I struggle with the idea of carefully assemblying the gear and packing my BOB, and then letting it sit for months. And I also struggle with the idea of grabbing my BOB whenever I go camping, which uses up some or all of the consumables in a few categories - rendering me somewhat BOB-less until I can replenish them.

Do you think we should hold some gear and supplies sacrosanct against true emergency, or should we boldly use stuff and assume we can re-supply?

Is doubling up a solution [camp with one BOB and keep a second in the car you drove to the trailhead, for example]?

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Good question. After studying many a Bug out Bag or Get Home Bag on Youtube, you quickly come to the conclusion that perhaps the Main Battle rifle and Claymores etc should be left from the bag and a tent,a sleeping bag and sleeping mat should be added. I've seen Bug out Bags equipment lists weighing 80+ lb or more (30lb of weapons and ammo) yet didn't have a decent sleeping bag and shelter protection i.e. a disposable poncho is thrown in as an afterthought. Even if they do include a tent, these folks would probably use their FN FAL as a tent pole. They would struggle also to walk more than 5 miles a day carrying this load out not including the beer belly of course.

There's no reason for a Bug out Bag to be based on the equipment list of a mountain marathon runner such as shown here as the 3 or even 5 day (just add more fuel and food) requirements are essentially the same.

http://www.planetfear.com/articles/The_2009_Mountain_Marathon_Kit_List_1037.html

As Chris Ryan has been quoted keep the 'kit stupid simple' i.e. Stupid simply means your kit and your equipment don't have fancy bits that will drop off in the dark and stop them working. It means that everything is tried and tested. Using you Bug out Bag kit for camping is the best way of keeping the kit stupid simple. You will quickly find out want works and what doesn't. Many a Youtube BOB owner will be in for rude surprise if the balloon goes up.

All you need is a spare grab bag with additional fuel and food to supplement you BOB just in case you have consumed the food and fuel from a previous outing into the wilderness.

Typically, most people prefer to 'write-off' their BOB's. Meaning, you assemble it and then you leave it alone until you need it (other than to check gear, update gear, or replace expired items). The idea being, everything will be there, in good working order, when you really need it. Trying to find items you took out for one reason or another can cost precious time; which is completely opposite of what a BOB tries to achieve (everything in one place so you can just grab it and go).

With that said, it's a difficult thing for a lot of people to do, as gear isn't cheap and you don't/won't know what gear works until you try it.

My first BOB basically started as a dumping group for older gear. As I bought something new to replace an item, the old items would find their way into one box as long as they were still in good working order. In a couple years I had the beginnings of a good little BOBox....and because they were older items, I didn't mind writing them off.

Finally, it's worth keeping in mind that the gear list for a BOB isn't exctly the same as a gear list for camping. I mean, I don't usually take copies of my important papers, dust masks, and pry-bars camping...but after 9/11 I consider them basically essential to my BOB.

And if the "curtain goes up" while you are off camping?

I prefer an "in use' BOB, or whatever you want to call it. Basically, it means you just keep your gear organized. Right now, I have three bags which I can pick up and go with - one is for professional fieldwork (incorporating such BOB-unlike items as tape measures, trowels, notebooks, and flagging pins), a day hiking pack which definitely does include some very lightweight shelter and cooking items, and a cycling pack, which has much the same stuff, but includes a few more cycle specific tools.

Sometimes I will shift gear from one to the other, depending upon the particular trip. When the trip is over, things go back to their home base. Some items migrate regularly from pack to pack, like my camera and GPS. Each bag, however, has First aid stuff, fire starting gear, something to cook in, minimal shelter, and a least one piece of extra, warmer clothing that forms the nucleus.

Each kit includes some consumables that are always there - for me, its usually Clif bars, Tonka bars, and tea bags w/sugar. Food for the specific trip is extra. From time to time I realize my reserved emergency stash is getting a bit elderly (like me!) and I consume them and replace with newer items. Did this just yesterday, as a matter of fact, on a bike trip that lasted a little longer than projected (fifty miles, 2700' elevation gain).

I am definitely a fan of using your gear. In a tight situation, it is critical to know that your gear has worked in the past and will work again in the present situation. It's just one less thing to be anxious about, and your anxiety level will be high enough....

Example - on the trip yesterday, I took along a water bottle I had not used before. It didn't work very well, and I won't be relying upon it in the future. I would not want to make that discovery in a tight situation.

Then I run to the BOB in my truck.

So, when it comes to the BOB are we back to "one is none, two is one, and three is a backup"?

We have two BOBs, one per vehicle, plus Bug-Out/Bug-In Gear boxes to supplement. Either BOB can serve as the "core" for the stuff in the gear boxes. One of those BOBs goes with us camping. However, neither is supposed to be "camping gear" and is instead with us against emergency.

I use a combo approach. My hiking pack is always packed and ready to go in the trunk of my car. It's got water, a change of clothes and enough food for three days, but is more gear centric. (Stove, water filtration, saw, tent, lights, tarp, rope, FAK, etc.) This bag is designed for me and my son, with a little thought (i.e. extra ponchos) too for my hubby and SD. I use the pack for Scout hikes so it's set-up to take care of a group.

This is suplimented by my trunk supplies (tent, thermarest, sleeping bags, wool blankets, extra jackets, hats, mitts, socks, toiletries, etc) It's designed for my son and I should we get stuck for a few days.

Then we have a family BOB in the basement, that's designed for four us. It can stand independantly and with it we should be good on our own for at least a couple of weeks. (Began with 72 hrs and grew it from there.) This kit includes older gear (i.e tent, sleeping bags, lanterns, stov, etc.) that's in great shape and that we are all familiar with. It's currently comprised of our individual packs (Everyone carries their own clothes, water bottle, toiletries, flashlights, etc.) and communal supplies (including docs) in a big hockey bag. Combined with what's in my trunk, we should be good for a few weeks.

The family camping gear is seperate but packed and organized for bug-in, and can quickly and easily be grabbed for bug-out if we have time and space. {we're down to 1 vehicle at the moment - my honda Civic. }

So I guess my question to your A or B question is Yes.

Actually, some BOBs may be heavy in theory and short on reality, esp the super-light ones.

Use your BOB for camping and find out if it has some serious shortcomings.

In fact, why not try using it as your only source of camping gear? Keep a small notebook and pen handy to jot down thoughts as to shortages and excesses. That would be a better time to find out what the flaws are than during a life-threatening situation.

While you're out, consider the possibilities and match your BOB against them: Bad weather, injuries, sickness, extended time you might be dependent on it.

Sue

I agree with Sue. Using and knowing your gear and supplies will never be more important than in a bug-out situation. Don't pick and pack based on a list. Test it. Experiment. Nothing teaches like real life experience.

I've actually got 4.

Emergencies are not the time you want to be learning the ins and outs of your equipment. One of the reasons I avoid top-line equipment is so I can buy multiple copies of the same items. Generally, with a few exceptions, if I don't feel good about buying three or four of any item I feel like I can't afford to buy one.

I can, for instance, have one for home use, one in a disaster kit, and another riding in the truck. When the day comes I break out the kit I'm intimately familiar with the stuff inside. I know how it feels in my hand and know how far it will take me. Nothing, not well meaning advice nor expert reviews, tells you more about a piece of equipment than actually using it. And, within certain limits, the more you use something the better you know it.

I too watch YouTube videos of people explaining silly BOB items and think that these people have never carried the kit any distance, let alone lived out of it overnight. Test your BOB at least once a year.

I have since re-assembled my 6 bobs/ghbs of which,I disassembled not too long ago,as I was actually going "Batty" trying to determine what I actually needed,& Recently came to the conclusion,after trial&error on an outing that,I pretty much had it figured out to begin with!I realized that even the expired MP1 tabs,Still were potent enough to use as a disinfectant to clean water containers & such,The only real loss are the meds & occasionally some foods or candy,that have expired,that I decided not to chance consuming.I've also decided to start keeping a better stock of Actual edible's,sans the dehydrated crapola that gave me the turkey trots,I've since renamed it Fountain house,as it seemed fitting!Decent,edible food is good for the soul,& In a dire situation/emergency it will be a Major Morale booster!Of course,YMMV

Hey Dweste, this topic has come up before, IIRC.

I don't have a pre-assembled bag. I have my camping gear, then next to it a large tupperware filled with extra food, water, blankets and some tools. There's an extra case of MRE's in the garage with that "pile" of stuff. In my house are a couple of pallets of water, with a few 12-packs of ramen and some other extra food, stored in the pantry in the back so it's not used with the regular food. There is some gear that isn't quite camping, or BOB, but was bought for long-term situations in mind (5-gal gerry cans, for instance)

There are rudimentary kits in both cars.

The idea being, there probably won't be a situation in which I literally need to get the bag and RUN. If something is that catastrophic and fast paced, being in a car will probably be better anyway.

I'll probably be able to afford the time to throw the tupperware into my pickup, walk 8 feet, get my camping gear, toss it in the back, grab the dog and go. I assume my wife can walk by herself. And pick up the water and ramen on her way out. Literally I can be out of the house in 2 minutes - assuming, of course, I'm at the house. If I decide a gun needs to come, that adds on another minute (mainly thinking "hmm, which one?").

Your general approach has worked for me on two occasions when we had the van loaded up quickly due to nearby forest fires (one quarter mile away). The key was having a predetermined check list, so that each family member had a task and we could work efficiently.

I chuckle when I realize that one the first occasion I placed my sleeping baby daughter in the van, literally ready to turn the key and drive away, while on the second occasion, ten years later, she was in charge of downloading files from the home computer.

Nowadays, we would all just throw our laptops in the bag and run...

My personal Bob is my camping gear packed and ready to go minus food water and clothing. I have a duffel bag of clothing and a "messenger" style bag with more urban based tools that i would grab along with with it. I think making a BOB and never touching it till you figure it needs to be updated is a wrong approach. For most people in areas that are not often hit by natural disasters its a waste of money to double up on the same stuff just because thats what everyone else does. Camping gear and bugout gear is little to nill in difference. The big difference is the added Tools such as hammers and so on so forth and extra items for repairs such as duct tape and such.

When I started trying to be prepared several years ago, I used the "going camping" opportunity to test out my BOB, which at that time was what I could carry in one bag (A large Camelback at that time). While the family lived off the normal car camping gear, I restricted myself to living off my BOB.

Given that you have the general basics covered, what I learned the most was I needed to primarily get better at estimating quantity/redundancy of items.

Some thoughts that I'm recalling:

• Needed more cleaning and hygiene supplies such as bandanas, hand cleaner, liquid soap.
• Needed more basic FAK supplies (with kids around, you can go through bandaids and Antibiotic ointment quickly).
• Needed more coffee (I use the ones that are like tea bags). Made me a hero with a couple of the moms on Saturday morning though. They remember it and still thank me years later.
• More and better knives. I only had a benchmade folder (good quality), but not really suited for splitting anything but the smallest wood pieces (without putting serious wear on it).
• I had enough food for me but barely enough. I found I burnt more calories when camping and hiking, and was more hungry that just on the typical weekend doing chores around the house.
• I had too many clothes. Could have gotten by with 1/3 of what i took.
• Exception to clothes was socks, could have used another pair or two.

I learned a few things about the quality of my gear too.

So, FWIW, I advocate using it and resupplying (and adjusting) it immedately afterwards.

If "the curtain goes up" in that period when my supplies are down then, it is what it is. At that point I'll try to rely on a healthy dose of luck, fate and faith.

Regards,

Buckeye

With a family or 4 on just my income I don't have the resources to have a bag that just sits unused, I have to justify my gear by giving it as much use as possible.
My BOB/GHB/whatever you want to call it is a cabelback that I take on bike rides, short hikes, over night trips, etc.
First reason is I use some of the gear, the GPS logs our trips for example.
Consumabled would be food/water/batteries. I make up sort of my own MRE's, just take a zipock bag and put in a sncak or meal for each of us, breakfast bars or cliff bars, furit and nuts, etc. I'll have a few of those in My BOB and a few more made up at home. So when we are going to go on a longer bike ride and could use some of my bob food, I'll take an extra pack or two in my truck to refill as soon as we get done. Same with batteries and water, I take duplicates and those stay on the truck.
I rotate the food through my bob by buying new, putting it in the ziplocs and dating it then taking an older on to work to eat. This way my consumables don't expire as they are always rotating and carrying extra to the park or trailhead lets me use whats in the bob without fear or not having it.
As I get the funds I'm starting on bobs for each family member, going to get a camelak for my wife then add a few duplicates of consumables for her to carry too, then as the kids get older do the same for them.

You might br surprised what you can glean from a Salvation Army or Goodwill store for the kids first BOB. Backpacks for $3, stainless steel water bottles for .99, flashlights, raincoats, hats, outerwear and on and on for dirt cheap.

We have a lot of stuff from places like once upon a child. They both have go bags, Dora and Deigo, carry their toy cameras, small plastic binoculars, etc.

Second-hand stores are a great place to shop for emergency stuff. While some of the equipment might be questionable, clothes, sleeping bags, water bottles, backpacks, blankets, radios, kitchen stuff, boots/shoes (especially for little kids who don't wear them out) can all be found for a fraction of the coin you'd pay for new.

Just make sure you go over the item with great detail to Condition. Nothing like buying something used and finding out when you need it theres a hairline crack that snaps off or its held together by a flammable glue you didnt notice at the store.

dweste ... my own approach is to use the BOB as much as possible. I take it for camping, daily activities that require those items, and also I carry it in my rucksack once a week (at lunchtime). It is frustrating to use up the BOB supplies and then need to replace them. BUT this inconvenience is minor compared to the enormous advanatages of being able to evaluate all the equipment in your BOB on a regular basis. The more you use the stuff, the better it will be tested under real-life conditions.

Just my $0.02

cheers,
Pete #2

Although constantly re-sorting and stocking any BOB is a bit of a pain it does allow it to be regularly checked/used/tested and run through its paces before being used in any "real" emergency. I'm a big fan of being familiar with your equipment although i've yet to design a test that simulates the stressors of an emergency (not sure I want to!) and how it works or indeed how you work it.

I always take my BOB out when camping/bushcrafting and use most of the elements when I can. Generally the thing missing for me are the knots I recently learnt and no matter how much I tell myself to practice it seems its the first thing that i forget to do!

ATB
Moab

I've made the sorting and restocking pretty easy by keeping the consumables in small packets so I just swap another one in.