Bug out bags

[Robinjopo1]

We are having an ugly day today so I thought I would check out my large duffle type BOB. Geez, talk about over packing. I don't think I will be able to BO, but better safe than sorry. This duffle is so heavy.

I have decided that batteries and ammunition are the heaviest. I'e decided I really don't need 10 packages of aspirin, especially since I am allergic. I'm trying to place the "really" important stuff into a small backpack so I can just grab it and go.

The tarp and ropes will have to be in the larger bag, but I'm trying to cut the weight.

Oh, found a canned ham I put in about 3 years ago and it still hasn't expired.

 

[Robinjopo1]

If I have the alcohol swab pads, do I need bottles of alcohol? That's a lot of weight.

I' strong for my size but I only weigh 118. I'm leaving the heavier stuff for the big duffle, except for the extra ammo.

As far as clothes, in the small bag I'm thinking just dry socks and underwear and gloves. They'e made it 8 years on The Walking Dead wearing the same crap,

 

[Robinjopo1]

There is no ‘iodine water filter’ per say, iodine is a post treatment to a filter not a filter in of itself, it’s a chemical cold treatment that can be used by itself or as a post treatment. At one time there were polymer and ceramic filters that incorporated iodine post treatment in their filter elements to kill viruses but hard to find and in most cases to big and fragile. Also, a lot of people have issues ingesting iodine.

I carry polar pure iodine crystals as a backup to my kit as it doesn’t expire but 99% of the time I would just boil the water let it cool before using the filter. Iodine also doesn’t remove sediments as filters do thus use both in conjunction of one another if unable to boil.

I have some liquid iodine. I need to look up ratio

 

[Maverick]

I have some liquid iodine. I need to look up ratio

If it’s liquid 2% Tincture of Iodine Then add 5 drops per quart if the water is clear, add 10 drops per quart if the water is cloudy. Like most chemical treatment temperature plays a role in the treatment process, generally give it an hour or two before consuming the water

 

[Robinjopo1]

If it’s liquid 2% Tincture of Iodine Then add 5 drops per quart if the water is clear, add 10 drops per quart if the water is cloudy. Like most chemical treatment temperature plays a role in the treatment process, generally give it an hour or two before consuming the water

Thanks Maverick. Appreciate your help

 

[Kevin L]

Thanks Maverick. Appreciate your help

Polar pure iodine crystals are better, but keep a few things in mind:
1)There is a clear form of tincture of iodine, and it can't be used to purify water.
2)Iodine and ammonia are violently explosive. Some first aid sting pens contain ammonia, so keep these products separated from the iodine in your first aid kit.
3)Iodine water treatment will not kill a protozoal parasite called cryptosporidium. Crypto may be asymptomatic in some people, but usually causes fever, bloody diarrhea, dehydration, abdominal pain, possibly hypovolemic shock, and so on. People may recover with rest and good nursing care, but crypto kills AIDS patients and can cause deformities in an unborn child.

Crypto is not uncommon.

 

[Proud Prepper]

I use Calcium Hypochlorite, i just a got 2 lbs. shipped in today.

 

[Kevin L]

We are having an ugly day today so I thought I would check out my large duffle type BOB. Geez, talk about over packing. I don't think I will be able to BO, but better safe than sorry. This duffle is so heavy.

I have decided that batteries and ammunition are the heaviest. I'e decided I really don't need 10 packages of aspirin, especially since I am allergic. I'm trying to place the "really" important stuff into a small backpack so I can just grab it and go.

The tarp and ropes will have to be in the larger bag, but I'm trying to cut the weight.

Oh, found a canned ham I put in about 3 years ago and it still hasn't expired.

If you're trying to cut weight, consider a jungle hammock instead of a tent.

It doesn't use poles, it's light, it keeps the rain off, and protects from bugs.

It's good in an area with lots of trees, but if you have to bug out across a rolling prarie or a flat desert, it may not be for you.

If batteries weigh you down, get a hand crank radio/flashlight combo. I have several, and they work well.

Get peanut butter for food. It packs a huge amount of calories and protein, and it keeps up to two months after opening. The empty plastic peanut butter jars can be repurposed after you eat the contents.

Peanut butter is excellent bait for animal traps.

For heavy ammo, maybe a .22 magnum rifle paired with a .22 magnum sidearm. .22 magnum is an underrated cartridge for it's size. A .22 mag pistol may not offer the punch of a 9mm or a .45, but it will screw up a person's day.

The lower recoil of a .22 magnum allows faster follow-up shots.

There are websites dedicated to the sport and principles of ultralight backpacking.

I've read of a fanatic that has a 4 day trip pared down to less than 14 lbs....and he's got his creature comforts covered.

All my best.

 

[Kevin L]

I use Calcium Hypochlorite, i just a got 2 lbs. shipped in today.

Chlorine will not kill crypto, and it usually won't kill giardia (although iodine does kill giardia).

I boil, or I use a filter.

Also, do you know how to make a solar still?

Clear plastic dropcloths, aquarium tank tubing, a shovel, and a container will get you pure water (more pure than tap water) in the middle of a desert. I also add a turkey baster syringe so I can suck up the water and squirt it into my canteen.

Clear garbage bags work almost as well.

 

[Proud Prepper]

Chlorine will not kill crypto, and it usually won't kill giardia (although iodine does kill giardia).

I boil, or I use a filter.

Also, do you know how to make a solar still?

Clear plastic dropcloths, aquarium tank tubing, a shovel, and a container will get you pure water (more pure than tap water) in the middle of a desert. I also add a turkey baster syringe so I can suck up the water and squirt it into my canteen.
Clear garbage bags work almost as well.

For a solor still use plastic soda bottles

Calcium Hypochlorite will kill mostly everything but cysts. The very common Cryptosporidium, Giardia Lambia type cysts will still be alive after you chlorinate the water. You still need to filter the water before you drink it. The filter will also remove most of the chlorine and toxic heavy metals. Cysts are large in comparison to bacteria and viruses. They are hard to kill(ranging from 7-10 microns in diameter) Chorine won't kill them off but they are easily removed by filtration. Even a cheap $3-$5 Pur or Britta 2 stage Pitcher Filter will remove 99% of microbial cysts.

 

[Kevin L]

There are a million ways to get water in a crisis. A transpiration still works well. You place a plastic bag over a clump of clean, non-poisonous vegetation, and bunch it up at the stem and seal with duct tape. A pebble should also be placed in the bag to weigh it down.

Water will condense inside the bag as the tree transports the ground water into the leaves for you.

Several small bags work better than one or two big bags.

Make sure that there is no bird ka-ka on the vegetation before you do this.

The tree is, generally, unharmed by this process as long as you rotate the bags every now and then.

It won't work with succulents (like cactus or aloe vera), but it will work with plants like cottonwood trees, mequite, and scrub oak (which are all found in the desert).

 

[Robinjopo1]

There are a million ways to get water in a crisis. A transpiration still works well. You place a plastic bag over a clump of clean, non-poisonous vegetation, and bunch it up at the stem and seal with duct tape. A pebble should also be placed in the bag to weigh it down.

Water will condense inside the bag as the tree transports the ground water into the leaves for you.

Several small bags work better than one or two big bags.

Make sure that there is no bird ka-ka on the vegetation before you do this.

The tree is, generally, unharmed by this process as long as you rotate the bags every now and then.

It won't work with succulents (like cactus or aloe vera), but it will work with plants like cottonwood trees, mequite, and scrub oak (which are all found in the desert).
View attachment 8469

I didn' know that

 

[Gazrok]

For battery weight reduction, get rechargeable ones and a solar charger.
For ammo weight reduction, consider a smaller caliber firearm.

Have you considered just establishing some caches of stuff, vs. trying to carry all with you in a bug out situation? Seems you are really heavy into the first aid supplies. This especially seems like stuff you'd want cached instead.

 

[Gazrok]

Boiling water is still one of the safest ways to purify it. I'd trust a metal water bottle and a made fire, over using chemical purification stuff. I mean, I have it too...but likely wouldn't be using it. (the simpler method, a survival straw...)

 

[Squirtgunsquirter]

Robinjopo, just how heavy is it?

First thing I would nix would be anything that is in a liquid form, if at all possible. I would go with alcohol wipes instead of bottles. Iodine tablets instead of liquids. Dried food instead of canned ham. Anything glass, even small bottles. I would look at the duffle, how heavy is the bag itself?

Anything helps. It can be really hard to sacrifice something we think we need, though. It's a constant battle for me to see things that I think would be great, or potentially life-saving, and still not throw it in the bag, because I have a weight limit "line in the sand".

 

[Robinjopo1]

Little different subject here, but I live on a Corps of Engineers lake and was wondering if I took lake water and filtered it in a zero water pitcher then pressure canned in jars would that be safe?

 

[Kevin L]

Little different subject here, but I live on a Corps of Engineers lake and was wondering if I took lake water and filtered it in a zero water pitcher then pressure canned in jars would that be safe?

Microbially, it would be safe.

Chemical wise?

Different story. PCBs, lead, mercury, and pesticides (especially organophosphates) may not boil out.

An activated charcoal filter may remove some of these contaminants, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Water is only as good as your source.

If you feel a need to store large quantities, look into BPA free drums that are made for the purpose, and use water conditioner (according to instructions) to treat the tapwater before storing it.

I store water by purchasing 1 gallon plastic bottles from Wally World and racking them up in milk crates.

I have a Katadyn filter, many survival straws, the makings for solar stills, and so on.

Water is all over the place here in South Florida, but much of it is pretty nasty and disgusting.

I even cringe at the idea of eating fish from the canals down here, and a lot of the salt water fish carry ciguterria and/or tetrodotoxin.

 

[Brent S]

I just re read this whole thread and one thing came to mind as the most valuable. Knowledge. With the water filtering ideas there were many different methods mentioned. Knowing of several different ways to do something is far more valuable than having one really good option. Being flexible, resourceful and willing to work with ever changing circumstances will get you further than having a bag full of gear.