Eye protection in your BOB?

Chopping and felling trees is dangerous work. Chunks fly, wounds and injuries happen - and I have spent an entire 4 hours readig through threads and not one person has ever added shatter resistant or impact resistent glasses / goggles as a BOB item.

Why not? yeah I know all the youtube survival hardmen / bushcraft gurus don't wear eye protection, but should you really follow a bad example?

Just go off and read about how easily the eye is damaged, and how that damage is almost always permanent. So its a thread started to address all users of the survival forum - planning omn cutting anything down? use eye saftey protection for your own long term health. One thing to note - if you do lose your UV sunglasses (ALL BOBs should contain sunglasses) you can adapt your impact goggles with paper or other materials to make slit goggles like the ancient inuits used to prevent snow blindness in the Arctic.

If you got the room, it's a great idea.

My thoughts are always on trade-off of what would be useful and how much time and weight can I carry in different situations. I've actually divided my bob stuff up into 3 grades, and I will take anywhere from 1 to all 3 cases depending on the circumstance and how much time I have to bug out. e.g., what if there is an emf pulse that knocks out all cars and transportation (as well as say zombies roaming the streets ) In such a circumstance you can really only carry what you can transport on your back and in that case eye protection wouldn't be high up on the priority list, as useful as it might be.

Very good point, imo. My great grandfather lost his eye to a flying chip of concrete he was busting up with a sledge hammer. he used to pop out his glass eye and put it in peoples beer's at the bar...

What would be in a military pack?

And would we benefit form packing the same way?

Little trick I learned from framing if u get something in your eye, you can generally get it out by using the eyelashes on the bottom eyelid as a brush. Grab the top eyelash and just stretch it out so the bottom eyelash gets the inside.
If it's not within the scope of the top eyelid it's probably made it's way to either corner of the eye or is in the bottom and those ones are much easier to get out especially if u hav a mirror.

Good point. We cut our own wood (well hubby does) but yeah, he always wears safety goggles and ear plugs when he's using the chain saw and insists I wear them when I mow the lawn. Common sense stuff, really. For people already doing these things it's a given I guess. Maybe if you're forced to out of necessity you might not even think about these things.

could always go with safety glasses that are sunglasses. But the main consideration is multi-function and safety glasses and goggles tend to be limited.

Another consideration is time of the situation until evacuation and the all clear to return. Handy and vital for protection, yes. But not a deal breaker if you do not have them.

You do have the capacity to survive with nothing but the clothes on your back or even completely naked to start if you had to. Gear is to make things easier and honestly, nothing more than that. Often times safety equipment is the last thing on the list or the first eliminated.

If you are accident prone, a very good first aid kit may take more important to you over extra means of fire starting or even spare knives. Everyone is different. I do have eye protection in three of my toolboxes and would more than likely add to a BOB Tool kit if there is room.

That is a great idea to be aware of the safety element, how ever not sure about every one, but I wear my eye pro when ever I go out doors. Used to wear Wiley X brand but found they did not handle flexing well.

Revision eye wear is great, and is what have since switched to. Less expensive, and even more rugged in my opinion. Having went through many varieties of military issued eye protection and choosing authorized non issue, my personal choice has come down to the Hellfly, they are available in a vast variety of options.

The safety factor for every one may not have to be to such extremes, obviously wearing ballistic grade eye pro is a good habit to develop. But perhaps not exactly practical, considering though it is worth the added safety, for cost considerations.

Having a second pair in a BoB would be even better, to replace current ones or even as a spare for a spouse or offspring.

Such a great thread to highlight perhaps an often overlooked and taken for granted aspect of survival. Seeing.

It might not be fashionable to wear goggles unless your in Mad Max movie or a WWII pilot, but in a dust storm it's the best and only way to keep the sand out of your peepers.

reply to post by Tygart

Originally posted by Tygart
What would be in a military pack?

And would we benefit form packing the same way?

Seriously, the issued eye pro is one pair of goggles with one clear and one tinted lens. Sunglasses style ones are also issued generally more like safety shop looking, or gun range style. The lower profile, sunglasses with ballistic lenses are allowed but have to be from an authorized government approved supplier. Take your pick as many companies produce.

The weight issue is non existent, as they are light enough to be attached to the out side of packs and inside bags with out any notice. When worn with the helmet, I never thought of the goggles as a weight issue. May be I was just so used to having them, any soldier will tell you though, it is usually the first thing grabbed and more often than not already with you.

And being the military, eye pro is an inspectable item, you one better not forget them.

Flint knapping, tree felling / limbing, riding a cycle, cutting steel with snips, grinding metals - all subject the person to risk, and a risk that (as Advisor so rightly said) can be negated by a piece of simple equipment that is a zero weight penalty item.

I've had bamboo go off like a mortar in my face (tall bamboo can be under immense inner pressure and should be cut with extreme care), I've recieved a split lip / cut forehead from limbing a tree - and also had flint chips smack me in the face. In all these times a simple light pair of saftey impact resistant glasses saved my sight.

I won't advocate one item over another, but I will say again that if you are planning on living long and enjoying it, keep those eyes safe.

Originally posted by ADVISOR
reply to post by Tygart

 

Originally posted by Tygart
What would be in a military pack?

And would we benefit form packing the same way?

Seriously, the issued eye pro is one pair of goggles with one clear and one tinted lens. Sunglasses style ones are also issued generally more like safety shop looking, or gun range style. The lower profile, sunglasses with ballistic lenses are allowed but have to be from an authorized government approved supplier. Take your pick as many companies produce.

The weight issue is non existent, as they are light enough to be attached to the out side of packs and inside bags with out any notice. When worn with the helmet, I never thought of the goggles as a weight issue. May be I was just so used to having them, any soldier will tell you though, it is usually the first thing grabbed and more often than not already with you.

And being the military, eye pro is an inspectable item, you one better not forget them.

Sorry I really messed up my post.

Including eye protection what type of gear is inside the military pack, would it be a good idea to pack the same way. Eye protection is not the only thing you need, gloves, something to kneel on while digging. (Not that would be in a military pack.)




Isn't most military packs packed to survive around 3 days food water?