Bug IN bag

[ericire12]

I have one of those vest and never thought of that way to use it.  Thanks.

Same here....I bought it as a 'range use' vest to keep shooting stuff at the ready while at the range. I actually forgot it was in the closet. 

Bane has one too..... I think his is just for weddings and black tie affairs





A tactical vest of some kind is the best way to go. It would be the quickest way to go into loaded up mode and would probably make it easier to access your mags then from a bag.

I talked a buddy of mine into keeping one on his boat to feed the AR he has onboard. I was able to successfully get through to him that he might need a great deal of ammo if he ever needed to try to keep a bad guy's boat at a distance, and the "easy off" ability of a vest could be a life saver if he ever fell overboard. He does a lot of trips where he goes far enough off shore that pirates are actually a possibility 

As far as the Quaker/Texcaliber feud.... Is it just me or is anyone else surprised that there is someone left on this forum that actually takes Quaker seriously? ZING! I think the idea of the bug in bag is more focused on long term bug in situations, not facing down a home invader/burglar and then waiting for the cops......... more so for those situations where there might not be any cops! I saw a lot of news coverage during Katrina of people sitting on their porch with a shotgun across their lap, but none of those people were carrying reloads. I think in an extended bug in situation where you had to stay and defend the castle, a quickly deployable system for reloads, backup gun, etc is a very good thing to have.

[JC5123]

I think the idea of the bug in bag is more focused on long term bug in situations, not facing down a home invader/burglar and then waiting for the cops......... more so for those situations where there might not be any cops! I saw a lot of news coverage during Katrina of people sitting on their porch with a shotgun across their lap, but none of those people were carrying reloads. I think in an extended bug in situation where you had to stay and defend the castle, a quickly deployable system for reloads, backup gun, etc is a very good thing to have.

I got that impression too, from the title at least. As far as that goes my house IS my bug-in-bag. Everything I would need to bunker in for about a month. Maybe 6 weeks if I ration from the outset. I personally feel that this is the amount of time needed to know if this is going to turn into a long term survival situation, or for the disaster to be over. Either way I have enough time to take the next step. Either procuring more supplies, or just waiting it out. I also decided to stop at this level (at least for now) because it is the balance of food, water, and equipment that I could load up in the truck and bug out if I had to. There is no standing around looking at a pile of stuff and trying to prioritize what stays, and what goes. It all goes. It has been scrutinized and deemed required. Load it all up, grab the family, and lets hit the BACK road! Or, since the powers out, start thawing out all the meat in the freezer, we're making jerky kids!

[bafsu92]

IMO. the only thing you are missing is the OC spray and Cell phone. I like to have options and the only break-in'ish experienced was a drunk neighbor whom I would of been justified Spraying but not shooting.
tex

Yea, I didn't mention that but we each have a cordless phone on our nightstand and I also have my cell there every night. I moved my cell charger from the front door area to the nightstand about a year ago. It took some getting used to but gives a backup with no power or phone lines. We still charge my wife's phone near the front door so if needed I could always grab it on the move. We do have an OC canister in my wife's nightstand and also in her purse. When we build a new house in a year or so I will have a safe room in the design with easy access to our room and the kids room.

As far as a tac vest vs. "Fudd" vest or whatever, I think the point is if you already own something that will work for your needs then use it. Don't run out and buy "tacticool" gear if you don't need it. I already had this vest which really looks more like a photographers vest than a "tac" vest. Most of us here would identify the look as a CCW carrier in public but it's still not as menacing a look as wearing a true tac vest which to me is a MOLLE style plate carrier type vest with mag shingles etc. I also own one of those with soft body armor and even though it would provide me an additional level of safety to have the soft body armor while engaging potential intruder(s) within my home I for sure don't want to have that look when the local LEO's arrive.

 My photog/tac vest really isn't that menacing of a look, it doesn't really scream tactical any more than my dove vest does, and I can slip it off as fast as I put it on. I would pretty much guarantee if it was back on it's hook by the bed or hanging over the back of a kitchen chair the average cop that comes into the house following a self defense situation, shooting or otherwise, isn't going to look twice at the vest hanging on a hook or chair. If you had some MOLLE gear vest with holsters and mags hanging off it that seemed as well equipped as what my local SWAT team carried then you might get scrutinized a bit more. I personally wouldn't even worry about that here where I live since odds are I'd know at least half the responding officers but you'd have to gauge that on your own situation.

[Solus]

I agree about your house being your Bug In Bag during a long period.   If I lived in a Winnebago, it would be my Bug Out Bag too.

What I was getting at was that brief moment you have after finding an intruder is in your house to grab what you need to protect yourself and others.  

This is what I have that I can get into play in under a minute, not what I have stockpiled for the siege.

The "tactical" vest is pretty much what I had in mind with this post.  Should have figured it out myself.

Thanks again for the thoughts.

[PegLeg45]

Bane has one too..... I think his is just for weddings and black tie affairs

I also have a Hawaiian shirt now too........should make a great combo.   

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

I agree with FQ only an idiot would pay extra   because it's "Tacticool".
I bought a vest for concealment, It has loops for 10 shotgun shells,
Starting at the right shoulder and moving down
First pocket
Flashlight
Next Pocket
Butts and lighter
Large bottom pocket
Bottle of Aspirin (100 count ) Water bottle (1 liter )
Inside pocket
 Shades or safety glasses Depends on which ones I'm wearing, the others are in this pocket )
Left Top
Note book, 2 markers and a pen, package of antacid and packet of "Triple antibiotic " band aids
Middle pocket
Cell phone
Bottom large pocket
Nitro pills, Knife sharpener, and survival kit with Magnesium chips, Matches, fish hooks, fish line, sinkers and a wire saw, and a paper back book
Inside pocket
Ear plugs

No one even notices because it doesn't scream "I'm a ninja wannabe"
Instead it screams "Here's a guy who lives out of his pockets".
And no one has ever noticed the 2 pistols, 2 spare mags, and 2 knives I carry elsewhere.

PS, Texcaliber, you had to make quite a stretch to get offended by FQ's comment, I'll make it easy for you, when you rag on him out side the politics section, you and Eric sound like my ex wife. If that does not deeply offend you, you don't know my Ex.
See you next Tuesday .    

[seeker_two]

As for looking less paranoid yahoo, that was mentioned previous to your post about not appearing to the police officers wearing a tactical vest and underwear.  You simply continued that humorous thread.

It would be less "paranoid yahoo" than if you appeared wearing a tactical vest and NO underwear.... 


Another option would be a safety or carpenters' vest....

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xkj/R-202073069/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xkj/R-202218043/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Tool-Storage-Aprons-Pouches/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xkjZbasg/R-100375408/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Tool-Storage-Aprons-Pouches/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xkjZbasg/R-100155225/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Tool-Storage-Aprons-Pouches/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xkjZbasg/R-100155465/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Tool-Storage-Aprons-Pouches/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xkjZbasg/R-100672666/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

[Bic]

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I admit to owning this, far from expensive at about $39 new including shipping via EBay. It came with a belt which I have used for another purpose. Surprisingly good quality and very comfortable. I'm sure I could come up with some sort of good looking fake acronym (DRTV?) to stick on the ID patch if I were to be worried about 'friendly fire', but as I'm about 20 minutes away from the closest Sheriff's deputy.............I'm not

[MikeBjerum]

As gun guys or those that hang with them, we see MB in his vest and say GUN ... SHOOT  ME  FIRST!!!  However, we need to remember that anyone coming into our home is planning on shooting us first, and out in public most people don't recognize the vest as anything threatening.

I am thinking of taking a page from the fanny pack advice, and putting a photography patch on the front and back of a concealment vest, and let the general public think I'm a a photo geek.

When talking about what others will think we need to try and think like them.  A lesson from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and firearm safety and hunter ed - 11% of the nation's population are pro-hunting, 9% are anti-hunting, and 80% of the nation's population has no opinion.  That same 80% has little information on areas of shooting, and most of the 9% are clueless as well.  Then go with the idea that most of the pro-gun people aren't "bad guys," and how many people are really going to recognize a vest that screams gun to us.

[fightingquaker13]

As gun guys or those that hang with them, we see MB in his vest and say GUN ... SHOOT  ME  FIRST!!!  However, we need to remember that anyone coming into our home is planning on shooting us first, and out in public most people don't recognize the vest as anything threatening.

I am thinking of taking a page from the fanny pack advice, and putting a photography patch on the front and back of a concealment vest, and let the general public think I'm a a photo geek.

When talking about what others will think we need to try and think like them.  A lesson from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and firearm safety and hunter ed - 11% of the nation's population are pro-hunting, 9% are anti-hunting, and 80% of the nation's population has no opinion.  That same 80% has little information on areas of shooting, and most of the 9% are clueless as well.  Then go with the idea that most of the pro-gun people aren't "bad guys," and how many people are really going to recognize a vest that screams gun to us.

Good point. Its on this same topic that I'll include a PM I sent to another member. I was a bit exassperated with Texcalibers thinking I was making a political statement when reccomending a bird vest (for the record, I really wasn't). It got me to thinking about how "tacticool" had blinded us to tactical. The post is a bit tongue in cheek and obviously not meant literally. It was just food for thought with a bit of irony and humor thrown in.
Here's the post about "tacticool" vs tactical cammo.

This is something that gets lost on this board and every other I've ever been on. Cammo is designed to blend in with AN environment. We get fixated on woodland/desert military stuff.

Well, what works in an urban environment? If you were serious about this, well.....you would look like a lawyer, a blue collar worker bee, a homeless guy. Someone no one notices and no one looks at twice. I swear, if you shoot somone, you want an el cheapo reliable gun that makes you look like an amateur who just got scared and bought one out of fear and modeling the cops. (Bonus points if you're a woman and its pink) . You would have read this board but never posted and have an Obama sticker on your car. If you have to get pro active? Your tactical vehicle would be a shopping cart, your "tactical pants" would be pissed in twice, you wouldn't have shaved or showered for two weeks and you'd be half in the bag and puke on the shoes of any officer who dared to get within ten feet of you. Alternatively, sharply dressed, perfect grammar and an attitude of privilege. "How can I help you gentlemen? Questions? Well, you'll have to talk to my attorney, here's her card". Lesson the first, Don't be seen.
FQ13