Quote:
1. Smith & Wesson Homeland Security Folding Pocket Knife (CK2CS) (7.8 oz, its heavy!)
^ Soon swapping out with Gerber LMF II ^


I would be tempted to swap out the Smith & Wesson Homeland Security knife for a Luxury Hungarian Goosedown Pillow.. An inflatable sleep mat such as a Thermarest would also be very useful for a comfortable nights sleep.

A good sleeping bag would be considerably lighter and more comfortable than a woolen blanket. For the summer I'm currently using a Vango Venon 200 square ended down bag which can be fully unzipered to form a open down blanket. It weighs around 800 grams.

Much of the BOB kit could be made redundant if you were to get the highly efficient Primus Eta Packlite Stove and a medium 250 gram Gas cartridge. i.e. the GI canteen cups and Esbit gear. With a 500 gram cartridge you would also be able to sterilize all of your water requirements for the 3 days without having to use chemical tabs.

Rather than use the Mylar Turkey Size Oven Bag I would also get a properly designed water carrier designed for the job at hand such as the Ortlieb water carrier or the other hydration bladders such as the Camelbak Unbottle or Naglene etc. The system I currently use is a couple of neoprene covered (Sigg) stainless steel Tatonka water bottles (with a Smartube hydration adapter for hydration on the move). The stainless steel bottles are easier to keep clean than the plastic water carriers and can be used to steralize water over an open campfire if needed.

A lightweight tent is also very useful, much more so than in improvised shelters such as one constructed from a poncho. There are spacious single man terms which weigh less than 3lbs and make a retreat from biting insects.

A mosquito head net would also be very useful. A change of socks and some Compeed in the FAK might be useful also.

I also wouldn't like to rely on locally gathered food resources for the 3 days bug out. 3 days food supply will only weigh in around 4-5lbs in weight. Bags of oats, rice, noodles, pasta, milk powder, dried potato, tea and sugar, spices etc can be easily and cheaply added to bulk out any fish, small game that is caught locally.

I am also currently considering adding a Stanley 0.5 litre Vacuum insulated food flask to my current cooking pot (at Etapower 1 ltr pot and fry pan) system. This with allow me to prepare dried ingredients such things as rice, oats, noodles, dried soups and other grains etc using the vacuum cooking method to save fuel, whilst preparing freshly made sauces using the Etapower pot etc. MREs and ORPs are OK but they become quite heavy when they are required for a more than a few days. Hmm sweet and sour squirrel with egg fried basmati rice. wink








Edited by Am_Fear_Liath_Mor (06/10/10 03:55 PM)