What is a BOB, GHB or EDC? What goes in one? And why the heck would I want one anyway?

For those into emergency preparedness. I’ve included a lot of content and just posted one of my personal (primary) EDC’s.

What is a BOB, GHB or EDC? What goes in one? And why the heck would I want one anyway?

BOB
is a “Bug Out Bag”

-basically a smallish, prepacked kit of Emergency Preparedness Essentials
to grab when ” the shit hits the fan”

-Here in California, I have an Earthquake Kit.
Some might have Other disaster preparedness items, or Zombie Apocalyse bag
with ammo etc. :slight_smile:

I’ve been doing some more work on my disaster bag this week. I just setup and sealed the new tent to make sure it’s something we’ll be able to use in an emergency. As an engineer, my motto is “if you haven’t tested it, then it doesn’t work” so I make sure to to know my capabilities beforehand. At the end of the world, we’ll be warm and dry.

My bag has a few items I am proud of, such as the WakaWaka solar lamp & USB charger, the 2,400 calorie food bars and the Mora Light My Fire. I’ve probably got a grand or so into it and haven’t spared any expense so far. Being a flashaholic, the bag features efficient Olight I3S 1xAAA and L10 XP-G2 1xAA flashlights, as well as a Crelant headlamp. All the batteries in the bag are lithium primaries with nice, long shelf lives. I’ve also been working on an EMT type trauma bag which has its own cubby in the disaster bag for quick access.

If survival means I have to live with those lights then kill me now !

I wouldn't put a sk68 in a bug out bag...My life is worth more than that ... and a 3AAA maglite would mean I'm dead already and went to flashlight hell .

Sorry… I would never put SK68 on my disaster bag, a lot of people didn’t realize how much you need a bright flashlight when SHTF,
Most are not prepare nor realize in time of disaster, you can’t just grab any light to search other family members in the darkness.
When you can’t see your own hand in front of you in the darkness.
You want something floody and bright, something like SRK variants or MT-G2 lights or best something like TR-J18 or 9T6.

I’ve been recommending TR-J18 to most of my friends whose willing to listen, unfortunately for most non flasholics spending $50 on light not including the batteries is madness to them. :stuck_out_tongue:
I’ll put one of my AA lights ( sunwayman D40A,F40A, Nitecore EA4 or EA8) for back up in my bag.

And if somebody tell me they’re going to the deep wood with Sk68? I’ll tell them good luck! because you’re going to need one.
Heck… sometimes when I do my night walk after dinner I always carry at least 3 lights with the minimum of a C8 :bigsmile:

Usually I carry C8, SRK variants and/or Fenik TK75, TK61, TK51, Nitecore TM26 and maybe an MT-G2 light( lately I’ve been carrying Niwalker MM15, my favorite light for walking so far ) in my bag

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.

Some additional EDC’s from various folks:

EDC (Every Day Carry) - picture thread

Some GHB’s:

GHB

:slight_smile:

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.

Always be prepared.

Ghb is a drug :slight_smile:

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.

some people get so obsessed with their GHB it becomes an addiction just like a drug :smiley:

Interesting links, I enjoyed checking out the pages.
I firmly believe vast majority of people (myself included :frowning: ) 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.

I hear they have pretty low efficiencies? Especially when I’m talking about a bicycle :wink:

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’.
:smiley:

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.