Help me improve our family BOB

[bacpacjac]

Here's our family BOB as it now sits. I'm on a limited budget but am always trying to improve our preparations. Your advice is much appreciated!

We are a family of 3 (Two adults and one 8 year old) as far as this BOB is concerned, though we could be as many as five people when bugging out. (Step-daughter and my mom are regular house guests.) We are in South Eastern Ontario, near a major highway, major railway, near heavy industry and also in the shadows of 2 nuclear power plants. We plan to bug-in in most situations. Other than going to a hotel in case of house fire, our BUG-out plans essentially come down to basic two scenarios: Chemical accident or nuclear accident.

Here she is. Have at it!! BTW - We're hoping to participate in the Spring/Summer Mock Bug-Out Contest using this kit. (I've made some changes since these pics were taken but have tried to capture those in my notes.)

FAMILY BOB
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h35 ... 164614.jpg
*There's way too much for one person to carry so we have a second pack to use for divvying up the gear.
*Hubby and I both EDC at least a Leatherman Wave, bic, MagliteSolitare, cell phone....
*Will add sunscreen, bug spray and lighter clothes as the weather warms up
*This kit lives in my Jeep along with 2nd pack, 2 thermarests, 2 wool blankets, Sierra Designs cold weather sleeping bag, 2 small cheap 3-season tents, extra water, shovel, ax, folding saw, vehicle emergency kit, etc. and my EDC daypack (which has things like cel phone chargers, etc.: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=92838)
Jeep Bug-out Gear


EQUIPMENT
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h35 ... 155819.jpg
-FAK (built on AMK 0.7 with many things added inclu. OTC meds, bandanas, more gauze and pressure bandages)
-Sharps (CRKT folder, Buck fixed blade, sierra saw, mini sharpener) *Sven saw in pic has been removed from pack
-Shelter (tube tent, thermal sportsman blanket with paracord tie-outs, AMK bivvy, 1p Heatsheet, 2p Heetsheat, 100 ft 550, bungee cords, bank line, 2 OD green GI ponchos, aluminum tent pegs)
-Fire (ferro rod, bic, strike anywhere matches, PJ cotton balls, quick tinder packs, tea light)
-Light ( 2 X LED headlights, 2 X mini mags, extra batteries, chem light)
-Navigation (Silva compass, local maps (standard and topo, in H2O proof case with compass and radio)
-Cooking (esbit stove and 24 tabs, hobo stove inside cook pot with lid)
-TP and wipes, feminine hygiene stuff *hygiene kit added since picture (toothbrushes, paste, soap, deodarant, floss)
-PSK (started with AMK Ritter PSK and added to it - i.e. BIC, fire steel, folder, bandana, etc.)
-sunglasses, eye glass case with repair kit inside
-AM/FM radio (with extra batteries)
-mini deck of playing cards
*Katadyn water filter, Peak1 mico stove and fuel, and Eureka Apex 4XTC tent can also be added if we have enough advance notice of bug-out


WATER & FOOD *packed
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h35 ... 155728.jpg
-Drinking Water (Kleen Kanteen in sierra cup, military canteen in canteen cup, H2O disinfection tabs)
*2L camelback pack kept in Jeep, along with about 15Ls extra water
-Breakfasts (oatmeal, granola, dried fruit, jam)
-Lunches (cup-o-soup soup, rice & 2 Mountain House meals and 2 retort packs tuna (added since pic taken)
-Dinners (MRE mains, Lipton rice, Lipton spaghetti)
-Snacks (Cliff bars, jerky, chocolate, licorish, trail mix, fruit snacks)
-Drinks (instant coffee, instant lattes, hot choc, tea, Koolaid)
-Utensils (sporks, spoon, son's take-apart knife/spoon/fork SAK knock-off)

WATER & FOOD *unpacked
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h35 ... 155301.jpg

CLOTHES
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h35 ... 154158.jpg
*1 change for 1 adult
*Our son has his own BOB with a change of clothes
*We all usually wear neutral earth-toned clothes such as BDUs, including our son, whose favorite colour is "army"
-2 X wool socks
-2 X underwear
-1 X LS shirt
-1 X fleece pants
-1 X wool jacket
-1 X rain pants
-2 X ponchos (1 OD GI poncho added since picture taken, flo org jacket in green bag now removed)
-1 X Thinsulate hat
-1 X pair wool gloves
-1 pair sheepskin work gloves
-1 X baseball hat
-1 X polar buff
-1 X fleece neck gator

BOB JR.
*Our 8 year old has his own BOB with a change of clothes and his survival stuff
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.p ... 098&page=1
EDIT: he now has an OD green poncho also

[derf26]

I would love to help, but none of those pictures work. They seem to be broken links, the way you've linked them?

Edit: from the descriptions, stuff that might be missing:

1. Copies or originals of important documents like deed to the house, cars, etc., as well as insurance documents in case of house fire or destruction, preferably with photos of everything in the house. I recommend keeping all of this on a flash drive, or SD card. Also consider hardcopies of a few important documents in a waterproof container.

2. Axe?

But that's a pretty comprehensive kit!

[bacpacjac]

Sorry derf26. Not sure what happened but I think I've got the links fixed now.

[derf26]

It works now

I noticed you have a lot of foil blankets and just one sleeping bag. I don't know how cold it gets where you live, but I hope you're not putting too much faith into those foil blankets. You don't really know how warm they are until you use them. They also don't breath at all, so you will end up with so much condensation on the inside of the blanket that this will actually prevent you from sleeping. I tried sleeping in one both indoors and outdoors. Outdoors I even combined it with wearing clothes and a cheap sleeping bag, and I was still cold.

I don't know what your budget is but consider getting more warm sleeping bags. The only place I currently have a thermal blanket is in the vehicle boo-boo kit the local government seems to like. The wool blankets are great, but their warmth to weight ratio is too low to justify packing them on your back (imo). Good for vehicle kit, but not if you're bugging out by foot.

[bacpacjac]

Thanks derf26. Shelter is definitely one of the crucial components of this BOB. It's a constant evolution and something I constantly wrestle with. We're getting down to in and around freezing at night right now, and we're getting a combo of wet & windy, and unseasonably warm days.

A good sleeping bag for everyone is definitely on our TO DO List. We each have good cold weather bags but we use them regularly for camping so need to get something else for this dedicated BOB. (We could easily grab them if we have a little warning but I'd like to have something dedicated.) I've got some el cheapo bags but they're not very warm. I've never tried to sleep in the AMK bivvy or Heatsheets but our plan for the moment is to use the Heatsheets for shelter building, ground sheet or as a top sheet over other sleeping layers. (We have used them for shelter building and they work well, especially when combined with a campfire.) We keep a warm sleeping bag and 2 wool blankets, as well as a couple of sleeping pads, with the BOB that we're hoping should do the trick for our primary sleeping layers for now.

Note: one of the reasons for two Heatsheets, like a lot of redundancies in this kit, is that we anticipate splitting the gear into two packs and want to be sure that each pack has all the basics covered in the event that we get seperated.

[derf26]

Thanks derf26. Shelter is definitely one of the crucial components of this BOB. It's a constant evolution and something I constantly wrestle with. We're getting down to in and around freezing at night right now, and we're getting a combo of wet & windy, and unseasonably warm days.

A good sleeping bag for everyone is definitely on our TO DO List. We each have good cold weather bags but we use them regularly for camping so need to get something else for this dedicated BOB. I've got some el cheapo bags but they're not very warm. I've never tried to sleep in the AMK bivvy or Heatsheets but our plan for the moment is to use the Heatsheets for shelter building, ground sheet or as a top sheet over other sleeping layers. We keep a warm sleeping bag and 2 wool blankets, as well as a couple of sleeping pads, with the BOB that we're hoping should do the trick for our primary sleeping layers for now.

Note: one of the reasons for two Heatsheets, like a lot of redundancies in this kit, is that we anticipate splitting the gear into two packs and want to be sure that each pack has all the basics covered in the event that we get seperated.

I'm too poor to afford separate hiking and BOB gear, so I just keep my BOB packed and ready (except now when I'm taking everything apart and re-working it), and take it whenever I want to go hiking. You get the benefit of better gear (which you already have) and training with the exact weight you'd be taking in an actualy bugout situation.

[bacpacjac]

I'm too poor to afford separate hiking and BOB gear, so I just keep my BOB packed and ready (except now when I'm taking everything apart and re-working it), and take it whenever I want to go hiking. You get the benefit of better gear (which you already have) and training with the exact weight you'd be taking in an actualy bugout situation.

We were in the same boat for a long time, Derf. Our camping bags and BOBs were one and the same for years. It's taken time to build up secondary gear for a dedicated BOB, by adding piece here and there. I keep my eye out for deals, frequent thrift and second hand stores and have even attempted some DIY solutions like a hobo stove. Our shelter is the one piece that I'm not entirely happy about but, like I said, it's a work in progress.

That said, I think you're right about the advantage of your bug-out and camping being the same. It turns every camping trip into a bug-out practice. That's an edge in my books!

[Aim2Maim]

Shelter would probably be my concern judging from your AO and being in a family scenario. A good sturdy tent would go a long ways, the bags and everything else is a definite need but having a strong 3 season (4 would be awesome but they are pretty pricey) go a long way for morale and comfort, especially with a child. If your 8y/o is well practiced and comfortable with bushcraft shelters than I suppose focusing more on the bags and what not would do. A modular sleeping system can be found on ebay for much cheaper than a 0' bag. I have used a MSS for a long time and loved it, I have since bout a couple of kelty 0* bags and would absolutely recommend them, however when trying to budget your preps I think a MSS gives you more. This is all assuming you are going to be bugging out in your vehicle. The downside to a heavy duty tent and MSS is weight. Tents can get extremely heavy if your not looking a UL backpacker types and the MSS weighs around 10lbs for everything, where my kelty weighs something like 2.6 lbs or so.

Everything comes down to what you can afford. It seems that you know you want to upgrade a few things already so focus on those. Make a list of the priority items you wish to upgrade and go from there. Water, shelter, fire, food, etc are your main issues. One other thing I would look into is a crank/solar radio. Some have charging capabilities for batteries,etc but a good old crank radio does a damn good job and you can use those batteries for something else. Good luck!

[bacpacjac]

1. Copies or originals of important documents like deed to the house, cars, etc., as well as insurance documents in case of house fire or destruction, preferably with photos of everything in the house. I recommend keeping all of this on a flash drive, or SD card. Also consider hardcopies of a few important documents in a waterproof container.

2. Axe?

But that's a pretty comprehensive kit!

Thanks Derf! Documents is one are I'm still working on. I need to update my thumb drive that I used to EDC. (Too long between updates and everything is out of date.) Thanks for the reminder!

I do keep a folding saw in the BOB, and there's also an ax in the Jepp that can be added on a moments notice. Being a good Canadian girl, I don't go into the woods in the winter without a good ax!

[bacpacjac]

Thanks Aim2Maim. Shelter is definitely a big one. Our son is a Cub Scout and is learning shelter building and definitely needs the emotional security of a good one. We have a great car camping tent and now I'm trying to free up the money to get one that more portage friendly. I'm interested in hammocks but for the family BOB, a tent is more appropriate, at least until our son gets a little more confidence. He's getting there!

MSS is something I've very interest in too! Thanks for the tips!

Great point about the solar/crank radio. We do have a solar panel set up that works pretty well but it's fragile so I don't like to pack it permanently in the BOB. A solar-crank option is a nice compromise.

Shelter would probably be my concern judging from your AO and being in a family scenario. A good sturdy tent would go a long ways, the bags and everything else is a definite need but having a strong 3 season (4 would be awesome but they are pretty pricey) go a long way for morale and comfort, especially with a child. If your 8y/o is well practiced and comfortable with bushcraft shelters than I suppose focusing more on the bags and what not would do. A modular sleeping system can be found on ebay for much cheaper than a 0' bag. I have used a MSS for a long time and loved it, I have since bout a couple of kelty 0* bags and would absolutely recommend them, however when trying to budget your preps I think a MSS gives you more. This is all assuming you are going to be bugging out in your vehicle. The downside to a heavy duty tent and MSS is weight. Tents can get extremely heavy if your not looking a UL backpacker types and the MSS weighs around 10lbs for everything, where my kelty weighs something like 2.6 lbs or so.

Everything comes down to what you can afford. It seems that you know you want to upgrade a few things already so focus on those. Make a list of the priority items you wish to upgrade and go from there. Water, shelter, fire, food, etc are your main issues. One other thing I would look into is a crank/solar radio. Some have charging capabilities for batteries,etc but a good old crank radio does a damn good job and you can use those batteries for something else. Good luck!