http://ubb.plainsmanscabin.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=4<br><br>Above is a link to a forum that discusses BOB and survival kits. You may want to surf on by and review some of the past topics for some ideas.<br><br>Military gear is green and durable. But it can also be unnessarily heavy. There are some civilian products that might be better choices depending on what your goals are. The first might be clothing. Camo means to blend in with your surroundings. BDU's with an ALICE pack on city streets is not camo. Kakhi slacks and a flannel shirt with a day pack or civi pack blends much better in an urban/suburban environ.<br><br>As one who has been playing around with survival kits for a few years, let me suggest that the more knowledge you have, the less gear you need. For the most part your BOB is complete except maybe for some snares and fishing gear.<br><br>Now I would suggest you begin to learn and study firemaking techniques and food & water gathering techinques. Also start investigating where you are going to Bug Out to. Ideally that location is where you have cached supplies and have a support organization of people to assist you in your survival.<br><br>You have taken the first and most common step in survival, the backpack survivalist. Soon your backpack will be too small and too heavy to carry all the gear you feel you have to have. Then you will become a vehicle survivalist, maybe with trailer in tow. At this point you will have all the gear possible to recreate a habitat and fend off legions of maurauding hordes. Soon after that you will come to the realization that regardless of how much firepower and ammo you have stored, you can only fight off so many hordes and you are better playing the run and hide game. Next you will slide into the Bug in rather than Bug out phase. <br><br>This is where you finally come to the realization that your primary residence is the best place to Bug Out to. That is because you already have shelter, food, heat, cooking, and a community to assist you. Once you reach the Bug In phase, then you start looking for a place that makes sense to Bug In. The elusive self sufficent retreat away from the urban sprawl with enough room to hunt and grow crops.<br><br>Some of use take the plunge and buy the acreage and move to a small farm outside of a small town. Solar power, well buckets, livestock raising, hide skinning, square foot gardening, bee keeping, and reduction of the weapons arsnel to as few calibers as possible that are better for gathering food instead of armed invasion.<br><br>As mentioned earlier, take a deep breath. Let it out slowly. 9/11 scared many people and they are trying to make up for "lost time". You have a decent BugOutBag, albeit heavy on the military side. Take some time to start gathering information about how to become more self sufficent and less reliant on the just in time inventory system of modern life.<br><br>Take some first aid courses. Join the local Orienteering club. Practise using the gear in your BOB in the back yard. If it doesn't work in perfect conditions with excellent lighting, weather, and no pressure, how will it work in the field? You don't have to trek to the far side of the world to test your gear. Pitch a tent in your backyard and try to get a fire started without using matches or a lighter. If it gets dark, wet, or boring, go back inside and watch TV with a Beer. Try again the next day until you can. Skills are more important the gear.<br><br>Good luck!