I am going to have to start flying to get to work every so often now, and because of the way that the airlines and TSA have gotten concerning baggage, I have shrunk my BoB down to an Israeli Paratrooper Messenger Bag with the following gear:

Khaki Israeli Paratrooper Messenger Bag

Army Camo Poncho
KaBar hunting knife
VFR charts for central U.S.
GPS
Binoculars (small)
Pack of condiments (salt, pepper, sugar, taco sauce, 2 sporks, napkins)
2 MRE’s
Native American Medicine Pouch
Fishing kit
Coffee filters
6 emergency ration bars
2 AA batteries
$20-change
8 cigarettes in waterproof container
2 Bic lighters
2 black inkpens
3-6” wire ties
roll of paracord
US Army messkit: bottle of kitchen matches, 6 Triox tabs, 3 SOS pads, P-38, metal spoon, Combo (knife, corkscrew, bottle opener)
penlight

I would supplement this BoB with other equipment that I also carry, such as:

Every Day Carry (EDC): Buck 110 lock blade, Leatherman, soapstone, 20ft of braided string, mini-maglite, bandanna, pocket calendar, eyeglasses, Bic Lighter, cigarettes.

Other than that I carry: 2 Falsa blankets, 1 qt canteen, FAK w/anti-biotics & water purification tablets, shaving kit, Baja jacket.

From lifejacket: whistle, 55 & 35 gal trashbags, signal mirror.

This is about as lean as I can get and I definitely don't have near what I'd like if I had to leave my boat in Illinois and start heading home to Louisiana. The same is true if I am in Corpus Christi, Tx and have to get home to Louisiana.

Keep in mind that the only reason that I would get off of the boat would be in the event of an EMP event. Chances are that the GPS unit would most likely be useless because of the event and would of course, be left behind.

Your comments are welcome but being the "Big boy that I am", I really don't need to be told that I should quit smoking. I figured that out about 30 years too late.

See: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm#9

The lighters you will have to carry on, can't go in checked.

The kitchen matches are not going, period, but you can put a single book of safety matches in checked.

The Trioxine is questionable. In my book that makes it not worth the potential agro.

Will you be flying to the same place every time? Can you keep a BOB on the other end so you don't have to deal with TSA?


On this below, I couldn't resist. It surprised me recently to learn how quickly the body can recover from decades of smoking:

20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
(Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure Amplification, Mahmud, A, Feely, J. 2003. Hypertension:41:183.)

12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1988, p. 202)

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp.193, 194,196, 285, 323)

1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)

1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)

5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)

10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, 152, 155, 164,166)

15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)

Wow! Since I stopped smoking on 12/7/74, I must have the lungs of a teenager by now!!!

Hey, at least my heart rate and blood pressure has dropped...

Jim

Thanks for the reminder Doug, I wasn't thinking clearly. I will be taking those items when I drive to the boat AND leave them there.

This BoB is small and compact enough that I will probably leave it on the boat as long as I am assigned to it.

That would eliminate a lot of possible problem issues.

Would the DRPSK be permissible carry-on baggage, providing the sparklite, scalpel blade, and cordage were removed? Perhaps supplemented with one book of matches (per TSA site - One book of safety (non-strike anywhere) matches are permitted as carry-on items, but all matches are prohibited in checked baggage.) and the scissors from a swiss card? The rest of the items seem to my un-tutored eye to fit within the guidelines. Anyone tested this hypothesis?

"...and the scissors from a swiss card..."

From the link posted by Doug above, re scissors:

Scissors - plastic or metal with blunt tips. Yes Yes
Scissors - metal with pointed tips and blades shorter than four inches in length. Yes Yes

So, if you want scissors, take some up to four inch pointed scissors...

I know of no man who has spent as much time as you have working afloat who functions well without the input of some coffee in his bag. If you can make it without coffee, some of the guys sharing that small boat with you won't be so inclined. There has to at all times be a supply of coffee on your vessel, so I don't think you need to add it to the bag. However, I'd have something that would hold some coffee.

Also, you've got pens, but what are you going to write on. The boat you work on has things you can adapt for functioning on the trip you contemplate in case something happens, such as an EMP event. You might take paper from the boat, maybe ripping out sheets from a log if you are without a pad. But some waterproof paper might be a good idea. If you plan on being in a small boat for a few days, there are plenty of things that could happen and leave you with nothing else to write on.

We would be taking a large amount of supplies, including food & water AND COFFEE!!!!