OT - BAG OF EVIL

[rjohns94]

JJ Miller's thread on what to carry in a truck came at a time when I am transitioning from a bug out bag, to a bag of evil. this is based on an article and subsequent study of a website (listed below). I found I connected to this way of thinking as a Sheep Dog. Wanted to Share this:

My kit is moving towards this:



Like many reading this I am a bag whore and my quest for the perfect BOE (Bag of Evil), the MCS name for our EDC bags, has over the years seen several bags from backpacks to messenger bags.

Several years ago I gave up using a backpack for EDC for three reasons. One was that I seldom used both straps as intended and instead just tossed it over my shoulder using only one. Two, I like to be able to work out of my EDC bag like a big pocket since it is full of stuff that I use all the time, and backpacks did not lend themselves well to that. The last thing was that most of the time my BOE goes from the house to car and back again, and backpacks just don't work well for front seat bags.

After relegating the use of backpacks to times when I would be on foot for long periods of time, I began my quest for the perfect messenger bag / soft sided brief case. During this time I used awesome bags from several of the top tactical nylon manufacturers. These bags were all bomb proof and well thought out. The two major problems I found was that they were either too blocky and or too big. They also screamed tactical.

In early 2007, I saw a post on a forum for an inexpensive copy of the bag Jack Bauer carried on the series 24. It looked interesting so I ordered three of them since they were only about $25 each. The easiest place to find them seems to be on amazon.com. Upon receiving them, I used one and gave one to both my wife and oldest daughter.

I had been using my bag for a while when my Mom was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. For better than a week I lived out of my Jack Bauer Bag. Several times I have posted about my disdain for BOBs (Bug out Bags) that are full of break in case of emergency stuff instead of the BOE/EDC bag that you live and work out of everyday.

Part of the BOE concept is making sure you have enough room in the bag to add mission essential gear in addition to things you pick up along the way. My new bag and BOE concept worked well for me allowing me to have all my normal stuff (clothes, foodstuffs, and my laptop and cables).

Later in the year my lust for new nylon continued and I went through a few more bags. Eventually I gave my original bag to my Dad. Then one day I noticed exactly how well my daughter's bag had held up as it began it's second school year carrying a very heavy load of books. The weight of the books along with and care of the bag on the part of my daughter left the bag no worse for wear. My wife had used hers infrequently and usually as a weekend getaway bag since it easily swallowed everything she would need.

That was it. I had to have another. At the same time I looked at my website and saw an article I had written on what I carried in the BOE and decided it should be updated to reflect changes. To kill two birds with one stone, I decided to do a review on the Jack Bauer Bag by Rothco and an update on my EDC and some reasons behind it.

Before getting into the bag I will first talk about my first line gear (gear carried on the person)

Most of the time this includes-
- Glock 23 w/ spare mag (i carry a .357 revolver)
- Surefire L2 (i carry a surefire backup)
- Spyderco Military / Al Mar Payara (one or the other as a primary defensive folder) ( I carry a benchmade AFCK)
- Al Mar SERE 2000 / Strider SMF (one or the other as a utility folder) ( I dont carry this)
- Emerson Combat Karambit (worn reverse grip, reaction side) (don't carry one of these, instead I have my Randall in my truck)
- Leatherman Squire S2 (my favorite multi-tool that I use for everything)(leatherman WAVE for me)
- Titanium Zippo with butane insert (Lighter in car)
- Foster Coin Sap (don't have one YET!)

OK, now we can get back to the bag. My current bag was purchased from Galaxy Army Navy for approximately $27 shipped, which is about 75% cheaper than any other bags that have served as BOEs.
Bag of Evil Contents Revealed

Bag of Evil Contents Revealed

Bag of Evil Contents Revealed

The bag is made of heavy canvas and has a two-inch wide non- detachable shoulder strap that offers lots of room for adjustment. The hardware through out the bag has a handsome antique brass finish.

The pockets / compartments of the bag are as follows-
- One large compartment with a small wallet type pouch that features the only zipper on the bag. This small pouch is the perfect size for my Spec Ops, the Wallet
- Two side pockets that have the ability to be snapped closed
- Two large front pockets bringing the total to six pockets overall
- A large flap easily covers even an overstuffed bag and secures with two pieces of Velcro

Now for the contents-
Bag of Evil Contents Revealed

Even though I carry this bag most of the time, there are occasions such as when on a day trip etc that I would rather carry my Eagle AIII. To facilitate easy transition and quality of carry I like to subload the contents of my BOE into the following.
Most often used items
Camelbak water bottle
- 1030 Pelican case containing Oakley sunglasses, lens cloth and repair kit (Ray Ban - No Pelican case)
- 1020 Pelican case containing digital camera (camera phone)
- Baby wipes / Hand sanitizer (check)

Trauma Kit
- CAT tourniquet
- Quick Clot
- Asherman Chest Seal
- Large roll of Kerlix gauze
- 3-inch elastic bandage

Boo Boo Kit
- Fabric band aides
- Burn Gel
- Tagaderm
- Steri Strips
- Triple antibiotic ointment
- Medical tape
- Dermabond
- New Skin

EIK (Emergency Intervention Kit)
- Rubber gloves
- Mechanix work gloves
- Becker Tac Tool wrapped with 32 feet of parachute cord
- Hand towel
- Krill lamp
- Boker Subcom rescue tool

Possibles Bag
- Large OD bandana
- Surefire Backup
- Cylume light sticks
- Laser pointer
- Dental floss
- Safety pins
- Zip ties
- (4) spare 123a batteries
- Kershaw knife bit kit
- Ibuprofen
- Tums
- Artificial tears
- Ti-spork
- Mini Bic lighter
- Lighter magnifier
- Parachute cord fast rope
- Suunto wrist compass


I read this on a site: http://www.moderncombativesystems.com/d ... cles20.htm

Alnitak put me on to it and after reading the information, I found that Ihad to agree with his philosophies and his ideas on what to have in a "bag of evil". I am not sure, unless we go rogue, that we will need a bug out bag in the near future. This is a change in my position over the years. Instead, we as sheep dogs, will be the first responders, because of our mindset, to car accidents, entrapments, building collapse, etc. I want to be more prepared in those events and hence, more prepared over all. Any way, just my thoughts. Hope you enjoy the site. I was shopping this weekend for many of the items listed above. Once assembled, it will be in my truck. I have chosen different weapons, and different knives, but the bag will generally be the same contents.

[O.S.O.K.]

My big thing is to have a capable vehicle (4x4) and something to fight with if need be (G17 with extra mag). I also have a folding 9mm Keltec Sub2000 that fits into a small pack and takes the same mags as the G17 - if things are looking iffy and I want more insurance, that goes in the Jeep too. I routinely carry my old Ken Onion folder which gets used for everything from opening letters and boxes to slicing onions in a pinch.

That's about it - My first priority in any bad times situation is to get back home to wife and kids.

[Blaine]

I should get off me bum and get organized........Nice write-up, Sir...

[Modoc ED]

You guys are kidding right???? You carry all that stuff????

You want a 4x4 in good conditon so you can bug out????? I got news for your. If you live in a city/town of any size near a really big city, you aren't going anywhere. The gridlock will be unpenetrable. If you're not already out of the city when the stuff hits the fan, you're stuck. If any vehicle might be suitable, it would be a two wheeled scooter, motorbike, motorcycle, dirt bike, combo road/off road dirt bike.

What if you and the members of your family aren't together when the stuff hits the fan????? Are you gonna wait for everyone to come home or are you gonna leave maybe your wife or maybe one of your kids to fend for themselves and bug out.

I think for many people living anywhere near a large city they should consider having a "HUNKER DOWN BAG" instead of a bug out bag.

I carry the guns in my truck for hunting not bugging out.

Don't get me wrong. I respect everyone's thoughts and ideas. I just don't think everyone is thinking things all the way through.

Right after 9/11 many people from San Diego, CA, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, -- even Sacramento, CA came to my area and bought land thinking that if something like that happened again, they would have somewhere to go. The thing they didn't take into consideration was that they'll never get out of those areas in order to come here. The roads/freeways will be one big parking lot.

So, you guys lighten your loads and stay home.

[Old Ironsights]

I see the BOE as an entirely different animal than a BoB.

The items listed in the BOE look to be more of the "Road Hazard/Contingency" type of gear than a "Bug Out" colection.

I don't have a proper Medic Bag to haul my gear, but as a one-time-EMT I tend to haul around a lot of "fix broken people & things" gear too. The Gun(s) and Knive(s) are just part of my daily wear, not bug-out.

[Blaine]

I suppose "hunker down" would describe my plans, too. The Water Utility I work for will need me in the case of emergencies (or at least I hope they do ). I live real close to work, so I suspect I'd button up the Double Wide and ride it out. It's a very small intimate park with only one way in and you can see everything and everybodies home nearly at once. But, just in case, I can go live in the woods for quite awhile if necessary.

[O.S.O.K.]

I'm not planning on bugging out. I travel for a living and if I'm in my vehicle as opposed to flying somewhere, then I'm glad to have a 4x4 that can drive down a median, make my own texit, etc. to get me back home.

I live in a small Texas town. No not China Grove - that's down around San Antonio... I have to travel to larger cities though - hopefully, if something is going down, I'll have some time to get the heck out. But then sometimes things happen rapidly.

This is all very unlikely but you never know.

[Modoc ED]

As far as bugging out goes, I still have the picture in my mind of all those people trying to get out of Corpus Cristi (SP?), TX during the hurricanes last year. It was bumper to bumper for a couple/three hundred miles and THAT was with the police making the interstaes one way (out of town) for all lanes.

I live in a real, real, rural area and I'm staying home. This is where all my ammo and food (and the wife to cook it) along with my guns are.

[Scott64A]

You know what I plan on carrying as well as a good BoB?
A sturdy Mosin Nagant with bayonet.

No joke.
These were made to be bugged out with, and include all you need to get by in terms of cleaning and care for a while. One can use motor oil to clean in a pinch, but it has a two-sided flask for oil and solvent, tools for cleaning and takedown. The best thing: it's built like a tank and shoots a 2" group at 100yds.
The worst thing: It is almost as tall as me, and has to be slung on a shoulder.

Another good point is that darn pike bayonet! Yet more, 440 rounds of ammo in a sealed spam can can be plopped in the bottom of a sturdy backpack.
One more good thing?
It WILL kill anything on this planet.

Sure, there will be a sidearm, but until I get my hands on a .357mag levergun, any one of the three battle rifles I own will be coming along or digging in.

Trust me... These were designed and built with a conscript in mind to use in really bad trench warfare with limited supplies. Imagine what could be done with really competent care and sparing use!

I like the carbines, but darn... like they say, you can use one to pry open cans, stick pigs, smack someone, paddle a boat, play hockey, shoot reliably, and everything else. They were designed by two drunks on a shoestring budget.

[AJMD429]

These were made to be bugged out with, and include all you need to get by in terms of cleaning and care for a while. One can use motor oil to clean in a pinch, but it has a two-sided flask for oil and solvent, tools for cleaning and takedown. The best thing: it's built like a tank and shoots a 2" group at 100yds.
The worst thing: It is almost as tall as me, and has to be slung on a shoulder.

That's what makes me really like my .44 Magnum Redhawk. Not quite as accurate, but pretty well thumps anything needing thumping, and very portable. Maybe I'd rather have a .45 Colt if I had a supply of sabots and load data (could shoot smaller diameter bullets, or pea gravel, for that matter).

[jeepnik]

For those that don't know, the web site listed is run by a fellow who hangs out at GlockTalk. Goes by Mercop. I've had a few exchanges with him, and he seems like a pretty level headed fellow. His posts are usually pretty informaitonal. There is a thread there on the BOE. Here's a link to those discussions.

http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread. ... t=bag+evil

[rjohns94]

I"m not bugging out - specifically I stated that we as Sheep Dogs, will wind up being the first responders to many daily crisis that we come across. We might as well be prepared for it. I see car accidents every day on my travels. Most are not serious, but if some one was cut or hurt, I would want the proper gear to stabilize if I was first on the scene. Like wise with flooding of creeks and people stranded in cars. I would want the equipment to get them out if it was in my ability to do so. HENCE the bag of evil vice bug out bag. This thread is not about bugging out, but doing the right thing, helping others, and being prepared. All of this fits in one over the shoulder bag about 12 x 12 x4. My rifle and pistol and ammo travel with me as precaution. My car care items are in another 12x12x4 case.

[Ysabel Kid]

Good post. I need to get off my rump and think through a couple of looming scenarios as well. My worry is getting home - as I travel by plane all over the CONUS...

[Modoc ED]

Good post. I need to get off my rump and think through a couple of looming scenarios as well. My worry is getting home - as I travel by plane all over the CONUS...

That could be a problem Kid. Just imagine if they hadn't let any planes fly for two weeks or more after 9/11. Lots of folks would have been stranded in a lot of places far from home.

[JustaJeepGuy]

Good post. I need to get off my rump and think through a couple of looming scenarios as well. My worry is getting home - as I travel by plane all over the CONUS...

That could be a problem Kid. Just imagine if they hadn't let any planes fly for two weeks or more after 9/11. Lots of folks would have been stranded in a lot of places far from home.

My nephew, who lived in Wichita Falls Texas on that day, was stranded in Salt Lake City. He rented a car to get home.