My personal BOB concept is for a kit to get me home during during a sudden, unexpected episode of chaotic upheaval and disruption caused by some natural or man-made event. I intend to be moving quickly, so weight is big consideration. I only need to get by for three to five days, with the option of maybe hiding out in the brush for a week or two en route, in case people get really freaked out at first.

BOB LIST

Kelty MAP 3500 Backpack, 2000 c.i.
Camo/Hi-Vis reversible rain cover

FIRE:
Bic Lighter x 2
Strike anywhere matches/case
Flint & steel (hacksaw piece)
Tender Quick
Vaseline cotton balls
Magnesium bar

SELTER:
Heetsheet 2 person
Space blankets x 2
Silnylon tarp 5 x 8
100 ft paracord
Tent pegs x 8
Mosquito netting
Zip ties x 12

WATER:
Camelback Bladder 3 qt
Bottled water x 3 qt
Waterbag 2 gal
Bottle, Lexan Nalgene 1 qt
Polar Pure
Iodine tablets

COOKING:
Trangia alcohol stove
Wire pot stand
Snowpeak Solo Ti pot & cup
Plastic spork & knife/spatula set
Foil windscreen
Small scrubbie
8 fl oz denatured alcohol

TOOLS:
Baseplate compass
Gazetteer and road maps of region
Gerber pocket saw
Wire saw
Mora knife
Fallkniven F1 Knife
Leatherman tool
Hacksaw blade
Duct tape
Whistle
Signal Mirror
Binoculars
Petzl Zipka headlamp
Photon lights x 2
SW/AM/FM Radio with antenna
Spare eyeglasses with clip-on shades
Spare batteries
Plastic tubing 8 ft (O2 tubing)
Large garbage bag
Medium Biohazard Bag
Bandannas
Notepad and pen
Cellphone battery charger, AA
Color photocopies in Alosak and USB in match case
of important documents and records

INSECT PROTECTION:
Mosquito headnet
DEET Bug repellant
Sunblock
Lip balm
Aloe Vera

HYGEINE:
Wash bag
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Floss
Scrub cloth
Microfiber towel
Razor
Dr Bronner’s soap
Campsuds
Mineral deodorant
Toilet paper
Trowel
Clorox wipes
Alcohol gel

FOOD GATHERING:
Fishing kit, “Altoids” size
Line, lures, hooks, swivels, flies, etc.
Food Gathering Kit
Fishnet, speedhooks, handlines, Thompson snares, snare wire, etc.
Henry .22 Survival Rifle
200 rds high velocity ammo
Cleaning kit

RATIONS:
Mainstay Lifeboat Rations
1xMRE
Small pouch of dried soups, teas, bullion, coffee, hard candy, power bars, etc.
8 oz Electrolyte drink (Gatorade)

CLOTHING:
Sun hat
Buff
Long sleeve nylon shirt - Brown
Nylon pants with zip off legs -Khaki
Wicking T-shirts, 1x OD, 1x Orange
Wicking boxers x 2
Hiking Socks x 3
Nylon belt
Lightweight hiking boots
Lightweight nylon rain suit

Winter supplemental kit:
Cheap mummy bag, fully compressed
Watch cap
Fleece jacket
Polypro long johns, mid-weight
Glove liners

Tyvek overalls
Booties
Nitrile Gloves
Safety glasses
Bonnet
Face mask
Safety Vest, reflective

Hard hat
Goggles
Face masks N95 and N100
Work gloves

DEFENSE:
Pepper Spray
Kel-Tec P11
IWB Holster
4 spare magazines

FIRST AID KIT:
Assorted bandages and dressings
Combat Dressing and Blood stopper
Vaseline gauze
Celox
Wound closure strips
Topical antibiotic
Blister kit
Splinter tweezers
Temporary dental filling
Oil of cloves
Betadine
Oral antibiotic
Narcotic analgesic
Ibuprofen
Aspirin
Benadryl
Imodium
Antacid
Sugar

Looks pretty extensive though maybe too redundent. How heavy is it? What sort of terrain will you be moving through (totally wild, suburban yards...?)

Why both Gerber pocket saw and wire saw? Cut weight, move faster.

Five fire-starters? Are they all in your pack or are they spread out around your body in case you lose the pack?

Deodorant? Seems another unnecessary item in light of your soaps.

-Blast

Good comments/questions, thanks

Part of my supplies are in a pocket kit that can be pulled out for day hiking etc.

It weighs under 20 lbs without water and the basic clothes/boots I'll be wearing.

The terrain in my part of Northwest Florida is mixed woods, swamps, farmland, small towns, and a couple of rivers or bays to cross to get home.

The Gerber pocket saw is only 3 oz, with a 6" blade, the wire saw can be rigged into a longer bow saw and only adds another 1 oz to the pocket kit.

Part of my concept of a BOB is being able to "pass" and stay in a hotel or shelter. I avoid the tactical/camo look, and try to stay blandly "low observable," but with some high visibility items, too, just in case. The deodorant is just a sub 1 oz piece from a rock crystal deodorant block. It can also be used on my feet, and I find dry pits and feet reduce jungle rot and general discomfort. The desire to pass also explains why I chose the Henry over a Ruger 10/22, since it compacts smaller, weighs less, and fits inside the pack.

Jeff

I'd carry food, rather than try to collect it along the way.

I do carry food rations for a few days, at least, Mainstay Lifeboat rations, an MRE, and assorted other items like energy bars. The snares, rifle and fishing gear give me some options if there are unanticipated difficulties and I need to change my plans.

Jeff

I've been monkeying around with it some, so I'll have to get a current weight when I get home. My goal is < 20 lbs carried weight, less water, and I believe I'm under that.

Jeff

I like most of it.

Thoughts after reading other people's comments:
More food.
Another hard water bottle. PET can't be trusted IMO.
Another magazine for the Henry, and a cleaning kit.
More stove fuel.
Trowel.
Ziplock bags and a couple of contractor's bags.

Given that you are looking at a full range of options, CASH. And rather than just copies of your documents, keep some of them in here, like an old DL.

Thanks for the good input.

I thought about more food. I know what my appetite is when hiking high mileage days. One MRE is one day's food for me. The lifeboat rations will do for three more, at least, and my odds and ends will go a day or two. I could stretch my supplies into a week. One problem is the tropical heat from carrying food in my car's truck, and the hassle/expense of rotating stuff out.

I have high confidence in the Camelback bladder in it's protected sleeve pocket. The OTS water bottles, which get rotated out regularly, will get dumped into that. The Nalgene Lexan bottle is full. That gives me a full gallon without using the 2 gallon water bag, or the PET Bottles.

The Henry holds 2 8 rd magazines, and I do pack an all caliber cleaning kit. i haven't looked into after-market magazines.

I could probably use more fuel, but there's always an option for a cook fire. Depending on my end weight, I think I'll add another fuel bottle.

I do have a plastic backpacker's trowel.

There are some zip locks or small dry bags holding stuff, as well as a dry bag liner for the pack, but more is always useful. I do have one large contractor-type bag.

I always have cash on hand, and have to carry essential emergency credentials at all times, too. You are right about these.

Jeff

OK, here's what I'd take based your list: day pack, small tarp, liter Nalgene bottle with Steripen filter cap and Steripen (plus 2 extra batteries), Trangia mini stove and cookpot and plastic spoon, folded foil windscreen, 16 oz methanol, Leatherman tool, cellphone and AA charger, Cutter's insect repellent, baseball hat, sunglasses, bandanna, windbreaker, gloves, toilet paper, large bandaids, ibuprofen, antiseptic wipes, lots of breakfast bars, instant oatmeal, crackers, pimento cheese, canned meat, and 3-in-1 Nescafe coffee packs. On my person always: watch with small compass on band, pocket knife, AAA Arclight flashlight, comb, whistle, flexible signal mirror and magnifying lens, Cricket piezo lighter, pocket tool, needle in wallet. I might take one of my pistoles...maybe my .22 S&W stainless 2213 pocket pistol and a handfull of ammo. That's it, I think.

What distances are involved? Why not bike?

I would add some Mountain House freeze dried meals. You can also make your own freeze dried meals that you make in ziplock baggies. I like MREs as well, but they can be bulky.

I would use the Katadyn Micopur tablets for water treatment tho. I believe they are better than your solutions. The Polar Pure is a good choice for typical water treatment, the Micropur for more questionable water.

I'm assuming your Gatorade is in powder form?

I'd sure like to see weights on that stuff. Looks like a lot
more than 20 lbs to me.

Is it real warm there? Seems like some sort of superlight
sleeping bag or half bag would be more likey to to be used than some of the redundant stuff for summer too.

Second thought a backpacking quilt maybe better for escape
if you might be bothered when asleep. Easier to keep a weapon
nearby and covered.

Yep. Total weight is much higher than 20 lbs. The 20 lb. goal anticipates leaving some stuff, particularly the rescue/hazmat gear, behind if not needed for travel, and does not include the cold weather supplemental bag of about 6 lbs, the clothes I'll be wearing, or the water, which would be up to another 12 lbs in hot weather.

Florida is hot most of the year, but my Northwestern part can get down to freezing on Winter nights.

I'm not worried about getting bushwhacked at night, although I will keep the pistol handy. From experience, I feel confident I can keep warm enough with what I'll have with me.

Thanks for the observations.

Jeff

Freeze dried meals are great items for this type of thing, but I have free access to MRE's and I don't have to rotate out the lifeboat rations - I'm just a bit lazy, I guess. All my leftover freeze dried meals go into my at home supplies, anyway.

I'm curious as to specifically why you prefer the micropur to iodine, though?

Yep. Gatorade powder. I use a pretty dilute concentration when exerting myself in hot weather, about 1/5 of "normal," to aid absorption and offset hyponatremia.

It takes me several days, at least, to get a decent acclimation to living and working hard in high heat and humidity, 24/7, and without any cooling breaks at all. Occasionally, I even find a liter or two of IV fluids in the first day or two very helpful. I have to watch my fluids and electrolytes carefully, and I find that plain water just doesn't do it for me.

The lifeboat rations facilitate smaller, more frequent meals, require less water to digest, and so work well for me as a hot weather survival ration.

Jeff

I prefer the micropur because I don't believe the iodine kills the crypto in the water. DR gives a good overview in his water treatment section.

As I said, I like MREs, but they really add a significant weight. I tend to take at least one plus some Mountain House when I do backpacking...

I live in Florida, half-way down the Gulf coast. I know what you mean about food in the trunk. What I do is mix peanuts, raisins, and either candy corn or miniature jellybeans instead of the traditional chocolate.I put it in the peanuts jar and make a seal of that cling wrap you can press and seal to keep fresh,then put the lid back on tightly and dont bother to tape it.The peanuts still absorb some moisture from the raisins and taste a little bland but I treat it as a new taste and try not to compare it with freshly opened peanuts.When walking in the heat I have found that sugar is almost as important as salt. One of the components of treatment for heat stroke is an I.V. w/ sugar in it. I have had two bouts of heat exhaustion which left me chilled and shivering in 90+ degree weather; glucose tablets (those sold in the drug store in the diabetic supplies) were what stopped the shakes so I could function. I don't know of any food that will last indefinitely but this combination lasted two years in my trunk, and that was before I got smart enough to keep a cooler in there just to protect the food and liquid-filled compass.

Try "Field Stripping" your MRE's. Pull it open, toss what you don't want, squeeze out excess air and reseal with a hot iron. Less bulk, less weight, and less trash to "tail a trail" behind you.

Great thing about MRE meals, one is usually enough for a day unless you are really working it hard.

Also have been meaning to ask what is the oil of cloves for?

How do you feel about the AMK rehydration salts drink mix vs Gatoraide?

Electronics (GPS, PLB and etc.) as time/need/money permit?