2005RedTJ,

Ah, now your bag makes a lot more sense. As another member pointed out bug spray even a bug-proof headnet would be a good addition. What are the 13gal garbage bags for? They seem small and redundent in light of your other gear.

Weight-wise it sounds really good.

-Blast

This bag is more for if I end up camping when I wasn't planning on it (say I break the Jeep bad enough I can't fix it on the spot), or if I get lost, or if the crap hits the fan and I need to actually bug out, it's a dual-purpose bag.

I'm preparing for cold and wet even though it doesn't get near as cold here as it does up North. I figure the 4 contractor bags can make a decent tent, I'm pretty resourceful (used to be a Boy Scout back in the day too). I'm picking up a Thermo-Lite II Bivvy tonight to throw in there and possibly a fleece sleeping bag too.

The first aid kit is a Sawyer #1164. It has some basic first aid instructions inside it and I want to keep the survival manual too. http://www.baproducts.com/1164.htm

The Leatherman is a cheap Winchester one from Walmart. It's decent for what it is, but I plan on upgrading it to a Gerber Suspension or something similar very soon.

I just put the bag together over the last couple weeks and haven't had a chance to try out the water rations yet. I may end up carrying another bottle instead of them or I may just carry 12 of them in addition to the 4 20-ounce bottled waters I carry on the side pockets. Once I drink a water packet I'd throw the empty back in the pack, I always clean up while in the woods. I think I'm going to carry less water and just source my own (boiling or purifying of course).

I think I could do with just 9 of the lifeboat food rations and the 3 MRE entrees also instead of carrying 18 rations, those things are heavy.

The gloves are just work gloves, they'll provide a little warmth but be more for protecting my hands. The candles were dirt cheap and last 9 hours, so I just threw them in. I think the Sharpie is kind of pointless, also, but I had one laying around and it weighs next to nothing.

Good call on the larger compass and maps, I need to add those.

Don't know what I was thinking when I threw the 13-gallon kitchen garbage bags in there, I really don't have a use for them.

The wire saw may do okay, it may not, but I have a Buck camp axe in there anyway. I might need to cut stuff to build a shelter that would take forever with the saw.

I forgot about bug spray, need to put some in there. Good call on the whistle being on my person. Thanks for the welcome guys. I just got started on the BOB/SHTF bag quest about a month ago and started actually purchasing supplies to go in it a couple of weeks ago.

Nighthiker - I was a DPSN on the USS Wasp, LHD-1.

I think you might find that a saw, particularly a decent small folding saw, will cut the sort of stuff you'd need for a shelter much faster than a small axe or hatchet will. A folded up Sven or Gerber saw in your pack would be a much better choice than any of the wire saws I've seen.

With a lot less chance of injury too.

Welcome to the fold.

JohnE

Welcome newguy and fellow TJ owner. I too have a pack that I haul around in the back of my jeep. The only thing that stood out to me is I have a Austrian mess kit in my pack. It is a alcohol stove, windscreen, and 2 pans. It sure does make cooking/boiling water/ making coffee etc... a whole lot easier and more convienent then a coffee can. Just something to think about. Keep the canvas up and the greasy side down.

Hello new guy, pull up a rock.

*looks at your bag*
*cracks my knuckles and stretches*

-HSLD 3-Day Combat Pack.
Knock of one of the bigger Camelbaks, good design if you don't overload it. Problem- Condor's knock offs are decidedly middlin in their build quality. Watch fleabay, you can get good deals on a similiar size pack if you are patient. This will do for now, but I wouldn't take it to do rough stuff.

-Cold Steel Recon Tanto
Tantos aren't the best utility knives, at least the chisle ground ones. *shrugs* personal call.

-Gerber Mark I
Double edged and a short blade... Again, not the best choice. I'd think about upgrading to one (1) good, drop or clip point blade at some point, but again, personal call.

-2 - small compasses
All well and good, but they can't perform as well as a larger one. And if you have maps, a larger one becomes even more useful. The size of these two combined are probably similiar to one good, small but full sized orienterring compass.

-1 - BIC lighter
Take two, they are little. And wedge the plunger.

- wire saw
Uhm... someone suggested a folding saw. Let me suggest it once and twice more.

- first aid kit
Saw what you had, have you augmented it and checked to make sure it has everything in that it claims?

-3 - 13-gallon kitchen garage bags
Huh?

-4 - 20 ounce bottles of water
-24 - 4.2 ounce emergency water rations
Not a fan of either type of package. You've got 180 ounces here, assuming that none of those little packets break. I'd rather carry less water in a container that I know won't break- if you aren't scared of bad unscience, you can buy lexan nalgenes for about 4-5 bucks each.

-18 emergency food ration bars
Are they a 1200calorie bar? 400s? Granola bars?

-8 - Quaker chocolate chunk granola bars
Chocolate in an emergency kit should be well packed and limited to M&Ms, IMO. Having had to clean a melted chocolate bar out of a pack was a one time thing. :P

- big coffee can (boil water in, etc...)
YEAH!!!!!! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one.

- sewing kit (needles/thread/safety pins)
Better is keep the safety pins, and pack good needles. You've got 100 yards of ok, heavy thread in the fishing kit.

- US Army Survival Manual
Ah, the 21-76. Not my first choice- it is trying to be global, but isn't big enough to do the job. As a result, it is mediocre everywhere.

- Leatherman
You said your multitool was a wallyworld, winchester name-rent model. Certainly a start, and absolutely a place to grow from.

- Thermo-Lite II bivvy sack
- fleece sleeping bag
Very good combo.

A good start. But it has room to grow.

Things I'd like to see added:
Wire
Zip ties
Dental floss
Maps, even if it is just a Delorme atlas
for a week, you are very light on food

I think you've got a lot of those little water packs and food bars, but they are high bulk/low value in my opinion. I'm not even sure how it all fits into a 2500-2600ci pack.

Good start, not great but good.

I changed it around a little tonight. Added another 100 Potable Aqua purification tablets and removed 12 of the 24 water rations. I figure with a means to boil water, 200 purification tablets, 6 coffee filters, and a 1-quart military canteen - I believe I have the water thing covered (though I do plan on switching the canteen out for a good wide-mouth nalgene bottle.

Those are the 1200-calorie-per day food rations, so I figure if I remove half of them, I still have 3 days worth of rations plus 3 MRE entrees plus 8 granola bars. I know it won't be like a steak dinner with a baked potato every meal, but would it do to survive on?

The Recon Tanto was free, I've grown pretty used to it and it's full-tang and tough as nails. It's one of the original, old-style Recon models. Not the one they sell nowadays. I removed the Gerber Mark I, don't really see a need for it with the Tanto in there.

In addition to the one BIC lighter in the bag, I always have one in my pocket.

I need to get a folding saw, I was just at Bass Pro Shop and forgot to check on one. They were also out of the Thermo-Lite II Bivvy as well as the fleece bag I wanted. May have to check back or just buy them online. Also need to pick up a better compass.

I removed the kitchen garbage bags, don't know why I had them in there. What would be a better book to keep in there than the FM 21-76? Also, I have checked the first aid kit and have put a few more things in it, not much yet though. What else would be good to have in the first aid kit?

The granola bars are individually wrapped and kept in a ziplock bag so I'm not too worried about meltage. I need to grab some zipties off the company van. I shouldn't have forgotten those, I use a ton of them every day.

After removal/replacement of some items, the bag now weighs 26 pounds. Still need to add sleeping bivvy/fleece bag, and a fleece hooded pullover.

OK, from the number I was thinking they were those 400cal Meelium bar things or cliff bars. I can't comment on anyone's love Mainstays- I do a happy dance when I think one is getting a bit worn and should be replaced. (I know, I'm sick. I put cheese and peanut butter in the same sandwich, to.) I try to have one of those per day, and either an MRE entree or a MH Propak or similiar per day, along with some granola bars and slim jims.

Then again, I'm also not planning on living off the land after 7 days. My plans are hiking 100 miles in the warm, loving embrace of a Vermont winter if I have to. *laughs*

If you are looking to order gear, I like gearx.com, but then again, I live two miles from the retail site and they are half way between two of my favorite book stores... They have good prices, and in the store they are clearancing their lexan nalgenes (standard and half sized, wide and narrow mouth), so grab them while you can if you are going to grab some. The Triton bottles have failed to impress. And failed to pass basic impact test (size 13 boot).

Ironraven - I'm currently wondering if a 3600 calorie package of Mainstay's, plus 3 MRE entrees, plus the 8 granola bars is enough. I might throw a few more MRE entrees in there. The Mainstay's are very heavy.

I don't really plan on being stuck anywhere for 7 days, but in the event of a natural disaster I just want to be able to cover pretty much any scenario for about a week. Bass Pro Shop had some decent prices on the Nalgene bottles, I'm looking at the 32-ounce wide mouth one now online.

I'm also thinking I might go with the Snugpak Travelpak Lite instead of the Thermo-lite II Bivvy. I'm still planning to carry a fleece bag also.

I don't know a whole lot about the bag, but the info with it lists it as a Voodoo Tobago Tactical Cargo Pack. The buckles all say Voodoo on them also. It's a lot better than the Walmart backpack I upgraded from, that's for sure.

Epirider - My Jeep is also my "bugout vehicle". I have lockers front and rear, a 8.5k winch, good mud tires, and a bunch of tools and recovery gear. It gets me everywhere I want to go, no matter what the conditions. I still play too hard in it sometimes when rock crawling and break parts, that's how I know what needs upgrading.

I like the 1200cal rations better than 3600s for one simple reason- if you wear a hole in the wrapper of one of three 1200s, you are out 1200 calories, but the other two are fine. Wear a hole in the one 3600's wrapper, and you are potentially hosed. And since I do one 1200 per day, it makes it easy to portion out. *shrugs* YMMV.

As for going with a loft based sleeping bag rather than something like the Thermo-lite, there are pluses and minuses. Plus side, it will be warmer probably, due to the loft. Minus side is, if you leave it packed in your rig all the time, the loft gets compressed. Even if it can be refluffed, it won't be quite the same, at least not for a while. The Thermolite, so long as it doesn't have a hole (duct tape to the rescue) it will work, no long how long it has been packed. No loft issues.

And myself and others aren't saying the bag is horrible. We we are saying is it can be a lot better for not a huge amount more if you roam ebay and the like.

Welcome to the fire...

The bag itself is ok. I have the same one with an Under The Gun brand label on it. Just watch the zipper pulls. The part you actually grab tends to break or pull off. The 550 cord loop can fix that, but the attachment point isn't a completely closed loop. This can cause them to pull off easily when unzipping.