I guess I have a fundamental question (or questions) about the basic intent of the BOB. If ya'll could indulge me...

I see the BOB as serving one of two possible purposes (or both in combination). It either serves to get you to a bugout location, or it serves as some basic supplies for when you arrive at your bugout location, or maybe both?

What got me thinking about this is that I tend to observe two things missing from most BOB lists folks post. At least, I think I tend to notice them missing, or I might be mistaken.

What about the toilet paper and the soap?

I see many with some hand sanitizer. Okay. In addition, I would think a little bar of hotel soap in a small container, plus some toilet paper (both being basic sanitation items). Both are small and lightweight, easily packed.

That got me thinking that perpaps the BOB is intended only for transit, and since once you get to your bugout location you have all the sanitation basics covered there.

Or, I suppose either soap and/or TP are considered convenience items? I guess there are a lot of things that could be substituted for TP. And soap? Does the hand sanitizer cover it. How do you wash your face?

So anyway, lots of questions here:
Basic fundamental purpose of the BOB? For transit, for arrival, for both?
Why no soap? (basic bar soap variety)
Why no TP?

(edit: I forgot to add, I have a tot still in diapers. I'm dealing with poop and washing my hands more now than I ever have in my life. So I might just have poop/hand washing on the brain in general. And it could be that folks without little ones in diapers simply don't need these items in the BOB.)

Actually, I can handle both items in one shot. I keep a pack of moist wipes in my BOB. A bar of soap is not so practical, as it requires water to utilize effectively. The moist wipes have a cleaning agent built in that is suitable for hands, face, or in some cases whole body cleaning (they actually make a large version just for that purpose, and I've used em up at elk camp a time or two with good results). Yet they are gentle enough to use in place of toilet tissue.

We like multi-taskers in our BOBs. These are convenient and will get the job done.

I like the civilized feel of TP...

IMO,,

A BoB can be used for both. To me, it provides the basic essentials to get yourself to a "normal area" or to a "Bug Out Location" such as a camp, where supplies are either available or cached.

I carry a full TP roll in each of my BoB's (home & work) and I have my shaving kit with me always. My shaving kit, medicine/vitamins/FAK are always with me and attach to the outside of my BoB w/carabiners.

The home BoB has 4 days of rations and more equipment than my work BoB.

The work BoB has 10 days of rations and less equipment. It also has more VFR charts to get me home from wherever I am when the SHTF.

Some TP seems more civilized than others. I've been working out of the City/County Bldg in Denver lately, and I am reminded of the budget cuts relating to municipal TP sources. That wasn't too civil in my book.

There are some pretty good moist wipes out there, comfort wise. They get the cotton content right up there, pretty near zero abrasion factor.

Benjammin's right about the baby wipes, i also have those in my BoB's.

I wouldn't get too hung up about the definition of "bug out". It means different things to different people and situations. Bugging out 100 miles before a hurricane makes landfall two days from now is different than when you're woken up in the middle of the night by the smoke alarm and you need to get out of the house NOW! Whatever kit you grab in either situation is legitimately a BOB. You need to think about the situations relevant to you and then put a kit together that is appropriate.

I wouldn’t get hung up in a name for your bag. Just put in what you think you will need in a bug out. Then go through all of the items you put in it and rethink what you don’t really need and take these things out. Do this 3 or 4 times over a few week time span. We all pack more then we need and this will help get it down to a manageable size.

Outdoor wipes from walmart are bigger than baby wipes, and work well to wipe the dirt off when out and about.
Been used as emergency TP, and worked well at that also.

Bob Test?


I was just thinking that it may be a good idea to go camping with what is in your BOB to see how well it works in the field. Have any of you actually taken your BOB and lived off it for a few days?

Like anything in life your opinions of something will change after you have done it instead of just thinking about and planning it.


Mr. Murphy and unseen situations always arise when the rubber hits the road. .

I use my BoB for 2 & 3 day backpacking/camping trips.

You're right about getting it to be more practical and useful by exercising it !!

I always plan for the absolute worst case scenario. This means an indefinite length of time. I have some food in my BOB to get me through the first few days, but after that it's all about what I can hunt/trap/forage/scavenge. And I've packed the equipment that will help me do those things more successfully.

I keep TP in my BOB. I also keep at least two rolls in each of my vehicles and ATV. I have/keep hand sanitizer in my BOB and soap in my vehicles. In my truck and Jeep I even keep the gritty-hand soap.

I use my "BOB" and other packs on trips too, not just for emergency.. you really learn what you need.

I've put the small pack of baby wipes in the house BOB (keep a pack in my fatboy for EDC as well).

Something I've been looking at as well is P-Pals (cardboard funnels for women) I've got two of them (women) in the house and they've both frowned at me for suggesting it, but I think when push comes to shove they would thank me for it.

True.

Bugging Out may be just getting to a fallback position rather than roughing it cross country.

We've got a friend staying with us while she gets the tree off her house/ house off her car/ everything rebuilt. And on "Gustav-Day" "Bugging Out" was just getting herself and her dog out of house during the storm and coming a few blocks to stay with us.

There are now ample opportunities to return to get stuff she needs while she's staying with us.

My BOB is used as an all purpose get out now bag, be it the fire in the middle of the night or the SHTF scenerio. I am set up to make it to a destination that has been pre-planned for a few decades. It also serves as a lets go camping / backpacking / entertainment bag. This lets me see how practical and usable the equipment is. It also allows for the food to be used and fresh food replaced.

As far as carrying TP and soap, I carry both. The inner cardboard was removed for space reasons. I also have toothpaste, toothbrush and other comfort / hygeine items. I know from experience that TP and soap go a long way in keeping moral up. And in a crisis situation (be it a personal crisis or a community). My BOB is just that - MY BOB. My wife has her own BOB that is customized to her. And my son's is his. They each have their own idea of what a crisis is and having the bag is like a security blanket that hopefully will not have to be used for anything other then recreational.

Hope that answers you question from my point of view.

I would never carry regular TP since it is not water-proof, but instead would use shop towels or brawny (or similar) paper towels. Many backpackers do this. That way you never have to worry about it getting wet, and they can be used as towels or in a first aid kit (obviously before use as TP).

So, what happens if the SHTF right after you've finished your camping trip, and your BOB is empty of all useful supplies?

Kind of like that Clint Eastwood movie where the bad guys jump him just after he has shot all his pistols empty target practicing.

I keep sufficient supplies on hand to do an immediate turn around.

I leave nothing to chance, by choice anyways!

6P's: Proper Planning Prevents P**s Poor Performance

+1 on baby wipes in my go bag/man-purse. No soap but I do have hand sanitizer. Still haven't gotten around to making a BOB proper. SHTF and I grab my go bag (urban survival kit-maxpedition colosus), my woodland survival kit-in a maxpedition devil dog butt pack, my rifle case and I'm out the door. Things have gotten a mite trickier since I've gotten married and the misses has aquired a zoo. Still need to grab a duffel and make a BOB for the pets, something which I have not managed to do because of finances.

-Bill Liptak

Baby wipes + a small 99 cent roll of TP from REI (you can do pretty much the same by pulling your roll of TP from the roller before it runs out). Bag the TP to keep it dry - a recent poll on a hiking site shows that the majority of NW hikers really appreciate a baby wipe per BM, especially on longer hikes. They get where TP just can't, not as effectively. I'll stop drawing the picture there...

btw Lono's leading economic indicator is the price of the large 36 roll toilet paper at Costco: just about a year ago you could buy it for $11.99, the checkout guy chided me for buying two. A week ago the same item was $16.99. It stands to reason: TP is by volume and weight some of the most expensive stuff to truck around the country.

another angle....maybe some of you've heard this one before...but it goes along with the belief/possiblity that the BOB might end up being something you live with and/or out of for a very long time....its the two bandana approach, one used for TP. You have to admit it will last a long time compared to one roll of TP!
My attitude toward my BOB is what if it becomes my only source for even a year? So things like soap will have to come from nature (Beech leaves, soap plants, etc.).
Of course the more you know the less you have to carry...e.g. Bushcraft and the study thereof....this approach leads the BOB as providing methods of obtaining food post the 3 day supply inside,,,,,why not learn how to build 50 different traps? many are simple variants of the other.

Some things naturally lend themselves to longer term survival, such as a good knife, a fire-making tool, a water carrier etc. Heck, there are bushmen in the tropical rain forests that use plastic grocery bags to wrap delicate items in for long periods. Short term convenience allows us time to deal with a given event. Durability provides us a means to recover, adapt, and augment further should our needs warrant it. It just makes sense, then that not everything in a BOB should be viewed as disposable.

What did humans use before there was toilet paper?

I keep a few "shoe rags" that I get when I stay in a hotel. It's a small soft cloth mitt for wiping off your shoes. They're soft, and can be washed and re-used.

I call them Star Trek Rags. They help keep the Klingons off Uranus.

The ancient Romans used a sponge on a stick....

The BOBs and other kits I've put together for DW and myself, as well as some other family members, all have have TP, wipes and soap. The more a BOB s intended to be good for only 72 or so hours, the more I'd say just have the wipes.

I like bars of glycerin soap, if I need to have soap. I like the little packs of Charmin wipes and the small rolls of TP. For the kit I recently hid in the backyard, I used a full roll of TP, a couple full-sized packs of wipes and a full-size bar of glycerin soap.