Training With Your BOB

[Nemo]

I received an email from Springfield (Armory) regarding a website related to them.  I visited, bookmarked and have found it interesting with some things to think about there.

Nemo

https://www.thearmorylife.com/



One relevant here:

https://www.thearmorylife.com/training-with-your-bob/

Training With Your BOB

Bug Out Bags are common and are typically selected and packed with the intent that should the organic fertilizer make contact with the giant rotary oscillator in the sky, the owner will throw their trusty BOB on and simply walk to where ever it is they’ve planned to go.

Ok. Great.

If you are someone who throws a BOB in their car as a matter of routine, keep this in the forefront of your mind: Your personal fitness level, more than your BOB, will have the most impact on whether or not you can actually make it to your planned location – home, retreat, etc.

If you want to be successful, as defined by arriving at your destination, you must make an objective assessment of where you are on the fitness scale and what your physical limitations may be in carrying a BOB farther than from your house to your car.

A few questions you need to answer to be able to train for walking from, say, work to home:

    How far is it from your place of work to your home? 5, 10, 15 miles or more?
    Have you ever walked that far without a break or stopping?
    Is the route flat, hilly, urban, suburban, or rural? It makes a difference!
    How much weight have you carried on your back and how far did you carry it?
    Do you have good, broken in hiking boots and a few pair of good quality socks?

Great, you’ve figured out how far you have to walk, what kind of route it is, how much you can carry, and have ensured you have good boots and socks in your vehicle. Now go get clearance from your doctor before you begin this or any other physical fitness program.

Start your BOB training with a half mile walk in your neighborhood with NO pack – just you. See how long it takes you and how you feel when it’s over. Make sure you stretch before and after – your goal is 3 to 4 miles an hour. That means the half mile should only take 7.5 to 10 minutes.  Shoot for 7.5 minutes as your goal – the better shape you’re in, the better you’ll be in the real thing.  Do these 2 to 3 times a week until it seems too easy to you – no soreness, not winded, etc. Write down your progress.

The next couple weeks do 3/4 of a mile. Take a week off, then do another 3 walks in a week doing speed mile walks. Walk as fast as you can for one mile. Time it. Get as close to 15 minutes as you can.

The 2nd month, start with 1/2 mile and your BOB (no matter what weight it is). Walk it as fast as you can. Time it and work toward the same goals.

After that, jump to 1.5 miles at no slower than 20 minutes per mile. Take a week off. Then start again increasing distance in half mile increments until you can do the entire distance from your place of work to your home, with the BOB you’ve packed for real world situations.

It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get to that distance, just keep at it. What matters is that if you’re ever forced to use your BOB to get home, you’ll be more likely to make it than you may be now. Remember the time-tested rule: “Suffer the pain of discipline, or suffer the pain of regret!”

[pkveazey]

That article is great if you are under 50 years old. I'm older than dirt and my BOB is heavy as hell. I plan to grab as much stuff as I can put in my car if I have to leave. If I have to walk, I'll put my BOB on and head across the yard to my wooded area and set up camp and a defensive position. My plan is to not get trapped inside my house but to eliminate those who try to use my house and what's left inside.

[JohnyMac]

All good stuff.

My BOB is 37 pounds complete which does include a bump helmet for my NVG's. That weight does include a canteen but a empty one.

Depending on where I start out from, I will probably liberate/buy a bicycle to make travel a bit easier. Not unlike how the VC transported goods during the conflict there. 

[Kbop]

yeah, i'm no spring chicken either Pkveazey - though, i think JM has me by a couple of years.
I keep a folding wagon in my car - comes in handy for all kinds of things.  A couple or four scrap 1/2" PVC pipes about 2' long with holes drilled about every 4" and enough 550 cord to tie everything together - I'm hoping to be able to buy a bicycle too and rig a hitch to the wagon.

My GHB is 20 pounds - should suffice.  mostly foul weather gear, a water filter and food.

[JohnyMac]

I truly have to figure out how to reduce the weight to maybe 25 lbs. That was my max in the days I back-packed all over the country.

One thing I could do is eliminate MRE's and just go with freeze dried food. The next thing to cut out would be the Bump helmet. I carry 150-rnds of 9mm. I probably could eliminate some weight there. The GI poncho weighs a ton, maybe a couple of pounds there too. Oh yeah and the RPG and three rockets too. Maybe eliminate one of the rockets. 

[JoJo]

 My wife and I are much to old to bug out so defending our home is the only thing. Besides my wife suffers from "Terminal Normalsy Bias". You know it always happens to someone else type of thinking.

[JohnyMac]

To be honest my BOB bag is actually a GHB (Get Home Bag). Like you JoJo, I am bugging in too but I travel a lot. 

[gadget99]

Good discussion here.

We are bugging in and unless we are on the mainland the get home walk at the very MAX would be 20 miles.

So for anywhere on the Island it is a small day pack.

Now the fun thing is that we rarely leave the Island. From this point onwards when we do it will be in the boat. So getting home is pretty much good.

Training with you bag and the kit in it is something that cannot be overlooked. Even when I was in top shape. A 20 mile road march would still kick my rear.

At my age doing it at a leisurely pace would be pretty taxing. So when you can. At the very least. Carry your bag when you go out for walks to get your body used to it.

[JoJo]

To be honest my BOB bag is actually a GHB (Get Home Bag). Like you JoJo, I am bugging in too but I travel a lot. 

 I don't have a BOB but I do have a GHB. The most we travel is 15 to 20 miles from home.

[Kbop]

@JM, do you strip your MRE's before you load your bag?  that saves weight and volume.

https://www.itstactical.com/survival/how-to-field-strip-an-mre-in-12-easy-steps/

[JohnyMac]

Yes I have. \"/. Great question though.

Three days of freeze dried food weights about 1/3 of the weight of three days of a MRE. To be honest, I much prefer the MRS as you do not have to fire up to heat water. The MRE is self warming and of course can be eaten with no heating procedure at all.

My challenge is, as I suspect others is - Comfort. I need to focus my GHB on getting home not a leisurely trek with a bunch of creature comforts. 

[Erick]

A BOB must be light enough that you can carry it readily and not affect your agility too badly.
No one is served if you twist an ankle when jumping over a highway divider with an heavy load.

My BOB plus gun/ammo weighs less than 30 lbs (and I weigh 230 lbs and ruck march regularly) so its light burden for me and thats on purpose.

Less is more.. dont let  a BOB fatigue you..

A gun,ammo,water, first aid kit, compass, a map, spare socks, spare underwear, spare t shirts (use tan or dark ones.. in a pinch you can wear t shirts as a extra layer on your head when its cold), lifestraw,a woobie, a light rainjacket, toothpaste/toothbrush, couple of protein bars. Done.

What do I not carry?

Excessive Ammo load..
Excessive water load
Sleeping bag
Extra boots.. the ones I wear must be good enough
Extra Firearm.
firemaking flint
Tomahawk...
Tent

[gadget99]

A BOB must be light enough that you can carry it readily and not affect your agility too badly.
No one is served if you twist an ankle when jumping over a highway divider with an heavy load.

My BOB plus gun/ammo weighs less than 30 lbs (and am I weigh 230 lbs and ruck march regularly) so its light burden for me and thats on purpose.

Less is more.. dont let  a BOB fatigue you..

A gun,ammo,water, first aid kit, compass, a map, spare socks, spare underwear, spare t shirts (use tan or dark ones.. in a pinch you can wear t shirts as a extra layer on your head when its cold), a woobie, a light rainjacket, toothpaste/toothbrush, couple of protein bars. Done.

Whole heartedly agree........

Pack what you absolutely need to get to your destination. To much un-needed weight will hamper you.

[patriotman]

A BOB must be light enough that you can carry it readily and not affect your agility too badly.
No one is served if you twist an ankle when jumping over a highway divider with an heavy load.

My BOB plus gun/ammo weighs less than 30 lbs (and am I weigh 230 lbs and ruck march regularly) so its light burden for me and thats on purpose.

Less is more.. dont let  a BOB fatigue you..

A gun,ammo,water, first aid kit, compass, a map, spare socks, spare underwear, spare t shirts (use tan or dark ones.. in a pinch you can wear t shirts as a extra layer on your head when its cold), a woobie, a light rainjacket, toothpaste/toothbrush, couple of protein bars. Done.

Whole heartedly agree........

Pack what you absolutely need to get to your destination. To much un-needed weight will hamper you.

Same. My GHB is designed to keep me alive enough to get home. Comfort is low on the list.