Any fellow survivalists utilize their truck?

Comfortable... hell yes. Compact? Not so much, when truck space is limited. Durable over time? Not as much as heavier nylon.

I keep my frame pack empty and ready as an overflow BOB for the family, and I use it for backpacking trips. Tactical-style BOBs are just easier to work with when you have a bunch of small items to keep organized. Plus with a frame pack, you have to make all sorts of hand-crafted attachment points. Also, the materials are light and thin and would tear much easier over time. I just like the look of tactical stuff.

Would a frame pack make a great BOB? Sure, but in different ways. It's personal preference I guess.

And ask yourself this... if you didn't have gear and were looking for victims if SHTF, would you fuck with a guy carrying a blue backpack, or a guy with a camo tactical pack?

 

I have a LAPG Operator Backpack and my GF has the LAPG 3 Day backpack. Both are loaded out to the teeth as BOBs. I also hike with my BOB every time as training and prep. Did a 15 mile hike the other week with my BOB fully loaded.

 

Definitely the most comfortable option, that's for sure. I debated it quite a bit. I've used my Rush 72 as a carry-on when I fly, too. A hiking backpack would have to be checked because it's too long.

 

Sub for cool thread!

 

Bad advice- the heat destroys them quicker than thought.

http://www.fayobserver.com/military/article_3fd8c0b4-c0c9-5638-b7ef-d5af487cfd52.html

 

Meh. I've ate thousands of old MR. E's in the desert and I'm still alive. I'm not saying it's the greatest food ever, but it will make a turd. Lots of options out there...that's just an easy one.

 

Spam, canned tuna, and chef boyardee

 

Mountain House. You can add cold water to it and still have a meal. I store that stuff in my 120 degree garage and it stays just fine. They expire quicker than the date on the package, but I'm ok with that.

 

This made me LOL so hard

 

if your packing all this for your TRUCK step one would be a HUGE spare fuel tank,
step two would be a portable cranik pump with alot of tubing to take gas from abandoned cars and gas stations with no electricity.

 

Please try and be more condescending and assuming about people, if you could. That would be great, thanks. You have no idea what other people do, and because you backpack with success doesn't mean everyone else doesn't know what they are doing or doesn't have decades of experience hauling gear and prepping. But you're right... slow moving overburdened targets will be plentiful in the right situations.

It's all about personal preference. No two people will be the same, and everyone is built different. There are reasons that field operators have tactical gear just as there are reasons that backpackers have lightweight long-range packs. Select folks will need to traverse hundreds of miles, but most will stay within a tight zone at least for a while.

So, back to your Gregory pack... do you keep it loaded at all times as your BOB? Or is it empty on standby just in case. Do you carry it every day, fully loaded to bug out or get home? This raises a good question as I'm now curious about what types of packs everyone keeps loaded and with them everywhere they go. It would make a good poll.

 

In a mass exodus kind of situation, especially if you bug-in for some period of time, you will find many abandoned vehicles left behind when you do begin your trek. That will provide you a lot of fuel - and is fairly realistic IMHO - either in natural or man made disaster.

A very viable scenario - punch & drain - and to make it even more realistic be sure to have a short gas can (that you can drain into and transfer to your Jerry can or other container) and ice pick or sharp phillips head to do the punching -- wrapping an ice pick to the gas can is a good idea....gas can like this....

 

I'll throw in my idea on backpack selection. If stuff goes to shit, the small rugged pack in the vehicle just if you have to exit said vehicle and head on out seems to be something good for an out of the blue situation. You can find those types of packs generally cheaper than backpacking variants. But like DoorDing, my ideal pack is still going to be a backpacking pack (Gregory z65) to be exact).

They have their tradeoffs, but I think capacity and pocket space isn't one of them. So long as you select the right pack to fit your needs, it will only come down to material type and weight being the difference between the two. In my years of backpacking I have never blown a hole or rip in any of my non-cordura/canvas/military-type material packs (I believe most of my packs are ripstop). I've slipped and fallen, beat a few different ones I have had to shit, and no problems. In the end though, canvas/cordura/whatever is designed to take a higher level of abuse.

And color or "look" doesn't really matter either. You don't have to go for the cyan blue or neon green pack. Mine is a dark gray, and I have a couple foliage color scheme packs. All of which I have chosen to fit my body how I am comfortable as well as be equipped with the pockets I want/need.

And just on a side note, in some shape or form I am curious if the ever growing idea of "let me look like the bigger badass" is just a recipe for unnecessary conflict if a real "SHTF" situation arises. It seems the big focus is on firepower and looking like a soldier when an incident occurs. And I don't mean that to sound like I am saying if you go out and buy tactical items you are going to cause a problem, I love tactical stuff, jackets, gear, etc. Most of it WILL come in handy, I just feel the guy down the road buying a retired SWAT tank and suping it up, or the person going out and buying every rifle in sight and a billion rounds of ammo is just wanting to be shot at so they can have an excuse to return fire. Again, I don't mean that to be derogatory, having rifles and handguns for protection, AMEN, but I think a lot of excessive paranoia also looms about.

I feel the majority of people are going to be supportive in a time of need, and their are the assholes out their looking to fuck shit up just because.

I am sort of just thinking out loud at this point.

 

I got mine to blend in with the terrain in my area (desert). I think it's the perfect size, and it fits everything for me to eat for 6 days. I need to compensate more room for water so I'll probably toss out some food down the road and throw in some more water bottles:

 

Nice pack! I'd look like a walking boulder if I was out in that environment lol.

 

Thanks!

I have 6 MREs, 3L of water always filled, Lifestraw and a bottle of water purification tablets, Handheld HAM Radio, batteryless flashlights, emergency mylar blankets, 25 watt solar panel kit, a bunch of tools, knife, magnesium fire starter, compass, whistle, road flares (30 min), Neon flares (12 hrs), paracord, personal hygiene kit, and first aid kit.

I made the same pack for my GF too, she's gonna need to train more to be able to hump hers though hahaha.

I've also been hiking and climbing a lot every time I go off roading to familiarize myself with the local environment. Camping in different ways to remain inconspicuous, protecting myself from the sun and harsh winds. I have coyote tan clothes to make myself blend in better and my truck blends in pretty well too:

 

agreed... wouldnt it be easier to just put your hose into their tank and crank away. taking all the gass in a few min rather than drinking fuel trying to syphen or spilling 25% of it as you punch and drain?
seems out of all the things we are packing, the basic pump and tank you see on a diesel farm truck would be simple, waste less (time and spilled fuel), and make you not have to return to citys quite so often. I mean I assume there was a reason we all ran away in the first place.

 

You hit on a very important point in the pictures - network. If you have people you can trust and with some varied skill your chance for getting through, anything I think, is multiplied exponentially!! In the scenario for gas as an example - having "cover" while you crawl under a car and punch a tank for gas is essential. The "lone wolf" will be at a distinct disadvantage. Small tight knit groups that train/camp together will do very well IMHO.

 

^ piggy-backing off your community statement, I recommend everyone on this thread read this:
http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-p...ugh-shtf-in-the-middle-of-a-war-zone_10252011

 

Great share!!

A daily stop for me!