General prep work and inventory day!!

[Dragon]

So today I decided to do a bit of inventory of what I have, need, don't need and also did some general prep work for shtf. I'm still organizing when, where, and how some of my gear will be placed but otherwise I'm feeling fairly good.

So the first two pics are of most of the items laid out, minus my 12'x12' tarp, 2 changes of clothes, 4 changes of underwear, 6 changes of socks, rainfly for pack, boots, tent, bedroll, and sleeping bag.
Pictured are:
S&W M&P15 MOE AR15 w/Aimpoint H-1, Fenix TA-20 Taclight
SAXD .40 4" w/Streamlight TLR-1s Taclight
16 x Magpul P-Mags 30rd
3 x SAXD 10rd mags(Planning on 5 more)
Cold Steel Trench Hawk
3 x Various Folding Knives
1 x S&W Fixed Blade
1 x Gerber Prodigy Fixed Blade
Under Armour Tactical Gloves
Toiletry Kit
Whistle
Poncho
Emergency Blanket
Compass
Magpul MS2 Sling
Streamlight Headlamp
UTG Flashlight 185lumens
550rds .40cal ammo
600rds 55gr 5.56 ammo(Not pictured)
Also not pictured are 3 lighters, 2 sets of waterproof matches, and magnesium fire starter along with a ziplock bag of dryer lint.

This is my LAPG Bugout Bag which contains my daily carry(SAXD .40) 2 spare mags, up to 8 AR Magazines, Portable Battery Charger, E Tape, Duct Tape, Paracord, Gerber Prodigy, .40 cal ammo, headlamp, compass.

Eberlestock G4 Operator Pack is my 3rd line and used as my ruck and has my Maxpedition Proteus knock-off attached to it which I use as a day pack.

I'm still working my gear into all of the places that I like, with the intent of using 3 lines of gear, just not finished planning it completely out but I'm getting there. I do want to get a 3 day pack as my 2nd line, but I'm still shopping for what I want but I like the Maxpedition Kitka.

Entertaining suggestions, comments, or the like so feel free. I'd like to use this to build off of, so I will be chronicling changes and the like in this thread. Oh my IFAK and complete aid kit are in the works as well, almost forgot them!!

Cheers.

 

[johncarbaugh]

Great set up but I see some basic necessities missing. First aid kit, Some kind of food to keep energy up, water purification, and a way to transport it.

 

[Icarry2]

What does it all weight? The ammo alone could be 25 pounds..

Water, Shelter, Food, Defense, Evade, Survive was what I was taught... Not sure pal, looks like Defense heavy.

Remember, I don't know anything so don't listen to me...

 

[Iroquois]

Not planning a bug-out bag,but a get home from work bag. Gotta hike 30 miles
home. I don't see my tired old carcass hauling a third of Dragon's load...good luck
with that.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

Have you ever used any of that stuff? It all looks brand new. Some still shrink wrapped and I think I see price tags on some of it.

The only way you're going to know if it's enough is pack it all up and drive somewhere desolate. Get out of your car, put on your pack, and hike 20 miles. Set up camp. Do the same thing again the next morning. Third day hike back towards your car. If you didn't call someone to come pick you up by the time you get back to your car you probably don't have too much stuff to carry, and had enough stuff to last for four days.

 

[Dragon]

Not planning a bug-out bag,but a get home from work bag. Gotta hike 30 miles
home. I don't see my tired old carcass hauling a third of Dragon's load...good luck
with that.

That isn't the purpose of this entire kit. My bugout bag pictured is what is with me at all times and would be used as a get home bag and though I haven't done a 30 mile road/trail hike in a while I could still do it.

I did state that I am missing my IFAK and other first aid stuff I keep, I didn't inventory all of that so it wasn't pictured and I omitted it from my list (still working on it). I have a Ketadyn Ceramic hand pump style filter not pictured, and purification tablets as well. Oh and food I am still working on stowage for, as I've been field stripping MRE's but I want more options so that's where I'm headed now.

The gear looks new but only three items pictured or listed actually are, the shemagh/kufiyah, poncho, and emergency blanket. I know how to use all three, and the ponch and blanket will never be smaller than they are now so I will leave them packaged until they need to be used. I like to keep my gear clean but don't mind getting it dirty.

I workout at home mostly but I do hike, I do use my ruck, and I don't know the loaded weight. Not all of the ammunition goes everywhere, guess I should've said that. The Bugout bag carries 8 AR mags, and 3 pistol mags with pistol. The Eberlestock pack carries 8 AR mags and the AR.

Hope that answers the questions and I can't convince the internet of whether I can use or carry these items but that isn't why I'm here. Thanks for the comments and concerns, it all helps me to prepare.

 

[grunt soldier]

That isn't the purpose of this entire kit. My bugout bag pictured is what is with me at all times and would be used as a get home bag and though I haven't done a 30 mile road/trail hike in a while I could still do it.

I did state that I am missing my IFAK and other first aid stuff I keep, I didn't inventory all of that so it wasn't pictured and I omitted it from my list (still working on it). I have a Ketadyn Ceramic hand pump style filter not pictured, and purification tablets as well. Oh and food I am still working on stowage for, as I've been field stripping MRE's but I want more options so that's where I'm headed now.

The gear looks new but only three items pictured or listed actually are, the shemagh/kufiyah, poncho, and emergency blanket. I know how to use all three, and the ponch and blanket will never be smaller than they are now so I will leave them packaged until they need to be used. I like to keep my gear clean but don't mind getting it dirty.

I workout at home mostly but I do hike, I do use my ruck, and I don't know the loaded weight. Not all of the ammunition goes everywhere, guess I should've said that. The Bugout bag carries 8 AR mags, and 3 pistol mags with pistol. The Eberlestock pack carries 8 AR mags and the AR.

Hope that answers the questions and I can't convince the internet of whether I can use or carry these items but that isn't why I'm here. Thanks for the comments and concerns, it all helps me to prepare.

don't take it personally. they are just stating that a lot of people have a ton of gear packed up and ready but couldn't carry it for a mile if they had to. part of the reason is they have a bunch of useless ****. yours appears to be pretty well thought out and you don't have to convince anyone of anything as long as you know you can do it.

 

[irishfan]

don't take it personally. they are just stating that a lot of people have a ton of gear packed up and ready but couldn't carry it for a mile if they had to. part of the reason is they have a bunch of useless ****. yours appears to be pretty well thought out and you don't have to convince anyone of anything as long as you know you can do it.

WOW! You are one of the few who can make his point without sounding like a jerk.

OP, I had a LOT of stuff in my first bag setup only to find out that there is no way I was going to get very far carrying it. Also, when it comes to ammo and mags....how many do you think you will really need? The reason I ask is that if you get into a situation where you need 10+ then you probably are going to be dead or wish you were anyway. Just a thought.

 

[sshelton]

I'm kind of a mimimulist (sorry if I spell it wrong) and my only sugestion would be to loose 2 of the 3 folders and one of your fixed blades, quality over quanity..get a blade sharpener! I carry a single gerber fixed blade and a gerber folder and a snap-on sharpener. Imho

 

[Dragon]

WOW! You are one of the few who can make his point without sounding like a jerk.

OP, I had a LOT of stuff in my first bag setup only to find out that there is no way I was going to get very far carrying it. Also, when it comes to ammo and mags....how many do you think you will really need? The reason I ask is that if you get into a situation where you need 10+ then you probably are going to be dead or wish you were anyway. Just a thought.

This is definitely a good point, and something I considered early on. My father raised me using the phrase "It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it." so I've trained and lived that way ever since.

I've yet to hike with my fully loaded pack, and I have no scale to weigh it currently. Soon for both but I'm guessing around 50-60lbs.

Grunt, I'm not taking it personally and I'd imagine that is true for many people but they don't know me so that's no worry of mine. I appreciate the compliment, it's been in the making for a couple of years now and putting it together piece by piece. I lost my tomahawk in my last move 15 months ago and just found it the other day, now I need a target to throw at here at my new place.

Also anyone who's looked for a pack to either carry your rifle or a bow, Eberlestock is absolutely great. With my 16" carbine and it's stock on it's shortest setting you can't even see it when it's in the built-in gun bag. They have exterior systems for bow users that look really nice as well. They're fairly high dollar but made extremely well and are very accommodating, I personally will never fully use the amount of space they have.

 

[Dragon]

I'm kind of a mimimulist (sorry if I spell it wrong) and my only sugestion would be to loose 2 of the 3 folders and one of your fixed blades, quality over quanity..get a blade sharpener! I carry a single gerber fixed blade and a gerber folder and a snap-on sharpener. Imho

I keep my Schrade folder on me almost all the time, and the others bagged. It is a few ounces that I could lose off of my pack weight but I do want to keep one in my bugout bag for sure. Thanks

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

don't take it personally. they are just stating that a lot of people have a ton of gear packed up and ready but couldn't carry it for a mile if they had to. part of the reason is they have a bunch of useless ****. yours appears to be pretty well thought out and you don't have to convince anyone of anything as long as you know you can do it.

Exactly.

WOW! You are one of the few who can make his point without sounding like a jerk.

OP, I had a LOT of stuff in my first bag setup only to find out that there is no way I was going to get very far carrying it. Also, when it comes to ammo and mags....how many do you think you will really need? The reason I ask is that if you get into a situation where you need 10+ then you probably are going to be dead or wish you were anyway. Just a thought.

Who's being a jerk?

The reason I asked if you have used all this stuff is because I look at the picture and see 3 flashlights, 5 sharp-edged tools, a rifle, a pistol, 2 packs, a billion rounds of ammo, paracord, a whistle, and other stuff. What I didn't see was a way to purify water, start or maintain a fire, find something or someplace, conceal yourself and your gear, any nutritional items of any sort, or most important a statement of the purpose of the bag by which your success may be judged. Without any context of what you want to accomplish, you're really just asking if people think you have a cool bag full of cool stuff. You do.

Do you really need three flashlights? Are you going to use all three at the same time? Do they share batteries or do you need different batteries for each? Do you have extra batteries when they fail? Are they the right flashlights, with red / blue / white lights / high / low beams? 550 rounds of .40 seems like a lot, unless you plan on repelling a massive zombie attack. so does 5 edged weapons. The are the types of critical questions you should ask yourself, based not on your gear but on your plan.

I could keep going on and on and on, but not knowing what your expectations are, I can only tell you how your bag would work for me. It wouldn't. But I have very unique considerations that I take great pains to consider if / when I need to execute any kind of get out of dodge scenerio.

My final point was to decide what you want to accomplish with your bag, then go see if you succeed or not. Adjust your plan, adjust your bag, adjust your expectations accordingly.

 

[Dragon]

Exactly.



Who's being a jerk?

The reason I asked if you have used all this stuff is because I look at the picture and see 3 flashlights, 5 sharp-edged tools, a rifle, a pistol, 2 packs, a billion rounds of ammo, paracord, a whistle, and other stuff. What I didn't see was a way to purify water, start or maintain a fire, find something or someplace, conceal yourself and your gear, any nutritional items of any sort, or most important a statement of the purpose of the bag by which your success may be judged. Without any context of what you want to accomplish, you're really just asking if people think you have a cool bag full of cool stuff. You do.

Do you really need three flashlights? Are you going to use all three at the same time? Do they share batteries or do you need different batteries for each? Do you have extra batteries when they fail? Are they the right flashlights, with red / blue / white lights / high / low beams? 550 rounds of .40 seems like a lot, unless you plan on repelling a massive zombie attack. so does 5 edged weapons. The are the types of critical questions you should ask yourself, based not on your gear but on your plan.

I could keep going on and on and on, but not knowing what your expectations are, I can only tell you how your bag would work for me. It wouldn't. But I have very unique considerations that I take great pains to consider if / when I need to execute any kind of get out of dodge scenerio.

My final point was to decide what you want to accomplish with your bag, then go see if you succeed or not. Adjust your plan, adjust your bag, adjust your expectations accordingly.

I've answered most of these questions if you re-read my response. The ammo I don't carry is for training purposes. I have a light on my rifle, light on my pistol, and a light for my person all use CR123A batteries, and I use LiFePo rechargeables. I have 3 spare sets of batteries and I have some Li-On's for the headlamp which isn't a necessity.

My pistol light has on, steady on, strobe, steady on strobe. The TA 20 has 3 brightness settings and a strobe and is on a rail mount/grabber on my AR and stays there permanently. The headlamp has different color and brightness settings though. As far as the 5 edged weapons, well I do quite a bit of knife training and prefer to always have access to a knife. I think I am going to cut down to 2 folders and 1 fixed though.

As for what I want to do........ I have a bugout bag that is my EDC, goes where I go and would serve to get me home in a SHTF scenario or an emergency. It has what I'd need to defend myself until I could get to my main pack which would serve to attempt sustainment. I do have means of concealment, water purification, and fire making capability which I could post up pics of as well if needed. My proteus pack is like a fanny pack and I normally use it for day hikes or just really short trips away from the rest of my gear when hiking.

Sorry, I didn't think about posting up some goals with my gear, I have it in my head just totally slipped my mind here.

 

[RichardR]

I took Dragon's OP to be more of a "general inventory" than a "look at all of the crap I am planning on carrying around with me post-SHTF" thread.

Which btw Dragon it appears that you are off to a very good start IMHO.

 

[Dragon]

Thanks Richard, good to see you on here I had no idea but I guess I could've expected it. You're exactly right, it is inventory, but will be changing as I have time.

 

[irishfan]

Thanks Richard, good to see you on here I had no idea but I guess I could've expected it. You're exactly right, it is inventory, but will be changing as I have time.

Seriously, one way to see how well you can carry your stuff is just walk around your house and through the hallway and doors. It doesn't take long to realize if its to much or not.

 

[Dragon]

Seriously, one way to see how well you can carry your stuff is just walk around your house and through the hallway and doors. It doesn't take long to realize if its to much or not.

I don't want to keep repeating this. I do carry my gear, my bugout bag I carry daily and my ruck as often as I can. It's not whether or not I can carry it, it's how often I get to. I don't live anywhere near a sedentary, I workout 3-5 times a week.

 

[ljadayton]

Seriously, one way to see how well you can carry your stuff is just walk around your house and through the hallway and doors. It doesn't take long to realize if its to much or not.

and it's less scary for the neighbors

 

[irishfan]

I don't want to keep repeating this. I do carry my gear, my bugout bag I carry daily and my ruck as often as I can. It's not whether or not I can carry it, it's how often I get to. I don't live anywhere near a sedentary, I workout 3-5 times a week.

I wasn't saying that you don't. I was just putting that out there for others who read this forum who have never tried it. A lot of people let "normal society" who may think you are weird for carrying your pack at the park stop them from practicing for their own survival.

 

[Dragon]

Gotcha. I've gotten plenty of weird looks when using the trail here by White River but hey I'm not here for the fashion show! lol