Go Bags, what to have in one

[CBBaron]

I just bought a water bottle with a carbon filter in the nozzle, not sure how well it works exactly since I do not have the ability to test that, but I have noticed the water tastes better when using tap water. Not sure if something like that would work on bacteria though.

Carbon filters remove chlorine and some other contaminates. This does improve the flavor of water. However it does nothing for the safety of the water.

Craig

[Pokey]

Carbon filters remove chlorine and some other contaminates. This does improve the flavor of water. However it does nothing for the safety of the water.

Craig

Could always boil, then filter for better taste?

[flounder]

Carbon filters remove chlorine and some other contaminates. This does improve the flavor of water. However it does nothing for the safety of the water.

Craig

Depends on the carbon filter. Quality carbon filters will remove damn near everything and carbon filters are the goto for purifying the nastiest of water sources.

[flounder]

Could always boil, then filter for better taste?

Youre thinking bacteria and living organism based contaminants. Boiling does nothing for chemical based contaminants..

[BadTrainDriver]

I do beef jerky(homemade) to get protein and some calories. I have ten days worth of dried food in my pack weighs like 2 pounds. My down fall was ammo and cans of food before added lots of weight. I removed some 9mm ammo and 5.56 ammo/mags dropped some weight out of the pack. Also water was a major weight factor. Before I had almost 10 pounds of water. Now I have two 16 oz bottles, and have a filter system to refill them with.

I'm interested in hearing more about 10 days worth of food(water not included obviously) that weighs 2 pounds.

[OsuMj]

I'm interested in hearing more about 10 days worth of food(water not included obviously) that weighs 2 pounds.

... mathematically speaking, that's probably not quite right, i think you can get ~4000 calories out of a lb of lard which is probably about the highest calorie per lb content you can get (as far as I know), and you're hiking, so you're consuming at least 2000 probably up to 4000 a day, so that's really only 2-4 days..... idk though, maybe just dehydrated foods???

then the other issue with dehydrated food is that they need a lot of water to be prepared... gotta find clean water somewhere then, and they're usually VERY salty.

[BadTrainDriver]

Even if you went with something like this:

http://www.campingsurvival.com/36calfoodbar.html

You'd still be over 2 pounds for 10 days worth.

I'd hardly call that stuff food, either.

[speedytriple]

This is the dried food i went with. Its 102grams per pouch. I have twenty pouches in my bag so my math sucks what does 2040 grams weigh? As for water my filter should cover that as long as i can find a stream or any source of water to filter.

http://www.wisefoodsupply.com/emergency-food-supply-kits/56-serving-breakfast-and-entree.html

[speedytriple]

Sorry just did the math its about four and a half pounds not two.

[OsuMj]

Sorry just did the math its about four and a half pounds not two.

2 or 288 ???

[ReconRat]

Quick math on basic chicken and rice, freeze dried entree bags, just add boiling water.

3 per day, ten days = 11.625 pounds.

edit: just checked, not enough calories. Need way more.

A meal with 300 calories is ok in a shelter sitting on your butt. But not if you're on the move.

You need 2000-3000 calories per day. You'd have to eat two or three of them at each meal...

I put this on the other thread. I found it last night.

A website with a large number of MRE style heaters and freeze dried choices. (OK, mostly freeze dried stuff.)

http://www.wildernessdining.com/

edit again: If you carried simple plain white rice. Boil to cook:

205 calories per serving, 185 grams per serving.

Per day: 1541 grams/54oz/3.39lb for 2000 calories per day

Per day: 2312 grams/81oz/5.06lb for 3000 calories per day

between 33.9lb and 50.6lb for ten days!

I guess plain rice isn't the best choice...

Or add a squirrel or rabbit each day.

There are high calorie entrees that add boiling water, that will be under 10 pounds for 10 days for 2000 calories per day.

Just pick carefully, the high calorie items. A lot of them are breakfast entrees, probably the extra sugar or grain.

one more try: Enertia Trail Foods Moosilauke Goulash

500 calories per entree, 4 oz

for 2000 calories, 4 per day, 16oz, one pound per day, 10 pounds for 10 days

for 3000 calories, x1.5 which is 15 pounds for 10 days.

MREs basically weight 3 times as much, since they already have the water.

Edited December 4, 2012 by ReconRat

[Pokey]

Youre thinking bacteria and living organism based contaminants. Boiling does nothing for chemical based contaminants..

Chemical based contaminants, hell I hope to avoid that!

[flounder]

Chemical based contaminants, hell I hope to avoid that!

Probably just as common.

Fertilizers (ammonia, etc), oil, gas, cleaners, solvents, etc. All of that gets washed off the streets, fields during a rain and into the rivers it goes.

[ninjachic]

Probably just as common.

Fertilizers (ammonia, etc), oil, gas, cleaners, solvents, etc. All of that gets washed off the streets, fields during a rain and into the rivers it goes.

not to mention those times when some sewage line breaks and that ends up in the river as well.

[speedytriple]

Like i said three packs a day is about 1700 plus small game. Figure about 500 calories for fresh meat fish. I also have around a dozen power bars think their 400 or so calories thats about 2600 calories a day. Not much but enough to get by on short term. Its not perfect but i was trying to reduce my bags weight as it was well over 65 pounds to start off. Have not weighed it but would guess it's around 40-45the now.

Edit not claiming to be super knowledgeable on survival bags. Just giving insight on where my bag started to where it is now.

Edited December 3, 2012 by speedytriple

[OsuMj]

Speedy, I have been trying out different meals like the link you posted. Some of them are pretty tasty and they do a good job of keeping your energy up. They're light weight and a good option for if you have plenty of water available... so i would agree they are decent for a go bag!

[speedytriple]

Like I said this is all new to me I am picking things up from a shop that does the local gun shows. The people who run the stand are uber crazy into food storage, with something like 20 years of food for two people stored and crazy water collection systems. I just got enough stuff from them to do a bag or two. I hope to never need to use a go bag but better to have SOMETHING then nothing at all ready?

[flounder]

MJ, I never realized you were a GoBag type of girl.. giggity. haha. .fyi, was talking about you the other day with some people at work and had to tell them the story about the time you punched me and about broke your hand hahaha

[OsuMj]

MJ, I never realized you were a GoBag type of girl.. giggity. haha. .fyi, was talking about you the other day with some people at work and had to tell them the story about the time you punched me and about broke your hand hahaha

yaaaaah, that was painful. lol. now I know where NOT to punch you.

[scottb]

So, not only do I have to think about what to put in a bag, I would also have to figure out where to go. I have a friend in eastern Ohio, but that is 90 miles away. Depending on the reason I would have to bail from my house, I might not be able to make it out of the 'burbs. Then, I also have a wife, so I would have to bring her along, and prep a bag for her too.

Assuming I could make it to eastern Ohio, and not get car jacked, road blocked, shot along the way, weather conditions, I might have a chance since my friend is way of an outdoorsman then I am.

No real place within the burbs to escape to, other then the metro parks. I know there is water ( Tinkers Creek ) and possibly wild life. I could take up shelter under one of the many bridge over passes, but might be hard to defend / protect my stuff / wife.

Once you bug-out, where do you go? I have to factor that into a plan too.

[OsuMj]

So, not only do I have to think about what to put in a bag, I would also have to figure out where to go. I have a friend in eastern Ohio, but that is 90 miles away. Depending on the reason I would have to bail from my house, I might not be able to make it out of the 'burbs. Then, I also have a wife, so I would have to bring her along, and prep a bag for her too.

Assuming I could make it to eastern Ohio, and not get car jacked, road blocked, shot along the way, weather conditions, I might have a chance since my friend is way of an outdoorsman then I am.

No real place within the burbs to escape to, other then the metro parks. I know there is water ( Tinkers Creek ) and possibly wild life. I could take up shelter under one of the many bridge over passes, but might be hard to defend / protect my stuff / wife.

Once you bug-out, where do you go? I have to factor that into a plan too.

Sadly, I think that's a little bit of a last minute decision for me. My family has a farm about 100 miles north of here and that is a possibility. The next and more favorable option would be a family property in the UP (VERY remote, lots of wildlife in the back yard, fishing hole down the road, close to canada eh). But ultimately, you have to decide if you would either try to hold up in the house till things calm down, or get the out of the city entirely. It just depends on what is going on. Is it rioting? Is it flooding/tornado/other natural disaster? Is it civil war? Is it an outside attack? I think a good flee plan will include a couple possible locations and room for improvising in case something goes wrong.

My opinion is you have to think about things like how you're going to protect yourself after you leave your home (how much ammo can you really carry???). What happens if you get to your destination and its destroyed- what's your backup plan?

[scottb]

I see the magic answer seems to be "it depends" - if this is a long term thing, which region is affected. Too many people near me, with an apartment complex at the end of the street.

Expanding a little bit more, if the vechicle is invovled, I could take lots of ammo for the pistol, rifle, shotgun and more stuff, like a camping trip.

[ReconRat]

okay... intense analysis of freeze dried food, looking for ~2000 calories per day and under one pound per day. ~4 required each day.

Actual calculation is calories/weight for calories per ounce.

I only looked at the top best sellers.

I find:

Mountain House Breakfast of eggs and bacon or ham (320-350 calories each meal)

Mountain House ProPaks of Beef Stroganoff, Lasagna, Chili Mac, or Sweet and Sour Pork w rice. (500-550 calories each meal)

These are the most energy per weight

edit: ultra light weight freeze dried sugary deserts pack a lot of calories. Like astronaut ice cream.

edit2: btw, apparently lots of people know this. Most of these are out of stock everywhere I look.

Edited December 4, 2012 by ReconRat

[TimTheAzn]

..... Looks like I'm going to have to start doing some research......

Sent from my iPhone

[OsuMj]

I think we've been trying out the Mountain House Propaks and some of the Wise ones. The Wise ones take a lot more water, but they pack smaller.

In all honesty, I would probably only eat 1 of these a day with how salty they are, how much water they take, how long they take to prepare, how messy they are (it ends up all over my hands), but they are nice for mental status. Its like a real meal and it makes you feel full, which you can't usually get from the snacky foods. If I'm doing a 1 day hike, I can get by on snacks, but it is nice to feel like you ate something substantial.