My go bag

[thesurefire]

This is more on the aspect of survival given unknown circumstances then just wilderness survival, but still I hope you enjoy it.

First a bit of background, I decided my BOB was not adequate, so I broke it down into 2 parts, while adding more mission specific gear. This is the short term part of it. I like to think of this is a 72 hour kit, and my BOB as a week or more kit.

Shirt, plastic bags, 2 pairs socks, 2 pairs boxers, katadyn hiker water filter, camp soap, wet wipes, pot lid, toilet paper

Ti Mug, soda stove, 91 percent alcohol, sport beans (from tad gear), they are basically a jellybean with vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, some carbs, ect

Paracord, leatherman kick, spyderco native, cotton balls, SAK, 2 Gerber infinites (different versions)

Prybar thing, scrapyard scrapper 6 on the sheath, thread, paracord, rubber bands, clips, safty pins, superglue tube, magblock fire starter, al foil.

Snickers, tuna packets, coffee filters, sport beans, concentrated gateraid mix, hot chocolate mix, 2 water bottles.

Not pictured: 100 is small bills, 200 euros, much more in large bills, 10 grams of gold (basically a 1/3 ounce), Nalgene, 3 mountain house meals, Big agnes yampa 40 sleeping bag, sleeping pad, very minor first aid kit.

Comments are appreciated

 

[siguy]

good looking kit...looks like you have your 72 hour needs covered. is this a woods/urban setup, or more geared toward one or the other?

just wondering...what's with the tape on the water bottle?

 

[Robert H]

What's the pack look like?

 

[Chocula]

How thick is that breacher bar (the pry bar)? I bet you'd be fine with just the scrapyard knife.

For 72 hours, I think you'd want less sugar and more protein or fat, but thats just me. The tuna fish looks like a good idea.

Stuff I think you should add:
-Duct tape (I'd say 10-20')
-Something to write with/in. Maybe just a sheet of paper and pencil in a ziplock.
-Some kind of eating utensil (nice spork or a just a cheap plastic cutlery set)
-Candle

Stuff recommended to me that you may also want to add:
-Industrial trash bag(s)
-Work Gloves
-Map
-Hand Sanitizer
-Hat

I also want to see your pack

 

[thesurefire]

The tape on the water bottle was because I had extra duct tape sticking to me and I got frustrated and put it the first place I found, on the bottle.

The bag is geared more towards urban/suburban survival. Due to my location if I choose to leave my home its likely I will travel lots of back roads and through many very small towns. This bag would however act as a support if I were taking my BOB into the wilderness.

I like to think of this is a ‘base’ gear set. It has basically everything I would want If bailing out by car, and yet wouldn’t feel out of place to take into a hotel room in an emergency. At the same time it has the basics for the woods, although it does lack a few key components.

I believe the prybar is 3/16ths. I probably would be ok with just the scrapper, but If I dropped the prybar I would feel obligated to carry a sharpening system for the scrapper, incase I used it to do something that damaged the edge. With the prybar I have a (basically) really dull knife that I can abuse the living daylights out of, while saving my better knife for the more knife like work. Truth be told the pry bar is one item I always seem to second guess taking but just don’t feel good about leaving home. I guess its one of the ‘if you need it you really need it’ items.

Let me explain my logic on no candle: If I just need the light, I have 100+ hours of light from the 2 gerbers and 2 spare batteries (25 hrs usable light per cell) If I was the warmth, I can cover burners of the stove to make it run a very long time on very little fuel. The soda stove will run 70 percent alcohol as well, which is available literally anywhere, it just isn’t very efficient. The only other thing I can think of to use a candle for is drying out tinder, which I could soak a cotton ball in and light yes? Comments on my logic here?

The reason I don’t have hand sanitizer is because I have antibacterial wipes, and alcohol for sterilization, and honestly I never feel as clean with the gel stuff as when I use a wipe.

I actually have duct tape in one of the bags, sorry forgot to mention it. I also have a bunch of titanium sporks around (car, bags, keychains) but I will add one here. The trash bags in the top pic consist of 5 35 gallon white ones.

I just added a sharpie and 5 folded sheets of notebook paper, along with a hat and heavy duty trash bags.

Anyone have a good source for detailed maps of an area? I have a bunch of AAA road maps in the car but I would like very detailed ones of the area around me.

The pack is a bit of a funny story. I store the things in my Gregory G pack, but I that’s also the pack I use for hiking. I recently went and haven’t put the items back in yet, so they have been in a standard schoolbag for the last few days.

Can someone recommend good, lightweight gloves? I have very fat hands, not so much in the fingers, but from one side to the other, that is from the thumb side across to the pinky side. Maybe wide is a better word.

A few more details
- I will add some fishing gear in a film canister soon just because its so small and can provide so much food.
- When funds permit I will buy another Gregory pack, its just not a priority right now.

Here are a few more pictures:

the added items, mmmm caffeine gum.

The school bag that the items reside in when I'm using the other pack

My main hiking pack. Very comfortable and light too.

Gold, euros, dollars. It would only let me have 5 pics in the first post.

 

[Leanwolf]

Given you're in the United States, why the Euro $$$ ??

I'd add a good handgun and some ammo, if I were fixing up a kit.

But that's just me.

L.W.

 

[thesurefire]

One is none and Two is one, if it works with firestarters, why not apply it to currency? In all honestly I had a bunch of euros from a trip and didn't really feel like giving the bank money to give me back a different form of money. With a unstable dollar, backup is always good.

Sadly, a handgun is not an option due to my age

 

[Chocula]

Most things you said make sense. Few comments:

-Candle is not a big deal, and as you described you probably won't need it. I just like the idea of being able to light a candle, then use it to repeatedly make a fire if needed (like a big match), or just set it down somewhere for a bit of light.

-You should probably add a small sharpener somewhere in the kit. I don't know how much you'd use a knife in 72 hours or a week, but I think of it as the same as carrying extra batteries for your lights. You can either carry a lot of lights and no extra batteries or you can carry one with a bunch of extra batteries, or a combo.

-I am not fond of hand sanitizer either

 

[ROCK6]

Anyone have a good source for detailed maps of an area? I have a bunch of AAA road maps in the car but I would like very detailed ones of the area around me.

Check a local gas station, most have in/around city maps...usually in a compact, laminated form. When traveling through most cities/large towns I usually pick one up.

Can someone recommend good, lightweight gloves? I have very fat hands, not so much in the fingers, but from one side to the other, that is from the thumb side across to the pinky side. Maybe wide is a better word.

I love Southwest Motorsports VENT Gloves, now carried with Camelbak http://www.camelbak.com/index.cfm Look under their military section and gloves. it's the Vent Gloves. They're not Nomex, but they are lightweight, stretch to fit well (ensure good measurement before ordering) and have been tough as nails. I took two pair to Iraq as I thought I would blow one pair out. I still have the original and the other pair are in my Get Home Bag. Tough as nails and highly recommend! They are more of a hot weather glove, no real insulation, but very good dexterity and protection.

- I will add some fishing gear in a film canister soon just because its so small and can provide so much food.

I put a couple canister-sized fishing kits together a while ago...I used some Nalgene accessory bottles/containers that were a little larger than the film canister:

ROCK6

 

[mercop]

I would find an emergency to eat those Snickers.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Datrex lifeboat rations would be a better bet than the Snickers bars. Emergency/lifeboat rations aren't thirst provoking and require less water to metabolize. Plus, they won't melt and temperature extremes don't hurt them. And they'll keep for years. Otherwise a very nice kit!

 

[DocArnie]

-I am not fond of hand sanitizer either

Some people (like me) are addicted to hand sanitizer.

 

[thesurefire]

Thanks ROCK6, exactly what I was looking for.

Rob, have you ever had the rations you recommend? I had a 'survival bar' once and it was enough to make me think twice about buying more. I understand that they will be a better balance of vitamins, minerals, carbs, protein, ect, while being easier for the body to digest, but If I’m going to avoid eating it, what place does if have in the bag? Can you please describe the taste/texture of the ones you have experience with?

I believe this was the one I tried

http://www.nitro-pak.com/product_info.php?cPath=38_343&products_id=385

Doc, what advantage do you see in sanitizer over wipes?

Chocula, what type of candle do you recommend? I have some tea candles that I've never been impressed with.

Can someone recommend an idiot proof sharpener? I have a bunch of stones and a sharpmaker, but I am inept without a stone guide, and a set of diamond stones and a the guides has to weight at least 2-3 pounds.

 

[DocArnie]

Doc, what advantage do you see in sanitizer over wipes?

For outdoor activities, I think the difference isn't that big, since desinfection isn't necessary. (wounds are another story) At home, when I come from the toilet I wash my hands with nothing but water and soap, so why should I need anything more in the woods?
When I carry hand sanitizer, it's a psychological thing. When I touch something disgusting it makes me feel better to clean my hands with hand sanitizer, though I could hardly get my hands as clean in the woods, as a doctor would before treating a patient. Also, you have to learn how to desinfect you hands. It involves some different (and funny looking) movements with your hands. Just rubbing it in randomly will still leave some areas of your skin dirty.
You can live without it. You'll hardly find something in the woods that is as infected with germs as the doorknob of a public toilet.

 

[ROCK6]

Can someone recommend an idiot proof sharpener? I have a bunch of stones and a sharpmaker, but I am inept without a stone guide, and a set of diamond stones and a the guides has to weight at least 2-3 pounds.

Hey thesurefire, biggest recommendations for a kit are either the smaller GATCO ceramic sharpener:

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=GA60016

Or one of DMT's folding sharpeners. I really like the diafold sharpeners for larger knives.

http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/dmt/

The mini folder even fits in the back slot of the Leatherman sheaths:

I also found a small sharpening kit picture of what I took to Iraq, although I actually had enough room to use a Sharpmaker and full-sized bench leather strop; this was more of a packable sharpening kit until my "deployment box" arrived:

You'll probably get better touch-ups with the GATCO ceramic sharpener, but for a quick field edge, DMT does a great job. You will have to practice a little free-hand sharpening, but remember, it's for the field and contingencies, so it's not stropping a razors edge.

ROCK6

 

[Chocula]

Chocula, what type of candle do you recommend? I have some tea candles that I've never been impressed with.

Can someone recommend an idiot proof sharpener? I have a bunch of stones and a sharpmaker, but I am inept without a stone guide, and a set of diamond stones and a the guides has to weight at least 2-3 pounds.

I have some of the UCO 9 hour candles. Then again, candles are basically all the same. If you don't need one, you don't need any

Regarding sharpeners, it is not that difficult to use stones without a guide--it just takes practice and attention. Get a knife that is slightly dull and just try holding it different ways and sharpening. The stones will be easier to carry than any system, and you will never need to set anything up. I sold my sharpmaker and now only use stones: a spyderco doublesided pocket stone and a DMT diafold coarse/fine.

 

[DaleW]

Datrex lifeboat rations would be a better bet than the Snickers bars. Emergency/lifeboat rations aren't thirst provoking and require less water to metabolize. Plus, they won't melt and temperature extremes don't hurt them. And they'll keep for years. Otherwise a very nice kit!

Heheh-- and you won't be tempted to eat them unless you are REALLY hungry!

 

[Will Power]

Really good thread, lot of thinking to do here.

What ARE these lifeboat rations?? Clearly not too tasty...

I'd take a SAK with a saw and tin-opener of some kind, but that's just personal.

Good belt pouch sharpener is an EZE LAP diamond sharpener.

Why the gold bar??

Maybe a mobile phone if the networks are still in action.

In the absence of a fire-arm I'd take a sturdy Irish Blackthorn stick. Excellent weapon against feral dogs or feral people who don't have guns....good hiking pole too. Any poncho?

 

[Ravaillac]

I would find an emergency to eat those Snickers.

That's the problem with emergency food: it should be disgusting enough so you eat it only in a genuine emergency.

 

[Robert H]

I'll stick with MRE's. They make them so good now I'd have a hard time recognizing them if they were served on a plate from normal food. Things sure have changed in 20 years.