I don't want to presume to tell you your own business, but I think you are being a little anal retentive about expire dates. Without going into a long disertation as to how they are set by the FDA and DepAg, all I will say is that it is essentially arbitrary.

I have a couple of doctor friends that have been working with Doctors Without Borders now for about 10 years. 90% of the time, ALL they have is epired donated goods, and there have never been any complaints or problems. Caveat: biologicals - not relevant to this discussion.

Expiration dates are for a controlled temperature usually considered room temperature. Any of the things you keep in your car (food, meds, water) will be affected by the heat of your car during the summer and greatly change what would normally be still good. Just change everything on a rotational schedule it saves a lot of head aches.

Sounds like a good mix of gear to me. I think I would keep the AR-7, a good 22 can be a valuable game getter and can have more range than a pistol. I have one of the Springfield M6 carbines in .410/22 Hornet. It offers some good game gathering options.
My main concern is to be able to get out of town in an emergency. I think that the way traffic is around here, I will be stuck in the city anyway. So, I keep bottled water, keep a water filter around and extra canned goods that can be cooked on a camp stove or gas BBQ. If the power ever goes out in the summer and stays out, survival will be a matter of staying cool and hydrated. For home defense, I keep a 40SW auto around and a few boxes of ammo. 12 guage is a backup tool to me, less manuverable. Anyway, you are doing good! Cheers!

Looking much better after some shopping today. There are some loops on the back of the pack, a plastic clip, and three small mesh outer pockets that just seem to scream for some gear! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I think I'll get the hatchet/crowbar/hammer/nail puller combo tool and slip the handle in a back loop, if I see it's secure enough. Maybe a backup flashlight with lanyard for the clip. And maybe some little bottles of water or Gatorade for the pockets?

I remember reading in a reprint of Lofty Wiseman's SAS Survival book (...now maybe I should toss THAT in there to be safe!) to put in salt tablets or electrolyte tabs. Important idea? Gatorade would take up more room, but might be more thirst-quenching.

Got the car kit pretty well ready too...I'll post an inventory later.

Go to this page and study all of Doug's kits carfully, especially those which seem closest to your needs in terms of size and portability. You're off to an outstanding start but are missing some basic stuff as well. Cordage, firemaking, water purification, etc.

Here's what I suggest. Find the kit or kit's of dougs which match your needs the best as far as size and portability then copy it as closely as possible with what you have available. Then add the "special needs" items specific to your situation, such as prescription meds, glucose tabs etc.

You can learn a lot from studying Doug's kits.

I'm no expert but IMHO you're off to an outstanding start! Keep it up!

What's the weight limit on a decent backpack? I went to Outdoor Products' webpage and could find no details. There was an FAQ page, but nothing ON there....?

Well, the car kit is done and the extended car kit/B.O.B is all but done. As an above poster mentioned, with wintertime storms (and summertime storms) It's wise to make sure an extended stay in the car, should that become needed, would be comfy. The backpack is like an extention of the car kit, plus some goodies should I have to leave the car.
In the pack I have a store FAK supplemented with a LOT of meds to make a decent Medical Kit, including:
Immodium
Loratadine (claritin) redi-tab (no water needed!)
Dye-free generic Benadryl caps
Meclizine (aka Dramamine less drowsy formula) for vertigo
Camphor/phenol/yadda yadda bite/sting gel stick
Generic Advil (my preference) and generic Tylenol too
Tums
Aloe/lidocaine/menthol gel for burns
A dental repair kit (....that I need to take OUT of my car FAK and put IN my bag's kit...!)
Hydrocortisone cream
Clotrimazole cream
Neosporin + painkiller ointment

In each of the side pockets of the bag I have a mini-Powerade, plus a tube of 10 extra glucose tabs in one. I ordered a bottle from the page someone here kindly linked me to (there WAS an outfitter in town that sold them that I always meant to check out...closed down 6 weeks ago! <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> ). To supplement that, I ordered a water filter straw. I got some matches in a waterproof vial, 2 sealed BICs, and *cough* a magnesium block. Yeah, I should read more often BEFORE I buy! Also a pin-on compass 'just in case' I need to get from point A to point B out somewhere that lacks convenient road signs. Let's go back to list mode so this durn post won't get TOO long!
-Hatchet/hammer/pry bar/nail puller combo
-folding spade
-space blanket
-personal hygeine items (No Rinse shampoo/soap, toothbrush, ect)
-sunblock
-'food kit' with some canned pasta & soup, mints, gum, kleenex, hard candy, tuna in a pouch, can opener ect...
-rain poncho
-clothes: jeans, shirt, socks, tightie-whit....er....underwear <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> , cap, sunglasses (need an extra bandanna too!)
-wet wipes
-roll of clear duct tape (clear because I had a roll of it laying around already) wrapped in some aluminum foil with a small sew kit and my BICs inside the tape roll
-sharpening stone (2)
-Swiss army knife
-cheap LED flashlight
-2AA mini Maglite
-AAA radio (but no AAA batteries, this I shall remedy STAT. I just glanced and thought it took AA's! <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> )
-bug-repellant packets
-lip balm
-I KNOW I'm omitting something which I'll think of...no doubt after I hit 'continue' and if not then, for SURE when I hang up!

With this plus my car kit, I think I be covered on the road. I dread winter coming up as I'll have to add some stuff like long johns and hand warmers, while I'm hard pressed to think of stuff I can REMOVE! But as long as the pack can take it, it's all good. Well, the pack AND my back...I almost hurt myself strapping it on this afternoon!!!! <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

In most cases the weight limit is the carrier [YOU] not the pack. Shy of stuffing the thing full of lead you will run out of room before you exceed the weight the pack will carry. From your discription of your physical condition figure your max load will be about 25 pounds.

I know a firearm is the coolest part of any sak, but let me take the opposing view here.

I'd use the extra money, space and weight allowances for more food, cash and water -- most situations require just sitting in one place while things get fixed.

t ro