PrepGear Attempt #1: My Trunk Bag (Pic/Bad Joke Heavy)

[Tribunal Power]

Okay, kids, this is my first delve into the prep world outside of firearms. It's cold and scary this far away from the Firearms thread, so I brought my current BOB model. ^^

Before I get into the meat of it, I want to explain a few things. First of all, while this doubles as a BOB for now, that is not entirely its intended purpose; it was designed, first and foremost, to be a car/trunk bag. Living in rural Kentucky means at least 30 miles of driving to get close to a city.

When I got into preparations, I thought about what disasters are most likely to occur to me. Given that I have already been victimized several times, I already had an interest in firearms for protection (and a hobby, too!), but now that I generally have my basic SD needs met, it was time to look at the second most likely to occur: vehicular failure.

It's true that the best prep would be to fix my damn cars. Guess I'm no prepper after all.

So, in preparation for the upcoming drive to Chicago for Christmas, I decided we needed to drop some coin to get the very basic stuff needed in an emergency situation. Because I wanted it before we leave on Christmas Eve, I got just about everything I needed at Walmart (Lol) and will save the interwebz orders for after the holidays.

I do have a lot of experience in primitive camping as I have been doing that my entire life, so I naturally gravitated toward that form of shelter for my bag (hence the inclusion of a tent-- the form of shelter I feel most comfortable with, pros/cons aside). The bag, when completed, would last a maximum of 72 hours, but as it stands right now it only has enough food for maybe 48, but probably just 24.

Also note that it is designed to support both myself and my wife. It is to be kept in the trunk/back seat of whatever car we are traveling in and more or less forgotten about, until we hit the ditch 20 miles from town with dead cell phones.

So, here we go. Beware: lots of pics, reading, and bad rhetorical jokes incoming!

FRONT EXTERNAL


So the bag itself is an Outdoor Products SKYLINE 8.0 which I bought from Walmart some time ago for $30. It can hold 38L/2320 cu in. and has a buttload of loops and wannabe MOLLE web for modular crap, which I obscenely abused for this load. Here's a list of the junk I've attached externally:
--Coleman ergo hatchet-- Loosely ziptied so as to be slipped out for use, not gonna fall out any time soon. Also note the slick duct tape strap I put on the rubber edgecap to circumvent the need for a sheath.
--Outdoor Products folding shovel-- came with a pouch which I promptly ziptied to the first loop I could find. Was ~$10.
--Extra Carabiners [5]-- I knew how useful these things are to begin with. With carabiners, duct tape, and zipties, there's nothing you can't make stationary. I picked up five for ~$5.
--Ozark Trails 9'x8' Backpacking Tent-- I'm used to Coleman tents but am not too picky as long as it's durable and roomy. I've used Ozark tents and found them equally suitable as Coleman, and this particular tent was not only lighter than my previous, but also quite inexpensive ($30!). Picked it up a while ago for a camping trip that never happened. The tent is attached to the pack via two carabiners to the webbing, and held in place by tightly-tied nylon cord that runs through two loops on the bottom of the pack.

REAR EXTERNAL


--Outdoor Products 16oz/500ml sports bottle [2]-- Mine in red, the wife's in pink. I bought these primarily because I needed something to purify water in; my primary water container is a hydration pack. ~$8

CONTENTS: MAIN COMPARTMENT


I apologize for how unfathomably sideways this shameful picture is. After assembling, then disassembling, then pic'ing, then reassembling my bag, I just don't have enough shits to give. :\ Contents from left to right:

--8" 18lb. zipties, black [100]-- Used for everything from hanging a tarp to detaining a disgruntled wife. ~$2
--8" 40lb zipties, colored [100]-- Used for color-coordinating bundles of shit, as well as heavier hangs that the other zipties won't cut, or for detaining a disgruntled zombie wife. Also used for marking past territory on branches if we're stuck where the Pope don't go. ~$2
--Rayovac AA batteries [15]-- Is it just me or is it really strange for a pack of batteries to come in an odd number? Meh. Batteries are a must, especially since my flashlight takes AA. ~$6
--Ozark Trails rubber repair kit-- Got this to patch holes in the tarp. It's a good temporary fix to make the tarp retain/funnel/shelter us from rain. ~$3
--Coleman tent repair kit-- These things are great if you use them right. I'm pretty sure I've poked so many holes in my tents that I might be able to make a complete tent out of all the repair kits I've used on them. ~$3
--Ozark Trails 6'x8' tarp-- This tarp's primary purpose is to catch rainwater if our reserves are nil. We have a heavier, larger tarp in the car for shelter, but of course this can be used as such as well. Besides, this one is much easier to fit in the pack. ~$9
--Ozark Trails emergency poncho [2]-- The bag is currently engineered towards colder months, so these are to protect from getting caught in chilly rains (not that it would be fun to get rained on, ever). At a whoppinh $.90 a piece, this set me back $2.
--Ozark Trails emergency blankets [2]-- Honestly I have no idea if these things work well, but on paper it seems like they should. Again, colder months blahblahblah. Another bank-breaking $2.
--Remington 30' 50lb hoist rope-- Having been in this situation before, I can tell you exactly how aggravating it is to not have enough room in your tent for your gear and have to leave it outside. You know it's gonna happen, and yet you can't avoid it-- when you wake up, you find that raccoons have eaten all your candy and made off with your wallet, car keys, and possibly shoes and/or loved ones. Well, since raccoons can't climb (lol) I got this to anchor down, toss over a branch, and hang my crap before we PTFO for the night. Also, you can never have too much rope. ~$5
--150yd 20lb fishing line-- Great for flossing, or establishing a perimeter alert system. Also practical for improvising hilariously-southern musical instruments. ~$2
--Rocky thermal socks [4 pairs]-- Because it's a known rule that the very first thing to happen in a survival situation is that your socks get wet, here are some thermal mother fucking socks to make sure my toes don't get bitten by frost. Two pairs for me, one pair for the wife, and one pair for sockpuppets. ~$6
--Coleman Strike-A-Fire fire starters [8]-- These things are pretty spiffy, They're basically strike-anywhere matches with built-in kindling. Great for starting a nice fire when all you have is a little bit of brush to get it going. ~$2
--Coleman magnesium fire starter-- I know it's a little redundant, but a bit of overlap never hurt anyone. The best thing about this guy is that it's waterproof-- it will still work after I've been rained on, after my shoulder has been cried on too much, or after I just killed Grendle's mother under the lake. The other firestarter is generally more potent and starts its own flame, but practically dissolves when wet. ~$2
--55yd Duct Tape-- When you don't want shit to move, you use duct tape. ~$4
--12yd Gorilla Tape-- But when you want to leave it in a stationary fashion as a monument to your ingenuity for centuries to come, you use Gorilla Tape. ~$4
--Coleman 202pc FAK-- Yeah, yeah, I know. Stay away from store-bought kits. This thing was $5 and I had nothing else to use, do I looked it over, and it actually comes with some handy stuff. It also fits into my bag like a sexy little tetris block. I won't get into its contents so as to prevent derailing my own thread-- maybe this will be the basis of a future thread while the FAK evolves. ~$6

CONTENTS: FRONT POUCH
No pics necessary here, as it's pretty simple.

--Mountain House Beef Stew [1] and Chili Mac [1]-- The Cadillac of dehydrated rations, these guys are a real treat. Getting to eat these almost makes me hope my car violently flies off the road while I'm at the wheel on the way to Chicago. If you're reading this thread, then you probably already know all about these guys. ~$11 total
--Potable Aqua water purification tablets-- Cleans up to 25qts of water. Also comes with secondary tablets that can somehow remove the chemically-delicious taste or newly-cleaned water. ~$6

I'm aware that the food storage is pretty sorry, but I do plan on packing more in before the trip.

CONTENTS: BELT POUCHES


They may be small, but I love these little pouches. Here's what's in 'em:

--Bic lighters-- General flame source. Planning for 3-5 of them since they are adept at getting lost... Only have one right now for the very same reason. ~$4
--Outdoor Products lensatic compass-- A trustworthy compass, although I'm still learning how to use it. I have a much nicer one around here somewhere that needs repair, but this will do in the meantime. Other than the obvious use of telling you which way is north, it can also be used to figure out your position on a map by using navigationally-enchanted magics. ~$5
--Maglite xenon mini-- Not the best flashlight, but it's reliable and small, and batteries last a while. That, and it was $9 and came with a spiffy little AAA buddy light that I will forever have in my EDC.
--Coleman nylon rope, 50ft-- General purpose expendable cord. Used for rigging shit to other shit, makeshift shelter, and treelimb suicides.
--GPMS Japan nippers that I totally didn't inherit from work-- I used these to cut all the zipties on my bag as I was making it before actually realizing that it would be a really good tool to have to cut zipties. I know it's not from Walmart, but hey, I cheated. Sue me. No cost here-- they're priceless.

NEED TO ADD
--Atlas/Maps
--More clothes (probably kept in a separate bag in the car, or a modular bag fashioned to this one)
--Pop flares and glowsticks
--Those nifty little bells to put on the fishing line for perimeter alarms
--FAK crap
--Hand sanitizer
--Hand warmers
--Rags/Cloths
--Turlet paper

INCLUDED BUT NOT DEPICTED
--Prescriptions (fuck asthma)
--Ammunition
--Spare phone chargers
--Sanity-retention (a book or something compact and lightweight, to pass the time between establishing a camp and going to sleep if there's nothing to be don)
--Bottled water, which is kept in the car
--All of my EDC which includes:
[--Springfield XD45, extended magazine and one spare, loaded with Golden Saber 230g JHP
[--Gerber Paraframe II folding knife
[--Winchester leatherman
[--Maglite solitaire mini
[--Chapstick
[--Cell phone
[--Gloves, scarf, hat

There you have it-- My Walmart Trunk Bag. Given that I just lost my prepper virginity, I'm looking for constructive criticism on what I'm doing wrong, and hopefully kudos/brownie points/fawksy ladies for what I'm doing right.

This bag will be the platform from which I will build my BOB in the future, probably after upgrading to a bigger bag. So far, everything (except the cheaty nippers) is entirely from Walmart.

Fully loaded, weighs probably 25ish lbs. Sounds heavy since it's not entirely a BOB, but it's pretty comfortable nonetheless.

So, recap:
FOOD: Mountain Haus goodness, 1-2 days
WATER: Enough for 3+ days carried plus the means to filter natural water
SHELTER: Tent, tarp as a backup
FIRE: Bic Lighters, magnesium starter, strike-a-fire kindling matches
NAVIGATION: Compass, working on getting maps
FIRST AID: Generally covered with the 202pc FAK
PROTECTION: Covered by my EDC

That's all she wrote.

TOTAL COST OF EVERYTHING SO FAR: $178


This 'ere is my bug-out face.

BUG-OUT FACE.

Thanks for reading!

REVAMP 7/2011:
The bag has been tweaked to suit summer needs rather than winter, shortly before the Summer Mock Bugout Contest. Things like emergency blankets have been moved to storage in the trunk, replaced with more water. The giant bag of wool socks were removed and replaced with one set of clothing. Also added a sleeping bag and moved the tent to be lashed to the top of the bag. Also added a hydration bladder.

The bag performed admirably in the contest! The water purification worked well, the tent was a real trooper, the sleeping bag was comfy, the food was good, the firestarters worked, and the bag was not as burdensome as you might think. And STILL, everything was gotten from Walmart for under $200.

[ei8htx]

Well, I was lured here by the promise of bad jokes, and I'm glad I did. I keep a bunch of stuff you listed in my car already, but I'm gonna go through your list again and add it to my car.

Great stuff.

[thtdriftkid]

seems like a good enough BOB to have in the car for when SHTF. i will be using this as a starting point for when i finally get a car. Thanks for the post.

[USMCSergeant]

I like what you've shown me, looks like a really good start. I'm no way the BOB guru but I love looking at people's rigs. and I have no fawksy ladies to offer up, I apologize coming to your thread unprepared. I will critique one or two things that popped up on my radar.

If that bag stays in the vehicle, then there shouldn't be a problem, but if you have to dismount and hump your way along it may cause a problem for you. Maybe later invest in an old school ALICE pack, or MOLLE pack. For the price you can get them for they are the bees knees. Plus they have an external frame, which is wonderful when it comes to saving your back and being comfortable carrying a load.

You might want to pick up some 550 cord in place or addition to the cord you have. The stuff is so strong, not to mention if you cut it, there are several smaller strings that you can use for smaller tasks.

Thanks for taking the time to post up pics. You have a good bag going there

[Some Guy]

Nice write up. You have a lot of your bases covered, a lot more than I expected. The only thing that I would like to see you have in your kit or car is just a standard metal container or cup to boil water. Boiling water is a good way to make drinking water safer and helps for those mountain man meals. Perhaps you listed it but I missed it, sorry.

One helpful little trick that I picked up here (Guns Up orginal post) is to cut out the cardboard in the duct tape and then apply pressure to crush it flat. It saves a lot of space and helps for cramming it into areas.

[Paladin1]

Dude, your doing great! Very nice BOB.

[Kelvar]

--Mountain House Beef Stew [1] and Chili Mac [1]-- The Cadillac of dehydrated rations, these guys are a real treat. Getting to eat these almost makes me hope my car violently flies off the road while I'm at the wheel on the way to Chicago. If you're reading this thread, then you probably already know all about these guys. ~$11 total

So, recap:
FOOD: Mountain Haus goodness, 1-2 days

I've never tried the Mountain House meals, though I recently picked up a few. One thing that leaps out at me is that you have two meals and you're considering that to be two days worth of food. Do you normally just eat one meal in a day? How many calories are in these meals? I would recommend shooting for at least two meals a day, and maybe throw in some snacks, like some Cliff bars or something. I'd also recommend shooting for three days of food or more.

Also, a lot of this stuff looks brand new, still in the package. Maybe take it all out some weekend and see if it all works as expected. (I'm somewhat guilty of this myself, but it is still worth doing).

[urthshu]

Wait. You're going to Chicago?

Sorry, you gotta leave that all at home.

[rhunter1]

Snacks, snacks, and snacks. You cannot rehydrate a mountain house with boiling water while you are on the move.

[Israel]

That's a damn fine start, especially for under $200. Most of it I cannot argue with, although I have had my share of negative experiences with OT tents. But since you want constructive criticism, Here it goes:
Hatchet: Some say hatchet, some say machete.Iif you go hatchet, any of the type that are made with metal tube handles IMHO will fail from heavy use I have yet to hear anyone break the handle of a Gerber (although not my first choice, but pretty cost effective), Their are benefits to wooden handled hatchets like Wetterlings and Gransfors Bruks. That way, if you break it, you can replace the handle in the field(a bit on the pricey side for me), For my money I go with a virtually indestructible Estwing just around $30 and available at your friendly neighborhood Home Despot. Also keeping a file on hand to keep whatever hatchet you do have sharp.
I have found that a few extra items will help suplement a good off the shelf FAK
Chapstik, Hand sanitizer, SAM splint, ACE bandage(the ones in those FAKs are usually crap) and perhaps a small bottle of pain killers (Ibuprofen, Aspirin, choose your poison)

But all in all, good set up

[aa1pr]

The only thing I can add is that with some long humps those swinging water bottles are going to annoy the hell out of ya.

[Tribunal Power]

--Mountain House Beef Stew [1] and Chili Mac [1]-- The Cadillac of dehydrated rations, these guys are a real treat. Getting to eat these almost makes me hope my car violently flies off the road while I'm at the wheel on the way to Chicago. If you're reading this thread, then you probably already know all about these guys. ~$11 total

So, recap:
FOOD: Mountain Haus goodness, 1-2 days

I've never tried the Mountain House meals, though I recently picked up a few. One thing that leaps out at me is that you have two meals and you're considering that to be two days worth of food. Do you normally just eat one meal in a day? How many calories are in these meals? I would recommend shooting for at least two meals a day, and maybe throw in some snacks, like some Cliff bars or something. I'd also recommend shooting for three days of food or more.

Also, a lot of this stuff looks brand new, still in the package. Maybe take it all out some weekend and see if it all works as expected. (I'm somewhat guilty of this myself, but it is still worth doing).

Yeah, I know I need more food in there, but the MH things are to serve two people and I noted that the bag was probably only good for 24 hours. More food will be added within the coming week-- I ran out of spare cash.

Although, to sardonically answer your question, yes I do typically only eat one meal a day (yay for lunch breaks!) but am aware how unhealhty that is.

All of the stuff is brand new, but the majority of it I've used in the past. The permenant pieces of the kit just need to be broken in. When it warms up a little bit we'll be testing it out in a camp trip. :3

As for the calories, they appear to be about 500 per bag. I intend to get at least five in the bag plus poewrbars/high-calorie/protien snackfood.

The only thing I can add is that with soem long humps those swinging water bottles are going to annoy the hell out of ya.

Good point-- it's easy enough to clip them to the webbing on the face of the pack or to tuck the bottles into the bottlepouches on the side of the pack (although the pack might be too full for them to stretch out far enough).

That's a damn fine start, especially for under $200. Most of it I cannot argue with, although I have had my share of negative experiences with OT tents. But since you want constructive criticism, Here it goes:
Hatchet: Some say hatchet, some say machete.Iif you go hatchet, any of the type that are made with metal tube handles IMHO will fail from heavy use I have yet to hear anyone break the handle of a Gerber (although not my first choice, but pretty cost effective), Their are benefits to wooden handled hatchets like Wetterlings and Gransfors Bruks. That way, if you break it, you can replace the handle in the field(a bit on the pricey side for me), For my money I go with a virtually indestructible Estwing just around $30 and available at your friendly neighborhood Home Despot. Also keeping a file on hand to keep whatever hatchet you do have sharp.
I have found that a few extra items will help suplement a good off the shelf FAK
Chapstik, Hand sanitizer, SAM splint, ACE bandage(the ones in those FAKs are usually crap) and perhaps a small bottle of pain killers (Ibuprofen, Aspirin, choose your poison)

But all in all, good set up

All very good notes. The hatchet will be replaced in time, but its primary purpose is nothing too heavy-duty: chopping branches into manageable sizes and hammering in tent stakes, etc. But as of now, a $9 hatchet is better than no hatchet at all. I also plan on adding a machete (I'm looking at you, Cold Steel) when this is converted into a full-on BOB, but for a trunk bag it's a teensy bit unneccessary.

The FAK will be heavily evolved, not to worry there. It is currently a shadow of the glory awaiting it.

Also, it's worth reiterating that there were two huge overlying factors in mind when I bought/assembled this: affordability, as I did not have much cash, and the fact that I needed it before Christmas, hence getting it all at Wallyworld.

Hadn't thought about a file, which made me realise I was missing nail clippers. Touche.

Wait. You're going to Chicago?

Sorry, you gotta leave that all at home.

Yeh... No kidding. Lived in Chicago for 20 years. The smartest thing I ever did in Chicago was leave. x_____x

Nice write up. You have a lot of your bases covered, a lot more than I expected. The only thing that I would like to see you have in your kit or car is just a standard metal container or cup to boil water. Boiling water is a good way to make drinking water safer and helps for those mountain man meals. Perhaps you listed it but I missed it, sorry.

One helpful little trick that I picked up here (Guns Up orginal post) is to cut out the cardboard in the duct tape and then apply pressure to crush it flat. It saves a lot of space and helps for cramming it into areas.

Brilliant! I had previously considered the idea of wrapping the tape all around an old card (I need to find a use for my Blockbuster rewards card since renting movies is so 1998) but didn't want the tape to lose is adhesion. Also I originally considered ziptying a loop around it and hanging it from the outside of the bag, but I hate it when shit sticks to the sides of the tape. Pet peeve (and a product of having too many cats shedding around my duct tape).

Thank you, everyone, for the encouragement and constructive criticism. I've gotten WAY more positive feedback than I expected. You guys rawk!

[ForgeCorvus]

You got MH dehydrated food
You got water purification tablets
You got three different firelighters


You forgot a pot !
And you need some kind of scran shovel (each, unless you normally share a toothbrush) or else you'll have to eat with your fingers.

If you've spare time, take a look at the thread I've linked in my sig. Plenty of great ideas (most of them by other people)

I'd of rigged the tent vertical myself, but thats so I'm the widest part of my LBS

Have you got a bladder in there as well as those 4/5 pint bottles? If not then you should

[Tribunal Power]

You got MH dehydrated food
You got water purification tablets
You got three different firelighters


You forgot a pot !
And you need some kind of scran shovel (each, unless you normally share a toothbrush) or else you'll have to eat with your fingers.

If you've spare time, take a look at the thread I've linked in my sig. Plenty of great ideas (most of them by other people)

I'd of rigged the tent vertical myself, but thats so I'm the widest part of my LBS

Have you got a bladder in there as well as those 4/5 pint bottles? If not then you should

Yeah, I realized I forgot a pot yesterday and will be picking up a small one when I get more food. Plasticware will be added as well.

Rigging the tent vert was considered, but it made the front pouch impossible to open. After wearing the bag for a while though, I may do that anyways.

And yep, I've got a bladder that slips into a pocket between the foam and the pack (since the internal bladder pouch is holding the tarp). Don't remember how big it is, as I've had it for years. X_x

Will definately check out your rig once I'm home, and not on my phone during my work break. :3

Thanks for the input-- you guys are really good at figuring out what I forgot.

[TheFishinMagician]

You cannot rehydrate a mountain house with boiling water while you are on the move.

Yes you can (in a way). You don't need boiling water to reconstitute MH foods, anyway...they'll soak up the liquid just fine. Heat helps a little bit, but it's really more for the "aesthetic hot meal"-thing more than anything. Just add water of any temperature (except frozen) and heat the entire pouch up with a couple Flameless Ration Heaters (MRE pouch heaters) duct taped to the MH bag, or slipped inside a "cozy" envelope made from insulative/heat reflective fabric. Either that, or put the contents of the MH pouch into a MRE hot beverage bag, add water to the entree, and place inside a FRH.

And yes...I've tried it more than once, and it does work. Results are nearly identical to "standard" preparation methods.

[rhunter1]

You cannot rehydrate a mountain house with boiling water while you are on the move.

Yes you can (in a way). You don't need boiling water to reconstitute MH foods, anyway...they'll soak up the liquid just fine. Heat helps a little bit, but it's really more for the "aesthetic hot meal"-thing more than anything. Just add water of any temperature (except frozen) and heat the entire pouch up with a couple Flameless Ration Heaters (MRE pouch heaters) duct taped to the MH bag, or slipped inside a "cozy" envelope made from insulative/heat reflective fabric. Either that, or put the contents of the MH pouch into a MRE hot beverage bag, add water to the entree, and place inside a FRH.

And yes...I've tried it more than once, and it does work. Results are nearly identical to "standard" preparation methods.

There's always someone I tell ya...
Okay so you can rehydrate a mountain house on the move and you can also eat it while on the move. However I advise you not to get caught fishing for noodles in a pouch while you're on the move. You'll most likely be navigating, avoiding obstacles and you're situational awareness will be less than ideal. Get some snacks so you can focus on the mission.

[Resolute]

Depending on how heavy that tent is, I'd most likely strap it closer to your spine, either on one side with something as heavy on the other side to balance it out, or horizontally up on top of the load. It looks like it would have a lot of leverage to pull you backwards where it's currently located.

Also, I learned this one the hard way - make sure you can set up your tent in the dark before you actually have to do it. And make sure you're not totally drunk when you try it for the first time.

[Tribunal Power]

Depending on how heavy that tent is, I'd most likely strap it closer to your spine, either on one side with something as heavy on the other side to balance it out, or horizontally up on top of the load. It looks like it would have a lot of leverage to pull you backwards where it's currently located.

Also, I learned this one the hard way - make sure you can set up your tent in the dark before you actually have to do it. And make sure you're not totally drunk when you try it for the first time.

Ha, I'm not too worried about being drunk when I set up my tent. Thanks for the warning though.

Yeah, I'm pretty good at setting up camp sites with little/no light-- that comes from being in a family of campers who are also hardcore procrastinators ("We'll be out of here by noon!" *still packing at 5pm*). Still, I've never set up this particular tent before, so I see where you're coming from.

And I agree on the leverage issue. Gonna figure out another way to strap that thing. I didn't realize this until I wore it for an hour or so the other day. I think I'll try to figure out a way to put it on top.

[Frank]

i saw you had a "totat amount" of what you put into the bag..i just did some calculations on mine...417

solid pack though.

[wguy00]

Tribunal Power, how is your bag holding up? I picked up the same backpack from walmart today for $25 with the intent to turn it into a BOB/truck bag.

[Frank]

Tribunal Power, how is your bag holding up? I picked up the same backpack from walmart today for $25 with the intent to turn it into a BOB/truck bag.

i've had it for a few months (in black) i have it set up as a GHB but have taken it camping twice. its held up pretty well. however there are a bunch of loose threads that popped up since i last checked. Its a pretty solid pack, great features (that my TT bag doesn't have )

[Brain245]

Good post and nice start on a BOB. I like that you kept it fairly light. For my 2 cents I would ditch the tent. I have been more and more comfortable with my decision to go without the last few times I have been out without one. You have a tarp which should do what you need. Bugs get bad in the summer in both or our areas- that is the main reason I was reluctant to ditch it. BUT add a headnet and some bug spray and lose the 5 plus pound tent. Add cookkit and but your water bottles in the bag.

I love your pics and the BOFace. Nice work bra