What do you take with you on an Expo? 1+ weeks, lets get a gear guide going. Types of food? Gallons of water? Ect. What do you pack out?

Safety first, emergency suplies( ie. 6 MRE's, 4 1 litre bottles of water, 4 space blankets, flare pistol and 4 flares, AR-7 w/ small 50 rnd box, a good thought out first aide kit, mag. flint, some sort of multi purpous hatchet/ knife stuff, couple of shake lights, a cord saw, a bit of fishing line w/ a few hooks, a pair of multi pliers and a roll of 550 cord) This should all fit neatly in a small well packed duffle. MRE's are big but you can compress them and reseal them to get them about half the size. Just open them open, remove anything unnessisary like the cardboard and even the heater is not essential. Then use a vacume sealer. This pack should never be used unless nessisary, and known to all involved.

After that, it would depend greatly on where you were going and what you were doing there. The amount of food would depend on the expected availability of game and fishing. I would say that if you planned to really rough it just pack enough beans and rice for the number of peeps giong and plan of meat as it comes. If you are not planning on roughing it. Well you will need to pack 25% more then the party is expected to eat during the time aloted. Maybe even more. Water. Agian, its depends on where you are going. If the desert, well probably two gallons per person per day. a snowy river area with great clean water... probably very little. When planning for food and water remember to cushion your numbers because the wilderness takes its toll on your energy and water needs. Gas, I would say if you plan on running gens for power and other stuff at night and and going over medium terrain. plan on about three times as much gas as you would normally. If its a 50 mile leg, plan for about 150 miles at your overland rate of cunsuption. Not your highway mpg. Then you can be safe and not have to worry about making it out when gas gets a little low. And remember a single propane bottle will cook a lot more food then 5 gallons of gas will run your gen to run an electric stove. Less noisey too!

Other stuff would be recovery equipment. Remember that winches break down too. Some roll with 1 spare tire, responsably I would take at least two. Good high lift + accesries to get other jobs done. Spade shovel, wood axe, pick axe, rock bars, several knives. A set of all the things listed in the emergency pack, that is seperate and not intermingled with your regular suplies. By virtue , that pack should be reserved for emergency get the flock out of dodge use only so it will all be there if you ever need any of it. OBA is absolutly nesisary in my opinion. Assorted straps and ropes.

This is my favorite. Do some planning, and research. Make sure people know where you are going and when to expect you back. that way you dont end up out there for two weeks longer then expected with no one looking for you. Not fun!

Something that is always recommended in oz is an emergency pack of water,cell phone,keys,1st aid kit,compass,maps,money and credit cards.
The pack is kept close by

This is in case the vehicle catches on fire, becomes submerged or any other precarious position.

In the case of a fire,mum grabs the kids and emergency pack,dad gets the fire extinguisher and fights the fire.

Who does what in an emergency should be sorted out before you leave also.:)

Two very good answers I also like and use the idea of a bugout pack with at least a couple of days of supplies in it that is easy to grab and go if the need arises. Like it was stated earlier this should be self-contained and not mixed in with your normal everyday supplies.
A couple more things:
Fire extinguisher(if you don't carry one already)
Water Purifier and iodine tablets that way if water is running light you dont need to worry if there is fresh water around. When i go on day trips away from camp I bring a full water bottle and my hand-held purifier that way half your load isn't water.
Another thing with water is to remember to always have enough for yourself and your vehicle.
Oh yeah Gunz and lots of ammo!!! (No ar7 BS):flipoff2:
This is stuff I have learned the hard way:homer:

I've heard it called a "Ditch Pack".
Basic necessities for a couple of days worth of food/water for the number of people that are in the party. For food in this type of pack I'd use some beef jerky and other freeze-dried stuff. Dried fruit or trail mix is a good source of energy too. There's lots of bars out there that have tons of calories that are small and light weight.
And, depending on how far you are going to be from civilization and a rescue party, there are very small camp stoves you can buy that would be useful to boil water and to heat some of those camp meals you can get at any camping stores. (Different from the MRE's, and they actually taste good.)
Those emergency/foil blanket things should be packed in the bag, and those should be packed in any environment you are travelling into. Even the desert can get cold at night. ;)

I like carrying a couple (dozen or so really) medium-sized ziploc bags when I'm camping. They are great for shoving soap and liquids into and not having to worry about them leaking.
And they could be used for collecting food in the wild and being used as a drinking container.

I'd get a list of stuff together in the pack like this: (the food/water multiply by number of people)

knife/multitool
small hatchet
50' of rope
Emergency blanket
2 litres of water
Dozen ziplocs (1 litre size)
Pack of beef jerky
1/2 dozen energy bars
Spool of fishing line with 1/2 dozen hooks/lures
Small flashlight
Firestarter kit/matches (can be the magnesium/flint combo or whatever works for you)
Single burner stove, small metal pot, metal cup (As long as the metal is made for it, you can heat up food in both the pot and the cup)
Extra pair of socks (if you get one set wet, you can rotate in the dry pair -- not much sucks worse in the woods then wet feet IMO)
Disposable rain jacket, or even a garbage bag

That would be a very basic kit that would help you survive for at least a couple of days as long as you were dressed properly for the weather.
I would put emphasis on lightweight equipment, and only the bare essentials for a true ditch bag. ;)

I find the AR-7 to be very capable of both signaling and getting small game (deer sized animals go down easy with a .22 to the head as well....), and fitting into a small pack. Get your Scoped magnum rifle to do that. Try carring around a 100 rnds of '06 in your pocket. It is about being there when you need it. Not being there so you can brag about it and forget to grab it when the shit hits the fan. My "bug out" pack is desinged so your child could grab it in an emergecy, potentially saving your butt. Imagine a 5 year old tring to grab dads 85 lb emergency pack and get anywhere with it. Smith makes a .500 hangun survival pack. I dont think that would be useful though. To heavy, to much recoil for potentially small shooters and definatly will not feed me squerrils for a few days. Unless you like yours pre gutted and cooked. Either way I would limit a true "bug out" pack to 40 lbs. This is not to say I wouldn't carry a regular hunting arm as part of my regular gear. Just not in this pack.

Love the other sugestions though. I have a fire exstinguisher in my truck and forgot to mentin it... Brain fart. Super high cal energy bars can be a real life saver... and the are small. Water can be a issue. But you can save some room in your E pack by lining your canteen carriers with coffee filters instead of carrying a seperate filteration device. Three will get out most stuff and the iodine tabs will make the rest safe enough to get you through some days. The best thing is that you can clean them if needs be to streatch out your filtering capacity.

This thread kicks ass!

So we are talking overland style trips greater than 1 week in duration...
Assuming camping the entire time with some fuel stops along the way which would also allow for restocking of food supplies.

When we did the Continental Divide Expedition this summer (24days from Canada to Mexico). I had spent months in prep.

First I would say go to the Royal Geographic Society website and hunt around for some free pdf download of great expedition prep reading.
Then if you really dig that order the Vehicle Dependant Expedition Guide by Tom Shepard, this is considered the bible of overlanding. There are also some great books out of South Africa by Andrew White.
Overland Journal will soon be your magainze of choice so subscribe now :)

Anyway back to the gear list..
Well you need some emerg supplies like others have said in case you get stranded, which would mean you also need some comm stuff. I can't say enough good stuff about the SPOT Global Messanger. For the price it can't be beat.

And then there is some recovery gear, more if you are alone, less if you are with a group. Divide up some of the gear so each has less weight which = better mileage.

Some spare parts, serp belt, oil, air filter, trans fluid and such,,,you know your rig and what it needs. Tire repair kit and know how to use it. Jerry cans for fuel and water (better than tanks for the ability to deal with dirty water and less risk of busted tanks). Assuming you are in the USA dirty fuel shouldn't be a problem.

Each person should have a min of clothing and wash 1x mid trip, it really helps to have a set of comfy evening clothes to change out of and air out the day driving set.

If the ladies are along then a shower setup really helps, use a 2 gal stainless pump sprayer with showhead and everyone is happy. Otherwise heat up water in a bowl for a Navy shower for the guys.

A fridge is nice so that you don't have to mess with ice and saves space. If moving everyday then no battery concern, if basecamping then look in to folding solar or other setup.

Shade/rain/wind awing all really helps. Start early and stop early gives a chance for daily vehicle checks/maintance and easy camp cooking which leads into the camp kitchen. Modular is best for ease of taking in & out daily, also remember a quick to setup table and chairs will help with lunch..I really like my roll-up alum table and PICO chairs.

Navigation has it's own issues, I prefer a laptop with 2 programs running for comparison and of course have at least the Benchmark book for the area you are in and a compass (with the knowledge of how to use it).

Pillows are a huge comfort things, along with 12v fans in summer.

If in winter then a rubber hot water bladder or nalgene botte with hot water keeps the ladies happy in a sleeping bag.

I can say that the best thing to do is pack and unpack over and over in your driveway with setup for lunch and dinner, setup of your sleeping arrangement. Doing it 5 times in a row at home will help find your flaw before you are in the middle of nowhere.

Free to go to www.disabledexplorers.com and check out the Continental Divide Expedition and our trip report.

Good luck and have fun.

1 week or more my load out is pretty similar

fuel 140l diesel in tanks, depending on destination aditional 20l jerry can incase distance between stops is more than 1100km.
Fridge 50l filled with food meat ect all vacume sealed.
small esky for drinks ice can be stored in fridge till needed

spare belts and hoses for rad and engine (i keep the old ones from a service) maps for the reigon im traveling, including surrounding areas incase roads are blocked/closed. 2 spare tyres, I use split rims so ive got 5 tyres on rims and 2 spare tyres on the roof rack changeing a tyre to rim is bloody quick with splitties. spare fuses, test light, small toolkit. GPS as backup to maps if you cant read a map you shouldnt be going on drives where there is literally nothing but bush for 1000+km

UHF radio and atleast one HF radio in the group to contact royal flying doctors, police, weather updates ect.

normal camping gear, you use this all the time you know what works, what you like and how it fits in the car!

Tent Eureka something 2-3 person for poor weather

normally Swag mine is a bourke and wills canvas one love it to death, setup in under 30secs bed is already made lovely

water at the moment is in jerrycans but soon tohave a 50l water tank fitted under the car

Link below has a good list as a guide.

"The .22 lr is not useless in fact our military issues the Walther P22 (.22 lr) w/can to specops types." Great for melon thumping, turning off lights, alarm horns, hunting, self defense or whatever. CCI Stinger is a great .22 lr round for most applications and can be suppressed (for those of us who can) w/proper can.

http://www.expeditionswest.com/resources/camping_list.html

CCI Stinger is a great .22 lr round for most applications and can be suppressed (for those of us who can) w/proper can.[/url]

Anything can be supressed, however I don't believe anything supersonic, like CCI Stingers, can be supressed effectively (silenced).

{Hijack off}

"Suppressos" are a bit misrepresented by the movies. Sound supression means just that. The firearm is quieted.. not silenced completly. Supressors can only limit the sound created by the hot gasses escaping the muzzle at high velocity (muzzle blast) by trapping and allowing them to expand an cool without thumping the surrounding air. Any projectile traveling down range will make a noise. Subsonic rounds make a wistling sort of sound while super sonic projectiles produce a loud crack as they cross the sound barrier. The action of the gun itself is also not addressed usually, so you can still pick up the sounds of the action (if semi/full auto) racheting back and forth as well as any hammer falls and firing pin movments in any gun. A subsonic .22 is very silent on is own merit concidering most other arms. When suppressed, and an action lock and an o ring to quite the pin fall they can be very quite indead. However, since I doubt many peeps would be carring a silenced anything in their expo rigs emergency pack I dont see why we are discussing this. The AR-7 is tiny and with a few tweeks is a deadly weopon in all but the most retarded fantacy situations. My point was to get a rifle in to a bag so that it could be used in an emergency for huning and signaling keeping the entire bag under 40 lbs. No need for silencers and full auto nonsence. There are fourums for that sort of discusion. If you are relying on grabbing two or four bags totaling 80 -100 lbs in an emergency then you have not been in to many emergencies. That was all.

I agree supressors are overkill for most applications, maybe a survival rifle thread is necessary?
Jump box, or other way to start the vehicle (sorry the obvious but I think of this shit with a couple of pints in me).
Ideally you should be able to start a vehicle with no battery at all but every situation does not always line up as planned:D

My presenting the .22lr suppressed was for example that the .22lr does have a place within a good bug-out kit. Perhaps, I should have left out the suppressor side of my post not to confuse matters.

Anyway, a light and effective bug-out setup is a must, anyone who has ever humped a ruck over great distances knows this.

One must always consider what dangerous animals they may come across in their travels, expedition or survival situations and plan accordingly.

IMHO, a survival rifle thread would be suitable for this forum as the rifle or pistol would be standard in most situations, restrictions aside.....

IMHO, a survival rifle thread would be suitable for this forum as the rifle or pistol would be standard in most situations, restrictions aside.....


I agree....someone should start a new thread. Here's my effort ot get this thread back on track......



Lighting; it's only been touched on and since it's paramount to comfort and safety. Here's some of what I carry.

Lanterns: Take your pick as to preference and fuel availability. I normally use a propane lantern for ease of fuel. Small cylinders make it semi-portable and when in camp I screw it on top of the tree on a 5 gal. bottle. Out of country dual fuel is probably a better choice. Seems Coleman doesn't make the 'GOLD' mantles anymore, you know the ones that lasted years, anybody seen them lately or an equal? What does everybody else run?

In the truck: I always have a 3 or 4 D cell MagLite and extra batteries. I also have a 12v corded light with 20' of cord so I can use it to work on the truck. I sometimes carry a 12v rechargeable spotlight.

Personal: There's always a SureFire 6P in my kit somewhere with extra batteries and an extra bulb. In my pack, ( could be fanny, day or back pack) I carry a Petzl headlamp with extra batteries.

I suppose a flashing survival beacon wouldn't be a bad idea for a foreign trip.

I designed and fabricated a hot water heat exchanger so that I could utilize my Jeep's engine for making warm or hot water for showers and cleaning dishes. Sorry! I never took pictures of my setup, but I basically copied one of these units with some modifications. I'll be making another one for the Willys Wagon. Here's an example: http://www.hotcampshowers.com/new51788.html


Another item would be taking a class in primitive technology and/or survival skills. It sounds funny, but I think it would be worth doing.

now that is an idea. I think thawill have to go in to my own rig!.. cold showers suck.

While I have 6 jerry cans (diesel) I have been looking into aux fuel tanks as an option already have 43-+ gal tank. In my case a 25 gallon aux tank for my 1999 K2500 4x4 enhanced 6.5td is almost $900. frn's, these days the jerry can option feels much better.

While I have 6 jerry cans (diesel) I have been looking into aux fuel tanks as an option already have 43-+ gal tank. In my case a 25 gallon aux tank for my 1999 K2500 4x4 enhanced 6.5td is almost $900. frn's, these days the jerry can option feels much better.

Can you fit a Jimmy/Blazer tank in the spare tire area? That would be a less expensive route.

Can you fit a Jimmy/Blazer tank in the spare tire area? That would be a less expensive route.

I tried those tanks, however, they fit a different frame configuration. The burb I have has more x-members w/spacing that interferes w/using the tanks mentioned.

The spare tire in the diesel rigs is mounted inside the vehicle because the rear area under vehicle between chassis rails is for the 42-+tank. The aftermarket unit fits under truck between the driver side chassis rail and drive shaft then the filler comes up to front inside of driver side wheel well, yes, filler cap is inside well and needs some kind of cover to protect it from the elements. 25 gallon tank under there would be nice.

Been looking into fuel cells that may fit that area under burb hope one will work for much less $$$.

Thinking I may have someone weld up a tank for less money than the aftermarket unit I was thinking of.

Don't forget the expedition vehicle itself should be reasonably self sufficient. Top ways a vehicle is un-useable are lost keys, dead battery, tire damage, and empty fuel. Plan accordingly.
*Self recovery gear: Jerk strap & D-Rings (not cheap tow strap), hi-lift, shovel, and if you can afford it - winch.
* Spare tire, tire repair kit & air compressor (I like the MF-1050 (http://www.amazon.com/Master-Flow-MF-1050-Portable-Compressor/dp/B000L9AD2U))
* Battery backup: Dual battery w/ isolator, jumper cables, or jump box.
* On board welder or look into dual battery stick welding (http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/DualBatteries.shtml#Welding)
* Extra fuel
* I have 2 fire extinguishers, because they're small. Put out a fire with one, and you'll understand why.
* Spare parts, repair manual & tools. Know your vehicle, and what's likely to break - plan accordingly.

Everyone should own a good BOB (Bug Out Bag) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug-out_bag). For what it's worth, +1 vote on the AR7 (aka Henry Survival Rifle (http://www.chuckhawks.com/survival_rifles.htm)). At 3lbs WITH ammo, it's unbeatably handy. Use your BOB when camping some time. Try to live out of it as much as you can. Build a shelter, and try to sleep in it (pitch your tent as backup). This is the best way to find the "holes" in your gear or training. My gear & my knowledge of survival has increased several fold using this method.

Other than that, for a 1 week trip, there's too many variables. Dessert, mountains, snow or over-road-multi-state site seeing? Will I be near anywhere I can re-supply? The answers to these questions will determine what gear I bring. Plan for showering somehow too ;)

I forgot to mention: Remind everyone going to bring more medication (if they require it) than they think they need. Learned this one the hard way, and it's easy to over-look. It's literally on my camping check list now.

Acctually the ida of several smaller fire exstingushers is apaling to me now that you mention it. Stored in more places, easier to get too. If one is discharged it wouldprobly be cheaper to recharge then a large one. plus then there is no huge jug taking up space, while the smalle ones get stored away easy. What if there were more then one small fire on your journey? Very interesting.

Thanks for the props on the AR-7 by the way.

a nice wad of cash, especialy in foriegn places
sat phone for sure,,,with extra batteries
copies of your passport notarized by your embassy <leave the real one somewhere safe>/ visas.
fuel fliter, oil filter, fuses ect its always the little guys that get ya
axe and saw/ pick axe, machette
ak-47 as long as your not trying to cross any borders......
binoculars, compass, maps gps never works when you need it,
strike anywhere matches, signal flares, signal mirrors
water purifier/ tabs, you can go a long time with no food, but not water
spare socks and rubber boots/hip waders nobody likes jungle rot:shaking:
or one of these always helps

www.thaiextreme.net/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=859.0;attach=10998 ;image

Acctually the ida of several smaller fire exstingushers is apaling to me now that you mention it. Stored in more places, easier to get too. If one is discharged it wouldprobly be cheaper to recharge then a large one. plus then there is no huge jug taking up space, while the smalle ones get stored away easy. What if there were more then one small fire on your journey? Very interesting.

Thanks for the props on the AR-7 by the way.

I carry a few of the disposable type extinguishers. Im always worried that if I have one only ,the fire will start where the extinguisher is and I wont be able to use it:D

In oz ,desert travellers often travel through areas with spinifex grass. At certain times of the year it produces a highly flammable resin that sticks to the underside of the car.
Diesels arent too bad ,but gassers with their cat converters can easily go up in flames
The annoying thing about the resin is that it can reignite after you put it out.
So they recommend you carry a weed killer type tank and spray water rather than trying to use an extinguisher upside down underneath a vehicle.:smokin:

Spinifex victim. This one caught on fire a couple of times that day according to the report. I heard the family got out with their valueables but they were 400 miles from town:(
Its supposed to be an Exploder

http://users.bigpond.net.au/vk6xv/images/burntoutford.jpg

EPIRB - Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon
For use as a last resort. The signal will be heard by all commercial and military aircraft and sattelite over the Australian continent and you can be pinpointed to within a sq klm
It will also be heard by a an emergency response group in Canberra

Dont seem to hear much about them outside of oz,do you have them in the US.

I must get one before my next gold prospecting trip. The new high frequency model is out now.
They cost about $200-300 on ebay but are good for 5+ years

EPIRB - Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon
For use as a last resort. The signal will be heard by all commercial and military aircraft and sattelite over the Australian continent and you can be pinpointed to within a sq klm
It will also be heard by a an emergency response group in Canberra

Dont seem to hear much about them outside of oz,do you have them in the US.

I must get one before my next gold prospecting trip. The new high frequency model is out now.
They cost about $200-300 on ebay but are good for 5+ years

Yeah we have beacons here but we call them PLBs as in personal locator beacons. They're good but the rescue brings a hefty charge so you better really need to be saved before you use it. Satellite phones are better because you can call a friend to come help you but SAT phones are expensive and there is a yearly subscription fee. So both systems have their pros and cons.

The best option for communications in an extreme emergency seems to be that new SPOT device.
It's $150.00 and you subscibe to keep the service in place.
It acts as an gps/internet-tracking system, where you can have all your friends/family keep track of where you are on your travels. And in an emergency you activate it, it sends a signal to all emergency organizations in the viscinity and presumably you get rescued in quick order.
I'll be getting a SPOT before doing any single vehicle trip that I'm a fair distance from civilization. ;)

EPIRB - Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon

They are actually illegal to use on land in the UK. Although they aren't really necesssary as you have to try really hard to get further than shouting distance from another human being on this overcrowded island!

We can use the SPOT (http://www.track-trace.co.uk/spot_satellite_messenger.php)things though.

Lots of good information here. We always make sure to have a chainsaw when we go out.

the more you carry in your head the less you carry on your back. if you know how to use what you have you won't need as much. that being said i like to be prepared so i have so much crap i won't even try to list it. i will say that baby wipes work and take up less space than water for showers. i would also recomend a couple of water fire extinguishers. they come in 2.5 and i think 1.5 gallon sizes and after you use it you can refill it them pressurize it with you onboard air. you do have onboard air right? you also don't need to use it all at once as unlike dry powder it will seal when you let go of the trigger. it will work on class 1 fires and small class 2 if your careful. as far as firearms i would recomend a .22 rifle and a .45. a .22 pistol would be more compact and if your lazy a better choice but the rifle has a longer sight radius. i carry a .44 lever action and a 1911. i usualy also take a .22 when i go off road. i would want something more leathal than a .22 just in case you run into something large and angry. you wouldn't need many rounds in that case. also if i ever get to go near the boarder like the el camino del diablo trail i would take my m1a. better safe than sorry

I have done El Camino del Diablo a number of times and Border Patrol comes by camp often enough 24/7 that I don't worry about being armed at all.
Water, shelter, emerg comm (SPOT device & ham radio), fire making, signaling and knowledge.

The best thing for extended trips has to be the 12V refrigerator. I can take food right out of my fridge at home and put it back when I return. Like the partially used gallon of milk in the fridge. No soggy food or raw meat contaminating your ice,water and other food. I wind up eating better on a trip than I do at home and it winds up being cheaper to eat when you can pack in more regular food. You don't need a big one because you can add drinks as the cooler runs low.

I carry my toilet paper and baby wipes together in a bag. Actually I have a few sets so I can always find one. Keeping clean on a long trip is nice. I can go 3 days without using the Zodi shower if I use the above and put on fresh clean cloths every day.

The other important thing is just keeping all your gear together so when you go you don't forget anything. Basically I repack as soon as I get home so I can take off in style whenever I want too with nothing to worry about but where I'm going and food.