Are their any feminin items/firestarter you may need? Metal whistle in winter is not good, same goes for the metal anything you will put to your mouth. I like the dust mask idea and will be putting it in mine.

$800 + sounds like a lot of money. Not sure that you need to spend that kind of cash. Just wondering about the prices of some of your items...$7.99 for toothpaste? $90.00 for a military rucksack is way off...check army surplus stores. Also, re evaluate spending over $50.00 on plastic dropsheets...do you really need them?
You mentioned that you based this kit on a commercially available kit, which for the most part are complete crap.
Also, I noticed that the only food you have listed is a couple high calorie bars....not enough. Get some MRE's or freezedried meals.
Your water filter is way too expensive. Look for something cheaper such as a berkey. They are just as effective, small, lightweight, and cheaper.
As a newbie to prepping, if you spend $800 on a bug out bag, you would likely be bankrupt by the time you are ready to be self sufficient for a month.

Tone things down a bit.
Start by informing yourself as to what are the most likely situations in your geographical location.
Check the Canadian Disaster Database for that...just google it and you'll get there.
Buy and store a few extra non perishable food items each shoppong trip, your food storage will add up fast this way.
When planning a bug out bag...ask yourself what situations would cause you to bug out and plan around that.

I noticed in another post by you that you live in a rural area on 10 acres with your parents. You should plan to bug in for MOST situations.

Last but not least, ask questions...there are plenty of experienced people here that are glad to help.

Welcome to the forum and welcome to being a prepper!

Thanks. I actually went to our local Army Surplus and found that they'll be getting some quality Rucksacks end of the month for only $60, way cheaper. Plus they give a discount to cadets/military personnel :). The Berkey water bottle I looked up is one sale for $25.99, way cheaper. The only question I have is how many litres will it safely purify before losing quality? I've emailed them and hopefully I'll get a response soon.

I can understand the need to stock up on food, as I said, this was based on the idea I might need to essentially disappear into the woods. I've been hiking around and there is a surprisingly large amount of edible foods around. Not that I want to wholly rely on them, though. I really want to learn how to can, and need to get some basic equipment. I used to keep a fair sized garden, that despite being unorganized, produced large amount of tomatoes & peppers. The only downside was that I had far more produce than we could use or freeze, and not enough to sell or trade away. I usually just mixed them all together and called it tomato sauce, and let what I couldn't use go to compost. I hardly gardened at all this year because I felt bad letting all that food go to waste :/

I have so far just acquired some army surplus things, a mess kit, cutlery knife, and tin cup, a web belt with a canteen pouch, and a web-belt harness that fits under a rucksack and has tons of pouches (including another canteen, never enough water).

I also feel much better that Berkey is a Canadian company. I think I'll source as much as I can from them. I'll also be sure to look more for bug-in items.
Thanks a lot guys 🙂

RachelM,

I will make a few suggestions now and may be back later.

Whistle - this is Canada you need a plastic whistle - Fox-40 or a Storm.

Ruck - Large Alice Pack with frame - surplus from Sportsman's Guide dot com .$34.95 to 59.95 USD + shipping.

I will get back to adding more soon.

Mountainman.

RachelM,

More thoughts.

I am guessing your $800 is spent and gone.

I notice you do not have any clothes in this bugout bag, you do not have a sleeping bag, you do not have a bivy bag.

I would suggest you get the best sleeping bag system you can afford.

You will need a bivy bag - off season price can be less than $90 at Atmosphere Sports (formerly Coast Mountain Sports, now part of Sportschek.)

A synthetic insulation (prima-loft, thinsulate, quadrafill, etc) sleeping bag - barrel bag or a bike & hike - $50 +/- [use as an overbag]

A down sleeping bag - MEC $120 +/- [use as an inner bag]

A sleeping bag liner OR a full set of poly-pro underwear - long sleeve shirt, long johns, sox. To keep your sleeping bag clean. $30 +/-

A sleeping pad - at minimum a closed cell foam mat 20"x72"x1/2" $20 +/- or a Therma-Rest self-inflating $75 +/-

A water proof compression sack to hold the sleeping bag components - search for an Outdoor Research or similar $50 +/-

With the correct sleeping bag combo you can survive a Canadian Winter to -25C without a shelter and -40 or colder with a proper shelter.

Stove and cooking equipment. Do a little research on youtube and you will find plenty of stoves you can build at home with minimal tools or supplies. Some burn solid fuel = twigs, pine cones, wood chips. Others use alcohol. If you buy a Pocket Rocket of similar canister fuel stove, then look for a two piece pot set that will hold your stove and fuel canister in the main pot and have a lid that doubles as a cup/bowl. MEC use to sell the perfect pot in hard anodized aluminum for $16 but MEC is getting stupid and trendy lossing contact with the common sense roots that started it. Just my opinion.

Search Sportsman's Guide dot com website on their surplus stuff and you should find more gear you will find useful. Also, if you visit www dot cqmsltd dot com they have surplus gear from the Canadian Forces like shelter halves - 2 halves for $45.

Food. Think about stuff that will last a long time such as beef jerky, canned nuts, trail mix bars, sesame snaps, Kerr's hard candies, hot chocolate packages.

Hope this helps,

Mountainman.

Regarding sleeping systems. You can get the US system... 2 bags, waterproof bivy and stuff sack for less than $200 shipping included on ebay and using all elements is good down to -50 F best case.

Hello RachelM

As I live in the peninsula same as you, I can tell you with certainty that the Berkey sport bottle that your looking into will do the trick nearly anywhere your gonna be. I'm getting a couple myself for Xmas gifts for family members 🙂

I've been using a MSR mini works for almost 10 years now in the area. I've used it in Short Hills. I've used it hunting in some of the Conservation lands around and I've used it on water from both Great Lakes and the Niagara River - I've even used it on the Welland Recreational Canal. I filter the water, boil it just to be safe and drink it. Sometimes I don't even boil it because I'm taking it from moving water sources. I've never been sick from it, although I attribute that to mostly luck. I believe I'd be filtering water with the usual contaminates one finds in water, and also sources with some farm runoff. Knock on wood.

I've been using an old surplus Forces issued large ALICE pack for about 10 years as well. It used to be my hiking (Bruce trail, from Niagara to Hamilton at least 3 times a year) pack, but I've since downgraded to a daypack for a bug out bag. I found myself loading way to much stuff into my large ALICE (sometimes 90 pounds of gear!).
In my truck, I keep fluid bottles - especially coolant, oil and brake fluid. I have a shovel and an axe/hatchet/bow saw. I keep a full sized spare tire and a tire plug kit (I don't use that liquid stuff and having been a tire repair/installer guy for about 10 years I won't either). I used to keep a sleeping bag and pad in there, but I have to replace those, instead I keep an air mattress and some fleece blankets for now. I have an air compress that plugs into a lighter socket.
I have a cap on my truck (hence the air mattress). I keep most of my stuff in a plastic bin with a lid. There's more in it, but it's common stuff.

If your truck doesn't have a cap, I'd lose the tube tent and get some line (parachute cord or some thinner nylon cord) and a tarp. You could rig yourself up a shelter in the bed of your truck when you needed too. Also, I'd add in a Luggable Loo crapper pail. My lady folk kept telling me what a drag it was peeing in the bushes. Canadian Tire sells them. You could keep some liner bags in it with lots of toilet paper (the girls kept telling me that wiping with Kleenex sucked and pine cones WERE NOT an option). It's like a 5 gallon pail with a seat, so it would fit quite a lot of stuff when not being used.
Winter time I always keep either bags of kitty litter or really coarse sand in the back, for traction and for getting stuck in the snow - my truck is only 2wd. I also keep tea light candles too. I've used those to keep a bit warmer in the cab without turning on the truck and using the heater. I've been able to place them right on my dash without ruining anything. I hate to admit it, but those little suckers don't do so bad.
I'd also get a 20L/5gal water jug (Canadian Tire about $15) and store some water - more is better though. Just remember to keep less water in it during the winter and don't leave the jugs in the truck to freeze.

Runs With Scissors

A Hamilton area group is meeting Oct 7 at 11 am at the Tims... Mud St and Centennial in Hamilton. Join us if interested.

RachelM,

http://internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1829 Follow this thread for a look at a BOB build by another prepper on the Forum.

Understand, of course, each person will have different needs, background, skills, education, experience and available funds for their BOB. A bush savvy trapper may be able to hike 50 km's in a blizzard with just the clothes on his back and a whatever fills his pockets and do just fine. A "Bay Street" type may not be able to survive the same trip, under the same condition no matter how much gear is available. There is more to bugging out than just kit in your BOB. There is a large mental training component. The SAS - Special Air Service have a needs pyramid - Attitude is the foundation, the next level up is skills and training and the top and smallest part of the pyramid is Kit / gear.

Best of luck on your BOB, it will be a life long project that changes as your skills increase and your budget allows for upgrades.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

Here are two more BOB threads,
note as well that a light BOB and a fully equipped long term bag and setup are vastly different types of requirements.

http://internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=985&p=9548&hilit=bicycle#p9548
http://internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=676&p=5698&hilit=bicycle#p5698

GC thanks for the newest link above, I am looking that one over right now.

A Hamilton area group is meeting Oct 7 at 11 am at the Tims... Mud St and Centennial in Hamilton. Join us if interested.

Would've loved to join, but got stuck working 🙁 Gotta pay for the BOB somehow. Also, that silly thing called college 😆 Not sure if there's anything closer to home, but if there's another one coming any time soon, let me know where, when, and what to bring, and I'll do my best to get there. I'm juggling between work, school, and a pickup that needs a serious tuneup.

@gc_mountainman
Don't worry, very little cash has been spent, I've only got a knife, a mess kit, and a canteen w/ web belt and harness. Plenty of time for changes. Could've sworn I had a sleeping bag listed. I have one now that is only rate 4 Celsius. Alright, except when winter comes. Knowing my luck, that'll be when I need it.

Next date for the Hamilton group is Nov 4 at 1300 hrs. I'll let you know where. We will be covering fire making and show and tell on water filters.

Thanks. I'll do my best to try and make it. I tried some fire-making in a mess tin in my back yard, figured I'd make some chicken soup from powder. I ended up smelling like smoke and having cold, twig-bark soup. I could use a refresher!

RachelM,

Another place to have a look for info is on Youtube, search for Maine Prepper and BOB's. His video's are informative.

Try this one for start. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSoJXVtE7TM and then poke around on other video's, should give you some good ideas.

Cheers,

Mountainman.