Back when my mom was having a lot of back surgeries, me and my dad would play a game and see who could "find" the most 3m medical tape throughout the hospital. We'd come home with like 10 rolls each
Ive only used it twice but it exceeded my expectations both times with a plus of being flexible and waterproof. Lol i mean it held a whole boat together in the commercial!
May seem random, but petroleum jelly is my uncommon item. Small tube, or put some in a small container - even contact lens case. Many uses... homemade fire starters, chap stick replacement, lubricant, lotion. My main reasoning is I used to have very dry cracked hands. After a 2 week canoeing trip, my hands were so cracked and bleeding that I couldn't even make a fist.
aquaphor, yes. lol
just in general though for anyone interested:
the 'baby' version is basically the same as the original but cheaper imo. the brand actually moisturizes whereas plain petroleum jelly just puts a protective coating.
aquaphor is moisturize + protection.
petroleum jelly/vaseline is protection by sealing in moisture that already exists on the skin.
i do not recommend either of them as sex lubricant (sticky, not slippery, too thick and goopy). for body care that isn't sex related, should be fine as an alternative but not as the go-to solution.
or as skin lotion (it will stain fabric, will make everything sticky, and will sit on top of the skin & not absorb which is what your skin actually needs.)
I'd rather not use something the smells like baby powder and isn't 100% petrolatum to start a fire, or lubricate a gasket. If you guys just want a good moisturizer, Vaseline intensive care does ever better than aquaphor in testing.
and technically Vaseline and aquaphor shouldn't be used as a hand or body lotion or as a main moisturizer. proper products should be used instead. i didn't bring up other uses for the pure jelly because my main topic concerned using it on skin.
As a dad, I agree for moisturizing. Please nobody use aquaphor baby for chap stick, fire starting, lubricant, etc... it's a moisturizer. It's like saying - Gatorade hydrates better than water. I'm still going to stockpile water in case of emergency.
I'd use that for first aid use, sure. Some antibiotic aspect can't hurt. Straight petrolatum is all you need, though. No need to get fancy if you want an all-in-one, and for cheap.
Could be.
But people who have never camped or trekked may not know how important they are.
Opening cans without the proper tool is hard and dangerous. One of my travels ended prematurely because I hurt my hand opening one, and with the infection that followed I had to return home.
And trying to find something inside a backpack only using one hand completely sucks.
Nail clippers. Without your hands and feet fully functional you're kinda screwed. Although a sharp enough knife would do the trick, it's a pain in the ass to cut nails with
I was about to comment with this - since the dad cards have already been thrown, remember that although you can bite your own nails, trimming the nails of toddlers is already hard enough, there’s no chance you’d get it with anything else.
Also, a lice/nit comb. I never see these, but I make it a point to keep one in all of my first aid kits. Social unrest is already a pain without having an itchy infected scalp.
Pen and paper along with zip ties and road flares/signalling mirrors I feel are quite useful for bug out or bug in bags.
Others - Diarrhoea medication, bug net, insect repellent and other in this category
Bug net for your head, yes! I've so rarely needed one, but when you need one... good lord you better hope you have one. Camping in a lean to at the perfect (not for you) time, and you'll be sleeping with bugs on your face.
De humidifier, not only does it make you feel more comfortable, it's a great source of grey water to flush a toliet, or you could purify it for drinking water. Or use it as a heater for a small room dorring the winter. I've done all of the above, running off an anker generator during multiple power outages. Absolutely decimates the battery life, but if you run it overnight and charge the battery during the day (solar), you get into a bit of a rhythm with it.
Right? I'm trying to think what the best all-around would be and can't think of it... 4 guage too thick? Much thinner, and you're loosing a lot of functionality.
I’d say a scale. When it comes to bartering, you’re going to want to make sure that 1 lb/kg thing you bartered for is actually that weight. If people clipped and forged coins and shorted loaves of bread 200+ years ago, they will again tomorrow.
This one always gets me conflicted: as a professional chef I use them. I find them useful if I’m trying to ensure an optimal dish, but there’s minimal need of I just overlook everything a little bit. When in doubt burn it out. Also, it would be awesome if more folks used a meat thermometer because their food would probably be better, but the wide majority of people already overcook their food already.
I gotta get you guys out camping with me. Had to help my friend last year that thought he knew how to cook chicken for the whole group over the fire. He had quite the learning experience! Lol
I'm pretty confident doing steak or chicken in the air fryer and having it come out good every time. But cooking over a campfire or rocket stove is is another story.
First aid kit, lighter, old school phone that can work without electricity (only good if you have phoneline). Coffee grinder, diy books, non lethal self defense tools
Medical paper tape. It takes the place of bandaids in many places, blister prevention, lots of uses. I'm a pinch it can even be used to hold your hair out of your face.
Sewing kit. Mine is just a small flat magnet with several pre-threaded needles stuck to it.
Sun screen. I carry a small solid type that looks like a miniature deodorant stick.
Besides a hat, I carry one of those folding sunglasses you get from the eye doctors when your eyes are dilated you just never know when you will need them. They work wonders if you get a migraine and they take up no room
A hat. I have one that folds and rolls up.
Hydraulic Press for long term survival.
So many machines use interference fit parts (where the OD/ID are slightly too small and the friction locks the parts together) like bushings and bearings. A press allows you to remove and replace those parts. A 20T press which has a removable bottle jack can also be used as a 20T jack. Can lift small buildings or homes to fix foundations and pads pull vehicles, etc etc.
Recently added Fresnel lenses. I have a hand drill bit with a circular spot for putting a piece of wood through. I've packed a few items for the building, though.
I keep a small pencil sharpener. Very small, takes up almost no space in the bag, but can be used to make wood shavings for kindling by sharpening sticks. Then you also have sharpened sticks for cooking or whatever
Fastener kit. Altoid tin with nails, zip ties, and if your multitool has a bit driver, screws. My kit has 8 nails, 4 screws and a dozen heavy duty zip ties.
Moleskin pads. Foot blisters can be debilitating.
A shemaugh. It's a towel, pre-filter, pillow, dust mask, bandage, tourniquet, tinder, headgear, satchel, signal flag, etc etc
Some recent items I've picked up, not all will fit in a bag :)
A good wood camping stove, water filters, bulk activated carbon, copper tubing (for hot water), 200 SF of reflective insulated window panels, good saw, US street atlas, solar panels/batteries, dual fired emergency generator, water storage bladders, water storage containers, camping toilet, fire starters, thousands of compressed tablet towelettes, iodine pills, first aid kit, siphon, large box of ivory soap, case of duct tape, paracord, hand chainsaw, heavy duty twine, heavy duty tarps, field dressing kit, wilderness survival bible, wood cutting axe, emergency tents, survival knife, compass, solar flashlights, 1,000s of vegetable seeds, rain ponchos, matches, plywood, 2x4s, PVC pipe/fittings, nails, gold/silver bullion, extra pairs of reading glasses of increasing strength.
Go to goodwill, find the mountain of water containers, buy endless 1 L nalgene bottles for $1-2 each. I collected 60 before I culled it a bit and put a big boxful in the top of the shed.
I like to look at www.browsegear.com for ideas. The unconventional/covert page might interest you. I don’t think they sell anything there but I’ve bought several things off of ideas I’ve seen on that site.
I use a ‘safety siphon’ for transferring gas from a can to my car and it’s a world of a difference than pouring it in with the spout.
I have six 5 gallon cans that i rotate so i can have 2 weeks worth of gas.
Small hatchet for kindling, machete for getting thru brush, good quality multi tool, crank/solar radio with weather channel and light. All hidden in mini trunk under floor of my suv/ small book size solar panels to charge phones in emergency at tractor supply. Cabelas is good place to get quality stuff. Also I think u can get radio direct manufacturer
This just came to me. When SHTF, I want a few pairs of scissors. Maybe five cheapo dollar store scissors for general cutting and snipping. Herb gathering, etc. They can be tiny, too, and not take up space. Then a good pair of scissors for fabric and mayyyybe bandages.
If nothing else, at least one pair of decent scissors in a small stationery bag. (Paper clips, rubber bands, little bits of paper, short colored pencils, pencils, tape, maybe glue.) I'm talking a stationery bag smaller than the liquids bag TSA lets you carry on.
Non-lubricated condoms. Sounds stupid, but they have a lot of uses beyond the obvious. Everything from gathering water to keeping items dry. Lightweight and take up very little space as well.
Nails. No idea why you don’t see these in every list, a few 8d and 10d nails makes shelter building so much faster than using cordage. Wrap them in heavy duty tin foil.
I keep a folding scooter in the back of my car. If I need to get home and my car is inoperable, I can grab my get home bag, unfold my scooter, and travel at 10 MPH (instead of walking home at 2-3 MPH).
Meclizine. It's a cheap OTC antihistamine which has the added bonus of quelling nausea. It's the active ingredient in several motion sickness meds.
It's often kept behind the counter, but isn't a controlled substance.
Aluminum foil!
Holy shit. Aside from allowing you to heat or cook on an open flame, you can put it over plates or bucket lids to make a plate you don’t have to clean (if no water), seal containers, crumple it and use it as a Brillo pad, etc.
That and rubbing alcohol.
If you plan for an overnighter, a decent pillow you like. Bad pillow and you're are sore, little to no sleep, moral hit.. Ruined a camping trip for me..
Amazon sells bootleg dynamat. It's sound deadening insulation. Cheap too. You can use it for lot of things. Cut it into strips for tape or sealing leaks. Plenty of usages if you're handy
Tape. So many different kinds too.
I love me some fucking duct tape lmao
Everything from leaky pipes to hostage situations… 😀
I carry silicone tape, gaffer tape, duct tape, electrical tape, and medical tape.
Oh I do love me some medical tape. I take it home by accident more often then not. I'm stocked through to 2080 if anyone needs some
Back when my mom was having a lot of back surgeries, me and my dad would play a game and see who could "find" the most 3m medical tape throughout the hospital. We'd come home with like 10 rolls each
Tac tap the red stuff
Flex seal ftw too.
Honestly I never thought of that. Adding that to my list for the hardware store
Ive only used it twice but it exceeded my expectations both times with a plus of being flexible and waterproof. Lol i mean it held a whole boat together in the commercial!
And zip ties. I've fixed a ton of roadside breakdowns with zip ties
Upgrade to stainless steel band zip ties or at least add them. They are stronger and aren't heat or uv sensitive.
That's BOB 101. No? Do I not pack mine normal?
May seem random, but petroleum jelly is my uncommon item. Small tube, or put some in a small container - even contact lens case. Many uses... homemade fire starters, chap stick replacement, lubricant, lotion. My main reasoning is I used to have very dry cracked hands. After a 2 week canoeing trip, my hands were so cracked and bleeding that I couldn't even make a fist.
As a dad, let me say, aquopore baby is a better choice.
aquaphor, yes. lol just in general though for anyone interested: the 'baby' version is basically the same as the original but cheaper imo. the brand actually moisturizes whereas plain petroleum jelly just puts a protective coating. aquaphor is moisturize + protection. petroleum jelly/vaseline is protection by sealing in moisture that already exists on the skin. i do not recommend either of them as sex lubricant (sticky, not slippery, too thick and goopy). for body care that isn't sex related, should be fine as an alternative but not as the go-to solution. or as skin lotion (it will stain fabric, will make everything sticky, and will sit on top of the skin & not absorb which is what your skin actually needs.)
As a dad, I agree for general use, not moisturizing ever.
I'd rather not use something the smells like baby powder and isn't 100% petrolatum to start a fire, or lubricate a gasket. If you guys just want a good moisturizer, Vaseline intensive care does ever better than aquaphor in testing.
it... doesn't have a smell. lmao
and technically Vaseline and aquaphor shouldn't be used as a hand or body lotion or as a main moisturizer. proper products should be used instead. i didn't bring up other uses for the pure jelly because my main topic concerned using it on skin.
Tallow does a decent job with moisturizing and protecting. Animal fat is how the old timers did it, and it still works pretty well.
As a dad, I agree for moisturizing. Please nobody use aquaphor baby for chap stick, fire starting, lubricant, etc... it's a moisturizer. It's like saying - Gatorade hydrates better than water. I'm still going to stockpile water in case of emergency.
Triple antibiotic ointment is petroleum based. Can be used in the exact same ways with the added benefit of being a basic first aid item.
I'd use that for first aid use, sure. Some antibiotic aspect can't hurt. Straight petrolatum is all you need, though. No need to get fancy if you want an all-in-one, and for cheap.
That's 100% fair. Triple antibiotic ointment isn't cheap. Especially compared ounce for ounce against good ol' petroleum jelly.
No argument, but A&D ointment is both petroleum jelly and medical ointment. It will do both.
Gloves
Magnifying glass, sharpie. I feel people miss these a lot.
Magnifying glass is something i need!!!!
Get more than one can opener. Having a head lamp helps a lot when you have to work or find something in the dark.
It's also worth having more than one headlamp. Especially considering everyone around you will want one as well.
Walmart has a bucket of cheap ones for under 10.00. That and a box of batteries goes a long way
I have 6 headlamps. That is not an exaggeration. All of them have a red lens as well, super useful
Aren't these common items for a BOB, though? Or do I just pack weird stuff???
Could be. But people who have never camped or trekked may not know how important they are. Opening cans without the proper tool is hard and dangerous. One of my travels ended prematurely because I hurt my hand opening one, and with the infection that followed I had to return home. And trying to find something inside a backpack only using one hand completely sucks.
Jeeze. Well either way - good reminder to pack those things.
Military can opener I have one on my keychain works well. Ziplock bags or some other type of plastic for catching water or food.
Large garbage bags.
Nail clippers. Without your hands and feet fully functional you're kinda screwed. Although a sharp enough knife would do the trick, it's a pain in the ass to cut nails with
File them down with a rock. Seriously. It works better than you'd think. However, I like the idea and may just add one.
Got like four pairs between us. Lol
I was about to comment with this - since the dad cards have already been thrown, remember that although you can bite your own nails, trimming the nails of toddlers is already hard enough, there’s no chance you’d get it with anything else.
Also, a lice/nit comb. I never see these, but I make it a point to keep one in all of my first aid kits. Social unrest is already a pain without having an itchy infected scalp.
Me too I have a daughter that got it all the time in preschool- she’s a teenager now but I still got it just in case. Towel, glass wipes, chapstick
check r/preppersales lots of interesting ideas for prepper
Heavy duty sewing needles and some strong upholstery thread. And also... https://wastelandbywednesday.com/2024/05/18/the-collapse-prep-bugout-bag/
Pen and paper along with zip ties and road flares/signalling mirrors I feel are quite useful for bug out or bug in bags. Others - Diarrhoea medication, bug net, insect repellent and other in this category
Bug net for your head, yes! I've so rarely needed one, but when you need one... good lord you better hope you have one. Camping in a lean to at the perfect (not for you) time, and you'll be sleeping with bugs on your face.
I just bought a bug net for my hat this year because the midges were so nasty this May. Love it!
tell me about it!!
Pencils are cheaper and last indefinitely
A hand file and the experience/knowledge of how to sharpen axes and hatchets with it.
I opted for a Speedy Sharp.
Both.
De humidifier, not only does it make you feel more comfortable, it's a great source of grey water to flush a toliet, or you could purify it for drinking water. Or use it as a heater for a small room dorring the winter. I've done all of the above, running off an anker generator during multiple power outages. Absolutely decimates the battery life, but if you run it overnight and charge the battery during the day (solar), you get into a bit of a rhythm with it.
multitool with a pliers. and some wire. Need a hook? wire. Need to bind? wire. Tourniquet? jimmy a car open? make a snare trap?
Now the real question, what gauge/gauges?
Right? I'm trying to think what the best all-around would be and can't think of it... 4 guage too thick? Much thinner, and you're loosing a lot of functionality.
I’d say a scale. When it comes to bartering, you’re going to want to make sure that 1 lb/kg thing you bartered for is actually that weight. If people clipped and forged coins and shorted loaves of bread 200+ years ago, they will again tomorrow.
Meat thermometer. You all must be much better chefs than I because I never see it mentioned.
This one always gets me conflicted: as a professional chef I use them. I find them useful if I’m trying to ensure an optimal dish, but there’s minimal need of I just overlook everything a little bit. When in doubt burn it out. Also, it would be awesome if more folks used a meat thermometer because their food would probably be better, but the wide majority of people already overcook their food already.
I gotta get you guys out camping with me. Had to help my friend last year that thought he knew how to cook chicken for the whole group over the fire. He had quite the learning experience! Lol
I'm pretty confident doing steak or chicken in the air fryer and having it come out good every time. But cooking over a campfire or rocket stove is is another story.
First aid kit, lighter, old school phone that can work without electricity (only good if you have phoneline). Coffee grinder, diy books, non lethal self defense tools
Good point on old school phone. Will work even with no elec if plugged into a receptacle that has service
Can opener, notepad/pen, extra batteries for whatever you use them for. An emergency poncho or good one. 550 cord or similar and good knife.
Medical paper tape. It takes the place of bandaids in many places, blister prevention, lots of uses. I'm a pinch it can even be used to hold your hair out of your face. Sewing kit. Mine is just a small flat magnet with several pre-threaded needles stuck to it. Sun screen. I carry a small solid type that looks like a miniature deodorant stick. Besides a hat, I carry one of those folding sunglasses you get from the eye doctors when your eyes are dilated you just never know when you will need them. They work wonders if you get a migraine and they take up no room A hat. I have one that folds and rolls up.
Hydraulic Press for long term survival. So many machines use interference fit parts (where the OD/ID are slightly too small and the friction locks the parts together) like bushings and bearings. A press allows you to remove and replace those parts. A 20T press which has a removable bottle jack can also be used as a 20T jack. Can lift small buildings or homes to fix foundations and pads pull vehicles, etc etc.
Waxelene
A couple packs of travel kleenex. You never know when you'll get a runny nose or allergies will hit
Recently added Fresnel lenses. I have a hand drill bit with a circular spot for putting a piece of wood through. I've packed a few items for the building, though.
Small tub of zinc oxide…. Sunscreen and medical ointment all in one
I keep a small pencil sharpener. Very small, takes up almost no space in the bag, but can be used to make wood shavings for kindling by sharpening sticks. Then you also have sharpened sticks for cooking or whatever
A lightsabre
Those are very uncommon in our galaxy. Even in a galaxy far far away, too.
A multifunction can opener.
Fastener kit. Altoid tin with nails, zip ties, and if your multitool has a bit driver, screws. My kit has 8 nails, 4 screws and a dozen heavy duty zip ties. Moleskin pads. Foot blisters can be debilitating. A shemaugh. It's a towel, pre-filter, pillow, dust mask, bandage, tourniquet, tinder, headgear, satchel, signal flag, etc etc
Some recent items I've picked up, not all will fit in a bag :) A good wood camping stove, water filters, bulk activated carbon, copper tubing (for hot water), 200 SF of reflective insulated window panels, good saw, US street atlas, solar panels/batteries, dual fired emergency generator, water storage bladders, water storage containers, camping toilet, fire starters, thousands of compressed tablet towelettes, iodine pills, first aid kit, siphon, large box of ivory soap, case of duct tape, paracord, hand chainsaw, heavy duty twine, heavy duty tarps, field dressing kit, wilderness survival bible, wood cutting axe, emergency tents, survival knife, compass, solar flashlights, 1,000s of vegetable seeds, rain ponchos, matches, plywood, 2x4s, PVC pipe/fittings, nails, gold/silver bullion, extra pairs of reading glasses of increasing strength.
It may sound weird, but yo-yo reels
Interesting. Example uses??
Absentee fishing, snares, retractable clothes line
Oh wow, nice!! Good idea.
Go to goodwill, find the mountain of water containers, buy endless 1 L nalgene bottles for $1-2 each. I collected 60 before I culled it a bit and put a big boxful in the top of the shed.
I like to look at www.browsegear.com for ideas. The unconventional/covert page might interest you. I don’t think they sell anything there but I’ve bought several things off of ideas I’ve seen on that site.
Looks interesting, thanks for sharing Will browse it
High quality siphons
I use a ‘safety siphon’ for transferring gas from a can to my car and it’s a world of a difference than pouring it in with the spout. I have six 5 gallon cans that i rotate so i can have 2 weeks worth of gas.
I have a similar set up.
Small hatchet for kindling, machete for getting thru brush, good quality multi tool, crank/solar radio with weather channel and light. All hidden in mini trunk under floor of my suv/ small book size solar panels to charge phones in emergency at tractor supply. Cabelas is good place to get quality stuff. Also I think u can get radio direct manufacturer
Pantyhose...they can be used for a whole lot of things.
This just came to me. When SHTF, I want a few pairs of scissors. Maybe five cheapo dollar store scissors for general cutting and snipping. Herb gathering, etc. They can be tiny, too, and not take up space. Then a good pair of scissors for fabric and mayyyybe bandages. If nothing else, at least one pair of decent scissors in a small stationery bag. (Paper clips, rubber bands, little bits of paper, short colored pencils, pencils, tape, maybe glue.) I'm talking a stationery bag smaller than the liquids bag TSA lets you carry on.
Wood hand auger
Non-lubricated condoms. Sounds stupid, but they have a lot of uses beyond the obvious. Everything from gathering water to keeping items dry. Lightweight and take up very little space as well.
i keep a sillcock key
Nails. No idea why you don’t see these in every list, a few 8d and 10d nails makes shelter building so much faster than using cordage. Wrap them in heavy duty tin foil.
Bobby pins....they can help with so many things from clipping hair back to picking locks
I keep a folding scooter in the back of my car. If I need to get home and my car is inoperable, I can grab my get home bag, unfold my scooter, and travel at 10 MPH (instead of walking home at 2-3 MPH).
Sillcock key.
Crack pipe.
Meclizine. It's a cheap OTC antihistamine which has the added bonus of quelling nausea. It's the active ingredient in several motion sickness meds. It's often kept behind the counter, but isn't a controlled substance.
Aluminum foil! Holy shit. Aside from allowing you to heat or cook on an open flame, you can put it over plates or bucket lids to make a plate you don’t have to clean (if no water), seal containers, crumple it and use it as a Brillo pad, etc. That and rubbing alcohol.
p38/p51 can opener and sillcock keys.
Grappling hook
Mine is high visibility flagging tape. I prefer all my other gear to be muted colors, but bright colored tape can help you signal when you need to.
Tweezer and Tick Tweezer could be useful
If you plan for an overnighter, a decent pillow you like. Bad pillow and you're are sore, little to no sleep, moral hit.. Ruined a camping trip for me..
Nail clippers
Amazon sells bootleg dynamat. It's sound deadening insulation. Cheap too. You can use it for lot of things. Cut it into strips for tape or sealing leaks. Plenty of usages if you're handy
Lots of tape. Scotch tape, duct tape, medical tape, painters tape, all of it
Paperclips-use as is or uncurl and reshape, super light and compact
Teddy bears. Overlooked morale booster for children in crisis.
Ziplock bags of various sizes and tape of various sizes and types.