Crow Bar - Too Much?!?

[jaffab]

Hi,

New prepper here, so be gentle. The state of the world economy has had me worried for a few years, and the UK and USA debt levels can only mean defaults at some point, which means currency collapse and all that follows.

Anyway, I thought I had everything planned and ready to go, so last night I put together my BOB, and put it on, and wow – it weighs a LOT. I can walk fairly easily, but worried about back strain. Which then got me thinking if some of the things I have are overkill.

Working through by BOB contents, the heaviest things in there include:

• 2 litres of water (the Seven Oceans long life stuff) – comes with the already put together BOB that I purchased, which I then added to
• A fold away shovel (its nice and solid), but pretty dam heavy – 760g
• Tempest 300 Tent – 3.48Kg
• Twin Sleeping Bags – 1.2kg per bag, wife has one in her BOB
• Small hatchet – 455g
• Crowbar – 550g
• Rucksack – 2Kg

The other parts will of course add up, but themselves are all fairly light (I guess the next heaviest thing will be 3 x 9v batteries which I would use for parameter alarm sirens).

But I am now questioning the crowbar. I added this (Stanley 15” wonderbar) for anything unknown.. breaking out of things, breaking into things (should the SRHTF and buildings are abandoned). My thoughts were crowbar = easier entry into things like barns etc. without the noise.

I also have two of the metal portable Hobo stoves – one large (the 13.5cm square size) and one medium (the 8/9 cm square sizes). I could start ditching things (e.g the crowbar, the hatchet, 1 of the 3 9v batteries, the smaller hobo stove) etc.

Worth ditching the crowbar?

Thoughts appreciated.

[jansman]

Hello.I have allowed your post as you have put some effort in there! However, the rules state that you must pop over to the New Member section and introduce yourself to the other members...then you can continue posting.Thank you.

[jaffab]

Thanks - intro posted in the into section

[ForgeCorvus]

Hiya Jaff
Whats your plan? That way we'll know whats fat and whats meat with your kit.

I once tried serious digging with an E-tool..... Sold it since.
If you just want cat-holes and firepits its overkill, and if you need to dig out of snowdrifts or dunes then you need a proper shovel.


Is the tent a three berth ?

Whats the rating of the sleeping bag(s)?

[MBJ]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

First things first, what goal do you hope to achieve with the bag? Is it to survive for 72 hours or something more long term? Your answer will effect how heavy your bag is and what you should carry.

I would say the physical water is a good idea as you are not guaranteed access to water that you can filter.

2 Stoves is overkill when you can make a campfire using wood and kindling. I would have the stove and then some fire lighting equipment as a backup.

You could probably replace the hatchet with a much lighter folding saw which would still do the job. Probably cheaper too.

Your bag seems quite heavy at 2kg. How big is it? I know 5.11 do a Rush backpack that can hold 55L that weights 1.4kg, which is still fairly solid and heavy.

Similarly the tent is heavy at nearly 4KG - The Vango Banshee 200 Mid Tent is nearly half that at 2.1KG and that is for a mid ranged priced tent. You could probably get lighter if you're willing to fork out on it.

Basically what you need to ask yourself is whether you could realistically carry your bag 10 miles in one go?

Also how useful will a crowbar be? Most burglars look for alternative entry points and weaknesses in buildings such as windows etc. Would you need to go in through the door? Could you not use something heavy near by to serve the same purpose? Moreover, in terms of weight, your shovel actually weighs more than your crowbar. Now I can think of a few reasons as to why I would want a shovel, but what do you plan to use it for?

Lastly, please take the above with a pinch of salt. I'm not an expert and don't claim to be, but I do like to ask provocative questions in order to get people to consider all their options.

[Deeps]

Welcome to the forum, I hope you find plenty of useful info on here. I know BOB's are very much the fashion in the prepping world but if you're prepping for financial collapse I'm not sure running off to the woods for 72 hours is the way to respond to it. You maybe have other skills and things in place but maybe getting an allotment to grow your own food will be more useful, you need to think about what YOU are prepping for, and how to deal with it, not what folk on Youtube are doing. Not trying to lecture, just make you think about YOUR situation.

Enjoy the prepping experience, it can be fun as well as practical.

[MBJ]

Welcome to the forum, I hope you find plenty of useful info on here. I know BOB's are very much the fashion in the prepping world but if you're prepping for financial collapse I'm not sure running off to the woods for 72 hours is the way to respond to it. You maybe have other skills and things in place but maybe getting an allotment to grow your own food will be more useful, you need to think about what YOU are prepping for, and how to deal with it, not what folk on Youtube are doing. Not trying to lecture, just make you think about YOUR situation.

Enjoy the prepping experience, it can be fun as well as practical.

I agree.

Financial prepping is one of my major concerns too and I have already taken some measures in the event it should happen. I have a substantial amount of savings in the bank (enough to pay the bills for just under 18 months, should I lose my job etc), as well as about 8% of my wealth which is invested in physical gold and silver. I'm also considering whether I shoulder store barter items such as alcohol and cigarettes which could become very valuable if there's a shortage, in addition to the standard food and water etc.

My plan is to stay put but it doesn't hurt to have a bag ready incase you need to leave immediately. It could be something as simple as a house fire (without the collapse) that could drive you from your home, which being the case, you might want to have copies of important documentation such as house insurance info, ID cards, property deeds to hand etc. These would be useful for an economic collapse as well as you would be able to prove what you own once things get back on their feet.

[jaffab]

Hi again all,

In reply to the previous questions, the answer is... I dont know - how long the pack will need to last, what the long term plan is. That all depends on the situation, and how bad it gets. But there is the old joke...

"Two men are walking about in africa when they spot a lion in a bush 20 feet away. The first one notices the 2nd has crouched down and is putting on a pair of running shoes. 'You wont outpace a lion' he whispers. 'I dont need to' his friend replies"

So my prepping is based around the pretty much inevitable fact that at some point (and sooner rather than later), the worlds economies will collapse. I can only view it as a whole set of very bad dominoes in a line, and there are at least 30 butterflies ready to land on one of them around the world - the first to land will start the collapse. When it happens, with interest rates having nowhere to go, with the lack of funds in the IMF, when it starts, it wont stop. The US $20T (growing to $32T in 7 years time) debt bubble, Italy banks running out of cash, the China slow down, N.Korea, The Euro collapsing.. take your pick.

Anyway, I am racing towards IF, so if none of that happens - great. All good. Happy golden retirement.

If it does go bang, my plan is to bug in - plenty of food, defence all sorted as much as possible (short of structural changes or going to extremes).

But, there may be a situation where we need to bug out (too many people trying to break in = wife will lose it), fire, it goes on for too long and we eventually run out of food/water/etc - whatever. In this situation, this is what the BOB bag is needed for - for as long as it is needed.. and that will depend on the situation. Will there be any form of government (there will be somebody trying to goven, but if the UK £ has collapsed, will there be any police/army working, or will they be at their own homes defending their own family???)

I have a bug out route planned - I live on the edge of a town/village, and within 1,142 steps I am into a field and beyond that, countryside. I would use the BOBs to get away from populated areas, and from there, sit tight, see how it plays out for a day or two. If it looks like there is a workable plan to restore things (new currency launched, or we borrow from aliens), then return back. If it looks like the SHRHTF, then head south west towards the less populated areas of devon, cornwall. Bug outs would be by foot - the roads are bad enough around here, would not attempt anything motorised, and I want to avoid roads.

So - there you go, my thoughts on what I am trying to protect myself against, and my plans. As for how long the BOBs will need to support us for, it could be 48hours, it could be 3-4 weeks.

Somebody asked about the tent and sleeping bags - the tent is 3 man (Vango Tempest 300 3 Man Tent - 2016 Model) and the sleeping bags are the ultra compact ones - 3 season. The 4 season were just too large and heavy.

For a complete picture, my full kit list is as follows (I have in my pack, the inventory list, which pack it is in, where its located in the bags, what it looks like.. there are too many 'packages' and I dont want to be rooting around to find anything:

• Emerg Water(2 litres)
  Emergency Rations (72 hours worth)
  First Aid kit (inc scissors, pain killers, plasters)
  Green Thermal Blanket
  2 large clear bags
  5 litre water carrier (flattened)
  Survival Bags
  Foil Blankets
  Blue Ponchos
  Carell care wipe packs
  Cornell wash wipes
  Heavy Gloves
  Emergency Silver Shelter (very light, very compact, effectively a triangle of silver plastic)
  Portable Shovel
  Safety Goggles
  Face Masks
  Smoke Masks
  Cooking stoves (big and little)
  Water Bottle with Bio/Chem filters x 2
  Electricals (radio, walky talky, torches)
  Maps
  Crowbar
  Survival Box (includes lighter and pencil sharpener)
  Snare kit
  Pruning Saw
  Light sticks x 10
  Hand Axe
  Emergency Energy Sweets
  Lighters x 2
  Mini Knife Sharpening Stone
  Gorilla Tape
  Super Glue
  Sleeping Bags x 2
  Plastic Binds (the loops that tighten when you pull them) x 10
  Saucepan Set
  Cup Set
  Woolen Thermal Hats
  8 Hour Candels x 4
  2 x 15m lengths paracord
  1 x Knife/fork/spoon thing where they slot together
  Can opener
  Sanitiser Pack (hand wipes, hand gels)
  Fire Lighter - the metal with scraper type
  Compass
  2 fixed blade knifes (his and hers)
  1 x 175ilb Jaguar Crossbow (His) with 5 bolts - will most likely order 10 more bolts
  1 x 80ilb Tomcam pistol crossbow (Hers) with 3 bolts
  1 x Tippman Tipx paintball pistol, with 12 air canisters and 60 hard rubber balls - home defense only, would not take on the road
  Vango Tempest 300 3 Man Tent - 2016 Model

[jaffab]

My plan is to stay put but it doesn't hurt to have a bag ready incase you need to leave immediately. It could be something as simple as a house fire (without the collapse) that could drive you from your home, which being the case, you might want to have copies of important documentation such as house insurance info, ID cards, property deeds to hand etc. These would be useful for an economic collapse as well as you would be able to prove what you own once things get back on their feet.

Yeah - sorry - my plan is also to stay put... but have the option to get safe should it be required. I would only be bugging out as a very (VERY) last resort.

And I did miss a few things from my list I posted earlier including (toothbrush/paste, deodorant, sunscreen, bugspray etc - all as small and compact as possible). One of the things I did not include in the list is an encrypted USB stick )(very small, light, but tough) with all my documents and important files - including our MP3 music collection, account details, scans of ownership papers, etc.

As for the grow your own food - me and the wife cannot grow anything (we have tried, you should see her 'carrots') - I have gone down the tins, rice, pasta etc route instead.

[jansman]

My own advice is to stay calm.Get some spare food,water,torch,radio and spare batteries. And way to cook.Back up heating if possible. Then work from there.oh yes! And a first aid kit .

Those simple preps make such a difference!

With those few things you will be streets ahead of the majority.