Okay, I am ready to interject here.

One morning last week I found myself lying on the floor waiting for the 2nd mortar to land. The first one was about 200 yards out. When the security blows the whistle, that means get to the bunker NOW. As the whistle blew, I got up off the floor, grabbed my body armor and my BOB and ran for the bunker. If things get worse than that, we will be loaded from the bunker into armored vehicles and evacuated. At the point where evac is imminent, we cannot get back to our rooms, our offices, or anywhere else on the compound. We cannot leave the bunker, and all that we have with us may be all we will have for an indefinite time.

There isn't thirty seconds, and it is difficult to think about anything else but getting to the bunker. You cannot think about what you need to grab and bring with you, beyond what you have been drilled to grab and bring.

So I guess my question is why not have a BOB? Cost can't be much of a factor, size restriction shouldn't either (hey, you should see the size of the trailer I am living in). Maybe you will have an additional thirty seconds, maybe not. Why take the chance if you don't have to? It is better to have a thing and not need it, than to need a thing and not have it.

BOBs don't have to be extravagant to be practical. They just have to be handy. The only time I would leave mine behind is if I have to run for my life, in which case the body armor will probably get left behind as well. Unless I am in bed or the shower, I can make do for a bit with what I have on me, but it isn't enough for all occasions.

The BOB is the answer to a whole lotta "What If" scenarios. It isn't going to be a panacea, you need a lamp with a genie in it to cover every contingency. It goes back to my slogan:

Chance favors the prepared mind.

Nix the heater. You want water, survival tools (knife, firestarter, navigation), a little high energy food, a change of clothes, and something that will make a halfway decent emergency shelter. Water is probably your biggest BOB need.

Just speaking from experience. Inbound mortars can simulate a lot of situations for which a BOB is needed.