BOB/pack.

[jmjkd]

After the 1,2,3,4 how much does you pack weight?

 

[RATTLESNAKE]

still working on mine it has been a task to say the least, if i had to guess 20lbs right now.

 

[jmjkd]

20lbs might be all you need depending on what the BOB/pack is for. If it’s a bug out bag you have to ask?
1. Bug out for what reason? your home burned down?
2. Bug out for how long? 72hr? …2-3 weeks?
3. Bug out in what season? summer-winter
4. Bug out in what part of the country? Maine-Fla?
If it’s a SHTF well now we are back to the other thread I posted today, what does SHTF mean the answer will tell you about the BOB you will need.

 

[coastie]

So what is your pack designed for and its weight?

 

[jmjkd]

Right now my pack is set up for the winter season in the NE 45lbs

 

[OPM]

Right now my pack is set up for the winter season in the NE 45lbs

45lbs Do you have a mule???

 

[jmjkd]

45lbs is pretty light for a winter set up... many have 70lbs and up with everything but the sink in there.

 

[mike93lx]

Joe, could you give a breakdown of what your winter bag consists of?

 

[jmjkd]

Hi Mike, really a wool blanket and a recon 3 sleeping bag is what I added to make the winter set up + snow shoes , everything else is year round standard. I do use a combined 3 tier modular system,… what’s on my person, a possible pouch, and my pack with 4 sections.
1.Clothes bag
2.Food/kitchen
3.Sleep system
4.tools

Mike I will be glad to share the complete system with you let me know if you would like to see that and I will PM the contents.
Joe

 

[BOBKATT]

Just as a reference for weight, here is basically what I pack for a 3-5 day hiking trip and I pack all this between 38-40 lbs. including 2 liters of water. I imagine a buyout bag (excluding rifle and ammunition if that is the type of bugging out your doing), would be of similar weight and contents. Anyway, here is about 38 pounds and I consider that extremely light considering that I usually bring more gear than some other hiking buddies and their packs usually weigh in at about 45-50 lbs.

Sunglasses
Hat winter and summer
Small Tube 40+ SPF Sunblock
Cr123a batteries
Surefire flashlight
Food
mountain house meals
Jerky, etc. - 1 oz. per day
Cheese sticks
Mixed nuts or trail mix
Dried fruit - mango, pineapple, pears, apricots, raisins, etc.
Whole wheat fig or raspberry bars

2 liters Water minimum per day with capacity for 5 liters
Spork
7" knife
Flint, Wetfire tinder or cotton balls with Vaseline, Lighter
Tent
baby powder
bandana
bug spray
first aid kit
parachute cord
saw
2 way radio
Camera
3 layers of clothes
wool hiking socks and liners
thermal underwear
Sleeping pad
sleeping bag
camp stove stove and gas
toilet paper
Boots
Camp Stool
steel Cup
Head Lamp
WD40
Water Filter
rain gear

For the winter I'd add snow shoes and poles to that and perhaps a 4 season tent which would add probably another 5 pounds all together. So you're looking at 43-45 pounds probably. Which isn't bad. Last summer I hiked an 8 mile day which included summiting Mt. Washington on a 3-4000 ft. gain with this setup. If you can do that with 45 pounds, a 45 pound bug out back is by no means too heavy.

 

[JoseyWales]

What about storing white gas in your BOB for your stove. What container do you use so that you are sure it will not spill during long term storage in your car or home?

I've kept white gas in an aluminum bottle and after a while the rubber o-ring would disintegrate.

 

[AllaSnackbah]

i have a "long range assault" pack i believe its called. i keep it stocked with everything i would need and kept in my car so i could walk home from work if, well whatever, happened. i think it weighs about 40lbs.

 

[BOBKATT]

What about storing white gas in your BOB for your stove. What container do you use so that you are sure it will not spill during long term storage in your car or home?

I've kept white gas in an aluminum bottle and after a while the rubber o-ring would disintegrate.

I can't answer your specific question, but I think you bring up a good point, whether you realized it or not. The point is with the different types of stoves available. I personally use an ultralight stove that takes a butane mixture for backpacking. Its far lighter than any white gas stove setup. However, its nowhere near as versatile. The white gas stoves can run on multiple different fuels such as gasoline. And, they're far better in cold harsh conditions.

So, from a survival standpoint or for a bug out bag, a liquid fuel stove is probably a better option. The only drawback is that they are indeed heavier and they do take up more room in the pack.

 

[coastie]

20lbs might be all you need depending on what the BOB/pack is for. If it’s a bug out bag you have to ask?
1. Bug out for what reason? your home burned down?
2. Bug out for how long? 72hr? …2-3 weeks?
3. Bug out in what season? summer-winter
4. Bug out in what part of the country? Maine-Fla?
If it’s a SHTF well now we are back to the other thread I posted today, what does SHTF mean the answer will tell you about the BOB you will need.

Another big question is where are you bugging out to. Without a place to go you are a refugee. You arent going to survive in the woods for a long time in the Northeast as there are too many people. One thing I have heard over and over from folks is they are bugging out to Uncle Bob's hunting camp. Does Uncle Bob know this? What about the other 20 relatives that are going to show up? The idea of bugging out is to improve your odds of survival. Make sure you have a plan.

 

[Business]

I adjust my BOB every few months for rotating food or spare clothes i.e depending on season. So that makes the weight fluctuate. But i's say without guns and ammo it stays close to 30 lbs. Mine has more in it than the wife and kids.

 

[AllaSnackbah]

Another big question is where are you bugging out to. Without a place to go you are a refugee. You arent going to survive in the woods for a long time in the Northeast as there are too many people. One thing I have heard over and over from folks is they are bugging out to Uncle Bob's hunting camp. Does Uncle Bob know this? What about the other 20 relatives that are going to show up? The idea of bugging out is to improve your odds of survival. Make sure you have a plan.

x2. i will add, i think that unless you are in imminent danger of being wiped out by say a hurricane or tsunami type event, planning to bug out is gonna get you in deeper sheeit than if you just stay where you are and organize a group with your family/neighborhood. there are just too many people. the whole fantasy of grabbing your AR and humping out into the woods and living off deer is just that, fantasy. there will be no deer, just 100 million people trying to do the same thing you are. its gonna take alot to get me to abandon my preps, food storage, and home ground.

 

[OPM]

45lbs is pretty light for a winter set up... many have 70lbs and up with everything but the sink in there.

70lb is not a BOB; it’s a house with straps. 45lb requires a vehicle. IMHO, building one BOB for all possible emergency scenarios is not prudent. Always know:

1) the reason why you are BO
2) where you are going
3) how to get there using multiple routes and means of transport
4) how long it will take you to get there
5) what you might need (must have vs nice to have)

If Seabrook unexpectedly pops it would require different supplies, tactics and route than if I am avoiding a hurricane and both require different supplies, tactics and route if I am avoiding a golden horde. My system is modular in hard cases and light. I plan to mix and match based on a scenario and all of my plans involve a vehicle – there is really no way to do it without one.

PS - Oh, and I have spent enough time in the woods to not take anyone seriously who plans to BO and live in the woods.

 

[BOBKATT]

PS - Oh, and I have spent enough time in the woods to not take anyone seriously who plans to BO and live in the woods.

70lb is not a BOB; it’s a house with straps. 45lb requires a vehicle.

How much does your pack weigh for a 3-5 day trip in the woods including tent, sleeping bag, food water, clothes, tools, etc.?

And just out of curiosity, what examples can you give as for reasons not to take people seriously that would plan to bug out to the woods? Not that I disagree.

 

[AllaSnackbah]

what examples can you give as for reasons not to take people seriously that would plan to bug out to the woods? Not that I disagree.

long term SHTF style situation, i think it is a non-option in as densely a populated area as NE. there will be no game left.

 

[coastie]

How much does your pack weigh for a 3-5 day trip in the woods including tent, sleeping bag, food water, clothes, tools, etc.?

And just out of curiosity, what examples can you give as for reasons not to take people seriously that would plan to bug out to the woods? Not that I disagree.

Too many people and not enough food. I know many people that own guns but dont hunt. Part of their plan is to go shoot a deer. Even if only 10% are successful you have eliminated the deer population. Same with small game. Any wild edibles will soon be consumed also. More than likely the area will be stripped clean so that it wont grow back. I wouldnt want to be in the woods when these folks are shooting at anytihng that moves.

You cant go anywhere in the Northeast and not find signs of humans. If you have found your secret little hidey hole I would bet that at least one other person has found it also.

Folks often site the mountain men and the Indians as examples of surviving in the woods. THe mountain men often had several pack animals with them to carry in staples and carry out furs. THe Indians grew crops as well as hunted and there were few in comparison to game.

 

[jmjkd]

Every one is wrong, nobody is right. What’s up is down and what’s down is up. Live in the woods, stay home. Store food, or hunt deer. Forget the plans, do what you do every day, anything else will be a rookie mistake because that’s not what you do everyday.
See you on the other side, don’t be late.
Have a nice day…

 

[BOBKATT]

THe Indians grew crops as well as hunted and there were few in comparison to game.

All of the Indians grew crops? If not, which tribes are you referring to? And, at what time period are you referring to?

 

[Mike-Mike]

I adjust my BOB every few months for rotating food or spare clothes i.e depending on season. So that makes the weight fluctuate. But i's say without guns and ammo it stays close to 30 lbs. Mine has more in it than the wife and kids.

I leave everything in it. It takes under a minute to just pull out what you don't need.

 

[OPM]

BO is not camping, much like rape is not love making.

Unfortunately, many have a romantic notion of BO with diluted mental images of roasted venison on a camp fire. There are number of reasons why one might need to evacuate an area, but BO to the woods generally means you are trying to avoid capture and subsequent death. Yet, unless you are a part of a well armed and trained group in a very large thick forest and in control of high ground with numerous preplanned escape routes – woods do NOT add any security, but realistically drastically reduce your chances for survival.

Woods are very quiet and you can hear people walking from a very long distance away and cars can be heard miles away. At night, fire, no matter how small, can be seen from very very far away. It blinds those near it and exposes them to an attack. Smell of smoke and cooking spreads over long distances. With snow on the ground your movements are telegraphed to anyone who knows what to look for, and even an imbecile might get a clue after a fresh snowfall. At the same time experienced woodsman, hunter, scout, etc., can use terrain and stalking techniques to get close to his target. You must move slowly and often go the long way around, but you can get on top of your target without notice. Some snipers are known to spend few days traversing few hundred yards of open terrain.

So aside from being cold/hot, wet, stressed out from the feeling of being hunted and going insane due to lack of human contact – BO into the woods is great. Of course I am not even mentioning minor inconveniences of bugs, ticks, hunger, thirst or hypothermia (in the winter without fire most are likely to freeze the first night out). In my experience every time I heard the plan to BO into the woods it came from an overweight guy who has a closet full of unused guns and camping gear. They’ve never been eaten alive by vicious woodland mosquitoes, or prayed for the warmth of the midday sun after a frosty morning on a deer stand, or felt delirious on a fifth day alone in the woods. IMHO, for them dragging a 70lb bag full of camping gear through the woods is a great way to twist an ankle or get shot by another hero who got there few hours earlier and is now “defending” his territory.

Hunting?!? What hunting? The only hunting will be done by displaced bears and coyotes chewing down fat morons who twisted or broke their ankle carrying a 70lb BOB and their new AR/AK with all the latest tacticool toys. The first group of woodland worriers might see some young deer, but after a few days you’ll be more likely to find deer downtown Boston than in the woods. Not to mention that those who might get lucky and harvest some game will be extremely vulnerable for hours if not days after the kill.

When I was younger I had a chance to explore some WW2 Soviet partisan camps. So yes, if the forest is deep enough, a proper group of guys might have an easier time defending a fortified forest installation than a city one. But we are not talking here about some guy in the woods with a tent, sleeping bag and MREs. We are talking about well dug permanent camps on high ground with escape routes and sentries posted in all directions. If you have a like minded group of individuals who have dug and stocked with supplies your earth shelters (mine or cave network also could work) and know how to secure it with traps, killing funnels, ambush holes, etc., - yes I am willing to listen to such individuals and take them seriously.

 

[coastie]

All of the Indians grew crops? If not, which tribes are you referring to? And, at what time period are you referring to?

They have grown food for thousands of years. All the Eastern tribes did to some extent. They grew things like corn, beans and squash. Look at early explorers and settlers records. They describe the fields and cultivation numerous times.

 

[garandman]

x2. i will add, i think that unless you are in imminent danger of being wiped out by say a hurricane or tsunami type event, planning to bug out is gonna get you in deeper sheeit than if you just stay where you are and organize a group with your family/neighborhood. there are just too many people. the whole fantasy of grabbing your AR and humping out into the woods and living off deer is just that, fantasy. there will be no deer, just 100 million people trying to do the same thing you are. its gonna take alot to get me to abandon my preps, food storage, and home ground.

Good point. The coastal Northeast is one of the most heavily populated areas in the country.

I live within walking distance of two wholesale food distribution warehouses, bicycling distance to several more. Plus a container port and huge supplies of gasoline. So I'm staying right here.

I haven't figured out the value of having 14 uninhabited harbor islands within five miles as yet.

As an aside, I was told once that the military and wilderness survival books outsell "urban" survival books 20:1. The book "The Book of Survival: The Original Guide to Staying Alive in the City, the Suburbs, and the Wild Lands Beyond, Third Edition" has 10 reviews on Amazon, the SAS guide, over 600.

 

[coastie]

Every one is wrong, nobody is right. What’s up is down and what’s down is up. Live in the woods, stay home. Store food, or hunt deer. Forget the plans, do what you do every day, anything else will be a rookie mistake because that’s not what you do everyday.
See you on the other side, don’t be late.
Have a nice day…

SO what is your plan? If you think it is feasible provide counterpoints that show that living in the woods is sustainable in a SHTF scenario.

 

[jmjkd]

My plan? Sometimes stay, sometimes go, in the city, in the swamp or in the woods, wait and watch for the planners and non-planners to fail then take what I need. I plan to be cold and wet at times and hot and dry at others. Eat what’s in front of me or wait for something to eat. I plan on being tired, sick and injured. I plan on hurting people who try to hurt me. I plan on wading through bodies to see what is beneficial for me and my crew at the time.
Then I will take it from there…
Have a nice day.....
)

 

[AllaSnackbah]

My plan? Sometimes stay, sometimes go, in the city, in the swamp or in the woods, wait and watch for the planners and non-planners to fail then take what I need. I plan to be cold and wet at times and hot and dry at others. Eat what’s in front of me or wait for something to eat. I plan on being tired, sick and injured. I plan on hurting people who try to hurt me. I plan on wading through bodies to see what is beneficial for me and my crew at the time.
Then I will take it from there…
Have a nice day.....
)

hopefully you dont get mistaken for a looter and shot while your wading through bodies looking for beneficial stuff. just saying.

 

[jmjkd]

Hope and luck is everything. Looters??? Everyone will be a looter and everyone will be shooting at everyone. Sooooo?
Looters pissed of because someone else is looting the stuff they just looted yesterday.
YUP…HOPE…