items to add to the bob

[wareagle69]

so i have been reading thru some of the threads, and i have only seen these items mentioned rarely, what are they? extra boots/shoes and socks.
ok so even if only going with one pair of great boots extra socks are a must also foot powder and extra laces(the last two i never see mentioned) but yes you can use para cord as laces so i'll give you that.
if hiking in the backcountry as far out or on the move during a bug out scenario it is imperitive, let me say that again, it is imperitive that you take excellent care of your feet. chaning your socks daily and keeping your feet clean and dry also in your first aid kit you may want to carry something like moleskin to help with hot spots and blisters.

[rwc1969]

The boots and shoes I use rarely cause hot spots or blisters. If they do, they go back to the store real quick or in the trash. I'm extremely picky about my footwear and if it ain't comfortable off the shelf it ain't coming home with me.

I have never used foot powder and most likely never will.

Extra laces, boots, shoes and most definitely socks are all good ideas. But, they gotta fit, keep your feet from sweating, breathe and be comfortable enough for prolonged hikes.

I rarely wear heavy leather boots, waterproof boots or snowboots when hiking long and hard. I'll wear tennis shoes or hiking boots and if needed switch between boots and shoes. Or, if I wade thru water I'll change out.

I have a buddy who wears wool socks and only buys high dollar and supposedly high quality boots. But he always has sweaty feet and gets blisters easy. He's constantly powdering his feet too.

I wear cotton socks, sometimes wool and my boots and shoes are ones that fit and don't cause blisters. Some are high dollar, not real high dollar though, but some are cheapos.

[hunter63]

For semi cool to cold:
I'm a big fan of Pac boots.
Rubber bottoms, cloth tops.

I have several liners, from light to heavy, and also vary socks, depending on conditions.

I do carry a spare of socks, as well as a pair of plastic "Booties", that I think were from a hazmat suit in just about every hunting coat I own.
Saved my feet a lot of times, when wet, by just changing into dry socks, putting on the booties then putting the pac's back on.

I prefere that coats with the game bag on the back, serves as a fanny pack of sorts.

[Winnie]

I have 4 pairs of socks, 2 for me and 2 for Winnie jnr, and spare underwear. Only have one pair of boots.

[pocomoonskyeyes]

For your buddy that always gets blisters,have him put petroleum Jelly on his feet before he puts socks on. Trick I learned in the Army.

[SARKY]

My kit does have a pair of mocs and a pair of water walkers. I throw the water walkers on if I have to ford a stream. And the mocs are for around camp.

[Camp10]

This is a great reminder. I do carry extra socks but I dont have extra boots in it. I am lucky to have very tough feet but I guess I take this for granted. It would be worth the extra weight to bring a spare.

[Rick]

I keep a change of clothes, two pair of socks and my Keene sandals in my BOB.

[rebel]

A change of socks and a pair of Chuck Taylors. http://www.converse.com/?CSID=43_kwid/#/products/shoes/chucktaylor

[Sarge47]

Well, what about Toe-nail clippers if you expect to be out & about for awhile? And don't be to quick to throw out the foot powder, the military thought enough of it to issue it to the "ground-pounders." :cool2:

[BENESSE]

This item might have been posted before so forgive me if I'm repeating something you already know. (just haven't seen it myself)
--Tooth/Filling/Crown repair kit. Doesn't take much room but it can save you a lot of misery. It's part of my travel kit as well as a BOB.

On a separate note:
Does anyone carry or think they need to include in their BOB something like Novacaine or Morphene? I am imagining a scenario where someone has a wound that has to be cleaned or sawed up and without an anesthetic it could be torture even if an expert is doing it.
Anything else suggested along those lines?

[Rick]

Chuck Taylor's? Wet cotton canvas in winter? Sign me up. I'm in.

[rebel]

Chuck Taylor's? Wet cotton canvas in winter? Sign me up. I'm in.

They have pink Chuck Taylor's.

[BENESSE]

My kit does have a pair of mocs and a pair of water walkers. I throw the water walkers on if I have to ford a stream. And the mocs are for around camp.


Both my husband and I have these, worn them running and hiking in wet weather and can't recommend them enough. Not a sore spot anywhere! They also don't take much space.

http://www.rei.com/product/798240

[Rick]

But what if you have six toes?

[BENESSE]

But what if you have six toes?

Use it to barter or trade, silly.

[Rick]

The extra toe!?

[BENESSE]

Vibram FiveFingers KSO
When you're scrambling up a rocky bluff or bounding along a riverbank, the last thing you want is gravel and grit seeping into your FiveFingers. The KSO is an all-new design with thin, abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide and breathable stretch mesh that wraps your entire forefoot to Keep Stuff Out. A single hook-and-loop closure helps secure the fit. Non-marking Vibram (pronounced "VEE-brum") TC1 performance rubber soles are razor-siped for a sure grip.

KSO IS BEST FOR: Light Trekking, Climbing, Bouldering, Canyoneering, Running, Fitness Training, Martial Arts, Yoga, Pilates, Sailing, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Surfing, Flats Fishing, Travel

MATERIALS
* UPPER - abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric & Hypalon® straps
* SOLE- Vibram TC-1 performance rubber
* FOOTBED- Antimicrobial microfiber

CARE: Machine washable. Air dry.

[BENESSE]

The extra toe!?

Well yeah.
Just imagine...it's not something you find every day.

[your_comforting_company]

during the warmer months, I mostly go barefoot. feet are pretty tough. briars and brambles don't bother me too much.
When in the thick stuff, I wear snake-boots, which are also waterproof up to my knee, just in case I need to cross something wet.. they are also insulated for cold weather. I guess that is my extra pair because if it's warm, I'm going barefoot and will be carrying them.. but I am not leaving this general area, so no mountains or deserts for me to worry about.

The wife makes fun of my feet, callin me squatchy (sasquatch) or a hobbit lol. A lifetime of running the creeks barefoot and half naked earned me the right to wear the name "squatchy" proudly!

[rwc1969]

For your buddy that always gets blisters,have him put petroleum Jelly on his feet before he puts socks on. Trick I learned in the Army.

I'll let him know thanks. He was a marine btw.

[grizz]

Foot care is a biggie this time of year for me as our firefighters are just coming to work for the summer, The newest of them will be breaking in new boots and will suffer from white bites or some other kind of boot bites. there will be blisters and blood blister under their big toe nails as they jam the toes to the front of their boot and they have not trimmed their toe nails causing them to hurt their feet. Some wear wool only some a liner and an oversock. I only wear 1 cotton blend sock and have no problems. The key here is to try and find what works for you. Do not wait. try and try again until you fine the best fit for you and situation. I do recommend one thing. Take several different pairs of socks with you when you try on boot. Listen to the sales person. Do not buy from wally world or any other bargain place, buy from a store that sell to loggers, wildland firefighters, miners, road construction workers. You have to take care of your feet and good boots cost. I pay 600-700 a year on my work boots.

[Rick]

I concur with buying good boots. It's the difference between fitting your feet like a glove and ending up with bad feet. That's not to say that inexpensive boots can't be a good boot but you'll generally get what you pay for.

Another thing to keep in mind when you're hiking is how you tie your boots. It also makes a big difference.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3966&highlight=tying+boots

[scoutsurvivor]

Interestingly, I have rarely had blister problems with boots or shoes until just this last week. I was at a week-long Boy Scout summer camp and I packed well. I didn't take boots, as I wasn't going to be doing any rough stuff, but I packed two pairs of athletic shoes and lots of socks (some cotton, some wicking-stuff) because the weather was supposed to be hot and humid with a good chance of storms. I didn't pack any sandles for wet stuff, as open-toed shoes weren't allowed at the camp (too many kids shoving sticks into their feet running-around in sandles).

The first day was rainy, so I wore my old trail running shoes (which I had earlier designated as "wet shoes"). The second day was fairly dry, so I wore my Nike Max Airs, a pair I had originally purchased for running, but found to have little shock-absorbtion, so had worn casually for some time.

Only a few hours into the 2nd day both of my pinky toes were killing me! I applied mole-skin and changed socks and the extra pressure of the mole-skin just made things worse. At the end of the day I returned to my tent, changed my shoes, and haven't worn the Nikes since. Luckily I had brought some Gold Bond for my butt (hot wet conditions and going from walking trails to sitting over and over throughout the day), because I spend the rest of the week pampering my feet and making one pair of shoes work rain or shine (that's a lot of sock changes and foot powdering to dry things out).

As far as I can tell, it was the vertical nature of what I was walking that made the difference, cramming my toes into the toe box of running shoes that ran a bit smaller through the toes than my other, older pair.

The lesson is, don't assume that your feet will act the same as they always do, as any small variable may completely change your needs.

[crashdive123]

Good post Scoutsurvivor. How about dropping by the Introduction Section and telling us a little about yourself. Thanks. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14

[ama1130]

As far as boots are concerned the only ones I wear are military issue. The process I use to break them in when I get a new pair is to put them on just as if I were on duty, lace them as tight as I can and submerge them in water and wear them until dry. Its miserable at first, but in the long run it beats breaking them in with your own blood the private way. Once they dry you shouldnt have any problems with blisters so long as you change socks on a regular basis. Ive rucked hundreds of miles using this method to break in my boots and never had a problem.

[rwc1969]

I found a really cool and invaluable piece of kit. Wanting to ensure it didn't get damaged I stuffed it into a high tech airtight temperature regulated container and placed it in my BOB atop the tarp, extra boots, and billy can. It was kinda hard getting it in there but I managed. Then I weighed my BOB.

My BOB was so big, bulky, and awkward I couldn't read the scale, but could tell it was much heavier and seemed real top heavy. I actually had a real hard time just getting the BOB to stay balanced long enough to weigh it. So, not wanting to make my BOB weigh any more than it already is, I took the airtight container out of the BOB.

I then soaked the airtight container in varying degrees of air, light and water for varying lengths of time, pressure and intensity to test it, removed the item from the airtight container and it was still fully functional. I could still use it just the same as before I stuck it in the container. Not only did I find a most excellent piece of kit, but the high tech container was truly righteous in it's own regard. Bonus!

Even-though the container was already rather bulky and didn't fit so well in my already overstuffed BOB, I decided to fit a few more pieces of kit into it. I tried weighing the kit stuffed container by itself to see what it weighed, but again I couldn't get a good reading on the scale. I was quite worried this high tech container and invaluable piece of kit would take up too much room or weigh too much to be practical in my small BOB, which is just a cheapo day pack.

I struggled trying to figure out how I would determine the weight of my new found piece of kit and the container in which it was held. So, I researched, gathered information, acquired knowledge, applied the knowledge to gain experience as to how I would weigh this peice of kit and the high tech container it was stored in. When I came back to weigh the container I realized I had more stuff to put in it, but luckily it still fit in the high fangled container that I've spent so much money on. I guess it was worth the investment, not only is it an airtight, temp regulated container, but it expands to fit larger items. I'm pretty cheap and don't like spending money on stuff I don't need. Even after all the research, info, knowledge and experience I still couldn't position or balance the container well enough on the scale to get a good reading. It was starting to drive me nuts, having this container that was too big and bulky to fit in my BOB or weigh.

So, I started more research trying to figure out if there was a way for me to fit the overstuffed container into my BOB or where I might carry it instead. By this point I pretty much had given up on weighing it. Could I use a vacuum sealer on it? Maybe I could hang it from my belt loop with a carabiner or the like? I looked long and hard online using search engines and camping and survival type forums, talked to a local hiking group to see if they had any suggestions, etc. etc. The local hiking group just gave me some weird looks when I showed them my container and wouldn't even respond to such a question. I did find some info online about this type of container, but none related to the way it might be stored in a BOB or carried on person. There were lots of ads for container covers and stuff, but nothing specific to it's use. To make matters worse I suddeny realized that I had even more stuff to cram into this already overstuffed, out of balance and apparently unweighable/ unpackable container. AaaaRrrrGggg!!!

So, after searching long and hard and exhausting every known resource, I come here to most humbly ask; :blushing:

Would somebody please explain how you fit a seriously overstuffed and out of balance head into your BOB? and if you can't then would you please tell me where you store it when hiking, etc., and how you managed to figure this out?

It's really driving me nuts!

Thanks in advance! I really appreciate the help.

P.S. I hope this isn't a stupid question.:online2long:

[rwc1969]

BTW, I already tried the vacuum sealer and just ended up with a headache and a hicky on my forehead. All other suggestions are welcome though, Thanks again.

[rwc1969]

I figured a pic might help. I took this while trying to weigh my container.



http://www.migraine-aura.org/site/content/e27891/e27265/e26585/e43013/e46020/e49784/medium_ecosse_faceties_d_un_gardien_en.bmp

[Rick]

If you are a normal human then the following should apply.

Weight of the skull = 2 lbs
Weight of skin = 1/4 lb
Weight of brain = 3 pounds

Please recognize there will be varying degrees of agreement on whether you are normal or human for that matter.

You could attempt to remove said head and weigh it but you do run the risk of getting blood on the scales so I'd bypass that and just go with average numbers.

Hicky on the forehead, huh? I'll bet you tell that to all the girls.

[silversam]

First aid kits are a must. Lots of water and I like wig wam socks. :)

[SARKY]

But what if you have six toes?

Use the extra for bait!

[AirborneEagles]

Great thing to bring up. Glad you posted that. How important it is to take care of our feet as well as other limbs of our body. If we don't have working feet, we don't go anywhere. We simply end up being stuck and part of the food chain if we cannot keep moving and doing all we can during the time we have to survive and depend on ourselves to make it through the day.

Socks on the other hand, in the military we wore both 100 percent cotton and wool socks, which one soaked up the sweat and the other kept our feet warm.
Some military socks today have a mix of different things in them, but not everyone can wear them and not end up with skin conditions on their feet after a few days of hiking. (Like me, my feet will actually split open and bleed from the junk they put in socks today, so I only stick with cotton or wool still.)

So upon that, if there is not enough room, even two pairs of each will have to do or more if you have the room in the pack. Underwear, only two pairs were needed, granted, more can be added, but one pair is worn while the other is cleaned and dried so it is ready for the next change. It is not like we can take the dresser with us, so we will do the best we can.

For the head, a beanie hat or anything to cover the head to keep the heat in during those cold days and nights.