Volunteer Firefighter/paramedic building a 72h BOB. HELP
Posted by Affectionate-One-652@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 8 comments
Hi everyone;
I'm a volunteer firefighter/paramedic from Portugal. I deal with emergencies for a living, so I have no interest in "tacticool" gadgets or hobby-like gear. Im building a BOB and i want your help.
I've my own trauma kit. For the rest of the kit, I would like to know what you guys think the absolute top 10 essentials.
Specifically, I would like To know, what materials or specs I should look for (ex: for a knife, which steel? for a backpack, what denier cordura?) and what I should expect to pay for which item (ex: for a knife at least 40eur/dollar with X spec)
Thank you for the help. Stay safe (especially now)!
Original-Wishbone-11@reddit
How are we going to make guesses for you lol that's like saying "choose 10 outfits for me" are you going to a wedding in Mexico or are you going on a business trip in Japan?
SnooLobsters1308@reddit
As others mentioned, what situation are you planning for, for you bob? "hoofing it living off the land" IS NOT the general scenario for a bob. If you're walking home / to a relatives, you're really unlikely to need fire and knife even.
My read of the OP question is not just another "what to put in my bob" but, limited to 10ish items, and looking for specific gear recommendations, so more gear recommendation than how to build a bob.
Pack, food, water, fire, knife, flashlight, shelter if you might need it, socks, jacket, MONEY, PAPERS (ID passport). MAYBE powerbank, spare cell phone. Bandana, small hand sanitizer, extra clothes.
Shelter, for bob you are going to be walking with, IMO, is super light, like small tarp or even couple emergency blankets. Other clothes if you're regularly not usually in hiking compatible / comfortable stuff. So you can grab and go and change later. Like, if you are female and usually in high heels, or male in dress shoes, I'd have good boots / shoes in the bob. Even mostly worn out old extra pair is great for a bob you're only hoping to need for 3 days.
Light weight is important for a bob, less so for an INCH (I'm never coming home bag). INCH the wildfire, enemy troops, flood waters / earthquake are approaching your house and you're using your car / walking away with as much as you can, house is likely gone. BOB is get from here to there.
72 hour bob gear is (IMO) less about long term. In MY BOB, I tend to use cheaper stuff than I'd have in a "im never coming home". For example, I do have a couple "good expensive" knives, but, in my BOB, I tend to have a cheaper knife. Do you need a fixed blade or just a pocket foldable?
For fixed blade, 1095 steel is fine, worked for folks for decades, is cheap, schrade is one example brand on amazon. Praxxis D2 steel foldable $40 (on usa amazon). These are just examples, I don't know what you can get in portugal. IMO, imo, benchmade high end steel knives are too expensive to sit in a BOB, the Praxxis D2 is great, or kershaw blur s30v on sale for $60, etc... Could replace with a multitool (leatherman, gerber) if you already have one you like. Often knives on those are really cheap though, and can break. I'm less of a fan of the moira knives, if I go fix blade I usually want a beefier full tang blade, if I go light, I just want a pocket folder, so the moira knives are little in between, FOR ME. They are cheap, folks beat them up so they are proven durable, could be an option. (for the knife forum folks, ya we can have religious discussions about "best forever" steel, but for 3 day bob, most "good" steels are just fine)
Backpack, heavier duty = heavier weight, so there's a tradeoff on your preference. If I'm only ever going to have one backpack for the rest of my life, I'm using a heavy denier, probably US military ILBE used pack. But /shrug, there are thousands of US folks doing multi month treks in much lighter gear.
https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail-thru-hiker-survey/#2024 (lots of good gear tested stuff in that link)
Osprey atmos is a perennial common pick, that link has bunch more specific backpack links. I'd pay more attention to customer reviews, ZIPPERS AND CLIPS than denier. 1000 denier pack that is bomb proof is still horrible if the zippers strip and stay open .... I'd recommend 30L to 50L from common well known hiking brands, osprey, gregory, etc. NOTE most airline carry on sizes are 40 to 45L, so a pack in that size can be carried on if you're evacuating by plane.
water - I've two "smartwater" brand disposable 1 liter bottles. Nalgense are fine, or any other water bottle you like. SAWYER (mini, micro, whichever) are a common filter in USA, fits right on my smartwater bottles. On a 72hour, could save some weight and drop in a blister pack of water purification tablets.
Fire - ya ya, lots of folks (me too) like the 1 is none and 2 is one so get 3 backup plan. For INCH, for week long camping, sure. For bob, cheap bic lighter. If you're worried, add a small fero rod.
Flashlight, lots of USD $30 to $40 options. light, tint, lumens etc etc we have religious arguments over in the flashlight forums. Doesn't matter for a bob, grab something and go :) Diamond and petzel are common headlamps in USA, with prices ranging from 30 to $100. NOTE BATTERIES, either get a reachable with a powerbank, or extra batteries (aaa etc) for the headlamp.
GL!
venerealderangement@reddit
Go camping for 3 days.
TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit
In a nutshell? Check out ready.gov They have an entire list for a 72 hour bag. Just use those supplies and bulk them out/modify them as needs be. Doesn't have to be fancy. As long as it's sturdy, any old backpack will do for a 72 hour kit.
TrumpIsAPedoFascist@reddit
i'Ve mE oWn TrAuMa KiT MATE
AlphaDisconnect@reddit
2 Nalgene water bottles. 2 rei stainless steel cups that fit them. Some 550 cord. An ak47 bayonet. Really hard to sharpen. Really hard steel. But get it sharp. Done. Little spray paint can fire extinguisher. A crowbar. A tire plug patch kit. A jump pack with an air compressor. A towel.
Spiley_spile@reddit
Start with a scenario. Build your bugout bag around that.
Where are you hoping to arrive at the end of that 72 hours? Work? evacuation shelter? Hospital? How will you be traveling with your bag? On foot or next to you in a vehicle? Are you disabled or likely to become disabled inthe incident that will cause you to grab your bag and go? Do you expect to be sleeping outside during that 72hrs? If so, in what weather? If not, will you be staying in a hotel, a friend's, etc? Do you have kids, a spouse, a pet?
Xsiah@reddit
Did you read the wiki