Building an emergency pack, insight needed

A

AlexSchira

Joined
May 12, 2007
Messages
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I've been making smaller kits for various situations for a couple years now, mostly Altoids tins, holsters, modified EDC containers and the like. Recently however I stumbled onto some of my camera bags I haven't used in a while. I decided to turn the bigger, rather unusual backpack bag into a rather nice-looking 'It just hit the fan' bag for the car or long-term outings. Not bugging out here, just trying to get as much as utilitarian potential out of this bag as I can to push my limits and bit and prepare myself better.

It's a standard-sized backpack, similar to what you'd see a tourist wearing, but is in reality a higher-end camera bag designed to look like a regular backpack. The main zipper compartment is actually only half-sized, the bottom is a sectioned-off camera bag that no thief would know to get into. Likewise, no one would know this pack's purpose unless they knew where to unzip. Here's the product info. The Adventure 7 model.
http://www.tamrac.com/frame_adv.htm
No, mine isn't digi-camo, just plain dark gray. Camo wasn't an option when I got it, doubt I'd shoot for it anyway.

I have enough odds and ends around here to keep a small militia going, but before I start picking what goes in the bag and how, I'm setting a purpose for the bag and seeking advice from better knowing individuals. I'm not making a hiking pack, it's far too small to live out of, rather I want a fully stocked emergency/survival pack I can use as an innocent daypack. Needs it may need to fulfill.

First Aid
Basic survival elements, expanding on the Doug Ritter concepts
Odds and ends to fix whatever breaks, make the day easier, Macgyver 101
Handle a stranded situation, whether with a car, hiking group or just a missed ride
Maintain enough free space in the top to still use as a daypack

Not touching a piece of gear yet, going to build off whatever people list. Handy things people keep in similar bags, expert-chosen solutions I can whistle about, geek toys that pay off, I'll take any suggestions.
Also, if anyone wants to make up a humorous or witty nickname for this pack, feel free to share, love embarrassing my other half with my gritty slang terms being butchered with my proper Chicago accent.

Weather is going nuts over here, hence inspiring resurrecting my bag for such a purpose, but also holing me up for the weekend with nothing but my gear, the web, my girl, and a couple weeks of laundry to do. Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions, anything to keep me from tying all these mismatched socks into a noose.
 
May go shopping today, this pack gives me an excuse to buy some extra junk and some new toys to test out.
 
Keep the weight in mind. It is easy to make even a small bag so heavy that it gets very little use and stays in a closet so that it is not with you when you need it. It is also all too easy to fill one with gadgets which look nice but in reality never would get used. Batteries are heavy and have short operating lives so I think you should take it easy on battery powered gizmos. A tiny AM/FM/SW/Weather radio is good to have in almost any emergency. Leave the batteries out until you need to use it.

Water, shelter, signaling, food, protection, and comfort... pretty much in that order are the priorities I suggest.

Water... you can include a small bladder or a rigid container of water, or foil packets of long term storage water. I like to combine the two with an empty 2 gallon bladder in a 1 gallon nylon case, and "get-you-through" packets of lifeboat water. Add some means of purification (tablets, filter etc.). Water is heavy but so important that you will be tempted to try to carry too much. Water weighs... 8.345404 pounds per gallon!

Shelter... sometimes even a contractor garbage bag is an improvement over nothing. A shelter provides protection from rain, sun and wind. All of these can rob you of energy and hydration. A tube tent is compact and cheap. I've used them and they are good inexpensive short-term shelters. A piece of parachute nylon "silk" is very compact and can be "sorta" waterproofed with treatment. COrdage of some sort extends your shelter options no matter what you choose to include or manage to scrounge. Personal shelter that lets you remain mobile is good to have. It can be a cheap plastic poncho (leave it in the package to keep it compact until needed) or a military type poncho, heavier, less compact but more durable. Dont forget that the most basic shelter is adequate clothing... jacket and hat in most environments.

Signaling... This one is pretty easy to cover and there are a wide variety of choices. Light makers for dark environments (pocket flares, strobes, cylume light sticks), reflectors for bright environments (lexan or metal mirror,silver mylar sheet or foil). Noise makers (whistle, co2 air horn). Radios and beacons. Flagging (surveyor tape, space blanket, ten-mile cloth) All these assume you want to be found.

Food... Less important in the short term than most people imagine, but still an important psychological boost. Freeze dried food packets (Mountain House etc.) are heads over heels better in taste, variety, weight and shelf life than MRE's. They are also expensive and require water and heat to prepare. Think about instant drinks and soups too. Jello makes an excellent hot drink and is a good energy boost. Bullion cubes contain salt (needed), soup mixes are handy and tasty. Dried fruits and nuts provide good energy boost and satisfy cravings. I carry these in a zip-Loc in my field bag. Mixes are available at... Wal-Mart and other stores. These are all short term solutions. Food procurement items are longer term solutions. Nets, fishing gear, small bags for gathering herbs and roots, and of course a mini field guide to identify them. And a means to prepare them like a pot of some sort and fire makings. forks and spoons are handy to have and you can either make them using your pocketknife and imagination, or use the lightweight lexan jobs found in hiking stores. Much better than the heavier metal ones we used to have.

Protection... I'll skip this one as being so obvious (and individual preference specific) that discussion is moot.

Comfort... Ditto.

Codger
 
i'd agree with codger except i would put food before signaling. just my personal belief, if i can keep my self alive out there it's better than going hungry while waiting for someone to see my mirror...
i'd also throw in a finishing kit for food, with lines, hooks, sinkers, floaters (is that wat you call them?), and at least a little bait, just in case you cant find worms.
for shelter, i'd throw in a trenching shovel. i have the kind with a pick and a shovel all in one. it's pretty heavy for one piece of gear, but i thought it was worth it. dug in shelters or little turf structures are more comfortable than tents, in my opinion, as they can give you more insulation. i actually never camped anywhere with a tent before, all i ever carried for shelter was my trenching shovel, my poncho, and some nylon cordage. some times i'd also use aluminum foil on the walls or ceilings of my little structures.
aluminum foils are useful for a lot of stuff, and i suggest throwing a roll into your bag. they are pretty heavy, true, but you can really make marvels out of them. one entire roll of foil can take the place of your cooking pot and reflector, and help you with shelter, water and food storage.
 
blood_constellation said:
i'd agree with codger except i would put food before signaling. just my personal belief, if i can keep my self alive out there it's better than going hungry while waiting for someone to see my mirror...
Click to expand...
Blood, everyone puts food at the very bottom of the list because you can live a long time without food.

i'd also throw in a finishing kit for food, with lines, hooks, sinkers, floaters (is that wat you call them?), and at least a little bait, just in case you cant find worms.
Click to expand...
"is that what you call them" = chances of success fishin'? :D

A gill net will get you more fish with less energy expended and can also be used to catch birds and rabbits.
 
There is an old addage which has some basis in truth:

3 minutes without air
3 days without water
3 weeks without food.

Your mileage will vary.

Codger:thumbup:
 
Agreed. But after the first four or five days the stomach shrinks and hunger pains aren't so bad. But note that I said that food included in the pack is a comfort item. We are used to two or three squares a day and having something resembling them in a survival situation adds some semblance of normality. Things just don't seem quite so bad. Sure, keeping up your energy level with good caloric intake is a good thing. But your normal healthy body won't shut down without it for nearly a month. Long before then grubs, lizards, seeds and other items will start looking good.

Codger
 
here's my pack... ir's a camelback HAWG..

IMG_0540.jpg

here's it's contents....
IMG_0532.jpg

this is a little fire kit i made... i usually have it in there too.... it all fits into the army decon box...
IMG_0529.jpg
 
As far as food goes...how about some ramen noodles? I just made some and felt I should contribute. They come in a wide range of flavors, they're cheap (I got 8 for $1 last week), and it'll take longer for your water to boil than for the noodles to cook.
 
Gotta love the Camelbak. I've been meaning to upgrade to one with a larger payload than the wallet-size zippered pouch. :)
 
Mike, it looks like you shortened your Doan's- how sparky was it to cut through the ferro rod? I might trim it again, so the mag block isn't as tall, and use the space for a couple of firestraws.
 
Got an end-table full of possible supplies, narrowing down which, what, and when. Here's what I have to work with.

-Pocket Survival Pak-Replaced duct tape a while back, X2 Photon Freedom in neck carrier added.
-Several hundred feet of paracord, assorted colors, mostly red, varying lengths including shoelace size scraps
-Large garbage bags, guessing 40 gallon at least, used one as a poncho the other day in the storm.
-Extensive collections of lights, most recent purchases have been headlamps. Almost exclusively LED, headlamps are all AAA or smaller, handheld lights are various cells. Photons, 9V becons, Mags, Surefire, you name it. Just need to narrow down what goes.
-Few smaller Victorinox tools, Gerber sport tool. I EDC a Leatherman Wave, Squirt P4 on the keychain, Boker Wharcom as a standard folder.
-Connected with people in the medical industry, grew up a nurse's son, large supply of hospital-quality supplies hand-packed in my own containers.
-Large, transparent vinyl poncho, good quality. Few cheapie disposable ones, space blanket thrown in for luck, expecting a military issue ripstop grommet-cornered model in the mail.
-Duct tape all around. Around plastic cards, smaller rolls, bigger industrial rolls, got plenty.
-Neon-orange marking tape, got it years before they recommended it for marking trails. Visible and versatile enough to keep around.
-Military folding pragmatic compass, and Suunto Micro on a velcro wrist loop, plus the one in Doug's kit. Looking into my first GPS for geocaching.
-Lighters galore, even though I don't smoke. Tons of mini Bics lying around for projects, including one in a metal casing. Getting into these 'peanut lighters' lately, so those may become an option later on. Spark-Lite in kit, may throw some strike-box matches in because I have a brick of them lying around.
-Pouches all over. Nite Ize models, Countycomm organizer, random holsters for every tool around.
-Standard issue hexamine stove I got on a whim, fulled with fuel tablets.
-Zip ties in various colors, carabiners, some cheap clothesline rope plus the paracord, might throw in some eye-screws or compact super glue.
-Hand-sized mini-crowbar wrapped in paracord I made for cheap way back but never use, also carry a keychain-sized prybar from countycomm, for five bucks each I plan to get more in different sizes.
-Bandannas in every color. Also own an insulated spandex headwrap (...Ninja mask...) for below zero weather.
-Lycra, nitrile-palmed gloves I got for cheap online and plan to get more of. Fit great with no excess, palms are very grippy, seen something similar in a 'Doug Ritter Survival Vest' on amazon somewhere after I got the gloves.
-Bricks of ramen, prefer chicken, but doubt food will make it in before candy and other boosts.
-Nalgenes...Camelbaks...Name a color, I have it.
-Ear-plugs. Personal thing, I have the hearing of a wolf and while I can sleep fine with little noises, even a noisy kid on a coach bus can get my eye twitching. Also great for sleeping on the go.
-Various batteries, mostly AA, running low on AAA. Just got some new longer-lasting NiMH cells to slowly phase out my functional but annoying Energizer ones.
-Few Fox 40 Micros around, stock yellow, and one extremely modified Fox 40 Mini I went to the extreme with. Drilled a hole in the larnyard stub and filed off the top one, Any extra plastic is long gone, loud as ever with half the bulk. Been wanting some extras around for every bag I EDC, black or orange Micros, etc.
-Have a boonie cap in the mail. love ball-caps and tasteful bandannas, but been needing a real outdoorsy hat that may find its way into my EDC bag, might get another one to keep in this one.
-Pair of walkie talkies rated at 12 miles by the manufacturer, doubt that heavily but they'll work a few blocks and in the woods. Reminding myself to change the rechargable AAAs they use, 8 hour battery life tops.
-A padlock from a set which I have the key to on my keychain. This may seem odd...But have you ever had to run off to a CVS to buy a padlock to lock up a small moving truck while everyone else goes to the bar?
-May add some cheaper but better quality folding knives, logical thinking before all else. Hence, if we're all going on a hike, bring a couple folders. If we'll be around ropes, bring a serrated back-up. May even throw in a tiny Vic Classic just for those situations where a cute keychain blade is best.

The truth is, this is simply an emergency-ready backpack I'll be taking with me on outings, events, trips, in the car, or even to higher-risk situations such as a barbecue with some rather accident prone relatives. My pack was selected for urban camo. I'll be using the top section as a standard daypack. Camera, food, odds and ends as we're moving around. The hidden bottom compartment which is actually half the bag, is where the supplies and response tools are. If some one looked in the bag, they'd fine the cell phone I was holding for them or our lunch. Unless they know to unzip the random zipper on the side, they'll never see the cords, tools, random odds and ends, and other gizmos I took along. Urban camo literally means urban camo, this pack will be hitting everything from Lake Michigan bike trips to movies in the park. It will see some outdoors, between hikes and trips, family outings and emergencies, I'm keeping the Survival Pak in out of knowledge that things can happen.

Personal concepts and philosophies...This is not a B.O.B., more of a reaction pack. While I could live off the supplies, it's more of a dedicated EDC option where stakes become higher than on my own. I'll use some similar concepts to the BOBs, but the fact it'll be semi-casual to have it on me sets it apart from a huge survival system.

Being somewhat group-focused, I will try to include extras of a few things. Thinking of getting a handful of cheap LED lights to pass around in the case of a power outage in a public gathering. Bic lighters typically switch hands to seven different owners on average before being thrown away, why not have an extra for the polite but unprepared smoker. While the walkie-talkies are a step-up from just yelling or dealing with cell phone signals, the idea of multiple whistles as group communication tools appeals very much to me. Even walking around a national park with wood-planked trails and marked path signs, the sight of a child running by alone makes me wish they had a barrel of free whistles in the lobby to save the search parties. That being a non-profitable fantasy, I'll just buy extras for my own groups and if a parent ever perks up and decides to get some right away, I'll toss them a couple, free, for taking the initiative.

From here, it's narrowing down what kind of lights and blades to bring, what else I need, tricks to packing this all in, and some little things like what to use on the zipper pulls because I have a subtle touch of personal flair. Somewhere after getting into survival though Doug Ritter's site, my favorite color went from gray to orange. Just accents, just enough to hint that something is meant to be seen and used.
 
AlexSchira,
I am not clear on the environment you plan the pack to cover. For an urban to suburban environment, I find leather gloves, a utility knife with extra blades, U Dig It trowel, and trash bags are very useful. (The trash bags provide shelter that helps you blend into the environment, providing shelter and a measure of protection.) I would also include a sun hat, watch cap, a water container, and pills to purify the water. Cash is important, since it can help provide the other things you might need. (Vending machines like dollar bills and quarters.)

Spud
 
TemplarKnight21c said:
As far as food goes...how about some ramen noodles? I just made some and felt I should contribute. They come in a wide range of flavors, they're cheap (I got 8 for $1 last week), and it'll take longer for your water to boil than for the noodles to cook.
Click to expand...

That is what is in my BOB, one of those 6 packs. They are light and as long as they stay dry, should stay somewhat edible for a long time.
I have a couple of the accessory packs from MRE's and a few of the heaters as well.
I keep a case of bottled water in the trunk also, if I need it, got it.

A pair of sweats, they are light and warm, make decent long underwear, can be rolled tight and placed in a plastic bag. If you need dry clothes.
 
So far I've packed some essentials into the 'secret compartment and into the outside pocket. Really, really liking the modular idea, was thinking of something similar while packing it all. Now it'll be a matter of finding the right pouches for my winter kit, in-depth first aid, wilderness-based gear. Off the top of my head here's what made it in so far, mostly testing capacity and sizing.

-Doug Ritter Pocket Kit
-Garbage bags
-Space blanket
-Pouch packed with first aid gear, bagged disposable poncho
-Second disposable poncho
-Spool of cheap clothesline, fifty feet or so
-Good wad of paracord scraps
-Cheap carabiners
-Zip-ties
-Gerber tool with its little bit-kit, in its belt holster
-Plastic case of earplugs
-Rubber-banded Mini Bic
-Suunto Micro Slipepr on wrist-band
-Odd little ten dollar headlamp I found, coin cells, looks like an eyeball
-4AA Energizer LED lantern, size of a deck of cards, hoard these things for their 200 hour runtime
-Pair of small walkie-talkies
-Thinner padlock

And in the outer pocket...
-Orange bandanna
-Four AA batteries
-Filed down Mini Fox 40
-Mini Bic
-Petzl E+Lite in hard carry case
-Inova X1, older long-running version
-Victorinpx Spartan
-Victorinox Classic thrown in for cautious situations
-Tiny hand Sanitizer bottle

Tying into that...
-On the zipper pull of the biggest pocket, i've attached a yellow-LED Photon Freedom on itOs neck-carrier. Stays locked in, can be popped off whenever needed. The little clip for it is in the front pocket.
-In the emsh side pocket, is a Super Bright Safelight left in glow mode, can be seen through the mesh but just pressing it can turn the glow off for casual situations. Magnetic clip is in the front pocket, like its little Photon brother
-Threw on an EDCDepot black spy capsule on the side zipper pull. It matched the all-black theme, and will be handy for Tylenol.

As you can see, some items are in there just to see if I can fit it all. Will continue changing things around before I call it done, for now it's just a test-pack.

Do note the biggest pocket has a mesh divider in it with a horizontal strap on it to strap in anything with a belt clip, it'll flop around when empty but with a stuffed pack it'd be nice to use.

Now I'm onto making up some modular modes for it, more kits tp work with the existing kit. Thanks for the idea!

Still not sure what to call this thing casually...The black-gray motive is actually a bit stylish, red would make this thing look like a real wilderness bag, camo is a military tribute, gray is the ideal urban camo with attitude. Bat-Pack is too cliche despite the coloring. The idea of making it modular but self-sustaining on its own makes me think of it differently. Currently making up a small shopping list for it. A Safelight to replace the one I'm using with it, some odds and ends from countycomm and EDCDepot. Just yesterday I found out they make WD-40 in a little bleach-pen style thing...On cloud nine, going to stock up on them after I test out the one. My main complaint right now is a full roll of duct tape weighs the bag down and takes over the compartment, guess I'll have to re-roll some onto something.

Thanks to everyone who's made suggestions so far!
 
Codger_64 said:
There is an old addage which has some basis in truth:

3 minutes without air
3 days without water
3 weeks without food.

Your mileage will vary.

Codger:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Wasn't there a line in there somewhere about 3 hours without shelter (refering to hypo/hyperthermia)?

Either way, still a good rule of thumb.

Chris
 
A couple of recommendations.
Lose the cheap mylar space blanket. They are absolutly worthless unless you enjoy being frustrated. I carry one of the heavy duty style that is red/orange on one side and silver on the other. Works pretty well.
I used to carry a poncho for a shelter. Been carrying the same one for 15 yrs. Pulled it out during a survival course I was taking and discouvered how riduculessly small it was. I'm buying a 10'x10' nylon tarp from campmor as soon as I get around to it. Buddy of mine has one and it is great for a shelter and supper light.
I just finished converting to LED flashlights and headlamp in my SAR pack. I like not having to carry spare bulbs. Also all of my use light use lithium batteries. Now I carry only two styles of battery (C12 and AA) and the batteries have a shelf life of ten years so I don't have to worry about them expiring any time soon.
Cliff bars for food. No preperation, no container to clean and no fire required. Come in a variety of flavors and very filling. Also small and light. In all reallity food is not a high priority. Water on the other hand is. I did not see water treatment on your list.
Something else to consider. Be cautious of carrying to many spares. Example instead of the clothes line just carry the paracord. Milspec paracord has 7 very strong strand in the center that can be used for other uses and the outer sheath is still strong enough to use as clothes line. There is an adage I try to follow with my gear. Each item should have two uses. This is not true for everything but it is a great guideline.
 
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