Originally Posted By: Russ
Hmmm, dunno about that. A BOB is one set of gear with a purpose in mind -- get to a bug-out location, it may contain no food. A 72 hour kit is designed to survive for 3 days -- doesn't take much to do that, doesn't even require a backpack, but necessarily contains three days of food and water for however many people the kit is designed to support. A SAR kit is another animal altogether.

That said, going through the steps building a SAR kit would better educate the user on what is needed and what is not required in a BOB (the classic BOB based on a backpack, not a truck). Using the SAR kit would also give a person experience in what he needs to have and why. Education and experience combines to knowledge. The most important of all is to know what else you need to learn.


Using your gear, being active with it, hiking and living out of the bag, is good regardless of the contents. Walking long distances and across rough terrain is a good way to test a backpack with a realistic load. Actually using all of your gear in realistic conditions and determining what is durable, what is useful, and eliminating unnecessary items, is a fantastic test. If you are testing it on a SAR (not the actual rescue gear, though some may determine that they need some of that as well) is a good way to get out there and conduct a realistic test. SAR personnel need to live out of their bag while on an operation for multiple days.

For me, I am never out there without others for whom I am responsible. My BOB always has some basic rescue necessities, like rope and carabiners. Nothing serious, just the basics.

I also do not have just one BOB that remains packed at all times. I am out often living out of a backpack and traversing rough terrain (Just in the last year: Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Linville Gorge, several mountains over 10,000 ft) and I adjust my gear according to the situation. The number of people with me, the terrain and weather, the amount of time out. But these are great exercises for you and your gear. You gain a bit of new knowledge every time. I do always repack upon my return and my family all have a 72 hour BOB close at hand.