Bug Out Bags

[daveb]

Most anything by wicked laser is well made. You have to be very careful with their high powered stuff. Even though all lasers can blind, if a kid got ahold of one of the high powered lasers they will almost instantly blind a person if used improperly.

There is something to firing a beacon at aircraft but most .5 watt lasers will do a good job and won't actually destroy a pilots eye(s) although low power lasers can limit and/or distract their vision. The idea is to signal not hurt the rescue personnel.

I don't recall if wicked lasers have a power setting. I do know thhey have a safety code to prevent an unexperianced person from operating it.

[BroncoHauler]

Cool lasers, but lasers have such small beam spread that you have to be super accurate with pointing it to get someone to see the beam. For the most part you will not see the beam unless you are looking into the beam (bad) or see if reflected off some surface.

Think I'll stick with my emergency strobe.


Herb

[dig255]

First I get thier attention with the laser, you don't have to be that acurate, just wave across a plane that will reflect to get them to wonder what the reflection hitting them is and then they will look for my strobe. Enough eyes on a comercial flight to get some ones attention.

[daveb]

Originally Posted by BroncoHauler

Cool lasers, but lasers have such small beam spread that you have to be super accurate with pointing it to get someone to see the beam. For the most part you will not see the beam unless you are looking into the beam (bad) or see if reflected off some surface.

Think I'll stick with my emergency strobe.


Herb

You'd be surprised Herb. They will see it very easily and it will catch there eye from much further than a strobing flashlight. I will say a standard high voltage strobe is still a good choice as well but there aint nothing like gettin hit with a laser.

[joey2cool]

Herb, you started this and I'm not sure why it spun off into lasers, but I like your original list.

Bill, not so comfortable lugging ss cards around these days either.

[daveb]

Originally Posted by joey2cool

Herb, you started this and I'm not sure why it spun off into lasers

I look at a BOB in a few ways. One to leave home with in an emergency, and one to get you out of a jam when stranded in the wilderness (like when you have to leave a broken down vehicle). In the latter I might be looking for rescue. A wide beam laser would be one of the best signaling devices for an aircraft to find me. [edit](look at the video)
My home BOB would be much different (and larger) than my van's BOB, and my hiking BOB would be very small, maybe fanny pack sized. For the hills I frequent I’d probably have a compass, multi tool, whistle, some rescue cord, a metal match, a laser, and a small flashlight. I would also throw in some minor 1st aid stuff and drugs I’d need. I always carry a water bottle and even though most of the water might be OK in the high country, water tabs don’t take up much space.

I like the idea of separate packs where each is part of the other so not to replicate anything. If I need my hiking pack, I’ll pull it out of the Van’s BOB.
My hiking BOB is probably the most important because I have a sat phone. Those with a SPOT are fairly safe as well. I rarely carry my sat phone while fishing or hiking. The van BOB would be more like a scaled down backpack. JMO



Dave

[daveb]

I have to carry a Medic Alert emblem. I found these rescue cord bracelets that would be handy on my wrist or in the BOB. All kinds of color for kids and gals too. I'm planning to see if they will put my personal dog tag on one but if not they do make custom tags also.

http://www.survivalstraps.com/men/custo ... celet.html

[BroncoHauler]

Something I came across that I'm adding to either a Bug Out Bag, or a maybe just stash in a vehicle. More or less emergency replacement sunglasses. My blue eyes are very light sensitive, made worse by my wearing contact lenses, so I can't stand not having sunglasses. I don't think these would be very good for extended periods of time, but they do seem to do the job for what they are. They are thin plastic, frameless with foam on the upper edges, supposedly block 99% of UVa/UVb light, they're polarized, and have a paracord retention strap. The (thin) plastic storage container is probably 10% - 15% taller and 10% - 15% wider than an old 35mm film canister.



You can find them in dark and light versions.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KB ... UTF8&psc=1


Herb

[eddyturn]

Bug out bags contents so far look good. Cell phone or Sat phone or Delorme Explorer so you can text if out of cell range. to let folks know where/how you are. ADV rider forum post always have weapons in the bug out bags but maybe that's cuz we are "bikers" too. Might need guns if it the the appocaplypse anyway. Live in CO,you can take legal weed which is easier than keeping beer cold.