packing the RPB (refugee prep bag)

koyote

koyote

Joined
Mar 29, 2007
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Well, we had a good thread about whther or not we have giveaway or spare BOBs. So, for those of us considering the idea, let's talk about what sort of things to do.

I'm in favor of a minimal cost, but workable, set of solutions. I can't afford to build a dozen, or even 4 spare $100 kits.

I'm not going to quote it or rely on it too heavily, but I'm goign to keep Maslow's Heirarchy off to the side of my mind while I think about this.

As we mentioned before- there's a security blanket aspect to this. that lime green superspork I may put in a kit isn't a life or death item- but when you have NOTHING left, having your own fork is suddenly- psychologically- more important than it used to be.

I don't want to get minimalist in the sense that some of us do with PSKs that use a ziplock baggie as a canteen. That's going a little far for the uneducated, the shell shocked, and the lost. And the kids.

But you want it to work, to manage to cover some bases.

These aren't solo kits- not long or short term. If you are handing them out, at the very least you are there to be handing them out. So you are makign your life, and possibly your task load as a prepper/survivor/leader/whatever easier. And if you are handing them out, it's probably to multiple people- which would be the opposite of solo, neh?


I've got two things I'm basing the kit around. One is the assortment of free shoulder bags and backpacks you can pick up nearly anywhere. All cheap, but all servicable for our purposes. I don't do a lot of market stuff, am not a heavy consumer, but I still managed to get no less than 5 giveaway bags in 2009. (actually, the one from Sierra's AF recruiter was pretty decent, it'd be a nice urban daytrekking pack)

The other base is the classic webbing pistol belt/canteen base. I like this because if you shop around right, you can score a belt, canteen and cover for around $8 or $9, and the metal cup for another $2 to $3

With the belt kit, you still need a bag- I used to be able to find old surplus butt packs for the pistol belts for around $3, but haven't lately. some of the british surplus pouches are still cheap, but anything that will hang off the belt should work.



what to put in it?

well, you've got the 1 quart canteen- it's not a lot, but it's enough. remember, again and again and again, what the scope of this kit is. you want to keep 12 cases of distilled gallon water jugs in the laundry room- do so- hand out a gallon to everyone you want. but the kit needs to be reasonable.

1 quart canteen. with the cup, that's a bowl, that covers at least minimal food and cocoa drinking. pop a couple purification tablets in the provided pocket, and we're done with that.

One superspork.

2 space blankets. Or one. I'm undecided on that.

A basic, BASIC, first aid kit. a few alcohol pads, and few one shot triple antibiotics. maybe a few benadryls, and tylenol. An assortment of a half dozen bandaids and I thik we're done here. By all means keep a few better FAKs in the giveaway pile, but choose who gets them. The more advanced stuff costs serious money fast.

Knife? yeah. I'm going with assorted stuff I find on sale at big 5 or Kmart or whatever right now. Stuff where I think it will handle basic- very basic- knife tasks. Why? because even at $20 a blade for a halfway decent gerber, I'm looking at a lot more than I can afford to put into these right now. I almost bough a case of the schrade simple lockblades a couple years ago at $3 each, and now I wish I had. I got a half dozen and have given all but one out.

I'd love to have a source for those old 1980s $2.50 nylon windbreakers, but I have to skip that.

El Cheapo Poncho. The garbage bag thing works, but the 99 cent poncho is going to feel a lot better to the unprepared.

one or two of the $1.20 LED flashlights

book of matches or a lighter. something.

P38 can opener on a keyring with a braided 5 or 6 feet of lanyard/550 cord.

Foodstuffs:

one gallon ziploc bag (yeah, I can't help myself)- with 2 hot cocoa packets, a few salt, pepper, sugar, and honey packets.

The hot cocoa goes against my normal desire to minimize empty calories in a survival situation (or my diet), but this is a giveaway kit. It;s the same comfort drink I have in my kids' packs. And yeah, to some extent if you come to me completely empty handed, I'm going to start out treating you like one of the kiddos. (possibly because you just lost everything, possibly because you didn't have the sense to bring your case of ramen and fifth of jagermeister from the frat house)

real food: I haven't figured that out yet, either. I'm considering a few instant soup packs. and if I can find the right source at the right price, some snack or entree MRE style packages. Not the whole MRE kit, just a couple fot he meal or snack components. hopefully about 4000 calories worth. But you might be gettin 2 tins of vienna sausages and 2 cans of refried beans.

Manual: yeah, some sort of little guide would be cool. But I don't want to take it too far. I'm really thinking about that one.
 
Thank you for posting.

How about a roll of toilet paper or wet wipes shared between a few kits?

Cheap wool blankets?

This sounds stupid but how about a couple of decks of cards?
 
single pack wet wipes are a great idea! so is some toilet paper, I think I can get that sorted out.

I opted for the space blanket instead of wool blankets for size, expense, and storage. Even cheap wool blankets tend to run $15 each, and that's getting up there in price. We have a fair number of spare blankets in the house, and with the sleeping bags we could probable bed down and extra 10-12 people in our house.
 
I like your line of thinking Christof, that refugee bag sounds well thought out I always have a secondary b.o.b. in the truck and then my edc kit goes back and forth from truck-to-car-to-house and stays with me. Part of the plan is to have both on me if we have to bail and secondly I have some close friends and family here that do prepare at home but usually only have minimal gear when out and about and could get be here at the time. An equipped ally is always better than an unequipped extra burden. The secondary bag is bigger and it has more food and water than my edc but because it stays in the truck always only has minimal tools in it...just a multi tool and my striker knife. It does have a shelter material, a mag block, some cordage, a bandanna, some toilet paper, and now that I have two fishing kits I put one of those in it as well as a key chain l.e.d. light, and a pill fob with some ibuprofen, and benadryl....and a few other things that escape me at the moment. I keep baby wipes around anyway...because of my young daughter and they come in handy.
 
I've sourced alot of cheap stuff for a bag like this. For a knife - Opinel or a Victorinox 4 inch paring knife. They can be had for 4-5 bucks online or in some hardware/homeware stores. Plastic quart canteen - that is what I have used. Target sells coleman waterproof matches at a good price, and cheap plastic ponchos are about 99cents. Space blanket is about 2 bucks. Cheap fleece throw will probably fit in a bag, and you can usually find them for around 10 dollars. Food is the trickier issue, but Cliff Bars are realatively inexpensive for the calories, but the best deal I have found is the Costco box of Quaker granola bars. I will get back to this later after work.
 
Well... I hate to be cheap, but I always grab a ton of extra "wet naps" from KFC when there, and those find their way into a lot of the kits I built. You might consider going to the Rat Cutlery (opppps I mean ESEEknives) site and getting some of the free survival instructions that Jeff has posted and there are a number of other sites that have them as well. I printed mine out on photostock then laminated them here at work. You might also consider a bandana (maybe the ones with survival hints on them?). 10 Banadas off eBay was $10.49 shipped. Would the Mora do for a blade? Less then $10. For the kids, how old? In my kids bags I added a couple of the toys I got from McDonalds or Burger King or some such place to give the younger boy something to do. I would also consider adding a small mirror to the kit. Maybe a toothbrush, and a little soap? Nothing helps a survivor feel more human then being able to clean up a bit. Food wise, well, in my give away bags I admit that most of the stuff I have in there comes from the dollar store. 6 "energy bars", a buck. 6 four packs of peanutbutter cracks, a buck. Pop Tarts, a buck a box. 5 cans of chicken noodle soup, a buck. Etc. Sure these aren't going to help them survive a winter, but most of them stuff are food that 1, don't need prepping, 2 people already know, and 3 most people can snack on to take the edge off. Also most anything needed can be gotten at the dollar store fairly cheaply. Maybe a cheapo baseball hat or something like it? Socks?

My Get Home Bags tend to be of the same nature, when built for other people. My own GHE/BOB/EDC bag(s) are a bit more complete. I can comfortably live out of my Go Kit bag for about a week. My wife's and kid's bags are pretty complete too.
 
mora or opinel would do fine, yeah...... Good thoughts. I'm torn between the fixe and the folder, I think "sheeple" are more comfortable with a folder.

Adding a pair of pliers to a RPB? I can't argue against it, I'm trying to think of why my initial reaction was negative but they get used as pot holders, nut brackers, turnbuckles...all sorts of thing when we do camping. I do in fact has 3 or 4 pairs of the standard slippie pliers around all the time. So.... good thought!
 
Think this way, a folder can be put in a pocket. The fixed blade might get left behind because it goes on the belt, or it might get confiscated because it is seen by an "authority". I think the folder is more likely to be actually carried. I would want both. Also, what about those cheap box cutters with the perforated blade that you snap off for a new point. VERY cheap!
 
The fixed blade I leave in the other bag is small, it's one of these and a firesteel. It only has a two inch blade but much stouter than a folder.
 
First off, let me say, I think this is very generous of you. Not only the equipment, but the time and thought you are putting into the project.

I have seen the US Army survival manual for free on the internet. I think it was at M4040.com - you could print off copies to put in the pack.

Don't forget some duct tape. Everyone knows how to use it, and those cheap ponchos tend to tear.

I like the decks of cards.

What about tossing in some local maps. You might be able to aquire some from a car rental agency, or just print out some internet maps of your area.
 
Lets hope the destitute recipients are nice folks, and they just partake of your largess, and leave about their merry way.
Course some might decide to relieve you of the rest of your stuff, feeling that you were not generous enough, and they deserve more. :D
 
Mannlicher said:
Lets hope the destitute recipients are nice folks, and they just partake of your largess, and leave about their merry way.
Course some might decide to relieve you of the rest of your stuff, feeling that you were not generous enough, and they deserve more. :D
Click to expand...

I think the other thread is the place to discuss the philosophy.
 
I posted that with a big grin smiley, so you would kinda understand I was speaking tongue in cheek. I could not find a tongue in cheek smiley.

I posted in that other thread as well, and maybe reading that will let you know how I feel about all this, and why.
 
When it comes to knives, my vote would be yardsales/thriftstores. If it's going to be thrown in a bag and left for a while, stainless is a good idea and you can pickup kitchen cutlery for pennies on the dollar. Really, an old boning knife like my Forschner is versatile, thick enough (1/8" or so) to be strong yet cut decently well, looks non-threatening, and is familiar to most people.
 
Something I did recently was actually give away a small bag I had ready to giveaway to someone who might need it. Although I gave it to my nephew, since he is just getting into this sort of thing, (thanks to me, of course). Since it was for a kid I made sure to include a guide of how to use it. Even a lot of the older folks around here don't know what to do with the stuff in them.

As for the knife... I told him I would get him a good fixed blade down the line. For now, it is a old fixed blade I have had for a while.
 
updating the prospective list:

1 quart canteen with aluminum cup and carrier.
a few packets of water purifcation tablets in the carrier.

belt/bag of some sort

superspork.

space blanket (1 or 2)

Basic bandaid and alcohol type first aid kit in a ziploc baggie

opinel or mora knife.

cheap poncho

small amount of duct tape

countycomm $1.20 LED flashlights (2)

small bic lighter.

P38 can opener on a keyring with a braided 5 or 6 feet of lanyard/550 cord.

One gallon ziploc bag with 2 hot cocoa packets, a few salt, pepper, sugar, and honey packets.

2 granola bars

2 cans of soup/beans/chili

toothbrush/toothpaste

soap

toilet paper packet

4 individual packaged wet naps.

copy of a manual (still haven't figured that out yet)
 
Christof.....Great thread man. I have been toying around lately with this same idea.

I have a need for 5 kits, totally on the cheap. I think you have covered the basics quite nicely.

Heres my gear list for the kits im planning if anyones interested....
Space blanket (1x)
Cheapo LED light (1x)
Cheapo plastic poncho (1x)
Mora knife (1X)
Bic lighter (1x)
ferro rod blank (1x)
cheap plastic GI matchcase with PJ balls. (1x)
Sewing bobbin with spyderwire (1x)
Jute twine (1x)
Sewing bobbin with snare wire (1x)
LMF spork (1x)
GI canteen/cup (1x)
Bandanna (1x)
button compass Sun brand (1x)
Small container of assorted hooks and split shot etc (1x)
cut down toothbrush/travel sized toothpaste (1x)
minmalistic FAK (1x)
Cheapo "jack bauer" type canvas bag, or similar cheapo bag from goodwill etc..

Still toying with a food idea, and maybe adding some iodine to the mix....I look forward to everyones input to this thread for anything i might be overlooking....
 
For a manual, the Army Survival guide in a ziplock, or just runnin off copies of it and cutting them to size or somethin...
 
Have you thought about the Russell Green River Knife blades, several good choises for $7 or less, you could throw a cheap handle with brass pins and make sheaths out of so so leather. I linked the blades.

http://www.jantzsupply.com/documents/JANTZSUPPLYCATALOG45_005.pdf

I would think about putting one of those cheap fork, knife, spoon , can openers in the kit. I have a cheap $4 Colman in my cube and the can open gets a lot of use from people at work and I was able to put an ok edge on it, the knife is soft and has to be sharpend a lot but it works.

Which also brings me to the Idea of a sharpening stone in the kit. At my loacal Bi-Mart I picked up an EZ Lap fine dimond stone for $4 or $5. It is mostly plastic so it's light.
 
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