Stuck please help

a father said:

Hey guys in the process of building my B.O.B but I'm at a stalemate. I don't know what else I need. Currently I have firestarters, flint and steel, survival knife, regular knives (2), bright L.E.D. flashlights batteries (32 count AA AAA), Tylenol cordage, fuel syphon, tarp, folding saw, lighter, knife sharpener, work gloves, emergency blanket, 4 bottles of water, and a SS cup for boiling water. That's about it. I know I need a first aid kit but I want to build my own (any suggestions), and I also know I need food like cliff bars and jerky but any other suggestions? O yea I don't have a bag yet as well. I am waiting to get my supplies together to determine the size any good suggestions on a good quality bag?

Let me add sunscreen and bug spray

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Sounds like you're making a good start. A few observations in no particular order;

• I don't see an eating utensil. While this is mostly a luxury, it's a small item that can drastically change your demeanor first thing in the morning. A heavy plastic spoon would suffice, but something like CRKT's eating tool or Light my Fire's titanium eating tool are dollars well spent.
• Have you tried using the flint and steel? It's all well and good to have one, but they're a lot more difficult to be successful with than most people think. Take it out in the woods, find a half dozen different kinds of natural tinder, and try to start a fire with them. Not man made stuff, like cotton balls, but natural items; mosses, punk wood, thistle, bark, etc. Until you are proficient with a firesteel, it's better to keep extra lighters around (I have four lighters in my kit despite fairly extensive practice with my firesteel).
• I don't see anything for morale? A lot of people overlook this, but it's an extremely important part of survival. A pack of playing cards is great (you can be ridiculous like me, and purchase all weather cards, or just grab a deck of bicycle from the local market). Throw in a pack of your favorite sugary snack too; jellybeans, starburst, a chocolate bar so long as it won't melt where you store your kit, all of these things are not only excellent for getting a boost of energy, but they'll put a smile on your face too, and that's worth more than most things.
• For the food, I like to keep a small variety. I have a small bag of trailmix, which will run out quickly but tastes great. I have a 3600kcal Datrex bar (I lived off of this for a few days, and then tried to the Mayday for a few days. I stomached the Datrex much better, but it may be the other way around for you). I also have a few freeze dried meals in there, which are ultimately too heavy for the calories they provide, but I keep them in again because I could see them benefiting morale in a bad situation.
• You have a "survival knife". What kind? This is probably the most important part of your kit, be sure it's a sturdy knife, one that won't break after a few days of heavy use, and one that will keep an edge. A lot of survival type knives are half serrated. Personally I think serrations are a waste of perfectly good knife edge, but again your mileage may vary. A sharp edge will cut through anything as well and as quickly as a serration will, and it's much easier to maintain.
• The machete suggestion is a good one, especially if you get a quality blade with a sawback (one of the few things I don't mind being multi-purpose). Before that, I would recommend a good shovel or entrenching tool. This will come in handy for flattening campsites, fleshing out a more permanent fire pit for longer stays, digging holes next to water to let it filter naturally... digging holes to discard your waste in, and much much more. These can be inexpensive or expensive; I've found somewhere in the middle is usually just fine, with the exception of a little Gorge Folding Shovel by Gerber (for being cheap but awesome). $20, and I beat the hell out of it for three days an outing back, and it came out like a champ. Whatever you choose, look at the welds/rivets holding the handle to the blade. You want at least three points of solid connection; there are a lot of cheaper shovels that only have two rivets, and are missing a third right where the handle meets the blade (and takes the most abuse), and these will bend on you every time.
• A good poncho. You can get one for under $5 from Wal-mart that will hold up to most rainfalls, but again don't be afraid to shop around and spend a little extra. A good poncho can be shelter as easily as it is rain gear.

Take your kit out for a weekend and try everything in it. If anything is still in the package, it shouldn't be in your kit. Load up your vehicle with all your regular camping gear, set up your tent and make sure you have all the gear you'd regularly take with you in a non emergency situation. Then try to use only whats in your kit. What were you missing? What broke?

a father said:

- I have been practicing on trying to perfect it but only with cotton balls as a start then throwing timber on there. I'm going to start with just timber because even with cotton balls its a little tricky.

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Cotton balls are great for getting the basic handling of a fire steel down. I find the best method is to brace the steel (it shouldn't move, a lot of people like to hold it free float but then you have a much harder time directing the sparks), with slow and steady strokes (don't even go there Slippy). After that, learning how to identify tinder is a great and easy skill to learn. You can use wood shavings (look up feather stick) but they are a little more difficult to get going. You'll likely get a coal instead of a flame, which can then be coaxed into a flame.

ALWAYS PREP FIRST. I can't tell you how many times I've watched people get a spark to catch, the tinder flares up into a beautiful flame and... then they scramble because they have nothing to put on it. Always prep your kindling before you even consider lighting anything.

a father said:

- My "survival" knife is a low end one however, I have made some alterations to it like reinforcing the blade and remaking the survival tools in it. the knife has a saw back as well as the machete I own.

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It doesn't have to be high end as long as it works. Some things to look for in a good knife are a full thick tang, preferably something you can visible see extends the entire length of the handle and isn't just embedded inside plastic, and has an easy to maintain functional edge. Avoid tactical, avoid tanto, you're not going to be fighting the vietcong, you're going to be chopping wood, shaving wood, cutting rope, shaving... you get the idea.

a father said:

- now I have been looking at shovels but there is so damn many to choose from. I like your pointers on what to look for though. I have been trying to "draw" up something where I can makeshift my own but so far the materials I have been looking at are heavy, obviously more durable but for a bug out kit weight matters. where did you purchase your shovel?

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I have a few shovels, and even more that I've thrown away after I broke them. My two favorites as of right now are the Gerber I mentioned (it's called the Gorge Folding Shovel) because of how inexpensive it was and how well it works, not to mention the fact that it comes in under two pounds (every ounce saved is worth it). The other is Cold Steel's wooden shovel. Again, well under 2lbs, usually less than $30 and there's no moving parts on it to break. Nothing wrong with a good e-tool, but watch for those rivets. I also haven't had much luck with shovels that have a lot of curve to the blade, as they tend to be weak points that will continue to curve under stress.