whats in YOUR go bag?

[Codger_64]

It's unapetizing nature (Spam) is why I included a can. Its likely to become an antique before it gets eaten.
Enjoy!

SPAM (SPiced hAM) was invented in 1937 by the Hormel company, so it has been around a while. That in itself says something about the product. It is cooked during the packing process, so it is actually not raw from the can, though cooking (baking, frying, boiling) does enhance the flavor and palatability. I would not want a steady diet of it, but I have found it to be a welcome addition to a diet of freeze dried fare on extended trips afield.

It is an easy target for jokes (Monty Python: "Buh, oy don' loyke Schpam!"), but the fats make it a good source of easily converted energy, unlike jerked or otherwise dried lean meat which has little or no fat. And it has a long shelf life. Yeah, it is a good addition to a bag. Diced and added to a dried soup mix, one can makes a very filling meal for two.

Codger

 

[Happy Joe]

My cousin worked for Hormel at the turn of the century; he said that they couldn't make enough of the stuff - because of people stockpiling it (preparing for Y2K).
It has been an addition to my long term camping larder for years (but I still find other foods more palatable in the short term. (The kids will not raid your BOB for the spam.)
Enjoy!

 

[Musashi317]

i'd rethink the chocholate since it usually doesn't keep to well for very long, I really like your kit otherwise makes me finally put one together

 

[sunnyd]

Really fine thread here fellows!:thumbup: I, as well as so many others it seems are getting lots of good information here from the bob lists of relevant items you all have listed.

Might I inquire the approximate weight(pack included) of these well thought out bob packs? I am in the process of revamping an old(almost antique) bob and weight needs to be a consideration as a cervical spine back injury and subsequent surgery in the early 1990's makes it a relevant factor. Any and all assistance here would be very much obliged.

 

[jca21]

hmmm perhaps you can try making a smaller one like i made for my dad. his hip and back bothers him a bit when carrying heavy loads. i found a load bearing vest at a local military surplus store.

the vest consists of the following:

2x canteens of water
1x water proof matches
1x fixed blade (buck 119)
1x folder (colt m16 straight edge)
1x signalling mirror
1x magnesium flint rod fire starter
1x 50 feet of 550 paracord
1x 20 feet of fishing line
1x small box of fish hooks/lures/split shots
1x safety whistle
3x granola bars
1x box of water purification tablets.

thats about it and i believe it weighs under 10 pounds.
might help you build one urself. i distributed the items around the vest trying to balance the weight as best as i can. since the weight is not all on his back and since some is distributed at the sides and front my dad finds it easier to walk and carry. so you might wanna think of something similar =)

 

[chadfj]

six ways in and twelve ways out !

 

[chadfj]

check out the ultralight backpacking pages, for some well thought out and tried sollutions.

 

[hatchetjack]

Chocolate double stuft Oreos.

 

[ells]

888888888888888

 

[Robert H]

I have a Kifaru Scout as well. Great go bag. I alternate between that and a Kelty pack.

 

[DaleW]

i usually eat it cooked with rice and some ketchup but its interesting to hear that you CAN actually eat it raw.

Oh, it's quite cooked in the can! Hopefully, you can add some flavor to the stuff while warming it up I liked Spam sandwiches when I was a kid. If you were really hungry, your view of the stuff might change. I had a teacher who was in the Aleutians duing WWII. He told a great story of having Spam for Thanksgiving dinner while stationed on a flat rock in the North Pacific.

Canned chili is another one of those quick-and-dirty-warm-and-eat items you can get off the grocery store shelf. I had a slob room mate who would eat Dinty Moore beef stew cold from the can-- I gag thinking about it now 25 years later!

 

[Myal]

I camp out of mine 3+ times a year. This serves 3 purposes. I cycle everything through. Everything is tested. I also become accustomed to where things are kept and the best way to pack it for access as well as carryability. I keep the water on the bottom of the pack but I have a canteen for quick drinks on my belt.

This is good sense, very good , IMHO anyway .

I have a go bag , its an assembly of a first aid bag , a fire lighting bag , a fishing n snaring bag , a clothes and blanket bag , and a tucker bag .

There are a few knives floating around in there too , an opinel #12 , a couple of marttiinis and a couple Okapis , as well as a sharpening stone , and a pair of fencing pliers .

We also camp out of our respective go-gear a few times a year . It keeps us familiar with what we have , lets us know what we shoulda had , and what to change / modify etc for next time .

We have added recently instead of one pot , a nesting mess kit ( OK we are way old fashioned ) and a folding stove that takes a fuel tablet to make a fire . We have been experimenting with this , the fuel tabs are a bit of a sorry joke but we have found that the firelighters that look like they are the same stuff actualy are better .


I carry more than one knife because there have been times where I have had to use a knife for skinning and cleaning , and havent been able to clean it for eating to my satisfaction anyway . I might have been just too fussy .

 

[Bumppo]

Just a hint. When packing toilet paper in ziplock bags, at least pack some in two seperate bags. One bag will definately get wet.

 

[nemoaz]

How about Power Bars instead of granola? Granola is for hippies, and Power Bars have protein in them.

You don't need protein in a survival situation. You cannot burn protein (without going into ketoacidosis). Protein is for muscle building.

You need fat and carbs... the things to you can burn. Leave the protein bars to the fatties on the Atkins diet.

Oh, it's quite cooked in the can!

And a very similar product was the mainstay of our WWII, Korean and early Vietnam military rations.

 

[Kat013]

You don't need protein in a survival situation. You cannot burn protein (without going into ketoacidosis). Protein is for muscle building.

You need fat and carbs... the things to you can burn. Leave the protein bars to the fatties on the Atkins diet.

I've read in a couple places that protein is sort of useless on backpacking trips (well, under a week I guess)... I googled ketoacidosis and couldn't find anything that didn't have to do with diabetes. Care to go into a little more detail?

 

[DaleW]

Might I inquire the approximate weight(pack included) of these well thought out bob packs? I am in the process of revamping an old(almost antique) bob and weight needs to be a consideration as a cervical spine back injury and subsequent surgery in the early 1990's makes it a relevant factor. Any and all assistance here would be very much obliged.

Three day hiking pack with water, food and fuel, 3 season: 21 pounds (includes PSK and first aid kit)
Day hiking PSK: 16-20oz (includes cook pot and bivy bag)
First aid kit: 7oz
Cutting tools: other than small tools in PSK, 6-8oz. 4"-ish knife and folding saw would top this list. I'm fence-sitting on hiking with an axe/hatchet. With a group, I would spread out the larger tools so that each member of the party has one option: saw, hatchet, small machete, as well as their personal choice of knife.

What I would consider an all-out BOB, like one for a vehicle, would be more than a heathy hiker would want to haul. Things like axes, shovels and other big tools add up fast. I include stuff like canned food, radios, a double wall tent, blankets, etc.

 

[XMP]

You don't need protein in a survival situation. You cannot burn protein (without going into ketoacidosis). Protein is for muscle building.

You need fat and carbs... the things to you can burn. Leave the protein bars to the fatties on the Atkins diet.

OK, you don't need protein in a survival situation, but your body can turn protein (exogenous from food or internally from your muscle tissue) into usable fuel through the process of gluconeogenesis. Besides fat is actually a better fuel for survival situation and long-term activity than simple carbs, like sugar and granola. I'll take my fats with their proteins over simple carbs any day.

If you really know what you are talking about, then you know there are a lot of non 'fatties', including elite bodybuilders, on Atkins-type diets. [If you're interested check out Dan Duchaine's Bodyopus].

 

[foxyrick]

OK, you don't need protein in a survival situation, but your body can turn protein (exogenous from food or internally from your muscle tissue) into usable fuel through the process of gluconeogenesis. Besides fat is actually a better fuel for survival situation and long-term activity than simple carbs, like sugar and granola. I'll take my fats with their proteins over simple carbs any day.

If you really know what you are talking about, then you know there are a lot of non 'fatties', including elite bodybuilders, on Atkins-type diets. [If you're interested check out Dan Duchaine's Bodyopus].

Yeah, inlcuding me, alhtough I wouldn't say I'm 'elite' in the slightest. I am a qualified instructor in bodybuilding and nutrition. I tried a high protein, controlled carb diet about 6 years ago and haven't looked back, except for the occasional serious craving for sweet stuff thanks to childhood feeding habits. Wish I'd discovered it 20 years ago.

I have just as much energy in the gym and when I'm not training, my muscles don't atrophy as much as they did on a 'classic' diet. The only trick with Atkin's-type diets is to be *seriously* strict, otherwise you just feel yuck as your body isn't getting enough carbs, but won't make the switch to using proteins and fats. because it's still getting *some* carbs.

My bug-out food is smoked sausage, tins of spam and a bottle of Glenmorangie.

Rick.

 

[gkruty]

OK, Normally I will not post to a thread that was dead for more then half a year, but this one is back up top, and is kind-of staying there.

The original post was asking a kind of specific question. He has a "go-bag" in his trunk....Is he missing anything.

Shortly there-after, this thread went the same way most of the others like it always do. "My BOB has this", "My PSK is this", "I have this WTSHTF pack this".

OK, I get it! When TSHTF, Armageddon, Noah is building another arc day comes, That is DIFFERENT then this question.

What do you keep in your trunk (or on your bike) as a "go-kit"?

To me, one of the most overlooked items is footwear. Yes FOOTWEAR.
Most of us (dare I say all?) always have a knife on us that we would be comfortable with. Lights, again, the majority of us usually carry at least a minimum on our key-chain. Yada, Yada... now we debate if we have enough protein (or too much) and enough 550 para cord????

Let's get overly realistic:
Why (and what) do you keep in your trunk to survive?
For me, I have some of the stuff here, But to me, the most important thing in my trunk is my Wolverine Gor-tex boots. If I am on the road, there is a GOOD chance that if things go bad, I am going to need to walk. I don't live in an area that I am going to find myself on an eight day trek back to civilization. If I did, I may feel differently (to a point), but the fact of the matter is, I can't always have the right footwear on me to survive.

I may have dress shoes, or boat shoes on that would be my biggest enemy in a "survival" situation.
So in my trunk bag, I keep Water, Lights, and first aid items, foul weather gear, and MOST IMPORTANTLY good comfortable boots.

 

[XMP]

Yeah, inlcuding me, alhtough I wouldn't say I'm 'elite' in the slightest. I am a qualified instructor in bodybuilding and nutrition. I tried a high protein, controlled carb diet about 6 years ago and haven't looked back, except for the occasional serious craving for sweet stuff thanks to childhood feeding habits. Wish I'd discovered it 20 years ago.

I have just as much energy in the gym and when I'm not training, my muscles don't atrophy as much as they did on a 'classic' diet. The only trick with Atkin's-type diets is to be *seriously* strict, otherwise you just feel yuck as your body isn't getting enough carbs, but won't make the switch to using proteins and fats. because it's still getting *some* carbs.

Rick.

Nice to find someone who actually "gets it":thumbup: