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I recently started looking critically at what could be removed from most BOB's to save weight. I ran into an interesting article where the guy advocated ditching the following since in his opinion a BOB is for 72 hours only and an inch bag is for long term, which to me makes no sense, because if you are bugging out you may NEVER come back anyway, so the inch bag and BOB are really the same. Only the get home bag is really for 72 hours and that in my car is about 7 lbs. But I digress. Here are the items he suggests getting rid of. Thoughts?

Bug Out Bag Weight: It Can Add Up Fast

-Your water bladder. I did this years ago and agree with this. I carry 1 qt and a water filter, boiling cup as well as purification tablets. Water is heavy, and we are not in the desert here...

-The majority of your food. I have freeze dried backpacker foods so they are extremely light. Prefer to keep. Light weight and allows me to stealth camp without foraging. I also carry food gathering tools such as fish nets and small/light trapping tools. I don't agree with the assertion that a BOB is for 72 hours only.

-Your tent, replace with a tarp. Meh, you could get by with this, but here in the PNW I'd much rather have a tent for the extra 2 lbs. Not interested in sleeping in the mountains during a snow storm with just a tarp. Hence I added a tent in lieu of a tarp to my getup. Shelter is important...You can go days without food and water, but in this climate you will die in a few hours or even minutes without shelter.

-Your sleeping bag. Meh, I had a space blanket style bivy, but I've used them in a bad situation before and prefer a sleeping bag which I recently added to the pack. Shelter is important...see above.

-Extra clothes. He actually seems to advocate having some, I had none in my BOB. I used to but to save on space and weight I took them out. I have since added back in a light weight pant, shirt, wool socks (1 pair) and 1 pair of underwear. Weighs in at just over a pound and is Ranger rolled to save space.

-Rifle. This one I can see and agree with despite not wanting to be without a long gun if I can avoid it. I remember going on a realllly long and hard scramble (not a hike, just a bush scramble up a mountain) with very steep elevation gain. It was not long before I ditched the long stuff and Load Bearing Equipment to make it to the top of the mountain. What say ye?

-Ammo. He suggest using a cache or two. Not a bad idea. But I'd still want some extra ammo on my person.

So what do you think of these tips? Are they good tips, would/will you apply them or no? Actually reading his article and doing some research on items like shelter and such made me ADD a tent and sleeping bag, taking out the tomahawk instead to help get rid of something since I added stuff. But I feel that a change of clothes, a tent and a sleeping bag can make all the difference. And I have food procurement items in my BOB as well as my BOB is not for a 72 hour use, it's for long term.
 
Water is consumed quickly and takes time to locate and purify, take more. Take more food, a sleeping bag to keep you warm lowers energy expenditure at night and improves sleep which improves cognitive ability. Thirst, hunger, and bad choices will kill you faster than having an extra 7lbs on your back.
 
I would not consider a loss of tent a good thing in the pnw. Too much rain, the need to stay dry outweighs the weight, pun intended.

Ammo can be selective, IE, weight varies depending on firearm choice. If you were able to find and purchase both Keltecs CMR and PMR you could have a long rifle and pistol and both hold lots of ammo in magazines alone much less a few extra boxes of ammo would not weigh much. Also, look at your long gun, can it be made lighter? Could you build a light AR pistol that would be similar?

I too lost the extra sources of carrying water and went with a expensive water filter and collapsible water carrier.

Also, you may need to work on your bug out plan. If you plan to go somewhere and stay, then maybe, bug out again in a month or two weeks type thing, you can add weight. If you think you'll be going from location to location on a daily basis for a month or longer, you'll benefit from a lighter set up.

Just a few thoughts.
 
I would not consider a loss of tent a good thing in the pnw. Too much rain, the need to stay dry outweighs the weight, pun intended.

Ammo can be selective, IE, weight varies depending on firearm choice. If you were able to find and purchase both Keltecs CMR and PMR you could have a long rifle and pistol and both hold lots of ammo in magazines alone much less a few extra boxes of ammo would not weigh much. Also, look at your long gun, can it be made lighter? Could you build a light AR pistol that would be similar?

I too lost the extra sources of carrying water and went with a expensive water filter and collapsible water carrier.

Also, you may need to work on your bug out plan. If you plan to go somewhere and stay, then maybe, bug out again in a month or two weeks type thing, you can add weight. If you think you'll be going from location to location on a daily basis for a month or longer, you'll benefit from a lighter set up.

Just a few thoughts.


Agreed on the tent. They are generally 10 degrees warmer inside and they block the wind and rain. I could make do without a sleeping pad so long as I had a tent and some mylar blankets. I'd hate to be out there trying to build a shelter in the rain or snow for hours trying to build a natural shelter that only keeps some of the elements out partially...
 
I agree that some extra things add comfort and with comfort comes more rational thinking to help one survive.
I'm not bugging out but have been working on a GHB for each vehicle (even my boat).
Stay frosty.

The stove and fuel ensure you can heat up some tea or a meal even when you can't start a fire due to conditions, or maybe are trying to stay undetected. The clothes come in handy if you do get wet and provide you something to wear when you wash your other clothes to keep them clean or clean them before going to town, etc.
 
I've done the 50 pound packs on a 50 mile hike. Learned the lesson. Lighten it up. Look for savings everywhere in your equipment. Shorten the handle on your toothbrush, every little bit helps.
If you're in a group share the load. Someone can carry the tent and you can carry stove and more food.
last load out was right around 35 lbs still Tuning it up.
18UpperLakeCamp.JPG
Find light warm sleeping bags, it gets cold at night up in the hills. I ditched the bag one trip for a basic fleece warmer and regretted it. Remember what may be alright in a warm weather bag won't do for January, or a night at the summit.
I carry a one man tube tent. There are lighter ones but the price was right, and it's sturdier than the super lights. I ditched the stakes. Find a rock or a branch to use instead
Titanium pot to boil water, tupperware with a lid for eating mixing.
Light self igniting hiking stove. One large fuel can should last the week
I use hiking sticks, they help with fatigue over a long day, work out your upper body too.
Don't forget hygiene supplies. Small shovel, TP, and wipes
Bug spray, bug spray, mosquito net, bug spray.
I carry a filtering water pump and several hydro-bags only fill what you need. Know if the stretch ahead is dry. Sometimes you can see water from the trail but can't reach it.
Stop at water, cooking uses lots of it

Practice your skills
 
Not much to cut out. The last grab emergency 2 maybe 3 day smaller back pack contains only enough water for ONE person for 2 maybe 3 days. We live in an area, (SW OR USA) where water resupply is not USUALLY a problem. Over 108 inches of rain so far this water year. Two different water purifiers are carried. Perhaps this could be reduced to only one. About 1 pound saved.

But ... summertime is coming. The pack gets reconfigured. Less warm clothing. More water. More bug protection. In high summer the tube tent would not be required. No rainfall. More sunburn protection. Clothing might be reduced this time of year. No more freezing temps. Our tent is only a rare olive green tube tent. Very light. It does not have any real rain deflection ability.

You stay dry but that is about it. Also requires trees to string the para cord. The two, (2) 10x10 plastic ground tarps might be exchanged for the very thin painter's drop plastic tarps. About one pound saved maybe. More mosquito netting. More bug oil. Reducing the winter clothing is risky. It can get rather chilly at night even during high summer. Not much overall weight savings.

Added paragraph. Forgot food. Right now we are using the MRE main servings. Stripped down the big wrapped meals to just the main dish. Three, (3) a day for 3 days per person. No stove. No hot coffee. No hot meals. No cooking smells also which is good. Nothing really to delete. Now considering life boat bars. Does anybody have any specific recommendations here?

Most of the 2-3 day last gasp grab and run emergency bug out back pack consists of things to deal with the people problems. We experienced the bad side of human nature during emergency conditions during the last wildfire scare. A panic situation. What we learned from that is it might be best to try to avoid any interpersonal interactions during this time. Such drags you down.

Said otherwise do not try to save the world. Learn to say NO. Do not get involved in other people's problems. Stay within your own group. Our back pack contains people problem stuff. How that would be reconfigured to shave off some back pack weight would be difficult. Perhaps less of everything? Nite vision optics are heavy. Delete such? Dunno. Might be a tactical mistake.

We have a few pounds dedicated to the less than optional human interactions expected. Cigs, a little booze, some other stuff. Trade goods. Barter goods. Just a little bit. Removing these from the bug out pack might not be a good idea. Again our major experiences and memories are dealing with the human aspect of SHTF situations. There might not be a lot to be removed from the pack.

Respectfully. Just us. All of the above is based upon actual experience. Yikes! :)

More edited stuff. Forgot the important thing. Twenty two, (22) pounds right now.
 
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Not much to cut out. The last grab emergency 2 maybe 3 day smaller back pack contains only enough water for ONE person for 2 maybe 3 days. We live in an area, (SW OR USA) where water resupply is not USUALLY a problem. Over 108 inches of rain so far this water year. Two different water purifiers are carried. Perhaps this could be reduced to only one. About 1 pound saved.

But ... summertime is coming. The pack gets reconfigured. Less warm clothing. More water. More bug protection. In high summer the tube tent would not be required. No rainfall. More sunburn protection. Clothing might be reduced this time of year. No more freezing temps. Our tent is only a rare olive green tube tent. Very light. It does not have any real rain deflection ability.

You stay dry but that is about it. Also requires trees to string the para cord. The two, (2) 10x10 plastic ground tarps might be exchanged for the very thin painter's drop plastic tarps. About one pound saved maybe. More mosquito netting. More bug oil. Reducing the winter clothing is risky. It can get rather chilly at night even during high summer. Not much overall weight savings.

Added paragraph. Forgot food. Right now we are using the MRE main servings. Stripped down the big wrapped meals to just the main dish. Three, (3) a day for 3 days per person. No stove. No hot coffee. No hot meals. No cooking smells also which is good. Nothing really to delete. Now considering life boat bars. Does anybody have any specific recommendations here?

Most of the 2-3 day last gasp grab and run emergency bug out back pack consists of things to deal with the people problems. We experienced the bad side of human nature during emergency conditions during the last wildfire scare. A panic situation. What we learned from that is it might be best to try to avoid any interpersonal interactions during this time. Such drags you down.

Said otherwise do not try to save the world. Learn to say NO. Do not get involved in other people's problems. Stay within your own group. Our back pack contains people problem stuff. How that would be reconfigured to shave off some back pack weight would be difficult. Perhaps less of everything? Nite vision optics are heavy. Delete such? Dunno. Might be a tactical mistake.

We have a few pounds dedicated to the less than optional human interactions expected. Cigs, a little booze, some other stuff. Trade goods. Barter goods. Just a little bit. Removing these from the bug out pack might not be a good idea. Again our major experiences and memories are dealing with the human aspect of SHTF situations. There might not be a lot to be removed from the pack.

Respectfully. Just us. All of the above is based upon actual experience. Yikes! :)

More edited stuff. Forgot the important thing. Twenty two, (22) pounds right now.

I've eaten life boat bars/coast guard rations in a real survival situation, the same one I described in my OP where I had to wrap myself in a space blanket/tarp combo the night to stay alive. I ate my coast guard rations in the morning, found my bearings and kept going to the top of the mountain (I wasn't giving up...it was a test of capability). The coast guard rations were extremely chalky going down. Made me extremely thirsty. Drinking water made me sick with the chalky rations in my stomach. Didn't throw up but it was not a good feeling. A good test none the less. Now I pack different food though.
 
I've done the 50 pound packs on a 50 mile hike. Learned the lesson. Lighten it up. Look for savings everywhere in your equipment. Shorten the handle on your toothbrush, every little bit helps.
If you're in a group share the load. Someone can carry the tent and you can carry stove and more food.
last load out was right around 35 lbs still Tuning it up.
View attachment 353944
Find light warm sleeping bags, it gets cold at night up in the hills. I ditched the bag one trip for a basic fleece warmer and regretted it. Remember what may be alright in a warm weather bag won't do for January, or a night at the summit.
I carry a one man tube tent. There are lighter ones but the price was right, and it's sturdier than the super lights. I ditched the stakes. Find a rock or a branch to use instead
Titanium pot to boil water, tupperware with a lid for eating mixing.
Light self igniting hiking stove. One large fuel can should last the week
I use hiking sticks, they help with fatigue over a long day, work out your upper body too.
Don't forget hygiene supplies. Small shovel, TP, and wipes
Bug spray, bug spray, mosquito net, bug spray.
I carry a filtering water pump and several hydro-bags only fill what you need. Know if the stretch ahead is dry. Sometimes you can see water from the trail but can't reach it.
Stop at water, cooking uses lots of it

Practice your skills

I have an el cheap one man tent but I've tested in the deep cascade mountains in the snow with no ground pad and just a 40 degree summer sleeping bag vintage Coleman from decades ago. I was toasty warm. When my tent eventually wears out, I'll buy a lighter backpacking tent for more coin.

I think the common thing I'm picking up on is that here in the PNW a tent and a sleeping bag are a must. Shave weight elsewhere assuming you have the lightest available for your needs...
 
I dumped the whole bag. I'm at my bug out location now.
I believe if you are younger and can cover many miles in a day you would have a bit of a chance buying out. But most of us older folks won't cover the needed ground to get away from the...?
What are you going to excape anyway? What is it that will make you bug out?
In certain situations you could pick up supplies on the road? out...of where?
I just really don't think bugging out on foot will get you much safety. It will take days to get away from whatever or wherever you think you will be excaping. The routes out of town will have folks determined to take you goods. They will have more bad guys with them and will have cover to fight from.
And guns ammo and gear they have taken from others.
I'm with @Caveman Jim ,get home bags would be my choice to get me to a known safe location until things cool off.
This is like asking how much ammo do you need. Or how much preps.
You can't carry enough stuff on your back to get away from,say pugetropolis and to safety.
Oh yeah,I was told a long time ago by a ultra light hiker that the dumbest thing he did to save weight was cut off his tooth brush ;)
 
Excellent topic everybody and thank you. Wildfires are our problem. Bugging out is mandatory. Caching is OK but go deep. Wildfires can burn quite a ways down. Going back into the burn to retrieve supplies might not be possible. Landmarks? Everything has changed.

Weapons? Nasty subject. Some stuff in the 22 pound back pack. Not much. Perimeter protection stuff is heavy. Nite vision mandatory. We team up boogieing. One must eventually sleep. Disaster relief might be weeks away for us. SW OR USA. Harsh reality for us.

The main BOB(V)MH7D bags, (bug out bags, vehicle, multiple, heavy, 7-10 day) :) :) are by the front door right now. When wildfire seasons starts, they will go into the two, (2) SUVs. We are looking for some sort of wheeled hunting cart to make the bags more mobile.
 
I've dumped a lot since Jan 20th.

Some bugging out situations are for hiding and surviving in clandestine-type atmospheres...

Other bug out situations may be, could be, would be, should be, or perhaps.... must be for guerilla warfare operations...

There aren't any constants, load plans are living-breathing documents.

Sleeping warmly or soundly at night can be a death sentance..... Low hanging tarps or poncho-hooches make a far more reasonable shelter than a tent....nice as they are.

If I must leave my home....Eating good, sleeping good, looking cool, and being comfortable are NOT my priorities..Nice as they are....
 
I would rather be comfy while also saving weight. Also known as old age wisdom creeping up with you. It is possible to stay warm and dry, but you have to work at it. Repetitive experience helps greatly.

Also understand one person will have a very difficult time. One must eventually sleep. Guarding your stuff while around folks who do NOT have stuff is a multiple person endeavor. Best to avoid such if possible.

Sometimes not possible. Right now I am thinking specifically about a wild fire emergency evac site. Most of the bug out sites we have will have many refugees. Most with little or nothing. A bad situation.

Dumping most the stuff you do not need might not work. One might find some stuff you dumped might help you get through the people problems. Adverse people interactions. Sad but true. Nasty.

Public agency relief may be many hours away. Perhaps days. With some disasters maybe even weeks. Possibly months. Now thinking catastrophic events like a massive town killing wild fire. Yikes!

Also consider the big possible, (but unlikely) Cascadia Mega Thrust Subduction Richter 9.5 Earthquake? We are at about 43N, 123W. Kinda. Are we far enough East of the quake? Dunno. Could be bad.

Edited addition: The back pack stove got dumped. So did the sterno type dinky tin folding burner support. Cold camping. Lucky for us and me they still make caffeine pills. Take up little mass/space/weight.
 
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