# The one key thing some of us seem to have forgotten...



## aard_rinn (Jun 21, 2012)

I've been looking at a lot of BOBs, and no one seems to mention the clothing they'll bring. I myself only realized I should have a BOB of cloths a few months ago...  But clothing provides protection from scrapes, scratches, stings and cuts, as well as from the cold. What clothing will you bring if you have to bug out for TEOTWAWKI?

Mine consists of a bundle wrapped in a garbage bag wrapped in muslin that is strapped to my BOB where a bedroll would be. Inside are:

8 pairs of underware in a ziplock
6 pairs of thick wool winter socks in ziplocks (2 in the bundle, the rest in my BOB)
6 pairs of thin socks for boots (in my BOB)
4 sports bras (1 in bundle, 3 in BOB)
10-pack of nylon tights
2 pairs of woolen leggings
2 pairs of denim jeans
4 t-shirts
1 sweatshirt
1 pullover
2 BBall caps
2 pairs of gloves (1 in bundle, 1 in BOB)
1 pair of leather work gloves (in BOB
1 fleece winter hat + scarf
4 thin plastic parkas (2 in bundle, 2 in BOB)
Pair of waterproof sandals (SNOCPRO sports sandals)
Pair of waterproof sneakers (tied onto the BOB)
Shoe Goo (in my BOB)
~ 500 needles + 10 spools of thread (in my BOB) - these are for trading too, hence so many - 

In addition, my clothing for a bugout are

Denim jeans
Waterproofed leather hiking boots
T-shirt and bra
Leather coat
Nice warm socks

It seems like a lot, but it comes to ~20 pounds. ~60 is a good load for me, so it doesn't take up all my space. Since I plan on getting as far from civilization as possible as fast as possible if SHTF, I figure cloth's'll be the hardest thing to make, and so this'll hold me over for more than a year. Dry socks are the best thing ever, after all. I'm actually debating adding more woolen socks - at 10 pairs of dry, clean socks for ~1 pound, is it worth it? I think so, but I'd appreciate input. And are there any other uses for nylon tights? They take up so little space, I was thinking I could add some more. A 10 pack is only about 1/4 of a ziplock.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

I was just thinking about this last week. I too have none in my BOB and was thinking that wasnt good.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I am going full Tarzan after the SHTF. I just keep 2 speedos in tiger stripe camo in my BOB. 

All I keep in my BOB as far as clothing goes is an a couple pair of undies, a couple pair of socks and one change of clothing. I have too much food, water and ammo to carry. I would rather eat 500 extra calories and have 3 extra AR magazines than have fresh clothes every day. I believe the BOB is a very individual thing and everyone needs to set theirs up based on their own wants and needs. My wife has more clothes and toiletries in her BOB than I do. I have more tools and weapons.


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## OleSarge (Oct 30, 2012)

There is as old saying where I live. And that is "Cotton Kill". Unlike wool once cotton is wet it provides almost no insulation from cold and it becomes very heavy. Also in the heat it does not breath all that well to let the sweat evaporate to keep you cool. The modern synthetics are from companies like under armor or the likes are far better just to name one. For pant I like the rip stop cotton over synthetic long johns, and this is more for durability than anything. In my experience some of the synthetic outer garments suck unless you spend the kids college money to buy the super high end ones.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

I'd be wearing most of what "clothing items" I'd bring...N they are based on years of working in the woods n SAR operations in the pacific northwest...
Priorities for most folks at least this time of year, would be based on staying warm and dry. Even if someone right now is based in a warm, dry area, lightweight raingear should be packed for changing conditions. 
aard-rinn since you asked for opinions..alot of what you want to bring with you will be fairly bulky, useless n could get you killed in a survival situation if you tried to wear it. Also, doing laundry will not be a priority to much if any can be done at all while on the move.


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## OleSarge (Oct 30, 2012)

I would also say that the most important item of clothing is good socks. I know that sounds silly. If you have never had trench foot or immersion foot you have no idea how painful that can be. It becomes real hard to walk any where let alone any where fast. This is another lesson I learned early in my career as a grunt. Dump things that are not needed from the packing list and double the socks on the packing list. If room permits pack a second pair of boots so one pair can dry and while one pair is on my feet.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

Mine varies with the season, summer I actually have symthetic bsa pants that wick dry and have zip off legs.2 pair. 3 shirts symthetic 2 long sleave, 1 short. sleep wear cotton sweat shirt and lounge pants. 3 pair wool socks all seasons. cold weather 2 pair synthetic long johns, 2 pair of above scout pants, 1 pair wool pants, 2 above long sleave shirts and a heavy wool sweater. I also wear a North Face Climblite shell with fleece liner, and bottoms with fleece liner. I have to wool hats. Depending on the winter temps I have a Pennsylvania Tuxedo hanging by my winter BOB. For the hands I have one pair of synthetic gloves and 2 pair of shooters mittens.(thinsulate)

I believe in being fully covered when sleeping in a sleeping bag. including wool socks and wearing a hat. If your feet get cold put a hat on. This also keeps the oils from your skin from dirtying your sleeping bag so the down wont loose its insulating qualities over time.


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

IMHO, thats way too much clothing to be carrying. i like the shoe-goo, an extra pair of wool socks, and a pair lite sysnthetic socks. ditch the cotton, go with smartwool or synthetics, one piece each to wear while the ones you were wearing are drying out. the only things cotton in my BoB are cotton balls and a small towell.

it sounds like you dont have a particular BOL, if this is the case, scout and map out several potentials, but bear in mind lots of other people will likely have thought of those places too. anyway, once you have a reliable BOL or three, thats going to change what you pack, as you can then start stashing stuff near said BOL(s)

IMHO its far more important to focus on water, shelter, fire and food than to pack around a years worth (or more than a change) of clothes.


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## OleSarge (Oct 30, 2012)

FatTire said:


> IMHO, thats way too much clothing to be carrying. i like the shoe-goo, an extra pair of wool socks, and a pair lite sysnthetic socks. ditch the cotton, go with smartwool or synthetics, one piece each to wear while the ones you were wearing are drying out. the only things cotton in my BoB are cotton balls and a small towell.
> 
> it sounds like you dont have a particular BOL, if this is the case, scout and map out several potentials, but bear in mind lots of other people will likely have thought of those places too. anyway, once you have a reliable BOL or three, thats going to change what you pack, as you can then start stashing stuff near said BOL(s)
> 
> IMHO its far more important to focus on water, shelter, fire and food than to pack around a years worth (or more than a change) of clothes.


I would disagree to an extent. I live in Alaska where all that cold weather gear is just as important as the other stuff. My pack runs a bit heavier than most probably around 90 pounds or so. There are ample supplies of food and water through out the area. So I chose to focus more on the items I need to stay alive in the elements.


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

OleSarge said:


> I would disagree to an extent. I live in Alaska where all that cold weather gear is just as important as the other stuff. My pack runs a bit heavier than most probably around 90 pounds or so. There are ample supplies of food and water through out the area. So I chose to focus more on the items I need to stay alive in the elements.


yeah, i was thinking about that after i re-read what i posted, i just recently moved to montana, so my kit is in the process of change. sometimes my thinking is still in california mode.

im gonna get a -20 bag for sure, and probably some heavier thermals.

my 'food' is beans, rice, bullion cubes, honey, cliff bars, and tools to get more food. my water is a camelbak bladder and a water filter, wich reminds me i gotta insulate my tube... for the camelbak bladder, people!


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

?? I dont see where any life sustaining cold weather gear was mentioned by the OP...wearing a fleece beenie hat wont do much good when the rest of the clothes is cotten jeans, hoodie n crappy plastic slickers...
fattire's 2 cents as well as others advice is sound. I like the shoe goo item posted by the op...a tube would be worth stashing n it's not a expense to toss if Id have to. A colder rated sleeping bag is a must...Mine is rated to 0 and it's kept me pretty toasty in windy cold weather. I have a survival bivy sack to hop into if need be that will up that rating as well as keep me dry along with my bag. 
Quality layers is key..not quanity..smartwool, synthethics, capeline, polly pro..moisture wicking good quality survival clothes and proven rain gear is gold. Layers can be removed if the weather is nice so one doesnt get soaked in sweat, that'll chill (kill) ya at night to be soaked in sweaty clothes. 
I keep a innertube patch kit for my raingear to patch too. I got it at walmart and it has little round different sizes sticky back patches. It makes it a quick easy field fix on raingear holes. I've managed to poke a few holes into my rainpants n it still holds years later... But duct tape will work as well...


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## aard_rinn (Jun 21, 2012)

See, I am in a warmer area, heading south. But I have worn clothing for more than a few days, and it can be as dangerous as having wet feet for a few days. Things start to chafe, moist denim rubs against sweaty skin, and you can get a really nasty case of rider's sores. My BOP is to head south along the foothills of southern Appalachia, so I didn't plan on cold so much as damp. The sweatshirt is a thick wool-lined one, and the hoodie is huge, so it makes a outer protection from damp. The T-shirts are to prevent chafing and keep the sweatshirt free of sweat, since I can wash and dry them faster, while still wearing the sweatshirt. Most of this is to protect from damp and to protect me while I'm crashing through brambles.

I have it as a seperate bundle, with redundancys of socks and underthings in my BOB, so if it's a matter of life and death, I can ditch it. It also has a redundant med-kit, water filter, water bottle, knife, and firestarter, so if my BOB is too big, I can take the bundle, which is half the size.

All in all, my BOB+bundle is 59.5 lbs - 17.6 lbs cloths, 12 lbs food, 29.9lbs gear; well within the amount I can carry for a day while hiking.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

If you are a true outdoors man stop here.

If you are a not an outdoors man read on. I had a job that required me to be outside for sometimes 12 hours a day with limited chance to warm-up inside.
I had my working outside eyes opened by that job. My first winter, I was cold all the time, I had the best winter parka's and insulated underwear (BTW this was before the new under armor was available, I have now tried it and if I could afford more I would buy more). I thought, why am I cold all the time, well here is what I discovered, I was wearing to much clothing and I was sweating, and as soon as you sweat, you are cold the rest of the day. 

I had to train myself to be slightly cool and enjoy it. When I did this I would be cool all day but not cold. My job was hard labor and it didn't take much to get a sweat started so I would start the day with multiple layers that quickly came off as soon as I started work. I would keep taking layers off till I felt the cold.

Another secret that I discovered was never turn on the floor heat in the car on the way to work, it just made my feet sweat and then my feet were cold all day.

Also, for summer temps when the temps get up to 95-100 I would start putting clothes on. At the higher temps with a wind the sweat will evaporate in seconds to mins. By putting more clothes on the sweat stays longer. I ended up heat stroke one summer when the temp was 105F and the wind was blowing at 25MPH. I never want to go through that again. In a SHTF scenario it would kill you.


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## Startingout-Blair (Aug 28, 2012)

sailaway said:


> Mine varies with the season, summer I actually have symthetic bsa pants that wick dry and have zip off legs.2 pair. 3 shirts symthetic 2 long sleave, 1 short. sleep wear cotton sweat shirt and lounge pants. 3 pair wool socks all seasons. cold weather 2 pair synthetic long johns, 2 pair of above scout pants, 1 pair wool pants, 2 above long sleave shirts and a heavy wool sweater. I also wear a North Face Climblite shell with fleece liner, and bottoms with fleece liner. I have to wool hats. Depending on the winter temps I have a Pennsylvania Tuxedo hanging by my winter BOB. For the hands I have one pair of synthetic gloves and 2 pair of shooters mittens.(thinsulate)
> 
> I believe in being fully covered when sleeping in a sleeping bag. including wool socks and wearing a hat. If your feet get cold put a hat on. This also keeps the oils from your skin from dirtying your sleeping bag so the down wont loose its insulating qualities over time.


Believe it or not, when I went to basic training, it was sub zero temps. We learned quickly that you undress inside your sleeping bag. If you leave your clothes on, you would freeze. The sleeping bags they issued used your body heat to keep you warm. It takes practice, but you learn how to dress and put on boots inside a sleeping bag. And yes, you kept all that inside the bag with you to keep it warm too!


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

tweto..Im thinking this op is just screwing around..
...but your post brought back memories. 
No heater going to work in crew carrier...anywhere we worked out here it was a hike just to get to the worksite. It could be cold and rainy, or frozen n icy out n everyone was cold at first but once you loaded up your pack and whatever tools we carried to the worksite..by the time we got there we'd be toasty warm..outter layers were already taken off and my usual attire was if not raining..work boots, pants, rain pants, quality drywicking undershirt with uniform work shirt over it, hardhat n bandana..the goal was to just stay warm without sweating to much. If it was raining, my rain jacket stayed on if it was really comming down and if it was real cold or we were higher in the mountains I had a shell to add warmth..but I found that out as well..the fewer layers the better. Course if it was snowey n way cold...i'd be more layered. but yea..sweat will kill ya. 
I cant regard this OP as someone who is serious..n if he/she is survival of the fittest will play out on this one...First the OP says that the grand plan is to steal someones boat n loot like a bunch of thugs, now is going to trek on down the soutern mountains with a bunch of crap n is either a complete asleep or a troll...


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## aard_rinn (Jun 21, 2012)

You mean the zombie plan?

... You do realize that that is contingent on _actual zombies_ making the land uninhabitable?

Besides, I'm in college. Not everyone can afford a perfect plan, or even a terribly good one. I do the best I can with what I have, for now.


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

... you do realize that a 'zombie' is a fictional construct?

given that, your plan is perfect...


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Not sure how we got to the 'zombie' crap ... but if it matters I keep a 
change of clothing... (clothing for the season) in my BOB ...

And I don't plan to bug out ...


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## truecarnage (Apr 25, 2010)

Clothing is very important, but I would never be able to get all that in my pack.
Now if I stayed home then all I have is at my finger tips.
If I am bugging out then I will be limited as to what I can carry.
I'm over 80 lbs now add pistol, rifle, ammo and I'm at my max. hiking weight.
My large Alice is full now There is no way I could add 20# even if I had the room
I vaccume pack what I can to keep stuff dry and as small as possible


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## Jezcruzen (Oct 21, 2008)

Sentry18 said:


> I am going full Tarzan after the SHTF. I just keep 2 speedos in tiger stripe camo in my BOB.
> 
> All I keep in my BOB as far as clothing goes is an a couple pair of undies, a couple pair of socks and one change of clothing. I have too much food, water and ammo to carry. I would rather eat 500 extra calories and have 3 extra AR magazines than have fresh clothes every day. I believe the BOB is a very individual thing and everyone needs to set theirs up based on their own wants and needs. My wife has more clothes and toiletries in her BOB than I do. I have more tools and weapons.


Throw a baking potato in with those Speedos. You can stuff it down in front when you want to make a good first impression. Just be sure not to let the potato slide around to the rear!


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

aard_rinn said:


> You mean the zombie plan?
> 
> ... You do realize that that is contingent on _actual zombies_ making the land uninhabitable?
> 
> Besides, I'm in college. Not everyone can afford a perfect plan, or even a terribly good one. I do the best I can with what I have, for now.


Having any sort of plan will put you miles ahead of the sheeple. Like all plans your bob will change over time and with the seasons. We are in a similar area and situatiin (I am a student with limited means as well). Fortunately I was in the military so have left over gear and I collect camping gear like others collect stamps. It is winter in N GA and this is what ive got in mine.
4 pairs under armor underwear
5 pair wool army sock
1heavy long john 
1 light long john
1 extra boot
1 extra uniform
Assorted snivel gear (beanie, gloves, facemask)

I carry a snugpack sleeping bag and gortex bag cover in a large stuffsack that also contains gortex jacket and pants (both light weight). Always have atleast 2 poncho.

I use old bdu's because my bop does not include contact with others. My get home bag is more civilian orientated and during bug out will probably be wearing civvies until I reach destination so I will have some. That should do for winter weather I can reasonably plan for. Remember cotton kills and layers are a must. Have fun and good on ya for forming a plan on a limited budget.


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## Wolf1066 (Jan 1, 2010)

Years ago, when I first started camping, I wore cotton T-shirts, jeans, occasional garments picked up from the local Army Surplus store.

I quickly found that sweat-soaked cotton becomes terribly cold on even a hot summer's day with a light breeze.

When polypropylene became available, I took to wearing short-sleeved polypropylene undershirts instead of cotton T-shirts - they wick the sweat to evaporate away from the skin, cooling but not chilling.

Some of my friends thought I was mad wearing "thermal underwear" as a t-shirt on hot days, but I was perfectly comfortable.

And it has the advantage of drying really quickly after washing.

Riding motorcycles has taught me that cotton jeans are terrible in a high-speed cold wind - even if dry, they conduct heat from your legs rapidly enough to cause your legs to go numb.

In my small fanny pack that goes everywhere with me when I'm up camping, I've got a pair of polyprop gloves and a polyprop balaclava, a nylon wind-cheater that folds up small and *3-4 pairs of socks*.

And there are more spare socks in my pack, at least another 3 pairs.

As mentioned above, socks are crucial.

At night, I peel off my damp socks, dry my feet and put on dry socks before getting into my sleeping bag.

If I had to survive with only the contents of my survival pack (which also has small first aid kit, survival kit, large plastic rubbish bags (for makeshift waterproofing), compass etc), the things that I rely on to carry me to safety will be well looked after.

Wool's great because it's warm even when soaked through - but it's not windproof, hence carrying a thin nylon windcheater to throw over the top. I've been caught out in a storm and the only weather-proofing I had was a heavy woolen bush-shirt and the nylon windcheater. I was soaked through to the skin from the rain but I was actually feeling quite hot from exerting myself while wearing the heavy wool.

I carry very few extra clothes, even when "going bush" for an extended time. A few changes of underwear, some extra layers to put on if it gets cold, spare trousers and polyprop "T-shirt", plenty of spare socks.

Modern synthetics dry quickly so there's no point in carrying an entire month's supply of clean clothes.


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