Hey all,

The normal caveat applies here: I have no affliation with this business in any way.

I just discovered this fellow on twitter. Apparently he just launched his online retail BOB business earlier this month called Mother Eagle out of southern California: http://www.mothereagle.com

Looks like he mandates good quality components. I invited him over to this forum to post his gear lists/pics to get some feedback from everyone. We'll see if he wanders in. He's seems to be marketing to a different audience so I doubt there will be much competition with Doug on kits. Although there might be some competition with Redflare...what do ya'all think?

I'll start off this thread with my initial thoughts on his 72 hour BOB components:

1. Remove the nail clippers
2. Add a reliable dedicated knife. In particular multi-tools make only a good back-up knife IMHO. Although Les Stroud would disagree .

On second thought. I think its difficult to add a knife to a commercial kit because everyone has a different idea regarding the "right" knife. Also since this is an urban kit the addition of nail clippers as "hygiene" could be justified. I think EMT shears would be a better choice but that would bump up the price point. What do ya'll think?

~L

I think keep the nail clippers and add a toenail clippers. But then proper foot care is important to me as I'm on my feet most of the workday day and if I'm lucky all weekend, too.

-Blast

Hi. Aaron of Mother Eagle here. Thanks for your post, Loganenator. I look forward to any and all suggestions you guys may have. I know I am the new guy in town, and there are a lot of people here with a lot more experience than I have, so I am open to all feedback. Just please, be kind . I am doing my best to provide quality products and to help people out.

To respond to what has been said thus-far: I have yet to put up a full-tang knife on the site, but we do recommend in our owner's manual that if a person intends on bugging out to the wilderness that they add one to their kit. We think the Kutmaster Multimaster is a solid, quality USA-Made tool for a decent price. It includes 2 knives in it, serrated and not.

Regarding the nail clippers, I think it is important to maintain the best hygiene possible in an unsanitary urban environment, as well as avoiding injury as much as possible. I think nail-clippers are good for this and lightweight enough to be justifiable. We include the "Trim" brand, which are the best you can get.

Stepping away for a few hours and looking forward to following up on this discussion later.

-Aaron

It just occurred to me.....

Is there an urban survival kit (USK) that includes an eyeglass repair kit???????

I carry 2 eyeglass repair kits in my "possibles Bag".

Excellent selection. Not sure about Inova being the #1 microlight, but that's nitpicking.

The GO kit is great. Would add, oh, about a million more purifier tabs and swap the hybrid radio for something simpler.

Still, really is the best ready-made kit I've ever seen. Monster props.

Awsome another site for stuff.

Lee

OK!!!
I like that Mother Eagle considered a hand truck. I have a slightly different version, but I have found it handy for moving everything from supplies to appliances and including full 45 gallon drums.
2 wheel carts sure save backs. I just wish mine had slightly bigger wheels, but not much larger. They still have to be small enough to rest on a stair tread.

Thanks for the positive feedback, guys.

I like the eyeglass repair kit idea, Wildman.

And yeah, Rodion, I've been meaning to change what it says about the Inova Microlight. I think it is an awesome product, but I guess the Photon Freedom is really the best. Also, there aren't a lot of chlorine dioxide tabs include because it also comes with Iodine, which is way cheaper and works faster. I think make more chlorine tablets an upgrade option.

Personally, I only believe in two lighters: waterproof Peanut (like a tiny Zippo) and Clippers. The latter allow for angular direction of the flame, as well as have a tiny semi-one-handed fire starter stashed inside. Hold their fuel forever, too.

My only problem with Bic lighters is I never know how much fuel is left in them. I can't seem to find a bic with a transparent case. Taking the little "child-proof" wheels off of the cheap lighters seems to improve their function. Does anybody know of a good quality lighter with a radiant flame (not a butane torch) that has a fuel indicator?

Thanks!

~L

Hold a flashlight behind it. Even the darkest opaque Bics (except perhaps black) become transparent with a strong light behind them.

If you hold a Bic up to a light and look at it the fuel usually shows a shadow line.
If you are not sure the line you see is fuel give it a little shake and you should see the fuel jiggle.

Edit: I missed Jaywalker's post before I posted this, oops.

Yeah, honestly, the lighter choice was not about profit margin. I originally chose Bic lighters because of the quality, but I went with Cody Lundin's suggestion to use these instead, because the flame is adjustable and you can easily see the fuel level. You can even modify them to make a torch. BTW, these are King brand lighters. I think they are the best among cheap lighters. I used to smoke, too, and I rarely ever had a problem with a King lighter. And as reliable as Bics are, I've had some with very low flames - and there's nothing you can do about it. Also, I do test these individually before packing them in a kit.

Thanks for the feedback.

Just have it as an upgrade. ME seems to have already gotten the hang of it.

my $.02:

I would prefer the Bic. If I understand correctly this is an emergency kit, right? So don't use the lighter unless you need it, and if you do then replace it after the emergency is over. The not being able to see how much fuel is left seems to be a moot point if it is considered in this way. Lighters are cheap, and for an emergency kit it doesn't make sense, to me, to sacrifice quality for the ability to see how much fuel is left in it.

ME you bring up a good point about testing the lighters before you put it in the kit, I think you should make the fact that you inspect the gear going in to each kit more apparent on your website. I know for me it makes me feel a lot better about ME as a company. If you inspect each lighter, then throwing out the bics that have a low flame should be an option for you.

Standard Disclaimer:
I don't know everything, and the above is just my imperfect opinion.

Just went to ME site, quite impressive never used a "King" lighter never smoked, all in all looks like a good kit for the money.

just my .02

Mike

Rodion, and in case anybody else is interested, I just updated the product page for the Inova Microlight on our site, to describe exactly why it is my favorite microlight. I have a Photon Freedom, also, and yeah, it is very cool, but I still prefer my Inovas because:

http://www.mothereagle.com/Inova-Microlight-p/inovamicro.htm

I like the Innovas, but have lost both of the two I had on my keyring. They rested there with Photon Freedoms. Only the Freedoms are left on both mine and MS Yeti's keyrings. The main issue? The clip has a tendency to pop off the main ring. Perhaps it was because it was rigid and too long to conform to the ever-changing shape of a keyring in use, thrown into bags, and worn on the side. Don't get me wrong, I liked the Innovas, they just disappeared while the Photons didn't. YMMV...


BTW, for non-keyring use, I still have an Innova left that I like and use.