Childrens BOB

[avking]

A guy I work with asked me if I would help him design BOB's for his family. His idea of what he needed was so wrong, it was not funny. He gave me a $5,000 budget to build bags for husband, wife, 9 year old son and 7 year old daughter. They are good country folk that have been living in the city to long, so the bags need to be geared to what is realistic for them.

I am having a problem finding good packs for the children. I figure they will be able to carry no more than 15 to 20 lbs each. Most of the bags I am finding are bright colors and not geared to survival. The Northface and Deuter have good childrens size bags, but the colors are horrible. Bright orange is a theme with these companies. Any suggestions on a bag that will handle the following?

The childrens bags will contain the following:

Hydration blister
3x socks, 3x underwear
3x change of clothes (2x bdu's of some sort 1x civie's)
1x rain gear
1x boonie hat
3x light dehydrated complete meals
multivitamins
several kool-aid, candy, treats (one small zip lock bag only)
deck of cards
puzzle book and two pencils
toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, soap and some toilet paper
small insect repellent
small sun screen
cammo face paint kit
small first aid kit
whistle
ipod nano & headphones
.22 survival rifle, three magazines & 100 rounds
pocket leatherman tool


I would love to put more in it, but I am pushing the weight limit as it is. As I see it, the bag will only be this full for an hour or so. After that, one set of clothes will come out along with some of the pocket items.

When I am done building all the bags, I will post a complete accounting for all. Thanks for the advice.

[Mags]

Shit, with that kind of jack ($$$) you should be able to whip-up some saaweet BOB's!

For the kids you could make up a packing list for a short duration family camping trip. Par it down from there. Use the survival priorities to help prioritize their gear. Mom and Dad should do the heavy hauling but some things like water the kids have to carry themselves. You'll need to find out from the parents what if any skills the children have, are the parents cool with each kid having a pocket knife etc. Do the parents plan to walk out or drive out? This decision opens up a lot of options.

Since space and weight are at an ultra-premium when dealing with young children and their load bearing capabilities UL items and bare bones should be the call.

Just from your list I think you’re a lil’ heavy on the clothes in the children’s bags. Give the kids some extra rounds but 100 for a “survival rifle” takes up too much space and weight. I don’t see any way for them to make fire? They get a rifle but no matches? Also no vessel whether SS or Ti for them to heat water for their meals. No way to purify water. Missing any shelter building materials, contractor trash bags, cheapo poncho, tarp, 550 cord etc. Other things I’d add are ways for them to signal/attract help. Kids have a tendency to wonder off when bored. God forbid they get separated.

I’d rethink the list. Although kids are some extremely resilient bastards!! Tons of info on the WWW just gotta look around. The kid thing is kind of out of my lane. Just some quick thought’s on the subject. Keep us posted this should be an interesting thread! It could also help out a lot of other parents as well!

[avking]

There are a lot of items on the kid list that I left out, simply because the parents will be tasked with carrying them. I did not give kids fire because of the region they live in and I don't think they are old enough for fire. 100rds of .22 will fit in the stock of the survival rifle, that is why I picked that number.

My thoughts on the clothes is this. 3 sets in the bag. As soon as they get to a safe palce, they ditch what they are wearing and change into bdu's. What they are wearing at the time of a bug out is probably not suitable for the duration. Now they are down to just two changes to clothes in the bag and it has lightened up.

I included the whistle in case they get lost. I will add some 550 cord. The parents will each have 50', so I did not put any in the kids, but it is light and a good idea.

I included full rain gear instead of a poncho. I can get them rain pants and jacket at less than 1lb. No shelter, as they will have a four man 4 season tent in the vehicle bag and each parent will have a bivy. I figured on kid with each parent in a sleeping bag and bivy.

They will evac by car and head straight for the local mountains. Kids are scouts and family does frequent camping, but usually in a rental cabin or pop-up camper.

I think the kids bags will be less than 20lbs once the first change of clothes is removed. I need to buy it all, pack it and weigh it. Anything over 20lb will get put in the parents bags.

I am starting off the kids with one 2 litre water bladder each. The parents will have a 2 litre and 3 litre, each. Water is easy around this area. They will have plenty of tablets for when they can not boil. I don't like purifiers, to slow and to big.

My real concern is a good pack. Having a hard time finding one.

Yeah, the $5k budget in nice, but I have to get the guns with that also. It will eat up a big portion. 1911 for dad, the judge for mom, 12ga short barrel pistol grip pump for dad, mini-14 for mom and 2 survival rifles for the kids. They currently own no firearms and have practically no shooting experience. But, that is ok because they are going to the family class at front sight.

[TheLastMountainMan]

Great post. What about a wrist rocket slingshot? Bows? Fishing gear? Saw? Extra boot strings? Batteries? Just some ideas.

[avking]

All really good ideas. I do not have a slingshot in any kit, but it is a good idea. I do not have any bows for them due to space, weight and lack of skill. I put a pocket fisherman in one of the adult bags. Para cord will be shoelaces. No batteries for the kids but adults have a couple extra sets of the type they use along with a solar charger. Also have a solar charger for the kid's ipods.

I am a BIG fan of non-battery operated items. For this family, I put in two non-battery operated flashlights, a hand crank generator and a hand crank radio.

In my own personal kits I have both a small handheld and large hunting crossbow along with 8 bolts for each. Pre-positioned at the shelter are over 50 additional bolts for each. But, I do not have a slingshot. I will have to add that to my personal list.

I love the pocket fisherman. Weighs nothing, has built-in tackle storage and really does work as a decent fishing pole. I user one IRL some of the time, so in a survival situation it would be awesome. But, I do have a lot of full size fishing gear pre-positioned.

I am very fortunate with my shelter. I purchased a large property in Idaho that had a 1950's erra bomb shelter built a good distance away from the house. It was built large enough for two families, by mormon's (so you know it was well though out). With such a great starting point to work with, I was able to setup a VERY nice shelter. When TSHTF, I have a 900 mile drive to get to the shelter, but once I arrive, I can go underground and not have to come back out for 6 months or more. And security is not even a slight concern. I will post more about this in another thread, another time.

[Skyowl's Wife]

I would replace the candy with good quality granola bars. They don't need empty calories on the road.

Got our 13 YO gson a K-Bar for his BOB. You all will help us fill them well! He will prolly carry the pellet gun, he's a crack shot with it at small game.

[Skyowl's Wife]

Yeah, the $5k budget in nice, but I have to get the guns with that also. It will eat up a big portion. 1911 for dad, the judge for mom, 12ga short barrel pistol grip pump for dad, mini-14 for mom and 2 survival rifles for the kids. They currently own no firearms and have practically no shooting experience. But, that is ok because they are going to the family class at front sight.

Damn, Avking, see if you can figure out what woke them up! We all need THAT ammo for friends and relatives!

[Oscar Wilde]

[I am having a problem finding good packs for the children. ]

http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/browse/military-surplus-bags.aspx?c=2&s=428

[I figure they will be able to carry no more than 15 to 20 lbs each.]

A possible good rule of thumb would be 1.25 lbs per 5 lbs of body weight for children ....up that to 1.5 - 2 lbs for adults.

[The childrens bags will contain the following:]

Hydration blister
3x socks, 3x underwear
3x change of clothes (2x bdu's of some sort 1x civie's)
1x rain gear
1x boonie hat
3x light dehydrated complete meals
multivitamins
several kool-aid, candy, treats (one small zip lock bag only)
deck of cards
puzzle book and two pencils
toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, soap and some toilet paper
small insect repellent
small sun screen
cammo face paint kit
small first aid kit
whistle
ipod nano & headphones
.22 survival rifle, three magazines & 100 rounds
pocket leatherman tool

One change of outer clothing is sufficient ..... pack a spare pare of boots/shoes ..... if security / safety is not a real concern dispense with the face paint ..... if the need for face paint is anticipated forgo the entertainment. I recommend you review the submitted BOB threads for content...... place all of your equipment/supplies on a clean floor in a room dedicated to bag prep .... bags on one wall with individual personal items next to ....all other items in the center of the floor ...... prioritize and divided the supplies amongst all bags as per weight recommendations ..... place un-bagged supplies in a separate bag ...... pack a bag for the soon to be cold weather ...... sleeping bags / ponchos......

Everyone begin daily walks wearing their bags ....... add more supplies as can be accommodated ..... your behind and running out of time.....good luck.
O.W.

[prkchp76]

bdu's for the kids hmmm well i guess ,but imoho a kid should or would have on a brightly colored pack for visability and to blend with the natural surroundings you can always get a cover for the pack just a thought

[avking]

I would replace the candy with good quality granola bars. They don't need empty calories on the road.

That is a really good idea. I will change that for sure. I might go with cliff bars for all the group.

[avking]

bdu's for the kids hmmm well i guess ,but imoho a kid should or would have on a brightly colored pack for visability and to blend with the natural surroundings you can always get a cover for the pack just a thought

When I say BDU's, I do not necessarily mean camo, just a good set of utility tops and bottoms. Most likely I will reccomend one pair of convertible pants, one pair of jeans and one pair of good camo hunting pants. Again, I will suggest they change into one of the changes of clothes right away and ditch whatever they were wearing when they had to GTHOOD.

I did not think of the cover for the backpack. I was planning on adding a wet weather cover for them anyway, and I could easily get that in black or camo. Great suggestion, thanks.

[avking]

Damn, Avking, see if you can figure out what woke them up! We all need THAT ammo for friends and relatives!

I do not know what woke them up. I am not really that close with this family. He heard I was into "guns and stuff" and asked if I would help out. I try to keep a low profile at work, when it comes to the planning and preperation part of my life. His wakeup may have to do with the destruction of his 401k, investment account, house value and finally seeing the true intentions of the current administration. I know the whole health care thing scares him to death.

While I will not invite him into my group, a good Christian will do what he can to help, and designing, organizing and buying his packs seems like the best thing I can do to help him now. I will also invite him to the range everytime I go, but it is up to him to show up.

[TheLastMountainMan]

Moccasins. Easy to put on in the dark if you had to bugout real quick. Also quite when on the move.