Heat affects the chemical compounds and changes them, sometimes making them dangerous.
Oxidation is not the problem, so vacumn packing is not the answer.

The suggestions to rotate your water periodically are good ones. Remember even if you open your water and find it bad you can always boil it. Sure beats going thirsty. For that and other reasons it probably wouldn't hurt to have a small cheap stove or even just a few cans of sterno and an old coffee can stashed away in the trunk as well.

Regards, Vince

Guess I'm just S.O.L on the meds storage. Sure slims down the first aid kit in the trunk.

I wonder if they make a solar powered cooler that could be used for medications.

The 12 volt solid state coolers used to be big and use a lot of juice. Nowadays they are much smaller and more efficient. There might be a solar powered one out there.

Bountyhunter

these arent solar powered bountyhunter, but there are solar attachments ive seen available to plug things into while camping and such.

heres the solar unit
http://www.outfittersatellite.com/solar.htm

heres some coolers
http://www.cetsolar.com/minicooler.htm

http://www.cetsolar.com/snackmaster.htm

the "green can " of cracker's come's in two types.The one you want has the cracker's sealed in three to a pack, so the moist air will not make them "yuck". they pack well in a Rubber Maid #2 rectangular container. I've used a cooler with and without frozen 1 liter coke bottle's to keep stuff cooled down .

this one 's worked for a while. carrying strap, pocket's. http://www.ca-innovations.com/smartproducts.asp?page=collapsible%20products

Sorry to be controversial but something worth saying and perhaps the "experienced members" (everyone knows who they are) of equipped should remember that us ignorant brit's and perhaps many other europeans don't need/will not ever use the a "BOB" and maybe it should be conveyed the actual useage of such a kit!

Please may i add i do respect that for some it makes them feel safe. For American's inparticular you have the very real oppourtunity of Bugging Out because of the sheeer size of your country and the variety of temperature zones etc. And lastly can i say i do think having a small holdall with a change of clothes, FM radio, money, important documents and a torch is useful regardless of where you live-take the Boscastle flooodings in the South of England-these items would of come in useful! I think we must think in proportion to where and how someones lives and the options open to them before giving out advice relating to BOB's!

Sorry to go on a rant and off topic so appologies for high-jacking your thread!

Mark

No problem. I can only speak for myself but I am fascinated by what citizens of other countries consider vital or not for their kits. I confess that I feel the most affinity for those in the Scandanavian countries because they seem to have a lot in common with me: we both hunt large herbivores (I hunt elk, they hunt moose or caribou.) I don't imagine that there is a lot of that going on in Britain. Nevertheless, the needs of a human being in the western United States is probably pretty similar to that of our British cousins when it comes down to basic survival (fire, shelter, etc.) and I'm very interested in what you may have to add. I'll bet I can learn a thing or two from you, and vice-versa.

Regards, Vince

I don't visualize as many problems in bugging OUT, as I do in getting home under some circumstances.

In England (southern, anyway), you probably wouldn't be very far away from assistance. In America and some of the less populated parts of Europe, I can visualize many more problems than you are perhaps likely to have. Right here, we commonly have flooding, occasionally have earthquakes, and have a mountain that is named next likely to erupt. We sometimes get a foot of snow at a time.

If something happened and I had to walk home, it would probably be from 10 miles south, or 25 miles north. Sigh. And there is the possibility that I couldn't get home if there was a flood (again). Personally, I like to keep some stuff handy. Most of it isn't necessarily to be life-saving as much as for comfort, like water, a bit of food, or shelter or a rope.

Mind you, it would be lovely to live in a place where help is always at hand, but that isn't here.
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'Pup