Greeting forumites, i just recently signed up and look forward to getting to know the place and the people.
well, enough of that; on with the thread topic:

this is the first opportunity I've had to get a critique on my BOB and car kit.

BOB(large ALICE w/ frame):
strapped to the bottom of the pack:
blue foam sleeping pad and surplus wool blanket(in the winter a mummy bag-rated to 15F replaces the blanket)

first outer pouch:
sierra hurricane poncho
altoids kit w/ the usual items
tube tent
200ft 550 cord

second outer pouch
weeks supply of Rx meds
first aid kit
roll of gauze
medical tape
antibiotic ointment
alcohol wipes
assorted sized flexible cloth bandaids
folding scissors
small bottle of hydrogen peroxide
small bottle of isypropal alcohol 91%
short belt for tourniquet
advill caplets
Pepto
baking soda
benadryl
"new skin"

third outer pouch

aluminum canteen with stainless steel cup and aluminum stove

1st small outer pouch
extra lithium batteries
small notepad and #2 pencil

2nd small pouch
Survival Tabs

3rd small pouch
iodine tablets
small bottle of bleach and dropper
Swedish fire steel
lifeboat matches
a few child-proof bic lighters

inside
rain suit
changes of clothes
3 debagged/repackaged MREs
1 Mainstay lifeboat ration(one person for three days)
1 big blue tarp
water filter
platupus water bladder 4 liters
inova X5 led flashlight

Car Kit
1 full case of MREs
2 15-packs of bottled water
heavy wool blanket
dynamo-powered emergency radio
1st aid kit, same as one in BOB but with larger quantities of supplies.

Car tool kit

inova X1 LED
duct tape
electrical tape
jumper cables
Fix-A-Flat
3 bottles of oil
2 bic lighters
100' of 550 cord
adjustable wrench
4 spare AA litium batteries
Shop-cloths

EDC

Inova X1
SOG multi tool
prepaid cellphone
emergency poncho
coleman FAK
2 emergency water rations
15' 550 cord
advil travel sized bottle wrapped in duct tape
wallet
Floss-Card
p-51, photon mini, 2 gig flash drive, and 2 days of RX meds on keychain.




Opinions, suggestions?

How do you have any room in your trunk? Just kidding. Welcome to the forums. Seems like a pretty well thought out kit. Yours is better than mine is, at least in terms of completeness and quality of products. One question - what are survival tabs?

Hi Erik,

Welcome to the site, I am a recent poster myself and have found this forum very informative, but ADDICTIVE!

Nice BOB and Car Kit, one question what are the "Survival Tabs" you have listed?

Thanks,

Mike

two quick things: putting extra rx meds in your car is a good idea. You may want to put the whole pack into a jumbo sized duffel to keep it clean.

Welcome,

Teacher

Survival Tabs are a multi vitamen,mineral etc supplement in a decent container that can double as a small canteen. IS there a second purpose for the bleach, given you have iodine tablets? Are you aware of iodine's potential danger to some people with thyroid conditions? You may wish to upgrade your water purification later. Blue tarps, if you have the hardeware store drop cloth genre are heavier, noisier and less tearproof than siltarps etc. That is not to say they won't work. Julia Butterfly Hill's tiny treehouse was covered with blue tarps and survied El Nino. Tube tents are reviewed by Doug on the mainpage. You may want to consider an upgrade to a single quality tarp and retire the tube and blue. I see no stove or external heat source. You might consider a TP and coffee can stove to warm the vehicle, an ESBIT stove at minimum and some premade tinder ie petroleum soaked cotton balls and a small bag ofcommercially sold fatwood. It's silly to have the means to make a fire and no readily on hand fuel. What is your clothing? I would toss in a few knitted watch caps, work gloves and wool socks (feet and impromtu mittens) A few inepensive S/S Mora knives and a small sharpening diamond disbursed among the units would be a nice addition. Finally, a good first aid manual and basic survival guide in case your incapacitated and a untrained 2nd party has to take over.

Nice to meet you Erik!

Great list. Definitely a good model for the rest of us. Just a few suggestions to go and a question:

1) I'd replace the iodine tablets with Micropur MP1. Crypto isn't affected by the iodine. You could still keep the bleach for backup. I'm not certain what water filter you are using, so I can't say that it could remove all the nasties.

2) Depending upon your location and season, you may want to add sunscreen and insect repellent.

3) What kind of aluminum stove are you using and what kind of fuel does it use?

4) How's the knife in the SOG multitool? You might want to carry a primary knife with the multitool providing the backup blade. (Don't ask about which multitool is the best. You'd release a torrent of opinions that mostly result in personal preferences. Doug's reviews are pretty useful.)

5) Add a bandanna or two. Can use it for head cover, dust mask, hankerchief, mask for robbing the stagecoach, etc. You can then ditch the belt used for the turniquet. Besides, tourniquets are tricky things to put on and remove and you may want to skip the idea.

6) Car kit: consider adding a tow strap (I don't know if it would be feasible given you vehicle.) You may want some flares/glow sticks in case you need to mark your car if broken down.

Good luck! I've got to go update my kits with some of your ideas.

- Brian

Add MP-1 tablets. Keep the iodine. Its very useful for wound washes and sterilising your hands etc. You really do need a head torch. A small Petzel Tikka or eqivalent should be part of everyone's E.D.C. Being able to go hands free for your lighting can be the differance between life and death. Add reflective vests to your car kit. If you have a break down/flat tyre, that is your first move. Before you get out of the car. Otherwise it's a case of using what you can obtain.

E.D.C. :- Add a small ferro rod or sparklite and some tinder to your keyring. Put a lighter in your pocket.

the iodine, bleach and fire making means are all means of water purification.

i was not aware of the iodine danger, thanks for the warning. it should be ok, as i don't have any sort of thyroid problems.

not sure why it's not listed, but in the main pack there's a half-roll of TP with dryer lint packed into the tube and sealed with wax. lint makes awesome tinder, a small bit is plenty to get a fire going. .

the clothes are wrangler jeans, Thorlo western boot socks, white cotton t-shirts, and black Dickies long-sleeved shirts. except for the shirt, this is basically what i wear anyway. i usually wear a cap when i leave the house, and have a knit cap in the car in the winter. good idea about the gloves, i didn't even think of them. i always wear sturdy work boots, and the Thorlo socks are pretty thick; so wool socks aren't necessary.

1. where's a good place to get Micropur MP1?, i'd probably add it rather than replace.

2. there's some OFF in the FAK, just forgot to list it.

3. the aluminum stove is the type that nests with the canteen and cup

4. the whole tool is very well made, though i haven't yet had to put any of the tools through any severe abuse yet, so i can't say what they can take. i've been trying to find a decently priced kabar for the BOB, or something similar in quality.

5. if needed i could use one of the t-shirts as a mask. same with the tourniquet.

6. a tow strap would be a complete waste, as my station wagon can just gets itself up some hills, much less tow something. i'll add some road markers to the car kit as soon as i can find some decent ones.

Tow strap could help you some day. You could need pulled from a ditch and someone that stops to help might not have one.
A (dangerous) method to use a tow strap to get a single car unstuck is to get it stretched tight between the car and something like a tree, then while one person sits in the car spinning the wheels the other jumps up and down on the tow strap. If you have a decent length strap you get a lot of leverage. Yes its quite dangerous but choosing between your kids freezing to death in the car or doing a dangerous unstick it might be worth it.
Also if you can get the strap under a wheel then tied to something you can use it for traction.