Absolutely on all counts, Izzy! Just like a campfire, food has a lot of benefits, even if you don't strictly need it in a given scenario. I can't imagine getting stuck somewhere with my kids/husband for an extended length of time without food. We'd be looking at increasing crankiness, headache, nausea, lack of focus... and that's just me! LOL!

Same here.

1) Leatherman wave in my EDC, pocket or belt.
2) Leatherman Squirt S2 in the EDC pouch, it stays in my work backpack or goes with my BOB.
3) Leatherman Squirt P4 in the PSK. Say the Wave falls off my belt or out of my pocket the little squirt in the PSK is a backup.
4) Buck 110 in the BOB.
5) Buck Travelmate in the BOB.
6) Buck folding saw in the BOB.
7) Buck camp ax on the INCH
8) Leatherman New Wave and Squirt EL in the INCH Toolkit.
9) Fixed knife on wish list.

Each one complements the others well, I don't see an easy way to eliminate one.
For example the Wave I can't carry at work so the small pouch with it and my cell phone charger, etc go. When we go out of town the BOB goes and that pouch goes too because it has my cell phone charger, I'm not going to take the S2 out so then its redundant with the Wave that would then be on my belt.

True, Eugene. I never understand it when people assume that their BOL is going to be perfectly intact and supplied when they get there, or that it's only going to take X number of days to get there, or that they'll be able to do it all by vehicle, etc... In my mind, when I plan a bug-out, (Like Hikermor, bugging-in is plan A, except in a select few scenarios,) there's always a niggly voice in the back of my head whispering "What if..." Can I plan for every eventuality? No. But my mentality is "Hope for the best and plan for the worst", and I think that if it comes to that, I shouldn't expect it to go off without a hitch.

We were watching Out of Wild Venezuela the other night, and one of the participants destroyed her boots to make something or other, under the assumption that they were essentially going to be saved when they got around the next bend in the river. My son said to the screen "You're so dumb. It's not over yet. What if something happens before you get to the end?" It made this mama proud.

I need to add that, personally, I think a great piece of advice that's already come up here, is to take your kit out for a test run. Then tweak it and take it out again. Not only will you trim it down and identify gaps, you'll get used to the set up and each individual piece of gear.

Right now, for example, I'm just getting back into the swing of things after a pregnancy, and adjusting to life with a new baby. I'm testing a new BOB set-up that's going to be a general store for my day hiking/overnight and weekend/week long set-ups. In addition to getting my hiking legs back under me and losing this baby weight, I'm trying out a new pack (old pack, new use), a new stove (DIY alcohol) and a new saw. We're doing some day hiking, and the overnighters start in a few weeks. I hope to have the pack dialled in shortly thereafter. Part of that process is asking yo guys for feedback and I really appreciate your insights!

For my fellow gear addicts and over-packers:

Skill and experience definitely out weight gear, and every scenario is different, as are the scope of our EDC and BOBs. It's true that the more you know the less you need to carry, but that doesn't mean you have to go only bare essentials, as long as you're willing to hoof it, or at least be willing to adjust your load as you need to. (heck, the bare essentials for some people seems to be nothing. FWIW, I use a combo of the Law of 3s, Dave Caterbury's 10 Cs and Bear Grylls' "PRWF" as a basis for my kit building, and group my gear around the sub-kits of Shelter, Fire, Water, Signalling, Navigation and Food. (The top three change priority based on the seasonal weather.)

As an example, when I blew my shoulder apart a couple of years ago, I had a choice. I could lighten my loads or stop carrying anything all together. I chose to adjust. I'm still adjusting actually. My shoulder has a weight limit that I need to stay below when I'm on foot, and it's lower than what the rest of my body can tolerate. Remember, though, that adjusting your load can mean carrying fewer things, carrying lighter things or a combination of both.

Great point, spuds. 50¢ is for a local call. (Not sure how long.) Long distance is much more. Take a few quarters (a roll?) Or try to call collect. 911 is always free in these part,btw.

That is indeed a very good saw for its size. I have one too. Haven´t used very much but enough to have got a feel for it. Plus it is practical for backpacking because its foldable. And the teflon on the blade makes it glide nicely through fresh wood.
You don´t cut down huge trees with it but up to a diameter of some 6 inches is doable.

Don´t remember if I have posted this before so here is my "bushcraftset".
Doesn´t weigh much, around 1kg and doesn´t take up much space.
But get´s the job done building a shelter or fire.

Not a BOB'er here. I do carry certain daily items to get me around though. One item I carry is about 6 quarters. Not especially for a payphone, although they can be used in a payphone.

If you paid attention to the coverage of the Boston marathon bombing, people could not get out on cell phones due to traffic saturation. It has happened before and will happen again. If you want another backup means of communication, the payphone, if found, will provide a means to phone home.

The quarters are also good for a drink or some food items in vending machines, most require power. In a dire situation a rock may be the way to the goodies. Would have to be very dire.

The rest of my EDC is a Victorinox Rambler knife, keys with a P-38 and Tweezers attached. A Fisher Space Pen, Burt's Bees chapstick, wallet, comb, cell phone, O light i1 flashlight, spare battery, eyeglasses and a watch.

I have never needed anything beyond this. Bugging out will not be something on a moments notice, so if I need to leave I can pack accordingly. We don't have hurricanes, floods, tornados or earthquakes here. Not much to run from what I can tell.

I tend to stay in the Urban "Jungle" so to speak, but I have a backpack that I carry a lot my life's little necessities in. I have a Multi-tool and a Tanto SOG Flash II that I EDC as I find myself using them all the time.

In my bag I carry a back up of the medicines I tend to take daily, a "overnight" kit (Toothbrush, Deodorant etc..), a good poncho in the event of an emergency, a pair of tactile gloves, a good "IT" screwdriver, a flashlight, and some other misc stuff.

And... that bag is not really so lite anymore, but I'm a good sized guy so it's not too bad. I actually walked with it for about two miles the other day and I did fine. I don't think I would want to walk 10 with it.. which brings me to the a great point above.. Physical Fitness.

That's my goal this year.. to get back on the bike, to get back on the trails and strengthen up my legs and back. It's the one aspect of my preparedness that I feel the worst about.

Rod

Also.. That Laplander Saw (I keep it in my truck) is awesome. I've never seen anything cut wood as well as that thing does. It's amazing.

Thanks,added it to my amazon order.