Backpacks

parfive

parfive

Joined
May 1, 2003
Messages
353
Ever since the tragedy caused by Katrina, I have finally got the wife on board with assembling bug out bags or urban survival packs. I have pretty much collected all the items that I think we would need should we ever have to use them. Herein lies the problem; I purchased the largest pack that Maxpedition makes and it is no where large enough. I love the quality of the Maxpedition products and own several of them. Any ideas as to where I can purchase larger packs with the same quality?

Thanks for all your help.
 
There are a lot of top notch packpack makers out there. Most of them don't look as "tactical" as maxpedition but IMO this is an advantage not a problem. I own a maxpedition pack that I use every day and its a decent pack but not as good as many of the other packs out there. I don't know what size you are needing but my first recommendation would be to take a look at Osprey I own a 3000 cubic inch pack of theres and its absolutely excellent. Carries 2 three liter bladders plus bottle pockeets and lots of space for gear.
The other suggestion I would make is to take a look at all your stuff and decide if you really need it all in a pair of packs or if it can be more usefully distributed in trunks or other places where its handy but out of the way. If you have that much stuff in a pack is your wife going to be able to carry it comfortably? Can you get away with smaller packpack kits and maybe slightly larger trunk bags for your vehicles?
Go to an outdoor store REI or similiar with as much of the gear as you can bring and try some packs out, bring your wife as pack fitting is very important and what works for you might not work for her.
 
I think a certain amount of compartmentalization is good. All in one means all can be lost at once. How about identical smaller survival kits in two or three places, like home and vehicle/s? Another kit can carry valuables rather than survival supplies. Another kit can carry backup or less immediate needs.
 
All excellent food for thought. I am trying to assemble them to be able to be self sufficient in the event that we cannot use a vehicle. Or, we run out of gas, no gas available and have to hoof it. I think what I may have to do is lay out all the stuff we have, give it another thought and downsize somewhat. I purchased 3 packs. One for me, the wife and my daughter with each being smaller then the other. Thanks for the feed back. This may be a pack and unpack a couple times until I get it right.
 
What packs did you end up buying? Also is this pack for evacuation or for survival? There is of course some overlap but if the gear is intended to see you through a couple of days until you get to a shelter or better yet a friends place then thats differeent then the appocolypse bag that is intended to get you started rebuilding society.

Have fun;-)>
 
Hi Parfive-

What age are your wife and daughter? What is their hiking ability and overall comfort towards "roughing it" for a couple of days at a time? This could certainly influence how you make arrangements for difficult situations.

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Where do you expect to be "bugging out" to, and how do you expect to get there? The BOB that you always carry in your trunk could have a lot of camping equipment and extra food; not so the bag that's supposed to get you home from work, or the emergency kit that you'd want your daughter to have when she's out of the house.

Don't forget the $cash$!! That's something that will actually get used even if you never have a true SHTF event in your town. (And, therefore, will keep you more conscious of the BOB and what's in it.)
 
To answer some of you, I bought the Vulture, Condor and Falcon. daughter is 13 and wife is 50 yoa. I live in the desert so flooding could be an issue, poor drainage infrastructure. If at all possible we would hop in the motorhome and go. The packs obviously would go with us but it is a "what if" we cannot get to a vehicle. I am packing stuff for about 3 days, maybe a little longer. Trying to think of all scenarios. I am a past member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee for the County, Urban area Security Initiative for the State, and served on the Homeland Security Commission. That alone made me NOT surprised with the Fed and local responses in New Orleans and what is happening in Fla.
My opinion. there is no way that they could have prepared for the total devestation that happened. However, the ball was dropped on several matters. Cash.....got it covered! Each one of us will have some.
 
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