A good BOB pack recommendation

Listen to Rock6 and Erasmus!! Heed their sage advice.

Okay, I'm going to get pounced on I know. I don't know why I try to help...but here is a reality check:

First of all if what the OP says happens, happens then do we really think we can throw on an OD green 3 day pack with spare clothes, some bottle water, KaBar knife, and an MRE and walk three days to the wilderness like we going on a weekend outing and actually establish a sustainable base camp to live for a few months or year? Or do we really think we can load up a car and just drive where you please?

Now granted perhaps we can walk and/or drive before things go completely south. But what is our back up plan if our primary fails and doesn't work out? And once we get to our destination - then what?

If we really get into a pandemic or civil unrest situation then we're going to be living in and operating in an actual hostile or potentially hostile environment - an environment that most us have never been in, lived in, survived in, or have concept of what it is like, or no idea or real preperation of what it is going to take to survive. We're clueless. We've never seen despiration, stavation, chaos, or people totally without a goverment to tell them what to do or a plan to deal with life now on their own. Watch Black Hawk Down again and look at how those people live and what it is like to walk or drive from point A to B and that might just give you a clue of how a more evolved hostile environment turns into very quickly.

With this being established, then how much real value is an OD green backpack full of extra clothes, an MRE and some bottle water going to have? Now, I"m not saying don't get a backpack and some supplies...I'm saying listen to Rock6 & Erasmus, devise a realistic plan of what really and potentially could and will happen, and build a long-term plan and not some trendy cool I'm going to throw a backpack on and walk to the woods plan. Granted that may very well be a good plan...but just realistically think it through.

What I'm going to share with you next will most likely will fall on deaf ears is to forgo the buying of gear or packs for right now and instead seek out someone who has actually had to live, work, and operate in an hostile environment or who was caught in one during an uprising. Find a friend, a buddy, or seek out someone who as been there and done that. Then invest some time listening, taking notes, and truly understanding the unique skill set, organization, planning, and equipment/supplies needed to survive in this hostile environment.

Here is an analogy which might help us grasp some reality: What advise would you all give me if I posted a new thread that said something like "What kind of parachute should I buy in order to jump out of an airplane during a stormy night over a remote island in order to temporarly survive a pandemic?" Oh, and I have no parachute or night/storm jumping experience. And I've never stayed on an island longer than three to five days but I had all sorts of really cool specialised equipment to camp with.

I know this is a crazy unrealistic analogy...or is it?

Now there are some similar parallels with my crazy analogy and our obsession on this forum with buying BOB packs and gear in order to bug out into the wild. What are they? First, we have no training or experience parachuting or bugging out and we certainly have no concept or true understanding of what is involved. Secondly, we've never jump at all much less at night or during a storm - which is the equivilant of a pandemic where one must sleep/hide during the day and move at night amongst people roaming around trying to victimize, torment, rob, and kill without hesitation. Reading the many threads on this forum about people standing still shooting non-animated, non moving targets with their handguns gives us a good clue most of us have no reality of the highly dynamic and chaotic environment of most deadly confrontations often with multiple attackers.

And thirdly we have no real experience living on a remote island any more than we do actually living (not just camping or playing) in the wilderness when there are going to be others living there or attempting to live in the wilderness and there is going to be bands of people roaming around the wilderness looking to pick off any solo or small innocent groups of people who are not prepared to address such situations. Also we have no concept of what it is going to be like just trying to do simple tasks in this environment. Building a standard cooking fire is only an invitation for others to see the light, smoke, and wander over to see what you're up too. Smell and sounds travel in the wild - so if you're cooking meat, busting firewood into, and leaving traces of someone being in the area is only a calling card of human activity. Again, most of us have never had to live in a hostile environment so this is a foreign reality of how to really cook, sleep, get water, stay warm, move, and live without leaving any visible trace that anyone was ever there.

Most of us are thinking we can eat deer meat, pick mushrooms, and eat natural veggies. The reality is most of the game will be harvested within the first month, any game left is going deep into the wild, very deep. Most of us have never lived on a steady diet of wild natural foods and our digestive systems are going to revolt, and revolt hard! Also many of us have this idea I'll just live off the land. Well the land requires many-many calories to harvest foods that will not equally replenish the same amount or more calories. And those of us who like to wack wood into with our little knives don't realize this burns a lot of calories relative to the output produced. There is a reason our forefathers used axes and large saws. And most of us have no plan of where we're going, what we're going to do when we get there, where to set up a place to live which is defendable or hidable and most of us do not know how to live in a hostile environment where light & noise discipline is the difference between life or death.

I mean no disrespect to the OP or anyone else. I just see these multiple "what BOB" should I buy threads and it is painfully obvious most of us have no clue what we're doing. Possessing a 3 day pack full of extra clothes and a customized knife is not the same as being competent in truly addressing the realistic situation at hand. Just saying...
 
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I have a Maxpedition Falcon II that I keep in the car as a "get home bag" and I like it just fine. Very durable and a lot of organization with the pack.

Two things I'd say about the pack (and all Maxpedition packs I think).


1.) As others have said they do ride high, especially if you are taller. I'm 6'2 and the waist belt on the Falcon doesn't really come close to my waist.

2.) Since the torso is short the weight doesn't rest on your hips at all, meaning I wouldn't want to be carrying a lot of weight. A lot of weight on your shoulders = not so comfortable.
I started a thread about the Max Falcon II. I ended up ordering one, and love it. Forum member daug came up with a good solution when it comes to a waist belt. Add a Proteus to the bottom of the pack: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...on-Falcon-II-Question?p=10041046#post10041046
 
^ awesome post.

Here is an analogy which might help us grasp some reality: What advise would you all give me if I posted a new thread that said something like "What kind of parachute should I buy in order to jump out of an airplane during a stormy night over a remote island in order to temporarly survive a pandemic?" Oh, and I have no parachute or night/storm jumping experience. And I've never stayed on an island longer than three to five days but I had all sorts of really cool specialised equipment to camp with.

Many threads reflect this.

"What first aid kit do paramedics use?" but the OP has no medical training.

"Which knife for fighting?" but the OP has no knife training.

"Which pack for bugging out?" but the OP doesn't state his wilderness/primitive skills/backpack/whatever experience. No way to know how much gear he, with his skillset and experience, would possibly need.

I mean no disrespect to the OP or anyone else. I just see these multiple "what BOB" should I buy threads and it is painfully obvious most of us have no clue what we're doing.

Which is why people need to test their skills and their stuff, to learn what they don't know and don't need, then get back to us about what they found so we can help them with the stuff part.

Knowledge is fairly available nowadays. Free 2 day Primitive Skills class, 1 semester 1 night a week to earn First Responder certification, 2 day 'Shivs, Shanks and Tourniquets' class from Suarez International, etc. and your average dude can learn to be pretty badass in a year or so, with a little effort and a couple bucks to spend.
 
"Most of us are thinking we can eat deer meat, pick mushrooms, and eat natural veggies. The reality is most of the game will be harvested within the first month, any game left is going deep into the wild, very deep. "

An often overlooked fact. My grandfather grew up in SW Virginia during the Depression, finding game of any kind was a rare thing as people were augmenting what they could buy with wild game year round and there are many more people now than then. The though of growing your own is also a fallacy as anything you have growing is likely yo be raided. My Dad used to rent a small plot of garden just outside town and it was often raided before we could harvest- not even an extreme event going on.
My favorite Bugging in plan is for extended families to plan to gather at one location and pool resources/protect each other. It is not perfect but something I can live with.
Bill
 
Listen to Rock6 and Erasmus!! Heed their sage advice.

Okay, I'm going to get pounced on I know. I don't know why I try to help...but here is a reality check:

First of all if what the OP says happens, happens then do we really think we can throw on an OD green 3 day pack with spare clothes, some bottle water, KaBar knife, and an MRE and walk three days to the wilderness like we going on a weekend outing and actually establish a sustainable base camp to live for a few months or year? Or do we really think we can load up a car and just drive where you please?

Now granted perhaps we can walk and/or drive before things go completely south. But what is our back up plan if our primary fails and doesn't work out? And once we get to our destination - then what?

If we really get into a pandemic or civil unrest situation then we're going to be living in and operating in an actual hostile or potentially hostile environment - an environment that most us have never been in, lived in, survived in, or have concept of what it is like, or no idea or real preperation of what it is going to take to survive. We're clueless. We've never seen despiration, stavation, chaos, or people totally without a goverment to tell them what to do or a plan to deal with life now on their own. Watch Black Hawk Down again and look at how those people live and what it is like to walk or drive from point A to B and that might just give you a clue of how a more evolved hostile environment turns into very quickly.

With this being established, then how much real value is an OD green backpack full of extra clothes, an MRE and some bottle water going to have? Now, I"m not saying don't get a backpack and some supplies...I'm saying listen to Rock6 & Erasmus, devise a realistic plan of what really and potentially could and will happen, and build a long-term plan and not some trendy cool I'm going to throw a backpack on and walk to the woods plan. Granted that may very well be a good plan...but just realistically think it through.

What I'm going to share with you next will most likely will fall on deaf ears is to forgo the buying of gear or packs for right now and instead seek out someone who has actually had to live, work, and operate in an hostile environment or who was caught in one during an uprising. Find a friend, a buddy, or seek out someone who as been there and done that. Then invest some time listening, taking notes, and truly understanding the unique skill set, organization, planning, and equipment/supplies needed to survive in this hostile environment.

Here is an analogy which might help us grasp some reality: What advise would you all give me if I posted a new thread that said something like "What kind of parachute should I buy in order to jump out of an airplane during a stormy night over a remote island in order to temporarly survive a pandemic?" Oh, and I have no parachute or night/storm jumping experience. And I've never stayed on an island longer than three to five days but I had all sorts of really cool specialised equipment to camp with.

I know this is a crazy unrealistic analogy...or is it?

Now there are some similar parallels with my crazy analogy and our obsession on this forum with buying BOB packs and gear in order to bug out into the wild. What are they? First, we have no training or experience parachuting or bugging out and we certainly have no concept or true understanding of what is involved. Secondly, we've never jump at all much less at night or during a storm - which is the equivilant of a pandemic where one must sleep/hide during the day and move at night amongst people roaming around trying to victimize, torment, rob, and kill without hesitation. Reading the many threads on this forum about people standing still shooting non-animated, non moving targets with their handguns gives us a good clue most of us have no reality of the highly dynamic and chaotic environment of most deadly confrontations often with multiple attackers.

And thirdly we have no real experience living on a remote island any more than we do actually living (not just camping or playing) in the wilderness when there are going to be others living there or attempting to live in the wilderness and there is going to be bands of people roaming around the wilderness looking to pick off any solo or small innocent groups of people who are not prepared to address such situations. Also we have no concept of what it is going to be like just trying to do simple tasks in this environment. Building a standard cooking fire is only an invitation for others to see the light, smoke, and wander over to see what you're up too. Smell and sounds travel in the wild - so if you're cooking meat, busting firewood into, and leaving traces of someone being in the area is only a calling card of human activity. Again, most of us have never had to live in a hostile environment so this is a foreign reality of how to really cook, sleep, get water, stay warm, move, and live without leaving any visible trace that anyone was ever there.

Most of us are thinking we can eat deer meat, pick mushrooms, and eat natural veggies. The reality is most of the game will be harvested within the first month, any game left is going deep into the wild, very deep. Most of us have never lived on a steady diet of wild natural foods and our digestive systems are going to revolt, and revolt hard! Also many of us have this idea I'll just live off the land. Well the land requires many-many calories to harvest foods that will not equally replenish the same amount or more calories. And those of us who like to wack wood into with our little knives don't realize this burns a lot of calories relative to the output produced. There is a reason our forefathers used axes and large saws. And most of us have no plan of where we're going, what we're going to do when we get there, where to set up a place to live which is defendable or hidable and most of us do not know how to live in a hostile environment where light & noise discipline is the difference between life or death.

I mean no disrespect to the OP or anyone else. I just see these multiple "what BOB" should I buy threads and it is painfully obvious most of us have no clue what we're doing. Possessing a 3 day pack full of extra clothes and a customized knife is not the same as being competent in truly addressing the realistic situation at hand. Just saying...

Actually that was very informitive and has made me re-think what to do in a SHTF situation. Reason I'd head to the mountains is I have family there and we've all agreed we'd head there in an emergancy but I will admit we never really discussed what we'd do after. I also to admit I have very limited survival skills (though I'm hoping to take some survival training courses in the Spring). That being said I do agree with what you and RatDrall have said and you have given me much to think and talk about.
 
Actually that was very informitive and has made me re-think what to do in a SHTF situation. Reason I'd head to the mountains is I have family there and we've all agreed we'd head there in an emergancy but I will admit we never really discussed what we'd do after. I also to admit I have very limited survival skills (though I'm hoping to take some survival training courses in the Spring). That being said I do agree with what you and RatDrall have said and you have given me much to think and talk about.
If you think Quirt's post was informative, then you ought to read One Second After by William Forstchen or Lights Out by David Crawford. Either book will really have you evaluating your SHTF preparedness. Those books dispelled a lot of myths about disaster survival and were extremely helpful for me in understanding what I really need to have and what skills I should know in a SHTF scenario. A BOB is a very good start, but thats all it is...a start. I simply cannot recommend those two books enough. Good luck.
 
The BOB...

What form should it take, and what form does it take?

If you knew the exact nature of the backpacking trip you were going to take (time of year, terrain, duration, mileage, any technical or mission essential gear needed, etc.), you would custom tailor the contents of your pack to reflect what you reasonably need, in order to conduct the trip well. That's what I always do. This approach minimizes pack weight, which is a big deal.

At this stage, if I were to bug out, it'd look like a regular alpine backpacking trip, plus a gun. Which gun, depends on what I expect to shoot, I guess.

I know that when I am "out of shape", I can cover at least 10 miles a day w/ my overloaded 40lb pack. I also know I can walk 100 miles between resupplys with this same 40L pack. I've been hunting for decades, and know what I can get with whichever gun I've got along. I know I need 2x freezedrieds, 4 cliff bars, 2x tea bags and a gatorade pouch per day, minimum.

So, what do you know about yourself? How far can you walk each day, day after day. How far away is your destination, and is it rural or big city terrain? Mountains?

Is your green surplus pack a "shoot me" marker for either marauders or jumpy, shot-up Nat'l Guard checkpoints or hungry yuppies? Nobody knows ahead of time, but attracting attention is always a mistake. Any cop driving by and catching sight of it will be ITCHING to shake down the contents of a paramilitary ruck.


Hey, it's all blue sky theorizing till we get the specifics.
 
BOB are different for every person, You have to define what situation you expect or what your goal is, to get from point A to B, head for the hills etc. Then plan accordingly within your alotted budget. There is no BOB for every occasion. Start by doing some overnight hiking, you will quickly figure out what gear you actually need vs. hauling junk around, your stamina level etc.
I do alot of hiking and personally like the maxpedition stuff in foliage green, Since I live in the PACNW I can't throw a rock without hitting ten trees. Gone for days at a time and the only thing I would add for shtf is to grab a rifle and ammo. Since I like to hike alot my vehicle is also fully stocked for resupply + cold weather gear if it's winter. If I can't get to it well nobody will miss a zombie or two.
You can buy all the junk in the world but if you don't get out and use it then it's no use to you. Problem with bugging in with 100k rounds of ammo is houses burn quite easily. Most people don't have enough food on hand to go a week.
I've been through a few things, once people figure out that the grocery store doesn't have any milk and you can't buy gas that is when shtf. People go frickin fruit loops at that point.
 
Great post Quirt!

I always consider a BOB or Get-Home-Bag a 72-hour bag at a minimum and no more than a week. Realistically, if you don’t have a destination within that distance, you need to plan more than what’s on your back.

Without resupply, you’re not going to go very far on foot (as the worse case) and if it is the worst case scenario, chances are vehicular transportation will be extremely difficult and limited as well.

I like the idea of “heading to the hills”, but if you don’t have a stocked location or even a healthy cache, your stay will be short. Even for the short term, your biggest threat would be exposure, water, food and predators (two-legged variety if it’s a major catastrophe that displaces people or disrupts supply). Unless you have access to an isolated hunting/fishing area and have substantial trapping skills, you just can’t carry enough food on your back to last more than a couple of weeks. A decent cache would extend that to a month or two, but there are very few individuals who could walk into a wilderness area and survive for much longer.

So, I think Quirt drops a little reality into the scenario and you really need to define your requirements with a viable plan after taking in the worst to more probably “most likely” scenario. You plan needs a start point and an end point and if you’re departing from your current location, you need to make sure your destination is stocked with essentials. The OP said he has family on the distant end…that’s a good plan, but I would start stocking some basic supplies with their permission (food, clothes, water, ammo, first aid, etc.). Your feet, stomach and health will only get you so far even if in great physical health a pack full of gear/food. Another consideration is speed. There are different philosophies on bugging out or getting home; one is to move slow and discreetly and the other is to haul ass. There is a lot of merit to moving fast is the location can be reached in a few days and the terrain will allow it. The more urban, the more discreet you will want to be; however, moving slow uses more resources and time. Moving fast means high-energy foods, easy access to potable water and terrain that provides faster maneuvering and that is less populated.

Weather is a major concern as exposure is really your most dangerous enemy. Plan to adjust clothing and shelter with the changing of the seasons.

Lastly, practice with your bag. Either hike your route or at least take your bag out for a 5-10 mile hike and camp out for a weekend. That’s a very good way to figure out what really works, what doesn’t.

Great advice in this thread!

ROCK6
 
IMO if the STHF the best thing is to stay at home. Why bug out? It doesnt even make sense unless you a serious Johnny Rambo with no kids and a KTM scrambler. OR you have a mobile home fully equipped with everything. I've never understood the whole concept. Stay at home and wait it out, at least you'll sleep comfortably.

Rather spend the money on tins of food, water, candles, fuel, batteries and ammo. Hell, with enough of those you can wait out most disasters, as long as you have a roof over your head and four walls (and a 12 gauge).
 
This is an excellent thread with a good dose of cold water to refresh our outlook. I can mirror what lmalterna said about the depression. My grandfather used to tell me all kinds of stories about what it was like in the depression in both rural and urban areas as they moved around quite a bit. Game was definitely stressed and people's garden plots were raided regularly, and you could disappear doing so. As lmalterna said, this was not during a major natural disaster or total collapse of social order. As the stress levels go up, people's behavior often goes downhill.

Going further back in time. Granddad also told me a story he'd gotten from his granddad who had been a travelling preacher. He'd pack his family up in a wagon and they'd go to where ever he could find work and also spread the "word", then move on as needed. On a trip out to the southwest they were running out of water and came upon a well near somebody's homestead. Water was generally scarce in the area they were travelling and the owner of well came riding out and refused to let them pull any water. Apparently great great granddad held the well owner at shotgun point so his family could pull out enough water to fill their travel barrel and move keep going. It was that or watch his family die from thirst if they couldn't find any other place with a well or stream. Now these are just family stories but based on my interactions with the public at large, I don't doubt they reflect how people act in the real world.
 
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IMO if the STHF the best thing is to stay at home. Why bug out? It doesn’t even make sense unless you a serious Johnny Rambo with no kids and a KTM scrambler. OR you have a mobile home fully equipped with everything. I've never understood the whole concept. Stay at home and wait it out, at least you'll sleep comfortably.

Rather spend the money on tins of food, water, candles, fuel, batteries and ammo. Hell, with enough of those you can wait out most disasters, as long as you have a roof over your head and four walls (and a 12 gauge).

I think most would rather stay home (or bug home if needed), but not everybody is in that situation. Think of the college kids in a college dorm, working a temporary job in an out-of-state or distant location, or living in an apartment complex that is in a not so safe neighborhood. Not everybody has that ideal home that is secure enough to “bug-in”. I know several military members who are “geographical” bachelors, temporarily leaving their family for school or a specific job; most have made the decision to bug out to get back to their family and permanent residence.

I guess that was my point as well. If you do plan to bug out to a more secure location (parents, permanent family residence, etc.), make sure you stock up at the more secure location. But if you have a decent home that can be moderately secured it really makes more sense to stock up and give you a much higher probability of safety then out on the road.

Something does need to be said about having enough preparations to hunker down…even if you do plan on bugging out. Even if you were living in a temporary location due to your job, new job or going to school, having a short term stock of supplies is good advice. Even if the SHTF immediately, you most likely would be better off keeping your head down, securing your current residence as best as possible and maintaining a low profile as the initial chaos makes traveling too dangerous. Once you’re one foot, you’re either a target or threat and without a destination, you become a refugee…none of which is desirable.

As I started to clean out my office for my upcoming deployment to Afghanistan, I have a case and a half of bottled water, two large bags of trail mix, basket of a half-dozen apples, bag of beef jerky, two tins of mixed nuts, container of powdered protein mix and several granola and various breakfast/protein bars. I rarely get a lunch break so I often snack during the day and keep a pretty well stocked office. If need be, I could hunker down for a couple of days and then trek home (about 20 miles) with enough caloric intake and potable water (plus a few water sources on the way home). I think it is prudent insurance to have 72 hours worth of water/food in your car and/or office and even more if you’re just in a small studio apartment. A more robust storage plan for your permanent residence or true “bug-out” location is your better long term plan. Any plan should still have type of bug-out or bug-home bag.

ROCK6
 
The problem with staying home is the uncertainties of the potential hostile environment. Most homes especially in urban areas are not hardened or defendable. One small family cannot maintain a constant 50% minimum over watch for very long. One riot or looting and a home can be raided, looted or torched.

Then as the OP mentioned during a pandemic were going to be surrounded by infected people. Eventually you must come outside as most utilities will eventually be shut down or disrupted. You will not want to risk being infected. While staying home is always ones first choice. It may not be everyone's most feasible choice.

One or two fatigued persons with a 12 gauge cannot deal with multiple looters attaching at the same time using quasi SWAT tactics from multiple entry points. Heck these kinds of home invasions are happening now!
 
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The problem with staying home is the uncertainties of the potential hostile environment. Most homes especially in urban areas are not hardened or defendable. One small family cannot maintain a constant 50% minimum over watch for very long. One riot or looting and a home can be raided, looted or torched.

Just add to Quirt's comment, it doesn't even have to involve a mass calamity. A bug-out-bag is good insurance against anything that could remove you from your home...fire, or nearby fire threats (think brush, neighborhood, etc.); forced out due to a potential hurricane or flooding; massive structural damage due to a tornado or earthquake; and lastly, being forced out due to a chemical or biological spill/threat...we were even rushed out of our military housing from a large gas leak in the neighborhood. Staying home is the preferred choice for increasing your survival odds (location dependent), but even the best home isn't foolproof insurance and having a bug-out-bag (with a plan) is still a good concept of preparation.

ROCK6
 
While I can understand and agree on being able to defend ones home. Many of us have older parents and maybe children living in an EX parents home- so bugging out to the saftey of obscurity means leaving them to fend for themselves.

Depending on the exact situation, my family has two plans- my parents home in town- brick with old style steel windows with small panes of glass. Well stock with food, water , over the counter meds, clothes, tools, etc.
Or 100 miles distant(if travel is possible) an old farm house in a rural area. Reasonably well stocked and oft visited. The farm would be self sustaining until game ran short. Not as well defensable but clear fields all around.
Bill
 
I'm an American, but currently live in Sarajevo, Bosnia. These folks were be-seiged for 3 years without adequate armament to change their situation. Their food/water supplies were cut off. Their routes of egress were heavily mined, patrolled w/heavy, medium and light armor. There was no 'heading for the hills'.

All of this postulating is verbal-bation. The most important things you need is safe/clean water procurement, good shelter and means to obtain food. Fancy backpacks, firestarting devices, custom knives, LED flashlights, etc would have meant absolutely *nothing* to survive what happened here.

For a reality check, research cities where disasters/political unrest *actually* happen and seriously consider what absolute essentials truly are.

Honestly, everyday, everywhere i go i carry a daypack. It looks like every other college students book bag here. Except it's slightly bigger.

It contains a fairly complete 1st aide kit, some hard-core pain killers, toilet paper, fabric medical tape, iodine tablets, a few small flash lights, a nice wooden spoon, a big-ass chopper knife, a multi-tool, firemaking stuff, lighters, small heavy-duty plastic shopping bags and a couple other small odds and ends. Most of what people here would have in their EDC/BoB.

However, I don't depend on just my pack (though my kids sometimes need the TP b/c sometimes here there is no TP in the bathrooms - even in the public schools). I *do* depend on the ability to make friends and find ways to help others. There are no "John Wayne's" in emergency situations. It's *always* better to develop community and help others - thats the only way to survive. If someones mentality becomes a 'me against them', they will find themselves on the outside of everyone else and eventually a target. The people here survived by helping one another out during a bad, bad situation.

A good BoB is one large enough to carry some basic 'get-you-through' stuff. It's not really necessary to source some specialized pack.
 
^^ This.

Myself and my buddies have gone out hiking many times and there's always someone that comes with us that has way too much stuff. Carrying 30 lbs over 40 Kms through hilly, lush terrain is no joke. It will test even the most conditioned and fit individuals. Keep it as simple and as light as possible, a setup that won't make you keep trying to keep your balance, distribute the weight all over with a good belt, and secure sheaths/holsters. If you really want to carry a good-sized pack, make sure the straps are very well padded. We've gotten by with a canteen/camelback (better), water purifying tablets, rope/cord, firestarting materials, first aid kit, and always with a few good knives with a machete/khukri.
 
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