If Not 72 hours

Posted by: Chisel

If Not 72 hours - 12/15/06 04:02 AM

Many threads have stated that 72 hours is NOT accepted anyomre as a basis for constructing of a kit or BOB. The 72-hour kit is not gone but we have read about 96-hour kits, 7-days kits ..etc..

So, what is estimated (standard) duration for the BOB you are planning or have planned and put together. How long can it support you ?

My basic goal is 7 days.
I prefer to make 14 days as my standard, but weight and space will be a problem and that can be a BOB in a car, or such.

Since I am a "cache" person, my caches are also based on 7-days each. And for those who didnt read my earlier posts, my caches are not buried, they are located in my office, some relative's home, or other such locations that I might be around in an emergency. Lets say I have multiple BOBs scattered around.. Each one alone can support me for 7-days.

So, what is your kit standard nowadays ?
Posted by: epirider

Re: If Not 72 hours - 12/15/06 04:13 AM

Mine is 7-10 days. I have shelter, water purification and ability to cook and maintain longer if I hunt / fish for food. My pack is 55+ lbs. and the wife's is 35lbs, my son's is about 10. I do have an extensive medical kit. I also have various other pack that I can grab according to the situation. Overall if I can get more food, I could stay comfortably indefinitely. Without extra I could get by at least a week. Without acquiring water I would be pressed for 3 days.
Posted by: Boacrow

Re: If Not 72 hours - 12/15/06 04:24 AM

My BOB is fairly simple. I try not to complicate things anymore than I have to so I pick most of my gear according to how well it will help me sustain myself. For instance, I keep a machete, hatchet and knife close at all times since they can help me make shelter, procure wood for fire, and set traps for food. water isn't a very big issue around here since where I live it's hard to walk for five minutes without running into a creek, river or lake, all of which are surrounded by springs that are naturally filtered by the limestone bedrock which is promanent here. People actually drive around with jugs to collect spring water because it tastes better than city water.
With water comes fish and they are easy enough to catch with simple line and hook. Bait is as simple as looking undeer rocks for bugs. If the line breaks or I lose a hook, I carry extras, but I can always find more hanging from tree limbs or snagged around rocks on the bank. Growing up, this is how I supplied my tacklebox. Snakes and turtles are pretty plentiful and make a decent meal in a pinch, so food isn't really that hard to come by.
My BOB mostly has sharp stuff for cutting or chopping, first aid kit (which I have been dipping into recently due to a prolonged illness), some fire making gear (lighters, magnesium block, magnifying glass, etc.), a few tools that I don't know if I will ever use but might come in handy (a chisel, pliers, philips head screwdriver, and ratchet style PVC cutter), some skewers for cooking or spearing, and a few food items that I particularly enjoy cooking over the campfire.
I try to keep things that I can use for more than one thing if I can, and most of it is merely for helping me get set up to produce my own tools, food and other things that I might need. My everyday carry items are pretty much a couple of pocket knives, a swiss tech microtool with led flashlight keychain, and usually a couple of small shovels that I use when metal detecting. Other than that I don't carry alot of stuff around with me.
Posted by: wildman800

Re: If Not 72 hours - 12/15/06 04:35 AM

My BOB is good for 24 hrs. It will get me to other places where I can accumulate more supplies while on the march. My pack (if I have time to grab it) will get me through 7 days with the exception of water. I will have to stop and purify some water along the way.
The U.S. Gov't now states that everybody should keep at least 2 weeks or more of supplies on hand. What does this tell you?
Posted by: aloha

Re: If Not 72 hours - 12/15/06 05:46 AM

Aloha Boacrow,

Sorry to hear about the illness. Good to see you back online.
Posted by: Boacrow

Re: If Not 72 hours - 12/15/06 09:40 AM

thanks Aloha. I'm about over it now, and it was about time to change out the meds anyway I guess. Now I have to go and replace it all, lol. I think this time I'm gonna make some changes in the types of things I put in it, so it all worked out.
Posted by: 91gdub

Re: If Not 72 hours - 12/15/06 05:32 PM

My BOB is really designed more as a Get Home Bag since bugging out for me would be a really extreme circumstance. I'm looking mare at the ability to survive for a few days if I'm stuck away from home.
It's an on-going ever changing thing. I keep tinkering with it adding and subtracting things.