This is aimed mainly at those who are new to survival and preperation. cmlesq is experienced and I am sure he thought this out and made sure he could carry his BOB when he put it together.

When you are putting together your BOB and choosing the gear for it, all of the best gear in the world will not help you if you can't carry it on your back for extended distances, and if SHTF this is just what you may have to do to get back to your family or get to where you will be safe.

I have carried packs that have weighed as much as 60 lbs when I was in the Army. Now that I am getting older, I cannot hump that much weight for any extended time or distances. Therefore, I do not carry the kind of gear in my BOB that I carried when I was in the Army. I have had to make compromises as to what I really need to survive vs. comfort items.

Most of us train to a certain extent, including walking, hiking, and other outdoor activities. What I like to do to make sure I can handle my BOB is to carry it occasionally when I go for a walk. If you can carry it for a 5 mile walk without much discomfort, you should be able to carry it for long distances if you have to. Another thing I like to do is carry my BOB when going on a picnic/hike in a State or National Park with my family. I do overload it for these to carry the extra food and stuff that we are taking with us, but IMO this just insures that I can carry it, and if something bad happens during the hike we will have what we need to take care ourselves.

I am not saying not to get the best gear you can afford for your BOB. Just prioritize what you will need over what you want so you can carry it and have the gear you need when you need it.

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Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
V.F.W. Life Member
NRA Member
U.S. Army Veteran

It's certainly true that you need to be able to carry your kit for an extended time. While the pack that I've posted about stays primarily in my car, I could hump it around for an extended period of time or distance if I needed to. I've got a much bigger pack, the MOLLE main ruck, but I keep primarily my emergency clothing in that pack as it has a great capacity, but would be extremely heavy if I filled it with tools and other emergency gear.

Finding your limit is key and I also recommend taking your gear on a day trip to test out your ability to carry it.

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If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

well yeah i agree with you on this ..just carry what you think are needed on this kind of emergency..does it mean that when it happens we had to sort things out first ?do we have still the time?.. i think I'll go for the basic things( and must be intact in one bag)..flashlights, water and food(of course money)..

That's what I got my Hubby for, to carry the heavy stuff.

I have two. The one in the car is a framed pack with waist belt. It's a Kelty Trekker and I love it. I could carry it for days. It weighs 29 lbs without the sleep system attached. With the sleep system, it's a little over 35 lbs. (my sleep system includes a double bivvy bag so the two kids can sleep with me, its little poles, vac sealed dry emergency clothing, and a rain sheet big enough to cover us all if necessary (9x12ft).

The kids have their own bivvy bags, but we know from past experience, that they end up with me if they're scared or can't sleep.

The packs in the cellar are older and less comfortable, but they are adjusted well and carryable.

Yep, I can carry mine. With 3 liters of water in it I max out at 65lbs. That weight includes my boots and the clothes

I will be wearing. The reason for this is, I live in earthquake country so I just grab one bag and out the door i go.

As i can't control when an earthquake happens, it might happen in the middle of the night which means running

out of the house in my undies. once i put clothes on my pack is down to 55lbs. I ahve the option of carrying up to

9 liters of water in my kit and have 10 days or rations. This weight doesn't include my firearms. My pack makes

light work of the weight. I'm using a Kifaru "Navigator" with a Kifaru "E&E" pack docked to it.

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Retired Navy SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) Instructor
certified pistol, rifle, shotgun, home defense Instructor
NRA Life Member
Survival & Disaster Preparedness Instructor

No, I can't. No more than about ten pounds or my back is gone. Not enough for a BOB/GHB. So I use a game cart to carry the majority of my equipment and supplies. And since I have to use it anyway, I take advantage of the weight capacity and run about 150 pounds of equipment and supplies. Can't tell much difference in the way the game cart pulls lightly loaded or moderate loaded. Full load is a different story, but I keep things reasonable.

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Jerry D Young