This is an exercise in balancing extreme durability with extreme ultralightness. Assume a total collapse of civilization and you must travel across country (for whatever reason, don't read to far in to this hypothetical). Obviously some gear which in these forums might be considered too heavy now might be necessity for their ruggedness and protection.

What is the gear, excluding food, that you would bring with you, knowing that this might be the last set of gear you ever use?

If you want divide this list up into what you have now that you'd take, and what you'd ideally want to be able to bring.

Well, I know a 12 gauge with assortment of choke tubes and loads would be on the list, though I am tossed between an AR-15 and something in Winchester .300 Mag with a Leupold scope. Do I want distance or want to be able to lay it down? As for pistols, I've always wondered if ammo would be more readily available in this country in 9mm Luger vs. .357 Mag. I'd probably go with the .357 as it can also shoot .38 Special and +P. Ahh, what the hell, it's the end of civilization. I'll carry both, one on each hip. And throw in a 21" machete for good measure.



So I figure all this should be sufficient firepower to loot Douglas Ide's new Cuben Trailstar. Who needs packs when you've got guns? I'll make Douglas carry everything.

Edited by xnomanx on 01/19/2012 19:25:34 MST.

Not to get on the whole big BOB scenario, but this is what I have and would use in that situation (notice I used pounds, not ounces):

5lb 70L pack for carrying hefty loads (because resupplying would be a challenge)

1.5lb Large shaped tarp for a few people (MLD Supermid? Don't have but would be ideal)

2lb 15deg Down sleeping bag (for 3 season comfort, can't swap for a UL bag in summer)

.75lb trimmed RidgeRest pad (inflatable is nice but not reliable enough)

.75lb MSR Whisperlite Internationale Stove (so I can use almost any kind of fuel)

.5lb 1.4L Ti Pot for group meals, cheap plastic containers for individual bowls

1lb MSR Water Filter (for REALLY icky water sources), Chlorine based otherwise.

4lb Portable HF (shortwave) Radio Transceiver with wire antennas (I'm a licensed Ham)

2lb 26W Folding Solar Panel for charging headlamp batteries, radio equipment, etc.

3lb of clothing (insulation, rain gear, extra shirt, extra pants, socks...)

.5lb for dry sacks (GASP!)

My baseweight would be 21lbs! So, not UL at all but group shared items would be split up among a few people (tarp, stove, filter, radio/electronics gear...) bringing it down to maybe 15lb. UL may be nice for a hike with resupplies or a quick 3 day jaunt in the hills but if you really NEED to use the BOB for months on end, it better hold up for the long hard haul. It would not be for fun, it would be for survival.

From the classic 1964 movie, Dr. Strangelove:

Major T. J. "King" Kong, B-52 bomber pilot, reads off the list:
"Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff."

--B.G.--

Since the criteria is "that this might be the last set of gear you ever use" -- here's an absolute essential item to include, forget about SUL:



Per Amazon: "A pot that does it all. The flanged lid, purportedly designed by Paul Revere, holds hot coals and inverts for use as a griddle. The integral legs allow the oven to sit perfectly over hot coals. 1 gallon Size: 10 inch diameter Depth: 3 1/2 inches."

Plus one of these, with plenty of .22 ammo, to keep the pot filled:



And one of each of these to supplement the .22:



+ Tenkara fly rod with line, tippet, nippers, and flies

(http://www.tenkarausa.com/product_info.php/products_id/35)

Oh, also a super-duper Firesteel bunker w/scraper/magnesium:



http://firesteel.com/firesteel-bunker-with-scraper-lanyard-and-magnesium

And a Mora Bushcraft knife:



Add the following:

MLD Supermid w/guylines, stakes, 2ml groundcloth

Plasticote pad 1/4" x 60" x 20"

Ibex wool blanket (down is nice, but this is forever and ever)

3 lbs of clothes (including rain gear)

2L Platypus (2x)

EOS headlight w/3 AAA rechargeable batteries

Compass w/map

First aid kit/bug headnet/duct tape

AAA/USB Solar Battery Charger w/extra set of AAA batteries

Cuben fiber bear hanging kit

Ipod phone

S&W .38 revolver w/ammo

a really good book

McHale pack to carry all the stuff

Edited by JRScruggs on 01/22/2012 01:19:02 MST.

Nice Bob, although we'd probably want to update the russian phrase book to a mandarin one ;)

As for my own it'd be pretty similar to my current setup (almost dialed in my general purpose lightweight gear). Major additions would be as follows:

Arc'Teryx made military rucksack. Bomber, great harness setup, more volume than my Talon 44.

My macbook air (I hate apple but UL seeped into my day to day life ;) and depending on situation a smartphone (total infrastructure collapse I would probably forgo the phone).

A Goal Zero or similar solar recharging kit.

A machete or kukri.

Tenkara fishing kit.

Sig 9mm P226 handgun.

Any AR-15 clone chambered in 5.56mm so that I can take advantage of 5.56 and .223 ammunition depending on availability. Mainly for hunting game and intimidation factor.

1. Skills, all the gear in the world wouldn't help without them:
tracking, hunting, trapping, first aid/extended treatment, edible/medicinal plants, navigation, escape and evasion, camoflauge, self defense, etc. Man I hope I have time to practice otherwise I am $%^&#@!

2. UL woodstove/tent combo(stealth colors) Ti Goat or Kifaru something in the 10 pound range (the kifaru in my avatar is 25 lbs with stove but is 12 person and pre- silnylon)

3. Lightish large capacity pack: packboard type external frame, Ula epic, or bomber internal ie mchal/mystery ranch/etc (stealth color)

4. High quality down 0 degree down bag with ul black bivy for stealth camps

5. " " Hooded jacket and pants

6. Hiking, midlayer, rain gear, hats and gloves from cabelas or someplace similar camoflauge

7. 2qt ti pot with pan lid and ti spoons and MLD trapper type mugs for the whole family

8. tenkara and accessories ( since this is 0 degree morning internet hiking fantasy Ill pretend I have the skills to use it)

9. takedown recurve bow with arrows etc

10.Tops Tracker knife

11. Quality neck knife with fire steel and tinder

12. compass

13. whatever water filter out there that can be cleaned and backflushed to provide the longest life and a nalgene bottle and larger capacity soft sided

14. dynamo powered radio/flashlight

15. accessories: couple hundred feet of cordage, first aid supplies, lightest headlamp with extra batteries, small repair kit, shapening stone, foldin saw, ul trowel or snow stake

16. compact, shelf stable, high calorie, food

17. Some sort of firearms which I know very little about, lightish with lightish and readily available ammo 22.?

18. civilization survival tools: id, passport, credit/bank cards, cash. Just in case it was all a big misunderstanding

Wow! I am officially spending too much time on the internet between my baby daughter and the winter. Maybe I should take up MYOG.

+1000 on skills.

BOB is only supposed to be for 3 days.
Besides you cant carry that much food anyway if you want to travel fast.
I think a lot of people overdo it.
Wont go into specifics but just Basic warm weather gear.
If I lived in Minnesota it would be totally different.

Shelter - Cheap Tarp, Survival summer bag and a headnet
Clean water, Aquamira filter and some chlorine, 1 1L SS bottle and one platy.
Cork and tubing so I can distill water as a last ditch effort (I live on the coast)
Fire - 5 ways - one is a lighter.
Food - 3 days of mostly freeze dried food, snacks, nuts etc.
Two Knives. Swiss army with a saw and One big one, Kabar Large heavy bowie.
Other basic essentials everyone should have EDC etc.
A few large mouse traps and some wire.

Most of that goes inside a totally waterproof pack. (Again on the Coast)

Firearms ??
If there is marshall law, all firearms will most likely be confiscated but if I had to choose I guess I would either want a Browning buckmark 22 pistol with a scope or a takedown 22 Rifle.

A lot of different scenarios could play out.
If on the coast and the grid goes down, well then you have to deal with salt water.
How about a Tsunami like in Japan. A real ass kicker. All your gear floats away.
Earthquake
Grid meltdown.

Just no power for 3-4 days and people start turning into animals. Longer the worse it gets. Been there done it. I live in Hurricane Country.

I would imagine if its a bailout non mega-disaster situation most of us will be driving as far as fuel is available then...walk...

I think looking at how Katrina in New Orleans played out and what you would have to do to survive is a good place to start. My old roommate lived in that area. He did not leave.

He just paddled his Kayak around for days and led rescue teams to where people needed help.

Tissue.

First class ticket to Hawaii.

Patagonia Baggies shorts that double as swimwear. Think they make a Hawaiian shirt too. Seriously, the locals prefer pork and beef on an island surrounded by fish, and, while I can grow all sorts of things, I like fish, so no competition.

(ed: it)

Edited by hknewman on 01/24/2012 20:12:10 MST.

There are people who say a good rifle and scope is all you need - then you just shoot people and take their stuff.

Then there are "The Road" people who go the cart route.

There are the bug out location people who just need to get to their country retreat.

At my age I'm staying at home with a good book like this one:
http://ferfal.blogspot.com/

What does BOB mean?

A braille King James Bible, so that Gary Oldman can't use it when he steals it from you. Just make sure you memorize it for when you get where you're going...

"What does BOB mean?"

It is supposed to mean Bug Out Bag.

In this context, it is supposed to mean the bag of essentials that you have pre-packed and ready to go for the situation of a catastrophe. It's what you grab when you have to suddenly get out of town.

In a previous context, military people that were encamped fairly close to the front lines had to be ready to move out at a moment's notice, so they were ordered to have a small bag of essentials ready at all times.

--B.G.--

I have given this a little thought over the years, especially after a couple big earthquakes I have experienced.

We go camping a lot in our tent trailer, so it is usually parked in the driveway ready to go. Has solar and 18 gallons of propane. So we can leave in a few minutes, assuming the roads are passable. I can get to the Colorado River in two hours assuming the roads are passable, where there is plenty of water. So I could be self-sufficient for a very long time. Of course anarchy would be another matter.

I don't worry about such situations anyway.

"Tissue."

To wipe your tears because Craig commandeered your Cuben Trailstar?

I'm already in Far Northern Ca. No need to go anywhere else. If something does go down, I'l bet it will be the one time you don't have your bag nearby. Life loves irony.

At first I thought the discussion was on a portable Bob Gross. Like a field deployable encyclopedia.

""Tissue."

To wipe your tears because Craig commandeered your Cuben Trailstar?"

No, to wipe my mouth after I kiss my sweet Arse goodbye......

+1 on skills, and a solid plan is probably more important than whatever you have in your BOB.

In emergency situations, the best chance of survivability will likely come from co-operation with other skilled folks, not a one-man-against-the-world approach that really can't sustain itself very long (not to mention the sheer boredom, lack of motivation, and terrible quality of life).
In the city, others will have the same idea: gangs, and cops (the best-organized and armed gang of all) will rule the town. Get out.
My plan is not to move as far and fast as possible away from people, but towards the right kind of people: the nearest small farming town. Tight-knit community.
It would pay to make friends there beforehand, but hopefully I'm useful enough that I can show up and be accepted in some way.

Edited by dasbin on 01/26/2012 14:04:56 MST.

"My plan is not to move as far and fast as possible away from people, but towards the right kind of people: the nearest small farming town. Tight-knit community."

You could try the Amish.

Of course, they may not have high acceptance of a backpacker.

--B.G.--