From cayoung01@earthlink.net Fri Aug 03 05:56:03 2001 To: Subject: Fw: [misc_survivalism_moderated] Re: Bugout Bags-Personal Testing From: "Chris Young" Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 07:56:03 -0400 -------- ----- Original Message ----- From: whleader@aol.com To: misc_survivalism_moderated@egroups.com Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2000 11:37 AM Subject: [misc_survivalism_moderated] Re: Bugout Bags-Personal Testing Hello to all from a new member. Recently a friend and I decided to put our ideas and gear to the test. We had been contemplating this for a while and elected to test our B gear. This is the bag and equipment we keep in our vehicles. The "A " bags ( Best Gear) are kept at home ready to go in a moments notice. Being as you spend 8-10 hours per day at work or leisure, we realized the likelyhood of a need arising during this time was great. We decided to head to an area in one of the national forests here in SC. Establish a "campground" and then just leave. This would afford us a place to park, legitimate camp site and reason to be their. Once we arrived we agreed the rules would be take your pack and RUN. Period. We knew the area was remote and did not expect to be visited. After running on and off for 30 min. we elected to look for and area thick enough to not be detected that fit our needs (close water and wind break). Our first observation was the beating our gear took while running. At each pause, we took turns checking each others gear for problems, tie downs etc. We setteled in with little noise and began establishing our site. First we took a basic compass bearing, just in case we had to walk out at night. Boy does that terrain look all the same after o'dark thirty. We divided labor and began. I was charged with fire procurement and building. My partner took water and site selection to set up our hides (shelters). This is where we began to learn our lessons. We were about 400 yards from a creek that appeared to be clean. We both use a katadyne combi filter along with both a very small bottle of clorox as well as iodine pills and liquid. We knew we would not be drinking any nastys this night. In order to boil water to cook, it had to be carried from the creek to our canteen cups. My partner produced a canvas water bag that holds a little more than a gallon and collapses down to nothing. Boy did this come in handy. We did not want to walk back and forth to the creek leaving a trail. (Should the circumstances move us even farther from water this could be a life saver.) With the run we both used up one of our military 1 quart canteens. We both carry two, with pills and stainless cups. The katadynes we use were modified to use a much longer rubber hose for intake so you do not soak your boots getting close to the stream. We also have added another piece off tubing from the outlet so you can just insert this in to your canteen and pump. He filled all canteens with filtered water and filled the canvas bag with raw water. In the mean time I was selecting downed wood for the fire. This process took more than an hour. I made sure we had plenty of extra wood in case one of us became hypothermic. We were not using sleeping bags or tents on this trip and the expected low temp was 41 degrees. Fire starting was done with a Gerber Strike Force with no accelerant. Dry pine needles, some ground dry oak leaves and dried vine were brought to flame with just sparks. This takes some work. You must scrape hard and continously on the flint rod to produce enough hot sparks to ignite the tinder. A steady flow (shower) of sparks must be maintained. The tinder sprung to life and presto, the first cup of coffee. We found an area in a thicket that offerd saplings as well as level ground. Once we cleaned up the ground we built the shelters. My partner set up a ridge line with para cord and used a german made rubberized poncho for a roof. He had a ground pad to sleep on and a small plastic tarp placed under it to keep out ground moisture. I elected to use a tarp in an A frame design. I tied the grommets togeather creating a tube and then ran my rope ridge line through it. I bundeled up one end and tied it off. It was not air tight but kept in more heat this way. I also attached a mosquito netting to the ridgeline inside. We kept them 10 feet apart and slept with our heads in opposite directions to detect any visitors. Our packs were used for pillows (ouch) but it did help a bit. Once established in our site, we began taking notes on what to do / change next time. We discovered the following: Partners mag light was dead as well as spare batteries. We figured heat from his trunk killled them. My angle head flashlight worked fine, my gear is stowed in an action packer in the back of my pickup with a camper shell. We guessed the tempature was less. A small tube of multi purpose soap lad leaked in his gear. Will be using bars now. The adjuster on my alice pack slipped and had to be tightened while running with a load. The foam pad I slip under the frame slot on the alice pack did help when running. As did a modified kidney / Belt combo. My partner commented on my quart bottle of spring water. I told him that I had 4 more in the truck and I could carry two in the outer pack pouch. If unopened these do not need to be rotated as the canteens do. I select the water based on the durability of the container not the brand name. The balance of the gear was intact. First aid kit. Full change of clothes wool hat -leather gloves (We are assuming leaving work in dress clothes) 2 Full MRE's 2 2400 calorie mainstay bars -( Wrap in paper as they will get puncured and loose the vaccume seal) Gerber multi tool 550 cord water kit -(cheesecloth, small glass bottles of iodine and bleach, aquarium charcoal) Katadyne combi water filter. ( This fits perfectly in a plastic welding rod container that screws shut and is water proof and floats. It can be attached to the side of the pack for easy access. Available at most hardware stores for $6.00 Snakebite kit (the south) Sheath knife. Small am radio Flashlight snare / trip wire Personal care kit wool blanket fire starter kit Vitamins compass (stored high in pack not near metal) Maps Signal mirror As well as a few other odds and ends. Dinner was served at sundown. I use a large 3' x 4' heavy 4 mill plastic to set thing on while eating. This keeps your gear clean, no crumbs to attract critters etc. Works great when forest floor is wet too. We discovered that we should have packed more coffee and hot chocolate. The MRE's were fine after six months of auto storage. These are rotated every 3 to six months. Dry foods are kept for 1 to 2 years with no ill effect. By 10:00 the temp was 50 and falling. We had little wind. We were wearing cotton pants, wool socks and boots, wool sweater and watch caps. Field jackets with liners are kept with gear and were carried on packs. Most of the year this is not necessary as the temps here are mild. But dont be fooled. This was the last week in Sept and the nights get cold. After alot on conversation and a weather check with the am radio we turned in. We both had some difficulty sleeping and it was cold. Temp was 40 at 04:00. We awoke at 05:00 and rekindled the fire. A hot cup of coffee and some oatmeal goes a long ways to warming you up and lifting your spirit. On our return hike my partner discussed how he liked the idea of the mosquito netting as he had a spider visit him last night. I added his merits of having a sleeping pad as I was a bit sore from sleeping on the tarp only. His use of bandanas to pick up hot cooking utinsils also hit home for me. (ouch) The learning expierence is why we did this as well as having some fun. We plan to do this again in the dead of winter with the families and the A gear. We are also planing a summer test where temps exceed 100 and the bugs will carry you off. The mosquito should be the South Carolina state bird. All the best. Bill [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Small business owners... Tell us what you think! http://us.click.yahoo.com/vO1FAB/txzCAA/ySSFAA/DROolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: misc_survivalism_moderated-unsubscribe@egroups.com Group webpage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/misc_survivalism_moderated Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/