My BoB So Far...

[SwampFox320]

OK, today I started really putting together a BoB. This week I'm going to order a Ranger 3 day pack from Tactical Tailor but incase SHTF tomorrow, lol, I got a another bag.

2 Canteens of water
15 enblocks of Garand ammo (plus 10 on my belt)
2 zippo lighters (one will be in my pocket)
1 can of fluid
10 emergency candles
4 CapriSuns
6 MREs
2 cans of chicken noodle soup
1 can of spagetti Os (yeah, not much nutritional value but I love them)
1 P38 can opener
1 small bottle of hand santizer (thanks for bringing this up whoever it was)
1 first aid kit
1 roll of Gurrilla Tape
200 dollars cash
2 packs of batteries
1 hand held radio
3 bags of M&Ms
1 pack of sinus meds
1 bottle of Advil
1 pack of stomach meds
1 pair of scissors
1 waterproof matchcase with 50 matches
1 sleeve of the salteen (sp?) crackers in an empty Pringles can (again, loved this idea so I did it, awesome to whoever did it!)
Misc. # of tea bags
Huge number of salt and sugar packets I took from Krystals, lol

Things that would be on my person
M1 Garand
10+1 enblocks
1 M6 fighting knife
1 Zippo
1 Hatchet
1 canteen
1 MRE broken down

Things I need to get in there:
A tent
A blanket and a ground cloth
Water purification of some kind (ideas?)
A ham radio

Upgrades I want to make:
Better bag
Better weapon system (AR15)
1911
Different webgear setup for the AR15
A better pair of boots
Figure out what else I need, lol

Give me some ideas as to what else I need or just suggestions pllleeeease!

Thanks!
Jason

[GUN SNOB]

I'm in Alabama and been working on my bag. Had hoped to start packing it this week end I got little piles of stuff all over the house, but the washer took a crap and I got to play Maytag man instead.

A thought that may or may not help. I noticed looking at your list your grouping is a little mixed. Starting from the top your first 4 items are water, ammo, candles and drinks. If you keep all the drinkables together (water, drinks, tea bags...), food, first aid and so on it may be easer to evaluate the total contents.

I'm breaking my load down as: Water, Food, Fire, Security, Shelter, First aid, (all Meds)Nav. and so on. Its just easer for me.

You can pack every thing separate as need be.

I see no navigation supplies. Compass, maps.

550 cord. or similar has a million uses.

Wet weather gear or poncho. I am planing on both. The gear for me and the poncho will cover me and my pack, make temp. shelter, a tarp for my gear if I dump it to make camp etc. I also like the military poncho liners. Weight/warmth I find them hard to beat.

Small flash light.

Light weight hammock works real good in the south. Gets you up off the wet ground and the crawling bugs. I have even hung it in the higher branches of a tall tree for security. (Most folk don't look up.)

Are you going to cook? Mess kit w/ at least a spoon?

We got vines in Alabama, most it seems have thorns. Maybe some gloves. A machete.

BUG JUICE!Crotch powder and cream. (Summers coming)

Trash and zip bags.

Change of close and socks.

Pocket food. Trail mix, nuts, gronola bars....

Just a few thoughts. The pros will be along soon and set you right.

[SwampFox320]

Thanks for the ideas! I knew I was forgetting things. I do have a WWII mess kid with spoon that will be put in there as soon as I get home. I've bid on a military poncho on eBay, when it rains here, it rains! Never thought about the hammock before. What kind are you looking at or do you have? Sound interesting! Def need to find me some maps of the local area and a good compass, any suggestions on a good compass?

Def need a change of clothes and a flash light. Haha, thanks! You've done just what I wanted, helped me find the things I missed or overlooked when putting mine together!

Keep'em coming!

Jason

[GUN SNOB]

Glad it helped.

Any of the 'Pocket hammocks' should work. The one I used I think came from US Cavalry, but there are several places you can get them. (most surplus, out door type stores) I think mine was about $10-12, 10-12 years ago, nothing fancy.

Here in the SOUTH I have thought that one with the bug netting would be neat, but I don't know about the weight or if it would be a pain to get in and out of.

I have a Military compass that I have carried for years. ($40-70) I'm looking at some of the smaller plastic ones for Mama's get home bag. I also have a small clip on (button size) I keep on my person, in case I get separated from my gear. Its made by Suunto and orientates with the larger one. I figure its a $10 piece of insurance since Mr. Murphy seems to be my garden angle.

[Jonas Parker]

Pitch the Zippos and the lighter fluid. Replace with a magnesium-flint firestarter and a good match safe filled with the old wooden "non-safety" matches. Waterproof the balance of the matches in the box with parafine or candle wax.

Ballpoint pen and small notepad.

Toilet paper - take out the cardboard tube in the center, squish flat, package in Ziploc freezer bag.

Add to the cash (hopefully in ones and fives only) several rolls of pre-1962 half-dollars (90% silver). Not everyone will be dumb enough to take US paper money once the economy flushes.

Skip the blanket and ground cloth and get an army-issue poncho with the quilted liner (not from E-Bay, go to the nearest Army surplus store). A hammock is a good idea to keep you off the ground.

Skip the canned goods (unless you're going to use them for barter) and replace with dehydrated soup, jerkey, trail mix, and chocolate in Ziploc bags. Save weight and no can opener needed. You're looking for calories, not Chef Ramsey.

Dump the Capri Suns and replace with powdered Tang.

Get surgical scissors rather than something out of a sewing basket.

Add sewing kit, thread, needles, spare buttons.

Get a crank radio with built-in LED light, and pitch the batteries and flashlight.

For water purification, just get the tablets that purify a one-quart canteen. You're not in some third-world pesthole (or at least not right away).

Add 100-count bottle of generic benedryl from Wal-Mart, a bottle of Potassium Iodate, an Army first aid bandage (sterile), bug repellent containing Deet, a triangular bandage, some safety pins, and a tube each of generic bacitracin and antifungus cream. For more ideas on medical gear, see the medical forum here.

You can cook in your canteen cup if you add one of the small metal canteen cup holders which you can build a very small fire under. This will fit into the canteen pouch, nested with the cup and canteen. Add a stainless steel soup spoon to your canteen pouch (fits alongside the canteen). You don't need no steenkin' messkit! MRE's are eaten right out of the pouch.

Put M&M packages into Ziploc food storage bag, and carry a few extra Ziploc bags with you.

You need 3 sets each of t-shirts, undershorts (get boxers), and socks (1 set you're wearing, 1 set either dirty or drying from washing, and 1 set's ready to go). I'd opt for woolen rather than cotton socks. Dye your t-shirts, boxers, and socks drab green at the local laundramat (the next one to use the machine will love you for it!). Also get some cammo handkerchiefs.

Sources I have personally used:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/
http://www.colemans.com/
http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/index.tam
http://www.flyingtigerssurplus.com/
http://www.medicalcorps.org/

[SwampFox320]

Thanks! Keep'em coming! LoL, I'm making a shopping list as we speak!

Jason

[SwampFox320]

Also, another thing, the quilted poncho... won't that be rather hot or am I wrong? It doesn't really get that cold in S. GA/Low Country of SC and it rains mostly in the summer. Just wondering.

[Jonas Parker]

Also, another thing, the quilted poncho... won't that be rather hot or am I wrong? It doesn't really get that cold in S. GA/Low Country of SC and it rains mostly in the summer. Just wondering.

The quilt is a tie-in liner...

[GUN SNOB]

Its a liner, like for the field jacket. It ties in to the poncho with attached ties and is removable. It works well and is light, probably don't need it in the summer.

I survived 3 weeks in January in NC with one and a piece of canvas. (I don't recommend this) My fart sack got lost during air Mobile maneuvers and that was all I had. Try and borough a blanket in 15-20 deg. weather. It wont happen. Folks just look at you like you were stupid.

I also learned that if it isn't 'on your person' don't count on it when you go to get it.

[SwampFox320]

Thanks guys! I never heard of such a thing before you guys! Will it work with any military poncho or only certain ones?

[bnutriaz]

Just a statement on the whole tent issue, I am stationed in Alaska and unless we are talking extreme cold weather, we dont even use tents, all you need (unless snow is on the ground) is 2 rain ponchos and 5 bungee cords. First finds 4 trees close together, second throw the first ponchow on the ground. Third suspend the second poncho between the trees using bugy cords, also use one in the center to pull up the center. make sure that the top poncho is about 18" to 24" above the ground. This is also also great concealment. When we go to the field we are able to camoflage a whole platoon this way with little effort.

[MdlMkr 7.62]

Bump to bring up this post again. A subject of interest since the big snow storm out east.

7.62

[Jonas Parker]

Snow? Wazzat? ;)

[Mikeal]

Oh, the storm that hit me? :D Fun time it was.

[MdlMkr 7.62]

"Snow? Wazzat? "

That would be the white crap fulling up the driveway. Thank God for 4wd. Got to move somewhere warmer when I retire....... :cool:

7.62

[colonial shooter]

Just a statement on the whole tent issue, I am stationed in Alaska and unless we are talking extreme cold weather, we dont even use tents, all you need (unless snow is on the ground) is 2 rain ponchos and 5 bungee cords. First finds 4 trees close together, second throw the first ponchow on the ground. Third suspend the second poncho between the trees using bugy cords, also use one in the center to pull up the center. make sure that the top poncho is about 18" to 24" above the ground. This is also also great concealment. When we go to the field we are able to camoflage a whole platoon this way with little effort.

You must be stationed in the tropics (Anchorage),:D When we went to the field in Fairbanks if we didn't have tents we would have froze. Except for the summer when you need mosquito nets made of steel to stop the mosquitos.

You can also try: sportsmans guide.com for just about any surplus equipment

[MdlMkr 7.62]

Mosquitos. Hate em. Up on barren ground they're unbelieveable. I once went to a seminar by a biologist who stated the in the arctic the mosquitos could drink ALL your blood in 3 days if you went shirtless. Bug dope is only marginally effective.

Back to the subject. Does anyone keep one of the US army space blankets in their BOB. I have 2 and they're AWESOME. I would have frozen to death once without one. I was above treeline and a summer snowstorm blew in. I pulled out my space blanket and crawled under a rock shelf. I slept reasonably warm until the storm passed.

7.62

[witchdoctor]

Ok... bug out bag.... I have 3.

I have a 24hr bag for the car, a 72hr fighting bag (for literally having to fight my way out of here through the woods and such), and my long term bug out bag.

All are stocked differently, but all carry food, water, spare socks, spare undies, and spare T-shirt. I keep a pair of cargo khakis, hiking boots, socks, undershirt, undies, long-sleeve T, short-sleeve T, ball cap, knit watch cap, gloves, and my 24hr bag in the car all the time.

I will have to run down my lists and put them up on here. Does anyone else have layers of gear/bags?

[SwampFox320]

Just wondering, would a folding e-tool be useful? Like the one that folds way down?

[MdlMkr 7.62]

Just wondering, would a folding e-tool be useful? Like the one that folds way down?

Heck yes they're usefull. Kind of the grandchild of the Swiss army knife. I don't leave home without my Leatherman and my Surefire knife.

7.62