User Panel
[#9]
Quoted:
Looks heavy. Do you need all that for a 3 day BOB? View Quote It does... but it's loaded up for a yet undefined stay. I won't know what the outdoor temps or length of time in the field will be yet. I would take both the machete and hatchet for at least the first trip to gain a reference for what I would prefer around here for camp site clearing and shelter building. I like the comments. I will try to be thick skinned. |
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[#10]
Quoted:
Looks good except your missing a gun shot wound kit, the Stan FAK will fit perfectly on your empty PALS/MOLLE webbing! <a href="http://s301.photobucket.com/user/Lance1775/media/EMS%20gear%20pic_zpselvfcarp.png.html" target="_blank">http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn77/Lance1775/EMS%20gear%20pic_zpselvfcarp.png</a> IM if interested View Quote Good point. I do try to run nicely stocked med kits. In the small red first aid kit there is a blood clotting agent like Qwik Clot and a roll of gauze. I see wacking myself with the Mora, hatchet, or machete the most likely injury I would encounter. I have GSW management on my plate carrier. I would improvise a tourniquet and pack the wound on a camping trip. |
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[#11]
Drop the hatchet and machete, and stripping down the mre's will save some weight.
What state are you in? |
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[#12]
Have you hiked 8-10 miles with it on?
Looks heavy, to many add ons. |
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[#13]
my son and I keep seasonal changes in our BOB. there have been many times in the past couple of years where we either went on short trips out of town or on deer hunting trips with only our BOB. simple and effective.
we keep ours light. |
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[#15]
That's a pretty good, bargain-type kit Mk13. We could nitpick all day long, but you've covered the basics and made a very effective general purpose kit that can be upgraded or modified as needed. I do have a couple of recommendations though. You're spot on about the hammock...it could be used on the ground like a bivy cover (not water proof), for extra insulation if it's really cold, but I would recommend a closed cell foam pad as the air pads are hard to stay on in that type of hammock. Try it a few times, but don't inflate it all the way...it might work okay. When we get precipitation, it's usually pretty hard. Consider either a pack cover and/or liner. For our AT hikes, my wife and I both use trash-compactor bags (they last for a few trips of multi-day hikes).
The hatchet and machete are good additions and both of yours look like they were inexpensive but will be quite functional. Maybe not needed for camping, but good bug out tools. For bug out, the blow-out kit is a good idea. The only way you'll improve it is to get out and use it. I won't comment on the "comfort" of USGI stuff...I have my own opinions, but if this works for you on 8-10 miles for a few days, it should be fine. I have enough spare issued and backpacking gear to make a few packs like these...maybe not the lightest, but general purpose and covering all the essentials is the best starting point. ROCK6 |
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[#17]
I didn't see bic lighters, gloves, construction site garbage bags, cotton balls or dryer lint. I find those things to be very valuable.
Curious about the weight? |
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[#18]
That's the most crap I've seen packed into a USGI 3-Day pack in a long time...
AND THAT'S GREAT THING. Thanks OP; you just gave me a Hella good idea on how to pack my own. |
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[#19]
Diggin your setup - It would be fun to get out for few days and try it out to see how everything works. That's when you can start making modifications.
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[#21]
I'd definitely add some glove as the twine on the machete will eat your hands up if you ever have to use it much (unless you already have callused up hands). I'd also add an inexpensive lightweight pair of safety glasses for use when chopping or moving at night; one of the last things you want to do is risk your vision when you need it most. Safety glasses are actually a requirement for most search and rescue classes in order to protect your eyes at night when you can't see all of the branches.
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[#24]
OP I enjoyed you post, pictures and comments. One question though, have you considered using the medium ALICE pack on a frame instead of the assault pack? I think it might actually be lighter, stronger and capable of carrying a lot of things you've had to add onto the assault pack.
If you run short on an ALICE pack, it's an easy trick to use the webb straps on the sides to add standard GI 30 round mag pouches or if something larger is needed add a SAW ammo pouch. You have an added benefit in that you can place a shelf on the frame and use tie down straps to carry odd shaped loads such as fuel or jerry cans of fuel. Just an idea to consider. |
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[#25]
Great use for an old roofing hammer. I carry one in my Jeep bag. Having the blade end and a good hammer head make them mighty useful. I've even used the nail puller a time or two. And on the plus side, it won't scare the tree huggers like the sight of a Viet Nam style tomahawk will.
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[#26]
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[#27]
Quoted:
OP, what is in the right hand (forward on pack) grenade pouch in this picture? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
OP, what is in the right hand (forward on pack) grenade pouch in this picture? There's 550 cord in one and tarp clips in the other. There's a brown tarp folded up in the radio pouch inside and the clips could be used to turn that into a high speed shelter and the double wide nylon hammock into a shelter as well. To the other post re: the medium Alice pack. I love Alice packs. Just don't have any these days. No duct tape. I could unravel about 5 feet and wrap it around something so I don't have to bring the entire roll. I hadn't thought about that. I need one contractor trash bag too as another mentioned if just to water proof the bag. See that's why stuff weighs a ton. Everybody wants to add things Thank you. |
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[#28]
Quoted:
There's 550 cord in one and tarp clips in the other. There's a brown tarp folded up in the radio pouch inside and the clips could be used to turn that into a high speed shelter and the double wide nylon hammock into a shelter as well. To the other post re: the medium Alice pack. I love Alice packs. Just don't have any these days. No duct tape. I could unravel about 5 feet and wrap it around something so I don't have to bring the entire roll. I hadn't thought about that. I need one contractor trash bag too as another mentioned if just to water proof the bag. See that's why stuff weighs a ton. Everybody wants to add things Thank you. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
OP, what is in the right hand (forward on pack) grenade pouch in this picture? There's 550 cord in one and tarp clips in the other. There's a brown tarp folded up in the radio pouch inside and the clips could be used to turn that into a high speed shelter and the double wide nylon hammock into a shelter as well. To the other post re: the medium Alice pack. I love Alice packs. Just don't have any these days. No duct tape. I could unravel about 5 feet and wrap it around something so I don't have to bring the entire roll. I hadn't thought about that. I need one contractor trash bag too as another mentioned if just to water proof the bag. See that's why stuff weighs a ton. Everybody wants to add things Thank you. That was my guess. thanks |
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[#29]
As an altenative to your plastic tent pegs, take a look at chain link fence ties. You can find them at any good hardware store. As long as the ground isn't too rocky they work well. Also look at WM for their ultralight tent pegs...I use those as my main tie outs and use the fence ties as supplemental in my main bag and exclusively in my smaller kits.
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[#30]
Quoted:
Looks heavy. Do you need all that for a 3 day BOB? View Quote This, but more importantly, that's a hell of a load for that bag. Talk about not being a good bag for your needs - no hip belt, relatively thin shoulder straps, I hope you have the frame-sheet ... I have the same one as a BOB, and it's got everything crammed in except a small water bladder. I'd post pictures by my computer is (no shit) 9 years old and fussy as hell with uploading. probably about 10 lbs lighter too. |
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[#31]
Awesome thread. Would you mind listing the contents by compartment?
Thanks... |
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[#33]
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[#34]
Quoted:
I didn't see bic lighters, gloves, construction site garbage bags, cotton balls or dryer lint. I find those things to be very valuable. Curious about the weight? View Quote Your points are well taken about tinders and redundant fire. Unrelated news, I never talked about the hatchet up above. I would absolutely want both the hatchet and machete with me. For camp clearing the machete was priceless but when shit got dark and moving thru the woods I had the hatchet on me or in my hand. The hatchet was my preferred tool for working the fire and getting saplings for the shelter. Mora stayed sharp even after prepping the fish carefully on top of a flat rock. The Sig bottle worker great in the coals to boil water. I added a CamelBak. I mentioned above. I needed more water than those two bottles could carry. I have a tip about using a Camelbak I thought of and coined a term to go along with it I want to share with you. You know how anything cool in the Army is like Ranger Pudding (mixing the hot cocca packet and peanut butter together from an MRE) or Ranger Rolling your cover (how you roll your patrol cap to he all high speed looking and what not) How about a Ranger Sink. That's where you get water from your Camelbak and spit it into your hands as you rub them together cleaning them. It works great. I didn't know if anybody else ever thought of it. Think about it. The water came out of your mouth so your hands will at least be as clean as your mouth is. |
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[#35]
Quoted:
That's where you get water from your Camelbak and spit it into your hands as you rub them together cleaning them. It works great. I didn't know if anybody else ever thought of it. Think about it. The water came out of your mouth so your hands will at least be as clean as your mouth is. View Quote Just lean against something to put a little pressure on the Camelbak. Press the mouthpiece between two fingers. The pressure will force enough water through to get some flow through the mouthpiece. |
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[#36]
Great trip report and AAR! The best gear is gear used and it looks like you have an excellent area to practice with it.
I think it is great advice to have your gear policed up, packed up and ready to roll before hitting the sack. My backpacking gear is packed in an order that allows me to get my hammock fly and hammock up first so it’s also the last item that gets packed up. I’ve found this not only a tactical advantage, but my wife and I do a lot of backpacking and we’ve found it best to break camp before sunrise and hit the trail a few hours before stopping for food; we try and do a good 12-15 miles a day, but it’s important to set up your nightly camp site with a few hours of light left as we’ve found our water sources up to a half-mile away (usually downhill). It’s extremely important to have that organization so you don’t leave something behind in the dark and that just adds to the same mentality of bugging out quickly for other reasons. I really like your idea of practicing a primitive shelter and using it to store firewood; excellent dual-purpose multitasking and maintaining skills. I love your water source…simply awesome and excellent job getting it cleaned out and more functional. Water capacity is important. For distance backpacking, I typically maintain about 2-3 liters “on-board”, however I’ve found the ability to surge on water capacity is important. I can recall what trip where our planned site didn’t have a water source nearby and I actually had to use my pack to hike almost a mile to the spring…you don’t want to do that more than once. Aside from convenience, multiple trips to a water source also makes you more vulnerable. Even with my lightweight backpacking kit (right at 30 pounds with 6-7 days of food, fuel and that 2-3 liters of water), I’m capable of surging up to 9-10 liters of stored water along with an open top folding bucket that will hold close to 8 liters (Sea to Summit 10-liter folding bucket…only weights 2oz with a small ranger band to keep it folded). One recommendation for you on your Sawyer filter is to pick up Sawyer’s two-liter gravity bag. It’s a little heavier, but much more robust. You can still use it as a “squeeze” bag as well as a gravity bag and it’s much easier to transport water. I still pack two “squeeze” bags and the straw tube. A small cup is important with the Sawyer. I’ve used a cut-off Gatorade bottle as I’ve found some water sources are literally a small puddle/spring and you need to scoop the water up with the cup and into the squeeze bag. Still, this is one of the most versatile filters for the price. I was laughing my ass off when you said you cache trash…but that is pretty damn smart. I’m a trainer for LNT, but this is just simply a smart practice if you have the capability for a frequented area. That value just can’t be stressed enough and kudos to policing up others’ “trash” and putting it to good use! Thanks again for taking the time to write up your trip report; a lot of value for you and the rest of the hive. ROCK6 |
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