BOB in car - pack everything and remove or pack light and add

Started by Optimist, October 05, 2021, 06:32:11 PM

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Optimist

I'm getting my winter BOB ready to keep in my car. One good thing about vehicles is that they can carry a whole bunch of stuff. It got me thinking, when storing a BOB in a car do people generally:

  • Try to pack the ideal BOB and not plan on adding or removing anything depending on situation.
  • Throw everything and the kitchen sink into the bag and plan on removing items depending on the situation.
  • Pack a minimalist BOB and have other items in their car that they can add depending on the situation.

I phrased this question more generically because I'm curious about the reasoning in general. I've been thinking it through for my specific situation, and I think I might keep a wheeled bag/sled (season dependent) with everything and the kitchen sink, then inside that have a much smaller BOB that I can add things to depending on situation. The bigger bag is mostly to keep things together so they don't get lost, and to make it easy to take out and put back on the whole thing if for some reason I need to make a lot of room in my car. (I'm thinking about an ultralight GHB to just leave in all the time, so if I do have to take my BOB out I'm not stuck with nothing.)

SCBrian

I keep a GHB in the car, and I check it twice a year.  Change clothes to match the weather and make sure the food etc is still in date, etc...   I cant imagine I'd try for a "One and Done" approach, as in the summer I'd never need the heavier clothing...
BattleVersion wrote:  "For my Family?...Burn down the world, sure... But, I'm also willing to carry it on my shoulders."

flybynight

Other than some mechanics gloves and a Shemagh . I don't keep clothes in my GHB. But in winter , my wife and I normally wear heavy coats, gloves, socks and winter boots and we also toss in the truck  gear bags with insulated bib overalls , extra gloves, hats, socks  and hats
"Hey idiot, you should feel your pulse, not see it."  Echo 83

EBuff75

My GHB/BOB already has some clothes, but in the winter I add a separate winter bag to each vehicle.  These have some heavier clothes in them, along with some boots, high calorie/fat foods, canned heat, etc.  If I need to leave the car/truck, I'll switch over to whatever I need to take with me, but they're really intended to add some additional survivability to staying in the vehicle for a few days.  Obviously this is easiest with my Suburban (see avatar), as I can load a ton of stuff into the back without any problem.
Information - it's all a battle for information. You have to know what's happening if you're going to do anything about it. - Tom Clancy, Patriot Games

Brekar

I live out of a grip as a railroader, and as such I always have a large amount of misc stuff/crap in the rear of my S10's extended cab. However, besides the required railroad gear (radio, RCO vest, high visibility vest, fusee's, etc) I keep a bag specific to the time of year it is.

Spring/Summer I keep a change of light clothes and 2-3 extra pairs of socks in the bag, an extra pair of shoes/boots, some gloves, a small amount of ammo, a mask/gaiter of some sort, some assorted homemade trail mix and jerky. I carry enough assorted food to survive for a couple of days if need be, and I always carry at least 2 days of food in my lunchbox. I carry this much food because early on in my career I was stuck on a train for 36 hours due to a snow storm, I kept my sanity because I had been lazy and packed an entire jar of Jif crunchy peanut butter and a large bag of jerky, because I'd been expecting a quick trip home.

Fall/Winter I keep a change of clothes and and 2-3 extra pairs of wool socks in the bag, an extra pair of boots, some warm gloves, a small amount of ammo, a mask/gaiter of some sort, and keep a heavier coat, insulated bibs, warm hats, a pair of LaCrosse ATS 12" Tungsten Carbide Stud Fleece Overshoes. I also usually keep some sort of way to stay warm, usually a case of "Hothands", because they are free from work, or Sterno.
This is obvious a bit of overkill for most people, but as someone who uses his truck in a lot of different kinds of weather, in a lot of nasty places, I spend a lot of time in and out of the vehicle, and would hate to be stuck and not be able to stay warm or eat if need be...


Crosscut

Quote from: EBuff75 on October 05, 2021, 07:51:39 PM
My GHB/BOB already has some clothes, but in the winter I add a separate winter bag to each vehicle.  These have some heavier clothes in them, along with some boots, high calorie/fat foods, canned heat, etc.  If I need to leave the car/truck, I'll switch over to whatever I need to take with me, but they're really intended to add some additional survivability to staying in the vehicle for a few days.  Obviously this is easiest with my Suburban (see avatar), as I can load a ton of stuff into the back without any problem.

Same here.  Packed BOBs in the closet near the door if we're bugging out from the house, but would build a BOB/GHB from the gear in the truck if bugging out from there.

CG

I live in Texas.  During the winter, I add my heavy cloak (wool military blankets lined with fleece) and maybe tennis shoes (I live in stringy sandals practically year round, even when there is ice on the ground).  During the summer, I might toss in another instant ice pack, but summer is more about keeping things that the heat won't kill.  Glass or metal bottles of water.  Maybe a Larabar in my bag, but nothing left in the car.

Optimist

I definitely change stuff based on seasons.I can see if someone lived in a place where there wasn't much season difference they might just pack an all-seasons BOB, but my winter stuff is incredibly bulky and not of any use during the summer.

As an example of what I was thinking of, I live in a cold but heavily forested area. I can definitely see why having an axe could be useful. On the other hand, I could also easily see leaving the axe to keep the load light if I'm close enough to my destination. So I was wondering if it makes more sense to have the axe in the BOB and take it out if I don't need it, or have the axe stored in the car but not in the BOB and stick it in if I think I'll need it.

Overall I don't think it will matter that much as more often than not a person would have some time to consider what to do, so maybe it's six of one and half a dozen of the other? (The situations where I would be in such a rush that I don't have any time would be something like evacuating from a fire or quickly rising flood and my car gets stuck, and in such a situation I imagine I would only grab a water bottle for fear of being weighed down.)

I'm leaning towards everything in the BOB just for the ease of only having to grab one bag if I have to take the BOB out of the car for some non-emergency purpose.

echo83

I'm not sure I can answer the question to your satisfaction, but I'll try, because I think this is a great discussion. Great enough to necro it.
Short answer? I wear what I need, so I don't really add or subtract much of anything from my bag.

My BOB and GHB setup is based on my understanding of the USGI MOLLE II system...my BOB is the main MOLLE II ruck, 2 sustainment pouches, and sleep system carrier in woodland camo. My GHB is a smaller assault-style pack. I don't care for the USGI assault pack, so I'm using a Dutch Army assault pack. Same principle, though...you attach your assault pack to the MOLLE II, and off you go, marching confidently towards the sound of danger, or a double knee replacement, whichever comes first.

My BOB stays at home, and my GHB goes with me in my car. My GHB contents are pretty general purpose and complimentary to the BOB contents, and meant to be immune to the temperature extremes of summer and winter. Here's a current list of contents.

FOOD
Mountain House x3
Clif Bars x3
SOS bars x1
Spoon x2

WATER
USGI canteen/cup/stove (32 oz water) A 96 oz Nalgene rides in the car.
Sawyer Mini filter x1

SHELTER
Bivvy Bag x2
Poncho liner x1

FIRE (in dry bag)
Pocket Esbit stove and screen
Esbit tabs x4
Sterno small can x2
Waterproof matchbooks x4
Bic lighter x1

FIRST AID
AMK ultralight kit .9 x1
Israeli bandage 4 inch x1
Israeli bandage 6 inch x1

TOOLS
Morakniv companion x1
Gerber Diesel x1
Gorilla tape x1
USGI compass x1
Headlamp x1
Paracord 100 foot x1

I hope this is helpful. In the event of a bug-out, I'm going home to retrieve my family and BOB first. My GHB is meant to give me the means to do that, or to spend an uncomfortable night or two in my car on the way there.

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