Maximize or Minimize?

Sufler

Sufler

Gold Member
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Oct 15, 2005
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This is more of an inquiry out of curiosity than anything else. I'm just wondering what you prefer to do. Let's say you're building a BoB and already chose a backpack - will you maximize its capacity and fill it to the fullest? Or, minimize the amount of bare essentials needed for whatever you think might happen? I will assume that weight is the first concern - so, let's try and leave that out of the discussion. Second concern? Probably your skill level and that's why I'm just asking what YOU (personally) choose to do.

Thanks.
:D
 
Take what you actually will need (depends on you, and on ly you can really answer).

If you have room left, bully for you. Cinch things down, and be happy knowing that you have room should you run across a must-have [something] during your bug-out.

In other words, neither. :D
 
When I pick a bag, pack, etc. for a given use, I've learned to pick one or sometimes 2 sizes smaller than I thnk I need. This results in the bag always being stuffed. If I picked the "right" size bag it would also end up being stuffed and even more bulky. So, it is my way of forcing myself to travel lighter.

OT: The same thing works with housing too. There was a time I lived permenantly on a ship where all the space I had was my berth and a locker. Everything I owned would fit into a USN duffel bag and a medium shoulder bag. Now I own a 3 bed/2 bath house and it is stuffed with stuff. My possessions always expand to fill the space available. Hopefully you don't have this problem.
 
Right now, I'm running a Maxped Condor II. I have large bags, but for my daily BOB, it fits me perfect. I fill it to about 75% capacity, leaving room for things I aquire during the day, but maintain a level of equipment that would allow me to reach a comfortable level. I make sure I got the 4 basic needs, shelter, fire, water, and FAK, then I add things I think I will need. Extra ammo, usually 2-3 knives, food, TP, mess kit, batteries and warm medicine are the usual. There are other things in there as well, but my loadout is usually 20-25lbs. I like having space to add things, like mentioned in a post above, I do scavenge for supplies. Some of the best gear I have, I picked up along the way. Moose
 
I don't do BOBs or PSKs, but am in the process of building a "real" survival kit, since I do a lot of potentially dangerous stuff alone.
Surely there's a parallel somewhere in there. Kind of a BOB with emphasis on getting found instead of getting lost, but other than that the basic needs are the same.
It's going to maximize quality(and cost:grumpy:), and hopefully minimize size relative to what it does, and how it performs-I do have to carry this crap around for it to do me any good!

Eyegor said:
When I pick a bag, pack, etc. for a given use, I've learned to pick one or sometimes 2 sizes smaller than I thnk I need. This results in the bag always being stuffed. If I picked the "right" size bag it would also end up being stuffed and even more bulky. So, it is my way of forcing myself to travel lighter.
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Guilty, guilty! I bought a 45L pack earlier this year that is plenty for what I need, but almost bought a 70L pack just because I wanted it, and there wasn't a smaller size:foot:
 
Maybe this only worked for me, and is not the norm. I collected all the items that were going to be put into my BOB's, sorted & packaged them in their respective catagories, & then started looking for a bag that would fit what I needed. I looked for one that had one main compartment and several outside pockets for the smaller items & if needed could be located quickly, and molle straps for other stuff. This has worked for me on just about all the ones I have put together. Just another idea to kick around and add to the mix. Be safe.
 
Everything I owned would fit into a USN duffel bag
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+1 Life was so much simpler back then. I could carry it on my back while on my motorcyle. A pillow under my arm and I was good to go.
 
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I under pack. You never know what you will need to add at the last minute, and if I can't think of anything I'll add a few more bottles of water.

My Falcon II currently has 3.5L of water, with room for another liter in a dump pouch on the side of the pack, and a MOLLE duffel bag rolled up and strapped to the bottom.

More space is good space.
 
I've learned (the hard way) you never choose a backpack and then figure out how to fill (or overfill it :D)- instead find out what load out is needed and then find the appropriate pack, given the volume and weigh needs- much better that way :)
 
This is a bugout bag, not a recreational bushcrafting bag. For a worst-case scenario, I'd bring as much as I could reasonably carry while covering long distances on my own power. For a skills based weekend trip, I'd minimize.
 
I have one main outdoor pack. An old swiss mountain Rucksack. It is BIG it will carry enough gear for long winter outings. It also collapses to about half size allowing it to be used with a much lighter load.

In a bugout situation. Where I am headin out of dodge for an extended trip it would have my major tools strapped to the outside, and a complete gear load inside. However for me that is going to be different than for most. I have learned through a lot of experience to choose gear wich serves many uses per item, and which has greater durability. A case in point much of my clothing is wool. I also carry tools which allow me to maximize my use of natural shelter materials.

For a long term load you would do well to look at the loadout's being used by the USMC.

Bug out and long term survival loads are a totaly different animal than the standard survival gear load. Long term loads by neccesity stress long term self reliance over preservation till rescue. Think of what you would need to build a long term winter shelter in your local, add what you would need to forage food (trap and hunt), clothing that can be layered to give three season comfort,and that will last, plus som mending materials etc. etc.

You can easily wind up with a ton of gear that is where planning comes in. You have to plan so that every piece of gear works as part of a system. That minimizes weight while maximizing capability.

Get a large durable pack. Once you are living outdoors you will find it carries much more than just your gear, so it needs to hold up.
 
For me, the first concern is what exactly the intent of the bag is to be- all other considerations stem from that. In my case, the most likely bug out or emergency stay put scenario involves a hurricane, so my bob is on the heavy side, including a few tools, a week or so worth of food, a radio, basic toiletries, first aid kit including celox and sutures and sam splint, etc. in addition to the more standard survival equipment most commonly found in a smaller bob. It's light enough that I can still easily carry it, just under 50lbs, and contains enough survival gear (compartmentalized, for the most part, in 2 otter boxes) should living off the land become necessary, but also has enough extras that I can stay put in style for at least a week.
 
BOB stands for "Bug out Bag" doesn't it?

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't this involve leaving where you are when TSHTF?

I would think that what you are able to take with you will be totally depending on your mode of transport when you need to "bug out".

If a motor vehicle is a realistic mode of transport when TSHTF, then surely a trailer loaded with just about everything would be the answer. You would even have room for the proverbial kitchen sink :thumbup:

Will you have a motor cycle or push bike that will enable you to carry "saddle bags" as well as a backpack? Obviously you can fit more into the additional storage capacity of the saddle bags then you could with just a backpack :thumbup:

If your of the opinion that your mode of transport will be on foot, then your options will necessarily be a bit more limited to what you are physically capable of carrying on your back.

So I guess what you pack in your "BOB" will depend on the mode of transport you reckon you'll have available when TSHTF :thumbup:

Hope this has helped.



Kind regards
Mick

P.S If you really want to prepare for when TSHTF, fill you head with knowledge & experience, because you'll have these with you no matter what else you have on you when you need it :D
 
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SouthernCross said:
BOB stands for "Bug out Bag" doesn't it?

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't this involve leaving where you are when TSHTF?
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Speaking for myself, I don't take that too literally. I just think of it as a bag meant for various sorts of shtf situations, not necessarily one requiring travel.
 
PayetteRucker said:
This is a bugout bag, not a recreational bushcrafting bag. For a worst-case scenario, I'd bring as much as I could reasonably carry while covering long distances on my own power. For a skills based weekend trip, I'd minimize.
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My same reasoning.

I think most need to understand that "bugging out" can be different scenarios depending on the individual's situations and the season and location are major factors.

For me, the most likely scenario would be bugging home from work (about 25 miles; back roads/woods).

Some here travel during the winter up north with the potential to get stuck, iced or snowed in...That would be major SHTF situation. Others live, work or travel in hurricane country...during those seasons, a major hurricane can become a pretty severe SHTF scenario.

Of course most are concerned with massive civil unrest, terrorist attack or some other major regional calamity.

Bugging out doesn't always mean leaving your primary residence...it could be "bugging home", evacuating your college residence to get back to your parents or other bug-out location, etc.

With all that said, your bug out bag needs to be built for speed (think grab and go). It's not a recreational pack and I would start with the essentials and build out depending on your specific requirements. There are so many variables that each individual needs to conduct their own analysis and build off the most likely scenario. In the military, we really need to asses the "most dangerous" verse the "most likely" and apply time and resources for the more immediate threat...the "most likely". A lot of bug out bags are built around the "most dangerous" and they often build massive, all encompassing kits or delay the building of the kit (mostly due to funds) over time. Don't get caught up in the romantic doomsday bug out bag. Of the dozen scenarios I marked as my "most likely", most are localized and utilities/services or transportation are only impact for less than a week to ten days. I've considered weather, fire, flooding, loss of power, chemical spill, minor civil unrest (most likely in the bigger city about 30 miles away) attack on our military base, etc. The worse would be a nuclear plan incident, but fortunately, the prevailing winds typically blow in our favor.

What I look for is an essentials kit that isn't too big/heavy but covers some of the more severe scenarios (dust/smoke mask) and enough food/water to keep me moving for 72-96 hours. If you travel significant distances and your bug out kit is in your vehicle, you can pack more substantial food, water and other essentials. I still think you need to consider carrying your bug out bag and least minimal distances...up to a road, to a motel, police station, nearby house...if you have to evacuate in a remote area, you don't want to lug too much given the impacts of stress during a crisis.

There are numerous opinions and almost as many individual scenarios for bugging out or bugging home. Only YOU can decide what is most likely and what is the best load-out for your situations, location, climate and most likely "threats".

ROCK6
 
regardless of one's definition of BOB (personally I find most of these acronyms meaningless)- the load should dictate the pack, not vice versa

determine the appropriate load out for your needs, then determine the best vessell to carry it :)
 
mtwarden said:
regardless of one's definition of BOB (personally I find most of these acronyms meaningless)- the load should dictate the pack, not vice versa

determine the appropriate load out for your needs, then determine the best vessell to carry it :)
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This is extremely good advice. Building the perfect bugout bag takes alot of time and experience with the tools and gear in question, figuring out what really works, what really doesn't, what is too redundant to be worth taking up mass and volume... also 'combat loading'-IE, figuring out which gear you will need the fastest and most often so you're not digging through 5,000 cubic inches of crap to get to it.
 
PayetteRucker said:
This is a bugout bag, not a recreational bushcrafting bag. For a worst-case scenario, I'd bring as much as I could reasonably carry while covering long distances on my own power. For a skills based weekend trip, I'd minimize.


This is extremely good advice. Building the perfect bugout bag takes alot of time and experience with the tools and gear in question, figuring out what really works, what really doesn't, what is too redundant to be worth taking up mass and volume... also 'combat loading'-IE, figuring out which gear you will need the fastest and most often so you're not digging through 5,000 cubic inches of crap to get to it.
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Strange, don't you claim to have your BOB stuffed with 150 lbs of gear, including 3 long guns?
 
This is a subject that I have been agonizing over.

I used to carry everything but the kitchen sink in my younger day, but things change. My better half and I are now in our 60's, and my capabilities are a shadow of what it used to be. That goes for a couple of different areas. A few years ago, the wife and I did a really major downsize of all our stuff. Part of it was out of necessity as our belongings were starting to swamp us. Part of it was just we looked around at what we had accumulated in 30 years of living in one place raising three kids, and being shocked at all the "stuff" we had.

We gave away, sold, and donated away most of it. Including guns, knives, TV's, duplicates of tools, and junk. The result was a massive trimming down of our stuff, including what we carry on woods outings. We kept talking about Granny Gatewood, and used her for inspiration for us to keep trimming down.

We got our BOB packs pretty light, and in some area's looked at the ultra light crowd. At senior citizen age, it becomes a necessity. It it does not have a real need, it gets tossed. If it can't be used for multiple uses, it gets tossed. The wife is a shooter, and our guns are all in the same caliber for easy logistics. We also embraced the same round carbine and pistol idea for the same reason. Our vehicles are small to get the most from a gallon of gas if we have to leave, or fit through some small gaps if the roads are jammed. We pack light.

We've had to go minimum because of time stealing a lot from us. We became avid practitioners of maximum minimalisim. After a certain age, it becomes necessary.

Carl.
 
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