I for one believe that everyone has a preference on guns and knives. So I don't even want to try telling you what to buy in that field. But when it comes to basic tools that you need to make repairs or build things the only preference is name brand.
I have my bug out bags for the wife, kid and dog (saddle bags are great for dogs they can carry their own food and meds like worming meds you will need this more than anything else for a dog that will be in the bush, along with flea and tick meds). Our jeep has a trauma kit and road side kit that I put together. It is a 4 person + 2 dog survival and jeep repair kit for 72 hours. I also have what I call my base camp kit. It's a large pelican case with tools and supplies to set up a base camp and make repairs on equipment. This case fits in the back of our jeep along with the roadside kit 4 20l gas jerrys and 2 water jerrys and on top of this we put our 72 hour bags. By my self it takes no more than 5 min to load.
Tools: In the case; various manuals, bow saw, hacksaw, meat/bone saw, butcher knives, rifle repair kits for the different firearms, wood,stone and metal punches/chisels, files and rasps, hammers ballpeen and claw, various nails and screws and more but you get the idea. My jeep also has all the tools I need for it at all times along with a shovel and axe for digging myself out :D.
My reasons for having this isn't because I do not have a bug out location. It is in case I can't reach one of them. I have a backup to my backups. I think people over look tools and repair kits far too much, I have a new jeep and I have more than once broken down in the bush, but I'm always back up and running again in no time. As for rifles I have had parts break in winter and summer.
Here is the question I asked myself which lead to making this kit "How many colds nights could my wife and son live in a bush shelter or tent while I try to make a better shelter?" I can now make a 16' by 12' log cabin in two days. The walls the first day, this means sleeping with a shelter roof but four walls on the first night in the field. The roof and floor on the second day. To go out side my 2 day rule on the third day I can make a clay/stone hearth but that is more of the long term stay than just shelter.
I really hope you are not telling yourself that "my tent will be fine" for if any of you have been in the army, think about the full grown men "fully trained" that shut er' down after a week of tent routine. They end up sick and with frost bite. Now think of a child of any age in that situation.
I am not trying to sound like a know it all because I have done many dumb things in my life. But I think too many people get tunnel vision on the shiny knives and cool guns to buy and not think about the basics.
I really hope you are not telling yourself that "my tent will be fine" for if any of you have been in the army, think about the full grown men "fully trained" that shut er' down after a week of tent routine. They end up sick and with frost bite. Now think of a child of any age in that situation.
With all due respect, I'm not sure which inept army you are referring to, but it definitely wasn't mine. 🙂 Living in a tent for a week (or even several months) is not difficult. I've had quite a few experiences living in a tent for extended periods of time... 2 months in a training camp in Mindanao, 1.5 months in the Black Hills (Welsh countryside), 3 summer months tree-planting out in BC, as well as 3 weeks at 150km beyond the 66th parallel (arctic). Not once did any of my companions "shut 'er down" or lose morale. Sickness and frostbite are not symptoms of everyday tent routine, but more of ignorance. Maybe someone who has only experienced sleeping in a soft bed, or only goes camping in a heated RV.
I don't know your fitness level, health or ailments, but I would caution against being heavily reliant on gear that needs to be hauled via jeep. Bear in mind that if your plan is to escape civilization (and the looters, pillagers, thieves and less prepared), if your jeep can access a location, so can others. All of the knives, repair kits, saws, manuals, punches/chisels, files, hammers etc that you listed are already heavier than my entire 2-week backcountry excursion kit for myself and my wife, and all of them each serve a single purpose (well), but can easily be substituted. I can't for the life of me fathom what you'd need a claw hammer for. There is no substitute for having minimal gear that can do as many different tasks as possible. I understand and appreciate your intent, and your passion, and most importantly, I don't want to rain on your parade. My only intention is to caution you (and whoever else reads this) that these are "nice-to-haves" but not essential to a long term bug out.
I do agree on the saddle bags for dogs. Ensure a good fit, as I've had to use different brands on different dogs, as some chafe or are unbalanced, depending on the breed and build. My favorite one had a SHTF handle that can allow you to literally haul the dog up a clif with a rope via the handle. If you've ever seen a spectacle of a climber at Acephale (Kananaskis) with a dog hanging underneath him, that would have been me. 🙂
Pick one or two rifles that don't break in winter or summer, and if not in the same caliber, then with completely different calibers to cover a broad range of applications (eg. .308 and 22LR for both deer and squirrel). Remember that the primary need for repair/maintenance is to clear the barrel and action of obstruction. If your firearm requires liberal lubrication to function normally, don't bother with it and pick something else. Lubrication is an unpredictable mess that is problematic in the cold, and attracts dirt and grit. I'd rather have a bolt-action that only requires a patch of cloth and a stick to clean, than a semi-auto black rifle that is finicky with cycling the action and requires pristine condition to keep operational. You will be carrying it like a newborn baby throughout your ordeal.
Cheers, and happy prepping
Not that all soldiers will shut down but some do and my point was that children are more susceptible to the climate and to the effects of morale...
As for weapon reliability I have had a bolt action break parts. That point was to be prepared for the unexpected.
Your point about people following a vehicle well as for myself that doesn't worry me very much 😆 . Also I know a little bit about not being found, be it on foot or mounted in a vehicle. and not all bug out scenarios are "The Yankees aw commen the Yankees aw commen" so if I can take my Jeep I will if not I hump my ruck...
I agree with RT on this. On my part, I don't care if you only have a tent or a 50' mobile palace, if you don't know what your doing, you will get sick. I have been in so many different weather situations with the military that it isn't funny. But if you know how to dress for each situation, you should not get sick. Know how to improve your shelter. If you only have a tent in the winter, you build around it, starting with wind breaks, and then an overhead. I've stayed in a wood shed, (6x8ft) with my 2 man tent inside, and was comfortable in the dead of winter. You adapt and improvise or perish.
"We 'Prep.' to live after a downfall, Not just to survive."
