Why Weight Matters for a Survival Pack

In other articles, I have discussed the GOOD (get out of Dodge) bag, go bag, or survival bag and that the weight should be limited to approximately 25 pounds. Why do we need to limit the weight?

I will make this as simple as I can. The main energy source in our muscles is ATP. Strenuous activities lessen this stored energy, and you begin to tire. If you strap on your survival pack and begin hiking, you will generally feel pretty good at first (the weight will not bother you), but as the day wears on you tire. The heavier the load, the quicker you will get tired. If your hike with your survival bag lasts for hours, your training can be likened to a marathon runner rather than say, a speed-strength athlete. The glycogen in your cells slowly yet continually depletes. Energy is then robbed from your muscles to keep going. Remember this is a simple synopsis. More information on these type activities, training, nutrition, etc. can be found on www.myhealthandfitness.com.

Imagine you have been forced out of your home due to riots and have implemented your exit strategy, traveling to your secret rendezvous point about 15 miles away. You have been hiking for almost seven hours. If you were discovered by criminal individuals, how fast could you move? Could you move fast enough to avoid them?

The answer is in your preparedness. In just a couple of weeks you will lose muscular endurance after ceasing to exercise and over the next few weeks to two months, you will lose much of your muscular strength, depending on what type of job you have and other activities you pursue. If this is your situation, you will not evade your pursuers. They will rapidly close any gap between you and them. The last thing you want to do is let them catch up and then, engage them in armed combat. You need to always think about being both mobile and agile. This will help you survive a chaotic and potentially deadly situation.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom and many other missions by our U.S. military in the Middle East, soldiers constantly carried 70 pounds of gear in their packs. They were neither fast nor agile and the weight took its toll as witnessed by the many disability claims, mostly damaged hips, knees, and ankles, after these operations. They could carry such heavy packs because they had air, artillery, and other combat support. When you need to implement your survival strategy, it will be all up to you. No one is coming to help. Hence, you need to adhere to the 25-lb limit of your survival, GOOD (get out of dodge), go bag, etc. packs. Doing so will ensure you remain quick and agile, able to traverse streams, climb hills, and outpace pursuers without getting too tired to perform.

Let’s put it all together. If you keep your survival pack weight to the prescribed limits, you will be able to be more secure during your travels and reduce the chances of injury and prolonged fatigue. However, remember that your security kit, i.e., firearm(s) and ammunition is not included in your weight limit of about 25 pounds. You need to factor this in as well. Let’s look at some of those weights.

I have a Covert-18, 5-11 Tactical pack I keep in my vehicle. It weighs 15.5 lbs that includes a 3-L Camelbak hydration pack. When I fill the hydration pack, weight increases to 21.8 lbs. I also have a Rush 72, 5-11 Tactical pack equipped with everything that weighs 28.6 pounds that I keep in my garage ready to go 24/7. In that regard, I am close to our prescribed 25-lb pack. However, now we need to add our security kit. Let’s look at some examples. Please bear in mind that there are many pistols and rifles on the market that have different weights than these and that yours are likely also different. Bear this in mind because you need to be cognizant of the weight of whatever your security kit consists of. A full description is listed in my survival book. Due to the global chaos facing us, I recommend you build your survival pack as soon as you can. It is always good to be prepared.

*AI is Accuracy International AXMC

The above table lists the weights of various rifles, pistols, and ammunition to help you calculate the additional, approximate weight, of your security kit. This will help you have an idea of the approximate weight before you put it together. Some people may only use a pistol, some may use a pistol and AR-type rifle, and some may opt for a pistol and a sniper type rifle or any other combination.

Before going further, I have been asked if I served in the military. Yes, but my job was classified. In the field I was allowed only a knife, pistol, and camera. I firmly believe that you should be able to survive with a knife and a blanket. But on with my point. I recommend, at max, a reduced ammunition load. Remember that your goal is to avoid confrontation with others. You shouldn’t load up like an Army Ranger group whose purpose is assault. Given that fact, don’t carry more than three magazines for each weapon. Assuming each weapon has a loaded magazine, you would have four total (at most), which should be more than sufficient. You can reduce weight by only having three total magazines for each weapon, which includes a magazine in the weapon. But, for illustration, let’s assume four magazines total. We would have the following approximate weights (all numbers rounded to nearest 1/10^th).

Looking at the table above, the least weight of a security kit would be using only the Sig 226 pistol, which would increase your 25-lb pack to just over 27 pounds. Using only the AR type rifle would increase your pack weight another 13.4 pounds or about 38.5 pounds total. If you decided to carry both these weapons, you would add about 16 pounds to your 25-lb pack load or about 40 pounds of total weight. All these numbers are using only a three-magazine ammo load. From my experience, you do not want to push your total load beyond 25% of your body weight. This good rule of thumb means that if you carry a load of 40 pounds, you should weigh 160 pounds, but more importantly, you need to be a fit 160 pounds. Therefore, you need to have a good fitness regimen.

I live and train at 7,100 feet and constantly wear a Ruck Plate Carrier from Goruck with a 30-lb ruck plate inserted in it while teaching clients and walking around the mountains. I also perform speed-strength training exercises daily. Contact me regarding a good fitness regimen, please use out contact form or, go to www.myhealthandfitness.com for all kinds of mostly free information about fitness, health, training, and nutrition. Have a safe day.