EricinMaryland's BOB, formerly "Yet Another BOB by a Noobie"

[EricinVirginia]

I'm noting that my edits to the burn time didn't come through so I'll post them here. 20 pumps. edited to ad that this Brunton AF Stove had epic fail in field testing on the Appalachian Trail; lit just fine but failed to even warm water after 5 minutes.
- This was burning for a good 2.5 hrs before my wife got irritated and asked me to do something about it.
- So, I turned up to max. After 45 mins, she got really irriated so I turned it off.
- System check by pouring the fuel out... had 20 oz of unleaded gasoline to start. After almost 3.5 hrs of burn time, I had 11 oz left. I have a newfound respect for gasoline.

I'd love to rename this thread... how do I do that? Please PM me.

[EricinVirginia]

More hiking stuff with the family... as April brings in Springtime.

Highway bridges (the underside) are fun:


Ah, we've hiked at least 1.5 miles Dad, I'm sooo tired... oh hey, a bench!



And a gymnasium over a gorge!


And toys... the Cold Steel Spetz Shovel is an awesome playground digger.

[EricinVirginia]

Okay, so my BOB/BOV BOB/normal hiking BOB/camping BOB/ etc. are getting a bit confused as to what's where. I was out hiking around a lake with the dog and came across a park police officer on bike. He stopped me and while making chitchat was obviously looking over my gear. When I hike, I don't keep my Boker pryknife in its sheathe on my shoulder but he asked if I had the knife, "No sir, left it at home." "Good." And so on, "Rainy weather we've been having blah blah blah... so what all are you carrying?" "Just heavy stuff to keep my endurance up for serious hikes and camping trips." Head nodding, more questions... "Do you have any ID with you?" Pull out my wallet and give him DL... "Oh you live near here?"

While this was going on, I began wondering if I was carrying anything at all that he would have problems with. I don't think I was but to be honest, I couldn't remember. So, this weekend and since the AT hike'n'camp with NYKH, I've been restructing my BOB gear and compartmentalizing it all into:
- Seasonal clothing by group: gloves, socks, skivvies, hats, bandanas, morale patches, etc. as well as personal hygeine.
- Shelter setups: cordage, bungee, S-clamps, tarp clamps, ponchos, tarps, etc.
- Water: filters, purifying, flavor addins, etc.
- Tools: normal tools versus edged weapontype tools (with an eye to things LEOman might question), knives, blade sharpeners, etc.
- Fire stuff: matches, lighters, fuel, camp stoves, kindling, chemicals, etc.
- IFAK stuff
- Lighting and batteries: if it makes light, can be used to make light, etc. Batteries by type, containers, rechargable, rechargers, and solar.
- Food and food-making stuff
- Maps and ID and money/barter items

Since beginning my prepping, I've accumulated quite a lot of stuff. Time reshuffle. It's been a bit depressing to find stuff where batteries are dead, food has gone bad, etc. But still, lessons learned right? I'm going to try and compress all this stuff into "kits" I can grab and go with any of my different bags. As noted with the AT hike earlier in April, I had started out to do it with my primary BOB, but it just was too awkward. This past weekend, we did a family car camping trip and while it amuses friends to see all my gear, there are times I find myself going... "Damn, there are too many kids around for me to have brought that <insert item>"

Cheers.

[BullOnParade]

What do you mean "too many kids around"? What the hell are you bringing to "family" camp trips?

[Murph]

I was out hiking around a lake with the dog and came across a park police officer on bike. He stopped me and while making chitchat was obviously looking over my gear.

Trouble Maker.

[EricinVirginia]

What do you mean "too many kids around"? What the hell are you bringing to "family" camp trips?

Pointy objects.

[CipherNameRaVeN]

It has been 21 days since last update.





Just sayin'

[Lanarchy]

Does your BOB contain sugar packets?

[EricinVirginia]

You know it does. My daughter could eat sugar packets all day long. However, I've found that you can buy dehydrated honey, which is probably better for the kids than sugar packets. They're also a bit more durable and useful to me as an adult. Has it been 21 days? Geesh. I'm getting slow. Between the Cove camping trip (ZS thread)..., impending epic-fail rapture predictions (May 21, 2011 6 pm EST)..., and donating blood... I must've gotten distracted. Sadly, my only real comment here is that I basically finished modularizing my gear into:
- Fire
- Water
- Hygeine
- Tools
- Containers
- Knives
- Lights and electronics
- Always on hand clothing items like gloves and socks
- Food and cooking

When I went to the Cove, it took me 5 minutes to pack? It was great.

[CipherNameRaVeN]

Well, dude!
Looks like there is a lot to put down on "paper":
1. Cove camping trip report
2. impending epic-fail rapture predictions --- what???
3. donating blood - how did that go?

[EricinVirginia]

The VA group has a great photo of everyone shotgunning beer at the moment of rapture. I edited the above post to put the relevant URLs in.

And how cool would it be to carry blood around in your BOB?

[Murph]

You know it does. My daughter could eat sugar packets all day long. However, I've found that you can buy dehydrated honey, which is probably better for the kids than sugar packets. They're also a bit more durable and useful to me as an adult. Has it been 21 days? Geesh. I'm getting slow. Between the Cove camping trip (ZS thread)..., impending epic-fail rapture predictions (May 21, 2011 6 pm EST)..., and donating blood... I must've gotten distracted. Sadly, my only real comment here is that I basically finished modularizing my gear into:
- Fire
- Water
- Hygeine
- Tools
- Containers
- Knives
- Lights and electronics
- Always on hand clothing items like gloves and socks
- Food and cooking

When I went to the Cove, it took me 5 minutes to pack? It was great.

Your list looks a lot like mine, "water, basic tools, fire, food, first-aid kit, shelter"
But it has some practical items on it too, like hygeine, and on-person items. There's no need for that silly practical stuff in THE PAW...

[EricinVirginia]

Okay... so some updates. Fishing. Thanks to the VA group and its friends, I've finally figured out how fishing works. With a palomar knot ready to go, my 5 fishing rods are now actually useful, out of their wrapping, tackle boxes equipped, and I actually went out and fished with my kids. We did not catch anything thanks to the swimming around, but the kids enjoyed reeling it in. My original premise that "going fishing with dad" is 90% of the fun seemed spot on. After 4 or 5 reel-ins and NOT getting a fish - they were reeling it in as fast as they could go - they began to lose interest. But since doing it, they've asked almost every day to do it again, so I'll mark that a success. Murph's friend Nick would be pleased to know that I even got the hook stuck several times, the kids knotted the line up again, and I had to start over from scratch tying new hooks and lines. 1st time - 20 min on that Palomar knot, 2nd time - 5 min, 3rd time- 1 min.

[EricinVirginia]

Tear Gas update... a while ago, I picked up some CS gas from several online vendors. This was motivated in part because my wife was fascinated by the military training where you intentionally get gassed and have to do things. She thought it'd be a good experiment to do this. Growing up in Tokyo, I was on the periphery of a crowd riot involving tear gas and had no desire to do this with her. But I got some different gas "grenades" to humor her. Basically you trigger and throw and they release the gas after about 4 seconds while spinning. The 2 oz one shown in the pics below would supposedly clear out a small house, the larger 8 oz ones a small office building. I'm not sure what the PAW application of this would be but maybe it could sort of give me an advantage in a gang confrontation, or as a distraction? I don't know. If I had a gas mask on, I'm sure it would give me an advantage over anyone affected that didn't but I don't see the application... why would I want to be that close in a confrontation? From my riot experience, I noticed that the police stayed far back and upwind from the gas, even with gas masks on. Side note: I wasn't part of the riot... it kind of happened and I was unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time... I just don't care about the Sakhaulin Islands THAT much; the Japanese took them from China then USSR took them from Japan.

When we finally got them, my wife's desire had lessened somewhat. So, I sealed a 2 oz one to see if it was leaking at all. This was a year ago, here it is today.



Upon close inspection, you'll notice that the sealed bag is inflated massively. My theory is that the propellant is leaking. My wife is trying to work up her courage to want to try this, but I'm actually more curious if the sealed bag will hold out through another 100+ degree summer. My attic has only passive ventilation and it regularly gets up past 140 degrees up there. I suppose at some point, I'll pop the bag and find out very quickly if my theory is correct. Regardless, I need to test this out to see that it works. They supposedly have a pretty decent shelf life, but how do you really know right?

[CipherNameRaVeN]

Okay... so some updates. Fishing. Thanks to the VA group and its friends, I've finally figured out how fishing works. With a palomar knot ready to go, my 5 fishing rods are now actually useful, out of their wrapping, tackle boxes equipped, and I actually went out and fished with my kids. We did not catch anything thanks to the swimming around, but the kids enjoyed reeling it in. My original premise that "going fishing with dad" is 90% of the fun seemed spot on. After 4 or 5 reel-ins and NOT getting a fish - they were reeling it in as fast as they could go - they began to lose interest. But since doing it, they've asked almost every day to do it again, so I'll mark that a success. Murph's friend Nick would be pleased to know that I even got the hook stuck several times, the kids knotted the line up again, and I had to start over from scratch tying new hooks and lines. 1st time - 20 min on that Palomar knot, 2nd time - 5 min, 3rd time- 1 min.

Great update post! Waiting for my kids to grow up a little so I could take them fisning. Girl is now 2.5yo and boy is only 1month old.

[DurzoBlint38]

Okay... so some updates. Fishing. Thanks to the VA group and its friends, I've finally figured out how fishing works. With a palomar knot ready to go, my 5 fishing rods are now actually useful, out of their wrapping, tackle boxes equipped, and I actually went out and fished with my kids. We did not catch anything thanks to the swimming around, but the kids enjoyed reeling it in. My original premise that "going fishing with dad" is 90% of the fun seemed spot on. After 4 or 5 reel-ins and NOT getting a fish - they were reeling it in as fast as they could go - they began to lose interest. But since doing it, they've asked almost every day to do it again, so I'll mark that a success. Murph's friend Nick would be pleased to know that I even got the hook stuck several times, the kids knotted the line up again, and I had to start over from scratch tying new hooks and lines. 1st time - 20 min on that Palomar knot, 2nd time - 5 min, 3rd time- 1 min.

Tip - I noticed that in that first picture you're reeling in slack line off the ground. You need to keep some tension on the line that's going onto the reel when using a spinning reel other wise it will create "loops" in the line on the reel. Then on one of the next casts that "loop" in the line will get snarled and create a big rats nest that you will spend 20 minutes unsnarling, or have to cut the line and re string. When I need to reel in slack line I hold the rod above the reel and with the same hand hold the line with thumb and forefinger, then real as fast as you like with the other hand.

[EricinVirginia]

Arrange for a date Viviana.... and I'll take any advice in the world from you! LOL. I love the Night Angel trilogy Durzo. The pic doesn't show it well, but the point you were just making had just happened. I was untangling and ended up cutting the line. Little kids seem to have a propensity for holding the rod completely vertical and twisting. It's like their "kid genes" yearn for tangles. The 1st time I tried this, and didn't know what I was doing, my daughter actually reeled the line in AROUND HER HAND and couldn't let go of the rod. I had to cut her hand free.

Great tip though. I just locked the reel, put a new hook on it, took up the slack and recast it... similar end result though I guess huh?

[DurzoBlint38]

Arrange for a date Viviana.... and I'll take any advice in the world from you! LOL. I love the Night Angel trilogy Durzo. The pic doesn't show it well, but the point you were just making had just happened. I was untangling and ended up cutting the line. Little kids seem to have a propensity for holding the rod completely vertical and twisting. It's like their "kid genes" yearn for tangles. The 1st time I tried this, and didn't know what I was doing, my daughter actually reeled the line in AROUND HER HAND and couldn't let go of the rod. I had to cut her hand free.

Great tip though. I just locked the reel, put a new hook on it, took up the slack and recast it... similar end result though I guess huh?

lol that's a great story about your daughter getting the line raped around her hand and not being able to let go. I'm sure my Dad must have similar stories about me.

[EricinVirginia]

Did 9.5 miles yesterday through humid forest and rolling hills. It was really fun to get out. Halfway thru thunder and rain just poured down and cooled everything off. The reconfigured bag has more room for Tylenol, water, and stuff that make me happy pre-PAW. Because it's not fully-loaded out, I was able to cinch it down tight and lighten the load from ~35 lbs to ~20 lbs. It still has fire, water, shelter, tools, maps, IFAK, and hygeine... but having it that much lighter, this is my training hike path, I did it in 4.5 hours as opposed to 6 hrs. The weight really makes a difference. I was also wearing a weighted vest for the bulk and weight. Lots of sweat, 3 ticks, some brushes with poison plants... but life was good.

Are there any ZS threads that correlate pack weight to distance/time? I'd be curious. The problem is that you get conditioned and pick up the pace a bit as your fitness level improves. I'll tell you one thing, it was sorely tempting to swim in the river to cool down. How do we feel about swimming in water that is a mix of rural and suburbia? I wouldn't drink it but I'm okay with swimming in it. For time sake I didn't, but it was funny to stop at 7-11 and get a very large drink with rivers of sweat pouring off me. LOL.

[EricinVirginia]

Just got back from an overnight on the Appalachian Trail with my german shepherd. We did 6.5 miles in, camped, and then 6.5 miles back out. Pics added. Some things I learned...
- If it's raining hard enough, your pockets WILL fill up with water and mess up your phone - even when it's in airplane mode and only playing music.
- Hiking solo without music sucks... but it's worse when you had it and then the rain messed your cellphone up.
- Beware time/space distortion. Going in, I was asked by this hiker "how far to the next shelter?" I muttered something about how I'd been hiking uphill forever and wasn't sure, but thought maybe 45 min? On way out, I marked time from that spot... beyond all the trail sections I didn't remember (at all), it was 2 hrs, not 45 min. I felt bad.
- When wet, dry clothes are a godsend... I wish I had taken some with me.
- My dog did great but struggled with the downhill sections moreso than going up. I was looking at the german shepherd breed, and they were bred and are required by the AKC-equivalent in Germany to be able to trekk 50 miles a day. So... I feel much better now.

About 2 months ago, I did this section with fellow ZSer NYKH... it snowed/sleeted/rained. Not to be outdone, it torrentially rained this time with a tornado alert going into effect just as I parked. I waited for a bit and contemplated "for what purpose am I doing this?" Then I remembered, my standard answer for all rhetorical questions - babes, glory, and treasure. The rain is how I learned that normal cargo shorts' pockets can actually fill up with water faster than the water can drain. NYKH - at some point, I'd like to do this section without extreme weather events.

Here's the BOB poncho and waterproof earphones, sadly the waterproof earphones were connected to the not-at-all wp cellphone in my pocket. It recovered. It was raining so hard turtles and frogs were everywhere, which while cool, made me feel like I was in the Finding Nemo movie.




NYKH, you'll be pleased to know that our hammock site is not only intact, but has actually be improved upon with more stones in the firestove, etc. A stray dog wandered into our camp around 830 pm... which was the only real problem. Loki did awesome except when he almost killed this dog. The dog finally backed down and they became good friends. I was going to take it back with me and drop it off at a police station but at 11 pm it became going apeshit, so I cut it loose in case it finally remembered where it lived.



Yay, improvised clothespins. Sadly, between the rain and humidity, nothing actually dried... even a bit.


Woke up the next day to sunshine and massive humidity and mist. It was a bit intense but made for a surreal hike out. NYKH, remember the Compton Gap Shelter and the "spring"... in spite of all the rain, by the time I got there and set up, all the water had run off already. There were about 10 other hikers there all wishing for water. I got some shale and dug a hole and it slowly filled up with water. Filter worked great, but... even into the next day, this was the ONLY water we saw all the way back to the parking area.

[EricinVirginia]

Well I had hoped to complete the Maryland section of the AT before moving to Virginia. But we moved 11/19 and are finally getting things settled down somewhat. I'm debating putting up a thread about moving in and of itself but for now, just some observations...
- Moving companies will not transport liquid combustibles like sterno, propane, gas, etc. That was a major PITA as I keep about 50 gallons of gasoline on hand at all times in addition to back up heating and fuel sources like propane.
- Moving companies will not transport firearms... NOR SHOULD THEY. They told me later they would have but I have enough money invested in these things that the last thing I would want is people with little accountability handling my weapons and ammo. So I moved all those by myself, first to a trusted friend's garage, and after we had the house, I went back to Maryland and got them all. It was a bit surreal driving from Maryland to VA with my entire f'ing firearms, knives, and camping gear (just the stuff I didn't want the movers to even see I had). I have never been such a law-abiding and courteous driver! Rather than buy a gun safe the size of a large refrigerator, I'm converting a crawl space area into a walk in gun closet that I'll be putting a security door and digital combo lock on. I never realized how much I hate ductwork until this project.
- Transporting food storage was not nearly the PITA it was to reorganize it at the new place and there were plenty of odd looks from the moving crew when we kept saying "Food storage... garage".

All in all, my favorite moment with the movers was when they held up an AT4 rocket tube I had bought as get-out-of-dodge tube for a pistol grip shotgun and ammo to-be-buried... it's clearly labeled AT4 rocket case, and the guy goes, "Uh, is this what it looks like it is?" - Yes, but there's obviously no rocket in the tube.

Our new place is 2 acres, well water with seasonal streams that fill when it rains on both sides of the property. Only electricity, no other utilities or HOA. Lots of trees. Huge wood-burning fireplace. It backs up to an old logging trail, a small probably seasonal stream (5 min), then a hill, then another old logging trail, a non-seasonl creek (15 min), and then it hits protected wetlands for 7 miles in one direction and a small country road in the other in about 2 miles. It's been fun to explore. At some point, I'm going to see if I can get a hand pump attached to the well for odd or prolonged power outages in addition to looking at solar panels as a backup for the well. The only thing that bugged the ZS'er in me about the house is that there are 5 points of external access and 8 large windows that could be broken for that many more points of external access.

I need to get my name changed to EricinVirginia I guess.

[EricinVirginia]

Oh and Happy New Year everyone!

[Krustofski]

- My dog did great but struggled with the downhill sections moreso than going up. I was looking at the german shepherd breed, and they were bred and are required by the AKC-equivalent in Germany to be able to trekk 50 miles a day. So... I feel much better now.

I just catched that. The GSD is overbred and often susceptible to hip problems. In fact, around 20% of GSD develop hip dysplasia at some point in their life. The problem is so severe that police in (of all places) Germany has almost completely stopped using purebred GSD and switched to Belgian Shepherds, or better yet BSD/GSD mixed-breeds. If you dog continues to have more problems on a downward than on an upward slope, I'd mention that to the vet the next time you go see them.

And I'm delighted to hear about your new housing situation. I demand a detailed report!

[EricinVirginia]

Thank you Mods for getting my username changed!