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Bug Out Bagz Bill Burke Edition (BBEBOB) $380 The Bill Burke Edition Bug Out Bag was detailed by Bill Burke of Bill Burke's 4-Wheeling America, the premier Off-Road authority in the United States. Bill personally reviewed and prescribed all of the items included in this package:
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What is a bug-out bag? If you have to abandon your vehicle for whatever reason, the bug-out bag lets you take your survival items with you. Most authorities recommend staying with your vehicle in case of trouble, but there will be times when you simply must abandon your vehicle. The bug-out bag lets you keep all of your survival items together, and also lets you carry them on your back if you ever have to bug out.
The Bill Burke Edition Bug Out Bag was detailed by Bill Burke of Bill Burke's 4-Wheeling America, the premier Off-Road authority in the United States. Bill personally reviewed and prescribed all of the items included in this package. The heart of the Bill Burke Edition is the Stahlsac Deluxe Backpack. The Stahlsac Deluxe Backpack is fully adjustable for body size and load quantity.
The Stahlsac Deluxe Backpack feature interior pockets for sorting cargo,
as well as exterior pockets to carry additional cargo.
The Bill Burke Edition contains, among other items, the survival items shown above. While excellent and well thought-out, the Bill Burke Edition does not and cannot contain everything that one may require in an emergency. Thus, only the basics are included. If the user wants more, he may supplement the Bill Burke Edition with his desired gear.
For example, the Bill The Bill Burke Edition comes standard with a Getting PREPared DVD, which is an excellent resource for preparing your vehicle for field use.
If you plan on taking your vehicle into the field, we recommend you also learn proper recovery techniques. 4-Wheeling America's Getting UNStuck DVD is an excellent way to learn proper and safe recovery techniques.
The rudimentary first aid items included in the Bill Burke Edition are geared toward the layman. The assumption is that those properly trained in first aid will have their own first air gear. This perfectly reasonable. People with Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT), Wilderness First Responder (WFR), or Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) certification will prefer to supplement the Bill Burke Edition with something like the Adventure Medical Kits Guide I First Aid Kit. And a bug-out bag is the better location for this first aid gear than a separate first aid kit. Again, all of your emergency gear is located in a single location with a bug-out bag.
Included in the Bill Burke package is the Victorinox Swiss Army Rescue Tool, which won the prestigious "Knife of the Year" award at the 2007 IWA in Nuremberg, Germany. Victorinox developed the Rescue Tool in close collaboration with rescue and safety services.
The Rescue Tool features several implements designed for removing people from damaged vehicles, including a window smasher, seatbelt cutter, windshield saw, and crate opener. The Rescue Tool can be operated while wearing gloves, and the large blade and crate opener lock in the position position. The Rescue Tool has luminescent handles to make it easier to locate in the dark. While the Rescue Tool's primary functions are for removing people from wrecked vehicles, it also features several general-purpose tools like a large locking blade with combination edge, tweezers, screwdrivers, punch, reamer, toothpick, key ring, and so on.
While the Rescue Tool is an excellent tool, more serious users might want to upgrade to the Victorinox Swiss Army SwissTool RS shown above. The SwissTool RS features many of the same features as the Rescue Tool, but also includes other implements such as scissors and a can opener.
Also included in the SwissTool RS is a set of large pliers. The SwissTool RS is an excellent way to add pliers to your survival kit without adding a substantial amount of weight or taking up space.
If you should require even more flexibility from your multitool, there is the Victorinox Swiss Army SwissTool Spirit Plus Ratchet, The Spirit Plus Ratchet features a 1/4" hex drive extension, a 10-bit bit holder, assorted 1/4" drive hex bits, and a a very handy gear wrench. The Spirit Plus Ratchet also comes standard with a brown leather sheath that holds everything safety and securely.
Larger is not always better when it comes to multitools. The lightest and most compact multitool ever developed, the Swiss+Tech Utili-Key 6-In-1 is lightweight, durable, and always with you. The patented, quick-release design easily snaps to your key ring, and just as easily releases for everyday tasks. The Utili-Key 6-In-1 makes minor repairs, installations, and hundreds of everyday jobs an easy undertaking. Even if you have a larger multitool in your bug-out bag, we recommend always carrying a Utili-Key on your key ring.
If you have the room in your bug-out bag, we highly recommend you carry a large knife like the Cold Steel Laredo Bowie. A serious knife for serious knife users, the Cold Steel Laredo Bowie will outperform even the vast majority of hand-forged custom Bowies. The razor-sharp blade is 10.5" long and flat ground, and is large and heavy enough to permit chopping for building shelters. The laminated hardwood handle is 5" long, shaped so as to be compatible with all of the various fencing holds, and thoughtfully shaped to maximize utility, indexing, and power transmission.
The Bill Burke Edition comes standard with a Pelican Products MityLite 2300 Flashlight. This is an excellent flashlight. However, there are better flashlights available if you feel the need.
One example of a flashlight upgrade is the SureFire C2 CombatLight. The C2 runs on lithium batteries instead alkaline batteries like the MityLite. Lithium batteries have a 10-year shelf life and can always be counted on to work, even after many years of storage or inactivity. The C2 is also compatible with different halogen and LED lamp assemblies. The SC1 Spares Carrier shown above holds six 123A Lithium Batteries and a spare lamp assembly, all in a waterproof and crushproof container that takes minimal space.
An alternative to the very powerful SureFire C2 is something like a Brunton Lamplight, which can serve double-duty as a handheld flashlight or freestanding lantern. With a weight of only 3 oz., this all-in-one lighting source is the perfect backcountry companion. The bright, focused flashlight beam of the Lamplight is without hot spots or other blemishes. By pulling on the easily adjustable telescoping head, the Lamplight quickly converts to lantern mode. In lantern mode, the Lamplight casts a 360-degree pattern of light, perfect for lighting up your campsite or your tent. The rugged, white LED bulb lasts and lasts; three AAA alkaline batteries provide 200 hours of burn time. The Lamplight will not have the reach of something like a C2, but it will have greater flexibility in survival situations.
The Bill Burke Edition comes standard with a box of strike-anywhere matches.
You may want to supplement the matches with a PRIMUS Firesteel,
or a Brunton Helios Stormproof Lighter.
Some items in your bug-out bag must remain dry. Items like first aid kits and matches don't take well to water. For these items of items we recommend the Pelican Micro Cases. The Micro Cases come in a variety of different sizes to suit different pieces of gear.
We recommend that anyone who travels in the wilderness obtain his amateur radio license and carry at least a handheld transceiver. The very nature of amateur radio lets you communicate during emergencies, natural disasters, or when standard communication methods like telephone networks are not working. Obtaining an amateur radio license is not difficult, nor is learning to use your amateur radio to communicate with a series of repeaters around the world.
4-Wheeling America Instructional DVDs
Adventure Medical Kits
Benchmade Rescue Hooks & AXIS Lock Folders
Brunton Helios Lighter & Lamplight Lantern
Cold Steel Laredo Bowie
Diamond Antenna Amateur Radio Antennas
Pelican Products LAPD 7060 LED Rechargeable Flashlight and Utility Lights
SureFire CombatLights
Swiss+Tech Utili-Key Multitools
Victorinox Multitools