An Educated BOB

sideways said:
19 year old girl eh? They are unlikely to carry half that stuff. Most of the time they refuse to even wear comfortable shoes.

- A fully charged spare cellphone with emergency contact numbers programmed into it. Keep this phone turned off for when you need it and have enough cash for a taxi tucked under the back cover of the phone (get one of those extra gel covers).
- Full waterbottle (tell them drinking lots of water is good for their skin)
- Bonus points if you can convince them to keep a pair of broken in shoes in their car or in a locker nearby.
- Impress on them the importance of not doing stupid things with stupid people at stupid times of day.
- Impress on them the importance of practicing safe sex and responsible drinking.

We can game out all kinds of scenarios and thoughtful gear but it will not do any good if they refuse to carry it. A 5lb kit will not be carried.
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The first girl has graduated. Her sister is still in school. It’s not a question of “Will they carry the full kit?” It’s fair to ask, “Did they carry the full kit?”

So…did they? Of course not. I never expected they would. On the other hand…

Did they carry some of this kit? Sure. How much, and what, varied over time and circumstances. Some things were constants.

The telephone cheat sheets, extra cash, Vic Farmers, flashlights. The Guyot bottles saw lots of use. So did the pretty silk scarves.

I figure it was worth my effort to accomplish that much.

More items tended to sneak into their luggage on field trips. On rock climbing expeditions, or working trail maintenance, they carried close to everything.

I can live with that.
 
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I have four daughters
They all have gone thru the stage of 19 year old

They carry a charged phone
A whistle
a flashlight
A classic SAK
A bottle of water
Pepper spray
a $50 folded for emergency use, mainly a taxi to get out of a situation like a drunk driver
No hitch hiking
Native inteligance to avoid situations

Reality that is all they will carry
 
Raymond1000 said:
The first girl has graduated. Her sister is still in school. It’s not a question of “Will they carry the full kit?” It’s fair to ask, “Did they carry the full kit?”

So…did they? Of course not. I never expected they would. On the other hand…

Did they carry some of this kit? Sure. How much, and what, varied over time and circumstances. Some things were constants. The telephone cheat sheets, extra cash, Vic Farmers, flashlights. The Guyot bottles saw lots of use. So did the big silk scarves.

I figure it was worth my effort to have accomplished that much.

More items tended to sneak into their luggage on field trips. On rock climbing expeditions, or working trail maintenance, they carried close to everything.

I can live with that.
Click to expand...

Aaah gotcha... Having good gear available to pack for a variety of different scenarios is handy. :thumbup:
 
I haven't read all your postings or all the responses.

There seems to be a pretty wide level of circumstances to be covered in a 5 lb. bag. Its one thing to think about having to evacuate due to a fire. In all likelihood, unless you're living in a cabin in the woods, you'll be getting help in pretty short order--family/friends/Red Cross, etc. Quite another if you live near the water and a tsunami wipes out 5000 acres.

To me a major decision point comes from where the bag is going to be stored...ie in a secure place like your gear locker at home or someplace like a dorm or worse, in your vehicle. While a thumb drive with all your important docs sounds nice, I have some concerns of leaving something like that in a bag where it could be stolen if the car where broken into. Same with larger sums of cash.

And the other side of the coin, is some may be over thinking it a bit much. I am recently picked up a small backpack for putting in a vehicle for unscheduled 'issues,' and truth be told, I'm looking more at things like a travel deodorant and toothbrush/toothpaste, clean socks & undies (you can only flip/turn 4 times!), a decent jacket/hat/gloves/extra shirt, *maybe* a multi tool/small folder, a flashlight, couple of bottles of water and some cliff bars and maybe a good space blanket. I probably could put one of my old cell phones with charging cable in there as well...you can always dial 911. And that's pushing it. But I'm not planning for the zombie hordes either. Sort of the 'crap, there's 10 inches of snow instead of the 2 they forecast' and I'm hitting the hotel for the night instead of making the drive.

Now if society takes a downturn in the next 12 months, and we start doing the annual 'Purge' yeah, I'll reassess. In the mean time, it's probably more about a few basic items then needing to snare rodents and other woodland creatures or dodge clouds of radiation.

Just my $.02 worth.
BOSS
 
BOSS1 said:
I haven't read all your postings or all the responses.

There seems to be a pretty wide level of circumstances to be covered in a 5 lb. bag. Its one thing to think about having to evacuate due to a fire. In all likelihood, unless you're living in a cabin in the woods, you'll be getting help in pretty short order--family/friends/Red Cross, etc. Quite another if you live near the water and a tsunami wipes out 5000 acres.

To me a major decision point comes from where the bag is going to be stored...ie in a secure place like your gear locker at home or someplace like a dorm or worse, in your vehicle. While a thumb drive with all your important docs sounds nice, I have some concerns of leaving something like that in a bag where it could be stolen if the car where broken into. Same with larger sums of cash.

And the other side of the coin, is some may be over thinking it a bit much. I am recently picked up a small backpack for putting in a vehicle for unscheduled 'issues,' and truth be told, I'm looking more at things like a travel deodorant and toothbrush/toothpaste, clean socks & undies (you can only flip/turn 4 times!), a decent jacket/hat/gloves/extra shirt, *maybe* a multi tool/small folder, a flashlight, couple of bottles of water and some cliff bars and maybe a good space blanket. I probably could put one of my old cell phones with charging cable in there as well...you can always dial 911. And that's pushing it. But I'm not planning for the zombie hordes either. Sort of the 'crap, there's 10 inches of snow instead of the 2 they forecast' and I'm hitting the hotel for the night instead of making the drive.

Now if society takes a downturn in the next 12 months, and we start doing the annual 'Purge' yeah, I'll reassess. In the mean time, it's probably more about a few basic items then needing to snare rodents and other woodland creatures or dodge clouds of radiation.

Just my $.02 worth.
BOSS
Click to expand...

Thanks, Boss.

Any kit this small will be a jack of all trades and master of none. I shoot for something that’s better than nothing in multiple circumstances.

Any student will have some portable backup for her work in her dorm room. Vulnerable to theft even without a BOB. The not-very-good solution is to keep it on her person. Emergency cash is also better with her than left in her room.

My vehicle kit emphasizes good enough, but cheaply replaced. Your list is pretty good. I also keep:

Basic car tools including tow strap and jumper cables
Reflective triangle and road flairs
Emergency candles for light and warmth when stuck in the cold
Straight spade that can dig underneath the vehicle
Crowbar
12” bow saw with wood and hacksaw blades
Heavy machete
Mora knife
Rope and paracord
Army surplus blankets
Cheap tarps
Ponchos
Case of bottled water
Lifeboat rations, peanut butter
Sterno Folding Stove with Sterno (It can also burn wood. It’s not a patch on the Emberlit, but it only cost me five bucks.)
Bic lighters
Cheap pot with lid
Fire extinguisher
 
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I’ve reformatted this paper to make it more readable. I’ve rewritten to incorporate local suggestions. Thanks, guys.

If I were to give a BOB recipe to a teenager right now, this is the version I’d give.
 
Raymond, a fantastic write-up. I was familiar with most of the items and their use (and have them in various kits of my own) but I did learn more than a few things, so thank you very much for that!!! What a great read.
 
Raymond,

Thanks that's a lot of info but very thought provoking... Gets my mind going and I'll adapt it in tiny ways as I go. That Emberlit Stove is now at the TOP of my WishList and will be on order next PayDay! What a fantastic little piece of equipment!

I also cut n pasted your info onto a Word Document and will be using it to put together and refine a BOB over time.

As you said over-creep is SO EASY to do... You can end up with 75 pounds of gear very easily! You've just got to keep it simple and cover the most rudimentary basics for this type of subject.

Thanks for putting this together. :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Thanks for reviving this thread. Very interesting...

Raymond, some thoughts...

PRESENTATION - It's a nice write up. It would be strengthened I think to have a list for the "Pocket Survival Pack" you referenced towards the end. In general, I like to keep discussion and lists somewhat separate. See: https://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/DirtbagPinner/essentials-list.txt

PHILOSOPHY OF CARRY - A common discussion is where and how things get carried. I think the military mind set is on your person. The Alpine climber mind set is, in your pack. A further extension to this is in your camp or house or car. Readiness and preparedness can mean either of these 3 options and which makes sense depends on the scenario you anticipate encountering, imo. No single right answer.

SCENARIO BASED PLANNING - As others have mentioned, I think the piece might be strengthened with some clarification of the scenarios you envision the kit being used for. Options include:
+ Backcountry travel - you mentioned XC skiing, winter camping in the Sierra and SAR issues

+ Urban/Suburban catastrophe while away from home base - This is the 9/11, mass shooter, natural disaster scenario. Probably best called the "refugee" scenario.

+ Urban/Suburban catastrophe while at the home base - This is the power outage, Y2K, infrastructure collapse, prepper scenario. More reliance on thins stored at home.

+ Car emergency - you mentioned cars stuck in the snow... I see see this as the backcountry scenario with some additional considerations (dealing with cars) and additional options (I can carry more in my trunk). One issue is that a down tree, wash out or snow storm can turn a front/side country drive into a backcountry survival situation.

+ EDC - Dealing with normal problems, in a normal society.

You list seems to combine all of these into 1 BOB solution. I prefer to think about each of these scenarios differently and when I do, I end up leaning towards more optimized solutions for those scenarios, where "optimized" means according to my taste which may differ from yours.

I'll mention a few thoughts on each...

Backcountry Travel - I discuss my backcountry essential kit at the link above. My kit is much lighter than yours and much more optimistic in terms of 1st aid. Like you, I focus primarily on stopping bleeding but I don't anticipate major trauma that necessitates battle field type dressings. I also go lighter and more focused on stoves and fire lighting issues and supporting tools. The Juice is replaced with a lighter Squirt. My carry philosophy here is 100% in the in my pack camp.

Car Emergency - The core of my car kit is my backcountry kit, which is stored in my car with a day pack and not in my house. A big part of this is my conviction that the worst car issues are getting stuck a long way from a town. To this, I add more tools, extra insulation and my Emberlit stove. I'll add more depending on the trip. My carry philosophy here is a combination of "in my pack" and "in my camp/car".

Refugee - I almost entirely discount this scenario as a practical risk. I've lived through enough natural disaster events (hurricanes, blizzards) and man made problems (the Boston bombing) to believe that the most likely worse case scenario is to be displaced from home for 48 hours with society largely still functioning. That is, I'm not going to go out of my way to plan on walking for a week while scavenging and foraging in an urban/sub-urban landscape in which society has essentially collapsed. Color me Pollyanna. I understand this happens in other parts of the world and understand it has happened in the US and could happen again. But short of another Civil War or invasion, I don't see it as a realistic scenario to plan for. To this end, I focus my EDC considerations on the EDC scenario.

EDC - For me, every day carry is a balance between moving light and unencumbered and dealing with challenges up to and including, confronting a natural disaster or medical emergency (car wreck). I credit the lap top for making it acceptable for men to carry "purses", or more commonly, a day pack style lap top bag. More and more socially acceptable EDC bags for men. For me, I go light in terms of pocket carry always on my person and "in the pack". Core to my system is a small organizer that I can move from day pack to day pack, so the primary kit is always in my pack, which is generally in my car, in office or otherwise nearby. My EDC list is much shorter and lighter than yours, which I sense is more oriented to the refugee and backcountry scenarios.


Some comments on the specific gear choices...

Thumbs up on water tablets. They are in my backcountry kit and are the lightest approach for US waters (unless you're near chemical pollution).

The Emberlit.... I like me my Emberlit and I like me my Trangia but not together. I work from home an often make my lunch on camp stoves. I've found that a Trangia in an Emberlit just sucks fuel badly. IME, alcohol stoves need a full windscreen to be weight/fuel efficient and the Emberlit doesn't provide it. If I carry a windscreen, I'm just gong to to carry a lighter pot holder anyway. The Emberlit makes great sense for a car/home power outage stove since it can be run on scrounged wood in a situation where you can't assume availability of alcohol fuel (or don't want to stock pile that much of it). Alcohol is much much easier to deal with in a proper pot support/wind screen and the way to go for many backcountry trips or bike touring for that reason. The FireAnt looks interesting but I suspect it puts the Trangia burner too close to the pot and it needs a full height windscreen to be added for sure. Different scenarios get different stoves. I take my Emberlit on backcountry ski tours, for instance.

Knives and tools - I carry different selections of knives and tools for the different scenarios. Backcountry: big folder, Squirt (and folding saw and fixed blade to replace the folder in cold weather). EDC: big folder & Micra in pocket and larger MUT in pack. Since I'm not carrying "refugee" load in my pack, I can easily afford the extra few ounces of a larger MUT and gain utility. Decent trade for me.

First aid - I carry less both in terms of backcountry and EDC. I could see putting your bandage kit in my car pack though, as that's the time I'm mostly to come across a severe bleeding situation.
 
Thanks, Pinnah.

I didn’t chose to mix lists and explanations at random. I know the girl I was writing for. She’s smart, incisive, intellectually rigorous. She’s been that way all her life. She was hell on teachers who knew less than she did. If I tell her something, she’ll want to know why. That “why”’ had better make sense to her.

All her life she’s followed her own interests If I didn’t catch her interest, this would have been a waste of paper. She was more likely to heed me if she enjoyed the read. So the paper is breezy, with fun examples and stupid jokes. Explanations accompany gear lists so her “why” is answered. It worked well enough. She did learn. She carried some of this stuff. If this format worked for two teenagers, it might work for others.

Preparedness is a big field. At home kits. Weapons and self defense. Vehicle kits. Surviving economic collapse. Altoids kits. Medical emergencies. Plane crashed in the Yukon. You know that. I know that. Even she knows that, from occasional conversations.

An Educated BOB is for someone starting out. Away from home for the first time. “Try carrying some of this stuff.” might work. “Build five specialized BOBs in your spare time.”……won’t.

It’s designed for someone in an urban setting—because that’s where she would mostly be. But also…she was likely to go on field trips, or road trips with friends. My goal was enough skills and enough gear to help in a wide variety of circumstances. I thought that was obvious. I guess it isn’t. I’ll talk about it.

Some of my choices were dictated by the gear I’ve given them. Costco had the Leatherman Juice at a good price. I bought two and had a name engraved on each. If Costco had offered something else that looked okay, it might have become a Christmas present. Since the Juice is what she has, that’s what I recommend to her. I use the Guyot, I gave them Guyots, I recommend Guyots here.

Make “in your book bag” or “on your person” more explicit? That’s worth thinking about.

Listing the contents of the Ritter Pocket Pack is a great idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. Until the next edit, here you go:

The kit I carry is the original Mark 1.

1 - Aluminum Foil, Heavy Duty, 3 Sq. Ft.
Heat reflector, light roasting/frying pan, many uses.
It’s supposed to make a pot you can boil water in. Nope. After long residence in the pocket pack, the folds give out quickly. If you want to use it that way, replace the foil frequently.
1 - Compass, Button, Liquid Filled,
20 mm, that-a-way compass. Easily lost. Grooved to accept lanyard
1 - Duct Tape, 2" x 26",
See Duck Tape
1 - Pocket Survival Pak Clamshell,
Carry water, bait, nuts.
Hold the parts you removed, trying to fix your reel.
1 - Scalpel Blade, #22, Sterile, Disposable.
Light duty, very sharp, batons poorly.
More useful than a single-edged razor blade.
If you have to perform a tracheotomy—heaven forefend—it’s a sterile blade.
(An MD at a roadside accident used his Case pocket knife and saved a life. True story.)
1 - Sewing Needle, #18, heavy duty
Large eye for easy threading, large shaft for easy holding,
Use your pliers to help penetrate heavy materials.
When you get the kit, remove the needle. Run Button & Carpet Thread through the eye. Hit the thread with beeswax. Coil it around the needle. Replace in pack.
1 - Sewing Thread,
Nylon, 10.5 lb test. Sewing repairs. Fishing line. Make lanyard for that little compass. Bind small items.
6 ft - Safety Wire, Stainless Steel, 0.020.
Stronger than brass, mill-spec grade, not brittle in cold, many uses.
You have wire. You have pliers.
Look up how rodbusters connect rebar with tie wire. Practice it.
10 ft - Nylon Cord, #18, Braided, 100 lb. test
Many uses, all involving knots
1 - Signal Mirror, protective cover.
2” X 3”, polycarbonate, mill-spec aiming aid, one hand use, instructions on back.
Can be used to pluck your eyebrows. Or to examine that bug bite on your face.
1 - Pencil, Keep notes. Leave note. Scrape pencil lead for dry graphite lubricant.
1 - Waterproof Paper, See Write in the Rain
1 - Pocket Survival Pak Contents List,
1 - Waterproof Survival Instructions,
We can all use helpful hints. Especially when it matters. See the Emergency Number List
1 - Fresnel Magnifier, with protective cover.
Read fine print on survival instructions. Help thread a needle. On a sunny day, use to start a fire. Learn why your warranty is void.
1 - Whistle, Rescue Howler,
Pea less, triple frequency, exceeds US Coast Guard specifications
2 - Split Shot, Lead B,
4 - Fish Hook, #10,
Sewing thread + split shot sinkers + twig bobber + hook + worm = dinner.
Or at least an activity to fill the vacant hours. Boredom can be a challenge.
See the comments on keeping a positive attitude.
4 - Safety Pins,
Attach dummy cord to gloves. Pin chin strap to hat. Pin lace to hem before the next waltz starts. Many other uses
1 - Spark-Lite Fire Starter.
US Military issue. One hand operation, Waterproof. Good for a thousand sparks.
4 - Tinder Quick. Fray one end to help it catch a spark. Cut one length in half before using. Depending on conditions and your fire craft, cut into quarters.

The Mark 11 version adds these:
I have not examined them. But Doug Ritter did will with the basic kit.
I provisionally recommend the upgrade. Even the flashlight is worth checking out.

1 - CRKT RSK-MK5 knife. Fixed blade. No grips. Fits in an Altoid tin. Pedestrian steel for low price. Better than a scalpel if the kit is all you have.
6- Katadyn Micropur MP1 water purification tablets.
1 – 1 liter collapsible water bag.
Bag and Katadyn pills: Great combination.
1 - E-Gear PICO LED light. Three hours of light. Harder to butt switch on.
Batteries expensive and hard to find.
 
Really enjoyable read, Ray. The added humor was fun. My daughters, (now 19 and 24), have been packing BOB's since they were little ones. With kits at school and while traveling as well. I agree that it's the mindset and knowledge with practice and training that are very important parts of staying safe and getting back! Thanks, Well done.

:)
Mark
 
I’ve added enough stuff to this paper that I ran out of room.

It now lives in Post # 1, # 2, # 3, # 4, and # 6.
 
greenwoods said:
Really enjoyable read, Ray. The added humor was fun. My daughters, (now 19 and 24), have been packing BOB's since they were little ones. With kits at school and while traveling as well. I agree that it's the mindset and knowledge with practice and training that are very important parts of staying safe and getting back! Thanks, Well done.

:)
Mark
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mark.

Glad you enjoyed it. I wonder…

Your daughters are experts at being college-age girls.

Have they read this article? What did they think of it?

Raymond
 
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