Posted: 11/18/2007 6:39:57 PM EDT
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So tonight im chatting with my fiance, talkin to her about a disaster preparedness conference i went to that was put on by the Nassau Department of Health earlier today. Outta the blue, she tells me that during the holiday break, she wants to sit down with me and put together a BOB bag for her. i was completely floored. Now ive got an idea of how to put one together and all that jazz, but my question is...shes a small girl, any suggestions on putting together a light weight one? shes maybe 115lbs, and 5'9. Any suggestions on everything from a pack up, would be really appreciated. Thanks Teaky |
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Go over to the Gear section of Outdoor section. http://ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=10&f=18 There's more then a few threads specifically dedicated to BOBs, GHB's, Evac bags. Protus's sticky at the top is a great starter along with others who have posted their contents. Kinda wish more females would post their GHB's or BoBs - kinda draw a blank when females ask me what they should put in their bags. |
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yeah that was my thought to...thanks for the advice. unfortunately i only ever see threads about guys and their bags, which is all well and good, until ur makin one for someone half the size. my thought was perhaps this part of the outdoor section might get a little more travel through it, therefore a better chance at getting opinions. |
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They make backpacks that are sized women friendly. Try Whiskeymilitia.com or Steepandcheap.com. My wife's bag has Spyderco Delica part serrated, whistle, Juice KF4 multi-tool, Micro light, LED light, Cold Steel Spike, Ti Spork. Lighters, camp candle in a can, 2 light sticks, Nalgene bottle and 2 smaller size spring water bottles. 4 Cliff bars. 2 packets of tuna. Contractor size Hefty bag. Feminine items, hand cream, chapstik and a small FAK. Baby wipes, small roll of TP Gloves, polar tec and smart wool sock, comfy walking shoes. Dust masks 3 Nightshirt length T, polar tec hoodie and pants Windshirt, ball cap with Lab picture. and Totes umbrella. |
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Since you live in NY, I'd suggest adding a sleeping bag or milsurp wool blanket to the trunk in case she has to spend a night in the car. At a minimun, something like the Adventure Medical Survival Blanket. Inside the bag, some polypro-type upper and lower long underwear. Boots with wool socks and spare socks. Warm gloves and a large wool hat. A waterproof windbreaker with lining. A six-pack of bottled water, and some Cliff Bars or Power Bars or Mainstay packets, or even foil-wrapped Pop Tarts. A small first aid kit. Maybe some Triox for fire starting. Map and compass. Flashlight and spare batteries. Wrap some duct tape around the flashlight. Several short, stubby candles and a lighter and waterproof matches. A Nalgene bottle and some Katadyn water purification tablets. A stainless steel cup that fits over the bottom of the Nalgene. Plastic sheeting or a couple contractors bags. $50++ of cash in smaller bills, and some coins. A multi-tool. Maybe a larger knife for self-defense and everything else. A small supply of any medications she may take. 50' of paracord. A car charger for her cell phone. One or two N-95 facemasks. That's all I can think of at the moment. |
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My wife picked up my "Patriotics" book by James W. Rawles, and read it. Now I have a new long list of stuff to buy. We are watching "Jericho" the 1st season. She is into it big time. She told me we need certain SHTF stuff, and I say yes honey it's aleady in the Attic/shed. Then I get the "look" from her. |
Have her then read Halfast's Lights Out and The Bug Out..also Deep Winter and Shatter. Next time you think you'll get the "look" from her after suggesting something before say you have it play some psychological warfare with, "Great idea hunny - I'll get right on it." Knowing full well you already did/bought it but makes her feel as if she's part of the whole prepping program. |
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Find a pack that fits her. A good girl specific pack is worthwhile, a lot of girl specific packs are just crappy packs that are purple and pink. I would split this up two ways-one set up meant to be kept in her car and used out of the car (v. carried). The biggest problem in upstate NY is that she may be stranded at work (or somewhere away from home) because of snow, ice etc. Having food, water, personal hygiene items, warm durable clothing, boots and a sleeping bag can make a big difference. secondly I'd set up a smaller bag for her to carry on her own on foot. I'd say the odds of that happening are small, but it's worth having. The only "girl specific" part is mostly finding the pack and not over packing it. Expecting a little gal to lug around 30 pounds in an emergency is not a great idea It's also worth getting her out for a hike to see how far she can go on foot. edit-I think many women lack a lot of basic survival skills. Before worrying about getting her a pack with a ka bar and a fishing line  I would talk a little bit about basic land navigation and map reading.also it's tough to find good outdoor clothing for girls. Stuff that is readily available for guys is hard to find for women, particularly smaller women. Lots of women don't even have stuff like sturdy boots, gore tex clothing, winter clothing that would keep them warm outside for a day and so on. edit again-talking about walking, before I started dragging her around on hikes I don't think my g/f had ever been out walking all day. Being on your feet all day at work may give you the ability to walk all day, but that's not the same thing as actually covering 10-15 miles. Also realizing that it's not the end of the world if you're not back inside when the sun sets is something that women who grew up in cities/suburban areas are not going to be familiar with. TJ might not think twice about curling up in a space blanket under the starts but I bet for most women that'd be a pretty frightening event. |
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i wanna thank everyone for their suggestions, its alot of help. aimless, lots of good ideas, there was one part i forgot to share about my lady, when she was in high school she went out to colorado with her father and got certified as a guide, so shes pretty damned good in the woods, which was one hell of a surprise to me when we started dating. again, thanks folks for everything, itll be put to some good use |
| That's cool. I had a small breakthrough with a brother-in-law on sunday. He's a fairly liberal republican that has said in the past "The government will take care of it.". Anyway, we let him and his wife borrow our Jerico DVD's and they've been watching them. Yesterday he said "You know, watching that has made me realize how fast things will get bad if something ever happened. It only took like 2 weeks before people started running out of food and dieing." We talked for a bit on preps (no gun stuff yet, gotta start slow), and then told him how my wife and I have 72 hour kits in our cars since it's likely that if something ever did happen, we'd be at work or school. He just said "I've never thought of that. Well, I know what I'm doing thanksgiving break." He's been shooting with me once before, and his wife has as well (she was actually scary good with the 10/22, and she really liked it). Hopefully I can get him to see the light even more. |