BOB question
Posted by InfantryMedic1@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 27 comments
I got a 50L bag and Im curious if I should return it and grab a different style. The pack has 1 main compartment, one small compartment on top (about the size of a fanny pack), and thats it. I dont need a pack with 1000 different compartments for each thing, but I feel like having more than 2 would make life far easier.
I'm hoping someone who has more experience can throw some suggestions my way. Should I get a different bag, keep this bag and get a couple smaller pouches to keep stuff together, or just use the bag and let everything fight it out in the main compartment?
Rocksteady2R@reddit
Go thru-hiking, or LASH-ing. You willl learn how to use whatever bag you have, its ups and downs.
A BoB is essentially long-term camping. You gotta be comfortable with that. Solves a lot issues about details and what-ifs. Thru-hikers know that there nags are great one way, or could be better another, but the next hiker will have a diff opinion about the same bag/ same questions.
Good luck.
Weird-Grocery6931@reddit
If that bag's ergonomics work for you -- form, fit, function -- then stick with it and get smaller packing containers.
In my GHB I have packing containers for food gathering and foraging, weapons maintenance, currency, first aid, water purification, navigation, hygiene, socks, and tactical. All of this, plus a number of meals and a rain suit go in the main compartment. My bag has two compartments and a rapid access pocket on the pack flap. The "sleeping" compartment contains a Snugpak Jungle Bag, a Gore-Tex bivy sack, a camouflage nylon tarp, four tent stakes and two camouflage bungee cords. The flap compartment contains garden shears, a hand spade, baby wipes, foot care kit, and a Life Straw.
Ancient-one511@reddit
It's a bugout situation. Predators on the loose. If you can't run with it you've got too much stuff.
OldSchoolPrepper@reddit
I'm a prepper and a long distance backpacker so I do prefer a real actual backpack for my BOL/BOB/GHB whatever bags. I literally have 7 backpacks, 5 internal frame and 2 external frame. We have 3 cars so one lives in each car plus the 4 others live in my food/prepper pantry. All are packed and ready to go. So...all that to say I love a good backpack. I seek them out at every garage sale/estate sale and thrift store. They are far easier to carry (weight belts) they are made for weight distribution but most regular bags are not.
So may I suggest going to an outdoor store (like REI) get fitted for a backpack (they do it for free) and then keep your eye out for packs in your size (and for your family). a good pack is upwards of $200 to $500 which is why I rarely spend more than $50. BUY used! Packs have may pockets and are made for organization....please look at some, you'll really like them. This was a lot for me to say that may pockets mean great organization AND you still can get the huge main compartment for big stuff plus a special area for your sleeping system.
try it, you'll like it!
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
Pack it, and go hiking, pack and unpack and pack and unpack. You only need to make sure everything fits.
I had all my stuff in ziplock bags, dry bags and trash bags.
Casiarius@reddit
If your 50L bag is narrow and deep like a duffle bag, I'd say replace it. Duffle bags are fine if you plan to empty them out completely at your destination, but they're really inconvenient if you need to retrieve something without completely unpacking. In a bugout scenario you are likely to leave the bag packed all the time and just remove the items you need as you need them, so easy access is important.
Do use small zippered bags to organize things into categories so that nothing is loose in the bottom of the bag.
Maleficent_Mix_8739@reddit
Back when this was a concern for me I used Rothco parachute cargo bags. It’s just a big heavy duty open space. This allowed me to create my own internal organization. Bouncing between Texas and Northern Minnesota my “preps” would often change from season to season and had to include long range road gear. Two cargo bags and a traditional sea bag pretty well handled everything I’d need to start over in the woods if I had to. I posted a link to the ones I used.
As I got older I set my sights on just moving to where I’d bug out to. Moved to the “Iron Range” in Minnesota, rented out the properties in Texas as passive income, so now I’m a bug inner I guess.
https://www.rothco.com/product/rothco-canvas-parachute-cargo-bag
iH8MotherTeresa@reddit
Dudes looking at backpacks and you offer up big open top cargo bins 🤣
Maleficent_Mix_8739@reddit
A, literally nowhere did they say they wanted a “backpack”
B. Cargo “bin” as you stated is not the same as a cargo “bag”…also, they come in three sizes. And you can add a shoulder carry strap if needed.
C. They asked for a more experienced opinion….ive been at this for over 20 years and teach bushcraft as well as survivalism and my company specializes in off gridding.
D. Maybe practice reading and comprehension before reacting
E. You’re not even the OP, so your opinion means approximately dick.
Espumma@reddit
Use packing cubes if you need more compartments
polaritypictures@reddit
The more bigger the pack, the more heavy it is. Reduce the amount of shit that you need to the most basic for the few days that you need it for. Think about Trail hikers, they go out for a week or so and need to have light weight gear. What do THEY Bring? YOU are NOT gonna do additional that they aren't. Your NOT gonna need 50 lbs worth of gear for 3 days.
drifter5@reddit
I would keep the 50L bag and small pouches, bc they are lightweight and let you organize gear without ditching the bag’s space. It is the way more flexible than switching packs.
Children_Of_Atom@reddit
That compartment layout maximizes usable space while minimizing the packs weight and bulkiness. It's the most common setup on backpacking packs.
Various small nylon / cordura can be used to organize items and larger light dry bags can be dedicated to categories such as clothes or food / cooking.
alessaria@reddit
Alteratively, you can use ziplock bags to organize the contents. Clear, so it's easy to see inside, easily repurposed, waterproof, and dirt cheap
freddit_foobar@reddit
You can wrap 100mph tape around the ziplock's bottom, sides, and top (right under zipper/opening) to reinforce them and reduce chances of blowout. Cheaper than packing cubes.
Not mine, but an example:
WITWC2@reddit
Agree I love my 55L dry bag backpack And use smaller bags to organize a have ifak on top for fast access if needed.
churnopol@reddit
Use the bag. Get a backpack organizer.
Enigma_xplorer@reddit
So having dividers can be nice but to me I feel like ultimately when I pack I'm packing small bags in the pack to keep them organized anyways. This is part of why I like the military style bags so I can have pockets on the outside for stuff I frequently need. If I have to dig through the main pack for stuff I'm not overly bothered by it because most everything is packed in smaller bags to keep it organized anyways.
Only you can decide what's right for you and there is literally no limit to the variety and styles of backpacks available. Also remember buying a bag isn't a lifetime commitment. If it just doesn't work out like you thought it would you can try something else. I even have two bags, one for summer and one for winter just because the winter gear is more bulky and needs more space. If it was me, I would gather all the stuff I want to pack and ask myself how would I use this stuff day to day in practice and by extension how I would want this organized make it easier to use? I think that will give you a pretty good idea for at least a good starting place.
Mimeschlime@reddit
Think about how you grab stuff in the dark or under pressure. If you can't reach essentials by feel, you'll hate the setup. Pouches help build muscle memory.
17TraumaKing_Wes76@reddit
Keep the bag, get stuff sacks. You’re good, man.
Soff10@reddit
I use a large main compartment backpack most of the time. I recently added a small 4 L chest pack. There’s nothing wrong with using the backpack you got. It will work for most everything. If you start hiking for longer distances or more days you MAY need to go bigger.
SnooLobsters1308@reddit
Get stuff. Get bag. Pack bag. Carry it for 1 hour. Realize you have too much stuff in bag, take stuff out. Spend next 26 weeks adding little stuffs to bag. 6 month gear test, walk around with bag for 1 hour, realize bag is too heavy, take stuff out.
Repeat for the next couple years. Ideally do 1 mock bugout a year, even if its to your backyard, and live out of your bag for 1 weekend. (woot camping trip!). Realize you got wrong gear, take stuff out, buy more stuff.
Bag organization is rarely the reason to get a new / different bag. Zippers are important (that they don't break). Frame is important (to put weight on your hips), belt is important. Weight of the bag vs durability of the bag is important. MOST other stuff is not super important. The ultralight folks want LESS compartments, = less material, less zippers = less weight of pack can carry more stuff.
If you like the bag, keep it and use it, the compartments will be fine.
17chickens6cats@reddit
Get stuff, get bag, put stuff in bag.
If anything happens you can take stuff out of bag, depending on the situation. Removing it before you know what you needs seems astonishingly self defeating.
Just because you have things does not mean you have to carry it 500 miles, the odds are your bugging out won't involve walking to the next state or surviving in the woods, but hunkering down in a building and/or using motorised transport.
If you need to survive by wrestling a bear in the woods, stabbing it with your 150$ camouflaged tactical commando knife and skinning it to make a shelter , throw away your extra phone battery bank . But if you are sleeping in a bus station floor waiting for the next transport out, you would look silly sticking that commando knife in a power socket.
Ok-Buffalo-7398@reddit
One of the biggest pieces of advice about bags that I learned too late is get all your gear first, THEN buy the smallest bag you can fit it all in. If you get a big bag you will fill it up. They get heavy really quick too. I had a sog pack that I bought from big5 a couple decades ago. It's identical to the rush 72 bag pocket wise and size. It's 55L. After researching newer equipment and trading out heavier tools for lighter smaller tools, I recently moved everything over to eberle's freefall. It was an early black Friday sale I'm assuming cause I got it cheeper than usual. I for one am a fan of all the pockets I don't have anymore for the organizating but like other folks here said just use pouches to organize your stuff and label them. I know eberle's stuff and some of the 5.11 stuff is out of alot of folks budgets but holy caw dude, let me tell you this, lighter packs with thick padding will make the skies look bluer.
incruente@reddit
If anything, the bag should be the last thing you get. If you already have everything else, and it fits in the bag, exercise what you have to see what works and what doesn't. If you think the main change you need is to have two compartments, just use two big garbage bags or trash compactor bags (which, incidentally, make good waterproof liners whichever bag you end up using). See if that works.
Personally, I find that stuff sacks are generally inferior to simple ziploc bags. They're cheap, easily tough enough, see-through, waterproof, and available in many sizes. I think there are certain things you need to be able to find and extract RIGHT NOW (first aid kit, for example), but most things it's fine if you need to rummage for a second. In theory, you're unpacking most of the bag at least once a day anyway. If you don't need it every day, it probably doesn't belong in the BOB, with the exception of things like the first aid kit that should be right to hand. It's like camping; I don't really care if my quilt and my ditty bag get one on top of the other, because I'm usually pulling them both out at the same time anyway.
Kazaryn@reddit
Does it hold everything you need it to hold and does the zipper quality hold up are always my main concerns. Assembly your gear. Put it inside. Put it on, etc.
Could get checked for fit but realistically you can tell if something doesn't work for you by this point. For me this is a pretty high bar, only a few bags have been kept.
Pando5280@reddit
Just get some stuff sacks for internal organization. I actually like those better as you can pull out your XYZ sack and rummage through it and then just toss it back in after you are done. Keep your clothes loose in the main compartment. Make sure to get different color stuff sacks as that makes it easier to ID what is in each one. Lastly more external pouches equals more zippers which can break or be points of water entry. Its all a personal choice but stuff sacks can solve your problem and may make life easier in the long run.