what do you carry in your ruck

[v0dka]

i have a  ilbe ruck that i just got. I just started loading it up, I'm looking on input on what to stick in it. So far i have.

-2 rolls TP
-body wash
-tooth paste toothbrush
-2 lighters
-magnesium fire starter
-2 pairs of ear plugs
-5 wet fire
-2 glow sticks
-2flares
-space blanket
-utility rope.
-spare fixed knife
-assorted 5.56 greentip, ball and .45
-2 cans of beans
-5cans of mixed fruit
-fuckton of cliff bars
-nature valley bars
-4 packs of ramen noodles
-5 wise food storage meals (20 servings)
-tiger stripe camo bdus
-socks t-shirts etc..
-tarp
-sleeping bag
-4 dry bags

I think that is it. I plan on adding
-bls kit beefed up with lots soft tissue stuff and chest seals.
-replacing the ulitily rope with paracord and adding a climbing rope with the needed accessories.
-I'm trying to fit a Stanley FUBAR in there if i can
-a water bladder to add to my chest rig camelback.
-container of chlorine
-spare batteries.

The pack already is pretty heavy so i really dont want to add to much to it. Not to mention the added weight of my chest rig plus assault pack. Its probably close to 80 pounds all together.
I'm really looking to subtract weight even though there is things i need to add. Any input would be great.

[special-k]

...I'm really looking to subtract weight even though there is things i need to add. Any input would be great.

Ditch the body wash for a soap bar. (less space and weight.)

A ferrocerium striker would be a little lighter and generally a better choice than the magnesium bar.

Flares??  Why??

Ditch ALL the canned food......too much water (and metal container) weight.  Stick with dehydrated and/or freeze dried...maybe some MRE's.

GET A HEADLAMP or two...you'll wish you did later.

 

[v0dka]

Ditch the body wash for a soap bar. (less space and weight.)

Hmm i'll have to think about it the body wash that i am carrying is alot more then i need.

A ferrocerium striker would be a little lighter and generally a better choice than the magnesium bar.

Meh not worried that much about that, I'd loose the lighters if i was.

Flares??  Why??

lol......yeah i think i'm going to take those out.

Ditch ALL the canned food......too much water (and metal container) weight.  Stick with dehydrated and/or freeze dried...maybe some MRE's.

I may ditch the beans but i;m keeping the fruit. The vitamin c is too valuable. I do have freeze dried food in there.

GET A HEADLAMP or two...you'll wish you did later.

I dislike headlamps simply because if i'm in a situation carrying this ruck i probably want to have as low as a signature as possible. I have excellent night vision, if i'm in true pitch black i doubt id be dicking around with something i'd need a headlamp for.

[APX808]

V0dka, you totally need a headlamp, if you are interested in keeping a low signature, get a headlamp with a red filter, I have a Petzl and I love it.
Even having  a great night vision you could end up tripping, that could end up fucking up one of your legs and you are screwed.
Besides, its useful if you need to get inside a building, or look something in a hole or whatever.

Man, there are things that is better to have and not need than need and not have, a light is one of those, I carry 2 light sources, a headlamp and a pocket light, considering the little weight it adds you must have one in your bag.

[v0dka]

If i'm running around with this pack i'll have my rifle which has a light on it. I know the whole you shouldn't be pointing your rifle at everything that might be scary. I'll have another light on me to use when i feel appropriate.

[APX808]

Your rifle light for sure is white and extremely powerful, if you want a low profile, turning that on is a really bad idea.
Besides, when walking at night you need to check the floor, you'll end up flagging your companions and is going to tire your arms a lot to constantly move your rifle to light your way.

Why is that you dislike so much the headlamps? Maybe you need to try one

[Currahee]

How far have you carried it?

I fond that people adjust there rucksack a good bit after they carry it for a few miles spend the night then carry it back.

What kind of tarp?  How you gonna heat that food? Ditto on the headlight, odds are when you are over night training you won't have your rifle (you should be camping with your ruck as many places as possible.) a headlight is MUCH more useful for normal stuff.  What is the climate?  Around here 6 months out of the year a hammock + poncho liner is preferred.

Extra clothese are a waste, carry extra socks and moleskin, maybe a t shirt  Drop the underwear and carry some gold bond (might be an exception if you have good under armor UW)

Your BOK should be on your second line or first line not in your ruck.

Extra pistol ammo is a waste unless you're going to the range.  If your carrying a rifle and have time to fill up mags you should be filling up rifle mags- your pistol is a backup.  You should carry extra mags in a pouch on the outside.  I'm a hypocrite here though, I keep 200 rounds in a battle pack deep inside- but that is mostly just to add weight for training purposes and if I have to BO quickly.

Water filtration.  The chlorine is a start (actually a finish) you should have some coffee filters to get the particulates out first, and hard water bottles to do that in.  I would suggest a real filter ASAP. 

Lots of variables.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrZI_7mLysE

[WhiteWolfReloaded]

i have a  ilbe ruck that i just got. I just started loading it up, I'm looking on input on what to stick in it. So far i have.

-2 rolls TP They better be the compressed type. If not, cut out the tube and flatten them. You're not going to have a tp roller.
-body wash Yes, bar soap. It last about 5x longer than body wash.
-tooth paste toothbrush 95% of Americans are calcium deficient so I doubt that fluoride is doing you any good. Ditch it for Ipsab tooth powder or baking soda. The Ipsab powder will last you about 3x longer than a tube of paste anyways.
-2 lighters Bics are great little lighters, but can't go wrong with something wind and water proof. Ditch the secondary and get some butane to refill.
-magnesium fire starter
-2 pairs of ear plugs
-5 wet fire
-2 glow sticks They're cheap, good for trail marking, and a helpful id trick if you select colors per member of a group. Get more.
-2flares Keep'em. In a pinch it might save your ass or at least create a quick distraction.
-space blanket
-utility rope.
-spare fixed knife
-assorted 5.56 greentip, ball and .45
-2 cans of beans Dehydrated foods.
-5cans of mixed fruit If you're worried about vitamin C I promise you a bottle of supplements will weigh less and also have less high fructore corn syrup.
-fuckton of cliff bars
-nature valley bars Ditch both. Look in to some Mainstay bars.
-4 packs of ramen noodles Again, dehydrated food. Not high sodium food that will dehydrate you.
-5 wise food storage meals (20 servings)
-tiger stripe camo bdus
-socks t-shirts etc..
-tarp
-sleeping bag The tarp and bag are great, but toss in a hammock.
-4 dry bags

I think that is it. I plan on adding
-bls kit beefed up with lots soft tissue stuff and chest seals.
-replacing the ulitily rope with paracord and adding a climbing rope with the needed accessories. Wise choice. Stuff ain't cheap though, but don't skimp on the essentials.
-I'm trying to fit a Stanley FUBAR in there if i can
-a water bladder to add to my chest rig camelback.
-container of chlorine Calcium hypochlorite. Pool shock. Make your own bleach as you go. Just store it well in an air tight container. The stuff is extremely corrosive and will permeate through materials over time.
-spare batteries.

The pack already is pretty heavy so i really dont want to add to much to it. Not to mention the added weight of my chest rig plus assault pack. Its probably close to 80 pounds all together.
I'm really looking to subtract weight even though there is things i need to add. Any input would be great. Consider caching. If it's an option. Go for it. We all have to face the issue of not being a camel or pack mule once in a while.

Good lord man. You packed like my wife. You planning to stay in a hotel while you're at it?  I'm just picking. Here are some suggestions.

[Reaver]

Special k hit it dead nuts. ....almost. I keep flares in all my packs for a variety of reason.
1. Fire starter, yeah sure you got a light or steel and magnesium but that shit wont help in the pouring rain. A flare on the other hand at 1k plus degrees will dry some shit out. I know I've done it lol.

2. Signal depending on situation a signal could save your life via rescue as well as distraction.

3. Ambush initiation. My crew knows red flare to the right or left of the kill zone means means shift/lift fire. ( not really I don't have a crew but you get the drift. )

Flares have their place. IMO

[Outonowhere]

I do NOT like those mainstay bars.  Shit like that is just empty calories.  You get no nutrients out of it and you gotta eat so many of the damn sugar cookies to get the calories.  You are better off throwing in a few protein bars (350-450 cals per plus vitamins) and some multi vitamins.  Check out MAINEPREPPER, he has a video talking about it.

Also as others have said go with dehydrated over canned for the weight/content.  Also, an empty bag of mountain house is a lot easier to stow then an empty can of beefaroni.  Think E&E, what you pack in you MUST pack out.  Even burying stuff could potentially give you away.  And think about your worst case scenario.  You want stuff lighter/tighter so you can carry more.

If you go the MRE route, consider taking the entree and a couple other small essentials out of the big back.  Sure it night be nice to have a couple of those meals with all the shit in them for comfort sake but its just adds up to weight/space.


LIGHTS:
Shit, this is a big one and I am a member of the LWA (Light Whore Anonymous, affiliated with gear whore anonymous lol).  As stated weapon lights are powerful, sometimes bulky and usually attached to heavy things lol.  Here are my arguments towards getting a headlamp:
1. Allows you to keep your hands free (biggy)
2. is most of the time very compact and lightweight
3. should give you just enough light for your PERSONAL space.
A headlamp is supposed to be used for personal illumination (maybe minor signaling in a pinch).  It should just be bright enough to light the ground around your feet and a map in your hands, so you won't be needing an 800 lumen one!  You can find ones for only 10-20 bucks that have both red and white LEDs on them.  ***SIDE NOTE: something I heard from an eye doctor, a dim white light is better at preserving night vision than a bright red light. Here is a nifty link I found http://flashlightreviews.com/qa/nightvision.htm*** 

Now,  as we are talking about being as light as possible, why not get a versatile light?  I personally use the Streamlight Compact Sidewinder.  It is designed for the military, has red, blue, white and IR (the MIL version, commercial I believe has green) lights with multiple intensity modes.  The clip allows it to attach to MOLLE, and you can get mounts to place it on helmets and rails as well as a strap to use it like a headlamp!
(OK I'm done with that lol)

I definitely like and agree with a lot of what everyone else has added to the topic as well.  Fight light but do it right.

[Burt Gummer]

first of all your pack needs to be the right one for your purpose.
I would recommend a lightweight internal frame padded pack. These allow you to hold your heavier items near your center of ballance. such as placing the camel back near your back not on the outside of your pack (like that guy in the vid) This will make your pack significantly more controllable and comfortable by it also allows you to correct yourself faster when walking on uneven terain reducing the risk of injury.

I used to use an old tactical nylon pack on a modified Alice frame. boy was that a mistake.

Check these guys out.
Osprey I use a Volt 60 myself
Gregory
Kelty
Deuter
There's lots of other great brands out there, these are just the big ones.

I would also recommend a camouflaged & waterproof pack cover tailored to your surroundings and season. Eberlestock

A lightweight TarpTera Nova

Lightweight sleeping pad Therm-a-Rest

An lightweight axe Gerber or saw Bacho

Are we noticing that everything is geared towards LIGHT WEIGHT because you just can't carry everything you need, just can't. But you can carry more if it's lighter.
Also some more uncommon items I've learned through trial and error are worth having.
-Inexpensive work gloves
-Beef Bullion cubes. Salt / moral
-Empty Gatorade bottle. For guys in the winter
-22lr platform. It's bullets weigh next to nothing and it saves you from packing food.
-Plate carrier/lbv/belt that does not interfere with your pack. If you've got bulky padding or buckles near your shoulder it's not going to work.
-Dry brown rice. Healthy lightweight (get rid of those Ramen)
-make sure your Camelback is removable from your pack in -0* temp or it will become and stay useless.

[Burt Gummer]

I'll just leave this here...
https://s3.amazonaws.com/evp-4b5e023d5e288-a395f26c150e71e9ddd495fd7186310b/PrepperProject/bug-out-bag-big.jpg

[JohnyMac]

Great find Burt! Thanks 

[thedigininja]

Tampons.
I kid you not.
They weigh nothing work great as a fire starter and for a quick fix on bad wounds and if you're a gun guy then apparently you can use them to plug your barrels in bad weather. I'm also quite sure that they could be used for trade items.

Currently all that I have in my B.o.b. is
Tampons
Compass
Lighter
Bow and arrows
Knife
Socks
Rugged Smartphone
Small pack of seeds
Salt

However I do have a number of items that I will still be adding.
Hammock
Space blanket
Headlamp
Micro SD cards
Solar charger
Personal water filter
Bowstrings

And also need to restock on components for a small amount of thermite with some magnesium ribbon and busy making some poison for my arrows.

Has anyone tried the Crovel?

[special-k]

@thedigininja

Headlamp 

[Burt Gummer]

From what I gather you live in a heavily armed country with a history of violent unrest and of course suggest obtaining a firearm if the situation permits.

With your solar charger I would sugest knowing what it is you're wanting to charge and adjusting off of that. That being said I've got a Goal Zero Guide 10 myself and it's wonderful.

Headlamp 

I second that motion.

[thedigininja]

  I agree that a firearm is a good idea, I have been looking into it but between the cost and all the red tape behind getting one in this country it just isn't an option at the moment. I'm sure that I'll get to the point that I'm so morally numbed that I'll fold and get a black market gun (it's actually easier than getting a legal one and at a fraction of the price).

That's a mighty decent solar charger. I'm personally looking for something a bit smaller. it really only has to charge my phone (for the info on my sd cards) and my headlamp on occasion.

[Kbop]

headlamp 

I recommend dumping the body wash - I prefer the small (hotel type) ivory soap bars.  tons of uses, just add water and it won't leak.
One thing I like to add is pool shock (dry chlorine).  great for purifying water and long shelf life (and it won't leak).

[crudos]

One thing I like to add is pool shock (dry chlorine).  great for purifying water and long shelf life (and it won't leak).

Great idea! Thanks Kbop for the tip.

[APX808]

Hey thedigininja, I saw you mentioned poisoned arrow tips more than once and it sounds really interesting, could you please write a new thread teaching us a little about it?

Like what to use as poison, what happens if you eat a poisoned animal, what are the effects of the poison in a human, how to apply it, how long it last etc.

Thanks man

[thedigininja]

    apx

It would be a pleasure.

I personally like using plant extracts. I'll put some info together for you guys.

kbop, I like the idea of the dry chlorine, I'm assuming that you use the tablet form variety?

[thatGuy]

Digi, You can also get it in a powdered form. It would be cool too to figure out your mix ratios so you could fix a plastic takeaway spoon to measure to make a liter of bleach or purify a canteen of water.

It sounds like you intend to forage until your garden comes in, you might want to add some snare wire to the list. A good hank of rope, a tarp and a tool like a machete, axe or saw would also go a long way towards improving the creature comforts of camp life.

I would also like to see some toilet paper, a haji wrap, towel, hat and sunglasses on that list... But I'm a desert rat..

[thedigininja]

I was actually looking at some wire and wire fasteners today for snares. I have a small, basic camo tarp (it's an essential item for disappearing) that I can wear or sleep under.

I've also heard of people using dental floss for snares,  anyone tried this? I like items that can have multiple uses.

As for having a tool with me, I haven't decided what would suit me best yet. I have a separate pack with a few of my swords, knives (other misc bits of sharp metal) which includes a machete that I could grab or ditch but I have been considering adding a Crovel to my b.o.b. the only problem is that I don't know anyone who has actually tried it.

[Kbop]

kbop, I like the idea of the dry chlorine, I'm assuming that you use the tablet form variety?

Like ThatGuy said - powdered.  it is much easier to measure. google a mix ratio and put it in your kit. 

[Burt Gummer]

One thing I like to add is pool shock (dry chlorine).  great for purifying water and long shelf life (and it won't leak).

Great idea! Thanks Kbop for the tip.

Make sure you get the high concentration Calcium Hypochlorite version not the Sodium Hypochlorite. As it degrades less rapidly. Associated literature.
Stabile disinfection methods are probably more economical for a prepper's individual basis (Iodine). If you're preparing for a large group. Calcium Hypochlorite replaced when appropriate will be better.