Is your bug out bag ready?

In this video, I'll pull out my backcountry ruck and test how ready it is after being a closet for 3 months.
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#thetechprepper #bugoutbag #prepper

[@davidkay1386]

I check my bob every six months. Make sure food and water are good but otherwise I leave it alone. It’s only for emergencies and I don’t steal from it for other uses. I only have one radio, so it doesn’t sit in the bob anyways, I edc it. Thanks for the video.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Excellent protocol to live by. You're a head of the curve.

[@user-dk8wo6ol4n]

😊

[@MrMeasureTwice]

Copy that! Best part of The Tech Pepper is you're not afraid of sharing your mistakes. We will never truly learn if we don't make mistakes. As always, thanks for all your hard work on our behalf. 🙏👌👏

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks, buddy. Honestly, the GoPro just comes along for the ride. I never plan my videos. You guys are just getting a sneak peak of my actually experiments, training events, and general growth in the hobby.

[@MrMeasureTwice]

@@TheTechPrepper we'll take whatever you give us. 😉

[@Scout75PortableRadio]

Thank you for the great reminder to keep up on our gear; and you honest video! I could have been so easy for you to shoot this video the next time out after correctly what went wrong. Your honesty and humility to use this as a real world lesson shines a light on your integrity. Like you, I keep things modular and have some emergency kits I take with me very often to keep in use, practice and prove out what works and what doesn't for me. Also like you, I have large kits that I don't take out often enough. I need to do what you did in this video and see what I have lost track off, or "borrowed" for another kit and never returned.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Hey, Shane. Thank you for the kind comment. I believe in being transparent and honest about the wins and failures. I am not a radio or backcountry expert and I'm still learning. This channel is all about sharing the ride. The gear, skills and techniques have evolved over the last 4+ years and they will continue to evolve while this channel is operational. Take care, my friend.

[@owlcricker-k7ulm]

Thanks for the valuable lesson. I have experienced many of the same issues and now outfit every kit to stand on it's own. Then I still have issues. 😊

[@TheTechPrepper]

My pleasure. I had a feeling that some gear was missing. This is what I get for swapping gear between bags.

[@_RadioMadeEasy]

Anderson to USB charger of some kind would be a nice to have for recharging devices from those LIFEPO4 batteries in the manpack.

[@bruehlt]

So the hardest part about all of this is getting the wife on board with practicing. Hope you have had luck with that piece of the training!

[@ke8mattj]

I just remind them about what they went through with Superstorm Sandy and how "prep"aring for emergencies is more than Doomdays Preppers.

[@TheTechPrepper]

My wife has been on board for the few last years. She has experienced a personal "SHTF" situation with me a few times and the advanced preparation has always paid off. For example, there was a power outage on a trip to Maui about 6 years ago that shut down the island for about 8 hours. She could not believe how handy it was to have cash, a headlamp and some snacks in my travel bag. I am sure you can sell it. Good luck!

[@oliverw.douglas285]

Actually, this video was a solid reminder of being prepared, and having a regular 'dry - run', just to verify your gear is in good order. As always, thanks for the mentoring. :)

[@cameronalexander359]

Never be afraid of using the F-word.... "Failure". Thanks for sharing.

[@TheTechPrepper]

I'm never afraid. The trick is learning from the failure and moving forward. I am happy to share the experience. Cheers.

[@DominicMazoch]

For smaller items, using sandwich zipper pags of various sizes. Keeps stuff organized, keeps stuff from tangling.

[@houseofstylz]

Great real world no BS vid- thank you!

[@TheTechPrepper]

You're very welcome. It was a great lesson. After answering a few more comments this morning, it's time to start getting the ruck up to 100% readiness.

[@stephencarroll8537]

I check 2or 3 times a week and every other weekend we test them to make sure we have things we use or take things out if we don't use much or not at all

[@lmcalhoun]

Thank you for showing wins and "failures." It would be pretty easy to add a small bit of 22 AWG silicone wire to make field changes to your dipole to increase your band agility

[@TheTechPrepper]

My other bag actually has a hank of 26 AWG silicone stranded wire and the cobra head. This is what I get for switching the modular gear. Great tip. 73

[@dougdaniels]

Emergency gear is like tools. If I take a wrench/socket/etc from one box to use with another (e.g. garage to truck), I *try* to buy another for redundancy. Sometimes cost negates that option. Murphy says if you don't replace it, you'll need it.

[@TheTechPrepper]

You are 100% spot on. My pocketbook took a hit this morning, but I'll have confidence in a few days that this bag is 100% up-to-date, minus the consumables. A monthly calendar reminder will now be alerting me to check the consumables and other gear. Have a good one.

[@genemcphee8053]

I can relate to the issues you encountered, even as a Telecomm Chief in the Army. Out of Sight, out of mind LOL. Great show. Thanks 73, Gene, N3XUS

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad to hear it, Gene. I would imagine that if most people are honest about their level of prep, that there are very likely a few gaps. 73

[@LastChanceKnives]

It's a good lesson, don't cannibalize the gear in your pack. We all do it from time to time, but it is better to buy gear specific cor the pack and leave it alone. Batteries and anything that can spoil or go bad need to be put on a schedule to be checked.

[@k5wxp22]

You surprised me with this one, Gaston! You're always all buttoned up and ready to go. Multiple kits that you have to rob things from end up causing you to be short in your bug out bag, but you have to be modular to keep from dragging everything you own along with you. 😅 Great lesson to check things like cables, batteries (charged up), etc. and that your kit is ready to go at all times. Not an easy thing to do! You're the king of laminated cards...looks like you need a checklist for the bug out bag. Enjoyed the video! 73, Brett K5WXP

[@TheTechPrepper]

I have been conflicted for some time now. Modular kits save money, but the reality is that they move from bag to bag and are easily forgotten. For this one, I am going to bite the bullet and invest in an inexpensive solar charge controller (future video on this one), buy an extra 25' run of RG-8x, and build a 40m dipole this weekend using a Cobra head. It was a good lesson. I used to have an index card-sized laminated checklist, but stop using it. Big mistake! Failure is a good teacher.

[@k5wxp22]

@@TheTechPrepper best thing is this gives me more videos to look forward to! 👍

[@christophervayo3530]

just a heads up, i know usb-c on small solar chargers still isnt as normal as we need it to be but renergy just came out with a 30w panel with usb-c, pretty small and real world testing i got 15-17w out of it which in new jersey i expect half the rated output anyway and have sized my batteries and powerbanks accordingly for 15w. very well built. im very happy with mine! i got it off amazon

[@Cognosapien]

Great video. High tech gear is definitely the hardest part, but you are leagues ahead of everyone else. Good on you to test it out and show your results. Now you know what to focus on, and that's what prepping is all about.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Tech gear has way too many moving parts for comfort, but it has a ton a value. I guess it's a necessary evil to try to make the gadgets and gizmos work.

[@Cognosapien]

@@TheTechPrepper Self-sufficient comms is basically a superpower

[@neubert500]

Excellent reminder, I look and see my gear piled up and THINK I am ready, alas I needed my short range FM bag and COULD NOT FIND IT, in the pile! Gonna have to do better on my organizational skills!

[@TheTechPrepper]

You're welcome. Trying doing an update for the next few days to your bag. Cheers.

[@bradabrown]

Love these videos! Motivated to assess my go bag and correct its deficiencies asap.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad to hear it. This was a kick in the pants for me as well. I spent the morning pulling out everything (even the gear that you did not see). Good luck updating your gear. It might good to try this same video in 3-6 months.

[@kerbalairforce8802]

I typically keep a "survival kit" in my SUV. Emergency rations, water, self rescue tools. If I'm not commuting to work, weapon and armor. I'm considering putting a HT CB radio in the mix.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Good for you. I missed the CB golden age, but it's worth exploring especially for highways.

[@cidcolead1115]

Greetings from Sweden. Still in port, shoving off in about 3 hours. Enjoyed your video. Pulled out my SATCOM pack, everything OK, but had missed the last maintenance recharge on the SPOT X and the power pack. Did have all the cables and the dope card. Grabbed the 5.11 2-banger, missing my small bills money clip and the charging cable for handheld DMR/Analog radio. Money was out on the desk and the SATCOM pack (a small GoPro bag) has the extra cables. Based on your last video, earlier this morning I restarted the daily exercise with Winlink. Can only use the TELNET RadioMail on my iPhone from the ship, but at least it is still working. Will be at sea for at least another month. Thanks for the videos, they help on such a long voyage.

[@kf5hcr176]

Have a safe voyage. I have droid psk app on my phone, with that an receiver I can at least receive digital transmissions.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Cheers from the US. Thank you for debrief and good luck with Winlink. Shoot me a message. 73 de KT7RUN

[@goodcitizen4587]

Very cool! I wish people would stop doing tattoos tho. I'll be glad when the craze is over.

[@kerbalairforce8802]

Tattoos are older than written language. I wouldn't hold your breath.

[@goodcitizen4587]

@@kerbalairforce8802 Check family photos from just 20 years ago. Very rare. Now they're everywhere and it's just an ugly phase.

[@BrightLights1772]

It would be interesting to see if you can get on the early beta of direct-to-Sattelite cell service (it will require you going to somewhere with no coverage, but it is not that hard in AZ). Also, thanks for this reminder, I have my go bag, and it is too damm heavy (I have to move in in my car often), but I can't remember all the stuff in it, and fairly certain I don't want to carry it as is. Thanks for the videos as always.

[@snoopymec]

Hey Gaston. Good point... Your preparation is just as good as the weakest link. One forgotten item can jeopardize all the planning. Your video is warning for myself. My gear is sitting there for a couple months and I took several items for other activities...if I would take my backpack for emergencies I'd fail too.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad to hear that I reached at least one person. Good luck getting your kit updated.

[@DominicMazoch]

I got a pilots rolling bag. Will convert so I can take with me via pickup or Houston METRO. Enough for ham and GMRS handies, cell phone and charger, HF Herc battery and CD charger adapter, railcoat/umbrella full time. Enough to carry Evolve III sleve bag with keyboard and mouse plus charger, paper files and paperwork. And a lightweight vest, "rag" and slide for a tie. Sometimes I make public comments at government meetings, so a step up in dress is good, but reasonable considering H-Town will hit 108 heat indices this week. I have used a handi with light headset during a Skywarn event on METRO LRT. NC was surprised when I said I was METRORail mobile, but got critical weather info about a thunderstorm through. After our hurricane, you learn you have to be band, mode, and service agile. Bag trial run Tues 6th.

[@wheeler7973]

I had a go bag for years but eventually gave up on it, was hard to keep up with when I kept robbing things from it

[@TheTechPrepper]

Well, I guess it would be good to have a partially complete bag versus no bag. Good luck.

[@webcaster]

Thank you for sharing

[@TheTechPrepper]

My pleasure. More on the way. Have a good night.

[@metroatlantahamradio334]

Great Video man! As usual. I was feeling the heat in this video.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks, bro!

[@turdferguson2863]

I love it!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad to hear it, Turd! "I'll take the the-rapist for 500, Alex" ;-)

[@ke8mattj]

Great video as always, Gaston! All of it is ready! The only thing changed is changing out the food I had with the all new freeze dried foods made from the freeze dryer I bought over a month ago. It's something I suggest for preppers. To me, the costs are worth it. Everything is charged up, gas tanks are filled, etc. This could blow off any minute now. Lol@ the repeater power failure at the end. The one thing I would love to do around where I'm at is play with 2m SSB which may be a suitable replacement. However, no one close by has a rig suitable, and the ones that do are down in the weeds due to the distance + hills. Not bad for them being 20 or so miles away though. At least I can listen in if I really listen.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks, buddy. The investment is worth it. Apparently, we are still having repeater issues due to excessive temperatures, wildfires, and power outages due recent monsoons. That was an extra curveball that I was not expecting.

[@ke8mattj]

​@@TheTechPrepper​ That is very interesting. Are they even able to reach it to do whatever they need to do to get it back to normal? It's cases like that is why I want to try 2m SSB. Do they have alternative repeaters available?

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@ke8mattj The issue was restored within about 36 hours. I have no details on the resolution. However, it is issues like this, that make it clear that simplex should always be in the plan if possible.

[@ke8mattj]

@@TheTechPrepper Okay, was more curious. I don't use repeaters often since I mostly just stick with family with GMRS and just use HF to practice long distance comms at this point. I'm in agreement with you on the simplex, hence why I keep bringing up 2m SSB. I really need to write to some people nearby to see if they're willing to do an experiment on that so that we can at least pass traffic between ourselves if something pops off and the repeaters go offline.

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@ke8mattj Good luck with your tests. I am actually working through some 2m SSB tests soon.

[@ferebeefamily]

Thank you for the video.

[@TheTechPrepper]

My pleasure. Be safe.

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Any plans to get a starlink mini & make some content about it?

[@TheTechPrepper]

Nope, but I have been a long time StarLink RV user since it was introduced.

[@DominicMazoch]

Leave the bees be!

[@HunterSkiff]

The TTP ManRack coming soon

[@TheTechPrepper]

For adults only. ;-)

[@kaynenbrown5102]

Any recommendations for a first HT and HF unit for a new ham? Just passed by tech and general. Just looking to learn an amateur radio for right now both regional and country wide. I use GMRS for local communication with family as they don’t have ham licenses.

[@pale_2111]

There's lots of good choices of radios on the market today. My question is what do you want to do with an HT and a HF radio? Are you wanting to buy brand new or used radios? As for the HT, are you wanting to analog FM only or get into digital voice modes like D-STAR, Fusion/Wires-X, DMR and such? If you're not interested in getting into digital, a Baofeng would do ok without breaking the bank. Yaesu makes some FM Transceiver HT's that will be better, but cost more money. For radios that have digital voice capabilities, they will command a higher price and have more capabilities than a standard FM Transceiver. As for the HF radios, there's good options out there. Question is; Are you wanting to have a base station at home or go portable? While some people will take a IC-7300 and similar radios out for portable operations, they are cumbersome to carry around. If at home, can't go wrong with a IC-7300. Icom radios have a similar menu structure on all their radios, which makes learning to use them easy compare to competitors on the market. There's plenty of deals on ebay if you're looking to buy used radios. I can go on and on about radios and different modes to work. There's lots to do in amateur radio. I was in your shoes once and I went down the rabbit hole and enjoy it. Welcome to the hobby and hope to hear you on the air. W4ISB Mike in Tennessee

[@ke8mattj]

I think Josh from Ham Radio Crash Course says it best: "that depends." ​ @pale_2111 has an excellent answer for you: it depends on what you want to do (along with the IC-7300). There's also your budget. I could go into a long post about my own use cases to so you'd get an idea of what we mean, but that'll bore you to death. It'd be better to list what your end-goals and use cases are. That is, what is it you are planning on doing with ham. I know you said you already use GMRS for family (excellent choice, I do the same with family!) So what else do you plan on doing with radio? Ham has so many things involved that it is nothing but a deep never ending abyss that stares right back at you.

[@kaynenbrown5102]

@@pale_2111thanks so much Mike!! Oh the rabbit hole is what I’m in right now haha. Not too sure on the HT yet in terms of analog or digital. Still trying to decide which I would like to go with. In terms of HF I’m definitely looking at the icom you mentioned!

[@kaynenbrown5102]

@@ke8mattjhuge help, thank you! Going to take some time and figure out what I want to do with HF and mature radio all together.

[@ke8mattj]

@@kaynenbrown5102 Rabbit hole is an understatement. Welcome to ham radio lol! You'll enjoy it though. At least you got your general so you opened up a lot for you to learn to see what you want to do. Tech is way too limited. Want to do digital modes for emergency communications? You are definitely on the right channel for that, along with Julian's channel OH8STN. Want to build antennas? DXCommander and Coastal Waves and Wires are both excellent channels. The hobby goes deep. Deeeeeeeeeeeep. Like I mentioned, your case uses will be a good starting point on what to get. If you plan on operating portable, something like the IC7300 or (what I have) IC7100 would not be the best. They're better as base stations for home use, despite the 7100 is advertised as a mobile. Plus, they're both high in price range, so we don't know your budget. Otherwise, if that is what you are looking for, I can recommend the 7300, as I know a lot of people who bought them and still use them. It has a lot excellent features that will benefit you a lot in the hobby. The IC7100 is just better for my use case since I need a what's called "shack-in-a-box", but it lacks a lot of excellent features like waterfall display and internal tuner. Otherwise, it's an excellent rig for me. You also mentioned you already use GMRS for local comms, so needing the 2m and 70cm on the IC7100 is probably not relevant to you. Again, it's a deep abyss. Good luck navigating!

[@wesley20991]

Awesome video, is there any chance you could do a video on your ht and winlink setup. I see your using your icom ht and some sort of sound card to your phone.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Check out the DigiRig videos from last month. Look for the one that covers WoAD. The video is already out there.

[@pale_2111]

What pack are you using? I'm looking for one to carry my IC-706, Chameleon LEFS 40-10m, coax, power&swr meter, laptop and a 40AH battery. My current pack is too big, making things awkward to carry everything. It would work for camping or a road trip. For a POTA activation, it's cumbersome. Definitely need something a little bit smaller.

[@TheTechPrepper]

It's the Eberlestock FAC Track. It's been used on the channel for the last few years, I even have. a couple of pack dump videos on the subject.

[@Spessforce]

Why are there so many bees around the water source?

[@Joey-ne1zi]

What is the brand of your main pack?

[@TheTechPrepper]

It's the Eberlestock FAC Track. I did a pack dump a few years ago on this channel.

[@dad2022]

Hey earned my sub. Great content. Two questions (am licensed): 1) using a baofeng setup (have a lot of them), what are some freqs you recommend for everyone to have programmed? 2) best urban freq? Best rural freq? Thank you!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Great question and welcome. I did a full video on this earlier in the year. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKO6pnuDasisr9k

[@dad2022]

@@TheTechPrepper thnx! Watch now

[@kb6lcw99]

😊

[@KingofConduits]

I don't have a bugout bag and can't imagine why anyone would

[@kerbalairforce8802]

Exercise your imagination. He's perfectly set up to do search and rescue after a disaster.

[@KingofConduits]

@kerbalairforce8802 not what a bugout bag is for.

[@TheTechPrepper]

You are 100% incorrect. I support public service events and I support my local community when disaster strikes. These bags are designed to provide a service and be able to self support. Often we are displaced by wildfires, so you have no clue what you are talking about. This is a "go-bag".

[@va2dkk]

how much that pack weight? like damm!!

[@TheTechPrepper]

No clue. I stopped weighing my gear. My motto has been to take what you need and just get your fitness up if needed to carry it.

[@va2dkk]

@@TheTechPrepper STRONG!! i have back problems so i try to keep it under 25lbs now.

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@va2dkkGood for for still getting out there. My normal trail running pack is well under 20 lbs with water. 73