I've been thinking lately that there is no way I can be sane in a bug-out or bug-in situation without a few books. My problem is keeping them waterproof in my BOB. I certainly don't trust Ziplocks for this, and even with the rest of my gear (clothes, etc.), they're double-bagged in Ziplocks that I still don't trust. What kind of bags can I use for waterproofing my gear in my BOB that are a bit more resilient than Ziplocks but won't burn my wallet? In addition, is anyone else packing reading material in their gear? So far, I've got "The SAS Survival Handbook" and a few philosophical readings to keep me sane.
I guess for absolute certainty of waterproof, you could use a vacuum sealer like you would for food, and then a ziplock on top. But then you'd have to redo it everytime you wanted to read a bit.
What about the time-tested oilskin sheath? And yes, if I ever get around to a full-blown BoB (ours so far are baby bugs ), then there will have to be reading material of some sort.
I would go with a ziplock and a rain cover for the pack. You can pack it in the center of your load out if you wanted to also to make sure that the only way it could get wet would be if your entire pack was so soaked that the water got to the ziplock heavily enouph that it then soaked through it and got to the book. I would basicly be working to keep the whole pack dry though so that anything covering stuff inside the pack would be for redundancy.
I like the idea of a ziplock bag, if the book isn't too big, but another layer of protection I've used in the past is siran-wrap (as first coating). By itself it's slightly worse than the ziplock bag, but they're mutually beneficial -- the bag keeps the siran-wrap from unwrapping and the siran-wrap keeps the sharp corners from poking the ziplock. Also, siran-wrap is cheap when bought in bulk, and it has a lot of uses for keeping food. It's like security -- you want to have multiple layers of defense!
I carry a Bible and a copy of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution in my BoB. Just ziplocked. I've taken it out in the pouring rain - no problems. I would caution you about carrying "survival books" though. They are kinda like first aid books - the time to learn and practice those skills (so that you own them) is now. Not after some event. Once you do practice them you will quickly find the books superfluous - and can replace the space/weight with food, or first aid gear, or water or...
Of course, I just keep the guide as a reference in case. I'm almost through reading it, and it will be in BOB for use if I forget something or need help identifying tracks, etc.
Sci, in my alter-ego I'm a librarian, and if you want another tip try putting some kitty litter in the bag with the books. It will help to keep moisture away from the paper and keep everything from getting mildewed (which is usually what happens to any book I take camping for any length of time). The kitty litter will also provide some padding to keep the book from getting too beat up or the corners poking through the bag. The litter trick also works well on books that are already wet and mildewed. Just put them in a garbage bag full of kitty litter (try and get between the pages) and the books won't be as good as new, but they will be readable. I am referring here of course to unused kitty litter.
