got a $50 Sears gift card for the BOB

[mole]

As the title indicates I received a $50 gift certificate. Anyone know of any good car BOB items for around this price at Sears? The closest one is over an hour away and a search of their website was not impressive. The only things that seemed like I could use was an axe and/or sleeping bag. Any good possible gun items? Knives or possible defensive items?

Personally, I'm not fond of Sears and according to their website: "Gift card(s) are neither refundable nor returnable." Can one say; use a $50 card to buy a $1 item, receive $49 in cash, and then return the item for the $1 refund?. I'd rather buy my supplies from a local, independant store for less.;)

[lawson]

i don't believe they give refunds from gift cards, the unused balance remains on the card.

the only useful thing i could think of from sears would be tools, or maybe a carhartt jacket.

[XD Dude]

There is a pretty big gift card market going on ebay lately...laybe dump it for 40.00, and buy something you want elsewhere?

[dmftoy1]

Does Sears carry any decent long underwear? (Synthetic)

[Preacherman]

Well, they have tents, sleeping bags, mats, water filters, etc. - should be a good selection of stuff right there for your BOB. If you already have enough of those, buy some overalls, or tough jeans, or stuff like that - you'll be needing them!

[Dr.Who]

My choice would be hand tools.... Warranty for life... Still...

[old4x4]

I'm fairly new to the site. What does BOB stand for?

[RyanM]

From the thread title, I thought you were planning on putting the gift card in the BOB! That would just be pretty silly.

[hso]

Good oogly moogly! Sear should have tons of appropriate material from GPS units to synthetic socks to water purifiers and duffels to tools and comealongs and on and on.

[Arkie]

old 4x4

Hi there and welcome to the High Road...

A "BOB" is short for Bug Out Bag.

Something you can grab if something happens and you have to get out Quick, like a Flood, hurricane,tornado,etc...

[Carlos]

Go for the Craftsman tools.

[AJ Dual]

How about?

- 40/20oz propane bottles camp stove or catalytic heater for a winter/blizzard situation.

(Not the best use of a Sears card, for propane, Sam's Club, Costco and others probably have it cheaper, but if it's on sale, or you can't find anything else you want...)

Tools are good. $50 would go along way to a basic toolkit for a car.

How about the automotive section, or the car service center? Is your battery in good shape? How about a tune-up? Allignment? Tire rotation? Even something as mundane as new/premium wiper blades could help during a storm. Think of it as freeing up $50 in your pocket for BOB materials that you should be spending on maintaining your vehicle anyway.

(This is assuming you're "average/normal" about cars. For all I know you're the type that can do everything short of a tranny rebuild...)

Anything at Sears that you can find that would help with "vehicle mobility" in a bug-out senario?

Jacks, "pioneer tools", a come-along, tow strap, gas cans? Do you have good jumper cables?

How about upgrading your vehicle to a full-size spare tire (if possible)?

It dosen't have to be "in the bag" to be part of your BOB gear.

[Lucky]

How do you use a stove for heat without killing self? I know people who have gotten very sick in campers in very cold winter, trying to use stoves for heat. And there are regular news stories of people dieing in the same suffocating manner. And then the issue of falling asleep with a flame burning, rather un-nerving.

I too have a Sears gift certificate, though!

I'd say skip the water filter, no need, when bleach works as well. I bought a $90 filter, then read the free pamphlet I picked up at the same time. The filter came with a little bottle of stuff you add to the water anyway, so I though, "Why bother with the filter and the bottle, when I can make my own little bottle of chlorine bleach?" I put the bottle in the freezer, almost full, and it freezes without rupturing, and it thaws fine too!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/54919391/Water%20Filter/Water1.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/54919391/Water%20Filter/Water2.jpg

I just plan to buy underwear and socks, lol. Maybe a pouch for a camelback drink bag.

[bogie]

Why do city people assume that you need an axe for camping/basic survival?

1) they're heavy

2) they're really easy to hurt yourself with

3) they're heavy

4) they're high maintenance

5) they're heavy

6) they need a significant amount of skill to use

7) they're heavy

8) they're not very fast

A saw of equivalent weight will cut your firewood a LOT faster. If you're putting together a little urban survival kit, however, I'd spend the card on a little car-tool kit, flashlight, etc...

[dmftoy1]

How do you use a stove for heat without killing self? I know people who have gotten very sick in campers in very cold winter, trying to use stoves for heat. And there are regular news stories of people dieing in the same suffocating manner. And then the issue of falling asleep with a flame burning, rather un-nerving.



I think there are 2 things that kill you when using a flame for heat. The first is Carbon Monoxide. That's pretty easy to avoid because you can use a Carbon Monoxide detector. I believe that most new campers have them built-in now.

The second thing that kills you is oxygen depletion. I'm not sure how you avoid that one. In our camper there's actually a mini-furnace that heats the camper and it's vented outside so it's not an issue. They probably have some sort of O2 detector that you could use to avoid that problem as well.

Have a good one,
Dave

[pete f]

from actual first hand knowledge the little gas chain saws they sell are not too bad. more than fifty bucks, but not a bad choice for a portable life saver.

[answerguy]

I'm fairly new to the site. What does BOB stand for?

According to my wife it stands for Battery Operated Boyfriend, I just don't know what that means.

[NMshooter]

You cannot have too many hand tools, and Craftsman are pretty good.

I predict that when Jeff White comes back from vacation this thread dies a quick death if it is still on the first page...

[hso]

The second thing that kills you is oxygen depletion. I'm not sure how you avoid that one.

Dave, oxygen depletion is highly unlikely as nearly no one makes any sort of camper/tent/cabin that's truely air tight. Also, as oxygen levels drop through 19.5% O2 humans get nasty headaches as one of the warnings. So
if you could get a occupancy tight enough to allow oxygen levels to be depleted below 19.5% your pounding headache should warn you of the problem.

[230HB]

Well Mole I don`t know if you found something to your liking yet to purchase but if you still want to spend it locally you could give this a try. When you first go into Sears buy something small & light for over $50 ( so you can carry it around for a while while you browse the store). Problem of something left on the gift card is now solved. Before your ready to leave head to customer service and return it. Tell them you had a flat in the lot and the emergency service to fix it ate up your cash & you need the dough to get gas to get home. You got your cash & checked out to see what to buy for your BOB in the future. :neener:

[chaim]

From the thread title, I thought you were planning on putting the gift card in the BOB! That would just be pretty silly.

Actually, it wouldn't be silly at all. Most theoretical situations, and all likely situations, where you'll need a BOB society will still be going strong. Sure, be ready for needing to go completly on your own, but most of your planning and equipment should be for the most likely situations. Cash, debit cards (not the bank card type, but the gift card type) and gift cards (from places like Sears and Walmart that carry a large variety of items) make a lot of sense. Most likely you will simply be evacuating your area for another, probably temporarily (but as seen large scale in New Orleans and now Northern CA, and smaller scale in OK and TX it may be pretty long term). Having a good basic bag is smart, but you won't really know what you'll need until you are in the situation. You may have 3 or 4 days worth of clothing in your bag, mostly rugged stuff, but what if you are living in a hotel for months and need a new job? You have no clothing for a job interview. With the card you can buy a suit and tie. That is just one example of many possibilities. That gift card just might keep you self sufficient a little longer, and a little longer may be just what you need to keep from becoming dependent on charity, relief orgs, or the government. The cards take vitually no space, the biggest issue is to keep track of the expiration date (use the card to buy a new card a month or two before the exp. date).

[Snagglepuss]

Quote - According to my wife it stands for Battery Operated Boyfriend, I just don't know what that means.

Just another hand tool:D :D

How a about a nice collaspable saw. Otherwise I'd go for the Carhartts.

[happy old sailor]

Bogie - another advantage to a hand operated saw is, quiet you can hear hacking noises a long way in the woods. may as well have a chainsaw unless you don't care if discovered

[pete f]

I prefer a chain saw, in most cases, the ability to clear a road of downed trees, cut firewood, and make a fast shelter outway the need for the stealth in a SHTF situation. Lets face we are more likely to run in to a natural disaster with lots of people needing to move out or needing shelter than WW3

[Optical Serenity]

According to my wife it stands for Battery Operated Boyfriend, I just don't know what that means.


So I have heard too, for some reason my BOB doesn't go through so many batteries? :D

[Manedwolf]

As the title indicates I received a $50 gift certificate. Anyone know of any good car BOB items for around this price at Sears? The closest one is over an hour away and a search of their website was not impressive. The only things that seemed like I could use was an axe and/or sleeping bag. Any good possible gun items? Knives or possible defensive items?

Personally, I'm not fond of Sears and according to their website: "Gift card(s) are neither refundable nor returnable." Can one say; use a $50 card to buy a $1 item, receive $49 in cash, and then return the item for the $1 refund?. I'd rather buy my supplies from a local, independant store for less.;)

About the only thing I think Sears is good for anymore is Craftsman tools. Their wrench sets are still good, and they still give a lifetime warranty on them.

[Manedwolf]

How do you use a stove for heat without killing self? I know people who have gotten very sick in campers in very cold winter, trying to use stoves for heat. And there are regular news stories of people dieing in the same suffocating manner. And then the issue of falling asleep with a flame burning, rather un-nerving.

I too have a Sears gift certificate, though!

I'd say skip the water filter, no need, when bleach works as well. I bought a $90 filter, then read the free pamphlet I picked up at the same time. The filter came with a little bottle of stuff you add to the water anyway, so I though, "Why bother with the filter and the bottle, when I can make my own little bottle of chlorine bleach?" I put the bottle in the freezer, almost full, and it freezes without rupturing, and it thaws fine too!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/54919391/Water%20Filter/Water1.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/54919391/Water%20Filter/Water2.jpg

I just plan to buy underwear and socks, lol. Maybe a pouch for a camelback drink bag.

There are new catalytic heaters on the market that, I believe, use the propane from the attached tank in a run over a catalyst bed, generating heat without excessive carbon monoxide...they say they're safe for indoor use.

The Coleman Black Cat, I've heard, makes a mess and isn't that efficient, but the Mr. Heater Portable Buddy, about $79, is supposedly very good. Uses either standard propane bottles for lanterns and stoves, or can be connected to an (outside) grill tank with an adaptor. I like that feature, since if there's a SHTF situation in a dangerously cold climate, there's always lots of grill propane tanks around.

As another "don't burn your house down" idea for those, especially if you have kids or pets, a cheap metal-bottom collapsable pet cage is a good thing. You can put that on the floor and put the heater in that, thus keeping your pets or kids from knocking it over or burning themselves while it's in use.

[mole]

Thanks for all the ideas everyone. I tried to reply a few days ago, but sometimes I lose THR for some reason. I lost it earlier today, but it's back now of course.

I went to the closest one and found absolutely nothing. The majority of the items where clothes, and very few men's clothes at that. No coats, no sleeping bags, no filters, and three crapy tents. A small seletion of hand and power tools were available. I already have a set of Craftsman's tools, but I agree that would be the wisest choice.

I've got to go towards another store in a few days that will hopefully be better. Here's my decision. I'll get an axe and a 1/2 socket handle thing. (The correct name escapes me at the moment. I mean one of those long handles about 2 feet long with an end that can swing from side to side and accepts a 1/2 socket.)

The axe has better defensive properties than a saw. Yeah, it's slow, but it will do more damage than swinging a saw. bogie, I don't see how an axe is high maintance. You sharpen it, oil it up, and tape a cut rubber hose over the blade, and you're done. I live in the sticks and have had to remove fallen trees from the road in order to pass, so I am not an unknowing urbanite. A chainsaw is faster, but requires maintance, gas, and oil and takes up more space in the trunk. It also can stink up the trunk.

The socket handle will go under the driver's seat. It would serve as a innocent looking club. If I happen to have to walk through an area where trouble may lurk, I will carry it in my left hand. After reading threads here and thinking about the time it takes for an attacker to close on you while you try to draw your firearm, I believe that having a club like weapon would prove an advantage. While reaching for the firearm with your right hand, you can swing the club with the left hand and hopefully divert their lunge/charge while you draw your firearm. It might do enough damage to give you an advantage if a physical scruffle occurs. At the least I can buy a socket that fits my lugnuts and use it to change my tires.;)

I have a Mr. Heater Portable Buddy and it works great. It is extremely simple and easy to use. I tried its tip over shut off feature several times and it doesn't take much to make it kick off. It does give off a lot of heat, so don't put anything close to it.

thanks,
mole

[el44vaquero]

I actually work for Sears. They had me working in the electronics department during the Christmas season. We only give the remaining amount on a giftcard if it's under a set dollar amount. As far as the Craftsman Warranty goes I wouldn't count on it. After K-Mart bought Sears, they are looking at doing away with the Craftsman Warranty. We have had several meetings over this. They say it's not "cost effective" to honor this warranty. Sears was the store of my grandfather and father. It's sad to see it in the shape it is.