I find I also tend think "camp in the woods" A fire steel is great in the woods with tinder and kindling all around, but what if... the situation dictates a more urban position? a bic or zippo and a buddy burner might be "better"
Of course, one's bag will not suit the needs of all others'. It depends a lot on your location.If the situation is a bit more urban-I can still find plenty of tinder and fuel. As for comfort, comfort means a lot of different things to different people. My family enjoys living the way we do. My wife was raised a little different than most so I am lucky in that regard. We decided to raise our children a bit different. Most would never understand us and that's ok. One time in Montezuma pass we passed another on the trail up to Montezuma cave. With us was our 4 year old (walking herself up to 6,000 feet of elevation) and our newborn strapped to my wife's back. The person we passed, in shock, asked if we were planning to leave the baby in the cave. A bit pissed and baffled we said no and continued on our way. Afterwards, while conversing on the subject, we realized that that person was so shocked to see us there that there was no other plausible explanation for why a family of four would be there. Point is- was it tough on our daughter to walk that hike to the cave- yes. Did she enjoy the trip- hell yes. Did she complain half as much later that year when we did it again- no. And to top it off, she gained more in that trip than millions of other children that were playing video games that same day. I dunno. I guess I do things differently. What would work for me and mine may not work for everyone. I think about half of what most carry could be alleviated by a simple bit of knowledge. That knowledge is gained by experience. The more experience you have, the more confident you are and the less you "need". There is a bit of herd following when it comes to BOBs. I would encourage everyone to quit reading what the internet says you should take and find out for yourself. Take yourself and your family for a little trip. Just an overnighter. Take along all the backpacking equipment that REI says you need. Then, another weekend, do it again. Only this time, take something out of your bag. The stove is a good place to start. Cook your food over an open fire. Soon, you will start building tarp shelters, then debris huts, and eventually, you may even decide you no longer need a pack (or maybe a smaller one) as long as you are dressed correctly. There will be a limit on what you and your family will take. Find out what it really is. The experience is much more rewarding than toting all the conveniences of home. It's funny how old farts (not super athletes) can walk the entire length of the Appalachian . They are able to do it because they minimize the equipment they carry. The equipment you take will not last forever. If you depend on just equipment, your days are numbered by the amount of ammo, the fuel in your stove, the food in your pack, and butane in your Bic. The knowledge you take will last you the entire duration of any scenario. When we look at the possibility of have to live long term through something, we tend to think in terms of carrying more supplies instead of learning to get by with less. Don't forget that there are many people in our history that survived with much less than we have now.
The best BOB you can ever have is between your ears. And you can fill it with as much as you want and it will never bog you down. Good points H2.
I just finished reading a book that the guy said something that made a lot of sense. He said people read books, talk on forums, but they never get out and try to actually use the stuff in their survival/B.O.B. pack. You can have a lot of knowledge in your head. But unless you have gone out and actually done it. Not once, but over and over, you really don't know if you can do it or not. Remember, when it comes time to actually use your stuff, it won't be under ideal conditions. You may be wet, tired, sore, cold. You may not have very good use of your fingers due to bad dexterity due to bad weather. Can you actually build that hut under less than Ideal conditions? Have you actually built one to see how it wil work? How big it has to be for you to really fit under it? Can you actually build that fire in the rain? ( I have done this. Went out in a torrential downpour to build a fire. It took me way longer than I ever expected) I learned a lot that day. I wasn't as prepared to build a fire under less than ideal conditions like I thought I was. Hell, can you, or should I say "have you done these things under ideal conditions"? Cause it will be a heck of a lot harder under bad conditions. Knowledge is Great. But Experience is more important. Get out and do it, try it, build it..... Find out if you can actually do it now. And then get good at doing it so when the SHTF. It will be easy to do.
Exactly. My quote: You can't learn to survive by reading in a book. You have to get out there and find out what actually works.
One thing you all seem to forget . It is the guy with the technological advantages that will survive over those depending on more primitive methods of survival. Other wise you would still be communicating with snail mail and not computers phones and radios . I know how to live primitively been there done that . but it is not a edge in survival against those with advanced toys. So the advanced toys wear out eventually ,their critical advantage in the beginning of an event might just be the advantage into the future , where as not having, is NOT HAVING. Having few/no meds or surgical supplies/training, "for the long term" puts one at risk over one that realizes more than one injury can happen over time, especially in a crisis situation. In a crisis people are stressed out and do stupid things they wouldn't do normally, like getting in a hurry, and making mistakes, and bad judgment because they had not faced those circumstances before in their long life, and there is NO back up to call on. There is no reset for the game, and no one will have mercy, at least don't count on it. I digress, I would much rather bear the weight of something I can cast off down the line ,than go with out in the beginning of a crisis. My EDC is my get home bag , and if I get home and must leave, I have other supplies in my escape bag and cart . The materials are steel conduit, and the joints they sell at the hard ware store for making swap meet canopies, The solid rubber wheels are from a broken down wheel chair. The joint sections are slotted so the unit can articulate with the terrain ,and the unit can be configured any way that suits me and be broken down into a very small package in the back of the car/truck/motorcycle. How far will your imagination take you? I can handle 300 LBs of gear and have wheeled it around fully loaded with ease . In the event it is necessary I can configure it to support a hammock or other means of sleeping or shelter is required off the ground . I plan to have bicycle brakes on the handles for going up and down hills . IF I were in snow country I can make/attach skis/snow boards for that and in the mean time use those for the bed and or side boards . In the event I must cross a body of water, I have motorcycle inner tubes for floatation and boat shrink wrap is an excellent water tight fabric as tarp for making things safe in the water, and providing shelter and other important applications. It occurs to me that I might for the sake of added floatation install closed cell foam in the tubing and seal it up . it's not enough to lift the unit but better than letting them fill with water and promote internal corrosion. the foam adds strength as well . It may not be perfect but it's a good foundation from which to start .
Here's another thought http://dixonrollerpack.com/ They can be a little awkward and must be packed right, but you can carry a lot of stuff with it far more easily than by packing it in a ruck on your back.
