I added a steripen, and sawyer water filter and extra blatters .
colloidal silver generator , fire steel or flint.
Gardening tools and food for a year.
IF you gardening is successful, you may live another year, if you can some of it.
INCH I'm never coming Home ,
to me , means; you need to grow food, as well as find it. and store it for the winter when it is not to be found.
I added dish soap for general washing and a rag in place of TP
One's shelter needs to be capable of handling year after year ,or= a permanent shelter.
There's nothing to go home to , so what you've got with you , "is it."

 

you forgot Immodium AD which leads me to belive you are not really thinking about what will really happen to you which leads me to think your INCH bag will be another guys BOB after you get wacked. If you're not ready to think about **** **** and blood you INCH won't last two feet.

You're dead kid - prep all you want but you are checking out early.

Props for the sunglasses though, and those binos will be a tasty pick up for somebody

 

so you think immodium ad is a "make or break" item? i think plenty of fresh water is more important. if you lack that, immodium isn't going to do you any good. if the water is availabe you won't need the immodium. you may be a little (or a lot) uncomfortable, until the diarhea passes - depending on what is causing it. anything that the immodium would help you with, time amd water will work.

we are so use to taking a pill today, that we don't even realize that a lot of the medicine we take doean't actually cure our problem but just relieves us of our disconfort until we heal.

 

I did not see any firearms to go with the 400 rounds of mixed ammo.

 

How can you possibly lift all that? Are you really going to carry two different pistols, a shotgun, and a rifle? This "bag" is more like "the trunk of my car" I think?

 

I definitely think you should add a Doan's magnesium bar and a ferro rod. I'm not a fan of Cylumes. I would ditch them in favor of a couple 9 hour candles.

 

Do you really think you have a chance of traveling 900 miles after a SHTF event? with a wife and two kids? STAY HOME! Or are you just a troll? I got dibs on the shades.

 

wife and kids...

That is one heavy bag... and the wife/kids have their own bags too.
That's a long distance to bug out.
OP needs to think this one thru IMO.

 

You have an ilbe on your list, then you put down a camelback hydro system....

Why not go with the proper hydro pack for the ilbe?

 

Instead of the hiker pro, buy a sawyer squeeze. There's no handle to break off, is easier to clean, filters more water, and is cheaper.

 

Dump the pocket rocket. In an inch situation the fuel you need to carry with it is dead weight. Just build a fire.

 

You have a too much problem...

Too much stuff
Too much distance
Too much to go wrong

900 miles is a lot of road and trail to cover. Are the wife and kids up to walking for a month or so? Are you?

Put your pack on and go for a stroll on a treadmill and get an idea how it feels.

Your list is a good one, but if I had a designated BOL, I'd have a lot of my stuff already there.

Personally, I'd keep everything to a minimum so me and my family could travel as fast as possible.

 

I would get rid of the tent,Pick one hand gun and drop the extra 100rnds,binoculars if you must have get a monocular or use the scope on your rifle.Drop the deodorant, and the insect repellent instead get a head net. Drop the Ka-Bar (or at least add more knives) and get an Ontario RD7 or Esee 6 you need a 3/16 or thicker blade.You also should get a non coated knife for food prepping like a condor bushcraft and a mora or maybe a couple of Stainless steel pocket knives. Drop the camel back and get a steel or plastic canteen w/ cup they will last longer for long term those bladders will wear out. Drop the chain saw and get a folding saw or a bow saw. I would drop the ax and get a cold steel rifleman's ax head.(you can easily make the handle once you've made your base camp)

I would ADD about $200 to your 1st aid kit and have one. A SS cooking bowl/pot (containers are king out in the bush). I would get the sawyers water filter for long term survival, wood carving knife to make spoons and bowls. Large fire steel and a magnifying glass x5 or better (as long as you got the sun you got fire) I would add conibear traps and snares also a .22lr and 1000rnds (a 20oz gaterade bottle will hold 1k) A trowel (you need to dig a latrine and bury your poo, or you could die from disease) a Large roll of bank line and more paracord,a Titanium spork, and sewing kit and an awl.

What is a STANDARD survival fishing kit?What's standard to you may not be to me.

You got to think LONG term so focus on tools and things that will get you food. Things that will take a lot of time or will be difficult to make are cord/rope, containers, tools these things you need to focus on

I would get bicycles and fix them up to hold three 75lb backpacks and 1 ammo box. Don't ride it but use it as a pack mule to carry even more stuff. :thumb:


Some cost effective things you can do is: take the plastic liner out of an old soft lunch box and put it in your pack it weighs nothing and it will be another container (remember containers are king) put your sleeping bags in a lionseal water proof bag to keep dry ( once at base camp it becomes another container that can carry water) Get at walmart Stainless steel dog bowl and a small pair of channel locks ( now you got a good size cooking bowl with a handle plus the channel locks will come in handy)

 

The reason for the long distance, is because I'm prepping for a civil war/revolution event. My plan is to get the family out of the country. I should have enough warning to be able to drive most of the way there, but I dont want to count on that. For firearms, I have my AR and my 45, and the 9 is my wifes. I could move the ammo for it to her bag. I dont know where anyone got shotgun from.
@Shaztam I thought camelbaks is what went in them. I was just buying a good one.Thanks for the input guys, keep em coming. Edit. I realize the bag is heavy, that's why I'm coming to you guys for ideas to reduce the weight.

 

In a SHTF scenario that requires that you actually abandon your home forever, we have to presume that it is a major upheaval of some sort. Probably more of a TEOTWAWKI scenario. In that type of scenario you have to anticipate total breakdown of services and authority. 900 miles would be a very dangerous trek even for a trained well armed force. To travel 900 miles on foot (gotta figure for the worst) even alone, will take you a minimum of 60 days if you can do 15 miles a day. Is everyone in your family prepared physically for that kind of trek? 60 days of food is a lot as well. I suggest 2 things.
1. Move closer to your BOL or locate a BOL closer to your present location.
2. Go camping for a weekend to a place that you need to hike at least 15 miles to the camp site. Make certain ahead of time that there are other places to make your camp along the way. You may not make it the 15 miles. Take the minimal gear and have the wife and kids carry a 15 pound pack each.

I think that you will come to your own conclusions. Don't get me wrong. I am in favor of an EWLS but your plans are overly optimistic at this point.

 

I can do 10 miles a day, with a 40 pound pack, over the kind of terrain you have at the Starved Rock state park (Going down into, and then back up out of each canyon). Last time I went with someone, 5 miles a day was the limit, with no pack.

 

If you were going to do it. It would be food, water and bugger all else.

And you would still need a kart.

 

Lots of google name brands in there. Almost no trauma kit and 15 things you wouldn't need. What skills have you earned? They tend to lighten a pack tremendously and make you stick closer to home. For a reason.

 

Over that distance you are going to have to give up on tools redundancies and luxuries. Sorry it will just suck. In the car different story carry whatever you want.

. 1 pot to boil water.1 cup to drink out of. I use an alcohol stove because metho is cheap. But that is just me. I also use a plastic cup.

A spork,a victorianox sentinel a little can opener thingy. We call them freds.

One set of clothes you wear. Long pants long shirt. One set of clothes you sleep in. Clothes get wet,wear them wet untill body heat and movement dries them out.

1 tent no tarp. Use a poncho.

Less cord and thinner. Vb cord is a bit better than paracord if you are trying to shave weight.

1 gun. I know soldiers who go to war and carry one gun. You will manage.

 

Like Cryptkeeper said, go with bicycles. The Japenese used bicycles to move men and equipment to defeat the.British in Burma during WW2.

The Japanese covered far distances and overcame obsacles like blown bridges and barriers put up by the British defenders.

I would keep everything as simple as possible. For example this my YOYO (You're On Your Own) bag.

9mm pistol
4 mags + 1
100 rds ammo
22 lr pistol
2 mags +1
200 rds ammo
Lifestraw
2-stainless steel water bottles
1 bottle iodine
50' paracord
100' masons twine
8x8 tarp
Mil spec poncho w/ quilted liner
1 qt stainless steel cook pot w/lid
Mora knife
Folding saw
Large Buck Knife
Diamond stone
Bastard file
Basic 1st aid kit
Leatherman tool
Roll duct tape (small roll)
Ferro rod
2 Butane lighters
3 pair wool socks
1 wool watch cap
1 pair work gloves
Roll toilet paper
Hand towel
Insect repellent
Sunglasses
Frensel lens (plastic)
48 oz jar of peanut butter

 

Waaaaay too much ammo. There is no way you can carry 3 guns, especially large ones. Take a pistol (.45), have it loaded, and have one or two extra magazines loaded. That's it.

 

Typical car can go about 300 miles on a 13 gallon tank. Get yourself four 5 gallon jerry cans of gas and then stash 4 more halfway to your destination.

If you have to go without a car, bikes will help a *lot*. You can go around 4x the distance on bikes. Get a hitch for your car and a bike hitch rack like the kuat sherpa or the 1up with 4 platforms.

He said he is driving, why give him such a hard time?

I would also break my bag into the things I will take if I have to walk vs. things you are taking because you have a car. That way you dont have to decide on the spot.

For example if Im walking Im going to drop to around 100-200 rounds total, maybe just a rifle and a pistol etc.

 

ITEM PRICE WEIGHT


BAG
ILBE $100.00 9

WATER
Camelbak all clear $115.00 1.0625
Long-Neck Water Beast™
Reservoir 100 oz $30.00 0.4375
Katadyn Hiker Pro $90.00 0.6875
Micropur MP1 Purification Tablets $15.00
WATER 8.82

FIRE
bic lighter $1.00
Coleman Waterproof Matches (40-Pcs) $3.00 0.13 - I dont bother with matches I just have extra lighters.

EverStryke Permanent Match $5.00
COTTON BALLS / PET JELLY $5.00 0.15

LIGHT
Vizeri LED Flashlight $40.00 0.45
Energizer Pro 7 LED Headlamp $15.00 0.15
Cyalume SnapLight (Pack of 10) $12.00 0.5313 - These seem relatively useless

TOOLS
KA-BAR USMC 7" Tactical Knife $80.00 0.68 I prefer a smaller knife. Around 5" hard to do anything with a 7" knife
leatherman surge $110.00 0.7813
Bear Grylls Survival Hatchet $55.00 1.4 - I prefer a folding saw over a hatchet.
STANDARD SURVIVAL FISHING KIT $22.00
McNett Tactical Field Fix Kit $20.00 0.5
Short Kutt GI Pocket Chain Saw $35.00 0.5 - I use a large folding saw like a silky big boy.
Lansky Blade Medic $12.00 0.3125

FOOD
Protein Bars
Beef Jerky
MRE’s
MSR Quick Solo System $53.00 0.6875
MSR Folding Utensil Kit $13.00 0.0055
MSR Pocket Rocket $40.00 0.1875 - I just have one stove
MSR Flex 4 Cookware System $130.00
-goes in wifes bag
8 oz MSR Isopro $6.00 0.5

HYGIENE
Toilet Paper
Soap
Hand sanitizer - dont really think this is very useful. But I do have some too
Deodorant - not sure why deodorant is useful
Moist wipes - almost wouldnt bother. They will get used up almost instantly
Toothbrush / toothpaste

COMMS
Cell phone
radio
Solar charging unit
Map

CLOTHING
2 bandanas
Gloves
Dusk masks
Sunglasses
Socks
Underwear
Pants
Shirt
Heavy Poncho

SHELTER
Military Modular Sleep System 4 Piece $175.00 12 - extremely heavy I would use lightweight sleeping bags.
Eureka! Apex 2XT Two-Person Tent $150.00 5.75 -
Foam Sleeping Pad W/ties $20.00 1.7
6x10 waterproof tarp $10.00 1.4

AMMO
200 rds 5.56
100 rds .45 acp
100 rds 9mm

MISC
100ft Paracord $8.00 0.15
100 mph tape $8.00 0.2
Rite In the Rain Tactical Book Field 5" x 3 ½" $5.00 0.15
Spare batteries $15.00 0.4375
Heavy duty garbage bags $1.00 0.15
Leopaold BX-1 Rogue Binoculars 10 x 42 $225.00 1.5125
Whistle
Insect repellent
silva ranger cl $55.00 0.15
First Aid Kit


TOTAL $1,679.00 50.5731


Maybe some small rags or towels would be useful too. I prefer the chamois type because they dry fast but are also extremely absorbent.

 

You might want to consider getting a game cart to haul that bag in order to spare your back.

 

IMO, the INCH bag is a flawed concept. If you're packing a backpack, you are considering that at some point you're going to carry it. You can't easily carry everything you need to live somewhere else on your back, and the farther you plan on carrying it, the more difficult it becomes to manage the trip and the life you lead when you get there.

Obviously, having a trailer packed with stuff is a much better way to go, but then you may have to deal with issues that prevent travel by auto. Some may say get a game cart or wagon, but really? You're going to push/pull that thing hundreds of miles over variable terrain?

The real key here is getting a BOL or at least a cache site that's within 1-3 days of your current location. Store heavy tools and long term survival items here so that you only *have to carry what you need to last 1-3 days. You'll be faster, stealthier, and less prone to being mugged, detained, or whatever. And even if you are, you can probably still make it a day or two without much of anything.

*and if you have options for travel like a car, you can still carry a bunch of other stuff, but if your options disappear and you're stuck with only what you can carry, you'll be better off because this is what you planned for and you won't be lugging 500lbs worth of stuff with you.

A series of caches may be needed to make a longer journey, but realistically, the more caches you depend on, the less chance of success you have. It would better to find a BOL that's closer, or to move closer to, or even move to, your BOL.

Az

 

I would remind that the purpose of an INCH is to never come back again.

You need to pick gear based on that.

You need more tools for BUILDING shelter (such as much more cordage, plastic sheeting, and the like). Tents are not going to last forever. Some sort of digging tool (even the head of a shovel; you can make a handle on site).

You need to factor in repair and maintenance. Gun cleaning kits, clothing cleaning (make sure the soap you carry is people and clothing capable) and repair (sewing kit), more hygiene supplies (like a towel of some sort), etc.

Keep one or two cynalumes and replace all the rest of them with long burning candles. If so inclined, add a candle lantern that holds those candles. Remember, the point of an INCH is long term stay. Chem lights are pretty much use and toss away. Candles can be reused simply by making another wick, let alone other uses of wax.

You need to factor in more food production. More 5.56 since hunting will be a long term thought, and you might want to trade one of the handguns for a .22LR take down and ammo. Snare wire and better means to fish (survival fishing kits are usually inadequate to long term, different seasons, fishing) need to be added. Seeds that will produce in the area you will be headed to are essential additions to food supplies.

Whatever first aid kit you have, look carefully at its contents. There is going to be tons of stuff not in there or that you are going to want to double or triple the quantity of for an INCH. You have to consider not only bug out injuries, but all the potential injuries of working and living in the woods, as well as interactions with strange foods, strange people, and whatever side effects there maybe of the event causing you to bug out ( chemical exposures, environmental exposures, etc).

Carry more matches. Trust in the word of someone who has tried to light a fire using survival items (magnesium strip, flint and steel, etc) as well as primitive methods. When your hands are cold and wet, and you really need fire, you WILL long for just one more match. I use my Food Saver and make up "tinder kits" that I stash all throughout my packs. Basically, dryer lint mixed with wood shavings and a box of waterproof matches vacc sealed into a small package. I then find dead space in my packs (including in the frame and such) and stuff one of these in there.

Oh, and when I say box of matches, I make sure I don't have any broken or manufacturer defects in the matches before storing them. I also buy multiple boxes at once since I find you can usually get 1.5 boxes into one box without any issues.



A couple more things I recommend specifically based on my INCH build:

If you have something like a Food Saver, vacc seal anything that can be affected by water. Put a Ziploc bag in with it when you do so that you can waterproof it somewhat after opening. The open vacc seal bags have MANY applications around camp. This includes clothing. Not only does doing this waterproof it, everything gets a lot more compact and stuff too. The clothing in my BOBs and INCH takes up less than 25% the space it used to.

Add an earphone to listen to the radio with. There may be times you want to collect info but maximize quiet. I also recommend this be a single ear piece rather than headphones or such because that way one ear is still aware of the surroundings.

You also didn't say what kind of radio it was. Hopefully it is a dynamo/crank charge one, and ideally can get shortwave and such on it too. Better still, if it also has a built in light source all the better. If it has an external antenna, buying an antenna extender reel can be a real benefit for getting decent reception in remote areas.

You mentioned garbage bags. Make sure to use the heavy duty contractor style ones. MANY uses and not much weight added. I have personally used them for everything from shelter building to water carriers.

Add a lightweight survival or wilderness living/camping tips manual. I guarantee there will be things you forget or can't remember exactly how to do when you get out there.



That is just my off the top of my head suggestions. Otherwise, not bad at all.

 

INCH bag takes a lot of guts to toss out there and kick around. Concept is very far tipping on the edge and beyond what most people can wrap their head around.

I have two duplicate INCH bags for myself. One at home and one locked in the toolbox of the truck. If I have to go and can get down the road with both....I have zero worries at all.

Have been working on mine since the 90s. Have never seen one including mine that could take you beyond 5 years. That's with very advanced bushcraft and camp skills. And that includes access to more than one pre positioned cache, storing lots of very heavy gear.

I'm not going to go through your list. Most changes will only make sense if you have the experience and skill set to understand them. You have a lot of gear but zero sustainability beyond 10-30 days, and thats if your backsliding on calories and running several trot lines half a day and eating fish. Hunting under stress is a failing proposition, and it doesnt matter if your stressed, or the animals are stressed or both. You will get lucky but it wont even come close to the amount of fuel your body needs to keep from starving, and far from enough to keep your mind sharp. 900 miles...not a chance if the roads arent clear, safe and open for use.

I can say this for certain with a lot of prospecting experience involving milking the land to get by. Even when you know exactly what to do, and when, and how to do it, you can still come up short a lot of the time. Enough of the time you have a lot of serious doubts if you going to get by.

I'm going to say this once. Survival is the only game where you better know how to cheat, every way its possible to cheat.

Look at this link. My back was shot for a couple days so I plowed on through with it, with more than ample portions of wine. There is plenty there to figure out your cheating plan. Or the not starving to death portion any way.
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=348977