Bug out backpacks!

[Tikirocker]

In lieu of the great discussion in the Hatchet vs Big Knife thread - I thought I'd start a spin off which allows people to specifically discuss all aspects of their chosen pack in the case of totally bugging out.

* - Tell us what your chosen pack is.
* - Post any pics of it.
* - Why did you choose it?
* - Is weight vs comfort vs capacity an issue?
* - What do you propose to carry in it realistically?
* - What weapons if any do you plan to carry?

I've pretty much laid my entire story out over on the other thread and my reasons for choosing an Australian Spec ops Auscam Alice pack + frame - ut would like to hear from others now on their choices and reasoning.

Discuss. :thumbup:

 

[Halcon]

bugout bag-- northface recon, comes in under a pound. I do not like tactical looking bags for two big reasons, weight and they draw unwanted attention.

I am not a pack the kitchen sink type of freak. In fact, I am devising ways to get rid of the pack and carry just a camelback and fannypack.

a bugout bag is not meant to be lived out of. it should be based on 72 hours. that should give you time to figure out how to resup.

as you may have guessed I carry a hatchet which comes in under a pound. why, because it will give me more versatility in a broader range of circumstances. a hatchet, once again, will be the prefered tool in many circumstaces. (breaking through ice, breaking down doors, etc.)

change of socks
gloves
shirt
kerchief
duct tape
550
headlamp
contracters bags
and a small roasting pan which can fold flat and open up to be used as a cup, pot, pan, whatever.--- I do not carry any cookware. that to me is a waste of space.

a few other trinkets as well.

Alan

 

[Tikirocker]

bugout bag-- northface recon, comes in under a pound. I do not like tactical looking bags for two big reasons, weight and they draw unwanted attention.

Is this an view based on personal experience or just an assumption by the way? I ask this because I travelled allover Europe with my Auscam and nobody looked at me twice - the weight issue is another debatable issue - I don't find my 3.9 kilo's to be heavy for my bugout purposes.

a bugout bag is not meant to be lived out of. it should be based on 72 hours. that should give you time to figure out how to resup.

I have never seen anybody put a time limit on a bugout - so in the sense of 72 hours I would personally never assume a time limit. My own attitude towards bugging out is to assume a permanent exit to the wilderness - this is a large part of my choice of Alice pack and what I plan to carry with me. Interesting to hear your thoughts on it.

I won't comment on the hatchet aspect again as it's been covered already but do you plan for it to be your only weapon in case you might need something for self defence?

Best, Simon.

 

[TNRat]

I have been looking at the 2,000 cubic inch or so packs of better quality that you can hang additional pockets/gear off of.

My son now has T.H.E. Pack from Spec-Ops that is working really well for him. It is built tough.

I am now considering either one of those, or one of the Blackhawk X models.

I figure on packing enough to last for 3 or 4 days, hopefully. I would be surprised if you could pack enough to last forever w/o supplies being replinished at some point, unless you know how to live off the land.

 

[Tikirocker]

I have been looking at the 2,000 cubic inch or so packs of better quality that you can hang additional pockets/gear off of.

My son now has T.H.E. Pack from Spec-Ops that is working really well for him. It is built tough.

I am now considering either one of those, or one of the Blackhawk X models.

Got a pic? This a big part of the reason I chose the Aus Army spec ops Alice system ... rugged, tough, durable and extremely modular and re-configurable.

I would be surprised if you could pack enough to last forever w/o supplies being replinished at some point, unless you know how to live off the land.

With careful planning you could pack enough food in a bug out to last you realistically a couple of months before needing to start looking at critters and bush foods. My plan is to live off the land but I guess I look at bugging out from the survivalists end of the spectrum - escape and evade.

Put it this way ... anything big enough to make you bug out is going to last more than 3 - 4 days. You always want to assume the worst and prepare for that.

 

[Halcon]

Is this an view based on personal experience or just an assumption by the way? I ask this because I travelled allover Europe with my Auscam and nobody looked at me twice - the weight issue is another debatable issue - I don't find my 3.9 kilo's to be heavy for my bugout purposes.

it's all exprience. don't think for one second nobody has noticed your pack. just because they don't say anything doesn't mean they don't notice. when I go through airports I am constantly aware of who carries what type of bag.

I have never seen anybody put a time limit on a bugout - so in the sense of 72 hours I would personally never assume a time limit. My own attitude towards bugging out is to assume a permanent exit to the wilderness - this is a large part of my choice of Alice pack and what I plan to carry with me. Interesting to hear your thoughts on it.

bugging out can mean permanent. however, for a permanent solution I have other options. a bugout bag is for immediate needs. I don't need seeds, chicken and goats immediately. by the third day, I have probably all ready reuped atleast once. movement and mobility is a lot more important than you think. I do not want thirty pounds of crap on my back when I am bugging out. let me put it to you this way, if I needed to I can bugout with just my keys... nothing else. I can get everything I need along the way. No I don't have to buy it.

If you are a true ultralighter you will know exactly what I mean.

I won't comment on the hatchet aspect again as it's been covered already but do you plan for it to be your only weapon in case you might need something for self defence?

Only a dumbass would carry his weapon in his pack!

Alan

 

[aaronjayl]

I have a Lowe Alpine Contour Mountain 40, 2 - 1 liter bottles of water, a bottle of water treatment tablets, Busse BM-E, Busse SK, roughly 50' of paracord, premade bow drill set, magnesium rod, flint rod, cotton balls for fire starting, Peterson's Field Guide to Edible Plants and also the Medicinal Plants Guide, 2 large trash bags, a compass, a Garmin Etrex Legend, and a head lamp that has both normal and red beams w/ spare batteries for both the lamp and GPS. I'm not sure what the exact wait is. The pack can be cinched down to compress everything and with the chest and waist straps, fits nicely and snug with little play while moving. I dont carry food as it's extra weight.

 

[Tikirocker]

it's all exprience. don't think for one second nobody has noticed your pack. just because they don't say anything doesn't mean they don't notice. when I go through airports I am constantly aware of who carries what type of bag.

So if they notice ( you assume ) and yet don't say anything what difference does this make? Anything on two legs will attract attention - you really think what type of pack you carry is going to ratchet up the alert on your proximity to another person? Once they see you they see you ...

Put it this way - I'll take my drab olive Auscam over one of these bright yellow or red or blue commercial hiking packs any day of the week. You wanna talk attracting attention!? In any case though - I had no hassles from anybody, police or authority OR public in any of my travels in Europe as I said. If anything the Auscam alice was LOW key.

bugging out can mean permanent.

Ok but you were saying it mean't 72 hours, we're now on the same page.

however, for a permanent solution I have other options. a bugout bag is for immediate needs.

That is an assumption based on how you personally view your own bugout clearly - as was evidenced by your 72 hour time frame. Most of the people in OZ I know that are survivalists are looking at 3 months minimum as a bugout starting point. I am in that camp also - we did not include chickens or goats either.

by the third day, I have probably all ready reuped atleast once. movement and mobility is a lot more important than you think.

I think I have an idea ...

I do not want thirty pounds of crap on my back when I am bugging out. let me put it to you this way, if I needed to I can bugout with just my keys... nothing else. I can get everything I need along the way. No I don't have to buy it.

I'd be carrying 30 pounds of vital life saving equipment personally and still be moving at speed when needed. Good luck with the keys though.

If you are a true ultralighter you will know exactly what I mean.

I guess I'm not true then ... I believe people can be resourceful when they have nothing in hand but this doesn't mean they should have nothing.

Only a dumbass would carry his weapon in his pack!

Alan

uh huh ... the question was WHAT do you plan to carry ... not WHERE.

 

[Halcon]

That is an assumption based on how you personally view your own bugout clearly - as was evidenced by your 72 hour time frame. Most of the people in OZ I know that are survivalists are looking at 3 months minimum as a bugout starting point. I am in that camp also - we did not include chickens or goats either

ummm! have you ever heard of waypoint caches? apparently not

If you understand cache then 80 percent of your last post should be answered including the part about wishing me luck with my keys.

uh huh ... the question was WHAT do you plan to carry ... not WHERE.

a gun

 

[Tikirocker]

ummm! have you ever heard of waypoint caches? apparently not

Yes, I think they tend to assume alot that I don't take for granted in the bug out. You can never be assured of the direction you will be moving in - it all depends on so many variables that you will not have any knowledge of until the S hits the fan ... I wouldn't rely on them. Good luck once again though.

 

[perksy]

I consider my bug out bag to be my everyday carry day pack. This pack is with me just about all the time and carries my essentials.

I also keep my Alice pack and chest webbing in my car and that has my sleeping bag, bivi bag, hutchi, rain coat and change of clothes as well as waterbottles. So this kit is usually very accesable to me.

The following pics are of my day pack and its contents.

 

[Tikirocker]

Sweet looking set up Persky!

I'm looking at a swag or new bivvy to buy right now myself - I'll be asking about your blade and other such stuff when I get a chance later! Gotta hit the show now ...

 

[Codger_64]

...You can never be assured of the direction you will be moving in - it all depends on so many variables that you will not have any knowledge of until...

A well thought out cache plan takes this into consideration. The caches are redundent resupplies, and you could well skip the first two on a route if hurried, then hit every other one. They lay like the spokes of a wheel, in more directions than one. Some near, some quite far. No, laying a line in only one direction would not be the wisest plan. The 72 hour pack is quite sufficient if you have a reachable wayside resupply, and one or more lode caches as destinations. If you get sidetracked, or a cache is disrupted, just move on to the next.

 

[Halcon]

Codger, thankyou! You sound like the voice of experience.

Alan

 

[longbow50]

My BOB weighs in at a svelt 4000#. Oh, that includes my truck. Actually, I carry quite a bit with me compared to many, but I like my comfort and try to have clothes to layer with, just in case there's a sudden drop in temperature.

I use the ruck in my avitar. It's about 1700ci counting the side pockets. I guess it's official title is German Mtn. Ranger rucksack. Weight is 25# without water and it is comfortable to carry. Cost was $10.00. The pockets are side sewn so that skis can be carried behind them. I shove my axe behind one and strap my arrow quiver to the other.

Obviously I won't be carrying anything but a knife inside of the ruck and what I carry besides my bow is between me and those I encounter.

Inside one pocket I carry a FAK and elbow brace. The other houses my water filter and a burlap bag with handles that I use to carry extra water that's held in a gallon sized freezer grade ziploc bag.

Inside the main compartment:

2mX3m German mil. issue shelter tarp.
USGI poncho
50' 7 strand parachute shroud line
200' 4ply natural Jute twine
spare wool socks
thermal shirt
wool shirt
shorts
mocs
M65 jacket liner
TP
hygene
USGI canteen
USGI canteen cup
MP1 purification tabs
Esbit stove
HD Foil w/paperclips
Esbit fuel
1# poke of parched corn
Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, honey, oatmeal
chopsticks
Homemade firestarter tinder
Swedish Army firesteel
2ea. HD commercial grade drum liner
Food gathering kit including frog and fish gigs, fish/trap kit, snares, net.
Becker BK-7 with sheath minikit
Plastic garden spade

 

[ERdept]

I have many differnet packs.

One is for a one day (more realistically several hours) day hike or a going out to gather wood for camp pack. It's a camelbak hydration pack with two small pouches. I have permanently in the pack a space blanket, lighter, firestarter/flint/magnesium, whistle, compass, and one power bar. The farthest I'll venture from a campsite with this pack is about a two hours walk in one direction.

The next pack is a Camelbak Motherlode, It's my three day pack and my BOB for in the car. It's 1000 denier construction, a hydration pack and feels nice on the back. Has a waist belt, and a center gather that brings the two shoulder straps closer together for more comfort. More comfort = I can wear it longer.

The last pack I have is a Kifaru Military, Pointman. This pack is amazing because it really feels great on the back. It has a channel for your spine, and is padded on either side for yor back and hips. It has a removeable waistebelt and a center gather for the shoulder straps. It has Molle webbing all the way around it. This allows you to add small pouches to anywhere you want.

The most important feature that I like on the bag is that it opens from the top or bottom. So, if I want to access something at the bottom of the pack, I don't have to dig through the whole pack to get it. The pack can hold a chair/shelf option, so you can haul out an injured buddy or haul out dressed game. You can also order a rifle bearer option. Compression straps on the top and bottom keep things from bulging and breaking zippers. It's amazing, but pricey.

For the money, it's hard to beat the Camelbak Motherlode or BFM though. As far as what's in the three day pack and the Kifaru...the standard fare that other people will mention for survival/bug out situation. It's all kinda just template stuff with small variations for your personal preference, but the basics remain unchanged.

Here are some links........

http://www.kifaru.net/MGptman.htm

http://erdept.smugmug.com/gallery/2041673/1/104821222

 

[Tikirocker]

A well thought out cache plan takes this into consideration. The caches are redundent resupplies, and you could well skip the first two on a route if hurried, then hit every other one. They lay like the spokes of a wheel, in more directions than one. Some near, some quite far. No, laying a line in only one direction would not be the wisest plan. The 72 hour pack is quite sufficient if you have a reachable wayside resupply, and one or more lode caches as destinations. If you get sidetracked, or a cache is disrupted, just move on to the next.

Sounds like a plan ... and if that's your system fair enough. That system is not one favoured particularly among the survivalists I know in OZ for a number reasons - where you live may play a part also. I live in wilderness already and have a different set of plans - one of them doesn't involve staying close to a base area of activity - how can you assume the area/areas where you cache your gear isn't compromised in any number of ways ... biologically for one?

Imagine your entire area of cached gear is just a complete no go ... what then? I'd rather have supplies ON me, that way maximum flexibility is always possible without sacrifice. Different strokes though ...

 

[Andros]

Sweet looking set up Persky!

I'm looking at a swag or new bivvy to buy right now myself - I'll be asking about your blade and other such stuff when I get a chance later! Gotta hit the show now ...

If I am not mistaken then this is s BUSSE Mud Razor. Awesome bladeware (like all BUSSE's are):thumbup:! Blade length is 7". Thickness is at 3/16". Yes, you can a LOT of things with this knife. Persky surely knows how to choose a good knife. Then again, what if I am wrong?

Tikirocket, I think that people who live closer to nature or, further from the big cities if you will, have an advantage Vs. us city boys in a bugout situation simply because they are given the chance to approach nature much more frequently than we do. This way, they become more comfortable with it. I wish I had this opportunity my self too.

 

[Tikirocker]

If I am not mistaken then this is s BUSSE Mud Razor. Awesome bladeware (like all BUSSE's are):thumbup:! Blade length is 7". Thickness is at 3/16". Yes, you can a LOT of things with this knife. Persky surely knows how to choose a good knife. Then again, what if I am wrong?

Tikirocket, I think that people who live closer to nature or, further from the big cities if you will, have an advantage Vs. us city boys in a bugout situation simply because they are given the chance to approach nature much more frequently than we do. This way, they become more comfortable with it. I wish I had this opportunity my self too.

G'day G!

Well you know that blade it seems and support Perskys good taste in field cutlery! I'll definately be talking to him about these knives - I actually don't know much about them but it looks a solid unit for sure. The great thing about living with hardcore mountains and wilderness literally 5 metres from my front door is that my bug out options are pretty broad. Even my fellow Aussie survivalists see my location as a perfect bugout lauching pad but they know what I know ... you head west and you keep heading west - I just got a bit of a head start and will have the camp fire going earlier!

 

[Blue Sky]

A well thought out cache plan takes this into consideration. The caches are redundent resupplies, and you could well skip the first two on a route if hurried, then hit every other one. They lay like the spokes of a wheel, in more directions than one. Some near, some quite far. No, laying a line in only one direction would not be the wisest plan. The 72 hour pack is quite sufficient if you have a reachable wayside resupply, and one or more lode caches as destinations. If you get sidetracked, or a cache is disrupted, just move on to the next.

Are you actually doing this now or is this just for discussion? How many cache sites are you proposing? Where are you finding locations for these many caches arrayed "like spokes on a wheel"? This sounds like something that is great in theory but undoable in reality.

Personally I would never want to leave with little nothing and rely solely on the ability to reach distant supplies through unknown hazard. I can see and agree that having a cache or two strategically placed somewhere would be a real advantage but would never treat it as anything more than a bonus. In a real bug out situation there are just too many ways that plan could fail.