BOB clothes

How much of each clothing item do you pack in your BOB (if you do) assuming that it is a 72 hour+ kit?

I think this is going to be a question for which you find a lot of differnet answers, depending on how each of us feels about what might drive us from our homes and for how much time we could be away from them.

My BOB has a three changes of socks and underwear. I have to hope washing is a possiblity beyond that time. The underwear is all synthetic, so it dries fast, if washing quickly is a possibility.

Otherwise, the clothing in my BOB is pretty much only one set, so I will have the stuff in my BOB and what I am wearing when i grab it and go. If I bug-in, then I have mmuch more. The clothes are is geared mostly toward winter. Long underwear, which can double as something to wear as other things dry. A pair of gortex rain pants, because I can wear them through almost anything. Outerwear to be worn in layers that should keep me warm enough below freezing, but on or two layers that I would wear at night in temps up into the 60s.

Be guided by the 72-hour purpose of the BOB. Follow Dan_McL's suggestions for synthetics and layering.

I tend to try and get the most bang for the volume. Typically I try to pack one full change of clothes with maybe 2 pair of socks. With the exception of one pair of wool socks, everything is thin, light, and packs small. Ultralight Merino Wool long underwear (I'll usually wear this but if i don't, I always pack it), polypro shirt and socks, Nylon windbreaker pants, etc. I also try to pick the sizing such that I could wear these clothes in addition to what I wear out the door and layer it all together if I had to. I buy with this in mind and have a selection of snug, proper fitting, and oversized shirts to choose from.

Ever since I started watching Ray Mears' TV shows his philosophy of 2 sets of clothing only make a ton of sense. He lets whatever happens happen to the set he wears during the day and sleeps in another set which is pretty much exactly the same as what he wears during the day. Then he gets good rest and can dry clothing at night plus has a change if it's a bad idea to wear wet clothing (depending on the conditions of course).

If you put your clothing into a stuff sack, compression bag, etc. Make sure it's big enough to hold the every day clothing you might be wearing when you bug out. Jeans are bulky for example. This is where I love waterproof compression bags. Keeps your other clothes dry and can compress even the most uncooperative items into a manageable size for packing.

1 set of outer clothing, 2 sets of underwear/socks. I hope that if I ever need to bug out, I'll be wearing something so that would make 2 sets of outer cloth and 3 sets of underwear/socks in all.

Usually just a knit cap, wool glove liners, 1pr wool socks, 1 change of underwear. Come winter I throw in a fleece jacket too.

Otherwise, I plan on grabbing stuff on the way out. I have to get my BOB from the basement, and from the stairs to the front door I have to pass my hall closet. A quick stop to grab my down jacket, hat and gloves and I'll be out the door in another 20 seconds.

Mainly though, my bag is so stuffed with other stuff I can't fit clothes in

I put everything in ZipLock Bags: 1pr pants, 1 LS shirt, 2 T-shirts, 4pr-underwear, 4 pr-socks; then squeeze the air out of the bags.

This will keep me moving for 4 days before I take a break to do laundry, forage for supplies, and rest up.

That's my plan and that's how I train!

I live in NW FL so heat & humidly are the issue about 8 months per year. In the Winter a cold snap means lows in the 20's overnight and maybe the 40's in the daytime.

My BOB contains light hiking boots, 2 pair Smartwool socks, 1 pair light nylon pants with zip-off legs, 1 light nylon long sleeve shirt, 1 wicking tee shirt, 2 pair wicking boxer shorts, tubular nylon belt, a boonie style hat and ultralight rain shirt and pants.

In the Winter, I add a watch cap, lightweight polypro long johns and a fleece jacket.

In my car is a complete nomex firefighter uniform and a NDMS-DMAT uniform, with jumpboots and towel/washcloth and shower supplies, plus swimshorts and beachwear.

Jeff

I just switched from winter to summer clothes in my GHB. 1 pair of khakis, 1 set of underwear, 1 long sleeved t-shirt, 2 pairs of socks and a sweat shirt. I also keep 1 pair each of cotton & leather gloves in it all year long.

I REALLY hope you're talking the "brush suit" sort of nomex, not the structural gear. Otherwise, you're going to overheat like crazy!

Though come to think of it, I have a structural-type jacket I used to keep in my car, along with nomex gloves. Was an EMT-jacket, but fire-retardant. Not as warm on a cold night as one would think, but definetely hot on a hot day (in CA, no less, with it's dry heat)

A lightwieght military style poncho is my base item. It is far from the best dedicated rain gear, but for dual purpose use as a floor for my siltarp it is invaluable. G.I. wool watchcap and glove liners are again very light and compact. A warm head and fingers may give me a few moments of TUC to get 'squared away' in foul weather. Likewise a wool scarf can add comfort and venting for little space. If two pair of socks are good, 3 are better and a wool shirt and pants, some thin woolen longjohns( two piece are easier for toilet calls, but one piece is warmer and faster to put on for me)have me literally covered. Living in California where everyday is 'Casual Friday' I am actually overdressed compared to everyone else in warm weather. It's the cold I worry about.I hopefully can grab a coat. But if not, a thin shirt and woolen can be improved upon with my secret insulating material WIGGY hasn't heard of. It's called crumpled newspaper stuffed in between a thin shirt and the woolen.

Nah. Just my station uniform, in case I get called in unexpectedly. My structural and wildland gear gear stays at work.

Jeff

These are all good suggestions...I had to ask because I'm a big guy and I sweat if I think the word "warm". I know I'll need enough so my clothes don't walk on their own, but at the same time, my clothes take up a lot of room when packed. Lucky for me that I don't get cold easily, so I can hang in shorts comfortably longer than a lot of people. Maybe a pair of those new tac zip off pants I just saw an ad for...cover more bases with one garment...

And being in Iowa, I'll have to change contents slightly with the seasons. We can go weeks with the temp below zero and weeks with temps in the 90's and 100's with high humidity. There are places colder and hotter, but we have such a broad range...

Has anyone considered a packable jacket like the 5.11 kind? For me, that would be a three season deal...keep rain at bay, for a while at least, as well as wind... doesn't look like they take up much space and I think they are only $20 or so...

I think I'm going to be hijacking my own thread, but what do you do for water? Purification methods, or carry some and purify some? Since a drought is predicted this year...I'm thinking about for the whole family too...hard to convince young ones that they need to drink nasty looking water...even if it is purified as well as can be.

I use a liquid iodine solution (PolarPure) in my BOB. My pocket sized kit has iodine tablets. I use a home made gravity filter set up when backpacking, but it seems to too much hassle in a bugout situation, when I plan to be on the move. I've used iodine for weeks at a time in the past, with no problems.

A bit of ascorbic acid added after the iodine has had time to work improves the palatability of the treated water, or so I'm told. I've never felt the need to try it myself. Also there is a time/dose relationship between the amount of iodine required and the time you drink it. If you let the treated water stand overnight before imbibing, and it is clean appearing water (filter through a coffee filter or cloth), you can use much less iodine.

My BOB has a 3 quart water bladder in it, but I keep it empty for hygienic reasons. Instead, I just put three 1 quart bottled waters in the bag, and replace them seasonally. That gives me 1 1/2 gallons, or about 13 pounds, of water carrying capacity.

Jeff

I'm a big guy, too (6'3" 235 lbs) and if my pores were any smaller, I'd squirt sweat. But I also REALLY don't like feeling dirty and grimy. Some of the advantages of lightweight nylon clothing over cotton or poly blends is that they are very cool and breathable, dry in a flash, and are very compact. One underappreciated piece of outdoor gear I ALWAYS carry is a lightweight collapsable bucket.

It has many uses: bathing, hauling water or foraged items, and clothes washing. The trick to washing oneself or one's clothing in the field is to use an easy-rinsing soap like Dr. Bronner's or Campsuds, and in a far smaller quantity than you're used to at home, because rinsing is the most water-consuming part of the process.

I am used to washing and changing my shirt, socks and underwear, and bathing every evening. All my stuff will be wearable immediately after washing, or completely dry in a short time, because none of it absorbs much water.

Jeff

One thing everyone should keep in mind is our individuality, like your large frame. All of this accumulated knowledge at ETS and other resources is just that; accumulated. We all need to sort through it like so many piles of neat stuff at an old surplus store and find what (we hope) fits.What works for one person may not work quite as well for someone else.And no scenario will play out exactly like another. We just aren't going to casually set up a shelter, make 3 signal fires and then cook Earl Grey over an ESBIT stove lit with a SPARKLITE every time a Volcano erupts or our Piper Cub crashes in Alaska. Kits and our mental preparations should be in a constant state of refinement. And then we probably still screw up somewhere. The important thing is to do enough things right so that the tobasco sauce and Kendall Mint cake on Turkey Jerky casserole doesn't kill us anyway.

Great advice, Mr. Kavanaugh.

But I thought we determined that we can no longer get Kendal Mint Cake in the US, so how can I make my traditional survivalist "tobasco sauce and Kendall Mint cake on Turkey Jerky casserole"? Any alternate recipes would be appreciated.

As I think I described in a much earlier thread, my invisioned and planned for bug out scenario is actually a 90 mile journey on foot back home (assuming simply driving home is impossible for some reason), which is increasingly hardened, stocked and prepared for longer term problems. I'll want to hook up with my wife at home, if possible, even if we have to bug out from there, or I get called into federal service. The environment I face is mostly Southern woodlands, farms, swamps, river and bay crossings and small towns, and I don't face any extremes of climate except heat and humidity.

As an avid backpacker, I appreciate the inverse relationship between load and mobility. Therefore, I've set a weight limit of 30 lbs on my BOB. That will hopefully be enough get me home, or let me survive a longer trip.

Nothing I have is overtly "tactical." I and my BOB would attract no undue attention on a bus, in a store, or at a temporary shelter operation. I am also incredibly lucky to carry Federal and State Disaster credentials, and a local Fire department ID that would get me past any official roadblocks or travel restrictions, as well as a lot of specialized training that could be useful, like Advanced Disaster Life Support or Advanced Radiological Life Support, along with considerable professional experience in disasters from wildfires, to 9/11, to Katrina.

Moreover, if the feces hits the rotating impeller, I'd be called into service with the National Disaster Medical System, FL-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, anyway. That's why making my home safe, secure and sustainable for my wife looms large in my plans.

But I fully realize others face entirely different circumstances, such as very cold weather, or plans for more extended self-support in the boonies or in urban environments. But that makes reading about individual preps and plans so interesting and helpful.

Your advice about constant refining and re-evaluation of plans is wise, indeed. I've learned a lot from others here and made changes accordingly. I guess I'm a bit of a survival geek, and probably have enough excess gear to equip quite a few friends (sound familiar?).

Jeff

"...jacket like the 5.11 kind...they are only $20 or so..."

You found anything from 5.11 for only $20? Where???

I answered my own question, 5.11 does indeed have a packagle wind breaker for just under $20. Who wudda thunk it???

I pack my "back-up clothes" in one of those Reynolds Vacuum bags. The battery powered vacuum is about $6 at Wal-Mart and the bags are pretty cheap also. After you suck the air out, it occupies about 1/3 of the space it normally would.

Roger