Need Help. Is My BOB to Heavy?

Originally posted by petrus4
Of course, I'm uncertain about what is considered normal by Americans, but...Do you really need that much ammo?

in america you can never have too much ammo!

Eat bugs!

40-50 lbs penalty(max weight ), heavy on food and ammo if you are traveling to a set destination with pre positioned supplies(you should be packing a purifier to keep from hauling water at 8 lbs a gallon)
If you have no place to go except " there" ie get out and away then you need to
Up your penalty to 80 with field gear,xtra clothes and more food...sleeping on the ground under a tarp is ok for
a 3 Day trek but sux for 60 days
Lightweight camping gear is ok if you have some xtra tarps to extend the life of your bivy or tent...and xtra cover will double the life if your area is prone to
Thunderstorms

50-60lb is a reasonable amount to carry for a grown male in good fitness but as alot of people have said its best to take it out for a trial spin to see what works and what doesn't as you could be carrying 10-20lb of water when your route crosses a river every 20 miles meaning that its probably a waste of time to be over carrying water etc

since you are BoBing you shouldn't need to carry too much ammo as your main aim is to get to your target with as minimum effort as possible not to spend it leaving a trail of brass casings every 3 inches so stay off hill lines etc and look at what you are likely to encounter both human and animal and plan accordingly and try and stick to as few calibers of bullet as possible to cut down on weight while keeping quantity

oh and learn how to properly pack a rucsack as it alone can really make the difference in a situation when you dont have to keep stopping to adjust something or even pull your back muscles out just when you need them

A word of caution: if you plan on humping an 80 lb ruck across country ,probably in the dusk/dark,then 20 minutes 3 times a week on the Stairmaster isn't going to cut it

oddly enough...a homeless person, not recently homeless, but chronically homeless, is the best person to consult on how survive over long periods of time on the move.

when this WWIII was at its climax in 2006, and I first found myself homeless, I traveled with a heavy bag...its not bad the first two days but by the third it becomes an extreme burden.

if your BOB weighs more than 7 lbs...you are going to have serious problems if you don't empty it out fast.

being a good traveler takes focus...if you are worried about food, you will die. because you'll load your pack with with food, you'll burn energy and be less flexible...get rid of the MREs...

carry some soap and one change of clothes that you can wear while the others are washed, not smelling like death and feces is good for the psyche and OWN FIRE and a knife and a small metal pot.

for food, scavenge...you'll find water...that's all you need to stay alive.

don't for one minute assume you know when it will end...

reply to post by reluctantpawn


I know how to shoot, well, but I would go out to survive for a week + with only 100 hundred rounds of 22lr. Of course you can drop larger game with it, but you may not be so lucky with a large wild dog attacking. I have seen mad charging pitbulls take 9mm. You are saying you can take deer down regularly with 1 single 22? Because if you are using more than 1 than good luck making that 100 rounds last.

Plus shooting is something you need to do regularly to keep up your skills. So you may know how to shoot, but without plinking a few rounds here and there and might have a turkey in your sights only to miss from lack of use.

100 rounds. That is ten clips. It is just not sufficient (would say that just having a 22 is not sufficient), it wouldn't take too much more space or weight to buy a 550 round box. They are about a third the size of a small shoe box. You may want to avoid confrontation and defensive situations, but they don't always avoid you. I am telling you 100 rounds is a ludicrously insufficient amount. What if your week turned into a few months? You could make a one shot one bullet kill everyday and still only have enough for three months and I don't care how pro you are you will miss. I wouldn't call it a sufficient BOB without two firearms and several hundred rounds for each.

Haven't read the entire thread, but I think your BOB is in line as far as weight. What you may want to take a look at is something along these lines.

Dixon Roller Pack

with respect to the poster above...

that guy doesn't look like he's 'Bugging Out'.

honestly...he looks like someone who has plenty of everything...

his photo's are misleading.

Originally posted by michaelbrux
with respect to the poster above...

that guy doesn't look like he's 'Bugging Out'.

honestly...he looks like someone who has plenty of everything...

his photo's are misleading.

It is a company trying to sell their pack. What do you expect the guy to look like? A homeless, malnourished man fighting for his life? I don't think the way a person looks has anything to do with bugging out. And the entire reason for a BOB is because you have to leave your everyday life. When I have to use mine I sure hope I don't look any different. How are his photos misleading?

Originally posted by Vasa Croe

Originally posted by michaelbrux
with respect to the poster above...

that guy doesn't look like he's 'Bugging Out'.

honestly...he looks like someone who has plenty of everything...

his photo's are misleading.

It is a company trying to sell their pack. What do you expect the guy to look like? A homeless, malnourished man fighting for his life? I don't think the way a person looks has anything to do with bugging out. And the entire reason for a BOB is because you have to leave your everyday life. When I have to use mine I sure hope I don't look any different. How are his photos misleading?

this thread has to do with bugging out. i thought maybe we were here to brainstorm this concept.

what happens when it rains and the wheel on his carrier gets rusty? does he have wd40 in that pack?

the pack is nice as is the set up, but the concept doesn't match the needs of OP.

these bug out threads often deal with the physical expectations of what its like in an emergency situation...

...but no one seems to really contemplate the idea of being a wanderer and vagabond on the earth.

honestly...that guy might as well be J.D. Rockefeller in a real bugout situation.

i'm not trying to start an argument...but that is what it'll look like on Day 1 of Bugout...

lets see him on day 100.

reply to post by Vasa Croe


i'd wonder how useful it would be in a wetter environment so that you couldn't use it across a marsh/snow etc making a basic cheap rucsack a better deal all around

Did anyone even click on the link and read about the pack and options as well as what they have done with it to see what type of endurance it has in the field?

i didn't check the page at first but when I went there I read this:


The Dixon Rollerpack is ideal when carrying heavier loads for hunting, fishing, photography, mountain climbing gear etc..

sounds like what a Vanderbilt or Dupont would buy if they had to bugout.

and it weighs 9.5 lbs... empty, probably.

I just hope that everyone that bugs out is a burly, physically fit man.

reply to post by Vasa Croe


it looks like a item designed for the more arid conditions but having to drag something like that through a swampy moore i'd rather not have the extra 9.5lb of weight and just walk through it with a standard sack

reply to post by camaro68ss


Sounds like you have WAY too much ammo you're worrying about. Are you looking to get in a firefight? Do you think you'll need that much ammo in 72hrs? If you're designing your BOB to last longer, maybe...but my goal with my BOB will be to make it to my more secure (and stocked) home in the event of a disaster.

oddly enough...a homeless person, not recently homeless, but chronically homeless, is the best person to consult on how survive over long periods of time on the move.

For initially after an event, maybe, but surviving on the streets of current society is a far cry from doing the same after a SHTF event, depending on the event. Begging, depending on deliveries of bread to stores, dumpster diving at restaurants, etc. is all going to be completely different after such an event if not non-existant. Completely different strategies would be needed.

If it was me I would drop the AR and cut the handgun ammo down. Both to dump weight and get into a different look.

But if you insist on the AR get one of these in .223 so you can have a .22 subsonic in the tube for small game.


www.mcace.com...

The key is if your doing it right you wont be seen. or heard. or smelled.

reply to post by Gazrok


not that im looking for a fire fight, but im thinking worst case im on the hike for 3-4 months trying to get to my location. last think i want to do is run out of ammo. but your right. i might have a bit much. im going to have to re-think this.

reply to post by Vasa Croe


that thing is sweet! thanks for the link!

some things to think about: don't lower the water: raise the bridge
here are a couple of things that will help a body to shoulder the load:

there is a plant called virginia creeper, its a very common plant in the ginsang familly
it is always said the berries are poisonous
well, the ROOT is very energizing and will give you 15 - 25 percent more git up and go
it also improves moral too
also its a climbing root which can be found even in winter

wild sarsaparilla (root) is another plant in the same family that is nutritious and stimulates like the above Virginia creeper.
the inner bark of pine and similar trees is high calorie, so together you can go along way on just what is handy on the trail