Just wondering, I have a BOB that weighs about 8 lbs. but, does anyone put more extensive equipment in it that weighs it down? Mine is a more 72 hours bag. Any suggestions?

i dunno about everyone else here but i try to keep mine as light as practically possible because too much weight on the lower back and you wont do anyone much good.

Weight is that one gremlin that can spoil everything. Survivalists tripping over 100,000 rounds of ammunition and stacked boxes of MREs in the dark don't fare as well as the guy moving fast when illusions of black helicopters give way to the reallity of black tornadoes. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> Just think of your own parameters.I expect to maintain minimal safety for 72 hours until the situation stabilises or I have additional resources. I may need to carry those supplies on my back, all additional resources stowed in a vehicle subject to the whims and wrath of my bugout antagonist. Backpacking guides are closely relevant with what people can actually pack. I can easilly hoist 50 lbs. Hoisting and walking are two different deals, and my real limit is @ 35 lbs. You get to know what really works and is needed out there. Some items I won't compromise on; my sleeping bag, extra ( and heavy) water, teddy bear. Others I've learned to eliminate; sextant, field surgery triag pocket set, grappling hook... The nice thing about your 8 lbs is you are better prepared by 8 lbs of critical gear than the guy without anything. Sometime take a little 'what if' excursion and see how you do.

Hi Bugman37

Can you list what's in your bob, as most people's differ, it would be good to see how your 8 lbs is made up.

I have to agree with Chris on this one. Weight is a very important issue. I can carry a bit more than 35#, but I am a pretty big guy, and work out regularly. I also have the added advantage of recently having lost quite a lot of weight. As of my last checkup I have dropped 40# and still going. So the extra loss of weight make is easier to carry those little exrtas I may need. Also, less weight on me means fewer calories I need to sustain myself. A nice little positive returns cycle.

I am a big lightweight backpacking enthusiast and I try to use the same criteria for my BOB as I do for my pack when I am lightweight hiking/camping/backpacking. I try real hard to keep it under 10# and rarely ever go over 15#. I can carry up to 35# but it?s not very comfortable, especially on rough terrain that requires climbing hills or small cliffs, crossing rivers, etc and I imagine rummaging through massive amounts of hurricane/flood/tornado debris would be much the same. I find that 10#-15# of gear that never leaves my side is better than 35# or more of gear that I am removing from my back at every possible opportunity. Not to mention that when in a situation that requires my BOB, much like when I?m backpacking, a sore back doesn?t do me or my wife and child any good. I figure that above all else I need to be in the best possible mental and physical health I can be in (sore or injured back included) in order to keep the three of us safe. I have lived through two hurricanes and more tornados than I care to count with a lot less than 10# of gear so I am confident that this is all I require. I don?t know what your exact BOB situation is, like whether it is just for you or for supporting a family of four but in my case a lot of what I have in my BOB is more for my wife and one year old son than myself. If it were only for me then I doubt if my BOB would contain much more than a radio, my PSK (which is also quite small) and my EDC. One thing I have learned is that for myself I need little more than my EDC to get me through most situations. Everything else (PSK/BOB/etc) just makes things easier. One thing I learned in our most recent tornado incident is that a crank operated radio or a radio with FULLY charged batteries brings a lot of peace of mind. When the weather forecaster on the television says to take cover and two minutes later the power goes out (this time power was out for nearly 72 hours), it sure is nice to be able to know when its safe to come out from under the mattresses in the laundry room without having to go take a look outside to determine for yourself. Especially if you?re in the laundry room with the wife, an infant, and labrador retriever, a german shepherd and a jack russell terrier like I was. You defiantly want to know as soon as it is safe to go outside. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Make sure your batteries are charged and that nobody has removed them (as was the case in my situation). Or better yet, obtain a quality hand-crank radio.

I always have my BOB with me... My Purse!

But seriously - I have two smaller day packs that I have and use for my BOB. I have created a vest with one in front and one in back with both attatched to a hip belt. With the weight distubution, I can carry about 30# easily, more if I am wearing pants with lots of pockets. If nessisary, I can drop what is in the front either into the back or leave it and carry an infant instead. I usually have things like toiletries, food and other things I want more often in the front so that I do not have to take the pack off to get to it. I thought of this from the ALICE module packs that are available.

In the back pack(litterally), I have:
drop cloth/tarp/poncho
space blanket(new because I can never refold the blasted things)
scout pan with matches, condiments(like salt and soy sauce), tea bags
inflateable pillow
zippy bags, both empty and around other things
candle stubs(great for starting fires in wet conditions)
3 yards of netting(for bug control and other things)
Notebook and pencil in a zippy(sometimes in the front pack)
little cans of food stuffs including potted meat, tomato sauce and fruit cocktail
Small container of cooking oil
med kit, lacking a little right now because I needed to use it over the last week and I have not restocked
small camelback with tube out the top of the pack
too many knives and tools... I keep finding ones I like, but don't seem to get rid of the old ones
sewing kit with thread, needles of various types, buttons, safety pins and t-pins
Clothes pins and small clamps
duct and gaffers tape
cotton twine(specificly cotton to make an oil lamp if batteries go dead)
solar battery charger (to make sure the batteries don't go dead)
LED flashlight on Lanyard tied to the shoulder connection of the two packs
and a few odd bits and peices

the front pack has in it:
washcloth and hard castelle soap in a zippy
various lotions, including sunscreen, bug lotion, anti-biotic cream
Moleskin in a zippy
energy bars and granola bars
suppliment pill case with my multivitamins and other things
whistle, metal reflector/mirror
zippy with photocopy of ID, $30 cash and change, contact names and addresses on folded 8.5 x 11 inch paper
MY COMPUTER(with gps and other gadgets)
smaller water bottle with resealable top and filter
more knives and tools...
two silk scarves, one white and large(36x36) and one raw tan silk and smaller(20x20)
and more stuff...

Need to get in there and see if I can invest in a small radio. I haddn't really thought that I would want to know what was going on with other people until I started coming to this forum...

and more stuff...
<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Rena

A quick question - are you assuming you will be on foot with you BOB? I have a "get back home bag" that is extremely light and would allow me to get home it has 2-3 days of worth of supplies – it grows a little in the winter.

However, my BOB is large and heavy it assumes I will be leaving by means other than my feet – I’d be in a truck, boat or plane. This is assuming I could bug out which in all likely hood, it would be near impossible.

I hear you, Adam. We're in the same boat as far as bugging out. Remember the evacuation plan for the Shoreham nuke plant? <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I get obsessive about kit weight, because:
a) I actually use my kits frequently and
b) my wife is not as strong as me

8 Lbs is plenty light, the bag I carry in the truck at all times, and gets used on SAR and other situtations weighs in at a hefty 25 pounds, but that's because of the water on board (2 liters) as well as some tools that I need to carry in the kit for first-responder stuff (heavy cable cutters for car batteries, a pretty good sized first aid kit, a fleece blanket, and more stuff. The bag is designed for spending the night whereever I happen to be, ranging from the woods to the rehab tent at a large-scale incident. Unfortunately, in winter, it gets quite a bit heavier, as the sheer volume of stuff increases.