My light urban BOB

M

ml1209

Joined
Sep 9, 2002
Messages
92
For occasions of flash flood and natural disaster in Houston, TX. Also, power outages and/or riot situations, car breakdown while traveling, etc.

All fits in Jansport backpack with rubber bottom.


HK USPc 9mm with night sights, and 3 hicap mags

100 rd ammo box with Winchester white box ammo FMJ

Camillus USMC Combat knife 7" 1095 carbon blade

Al Mar Sere 2000 folder 3-1/2" VG-10 blade

Shortwave radio

Princton Tec Rage 20 (AA) Waterproof

Princeton Tec headlight (AA)

3600 calorie food bar (3 days supply)

3 MREs

Lexan camping silverware

One stainless bowl (also serves as a cook pot)

One stainless mug

One change of clothes (BDU), underwear, socks

One waterproof poncho

One Steiner 8 x 30 Police binocs

One cell phone

Lighter/fire starting device

Nesbit stove and fuel bars (very light and small)

Cash

Basic toiletry kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, razor, small comb, small mirror)

Basic first aid kit (bandages, antiseptic)



Optional:

Digital camera (AA)

AA battery/cell phone battery charger (solar)




This should last me on at least for overnight standby anytime, anywhere. I may not need all the things listed, but they will be with me. All portable power is AA. Readily available, and with charger and rechargables, self-sufficient.

With this backpack, and a good pair of Danner boots and durable clothes, I should be able to move on foot. (More likely in an urban environment).

The theme of this BOB is light and easily portable.

Added:
as for water, thinking about getting really good water filtration device, top of the line.
 
Gotcha.

The list is being revised to add a few more things...like toilet paper. I'm thinking those portable camping rolls.
 
Food for thought. You might add a little to your FIK. Anti-diarhea medication (Imodium AD). I had it bad with this bout of flu and one slowed it down and allowed me to re-hydrate myself. Two would have stopped me up for awhile. A pain/fever/anti-inflamatory like Ibuprofin (Advil, Motrin, etc.).

Other items I'd add would be a length of cordage like 7 strand, 550# parachute cord. A hat of some kind to keep the sun off of your head. Sunglasses. It might be a good idea to carry an extra fire maker. If you have a lighter, back it up with something that won't fail under the same circumstaces as the lighter will. Something simple like a ferro rod and striker or maybe a Spark-lite w/tender aviation kit that's about the size of a zippo lighter and works great.
 
I would add water sandals, synthetic rain pants and gortex socks.

don't forget the paracord

By the way that is a very thorough kit!
 
One suggestion: Ball ammo is really bad news in an urban environment. It has minimal stopping power, along with a tremendous potential for over-penetration and ricochet.
I'd suggest a fast, light hollow point such as 115 gr Cor-Bon instead. It has the added benefit of being loaded with a flash resistant powder, and therefore has minimal muzzle flash in low light conditions.
 
Originally posted by Brommeland
One suggestion: Ball ammo is really bad news in an urban environment. It has minimal stopping power, along with a tremendous potential for over-penetration and ricochet.
I'd suggest a fast, light hollow point such as 115 gr Cor-Bon instead. It has the added benefit of being loaded with a flash resistant powder, and therefore has minimal muzzle flash in low light conditions.
Click to expand...

I hear ya.
 
ML1209, That's a pretty well thought out BOB and you seem to have your bases covered: clothes, water, shelter, comm, self defense, food, etc.

RBCD is another ammo brand to consider. Like the Cor-Bon mentioned, it's light and very fast. The cavitation of RBCD ammo in gelatin or clay is pretty mind-boggling, even in small sizes like .32 ACP. However, RBCD isn't cheap. It runs about $2 per round or $35-$40 per 20-rd box. My recommendation is to buy remanufactured FMJ for punching paper and most training, then use the Cor-Bon/RBCD for enough practice to familiarize yourself with the behavior of the ammo and for your daily carry.
RBCD homepage
RBCD "personal defense" ammo page

Besides local gun show vendors ($89/1,000 rds 9mm FMJ locally) I recommend Georgia Arms "Canned Heat" for remanufactured ammo. While the GA Arms deal isn't as cheap as my local vendor remanufactured ammo, I've not had any inexplicable misfeeds or misfires from several thousand rounds of their ammo, so I like it fine for practice firing.

RBCD 9mm for your sidearm carries the following numbers.
(Bullet weight / Muzzle velocity / Muzzle energy)
Total Fragmenting Soft Point ammo: 60 gr / 2010 fps / 539 flbs
Performance Plus TPD ammo: 50 gr / 2300+fps / 590+ flbs

Re: poncho. If your poncho is one of the lightweight vinyl emergency ponchos, you might consider either replacing or supplementing it with a coated nylon one that will offer better durability for both wearing and shelter construction.

Re: BDU or other cotton clothes. While I applaud BDU's comfort when on the move, you may want to look at a wet-situation non-cotton insulation layer to throw on for rest periods or bivouacs in more extended scenarios. That would be insulators like polar fleece, wool, or unbonded fibers like Primaloft or DuPont Thermolite. The appropriateness of this will depend on what environments you anticipate inhabiting.
 
I'd add a camelback or similar hydration pak...FULL. When you need water is not the time to have to find and then purify.
I'd also add a couple dust/particulate masks. Urban disasters such as earthquakes,bldg colapse etc. can cause huge dust clouds which remain suspended for quite sometime. Good eye protection for the same reason.
Allan
 
One often overlooked thought on the ammo you will carry is the season. While I too am a fan of a good hollow point, I prefer ball ammo in the winter months due to the fact that most people are wearing heavier clothing such as heavy jackets. This will cause a "Clog" effect on hollow points and hinder proper expansion. So, hollow points 3 seasons and a good ball ammunition for the winter months.
 
Here's a point to ponder: A clogged hollow point probably does not offer any real advantage over ball ammo in terms of stopping power. However, I seriously doubt that a clogged HP will have less stopping power than ball. However, a clogged HP is still much likely to ricochet and kill a bystander someplace downrange.
Therefore, wouldn't it be better to stick to hollow points all year long?
 
Originally posted by Brommeland
Here's a point to ponder: A clogged hollow point probably does not offer any real advantage over ball ammo in terms of stopping power. However, I seriously doubt that a clogged HP will have less stopping power than ball. However, a clogged HP is still much likely to ricochet and kill a bystander someplace downrange.
Therefore, wouldn't it be better to stick to hollow points all year long?
Click to expand...

The cops up here in alaska carry hollow points all year. There are some compromise rounds, like flat nose lead, or those hollow points with a polymer cap that don't clog. Also, some brands are less prone to failure when they clog with fabric, I think cor-bon is one of those?

Ball ammo is great to have as backup. If you need to shoot through glass, drywall, or something else it will penetrate, where a hollow point won't. Most of the time I carry hollow points in my gun and regular ball ammo in my backup mag(s). I carry loaded with flat nose lead or ball ammo when 4-legged critters are my biggest concern.
 
An alternative ammo round to consider for its expansion features is Federal's Expanding FMJ rounds from AmmoMan.com 9mm ammo page. (Toward the bottom of the page.) Be sure to click on the five camera button icons in the Expanding Full Metal Jacket listing to see the pics & specs of the round.

The EFMJ has a silicone plug encased in the nose of the round. So it feeds like regular ball ammo, but mushrooms with expansion controlled by the silicone plug getting squeezed between whatever has collapsed the nose of the round (target) and the lead plug enclosed in the round behind the silicone plug.

efmj3.jpg


IME dealing with AmmoMan.com has been good: concise & quick communications with very fast shipping. That was a few years ago, but he really impressed me with his "no BS, no nonsense" attitude and service.
 
I have to second RBCD ammo this stuff just obliterates a target. I see it at gunshows in the Houston area all the time. Shot at a 2 liter bottle filled with water with another filled bottle behind it and the first bottle exploded but did no damage to the second bottle.
 
At about $2.00/round the RBCD ammo is a little on the expensive side especially when considering the mixed results that testing has yielded. Although allegedly better than Glaser and allegedly supplied to Air Marshals I'd pass. The lure of 9mm ammo at 2000/fps is very tempting.

When I was in Law Enforcement we tested ammo yearly to evaluate and consider new upgraded products. The questions raised on previous posts about the hollow point getting clogged as it passed through clothing or some other barrier prior to hitting flesh only reoccurred with Federal Hydra-Shok, especially in 0.45 caliber and that did not occur frequently enough to make anyone lose faith in its capability or challenge its unequalled street performance.

When evaluating against the FBI criteria Gold Dot, Golden Saber, Winchester Ranger SXT and Federal Tactical Hydra-Shok were all just superb. Just remember its not the round; its placement.
 
Good ideas for the BOB for sure.

There was a write up in a gun rag a while back that dealt with the hydrostatic effects of numerous hollowpoint rounds. Tests were performed on, um, acquired cattle heads (his contact worked at a slaughterhouse).

The heads were shot between the eyes, and the results published.

The hands down winner, IIRC, was PMC Starfire. Superior whamy factor.

I will try and search down that article.

Been my EDC since.
 
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