BOB needs to watch for weight too, since the ability to march many kms with the luggage is important.
No need for lots of lumens, a 1xAA or 2xAA make enough nowadays and will be easy(er) to find batteries for those in an emergency.
I’m not putting any li-ion wizardry in my BOB, while it has its way in my EDC.
I layered to the extent that I have levels of gear and supplies from the on-person level to evacuation plans for exteded periods: pockets - EDC man purse - EDC backpack - toolbags/supplies/resources-stash for home (bug-in) or evacuation (bug-out).
It’s surprising how few people consider this! I have a friend who brags about his huge hoards of stuff like ammo, ham radios and pallets (seriously) of bottled water, and seems to think “Bug Out” = “Hunker Down In Place”…
Easiest way (the Dimbo way) to test your equipment: GO CAMPING. Even if it’s in your own back yard. If you can’t survive a weekend with just the contents of your BOB, how do you expect to survive some “Zombie Apocalypse”? In your own back yard, consider “open the kitchen door” = “fail”.
Uh… No it won’t. When the Zombies raid all the local stores for snacks, they’ll probably clear the shelves of batteries for their electronic toys at the same time.
You don’t believe in Zombies? Look at all of them driving down the road thumbing their “smart” phones!
There you go being Brilliant again! The rechargeable LiIons are for EDC, I keep all my Primary Lithiums (beLIEving in the “10-year shelf life” claims) in places where I may need them “someday”. That will get me “out there”, and then the ability to keep the LiIons recharged w/o the electric company will keep me “out there”.
BEST tip of the Thread, IMNERHO. “Y2K” or “Zombie Apocalypse” or whatever disaster you fear, if you can’t scale your response to the threat, you probably will just end up dead in a ditch somewhere.
Appreciate the responses and hope everyone is enjoying the thread so far. It is a work in progress as I get time.
In regards to the SK68, I understand the concern(s) but in my experience it is a non-issue. The Sipik in my EDC, as I explained in the last post in the BOB thread is just one of the lights in a three-layer approach. And to be fair, I have taken in to the deep woods on remote camping trips and its worked quite well. And again, it was just one in a series of layers. I would never rely on just one light whether it cost $3 or $300. Two is one and one is none, simple as that. As Dimbo stated, gear needs to be field tested under less than ideal conditions. Remote/primitive camping in the deep woods works well towards that goal. And like I said, the Sipik worked quite well. So does the ML XL50 and even the ROV LED. All have their uses and levels of light.
In an emergency situation, bright light can be a benefit…or a detriment depending on the emergency. And too be honest, in a prolonged situation I’ll take long run time over mega-lumens. Just need enough lumens to get the job done, whatever it might be. If the 6 lumen ROV LED gets the job done then I don’t need to use the 300 lumen Sipik or one of the 1000 lumen 18650 lights I have.
That is the layered approach to a BOB/GHB or EDC. Have several, have several levels of lighting and several functions i.e. H/M/L/strobe etc. Have spare batteries with emphasis on batteries that can be stored long term as well as good rechargeables.
Hmm, have never needed these things. I’m glad I live in a place that is pretty boring in terms of extreme weather or natural disaster. Worst thing that can happen is the clothes on the line get wet !
You’ve never needed a flashlight? Or had a flat tire? Or needed a drink of water? Or been in a situation that didn’t go as planned?
Items such as described in the various links above are about preventing or mitigating a possible situation before it happens. From the inconvenient to the actual emergency. Weather is just one possible consideration in the equation.
Well regarding my everyday needs/lifestyle:
Flat tyre - car has the tools already.
Flashlight - phone has one, phone goes with me everywhere. (If I’m trekking it’s a different story).
Water - well I live in a highly urbanised area. Water is not an issue ever.
I understand some people should be carrying these BOB GHB stuff, but it’s truly not needed where I’m from.
Interesting links, I enjoyed checking out the pages.
I firmly believe vast majority of people (myself included ) grossly underestimate their needs and are completely unprepared for most emergencies.
It seems to me a 2xAA light is your best bet for finding batteries, but they aren’t the brightest.
My problem comes from, how do you charge li-ion after they die if you have no power anywhere. Relying on solar can be quite unreliable. I want a dynamo of some sort that I can charge my batteries with but don’t seem to find much. (Think Metro 2033)
All bicycle dynamos are 12v output which doesn’t help. I’d love to have my bicycle at infrastructure’s end.
Get a cheap portable inverter to convert 12v to 120v or 240v AC. I got a 150w I keep on my adventure motorbike resources for longer trips, for about 20€. It also has built in USB output.
Perhaps that’s the issue you’re not understanding? We’re not talking about everyday needs, though these types of kits/packs/bags can address a things with a few handy items. We’re discussing items to prevent or mitigate unexpected circumstances.
That’s good, it is a start. But there are many other situations that could arise while out-and-about that would be prudent to address.
It isn’t an issue as long as the electricity is still flowing and the water hasn’t been compromised. Dependance on the infrastructure however isn’t the first, best option.
With respect, I cannot agree with your conclusion(s). Your depending upon a system that is man-made and can and does fail. India was a good example just a short time ago when part of their power grid collapsed and 100 million were without power for an extended time period. Storms happen. Contamination of water supplies from a myriad of circumstances can and does occur. People have to evacuate their home or get stranded on the open road. Roads wash out or are filled with debris making them impassible for a period of time. In short, stuff happens beyond our control. Dependance upon technology or others to fulfill your needs isn’t a sound strategy. Nice to have, but they don’t trump self reliance and a sound game plan. BOB/GHB/EDC are needed every place and any place. But as the ole saying goes, ‘you can lead an elephant to water but you can’t push one in’.
An option is to buy or DIY your own solar powered generator that uses a deep cell marine battery. These can charge phones and batteries, run a computer, light or fan as well as radios etc.
Another option is to buy a power inverter to run from your car battery. More fuel efficient than a generator and much quieter.
Either or both can help you get through a shorter period of time without power and provide a level of comfort.
Thank you, glad you’ve enjoyed those threads. I agree. According to one report I’ve seen, less than 10% of folks are prepared for any sort of emergency situation. That is a pretty lousy statistic if true. But unfortunately I can see it being pretty close to being spot on accurate. Self reliance has given way in many cultures/countries to relying on others (usually a government) to supply all of the needs. Becoming a bit more prepared isn’t really all that difficult. Here is a thread that may be of interest to those that haven’t prepared for ‘stuff’ and really aren’t sure how:
It’s important to note that I’m not talking about crazy stuff like aliens invading or zombies attacking. Storms happen. Wild fires happen. Mud slides and earthquakes and flat tires in the middle of nowhere happen. I usually suggest to folks to start simple. Play the ‘what if’ game;
What if…
The power goes out for a few days (for whatever reason i.e. storm, power plant malfunctions, earthquake busts up the lines or whatever). Happens to people all the time. So if the power was to go out for a few days…what would/could you do to make life a bit easier? If the power goes out then the water will eventually stop flowing. So do you have enough water to last a few days? Enough food? A way to prepare the food? A way to clean the dishes? A bit of light at night?
The car breaks down and you’re not close to any type of civilization? Cell phone is great, but what if you’re out of juice/phone breaks/phone is lost/no coverage? Could be something as simple as tossing a comfortable pair of shoes in the trunk and some socks in case you need to hoof it a mile or two (and your wearing high heels or dress shoes). Could be a bit of water to stay hydrated. Could be something as simple as a mylar space blanket if you’re in a colder climate to keep you warm till help arrives.
Doesn’t take tons of money or time and can actually be a fun family project to do some planning and preparing. And it gives you a nice sense of confidence. If you never need any of the stuff or planning then feel blessed. And if you do need it, you’ll be glad you had some stuff.
India is perhaps the poorest example of why I should need emergency gear in Australia and not just because it’s an entirely different country. I was in India last year, spent a month there riding a motorbike through the Himalayas. Sub zero temps, ice, snow, mud, river crossings. Did I prep for that? Yep, I paid for a support van full of tools, water, beer, and food. Done deal. That’s all I needed. I didn’t need fire starters, water tablets, or any of that. I spent 2 weeks in Delhi too, power outages were common and expected. They have generators everywhere. If I needed anything I could pay a kid $1 to go get it for me. Anything was within an arm’s reach. They had some of the best guavas I’ve ever tasted there, pretty shit pizza, and forget about cleanliness. No matter what happens to the infrastructure in India, you can bet that there is someone within 10m who can offer you a solution if you pay them, and if not, there is someone within 20m who can take you to a solution.
But anyway, I don’t live there. Where I live, the longest my power has ever been out is 5 hours and I didn’t die of thirst, have a burning desire for a torch, or start to starve. The worst storm i’ve encountered in my life was hail that smashed the tiles on my roof - this was 20 years ago. It was cold, there was hail in my kitchen, but I stepped over it to reach the fridge. My water supply has never been contaminated, ever. My water has been safe to drink straight from the tap since forever. Roads have been flooded once or twice but you just pull over and relax until its gone. With infrastructure downtime of .00001%, I very well can rely on it.
This is my life, and the life of the majority of people in my city. I and my parents have lived like this for decades without issue. If you are telling me I still need these emergency supplies, then I respectfully tell you that you need to understand the principles of risk management. In short, _I don’t need to make preparations for an event that is extremely extremely unlikely to happen. You should focus more on risks that are more likely to happen.
Now Dave, you find it within yourself that you should prepare for these emergencies by prepping emergency bags, and I completely respect that because I don’t know your lifestyle. Please allow me to respectfully ask you a question. Have you prepared for the most likely scenarios which will kill you? Do you know what those scenarios are? It’s not natural disaster, flood, or any of that. More than half of deaths in America are from lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular disease and cancer. The top killers of Americans are things which can not be prevented by emergency gear. When a child is born, it’s basically a coin toss on whether or not it will die from health complications. Preventing these things should be your daily focus.
Even in the worst natural disaster/city meltdown possible, you are of no worth to anyone around you if you aren’t healthy enough to help yourself because you’ve got a diseased body.
) grossly underestimate their needs and are completely unprepared for most emergencies.
