You're walking; what are you carrying?

[Dweezil]

My trusty ACLU membership card and a jumbo pack of Juicy Fruit. (Hey, I get a dry mouth when I'm scared.) Oh, yeah, almost forgot...my old AK with folding stock,of course, for those lonely nights. And water, and a Bic lighter. Maybe some peanuts...with salt...and Chapstic...gotta have chapstik.

[Dee]

Didn't intend to send the thread off course with the remark
about bartering.  It was nothing more than assuming I would
be sad opting to choose another rifle in it's stead (as I really like it).
No details about the theoretical barter were given
(who, where, when) because again, it was not part of the
answer, only an aside.  For the record, it is understood that
bartering of any kind is best done in a safe place.  This is
of course making more assumptions and completly dependant
on the actual circumstances. 

So the answer to the question remains the same,
as of this time we'd carry:
Rifle- 22lr
Shotgun- 20ga pump
Handgun-  357mag revolver

PKnTX, if you hadn't thrown the tread off course, one of us would have. Anyone that posts here is above average in the opinionated department. We ALL think we know best, and sometimes it gets ugly, but it usually goes back to relative calm after a while. You see, not only are we all opinionated, we all suffer from short term memory loss. So don't worry about it, and look over our sometimes know it all exuberance. You will surely get your turn to chastise, as we all continually set ourselves up for it.

[mcwoodduck]

My trusty ACLU membership card and a jumbo pack of Juicy Fruit. (Hey, I get a dry mouth when I'm scared.) Oh, yeah, almost forgot...my old AK with folding stock,of course, for those lonely nights. And water, and a Bic lighter. Maybe some peanuts...with salt...and Chapstic...gotta have chapstik.

You sound like Steve Martin in the Jerk.
"And my dog ... 
GRRRRR
OK not the dog but the remote control for the tv."

[Dee]

I'm gonna take my NAACP card. With Dweezil and his ACLU membership card no one would dare bother me.

[mcwoodduck]

Since I live in CA I thought about this one a little bit.
I agree with Dee.  My list of stuff would be similar.
AR, handgun, spare ammo, water (and the ability to get more), some spare socks.  and a few other odds and ends.
I would add Binoculars.  I want to be able to see where and what I am headed into.
The odds and ends extra I would carry would depend on where I am headed and what terrain I am headed through as to what else I would carry and what time of year.
Leavin CA by the north you are headed into mountain and rain forests, To the north east you have mountain (Donner Pass) and to the south east is large desert.  Donner pass is a different animal from May to september than from September to may.  I was caught in snow and 20 degree weather three weeks ago headed back from Reno.  The desert in the south is different from October to march than it is ther rest of the year.  Depending on when and what way I am walking is what else I would carry.  Not to mention the destination.
If I am headed to Mt ot ID I would bring a big game hunting rifle or the handgun may change.
Headed througth the desert a light weight varmint rifle.  To gather food as well as engage any threats at longer range.
Swampy had a point.  You can not carry the store with you, be that store, gun grocery or camping.  There would not e too much more than what I carry hunting that i would bring with me.  A few months before hunting season I toss everything I am going to carry into a bucket and weigh the bucket.  Boots, pack, ammo, skivies, knives, everything.  Weight it and fill my spare back pack with the same amount of weight, phone books and water filled 2 liter soda bottles work.  I then go on daily 5 mile walks with a 9 or 12 pound Step areobic weight rod to simulate my rifle.  I know it is not the 20 to 30 miles a day you need to move across a state, country or mountain but it does give me a perspective on what I can carry and gets me used to it.

[AtlLaw]

We ALL think we know best,

True... 
That's why I can sit back and muse over all these posts... I KNOW I know best!   

[mechanic]

We ALL think we know best,

True... 
That's why I can sit back and muse over all these posts... I KNOW I know best!   

Us Ga. boys is smarter and better lookin'.  Thats my story and I'm stickin' to it.

[Almtnman]

I noticed that no one had mentioned using one of the little deer two wheel carts to haul any of their gear. If you can haul a deer out of the woods with it, you can also haul a lot of supplies back in the woods also.

[teamnelson]

To further gild the lily on the issue of carrying everything and the kitchen sink. Back in the 80's I did fine with my 100# pack with everything my NCOs told me I needed. Then I became one and I did fine in the 90s with my 100# pack 50# of which was my stuff, and the rest was stuff I knew one of my knuckleheads would forget, or the LT, or my platoon would need as a group (like 20# of my wifes homemade trail mix). Now its the 2ks and I became a zero (officer in Marine Corps parlayance) in my 40s and I've rediscovered the joy of carrying a heavy pack on long walks over uneven terrain (after multiple back injuries, ACL replacement, etc.) and its no fun.

I lurk over on survival websites sometimes, and eager folks who've never carried 100# packs listing off their BOB contents ... butane espresso machine, 100galperday waterfilter, nalgene cookset for 8, 3000 rounds of 7.62x39 (you think I'm kidding). My sole comment on those threads have been: pack it and go for a 25 mile walk crosscountry in rain ... with a hangover if that's your thing, because I think we'll all feel sick after awhile, then reassess your packing list. This guy doesn't carry 100# anymore unless its my wife to the ambulance.

The key to packing light is training. You could really resolve this whole forum on graybeard through training. Tom Brown trained himself to walk into an environment naked and walk out fed, clothed, shod & armed. Somehwere in between the espresso machine and naked is how I hope to be walking.

[Dee]

All but my tarp and ammo would fit into my fanny pack. We have as a culture forgotten how little we actually need. After reading here I am not so sure a lever action 22lr such as a Henry that will shoot shorts, longs, and long rifle ammo, wouldn't be best. A brick of 500 rounds 22lr, doesn't weigh a lot more than 50 rounds of 357 magnum, or 38 special. Think about that, and the fact that it is more wise to avoid contact than provoke it. My Cherokee ancestors were never above vacating the battle field when things weren't going well, neither was the Apache, or Comanche.
If one sits up an ambush, one should do so where the odds can be in one's own favor, or don't do the ambush. A 22lr would be plenty for such activity.

[RB1235]

Every ounce counts. My BOB is 49 pounds in warm weather and 54 pounds in cold weather. That is with 2 rifles attached, ammo, food and water along with the normal things. Even 54 lbs is quite a lot.
I could easily drop 8.5 lbs by kicking off the 22 and ammo. But 1000 rnds and a quiet accurate rifle are more important than the weight savings.
18.5 lbs of it is the AK101 and 300 rounds. That is hard to give up as well. Water is a hair over a gallon, that's not going anywhere either. Poncho and liner are indispensable for warmth and shelter.
Food is not a necessity, as it can be harvested, but piece of mind worth carrying. A good knife is a given. The rest is just clothing and things to make life easier. My true survival kit is in a snuff can. The rest is for comfort, piece of mind and laziness.

[Dee]

It is a back and forth mental game for sure. I also consider the 13 30 round mags for the M4. That's a lot of help. 2 power Leupold with a good back up flip up sight. All that could also count. Decisions, decisions.

[Jane308]

I got alot of kids, so I'll just type mine...

My Mark II 22 Ruger chest holstered on left, 20 clips in belt bag, Mossberg 20ga, strapped over right shoulder with Hornady SST, love those! 2 Small of back holsters carrying Ruger LCP 380s. Maybe a few more in ankle holsters as well. Back pack with the necessities (mostly bullets) could eat and drink on the walk.

If I'm feared then I ain't eatin' anyway!

[don heath]

The item with the highest barter value in troubled times...a box of tampons...

You would never guess how many female clients are in the middle of the Mozambique bush - 20hrs from the nearest shop and come begging for me to make a plan . Got to be worth a good couple of grand!

I now always carry a box of mixed sizes and claim they are for plugging bullet holes (there are now much better things for plugging holes but thats by the by)

[SHOOTALL]

Add a small radio AM - FM - SW and maybe a FRS with weather

[RB1235]

Barter is a funny thing. The most valuable commodity in the world I imagine would be water in the desert. If a guy is charging 50 bullets for a canteen full and I have 5 and am not far from death. I imagine one of us will be short of this world. I don't live in the desert. But I imagine Barter would be a risky endeavor  when there is no law and everyone has guns. When is it cheaper to go ahead and negotiate using the bullets, instead of handing them over?

 Most of us here would take a hard look at thievery and killing if our lives or the ones we loved lives depended on it in that situation. That's folks with some degree of morals. Something a lot of our population no longer possesses. If yall are going to barter best keep moving and have folks to have thier finger on the trigger keeping it honest while you do. After all, there is no resupply of ammo or other necessities coming from a chopper. What you can take off someone you kill, have stashed away, trade for or steal is all there is for resupply.
Barter will be risky no doubt. It just depends if those in need are willing to, or have the ability to make your price. I would associate barter with the warlords in Africa. They have a stronger force of men than the rest of the people around. More firepower/manpower equals their ability to stay alive while bartering. They make their living bartering. The thugs are sent in to aid vehicles and they steal as much as they can carry away. In turn the population doesn't have enough to survive on so they go to the warlord and pay whatever they have to pay with for survival. The indigenous people don't have guns. In America most likely the ones buying will have guns. It would be pretty easy to gather people to kill the warlord and his men here and divide his bounty among everyone involved.

If you barter you must have a stronger force than the ones who want it for free.

[SHOOTALL]

Then also the guy with the H2O may use some to keep some muscle around . It might go like this you place 50 what ever on that rock then back away . If its what i want i will tell you where to get the 50 what ever . Unless you hold the water out in sight to harm you might mean no water.

[SHOOTALL]

Guess it would go much like drug dealers do it now , and they have guns .

[RB1235]

Good point, a bunch of drug deals go by with both parties happy, some don't. A good analogy to show the effects of barter with armed men done outside the law.
Their trade whether failed or successful is based on greed. Throw in the fact of a shtf scenario where most of our population cannot survive without running water and a grocery store and it may compound the inherent dangers. Not saying anyone is wrong at all. Just be careful if it comes to that.

As an apology to the OP for getting off track I believe I will add a shovel to my BOB. Every now and then we will have a drought here, but the water table is still very high. It may be a wise addition I am willing to add the extra weight for the convenience of a shovel in case standing water quits flowing and becomes stagnate.

[SHOOTALL]

Glock makes a good one.

[Almtnman]

Good point, a bunch of drug deals go by with both parties happy, some don't. A good analogy to show the effects of barter with armed men done outside the law.
Their trade whether failed or successful is based on greed. Throw in the fact of a shtf scenario where most of our population cannot survive without running water and a grocery store and it may compound the inherent dangers. Not saying anyone is wrong at all. Just be careful if it comes to that.

As an apology to the OP for getting off track I believe I will add a shovel to my BOB. Every now and then we will have a drought here, but the water table is still very high. It may be a wise addition I am willing to add the extra weight for the convenience of a shovel in case standing water quits flowing and becomes stagnate.

A U.S. Army entrenching tool would be a good choice as a shovel. You can shovel with it, it folds up into a small package and it was used by the Special Forces as a tomahawk and makes a great weapon

[SHOOTALL]

Also a KaBar works as would a rough service knife .

[Hooker]

Assuming I had a destination aside from my kit which has everything I need to sustain myself my weapon would be my Marlin 336 and a modest amount of ammo. Travel at night, lay low in the daylight. There is no profit in it for man alone to engage the lemmings or the vultures so, avoiding others is the best plan for defense. And I wont have to carry all that extra weight.
If I have to fight my way out of an urban area I'd trade the  Marlin for a my AK. But the odds of a man on foot and alone surviving a firefight ain't good. The best thing we could have with us at a time like that would be a good friend to watch your back.

Pat

[Dee]

I agree with most all Hooker says in regards to strategy, but ambush at night is much easier than ambush during the day. Travel at night is much less noticeable than travel during the day. And the what ifs go on and on. I suppose we would all just have to adapt to what ever was handed us, and hope for that friend Hooker mentioned to watch our back.

[Empty Quiver]

There is something to be said about traveling light and being low profile. If you have nothing, you have nothing to take. You are less likely to have to defend that property and would have no need for the weapons that are needed to defend the weapons cache. Just witness the number of homeless that are robbed by other homeless for what could be considered trash.

Frag grenades, and a few cans of Dinty Moore stew. Imagine the dissapointment of surviving a grenade attack to be rewarded with a can of Dinty Moore.

[SmokeEater2]

Since my Infantry days are in the past, now if I'm walking it's in the direction of home if for some reason I can't drive.  The kit I keep in the pickup is:

 Savage model 24 .22 mag./20 gauge w/ 200 rounds .22 magnum ammo and 25 rounds 20 ga. (#6, buckshot,slugs)
 Glock 23 w/3 magazines

 Camelbak BFM with:

 Poncho
 Sportsman's blanket
 Para Cord
 Canteen,cup,stove in pouch,purification tabs
 matches
 Coffee
 Vacuum packed Minute rice,salt,pepper,boullian (sp?)
 MRE crackers,peanut butter,cheese
 Beef jerky
 Surefire 6P LED & extra batteries
 Petzal headlight
 spare pair of socks
 Boonie hat
 Kinfolks sheath knife
 Compass & map
Wool shirt
AM/FM/SW radio & earbud (size of a cigarette pack)

 I always keep a good pair of broken in boots, pair of cargo pants suitable for hunting or camping and a spare shirt behind the seat too so they are available if needed.

[don heath]

My experience of fire fights with ill trained troops is that within 30 seconds of the engagement starting one side or other is “fleeing”…not ‘tactically withdrawing’, simply fleeing and the only fighting after that is between the wounded on the loosing side who know that death is the only outcome and keep fighting to keep their minds off the inevitable.

It is a strategy that works. It is incredibly hard to hit a running man in any sort of forest or thick bush and two or three people ‘fleeing’ distracts the shooters…who do I shoot at now…that one, no…the other one-bugger he is behind cover… I saw….and then they are gone.

The same applies to me – if I have walked into trouble, fire a couple of shots and flee- open the distance until I can choose the ground. Where I am from, almost all bad guys have AK47’s AKM’s. Give me  200m clear and some hard cover and they are the only ones who will be taking casualties.

As a contact breaker there is nothing to equal a shotgun – and my choice would be No 4 or even AAA. The objective is hits not killing (and a wounded man without medical assistance is in trouble) …which all goes back to not being alone. One man cannot keep watch while the others sleep. One man cannot carry both a shotgun and a scoped rifle (well, not far)

Also worth considering though is that in the US were most of you cannot get silencers, a shotguns muzzle signature at night is significantly less than any .223/AK/.308 Only the man directly in the path of the charge can see the muzzle blast. An important consideration of you are trying to get away.

Reality for me is, that I would always carry the shotgun when moving, but the wife would carry the scoped, suppressed rifle some distance behind.