INCH Bag

[Busto963]

Okay, I am not getting the INCH Bag concept - not looking for a fight, just a concrete explanation why.

I have a BOB, a BOV, and a BOL; I just cannot imagine an INCH bag because it seems that the history of people who actually set off into the North American wilderness (the original "I'm not coming home" crew) is the history of mule trains, Mormon carts, and canoes, not a single bag to carry everything needed for a new life. For example, How can you expect to set up a homestead w/o proper axe, saw, shovel, hoe, hammer etc.? That is a lot of stuff for a bag that also has your BOB gear.

Am I missing something?

[mc_racer]

My BOL is much further than my BOB can cover. For my situation, my BOB, EDC, and GHB are the same thing. My INCH isn't done yet, but it will be designed to get me to my BOL.

[Texas Rebel]

Okay, I am not getting the INCH Bag concept - not looking for a fight, just a concrete explanation why.

I have a BOB, a BOV, and a BOL; I just cannot imagine an INCH bag because it seems that the history of people who actually set off into the North American wilderness (the original "I'm not coming home" crew) is the history of mule trains, Mormon carts, and canoes, not a single bag to carry everything needed for a new life. For example, How can you expect to set up a homestead w/o proper axe, saw, shovel, hoe, hammer etc.? That is a lot of stuff for a bag that also has your BOB gear.

Am I missing something?

Well if you have a BOL consider that as your INCH and stock it accordingly.
a lot of folks don't have a BOL so instead end up with INCH Bag.
My INCH has Tools,Axe,Hoe,Shovel,Seeds,Chainsaw(don't know what good will be without gas though ),Water Storage Containers and Water Filter,Camp Grill,Small Inflatable Raft with Oars,Fishing Poles and Tackle.
Granted I will have a helluva time Trying to find a safe location when TSHTF or EOTWAWKI happens but hopefully I will be better off than most folks?

[TheFishinMagician]

The reason for an INCH?

What if you can't use your BOV to get to your BOL? What if your BOL is destroyed when you get there, or already occupied by armed squatters who are willing and able to defend their "new found home"? The INCH is a back-up plan for your back-up plans.

That said, I don't fully buy into the concept myself, since I feel it would be better to carry a "beefed up" BOB and just set caches out in all different directions along my bug out routes. It's nearly physically impossible to carry everything you need to rebuild your life from the ground up, so-to-speak, which is what an INCH is supposed to accomplish (as far as I can tell).

[eugene]

I go by layers, my INCH is just the next layer. Depending on how much notice or time I have I start with the first layer (BOB) and add in the various support and INCH layers. First in my INCH is a resupply for any consumable in the BOB, be in water, food, batteries, etc. If I get to take that layer it simply extends the use of my BOB. Remember your BOB is generally intended for a short term disaster, you may need to o for 3-7 days and may be able to return.

[TacAir]

I see an INCH bag as a BOB + sort of thing.

You have the basics (food/shelter/water/fire) related to survival for a set period, with food generaly being the LIMFAC. SO an INCH would have food gathering items - traps, snares, fishing gear, etc, etc and perhaps an axe or other related 'hardware; to extend the BOB past the original planned period.

You can extend a winter BOB into the summer, conversely, a summer BOB is generally not going to get you too far in the winter. So, an INCH is also worst weather type of item set.

The idea of of having a cache (one or more) is a really good idea - if you have a set BOL/fall-back location. Heavier, but lower-cost items (rope, full size axe, other building or gardening items, etc) would make good leave-behind gear for the BOL.

An INCH or BOL is more of a mindset (IMHO) than a set of things found in a carry bag.

I suppose it's one of those you get or not things so often seen in life.

Good question tho, asking is a good way to learn how and what others think.

[Busto963]

I see an INCH bag as a BOB + sort of thing...

I get that concept; but only up to a point.

I can clearly picture my family evacuating our home, tossing BOBs into our well stocked BOV, and heading to "safety" at a BOL. I do not see my family strapping on huge INCH bags and heading out into the wilderness to rebuild civilization.

Like I said I have a BOB, a BOV, and a BOL (actually several). I have additional supplies, and tools in my BOV that should really help my family get out of an extended disaster. I am working on setting the BOV up with bikes and pulk (winter) as an alternative transport if the BOV fails.

What I am having trouble understanding is the idea of packing everything needed survival that prompts an INCH type situation into an INCH bag that I am going to walk around with.

The reason I am having trouble with this concept is that both the settlers and the indigenous peoples of North America alls seemed to have carts, animals, sleds, canoes etc. to hall the tools to set up a new homestead. They also tended to travel in decent sized groups which made spreading implements around a lot easier.

Am I confusing the issue by assuming that an INCH bag is preparedness for the PAW?

If a INCH is just a super sized BOB - what is the difference?

Or is an INCH bag just a storage bag that gets put into the BOV as a convenient way of keeping stuff organized? If so can you have INCH crates, INCH boxes etc.?

[Busto963]

The reason for an INCH?

What if you can't use your BOV to get to your BOL? What if your BOL is destroyed when you get there, or already occupied by armed squatters who are willing and able to defend their "new found home"? The INCH is a back-up plan for your back-up plans.

That said, I don't fully buy into the concept myself, since I feel it would be better to carry a "beefed up" BOB and just set caches out in all different directions along my bug out routes. It's nearly physically impossible to carry everything you need to rebuild your life from the ground up, so-to-speak, which is what an INCH is supposed to accomplish (as far as I can tell).

This is exactly the point that is confusing me. The size and contents of a BOB are obviously tailored to one's situation and skills. Frankly my family's BOBs are more oriented to reconnecting to existing civilization following a major disaster than fighting off the zombie horde.

[riverjoe47]

The reason for an INCH?

What if you can't use your BOV to get to your BOL? What if your BOL is destroyed when you get there, or already occupied by armed squatters who are willing and able to defend their "new found home"? The INCH is a back-up plan for your back-up plans.

That said, I don't fully buy into the concept myself, since I feel it would be better to carry a "beefed up" BOB and just set caches out in all different directions along my bug out routes. It's nearly physically impossible to carry everything you need to rebuild your life from the ground up, so-to-speak, which is what an INCH is supposed to accomplish (as far as I can tell).

This is exactly the point that is confusing me. The size and contents of a BOB are obviously tailored to one's situation and skills. Frankly my family's BOBs are more oriented to reconnecting to existing civilization following a major disaster than fighting off the zombie horde.

I agree the inch "bag" makes little sense but why does it have to be a bag ?

[TacAir]

OP - "Am I confusing the issue by assuming that an INCH bag is preparedness for the PAW?"

"Stop!", said the Major General, " I think I see where we are getting confused."

My view - An INCH is less about 'restarting civilization' than 'stuff' to allow a person / group to reach remaining civilization (where-ever that might be) - or staying alive long enough for civilization to catch back up to them.

Example - New Madrid quake lays waste to thousands of sq miles of your OA. WIth no transport - do you walk to civilization - say, Ft Smith AR - a trip that might take a month of more. You will need to gather additional food along the way, something that takes more time.

or
settle in and wait until 'civilization' returns to your AO. And we know that could take years.....

I barely have a BoB, I do have a "INCH vehicle" (RV) but if motor transport is out, well, it's a long bicycle trek to our "Ark 2.0" location.

So, bottom line - very dependant on your location, where you might relocate to and what your worst case planning might be. (Sorry for all the 'mights')

I does make for a good mind game to think thru different 'what ifs' - never a bad exercise. If you have at least thought "X" could happen, you will be light years ahead of folks who never believed that "X" could happen, let alone to them.

I have developed and run diaster drills (part of a fromer employment) based on real-world events from another AO. I was dismayed by how many refused to believe such an event could happen (I took copies of press reports to the drill) - let alone to them.

So, ya, we can handle that - because we talked about it on the Internet - and took the time to think ahead.

[Texas Rebel]

The reason for an INCH?

What if you can't use your BOV to get to your BOL? What if your BOL is destroyed when you get there, or already occupied by armed squatters who are willing and able to defend their "new found home"? The INCH is a back-up plan for your back-up plans.

That said, I don't fully buy into the concept myself, since I feel it would be better to carry a "beefed up" BOB and just set caches out in all different directions along my bug out routes. It's nearly physically impossible to carry everything you need to rebuild your life from the ground up, so-to-speak, which is what an INCH is supposed to accomplish (as far as I can tell).

This is exactly the point that is confusing me. The size and contents of a BOB are obviously tailored to one's situation and skills. Frankly my family's BOBs are more oriented to reconnecting to existing civilization following a major disaster than fighting off the zombie horde.

I agree the inch "bag" makes little sense but why does it have to be a bag ?

I see an INCH bag as a BOB + sort of thing...

Or is an INCH bag just a storage bag that gets put into the BOV as a convenient way of keeping stuff organized? If so can you have INCH crates, INCH boxes etc.?

My INCH "Bag" Consist of several foot lockers with food and gear and a small 4' job box with tools and other types of gear.
Everybody on here has their on version of INCH that they deem necessary for their survival.
Getting all my gear to a safe location is an issue if roads are all clogged with stalled vehicles and accidents due to everybody trying to G.O.O.D. I will have to rely on my BOB.
If you have a safe BOL then you are better off than probably 80% of America.
Lot of folks are going to be helpless when TSHTF as they are un-prepared and will be easy prey to all the gang-bangers(Zombies) that more than likely be running around causing all kinda mischief.
Granted my INCH will help me out ,but if not able to carry all my gear I will have to due my beat with what I have in my BOB and hopefully will be able to find some other like minded folks to hook up with and try to survive the best I can till gubment comes to my rescue.

[Busto963]

OP - "Am I confusing the issue by assuming that an INCH bag is preparedness for the PAW?"

"Stop!", said the Major General, " I think I see where we are getting confused."

My view - An INCH is less about 'restarting civilization' than 'stuff' to allow a person / group to reach remaining civilization (where-ever that might be) - or staying alive long enough for civilization to catch back up to them.

Okay, there is definitely confusion in the eyes of the sled dogs, because what you are describing is exactly what I thought a Bug out Bag (BOB) was supposed to do - be a pre-packed kit for each member of the family that you grab when the local fertilizer plant goes Chernobyl and bugging out becomes your only realistic option.

I know that permanent displacement becomes reality of for a lot of refugees the longer they stay away - but how many people flee with the idea that they are going to permanently abandon their residence (which is what INCH implies)?!?

When I hear I'm Not Coming Home (INCH) that means to me that my patio is now ground zero of a toxic waste dump, mother nature diverted the Pacific Ocean through the front door, or my house has the warm glow of radioactive isotopes with a half-life of 120,000 years. These are pretty much the sort of things that would make me make the call not only to bug out, but to think I need and INCH bag/cart/horse whatever.

I am not doing this as a hobby - so I am trying to keep my planning in line with what I think is a prudent level of preparation.

[riverjoe47]

The INCH bug out rickshaw . 1300 miles with minimum of support in the early 1800s . Still when they got to their destination they had plenty of help so Id say that was the key .

[BigBossMan]

The INCH bug out rickshaw . 1300 miles with minimum of support in the early 1800s . Still when they got to their destination they had plenty of help so Id say that was the key .

Donner, party of 87? Donner?

[riverjoe47]

That table won't be necessary the Donners have already eaten .

[Aonghus]

That cart does have potential though...wonder how you could modernize it. Lighten the overall weight using modern materials, put a hand brake on it to help with going down hills. You could definetly use it to carry everything a small family needed to set up a new life in the woods. Ax, shovel, pick, food and a water for a bit, temp. shelter until you could set up something more permanent, a small box stove, etc.

[Aonghus]

Ballz! You can rent the durn things!

[riverjoe47]

Ballz! You can rent the durn things!

That would be a dandy youth outing .
Here's my project .

With foldable bike on board .


With winter kit . Skis become fenders by removeing 2 wing nuts .

[TacAir]

OP - "Am I confusing the issue by assuming that an INCH bag is preparedness for the PAW?"

"Stop!", said the Major General, " I think I see where we are getting confused."

My view - An INCH is less about 'restarting civilization' than 'stuff' to allow a person / group to reach remaining civilization (where-ever that might be) - or staying alive long enough for civilization to catch back up to them.

Okay, there is definitely confusion in the eyes of the sled dogs, because what you are describing is exactly what I thought a Bug out Bag (BOB) was supposed to do - be a pre-packed kit for each member of the family that you grab when the local fertilizer plant goes Chernobyl and bugging out becomes your only realistic option.

I know that permanent displacement becomes reality of for a lot of refugees the longer they stay away - but how many people flee with the idea that they are going to permanently abandon their residence (which is what INCH implies)?!?

When I hear I'm Not Coming Home (INCH) that means to me that my patio is now ground zero of a toxic waste dump, mother nature diverted the Pacific Ocean through the front door, or my house has the warm glow of radioactive isotopes with a half-life of 120,000 years. These are pretty much the sort of things that would make me make the call not only to bug out, but to think I need and INCH bag/cart/horse whatever.

I am not doing this as a hobby - so I am trying to keep my planning in line with what I think is a prudent level of preparation.

To quote that old TV show : It's about TIme!

If I get any advanced warning of a CREDIBLE threat, I am gone. Packed up and beat feet.

We missed the Mt Saint Helens mess by three days, wife was in Utah, I was in Mississippi (work related training) - our possessions were in-route to Alaska. When the first (credible) rumblings came out, we packed up our Kombi as an INCH vehicle, and arranged to move. If it blew prior to our final move, we would still have had our INCH vehicle, planned route, secondary route and enough gasoline to get well into Southern Idaho. The house we were living in was undamaged, others south of there were destroyed.

Now we plan on bugging in, but if we face another credible threat that rules out a BI, we already have plans for what goes into the trailer, and at what point we bail. Not everyone does this or can do this for many reasons - we are that 10% that will recognize an issue and evacuate spontaneously. But we also recognize planning really does cost very little.

Consider the "homeowner" in SoCal living in a fire prone area.
What should a prudent person do?
Valuable papers and prized negatives go into the local bank lockbox, other papers gathered and put into a sealed box, with a duffle bag containing 'INCH'ish stuff - two changes of clothing, camping gear, food, some blankets, etc etc
or
Just sit on your ass and hope you will have a chance to flee with your life and hope "someone" - say Uncle Sugar - will be there to bail you out/feed you/house you? - No thanks, not for me.

So, again - it's about time - and what you are willing to do in advance.
As others have noted -- short of an End of the World event, civilization will go on, I'd just as soon already be 'there' or at least not show up empty handed.

This week I am a guest for an "Emergency Situations" dinner. The lights get cut, dinner is cooked on a Esbit stove (by request, normally use Sterno) and everyone is served a M/H dinner with Pilot Bread (Sailor Boy yumm) and water with paper plates/cups. The capstone for the evening is a discussion on a "loss of utility event" and how folks can plan for and overcome the event.

If I could only figure a way to make a buck on this....

Anyway - mindset. planning, training, preps and the willingness to beat feet adds up to peace of mind. If your preps need to = INCH, then you will need to have a solid idea of what you will need for your situation. Prudent will have to be your call.

I don't think anybody wants to be
This family

This Guy.

or This Guy

[riverjoe47]

OP - "Am I confusing the issue by assuming that an INCH bag is preparedness for the PAW?"

"Stop!", said the Major General, " I think I see where we are getting confused."

My view - An INCH is less about 'restarting civilization' than 'stuff' to allow a person / group to reach remaining civilization (where-ever that might be) - or staying alive long enough for civilization to catch back up to them.

Okay, there is definitely confusion in the eyes of the sled dogs, because what you are describing is exactly what I thought a Bug out Bag (BOB) was supposed to do - be a pre-packed kit for each member of the family that you grab when the local fertilizer plant goes Chernobyl and bugging out becomes your only realistic option.

I know that permanent displacement becomes reality of for a lot of refugees the longer they stay away - but how many people flee with the idea that they are going to permanently abandon their residence (which is what INCH implies)?!?

When I hear I'm Not Coming Home (INCH) that means to me that my patio is now ground zero of a toxic waste dump, mother nature diverted the Pacific Ocean through the front door, or my house has the warm glow of radioactive isotopes with a half-life of 120,000 years. These are pretty much the sort of things that would make me make the call not only to bug out, but to think I need and INCH bag/cart/horse whatever.

I am not doing this as a hobby - so I am trying to keep my planning in line with what I think is a prudent level of preparation.

To quote that old TV show : It's about TIme!

If I get any advanced warning of a CREDIBLE threat, I am gone. Packed up and beat feet.

We missed the Mt Saint Helens mess by three days, wife was in Utah, I was in Mississippi (work related training) - our possessions were in-route to Alaska. When the first (credible) rumblings came out, we packed up our Kombi as an INCH vehicle, and arranged to move. If it blew prior to our final move, we would still have had our INCH vehicle, planned route, secondary route and enough gasoline to get well into Southern Idaho. The house we were living in was undamaged, others south of there were destroyed.

Now we plan on bugging in, but if we face another credible threat that rules out a BI, we already have plans for what goes into the trailer, and at what point we bail. Not everyone does this or can do this for many reasons - we are that 10% that will recognize an issue and evacuate spontaneously. But we also recognize planning really does cost very little.

Consider the "homeowner" in SoCal living in a fire prone area.
What should a prudent person do?
Valuable papers and prized negatives go into the local bank lockbox, other papers gathered and put into a sealed box, with a duffle bag containing 'INCH'ish stuff - two changes of clothing, camping gear, food, some blankets, etc etc
or
Just sit on your ass and hope you will have a chance to flee with your life and hope "someone" - say Uncle Sugar - will be there to bail you out/feed you/house you? - No thanks, not for me.

So, again - it's about time - and what you are willing to do in advance.
As others have noted -- short of an End of the World event, civilization will go on, I'd just as soon already be 'there' or at least not show up empty handed.

This week I am a guest for an "Emergency Situations" dinner. The lights get cut, dinner is cooked on a Esbit stove (by request, normally use Sterno) and everyone is served a M/H dinner with Pilot Bread (Sailor Boy yumm) and water with paper plates/cups. The capstone for the evening is a discussion on a "loss of utility event" and how folks can plan for and overcome the event.

If I could only figure a way to make a buck on this....

Anyway - mindset. planning, training, preps and the willingness to beat feet adds up to peace of mind. If your preps need to = INCH, then you will need to have a solid idea of what you will need for your situation. Prudent will have to be your call.

I don't think anybody wants to be
This family

This Guy.

or This Guy

I think everyones first choice is a gas powered (diesel too) but you better keep it full of fuel or have a tank on standby .
I remember being trapped in Louisville after a wind storm for 4 days cause the first thing that shut down were the gas pumps .I had no fuel because I was camping there and truck happened to be low when the wind blew in .

[catalyst]

I have personally never truly understood inch bags. if its a large bob, its a large bob. i guess i could see an inch trailer... but an inch bag? it sounds like a fancy expanded bob, where you're buying extra crap just to spend the $.

Realistically, I would have zero desire to carry a 120lb inch bag for any distance at all. I also couldnt imagine lugging around a chainsaw for ANY distance especially if it has no gasoline.

[Sealegs]

I've always thought about it in terms of the pioneer kit. It's all about time frame though, if someone told me the "never" was to incorporate crap I need in 30 years I'd be hard pressed to argue that all my gear could survive for that long. I could however get me in a position where equipment failure is no longer immediately life threatening.

Something along this line:
http://www.garrettcontainer.com/deploym ... ioneer-kit

Now I have a BOL with more tools than I use but less than I want (like always), so I haven't really assembled one of these for packing on a trailer or in the car. But I would if the situation would warrant it.

[riverjoe47]

OK heres what you need . The Dick Proenneke kit .

http://woodtrails.blogspot.com/2010/05/ ... rness.html

[Hachiman]

I guess if you can't see the point of an INCH you prolly dont need one.

I like to have one on hand for things like house\townhouse fires and floods where I may not be able to get back home for several days. My BOB might be able to skate me through but I like to have extra clothes, food, sleeping bag and pad etc etc for an extended stay at the sheltering arms.