# What Makes a Good BOB?



## GPS1504 (Dec 13, 2013)

In my travels, I recently saw mention of a Bug Out Kit that someone purchased online. Although the kit itself was not too terribly far off the mark, the bag itself got me wondering. The bag may have been decent but what was off-putting was the words \"Survival Kit\" emblazoned across the front of the bag in bright colored letters, which was just too gimmicky to me. What, to you, makes a good BOB and what does not?








We\'ve all been to school and some of us spent time in the military. As a result, throughout our lives we have been exposed to lots of different bag types. While traditional backpacks are often embraced for ease of carrying, are they enough to get the job done? I remember needing a new one for every year I spent in school, and honestly two would have been better because making it to the end of the year with the same bag usually entailed safety pins and a lot of frustration. Because of this, I am not sure I can put my faith in the standard backpack.

A onetime favorite of mine was the Jansport bag. Call it what you will, but Jansport bags have really gone downhill. Even though they couldn\'t quite make a full school year back then, they don\'t look like they could make a whole week these days, especially if you were depending on them to house survival supplies. One of my more recent backpacks was an Outdoor pack and it still lives on, surprisingly enough, but not being big enough to hold what I feel necessary is its downfall.

What I have gone with in the end is a Condor 3 Day Assault Pack that has been treated to resist water penetration. It is tough, durable, and rugged with multiple zippers and best of all is nondescript. Sure, it looks like a heavy duty bag, but all in all it still looks like a bag, which is exactly what I want. No bags marked with the words \"Survival Kit\" in big, bold letters are welcome here!










Inside of this bag are things such as energy bars, dust masks, paracord, a first aid kid, pen and paper, a utility knife, multi-tool, flashlights/head lamps, extra cell phone charger, extra batteries, ponchos, waterproof matches, AM/FM radio, a compass, a whistle, water pouches, heavy duty gloves, duct tape, a pack of lighters, chapstick, a change of clothes, an atlas, portable GPS, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug spray, a tube tent, trash bags, a hat, clean socks, a small sewing kit, personal information on a zip drive (birth certificate, passport, ID, etc.), and hygiene items just to name the things I can think of without dumping the entire bag out and making a more detailed list.

The best part about this bag is that all of my items fit inside. There are not zippers that object to the load or seams that are popping under the stress of carry. The bag itself is nondescript without giving any inclination as to what is in it and thus hopefully not making it an interesting item to steal. I prefer survival privacy and this bag answers that call. What type of bag do you carry? What criteria does it have to meet before being slung over your shoulder? A bag is not just a bag when it comes to survival; the bag that can save your life better be a good one.


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