Due to financial restraints as well as lack of storage, I have tried to combine all three of these ideas into a single kit which I call a BOB, but could really be used to bug out, bug in or get home. The point of all this is that you never no when terrorism, crime or mother nature are going to disrupt your plans and if you aren't prepared your chances of surviving are greatly reduced. If you want to know how bad it good get, just take a look at what happened during and after Hurricane Katrina.
The first thing to remember when building a BOB is that it is worthless if you can't carry it. You need to take a good, honest look at your own physical fitness and determine how big and heavy of a kit you can handle. Some are minimalist and will put the bare essentials in something like a Maxpedition Versipack (excellent bags by the way) while others will fill a full framed backpack like they plan to hike the Appalachian Trail for 6 months on their own. Personally, I think the wise choice is in the middle, but only you can make that choice.
Once you've determined how much you can carry and chosen a suitable container for your BOB (I prefer backpacks just because they are easier to carry) then you can start thinking about what to put in the bag. First priority should be what you need to live. That would be food, water, shelter and fire. Food can be as simple as protein powder and Slim Jims, but you need something. Water is a tough one because of the weight it adds. What I do is carry a small amount of water (4 20oz. bottles) and then some water purification tablets to make drinkable water if I have no other choice. I also carry an empty canteen that I can put on my belt for when and if I find a clear stream or some other source. For shelter I'd recommend some survival blankets and paracord. You aren't going to be able to fit a full tent very well in the pack and you can at least make do with the blanket and cord. For fire, I like to carry several disposable lighters as well as some waterproof matches.
Once you've got that stuff packed away, look how much room you have left in your bag. This is all personal opinion but the next things I would definitely want in my bag would be...
1. A good first aid kit
2. A change of clothes (especially a wide brim hat, something to keep warm, dry underwear and socks and some comfortable shoes)
3. A good, fixed blade knife
4. Area maps
5. Something to write with and to write on
6. A towel
7. A light source (or two)
8. A crank powered radio
If you manage to fit all that in your pack and still have some room first check the weight. If you think you can handle more weight then you can add other things that you think you might personally need to keep you somewhat comfortable. Here are a few suggestions in no particular order.
1. Some hard candy
2. Playing cards
3. A spare wallet with some cash and photocopies of your driver's license, medical insurance, etc...
4. Spare eye glasses or contacts if you wear them
5. Knife sharpener
6. Toilet paper
7. Sunscreen
8. Gold Bond powder
9. Signaling mirror
10. Foot warmers (those disposable chemical packs)
11. Rain poncho
12. Spare batteries for your flashlight
13. Gerber Multi-Tool or Leatherman
14. Compass
15. Whistle
16. A pre-paid phone card
17. Some Oral-B Brush Ups and some Plackers (those toothpick/floss things)\
18. Caffeinated Mints
19. Lip Balm
If you do a google search for bug out bags you will find tons of other lists. I encourage you to take a look at what they suggest as well and take your favorites from all of them. Just remember not to go overboard and build a pack you can't actually carry. Good luck and hopefully this is one of those things you have but never need.
One last point. Things like food, water, pain pills, batteries, etc... go bad. Be sure to go through your pack a couple of times per year and replace anything getting close to the expiration date. Stay safe out there... and watch your six.
Due to financial restraints as well as lack of storage, I have tried to combine all three of these ideas into a single kit which I call a BOB, but could really be used to bug out, bug in or get home. The point of all this is that you never no when terrorism, crime or mother nature are going to disrupt your plans and if you aren't prepared your chances of surviving are greatly reduced. If you want to know how bad it good get, just take a look at what happened during and after Hurricane Katrina.
The first thing to remember when building a BOB is that it is worthless if you can't carry it. You need to take a good, honest look at your own physical fitness and determine how big and heavy of a kit you can handle. Some are minimalist and will put the bare essentials in something like a Maxpedition Versipack (excellent bags by the way) while others will fill a full framed backpack like they plan to hike the Appalachian Trail for 6 months on their own. Personally, I think the wise choice is in the middle, but only you can make that choice.
Once you've determined how much you can carry and chosen a suitable container for your BOB (I prefer backpacks just because they are easier to carry) then you can start thinking about what to put in the bag. First priority should be what you need to live. That would be food, water, shelter and fire. Food can be as simple as protein powder and Slim Jims, but you need something. Water is a tough one because of the weight it adds. What I do is carry a small amount of water (4 20oz. bottles) and then some water purification tablets to make drinkable water if I have no other choice. I also carry an empty canteen that I can put on my belt for when and if I find a clear stream or some other source. For shelter I'd recommend some survival blankets and paracord. You aren't going to be able to fit a full tent very well in the pack and you can at least make do with the blanket and cord. For fire, I like to carry several disposable lighters as well as some waterproof matches.
Once you've got that stuff packed away, look how much room you have left in your bag. This is all personal opinion but the next things I would definitely want in my bag would be...
1. A good first aid kit
2. A change of clothes (especially a wide brim hat, something to keep warm, dry underwear and socks and some comfortable shoes)
3. A good, fixed blade knife
4. Area maps
5. Something to write with and to write on
6. A towel
7. A light source (or two)
8. A crank powered radio
If you manage to fit all that in your pack and still have some room first check the weight. If you think you can handle more weight then you can add other things that you think you might personally need to keep you somewhat comfortable. Here are a few suggestions in no particular order.
1. Some hard candy
2. Playing cards
3. A spare wallet with some cash and photocopies of your driver's license, medical insurance, etc...
4. Spare eye glasses or contacts if you wear them
5. Knife sharpener
6. Toilet paper
7. Sunscreen
8. Gold Bond powder
9. Signaling mirror
10. Foot warmers (those disposable chemical packs)
11. Rain poncho
12. Spare batteries for your flashlight
13. Gerber Multi-Tool or Leatherman
14. Compass
15. Whistle
16. A pre-paid phone card
17. Some Oral-B Brush Ups and some Plackers (those toothpick/floss things)\
18. Caffeinated Mints
19. Lip Balm
If you do a google search for bug out bags you will find tons of other lists. I encourage you to take a look at what they suggest as well and take your favorites from all of them. Just remember not to go overboard and build a pack you can't actually carry. Good luck and hopefully this is one of those things you have but never need.
One last point. Things like food, water, pain pills, batteries, etc... go bad. Be sure to go through your pack a couple of times per year and replace anything getting close to the expiration date. Stay safe out there... and watch your six.
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