James Yeager - Bugout Experiment

[ddavidson]

I have not watched his videos, no need to do that but that would be called E&E.

I think you're exactly right. He probably should've been referring to this as E&E. Because he's called it bugout, everyone automatically associates camping, fires, etc. with it. Even so, I like how he's thinking about moving as quick as he can. If I had a bugout location, which I don't, I would want to get there as fast as I can. I would want to sleep for a while and keep moving. I might also just use a small stove like he did.

The one thing I noticed is that it seems like they're all working solo in a group. By that I mean that they really aren't working together, just camping in the same area.

 

[darinb]

Yeager isnt my favorite guy but you learn a little from anybody. He definetly keeps it interesting.

 

[grunt soldier]

I'm glad he went out and did this. I tell people all the time to get out and test your gear. it breaks and fails regularly. you need to know what works and what doesn't. that being said his whole experiment here was kind of a joke other than to get people thinking. 11-12 miles in 2 days isn't bugging out. It would be great if your bug out location was just down the road but I don't think most peoples are. he basically went on a over night hike/camping trip to test gear and see what he needed to work on. good for him for getting out there. However a lot of the stuff he was talking about he didn't use or eat or do this and that. No ****. You were only out in the woods for a day and then went back to your fully stocked vehicle. Imagine how much more of that would have been used on a 3 day excursion.

Either way people take his advice and get out there to test your gear. figure out what works and what doesn't.

 

[Dragon]

I'm glad he went out and did this. I tell people all the time to get out and test your gear. it breaks and fails regularly. you need to know what works and what doesn't. that being said his whole experiment here was kind of a joke other than to get people thinking. 11-12 miles in 2 days isn't bugging out. It would be great if your bug out location was just down the road but I don't think most peoples are. he basically went on a over night hike/camping trip to test gear and see what he needed to work on. good for him for getting out there. However a lot of the stuff he was talking about he didn't use or eat or do this and that. No ****. You were only out in the woods for a day and then went back to your fully stocked vehicle. Imagine how much more of that would have been used on a 3 day excursion.

Either way people take his advice and get out there to test your gear. figure out what works and what doesn't.

Truth.

 

[esrice]

Overall I thought this was an interesting series of videos. You can tell that the topic isn't in Yeager's "wheelhouse" like shooting is, but kudos to him for putting boots on his words.

Things I gleaned from the series--

• Packs in the field are always heavier than packs sitting in your trunk.
• Auto reflective mats make good bed pads.
• Outdoor gear beats "tactical" gear for actually being outside.
• "Chad" tried to kill Yeager with a bad cell phone charger.
• If you bug out with Yeager, he will put you on YouTube as soon as you wake up.
• Barry Yeager seems way less hyper than James.
• If they do this again, James should follow Jay around for all of his insights.

 

[bwframe]

Wonder how much his gun package weighted?

Very solid gear info on some things;
I'm gonna soon have to have good HIKING boots, one of those Olight wave headlamps and a surplus sleep system.

 

[Trigger Time]

Those Mylar foil emergency blankets do the same thing as the window shades and are lighter, more compact, and less expensive

 

[bwframe]

Those Mylar foil emergency blankets do the same thing as the window shades and are lighter, more compact, and less expensive

Where is your bugout/hike/camp video?

 

[esrice]

Those Mylar foil emergency blankets do the same thing as the window shades and are lighter, more compact, and less expensive

I thought part of the point of the window shade was to have some padding between you and the ground?

 

[grunt soldier]

it is and the mylar space blankets suck. they are best used as a heat reflector from the fire and worst case scenario to at least keep you off the wet ground. the window shades are thicker/more padding and work better for a mattress pad.

 

[Shay]

it is and the mylar space blankets suck. they are best used as a heat reflector from the fire and worst case scenario to at least keep you off the wet ground. the window shades are thicker/more padding and work better for a mattress pad.

Exactly.

 

[jve153]

i do not know much about cold weather sleeping outside. tried it once, froze my ass off because it was me, my tent and my sleeping bag, i know i need to get something under me to prevent heat transfer from me to the ground. that being said, looking at this conversation, would not the emergency blanket under a sleep pad work decently well for this, or am i completely missing the point? i am looking to do some coldweather camping out of my stuck away from home till help arrives or i decide to hoof it bag i keep in my car for the winter and would not mind learning from others experience vs the school of oops that didnt work well and i am freezing my tail off.

 

[Dragon]

i do not know much about cold weather sleeping outside. tried it once, froze my ass off because it was me, my tent and my sleeping bag, i know i need to get something under me to prevent heat transfer from me to the ground. that being said, looking at this conversation, would not the emergency blanket under a sleep pad work decently well for this, or am i completely missing the point? i am looking to do some coldweather camping out of my stuck away from home till help arrives or i decide to hoof it bag i keep in my car for the winter and would not mind learning from others experience vs the school of oops that didnt work well and i am freezing my tail off.

IMO you would want the emergency blanket to be between your sleeping bag and the pad so that it can reflect some of the heat that's escaping your bag back to you. Cold weather sleeping isn't easy and there really are a lot of small details that go into it that people many times overlook. I'll be doing some backpacking this weekend with rain, snow, and low temps of 18-19 degrees and I'm about 95% certain I will sleep comfortably out of my winter pack.

 

[Meister]

Bugged Out Blog: James Yeager's Bug Out

Here's a good breakdown of his hike.

 

[Trigger Time]

I thought part of the point of the window shade was to have some padding between you and the ground?

it is and the mylar space blankets suck. they are best used as a heat reflector from the fire and worst case scenario to at least keep you off the wet ground. the window shades are thicker/more padding and work better for a mattress pad.

Well I can tell you that something that thin (at least for me) won't make a bit of difference in padding. Your better off (and should anyways) pile up leaves and make your bed on that, and better yet build up off the ground and then use leaves. But for a fast method just a pile of leaves under your roll and the Mylar between your bed and the leaves. Instead of the window thing, if just use a military foam roll and the Mylar an you could prefab it. Unless you guys know of some super thick window reflector I'm not aware of. Until you've slept on the bare ground even with a foam mat. You don't understand what uncomfortable is. Fire reflecting is a whole other issue and more of something you use in a non e&e situation. But as a reflector behind you yes the Mylar foil blanket works great. If you must make a fire because its life or death then use a Dakota fire pit or better yet a hot coal bed. To each their own.

 

[catfishjn69]

i use a car reflector as a ground pad and an army foam pad below me when I camp(4+ times a year in the cold with scouts), I cannot sleep totally inside a sleeping bag, so I zip it about 1/4 and use it as a cover, so i am close to the ground. the foil pad does a great job of reflecting heat back to me and it is not as noisy in the night and it does a beter job of staying put. where the blankets are loud and never seem to stay where I put them. I have camped in the 20's with this set up and was able to stay warm. you can get the jumbo window shades at dollar general for around $3.50 and it weighs nothing so it is an easy carry.
fish

 

[spearheadersarge]

Having started out as light infantry in the Army, we carried everything on our backs. We mostly moved from a to b as described here and getting resupplied at caches along the way. Most of his observations are spot on. I would have had some type of rain gear at a minimum but could have easily "survived" with the items he had chosen. If you have never done it, it really is hard to understand. Just get out there and experience it for yourself, you don't have to make it an overnighter, just go to a local park and walk with your gear. Might be a little hard to do with a long gun, but there are places that it is ok to do. I would suggest at least 5 miles minimum, over varying terrain, with some elevation thrown in just for fun! You will quickly realize what is not worth the weight to carry!

 

[grunt soldier]

Well I can tell you that something that thin (at least for me) won't make a bit of difference in padding. Your better off (and should anyways) pile up leaves and make your bed on that, and better yet build up off the ground and then use leaves. But for a fast method just a pile of leaves under your roll and the Mylar between your bed and the leaves. Instead of the window thing, if just use a military foam roll and the Mylar an you could prefab it. Unless you guys know of some super thick window reflector I'm not aware of. Until you've slept on the bare ground even with a foam mat. You don't understand what uncomfortable is. Fire reflecting is a whole other issue and more of something you use in a non e&e situation. But as a reflector behind you yes the Mylar foil blanket works great. If you must make a fire because its life or death then use a Dakota fire pit or better yet a hot coal bed. To each their own.

I have spent many of nights freezing in the mountains in Germany, Afghanistan and all over the States. It does suck. those window reflectors fold up very small and don't weight much. I'll take one everyday over a cheap mylar blanket. Now the nice mylar stuff like yeager used I don't have a problem with. I use them and the 2 person ones from adventure. the little ones suck make to much noise, rip and tear really easy. If it's all you have then definitely use it. I much prefer self inflating mattresses especially the new ones that pack down to nothing but they are expensive.

 

[Trigger Time]

This is in my e&e bag. Yeah not the greatest color but i can adapt.

 

[grunt soldier]

Yes sir that is much better quality than what I normally think of when folks say mylar blankets. I think of the cheap dollar ones lol. I have that same one but the 2 person version and it's great quality.