Minor BOB Rant

S

Smash05

Joined
Jul 16, 2007
Messages
1,794
Folks, what good is your BOB if you can't carry it! Had an acquaintance show me his bag while outside the gun shop the other day. It was one of those great surplus pilot's bags you see alot, filled to the brim with everything you can think of. SKS Stripper Clips, Buck 119, Kabar, MRE's, Pistol Mags, Boxes of ammo, etc etc. Problem is, thing weighed a TON. And its a a bag, not a pack. I want to stress something. All the ammo and food and "stuff" in the world won't help you if you can't move. And what if, God forbid you have to bail, and you now have to leave your car. What do you take with you? I tried to impress upon him that he needed to scale down, get a good backpack, and find a way to carry less stuff. He is not the first one I have seen - many bags showcased online are similar. If it helps, separate a would like to have bag from a need to have bag. It needs to start at a man portable load, and that load needs to be portable by you. Scale up from there. Sure we would all like to hit the road with food for weeks and enough ammo to prosecute a private war, but its just not feasible, and its actually dangerous to think that way. Rant off.
 
i tend to agree with you about the bag vs. pack thing. but, i do tend to over pack a bit especially with a family. i guess the weight thing doenst bother me so much because if we need move quickly i could always take some out and stash it somewhere.
jd
 
20-30lbs max ....BOB in my vehicle...if case I had to flee the truck,I am not breaking my back to haul a gun safe full of gear...
 
If you need to remove items from a BOB in order to go mobile on foot, have it in a separate bag to begin with and leave it in the vehicle, or stash it.

If you have children that are old enough (depends on child), teach them the basics. If you don't and something happens to you and they are left alone, they won't be able to fend for themselves and will likely die. If you are injured and they don't know their stuff, you will all die. Train them!

I'm also of the mindset that 20-30# is a max weight that I'm willing to carry, including food and water. What would weight extra is any weapons and ammo that I bring with me. The wife's and daughters portion of the BOB is about the same weight and they would carry their own weapons and ammo. The twins (granddaughters) have one of those bicycle wheeled strollers that are good for some off road terrain, so we would be limited to those areas, but the stroller holds the twins and their gear, plus extra food and water, so we feel that it's a valuable part of our gear.
 
I absolutely agree, Smash. I have a Spec Ops Pack Rat, basically a man-purse, that carries a selection of toys and gear that would be a big help in many situations. Reasonably, I know I won't carry more day to day, so why pretend?

I also have a BOB with much more that would come with me if I could foresee a major emergency or evacuation. The Pack Rat fits into a pocket on that BOB to eliminate reduplication.
 
i have it all figured out for buggin out if need be with about 1/2 ton of gear in my BOB kit.

3000 rnds .22 rimfire
3 .22 pistols
3 .22 rifles
1 20ga SG with 500 rounds
100 lb's food, mostly oil and spices for eating all the elk steaks i'll be able to get with perfect, 100 yard .22 rounds right through the eye!
10 lb's mess kit including dutch oven and steel stakes and spit
about 15 knives of different uses and configuations
20,000 matches
one bic lighter with 2 gal's lighter fluid, 6 flint dispensers and 10 wicks
1 hurricane lantern with 6 wicks and 5 gal's kerosine
2 backpacks, one large for serious long range scouting when i arrive at camp
and one, 3 day pack for around camp, just in case
3 compasses
one gigantic, 1 inch = 1 foot topo map of entire Rockie Mnt area (:confused:)
large galvinized tub for campfire containment, dont want to get arrested by Smokey for arson in a SHTF event...
gonna carry 1000 Yrds Para 550, rappeling rope, and utility rope

well, suffice to say, i got alot of stuff here, so what i'll end up doing is going down the main road aways and i will buy up all 6 mules that this guy has on his property. i'll just put it on my Visa...

Thats my plan - Eric
 
borrowed time, it looks like you are a bit light on guns and ammo. You should trade 1 .22 pistol and 1 .22 rifle for an AK, a Glock, and an M1A, w/ a few hundred rounds of ammo for each. You are also missing the cleaning kit for each of them, and a backup sighting system for each. Silly me, I guess that still leaves you w/ out any weapon firing a 5.56. Don't forget, you are also going to need a bow drill, flint and steel, a fresnel lens, hemp rope, a firesteel, an SAK and a Mora, seeing how this is W&SS. Let us know how that whole mule thing works out.:)
 
Remember BOB stands for bug out bag, and buggin out is a term that strikes me as a hasty action requiring speed and stealth.
I can imagine the guy hauling that pack grunting and cursing and stopping every 15 minutes for a smoke break.
Now as a kit for the back of the truck, not so bad, and a back up smaller kit to throw on your back when you get stuck in a 30 mile traffic jam.
 
I've always viewed "bugging out" as a hasty move (not stealthy and lightning quick, just with purpose) where I would be self reliant long term. As such, my ruck must weigh about 60-65 pounds, which is fine for me. I can move plenty quick, long term, and I have enough stuff to keep myself and my equipment alive without support for an extended period. It's still lighter than the ruck I carried in the service.

I am currently rethinking my setup, as I am married and have a new baby boy, and I need to be able to support them.
 
cuphead said:
Ohh you didn't know? It's not so much nicotine breaks, he's leaving cigarette butts on the floor to paint a path for the search and rescue! :D:D
Click to expand...


Oh, jeeze ... I'm the guy who came up the trail after him, cursing out the slob who left butts everywhere and kicking them into the underbrush! :D
 
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