Will your BOB run out?

I was reading a thread elsewhere about, “When You Bug out Bag Runs Out”. It sounds funny but looking at what is in my pack I can see somethings running out if I have to use it for an extended period of time. Example: My first aid supplies. I have a good basic supply of first aid essentials but if I and someone else I am with have injuries that need daily treatment, it will deplete the supply rapidly. My Lifestraw is good for 264 gallons of water so that is good but then I started thinking about things getting ripped, broken or displaced. Yes, displaced or left behind. Sometimes when on the move you have to leave in a hurry. What about ammo? I only have 2 boxes in there and that could run out, hard to determine how much you will be using and ammo is heavy.

Some preppers buy their BOB pre-made. I looked at this bag here- Wise Company 5 Day Survival Backpack

Everything one person needs to survive for five days. That is what they advertise:

This bag will run out if it is ever utilized. 4.22 fluid ounces of water per day, that is not going to be enough especially since they are packing dehydrated foods. Seems like a false sense of security to me.

One never knows how long an emergency will last. So are there items in your bug out bag that could run out?What I items do you pack that will not run out?

 

There is nothing in my pack I would not consider "able to run out"...everything fails at some point. The bulk of mine is kit to help me build more kit, or to cover multiple angles (canteen cup, ss canteen, filter with bag for fresh water, 1oz 30gal straw, etc).

 

You have to draw a line somewhere. You can't possibly be prepared for everything nor can you carry enough supplies to never run out. My BOB is designed for approximately one week's use. My shelter and knife and radio will physically last longer obviously but also just as obviously, as you mention, I may lose or break something. What about the bag itself? It could get torn or lost. If I start doubling up on everything that might break or be lost then I'll effectively have two BOBs and twice the weight and twice the logistics of carrying them.

Your question...what happens if something gets lost or broken...puts you into a loop you cannot escape from. In your case if you double up on your ammunition from 2 boxes to 4 you still cannot get away from your question. What happens if those 4 boxes run out? If you beef up your first aid supplies what happens if you come across some injured friends or family members or even strangers? Your supplies get used up faster.

Some people will say that you should have things cached at a remote BOL. Great plan. But you can still run out of supplies and things can still get lost or broken. What happens if your BOL burns down in a forest fire or someone comes across it and raids it or an asteroid impact destroys it? You get my point? No matter what you prepare for you can always come up with a scenario that is worse than what you have prepared for!

As I said, you have to draw a line somewhere. Prepare for what you can based on your situation. Don't go to extremes. Don't go into debt to make preparations. Don't alienate yourselves from society now.

 

That's exactly what it is.
It's a money maker for the company and a warm n fuzzy for folks too dang lazy to get off their arse and put in a little research to put together a proper bag.
If a person is forced to use their BOB for very long they WILL run out of stuff. No way around it. Our bags are heavy on bullets and band-aids. This is really a very personal issue and no one list will suit everyone. Everyone here knows what Sass does for a living hence heavy on the band aids. You can't keep your stuff if you can't defend it so bullets..
The one thing about this part of the south is that food and water is friggin everywhere. You may have to work for it a bit but it's here. Our food in the bags is the lightest stuff I can find. MRE's are heavy compared to a lot of the commercial stuff out now.Water is heavy so other than a basic load out to start with we don't need to carry a lot of it if we can resupply out of the zillion streams and ponds around.
Life straws and a small filter is best for us. Mil spec poncho and a wooby will work for a coat/sleeping bag most of the year here. I still use the old WWII canteen cup. It's a bit heavier but will take the heat of an open flame if needed better than the new stuff. I can cook and eat out of it. This is why I'm so gung ho on caching. If a person puts in that research then they will have evac routes planned out. One cache per route could make all the difference on whether a person makes it longer/farther than the BOB was designed for or not.
JMT's

 

I suggest you plan a "Camping Trip" take only your BOB and see what happens.

For myself I tried it in a Tropical Area, a Tropical Storm lasted all one night that's when I determined my "Rain Shelter needed improving. Tropical Rain is one of the coldest in the world.

You gotta test your gear before you have a clue in what's right in your AO.

 

I would not believe a single word of their advertising on any product. 1/2 cup of water won't even get you started. In my BOB I still try to follow the two is one rule (life straw and water purification tablets, three ways to make fire, etc) while still watching the weight.

 

Wondering if my BOB would run out encouraged me to examine the contents of my bag. It made me go through and question is XXX a quick fix item or is this an item that will carry me through. The bag contents that I listed in my original post has water pouches, I do not have those. I plan on a bringing a medium size bottle of water because I can refill/reuse. A little stove and pellets would not last but if one had a stove that you could use sticks etc. As time passes and I gain more knowledge and skills stuff that I had is no longer needed. In a BOB, sometimes we pack it and just set it aside for emergencies. It is always good to go through and check, plus question what you plan on using.

 

Most of my gear is tools for making what ever I need for survival

 

One thing I've had to contend with during and after the various moves for employment and whatever else, is trying to decide whether the bag is to be BOB or INCH. A very real difference in load out requirements.

 

I think it is as well but a false sense of security, with a few days worth of supplies, is better than nothing at all. Yes it is a minimal pack but it is only $60 and it will make the buyers better equipped than many thousands of others. Some is ALWAYS better than none.

To be honest, the problem I have with WISE and Mountain House and all of the other suppliers of emergency food is the incredible amounts of sodium. I've seen products that have 35% to 45% RDA of sodium in a one cup serving!

Back to the topic...one needs to sit down and plan. A BOB is not an INCH bag and neither of them are a GHB. You equip these various bags with different things because they have different purposes. For example, my INCH includes a good supply of seeds to use wherever I end up. They are extremely light, take up a minimal amount of space but will be critically needed later on. My BOB does not because my BO procedure is based on my returning to my home.

 

Make your own BOB:

• How good is the pack they provide? Is it constructed from the right fabric and have solid stitching including bar tacks? Does it fit you well? Is it the right camo for your area? Does it allow a camel type water system? Does it have attachment points, MOLLE, or otherwise and how sturdy are they?
  
• Are the first aid contents adequate? What about your own specific medical needs?
• The food will likely only get you a fraction of what is claimed.You will need more calories than usual when you bug out (or get home)
• What about hygiene? TP "pills", tampons, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc?
• What kind of shelter? I'll take a tarp and some parachute cord any day over a disposable mylar thingamajiggee.
• Is the sum of the contents condusive to your area? Deserts present different needs than northern forests.
• You have to add things like flishlights, maps, ammo, monoculars, etc, anyway so you just as well go from the bottom up.

I suggest you go through your BOB/GHB the same time you change your fire alarm batteries - DST transitions (except for Arizonans, who use those days you laugh at the fools who play with their clocks twice a year). Check for expiration dates on food and medical supplies, replace flashlight batteries, make seasonal adjustments to clothing, etc.

Foods I like to pack outside the typical freeze dried/MRE fare:

• Peanut butter - calorie dense, doesn't require cooking/preparation - just a spoon or a finger
• Jello (the kind that has sugar). You can dissolve in a cup of water and drink warm. It keeps forever. I used to use it for breakfast when I mountain climbed to get a quick energy burst and warm me up.
• Chicken ramen and canned tuna. Yup - you cook the ramen and add the tuna. It's surprisingly tasty and helps with your salt needs. Each can also be eaten separately without cooking. You can add the flavor packet to water and drink like broth

 

Excellent advice. Also take a notebook and pencil, write down everything you use within the first 24-48-72 hours. Take note of items in your BOB that aren't touched within the first 72 hours. Many extra pounds might be saved and used for a larger quantity of the items used within the first 72 hours.

 

WISE Foods is a vertical marketing organization that plays to a (largely) Utah. They are also unmitigated d...errr dirt bags.

@Motomom34

Play this game
Start with $60 and using only the WalMart.com site make up your bag.

You already have something to carry water, even if just a couple of old soda bottles.
Add in an old pot you have and some table utensils. Some salt and pepper. Get some Soy sauce packets Toss in a washcloth and hand towel you have around the house with a small bar of soap in a ziploc bag - so far, $0.00 and way ahead of the WISE ripoff.

So, what can you get?
Mahatma Extra Long Grain Enriched Rice 32 Oz Bag $2.16

Hungry Jack Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix, 32 oz $1.98

Bear Creek Country Kitchens Vegetable Beef Soup Mix, 9.0 OZ $3.48 (makes a half gallon)

Total so far - $7.62

Spam Single Classic, 3.0 OZ $0.98/pkg. x 2 = $1.96

StarKist® Tuna Creations® Tuna Variety Pack 4-2.6 oz. Pouches $4.44

Total $14.02.

NESCAFE CAFÉ CON LECHE Instant Coffee with Milk 10.5 oz. Canister $4.28 (12 servings)

Total $18.03. Leaves more than $40 for a tarp, small saw and so on.....

 

Have you considered these:
Guide Sil Tarp – Large (13 X 10 FT / 4 X 3 M)
Amazon.com : Aqua Quest Safari Tarp Large 13 x 10 ft Camo - Lightweight Waterproof Sil Nylon Camping Tarp Tent Shelter - 19 Tie Down Loops for Unlimited Set Up Options : Sports & Outdoors

They are more expensive but weigh only 1/3 as much plus you're getting 10 extra square feet.

I also appreciated your mentioning an air rifle. Being from Canada where our gun laws are VERY different from the US I hadn't ever thought of getting an air rifle, which I am able to obtain very easily.

 

Great thread, Many great points, tips and tricks! DO follow the advice and practice using your BOB for several days, and you will learn what to keep, and what to rid your self of! Another great tip is to keep using your kit and working out the bugs with any of it will really allow you to fine tune your payload,and the best part is you will really know how and when to use it so that when stressed, tired, injured, ect.....you all ready know what and how! THIS is what it's all really about. You could drop me any place on earth with just my bob and what I am wearing and in a week, you would find me on a beach some place warm and sunny sipping fu-fu drinks with little umbrellas, Fat and Happy!!!

 

Arrggghhhh!!!!! Little umbrellas...I knew I was forgetting something in my BOB!

 

Once you have worked your BOB to be sustainable while camping, then it's time to practice humping it while evading. 72 hours evading with your BOB strapped to your back might even make you consider a tiered BOB system. JMHO.

 

Mombies bag wih her food bars and water pouches. A few MRE entrees and acessory kits. MRE peanut putter. MRE cheese. A few cliff bars. Life straw. Water purification tablets. Fire starter flint steel. Strike anywhere matches in waterproof case. Compass. Main first aid kit similar to ifak. Booboo first aid kit. Large knife. Small knife, Gerber. Long sleeve shirt, socks, undies. Plastic water bottle, small cooking tin. Small fishing kit. Space blanket bivy sack. Military poncho. .22 ammo. Small hatchet. Go-girl (look it up ladies). Female hygene, tp, small bar of soap. Hand sanitizer. Survival paracord bracelet (that I made). Small Fishing kit, vitamins, head lamp, mini maglite. Spare batteries.

When i travel i usually have a few hundred $, protection, sleping bag, weather radio. Spare glasses. Extra clothing and weather related depending on time of year, mini goal zero charger.

I'd like a fold up bike for when I have to travel more than a couple miles from home. I'd also like to get a henry survival rifle.