Bug out bag weight, do you include a tent and sleeping bag?

[Bushman]

Do you include a tent and sleeping bag with your BOB, at least for winter season? I added them to my BOB recently. I went from 28 lbs to 46 lbs. I had just an emergency bivy space blanket style, thermal blanket/tarp combo, another tarp and some more space blankets. Yes it weighs a lot more but...

I've spent the night in the mountains in the summer time wrapped up in a space blanket with a tarp backing because that was all I had when I lost the trail in the dark, just what I had in my pockets. It was uncomfortable overall but OK in that weather. I'd sure hate to have to do that in the winter though during a bad storm...And improvised shelters take immense time to build, time you don't have when on the move and they still are not as good as a tent in the rough PNW mountains.

Hence why I decided to add the tent and the sleeping bag. I know some will balk, but how often have you spent time in the bush when it is pouring down non stop rain, windy, cold, etc.? I go camping in the winter when it's pouring down rain, snow, windy as all heck or bitter cold. The tent and sleeping bag make it possible, and I'm not even using a four season tent, just an el cheapo special, but it works well. I'd hate to be out there with just space blankets and a tarp in the winter.

I actually plan to bug in primarily, and if I do have to bug out, I'd use the car to take me as far as it can. Even if I do have to carry it, I'm athletic and have done 14+ mile hikes in the rain with a pack in rough terrain. Yeah, I'm not in my twenties anymore but if I had to I could do it again.

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[Landcruiser]

I just spent a night in the desert, our primary trailer had become infested with rodents over the winter, my backup tent and 20 degree bag salvaged the trip and kept me from an uncomfortable night sleeping sitting up in the car.
With as much rain we get all year and the sun load if you have to stay put, a tent is invaluable and the sleeping bag makes conserving heat (and therefore energy) so much easier. You'll stay comfortable and healthy longer with them.
A definite when bugging out in a car, and just as necessary on foot.

 

[11Charlie]

IMHO a tent would be a necessity. A lot of this depends on the distance you travel to get to your destination. I could go one night with out one but anything past that would be miserable in the rain. If you can't get dry for the night it makes everything worse. Depending on the situation you might not be able to have a fire which would make it more important to get out of the weather.

My suggestion would be to do some research and find a light weight tent that won't add to much to your BOB.

 

[The Heretic]

I don't have a BOB - I only have a GHB. I live at my BOL and if I have to bug out from it I am not going to last long.

I have get home gear in my primary commute vehicle that includes a small hydration pack, food, water, FAK and a Ecotat shelter which is a combo poncho and bivy bag.



If I have to walk home this would be adequate. Unless it is really cold, I probably won't need a sleeping bag as I will have clothes on to keep me somewhat warm inside the Ecotat. During the winter I usually add insulated bibs and an insulated hooded coat. I need to add a ground pad too.

The Ecotat is in the vehicle year round. On this side of the mountains I don't worry too much about exposure to sun and heat as I can usually find shade, but getting rained on is something that can happen any day of the year here.

 

[Bushman]

IMHO a tent would be a necessity. A lot of this depends on the distance you travel to get to your destination. I could go one night with out one but anything past that would be miserable in the rain. If you can't get dry for the night it makes everything worse. Depending on the situation you might not be able to have a fire which would make it more important to get out of the weather.

My suggestion would be to do some research and find a light weight tent that won't add to much to your BOB.

I agree. In the PNW half the year you need a tent. A tarp may keep the rain off you, but a tent will keep the wind off as well and keep your heat in. The sleeping bag will keep you alive inside the tent down to really cold temperatures. This allows you to stealth camp and avoid conflict since you don't need a fire. Heck it's part of the reason I carry a backpacking stove with fuel, so I can cook without fire if needed. In a BO situation I don't want to give my position away.

I actually find it odd that the two most important survival items (3 hours without shelter) a sleeping bag and tent were the things I had left out to save weight originally. Now they are the most important things I carry next to my knife and fire starting kit.

 

[The Heretic]

I want to find a lightweight thin 3 to 4 season bag, as light and thin as possible, then I might put it in the boxes of stuff I have in my vehicle.

I had one but it and another much heavier bag have worn out.

 

[Camelfilter]

I want to find a lightweight thin 3 to 4 season bag, as light and thin as possible, then I might put it in the boxes of stuff I have in my vehicle.

I had one but it and another much heavier bag have worn out.

Check out snugpak gear. Various synthetic fill options, decent colors (tans/greens etc). If you can squeak by with a 2/3 season insulated type, they pack down extremely small. Very good value for the $. Were extremely difficult to source in the US a decade ago, but available with ease on Amazon nowadays.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I don't have a BOB - I only have a GHB. I live at my BOL and if I have to bug out from it I am not going to last long..

Especially without a tent. Fires and stuff happens in threes so.. maybe huck a tent by the door

 

[Camelfilter]

Oh...and a follow up on the snugpak, one of there bags (maybe more, dunno) has a zip out expanding baffle for us guys with some of our own extra insulation. Really nifty.

I'll have to search up later this evening to figure out which one it is that we have that has that option. Still packs up extremely small, maybe 2x the size of a standard Nalgene bottle?

 

[Camelfilter]

Especially without a tent. Fires and stuff happens in threes so.. maybe huck a tent by the door

Yar!

Better yet have some gear at the ready in an outbuilding.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Yar!

Better yet have some gear at the ready in an outbuilding.

Absolutely.. it's conceivable that a bridge could get compromised (happens every day) in addition to a fire.. cutting one off for some time.
I gave away a perfect wall tent last move.. bugger weighed like 200lbs (it was huge, and heavy)

 

[Camelfilter]

Absolutely.. it's conceivable that a bridge could get compromised (happens every day) in addition to a fire.. cutting one off for some time.
I gave away a perfect wall tent last move.. bugger weighed like 200lbs (it was huge, and heavy)

Wall tents are excellent shelter, but as u mentioned extremely heavy/bulky/difficult to setup. Picking one up to have at hand in a shed would be a good idea if someone had a need.

We currently have 2 options with minimal to no setup for immediate shelter out of our house on the property (urban setting). Once we make the move to a rural setting, those options would only expand (depending if outbuildings are allready on site, vs building...).

 

[CamoDeafie]

With a large enough sil-nylon or sil-polyester tarp, you can build a shelter that is protected on all 4 sides from rain, snow, wind...only the ground isn't protected, but that is what the groundsheet or poncho is for. With a 10x10 tarp, I was able to setup a shelter that is pretty well protected for 2 people; and is low profile enough... and hung a bug net across the front opening.

I tend to include the weight of shelter and sleep system with my get-home bag.

A simple A-frame tarp hung on a line between two trees, over the USMC IBNS bivy tent would work pretty good. Could close up both ends of the A_frame and have a sort of hexagonal tarp, but best as a hammock tarp when doing that.

I do also carry a hammock and a hammock bugnet , so YMMV.

EDIT; the IBNS bivy tent is basically a bug net tent thats a popup shelter, used under a tarp in many different pitches, the only thing is the area that I would be sleeping in, so a versatile tarp makes it easier to customize different pitches for different scenarios.

 

[Bushman]

With a large enough sil-nylon or sil-polyester tarp, you can build a shelter that is protected on all 4 sides from rain, snow, wind...only the ground isn't protected, but that is what the groundsheet or poncho is for. With a 10x10 tarp, I was able to setup a shelter that is pretty well protected for 2 people; and is low profile enough... and hung a bug net across the front opening.

I tend to include the weight of shelter and sleep system with my get-home bag.

A simple A-frame tarp hung on a line between two trees, over the USMC IBNS bivy tent would work pretty good. Could close up both ends of the A_frame and have a sort of hexagonal tarp, but best as a hammock tarp when doing that.

I do also carry a hammock and a hammock bugnet , so YMMV.

EDIT; the IBNS bivy tent is basically a bug net tent thats a popup shelter, used under a tarp in many different pitches, the only thing is the area that I would be sleeping in, so a versatile tarp makes it easier to customize different pitches for different scenarios.

The only beef with this though is that once you add it all together it weighs the same as a tent or damn close to it and doesn't provide nearly the durability or protection a tent does...

 

[skey]

If you are completely soaked, which you probably will be, a tent and sleeping bag is a good way to keep from dying. IMHO
At 50 degrees, soaked and a little wind it would not take a lot to get hypothermic. Day one you would probably be fine, but as you begin taking in less calories to save your provisions and burning more while surviving, the ability to strip off the wet clothes and park your bare carcass in a sleeping bag, even a cheap one could easily save your life. A small tent and a sleeping bag should only weigh in at about 8 pounds. Hikers combo Special
https://www.majorsurplus.com/adventure-dome-tent.html
Not everyone has to carry them, but that depends if your BOBs are supposed to be all inclusive in case one person in your party cannot get to theirs. Again IMHO. Our BOBs weight in right at 35 lbs less water.

 

[The Heretic]

Especially without a tent. Fires and stuff happens in threes so.. maybe huck a tent by the door

I have a good tent - a Marmot Taku - I just don't have it in my car and as I said, not planning on bugging out, just getting home.

Living on 20 acres of forest, surrounded by yet more forest, I have made preps for forest fire, removing brush around the house and undergrowth in my forest.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I have a good tent - a Marmot Taku - I just don't have it in my car and as I said, not planning on bugging out, just getting home.

Living on 20 acres of forest, surrounded by yet more forest, I have made preps for forest fire, removing brush around the house and undergrowth in my forest.

Fires don't just happen outside of the house.
anyway

 

[Bushman]

It appears others agree for our area of operations a tent and a sleeping bag are a must, at least 6-7 months out of the year. I went camping twice in the last month and it was only doable due to the tent and bag. Without those things I would have been miserable. The stove came in handy in the past when I didn't want to face the elements to cook. Just cooked inside the tent on the stove.

What about the rifle? That seems like the only other thing that one could cut that is not absolutely necessary. With a pistol and 100 yard skills you are not without a formidable defense...

 

[The Heretic]

Fires don't just happen outside of the house.
anyway

I have a 2K SF shop, 200+ feet from the house, that is partially insulated and has a metal exterior, making it a bit more resistant to fire. It is a bit better than a tent.

If I had a fire inside the house I can evacuate to a neighbor's house. I can also take shelter in one of my vehicles. The house and shop both have several decent sized fire extinguishers also.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I have a 2K SF shop, 200+ feet from the house, that is partially insulated and has a metal exterior, making it a bit more resistant to fire. It is a bit better than a tent.

If I had a fire inside the house I can evacuate to a neighbor's house. I can also take shelter in one of my vehicles. The house and shop both have several decent sized fire extinguishers also.

That's all a heck of a lot more convenient than hucking a tent by the door.