BUG OUT BOTTLE

Very cool... TAD GEAR BUG OUT BOTTLE... <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

-- Craig

At first I yelped at the price, then I read what was included. Looks like a good set up.

I still yelped at the price. I realize that I don't know how much some of the items cost, but it still seems to be a bit much. I've been working on assembling my own similar kit, and maybe I'm just remembering the Life capsule...would be cool, but too much money!

I have to say that the Dr. Bronner's soap is an excellent product though. 100% environmentally friendly, biodegradable, no petro chemicals...I've even used it to brush my teeth. There are other scents of Dr. Bronner's, but for toothbrushing, use the peppermint...trust me!

I suppose the only way to compare is to price the gear I would want included and go from there.

I saw a $10 version of this same concept at the local sporting goods store several months ago...cheap, pretty much useless gear, but I like the idea.

The thing I liked about what they did, is they used decent quality items, rather than the junk that is in some of the water bottle kits I have seen at the local sporting goods places. I tallied up the prices that TAD Gear charges individually, and you seem to save $5-10 when you buy the combo. (It's not exact, because of things like the cord, water tabs, and tinder, where you have to pro-rate the smaller portion in the kit to the bulk prices.)

If you really shop the prices, and substitute items, you can build it for less, but, many people wouldn't do that, so it's a decent place to start for that style of kit, with products in there that you wouldn't be afraid of using. (Except maybe those energy beans? Anyone ever eat those?)

I yelp at the price too, and "sport jellybeans"??? Heeheehee...

Anyway, the idea of a bugout bottle containing all that outdoor stuff seems a little bit odd. If you're already outdoors, it's not a bugout. If you're at home, that probably isn't the type of stuff you want to bug out with, and cramming everything into a 1L bottle doesn't help much. I'd use a zipper pouch or small backpack instead, and eliminate most of the expensive items. Let's see:

Lexan bottle: hmm, judgement call, either keep or use a poly bottle (i.e. standard disposable bottled water bottle). Also include a few 1L ziploc bags, they are great for carrying water semi-precariously.

Micropur tabs- keep

Hot spark flint gizmo -> bic lighter

tinder tabs -> I guess they're cheap, otherwise use vaseline/cotton balls.

Dr Bronners' soap->sure, why not. But the stuff does dry out, so rotate it through your bathroom.

Space blanket -> never understood these, they seem silly. Use a garbage bag if you want a waterproof ground covering or whatever. The "heat reflective" space blanket stuff is hype.

Glowmate compass-> keep

Snowpeak ti spork -> I have one of these, it's useless, put in some plastic tableware instead.

"Survival" bandanna->wtf is that? Sounds like a normal bandanna, ok, fine, keep.

Victorinox folding knife -> not sure, depends on surroundings, might prefer some cheapo multitool and/or a cheap fixed blade knife.

Sport jellybeans -> are you kidding? If you want some rations, use an MRE or some foil packs of tuna or something. Hey, better include a P38 can opener too.

Paracord -> sure, why not

Photon II -> nice light but expensive, use a cheap clone

I think we have it down to 20 bucks or so.

I went camping two weekends ago with a bunch of Scout leaders and one of them turned out to be a chemist involved in the personal care business (owned his own company). I have read lots of reports that say that Dawn liquid dish soap is biodegradable and bio-friendly, so I asked the chemist for his take on comparing Dawn to the stuff sold as biodegradable camp soap. He said that Dawn was just as bio-friendly as all those camp soaps, and emphasized that non of them are good in direct contact with critters.

As for Bonners, keep in mind that the peppermint is an attractant to racoons, skunks, and (I suppose) bear. It also tends to makes one feel MUUUCH colder when washing/rinsing with cold lake/river water (away from the source of the water itself).

I've never thought of soap as a necessity in a survival kit, though it is a standard part of my first aid kit. Due to weight, I carry a small hotel-sized bar of soap instead of liquid soap.

The peppermint soap feels best (if that's possible) when it gets in eyes too <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

I saw a show where some people were hiking in the backcountry. They mentioned peppermint soap, don't know if it was Dr. B's or not. Anyhow, they said that any soap or toothpaste they used had to be buried so it wouldn't attrack animals.

I'm surprised that Dawn is that biodegradable. I was told to stay away from it (as a classical guitarist) because the grease cutting ability would suck the moisture right out of your fingernails, making them brittle...a very bad thing for a classical guitarist <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

mint attracts skunks, bears, and the like? is that really true? would that also include eucalyptus and tea tree oil? i'm only asking because i make my own insect repellent using pure essential oils, the main ingredients being eucalyptus and peppermint oils. hmmm, maybe i should switch to just eucalyptus and tea tree only.

There are some good items in there, so good that they deserve a place out of this bug-out kit...

No way i'm leaving a Vic Fireman in a plastic bottle that I might only open up once, in a bug-out emergency or something... Same for the bandana, etc.

For my outdoor needs, I have a first-aid kit and a second kit which is complete with survival and repair items. I think not touching the kit at all and keeping it only for extreme uses (survival), is not the way to go. Just my 2 cents.

They are in Green Ban, and that's what I've since middle school. Never had a higher than average rate of encounterd with skunks, bears and coons.

Survival Bandana

Thought you'd like to know. I have one. Very nice, too. Part of my EDC.

-- Craig

I laugh out loud when I saw the bug out bottle. I can make my own bottle with same ingredients use in TAD gear. This is just excessive consumerism. <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

Yeah, I laughed at the price too. For $100 I could do much better. It depends on the way you aquire your gear. Such as running in to specials is the key. Like the NRA "survival kit" that had the fox 40 whistle and signal mirror , blast match and a couple other things for $20. Those are the deals to look for. Buying led lights from countycomm.com Those $1 lights are the bomb. Wally World is sometimes pretty good. Why buy a "photon" led headlamp for $30 when you can buy a great 4 led headlamp by energizer for $10 there? Compare sites...countycomm.com sells sparklites for $7 where other sites want $10. I'm a good food shopper, and like I always say.....every store will stick you if you don't know your prices. Even Wal-Mart...which has the highest beer prices around here. Good luck and happy hunting.

Charles

I made a Bug out Bottle for my wife's suburban out of left overs from my two or three kits. THe most expensive parts were the bottle and the SAK that I put in there. I think that the total came out to around 30 dollars, if I had bought everything new.

I will need to post a list of the items some day, but it covers all the basics and is even easy enough for my wife to use in an emergency. I think the idea of housing a kit in a bottle like that is a great idea as they are very strong and water proof enough to keep your stuff dry until you need it.

Garrett