Posted: 11/29/2010 6:15:57 PM EDT
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I put this together the other day, and am looking for suggestions on what to add/remove or general comments. I did do an 8.3 mile hike/day camp out with it in my intended bug out location (rifle included), and it did kinda suck, but it is pretty bearable, and I could do a lot more were I in a real survival situation. I made Top Ramen with tuna to test out the stove. I do want to do an overnight, or more camp out, but I'm not really experienced with this type of thing and don't want to put myself in potentially real danger. I have a couple friends who backpack, and want to go with them soon. For food, I was thinking bags/packs of tuna, top ramen, a couple MREs, then some jerky and mixed nuts. I don't eat much to begin with, and could ration stuff out pretty well if I had to, but I don't want to starve. What is good as far water purification? My intended BOL has a clean (looking) stream, I was thinking purification tablets. But this is something I know nothing about. I see it as a 3-5 day "SHTF Get out of town for a bit" pack 1 LA Police Gear 3-day Pack 2 Water (that is water and not vodka  )3 Wool Blanket 4 AR15/20rd mag 5 Poncho/tarp 6 Sterno Stove and fuel 7 .22lr conversion 8 Notepad/pencil/pen/sharpie 9 .22lr ammo 10 Bayonet/ 3 30rd AR mags 11 Spare clothes 12 Silverware 13 50ft paracord 14 Waterproof matches/lighter 15 Toilet paper (and kindling) 16 Wool Cap 17 Sunglasses 18 Multi tool 19 Shooting glasses/earplugs 20 Medical kit 21 Hatchet 22 Gloves 23 Tri-fold shovel 24 .380 Taurus 25 Flashlight/batteries I have no idea how much it weighs, and terrible at estimating weight. It doesn't feel too bad though.   |
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I'd recommend visiting the Survival Forum, lots of good info in there and people willing to help. Just a quick review, I'd say drop the shovel and hatchet. A folding saw and a garden trowel will do for most jobs, and a lot lighter. Edit: Check out this thread, protus is the man and will get you pointed in the right direction, lots of examples to check out: http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=18&t=506065 |
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Quoted: I'd recommend visiting the Survival Forum, lots of good info in there and people willing to help. Just a quick review, I'd say drop the shovel and hatchet. A folding saw and a garden trowel will do for most jobs, and a lot lighter. Edit: Check out this thread, protus is the man and will get you pointed in the right direction, lots of examples to check out: http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=18&t=506065 Or just use the bayonet as a shovel, or drop the bayonet for a lighter knife. ETA for change of clothes, maybe just drop it to an alternate base layer for varying weather. It's only a 3 day bag, and you can be in dirty clothes for a couple days |
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Food, water, shelter are your three main concerns.
You could get a smaller first aid kit or build one that's better stocked yourself. A small water filter will be expensive, but obviously worth its' weight in gold when needed. The iodine tablets taste like ass from what I've seen over the years, but I've never used them. Katadyn Pocket Water Filter Those are expensive as hell, but I've heard they're worth it. Personally I'd rather have more socks and underwear/undershirts than an extra pair of jeans... Wet feet SUCK and so does wearing wet/sweaty/dirty underwear, or at least to me. Wet underwear makes me chafe, plus it's just downright uncomfortable period. Actually, wet anything sucks. You could make an alcohol stove to save the weight of the Sterno cans, that's what I was told to do a few years ago, but I still haven't done it.
See if you can get a Camelbak for cheap. They're awesome for carrying water because they take up little space for the capacity, and deflate on themselves as you drink, meaning no sloshing liquids. Do you have any rain gear? Like I said earlier, being wet sucks. I spent 3 days camped out in May 2009 with my dad in the Ocala National Forest and it rained all day long for all three days. Nothing was dry, not me, my clothes, sleeping bag, inside of my tent, NOTHING. It was only mid-70s and I was already miserable and cold. Staying warm/cool and dry are my top priorities when it comes to clothing and shelter now, I learned that lesson at the price of mild discomfort. |
Me I just keep an extra roll of toilet paper and a 30 round mag.........And watch for who in the vicinity has made the best preparations .....Seriously. Bayonets suck for anything but poking people. Unless you plan on digging a foxhole you really don't need a shovel. DO NOT ditch the hatchet. I have spent quite a bit of time living out of a saddle bag or a backpack. And a hatchet come's in real handy when you need firewood. Instead of the bayonet get a 4 to 5 inch blade. A good strong fixed blade. And some way of sharpening it. If you really think you will need to dig. Use a small spade. And think about some sort of fishing gear. I have one of those back packing rods that breaks down and a small spinning real. And a small assortmant of tackle. I can put a lot of fish on the fire with it.
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I like my Katadyn Hiker Pro for my water filtration, it's fairly light and gets my water clean. You might want to get a hydration bladder instead of the bottles, I have a bladder and one Nalgene bottle in/on my BOB. Most water filters have an attachment where you can fill up your bladder through the hose, which is handy. There are lighter stove options that are lighter, like penny alcohol stoves. There's a lot of people who know a whole lot more than me about this, I've just been learning over the past few years what works for me and what doesn't. It's really good that you are actually out hiking around with it and planning to go out and try it out. That's the real way of finding out what you really need. Good luck! |
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Quoted: Food, water, shelter are your three main concerns. You could get a smaller first aid kit or build one that's better stocked yourself. A small water filter will be expensive, but obviously worth its' weight in gold when needed. The iodine tablets taste like ass from what I've seen over the years, but I've never used them. Katadyn Pocket Water Filter Those are expensive as hell, but I've heard they're worth it. Personally I'd rather have more socks and underwear/undershirts than an extra pair of jeans... Wet feet SUCK and so does wearing wet/sweaty/dirty underwear, or at least to me. Wet underwear makes me chafe, plus it's just downright uncomfortable period. Actually, wet anything sucks. You could make an alcohol stove to save the weight of the Sterno cans, that's what I was told to do a few years ago, but I still haven't done it. See if you can get a Camelbak for cheap. They're awesome for carrying water because they take up little space for the capacity, and deflate on themselves as you drink, meaning no sloshing liquids. Do you have any rain gear? Like I said earlier, being wet sucks. I spent 3 days camped out in May 2009 with my dad in the Ocala National Forest and it rained all day long for all three days. Nothing was dry, not me, my clothes, sleeping bag, inside of my tent, NOTHING. It was only mid-70s and I was already miserable and cold. Staying warm/cool and dry are my top priorities when it comes to clothing and shelter now, I learned that lesson at the price of mild discomfort. I disagree on food. I see air, shelter and water being the immediate needs, the average body can last for some time with very little to no food. I would drop a meal or two in my pack without a thought to fit a rescue mask or other item that will allow you to survive in situations where the very air will kill you. +1 on warm and dry, although wet and warm is about all I can ask for most of the time. ETA: Hydration packs rock when its warm out. Once temps drop below freezing they can be more of a liability than an asset. I've had insulated drinking tubes freeze on me while on the move because I forgot to blow the water back in the reservoir. Not to mention they are susceptible to damage. I've lost two to the brambles in the woods here. Just some thing to think about. ETA2: Get a ground pad to sleep on. Cold earth will suck the warmth from you at startling rates. If your AO get moderately cold, you will be miserable at the least just sleeping on a wool blanket, unless you are planing to use natural items for this insulation layer. |
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As a retro board guy, I like the A1 for a weapons choice! In addition to what others have said: I'd put your toilet paper in a ziplock bag. If it gets damp, you are going to be cussing. I'd also throw in a large folded piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. It works nicely for a fire reflector and other uses. For that matter, throw in one of the folded space blankets. They are roughly $5 at your local Wally world. A wool blanket is nice but for the weight of the blanket you could go with a good, packable sleeping bag or a woobie. A tootbrush might also be nice (cut half the handle off like the ultralight hikers do if you are really hardcore). I didn't see any cleaning or lube equipment for the weapons. Why the bayonet? I'd go with something like a Kabar if you need a fixed blade knife. Just my two cents. YMMV. |
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I've never really liked Camelbaks, for hiking anyway, as I tend to sip on them constantly and go through it really fast. Bottles make it easier to conserve over a period of time. I do have a folding saw, but I've found that a hatchet does everything a saw can plus more. And be faster and more effective at it. For me that is. I am reconsidering the shovel, however. Not really seeing the usefulness after reading comments in the survival thread. I am pretty set on having a complete set of clothes, if I got wet, it would be nice to change out of it completely. I also have a water resistant, fleece lined jacket that keeps me pretty warm and dry. And the poncho I have works great as well. I am lost on what to do for sleeping. My plan is wrap up in the wool blanket and put the poncho on to stay dry/stop wind. But that seems like a suck ass plan. I have a nice, warm sleeping bag but it is a lot heavier...but may be worth it.
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Quoted: As a retro board guy, I like the A1 for a weapons choice! In addition to what others have said: I'd put your toilet paper in a ziplock bag. If it gets damp, you are going to be cussing. I'd also throw in a large folded piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. It works nicely for a fire reflector and other uses. For that matter, throw in one of the folded space blankets. They are roughly $5 at your local Wally world. A wool blanket is nice but for the weight of the blanket you could go with a good, packable sleeping bag or a woobie. A tootbrush might also be nice (cut half the handle off like the ultralight hikers do if you are really hardcore). I didn't see any cleaning or lube equipment for the weapons. Why the bayonet? I'd go with something like a Kabar if you need a fixed blade knife. Just my two cents. YMMV. Primary motivation for the rifle over my carbine is that it's more accurate, and 5lbs vs. 8.5lbs. I did just buy a 3x scope off the EE for it. A lot of the stuff small stuff is in individual zip locks. Just not shown in the pics. I have a steel cup for boiling with a bit of foil for a lid, that somehow got left out of the pic  I'm going to try a hike with a sleeping bag, instead of the blanket, to see if the added weight is too much compared to the benefit. Though I'm kinda thinking it will be worth toughing out. I do have a travel toothbrush/floss/paste I added to the medkit. My cleaning kit is still in one of the pack pockets The M7, is the only "real" knife I have right now, other than some pocket knives. I do want something better. Maybe a Gerber LMF II? |