Epic Quote from Post by RatDrall on another thread.

[Pondo_Sinatra]

People here aren't trying to figure out how to drop weight from their pack so they can...pack a spare set of ass-less chaps.

Speak for yourself - my assless chaps are going to be a big part of my primary source of income in the PAW...

[squinty]

People here aren't trying to figure out how to drop weight from their pack so they can...pack a spare set of ass-less chaps.

Speak for yourself - my assless chaps are going to be a big part of my primary source of income in the PAW...

Walk those chaps right over here big boy...how many cans of Spam for a dance?

[Pondo_Sinatra]

People here aren't trying to figure out how to drop weight from their pack so they can...pack a spare set of ass-less chaps.

Speak for yourself - my assless chaps are going to be a big part of my primary source of income in the PAW...

Walk those chaps right over here big boy...how many cans of Spam for a dance?

3 if it's regular Spam, 2 if it's bacon Spam.

[LowKey]

[ODA 226]

*Speaking of which, I'd love to hear from any MDs, Physical Therapists, or high level sports trainers who could give us a better idea of how long you can carry heavier loads before permanently damaging your back, knees, and so forth. Is there is a certain period of rest between such exertions that would prevent or delay the onset of those problems if things get really unpleasant and your bug-out becomes a prolonged affair? Take 1 or 2 days a week off from carrying the pack and hunker down? Every other day? One week a month? Is there a window in which your compressed spine and overworked joints can "bounce back" before the problem becomes permanent?

Speaking from personal experience, it takes about 25 years for any joint injuries to be felt. I never felt them until I quit the teams.

[Manimal2878]

Seems like there have been lots of times where people have been refuges fleeing an area with only what they could carry on their back. For the US that would probably be whatever they could carry in their car, like those that fled during Katrinna or from any other hurricane's path.

I agree that people are kidding themselves if they think they are going to carry those giant backpacks for long. If you actually go backpacking and hiking you strive to get as lightweight as possible. Some lightweight hikers have base weights under 5lbs. The more pounds you carry the slower you move and the more prone to blisters and other injuries. I imagine a lot of people will be ejecting tons of items from their pack soon into their trek, just like happens every year on the Appalachian trail, when people's gear list meets the reality of having to carry their gear.

10 million Marines, soldiers, backpackers, and hikers that actually hike packs in the 30-70lb range disagree. Give me ten weeks and I can have anyone who's in a phantom shade of good shape rucking a 60lb load over a half-marathon distance in under eight hours.

UL=/=hiking/bugging out. If you train to hike the weight, and have a decent head about it, you'll be okay.

Most of those "marines, soldiers, backpackers, and hikers" are in their 20s. Plus there is a world of difference between 30 and 70lbs. The whole point of a bob is that you take it now, not after 10 weeks of training. The point I'm trying to make is lots of people have these huge bags, but I doubt many that don't get paid to do it, like military folk, are actually training to carry around their huge bob.

[Manimal2878]

Seems like there have been lots of times where people have been refuges fleeing an area with only what they could carry on their back. For the US that would probably be whatever they could carry in their car, like those that fled during Katrinna or from any other hurricane's path.

I agree that people are kidding themselves if they think they are going to carry those giant backpacks for long. If you actually go backpacking and hiking you strive to get as lightweight as possible. Some lightweight hikers have base weights under 5lbs. The more pounds you carry the slower you move and the more prone to blisters and other injuries. I imagine a lot of people will be ejecting tons of items from their pack soon into their trek, just like happens every year on the Appalachian trail, when people's gear list meets the reality of having to carry their gear.

Survival and Bugging Out IS NOT BACKPACKING!

I know. But backpacking IS carrying around stuff, which is what you will be doing with a BOB. I think you would be stupid to not learn the lesson that hundreds learn every year when they start hiking the trails; carrying around all that stuff is not easy and it takes a toll on your body... blisters, muscle cramps, etc. Trying to carry 70 lbs verse 30 could be the difference between having walked 10 miles and having crippling blisters that means you can't walk the next day to make it the rest of the way home, and being able to make the trip in one day with no pain.

[Doctorr Fabulous]

Well no shit, if you don't practice with your load you're gonna be hurting. That's why everyone recommends MBOs or gear tests, as well as a standard of fitness as part of preparation. I would wager that very few people who are out of shape and not practicing will make it 20 miles in a day with a 30lb pack regardless. You should probably look around a bit more and see the MBOs, fitness threads and the like.

Also, a 70lb INCH is not a BOB. There is no one size fits all solution, but if I have to leave my house, I'm taking the INCH nor the GHB. Anything in the middle, for me, is a waste of time.

[lokifz1]

The first three hours we tracked them by thier trail of tossed gear. I outfitted 17 guys in my gang with this stuff.

On the fourth hour we easily located them by the sound of whimpering and the smell of icy hot.

There they were two inch bag guys and by the looks of it they still had about 70 pounds of gear apiece left for us to take.

I had 9 guys in a truck sneak up on them from the blindspot created by one of their backpacks.

From there it was easy.

[Doctorr Fabulous]

Cool story bro.

[squinty]

The whole point of a bob is that you take it now, not after 10 weeks of training. The point I'm trying to make is lots of people have these huge bags, but I doubt many that don't get paid to do it, like military folk, are actually training to carry around their huge bob.

Training = prepping. Point well taken that a BOB should be paired down AMAP to essentials, but it should have all the essentials.
As far as getting in good enough shape to hump your BOB: that training will help in a number of disasters, big and small. It will help if you have to walk out of a blighted disaster zone, and it will help stave off personal disasters like heart attacks and strokes, which are more likely to hit us than hurricanes, earthquakess, or zombies. If it takes 10 weeks of training, start now.

[LowKey]

There is no one size fits all solution, but if I have to leave my house, I'm taking the INCH nor the GHB. Anything in the middle, for me, is a waste of time.

+1000 internets

If you can carry the weight an INCH bag will handle everything a BOB can handle. The reverse isn't true and as the old saying goes, "Better to have and not need than to need and not have".


I'm going on 43, I don't work out, I smoked for over 25 years until I quit a few years back, and I've not been gentle with my carcass over the years.....and I still can carry a 50-60 lb ruck 20 miles in a day. Might take me a bit longer than a younger guy in good shape and I may be hating life the next day, but I can drop my ass into low gear and trudge through the miles. That seems to be the nice thing about having been in good shape and done that sort of thing when you were younger...if you don't let yourself completely go, the knowlage that you can do it because you have done it before helps you tough it out.

[squinty]

There is no one size fits all solution, but if I have to leave my house, I'm taking the INCH nor the GHB. Anything in the middle, for me, is a waste of time.

+1000 internets

If you can carry the weight an INCH bag will handle everything a BOB can handle. The reverse isn't true and as the old saying goes, "Better to have and not need than to need and not have".


I'm going on 43, I don't work out, I smoked for over 25 years until I quit a few years back, and I've not been gentle with my carcass over the years.....and I still can carry a 50-60 lb ruck 20 miles in a day. Might take me a bit longer than a younger guy in good shape and I may be hating life the next day, but I can drop my ass into low gear and trudge through the miles. That seems to be the nice thing about having been in good shape and done that sort of thing when you were younger...if you don't let yourself completely go, the knowlage that you can do it because you have done it before helps you tough it out.

When's the last time you did it?
There a lot of things I have done, that I might not be able to do right now.

[LowKey]

When's the last time you did it?
There a lot of things I have done, that I might not be able to do right now.

About a year ago I did a 20 mile* hike in with my wife to camp overnight. Her idea.
Pack was about 50 lbs her stuff and mine...no pack for her.
Coming out the pack was about half or a third the weight (food and beer consumed).
Great time, loved the jungle and waterfalls, but my legs and feet were sore as hell the second day and the day after we got back they were miserable.
She was fine...and she did the hike barefoot.

If I were planning on doing that often I'd start hitting the treadmill or time permitting doing a lot of shorter hikes to build up to the point where it was easy.


*(give or take 2-3...no GPS)

* Edit 6/15 *
Looked at it on Google Earth. 15.7 miles as the crow flies, so with the switchbacks and twists in the river we were hiking in and along it would be right around 20 miles.