alternative BOB container

[Scibaer]

i use a large backpack for my BOB. but what i carry and use most is my 72 kit.
its a smaller bag, made for a turkey hunting possibles bag. its about the size of a shoe box, has several pockets and a shoulder strap.
its well built and has worked great so far, for carrying everything i need to survive for 72 hours, in nearly any conditions.
 but, in other threads and forums , i have read others experiences of thier bag getting soaked, and had problems.

so, i was wondering if, a 72 kit could be made of other things, i looked on the internet and survival websites and saw kits made from other materials,
like plastic boxes with waterproof lids, metal boxes and things like army mess kits...

i was wondering if anyone has one, or has experience with one, and could give some insight here ?
 i'm kinda of thinking of making a kit from some large diameter PVC pipe, with threaded ends....

[kid_couteau]

Walmart sells some dry bags that you can put your kits in and then toss them in your possibles bag.

It also makes it so when you need your med kit or fire kit it is all one unit

Kid

[Scibaer]

my BOB has carries my large med kit, water containers, large rope, tarps and things like that.
my 72 kit contains my fire making supplies, small med kits, compasses, paracord, small knives and leathermen, water tabs and other small things.
 how my system works is, i have things for maintaining life for 72 hours, which will get me back to my BOB, which has long term life sustaining items
all system, i.e. water, shelter, food, med/first aid, fire, navigation are covered in redundant items in each bag.
i'm not to worried about my BOB getting wet, frozen or whatever, but the more sensative , fragile or critical items that i carry in my 72 kit need, i now think more protection.  so, i  was wondering if anyone used one of the many plastic or metal containers that i see on the survival websites.
i was hoping to get some feed back , positive or negative about the use of  these containers, in lieu of a soft material, flexible bag.. 

[Empty Quiver]

I have considered the fact that I could well have to walk 38 miles from work to home, given the worst possible situation. My bag has more gear than what you are describing. A box is about the worst possible container I could think of. A ruck is what I have my stuff in. It tends to change through the seasons so at times could be pretty small.

I would consider how you will be carrying your container.

Upon further review of your post you might want to investigate the smaller Otter boxes for your fire kit etc. The ones that are meant to hold an iPod or cell phone. They are pretty much bomb proof. Honestly I just use a plastic Skoal can, the snuff won't dry out in it so why would the matches get wet in there?

[teamnelson]

I got a bunch of food grade 5 gal buckets with lids that were going to be thrown out from our galley. I have several of them packed up ready to go in the garage - throw them in the back of the car, or crack them open if we have to stay home for a bit. They're organized by function, but some of them are a standalone mix - like a BOB in a bucket. You can seal the lids pretty tight, and make them waterproof even. For example, one bucket has plastic tarps, duct tape, zip ties, razor in case we need to seal up the windows and doors for bad weather. Another has med/hygiene stuff. Another has small tools, lights, etc. Several have dry/canned food organized in meals ... have a couple I can give to someone in need with all the need to stay full for a bit, so I don't have to dig into the supplies. Couple set up for water storage; another as a biosandfilter to go. And empties turn into planters - just add dirt, compost and seed.

This was my solution after the tsunami last February ... turned out to be nothing, but I wasn't organized enough. Also have ammo divided by caliber into surplus waterproof ammo cans, labeled. And a reloading set up complete in another ammo can (hand press, dies, molds, tools, etc.) I figure I can load up the suv with 6 mos of food and everything else we'd need in a jiffy and scoot. Or crack them open one at a time and leave everything else sealed up if we wind up staying at home.

This is in addition to the BOBs of course.

[Hit or Miss]

Why not put stuff you don't want to get wet in ziplock bags inside your ruck?

[Scibaer]

i do that now.
 take an empty ruck or something like it and get it totally soaked and saturated wet...
 its heavy and hardly manageable...
now freeze it ...
 its hardly usable. 

[teamnelson]

i do that now.
 take an empty ruck or something like it and get it totally soaked and saturated wet...
 its heavy and hardly manageable...
now freeze it ...
 its hardly usable. 

I've humped the frozen pack ... no fun ... and most recently another soaking wet pack ... really no fun. I posted on another thread a link to a waterproof backpack I just picked up for my kids for christmas that might make a good BOB if that's what you're looking for.

[Scibaer]

nelson,
yeah i know, your post about that experience is what got me to thinking.
 i did see the water proof packs, they do look good.  i was just asking to see what else was out there. so many times on these forums i am amazed at what some the guys here come up with. so i thought before  i went to gander mountain and bought a pack, i'd see what i could find.
i do like the 5 gal. bucket idea too. it got me too thinking about a cashe.

[Hit or Miss]

Thinking back on this, I remember when I was a kid I did lots of trapping.  I wanted a packbasket something fierce but never could come up with the money for one.  I had a cheap pack with an external frame and after removing the pack I tied a 5 gallon bucket to the frame, walla, I had my packbasket!  A little ingenuity and maybe a 6 gallon bucket with a lid would work pretty good I think.  They make a screw off lid for them now days too.

[Empty Quiver]

Along the lines of your bucket on a pack frame. Plastic, or aluminum I suppose, totes or kitchen garbage bins if you will. A light ratchet strap and a few bungee cords to mount them to the frame. A properly configured tote would have a sturdy lid hinged to the tote.

I'm not talking about the Rubbermaid crap. What I'm talking about is the type you see behind auto parts distributers. I use this type all day every day at work, They can put up with serious abuse. A bucket won't want to stay on a pack frame, but the lid is more impervious to weather.

If weather or moisture is the main concern the dry bags intended for river adventures can be lashed to your pack frame. I am always impressed with how tough mine are. They do get stiff in cold weather but water isn't a problem for them.

[Pat/Rick]

Team Nelson, humping wet gear (and an M-60)  while totally soaked for a couple of weeks! brings back fond(?) memories of a couple weeks spent near Cherry Point NC many years ago!

Weather like that is for holin' up in.Stay in the hooch and build a small fire. 

[teamnelson]

Pat/Rick, well you know us Marines aren't the most clever bunch. If it ain't raining, it ain't training.

But when you need a Marine, nothing else will do.

[Pat/Rick]

Us Army pogues( ) were just in that neighboorhood for 2 weeks on a training exercise. Nastiest two weeks of wet I ever spent life in. Trying to sleep was miserable, you'd roll over and feel the water drain down your back to the low side, amazing what the human body can endure when needed to. We started off being parachuted in VERY high winds. The landing was not soft, more like a WHAP!

Yep if its not raining.............  must have been a universal slogun for a few decades now  Only spent four years and thirty five years later some memories are as vivid as though they happened yesterday, a  thousand memories when I can conjure them up. 

[bilmac]

I like to put survival kits in daypacks like the kids carry books in. I have several of them to keep in our vehicles, I worry about spending a night or two in a ditch in the middle of winter.  They are about the right size to hold what I think is minimum. I want  to be able to sling it on my back if I just have to walk. If I was worried about stuff getting wet I would pack everything in plastic bags before putting in the pack. Also a poncho would be a good thing to have in the pack. If you are walking in the rain, the pack is under the poncho, nice and dry.

[Pat/Rick]

bilmac, a poncho is one of those great multi purpose items. Still though, in all my years of outdoors activities, infantry,backpacking, mountaineering, and hunting, I still have yet to find a poncho that beats a military poncho. From their intended purpose to shelter and a waterproof wrap or raft, the things are worth their weight.

[bilmac]

Yup the military poncho is the best. Hardly ever wore it in the rain in Nam, but it was our home, field expedient stretcher, and funeral shroud.