Equipped To Survive Equipped To Survive® Presents
The Survival Forum
Where do you want to go on ETS?

Topic Options
#298834 - 04/14/21 04:25 PM Why building your own 72 hour bag is better...
TeacherRO Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/11/05
Posts: 2574
Commercial kits are great - an easy solution for those who want a buy it and be done solution. But:

Building your own 72 hour pack has these advantages:
1. Almost always a better, bigger pack
2. You can personalize the gear for your situation
3. Most pre-stuffed packs have little room for anything else. Wanna bring a jacket and your laptop...then you're out of luck.
4. You can avoid toting cheap, heavy gear by not adding it.
5. It'll force you to think...

Top
#298836 - 04/14/21 04:59 PM Re: Why building your own 72 hour bag is better... [Re: TeacherRO]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
Excellent!! You can also easily prepare for more than 72 hours, now officially recommended, since substantive aid often doesn't arrive within 72 hours.

Do I really have to think? That's hard....
_________________________
Geezer in Chief

Top
#298841 - 04/14/21 06:44 PM Re: Why building your own 72 hour bag is better... [Re: TeacherRO]
Ren Offline
Addict

Registered: 11/05/07
Posts: 522
Loc: Wales, UK
Do think it'd be convenient of could buy a kit of all the consumable or expiring usual items.

Lighters, matches, tinders, water purification tablets, general medications, sunscreen, bug repellent, candles, wipes etc.

And leave the choice of packs, tools and other gear to the individual.

Top
#298843 - 04/14/21 07:11 PM Re: Why building your own 72 hour bag is better... [Re: Ren]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3819
Loc: USA
Originally Posted By: Ren
Do think it'd be convenient of could buy a kit of all the consumable or expiring usual items.

Lighters, matches, tinders, water purification tablets, general medications, sunscreen, bug repellent, candles, wipes etc.



Rescue Essentials (no affiliation) sells nice little OTC med refill packs. Super handy for that sort of thing.

Top
#298844 - 04/14/21 07:14 PM Re: Why building your own 72 hour bag is better... [Re: TeacherRO]
Jeanette_Isabelle Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 11/13/06
Posts: 2946
Loc: Nacogdoches, Texas
Originally Posted By: TeacherRO
Building your own 72 hour pack has these advantages:
1. Almost always a better, bigger pack

Bigger? Definitely. Better? That would depend on the definition of "better."

Originally Posted By: TeacherRO
2. You can personalize the gear for your situation
3. Most pre-stuffed packs have little room for anything else. Wanna bring a jacket and your laptop...then you're out of luck.

True.

Originally Posted By: TeacherRO
4. You can avoid toting cheap, heavy gear by not adding it.

That statement sounds subjective.

Originally Posted By: TeacherRO
5. It'll force you to think...

Comparing and researching commercial kits has challenged me to think.

Jeanette Isabelle
_________________________
I'm not sure whose twisted idea it was to put hundreds of adolescents in underfunded schools run by people whose dreams were crushed years ago, but I admire the sadism. -- Wednesday Adams, Wednesday

Top
#298846 - 04/14/21 08:22 PM Re: Why building your own 72 hour bag is better... [Re: chaosmagnet]
Ren Offline
Addict

Registered: 11/05/07
Posts: 522
Loc: Wales, UK
Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet
Originally Posted By: Ren
Do think it'd be convenient of could buy a kit of all the consumable or expiring usual items.

Lighters, matches, tinders, water purification tablets, general medications, sunscreen, bug repellent, candles, wipes etc.



Rescue Essentials (no affiliation) sells nice little OTC med refill packs. Super handy for that sort of thing.


Yeah, noticed BestGlide sell one to. Problem is think some law preventing sale of refills with meds in over here.

Top
#298859 - 04/17/21 10:37 PM Re: Why building your own 72 hour bag is better... [Re: TeacherRO]
TeacherRO Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/11/05
Posts: 2574
Though I almost never use candles in kits anymore-- small led lights are better

Top
#298866 - 04/18/21 05:05 AM Re: Why building your own 72 hour bag is better... [Re: TeacherRO]
Herman30 Offline
Addict

Registered: 08/08/06
Posts: 495
Loc: Finland
But led lights can not be used as Palmer furnace if you are cold and freezing.

Top
#298871 - 04/20/21 01:28 PM Re: Why building your own 72 hour bag is better... [Re: Herman30]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3819
Loc: USA
Originally Posted By: Herman30
But led lights can not be used as Palmer furnace if you are cold and freezing.


I do own LED lights that put out a lot of heat. With that said, I do keep a small candle in my hiking bag.

Top



Moderator:  Alan_Romania, Blast, cliff, Hikin_Jim 
March
Su M Tu W Th F Sa
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Who's Online
0 registered (), 165 Guests and 39 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
GallenR, Jeebo, NicholasMarshall, Yadav, BenFoakes
5367 Registered Users
Newest Posts
Question about a "Backyard Mutitool"
by Ren
03/17/24 01:00 AM
Problem in my WhatsApp configuration
by Chisel
03/09/24 01:55 PM
What did you do today to prepare?
by Jeanette_Isabelle
03/06/24 06:18 PM
New Madrid Seismic Zone
by Jeanette_Isabelle
03/04/24 02:44 PM
EDC Reduction
by EchoingLaugh
03/02/24 04:12 PM
Using a Compass Without a Map
by KenK
02/28/24 12:22 AM
China and Taiwan
by brandtb
02/19/24 02:18 PM
No More Ritter Knives?
by KenK
02/19/24 01:33 AM
Newest Images
Tiny knife / wrench
Handmade knives
2"x2" Glass Signal Mirror, Retroreflective Mesh
Trade School Tool Kit
My Pocket Kit
Glossary
Test

WARNING & DISCLAIMER: SELECT AND USE OUTDOORS AND SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND TECHNIQUES AT YOUR OWN RISK. Information posted on this forum is not reviewed for accuracy and may not be reliable, use at your own risk. Please review the full WARNING & DISCLAIMER about information on this site.