Go-Bag Stuff: High End or Low?

I don’t see a reason to stick a folder in a go bag. If I did it would be something like a Spyderco Military. For a fixed - Carothers HDFK would be perfect or any number of mid-sized Busse/kin.
 
By the way. Don't skimp on underwear or socks.

Honestly buy a cheap knife if you have to but if you need to put a hundred Ks behind you in a day. You don't want to be doing it like this.

 
VorpelSword said:
Go-Bag Stuff: High-End or Low?



Re: Go-Bag, Bug-Out Bag or Get Home Kit (or whatever you are calling your emergency response collection)

Not a question about the justification for a Go-Bag or what scenario to prepare it for . . .or even exactly what to put into it.


I am interested in knowing your philosophy of selecting the contents. Do you stock it with premium grade, high-end gear? Do you instead pick out items that are less expensive (cheap even) and possibly disposable or things you wouldn’t mind abandoning if expedient?

Of course, most of us are on a real-world budget that requires trade-offs in most aspects of life but consider that many backpackers who are really into it will have ultra-light, sophisticated and expensive gear. Many prepper videos support the inclusion of some really expensive firearms rather than some non-descript surplus or beater gun.

So, let's make the discussion relevant to this forum. In putting together an emergency response kit (however you want to define it) what type of cutlery would you, or do you put in? Is it some premium Leatherman multitool or a less expensive mid-level brand . . .or some no-name near disposable thing?



Would you include a high-end knife from a premium maker such as CRK or Randall Made in a sheath knife, or a less expensive one from Ka-Bar or Smith and Wesson? I was once invited to hunt Allagsators in Louisiana swamps. I left home any of my “good” knives and took along an “Old Hickory” brand boning or steak knife in a slapped together sheath.

I think it can be justified either way with good arguments but . . .

How do you decide? What do you do?
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Neither.
I don't go for cheap and expendable. And I don't go for premium.
I go for the least expensive thing that I have full confidence in reliably doing the job.
I need a GOOD knife. Not a FANTASTIC knife.
 
I had a "get home" bag in my car, but my EDC bag is also always with me when I leave the house for work or else. That kind of redundancy did not help.
So I ditched the car bag and upgraded my EDC bag to actually bring me home.
The stuff I have in the bag is pretty much used quite often and if something is depleted, I replace it.

Toolwise I only have quality items that I already used and know they hold up. Knipex Cobra, Victorinox Spirit MT, Wera Bit set with driver & two fullsize screwdrivers

My BK7 is the large fixed blade and an Vic Alox Farmer is the backup folder.
 
What has proven to work. A $6 Coughlan Ferro rod works better than the Exotac Nanostriker XL Mora knives but the 2000 or Kansbol not the cheapest they have. Home made FAK double checked by a doctor ( I work with hundreds of them)
 
VorpelSword said:
Good stuff from everyone here,]. hanks.

Returning to the second question:

rom the higher end advocates now: What premium knife maker would you prefer in a folder (not the specific model).

And the same question, what premium makers for a straight knife?
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Regular daily pack has an Esee 3 on the pack as well as a Delica and Endura inside.

My go-bag or serious situation is a much larger Eberlstock with rifle scabbard. As far as knives there is an Esee 5 on the pack and a PM2 and Delica inside.

I carry a Microtech Combat Troodon and a Delica daily.

The "go-bag" is more fantasy than anything.
There isn't much that would necessitate me leaving my home short of a Hellfire missile. Ive got 30k between my 2 exterior doors and my saferoom door. The home was built from the ground up with security in mind.
 
I don't have a go-bag but when I put one together it will be stuff of quality I'm comfortable relying on, it will not be expensive high end stuff nor will it be cheap crap.

The way I see it high end stuff is often all about being more pleasing to exexperience, and not necessarily about actually functioning better where it matters most.
You're not exactly getting that experience from these really nice high end things when they're just in an emergency bag stuffed away somewhere so why bother ?
 
Good fake passports aren't cheap, so always go with premium. I know a guy.

Well, I know a guy who knows a guy.





Or is this not what we're talking about?
 
Wasty said:
I had a "get home" bag in my car, but my EDC bag is also always with me when I leave the house for work or else. That kind of redundancy did not help.
So I ditched the car bag and upgraded my EDC bag to actually bring me home.
The stuff I have in the bag is pretty much used quite often and if something is depleted, I replace it.

Toolwise I only have quality items that I already used and know they hold up. Knipex Cobra, Victorinox Spirit MT, Wera Bit set with driver & two fullsize screwdrivers

My BK7 is the large fixed blade and an Vic Alox Farmer is the backup folder.
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I still have a get home bag in the car but it's more of a first aid kit with a few get home items left in it.

My EDC bag now carries most of my get home stuff now as well.

As for high end or low, never low. Not always high. Always proven reliability.
 
gadgetgeek said:
I think from reading some of the answers in this and its sibling threads is that there is an expectation to decide when you need to. That's fair, so long as your risk assessment is realistic.
All things being equal, any emergency will dictate the timelines. For me, I've got two set-ups, one is "leaving because the house is on fire" and its my EDC bag, so its as high end as my gear is. The other is the "get home" stuff that lives in my car. That stuff is replaceable, and cheap enough that I won't be worried about it. Past that, any emergency where I'll have to leave home is likely got at least 12 hours and more likely 48hrs to prep.
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I have a similar philosophy.

My “go bag” that lives in my closet contains my best backpacking gear, (although not as much as I usually bring backpacking) including an H&B tomahawk, Swamp Rat custom shop Desert Storm Fighter, and a Silky Super Accell. For me, these three tools are light enough to carry, but able to handle lots of work.

When I go backpacking, lots of the gear from my “go bag” gets transferred to my large backpack, and I’m likely to carry smaller knives/saws because I have more gear and don’t PLAN to have to cut much wood.

My wife and I both have “get home” bags in our vehicles. This is made up of cheaper stuff - Cold Steel knives/OSH branded hand-saws, etc.

Pro-tip: Don’t keep your good gear in your vehicle “get home” bag. My wife had all of her good backpacking gear in the truck of her car and a couple years ago it got stolen. :(

Lesson learned.
 
I look at it this way…. If you are grabbing you “go” bag it either hit the fan or is about to hit the fan, so I’m not putting “whatever” in that bag. It is usually well stocked! 😉
A car bag might have lesser in it, because of theft. I always have a blanket and some supplies in my car depending on the season.
 
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Just decent quality ,functional gear . That's all that's necessary , IMO .

Your knowledge and skills are far more important than expensive fancy equipment .

If you have any extremely pricey possessions, traveling during some societal collapse , someone might be tempted to kill you just for your gear .

Or simply confiscate under emergency suspension of civil rights and licenses .

Some places are already like that... all the time .
 
Allow me to come at this from a different prospective: If I’m equipping a true EDC bag, i. e. a low profile backpack I can walk the city in, all day and go to a restaurant or theatre without looking out-of-place, my tools must be compact, preferably multipurpose and strictly necessary, for urban emergencies. So, 3 flashlights are my base tools, a 2-3 AA metal flashlight (~300L) , a Pietzl e+LITE WITH 2 extra button batteries, and a Photon (yellow bulb) Freedom carried switch -in on its neck string w. Carrier ( to give to a companion). A LM type tool either with no blade or a hidden one. My best choice is the discontinued LM Blast. If no multi- tool will pass security, a small needle nose pliers and Lutz 2-in-ONE reversible screwdriver, was TSA compliant , the last time I flew. A four-way silcock tool. An absolute necessity to source drinkable city water. Survival Resources folding bottle filter sleeve and 2-4 coffee filters - some Water Pure Tabs. In my trauma kit a 7.5” EMT type scissors without the L tip, from Lehigh Valley Tools. 1-2 ( yellow ) Mini Bic lighters ( plunger secured with electrical tape), in a Gearward water tight rubber tire cover ( that also can be cut into tinder). Lifeboat matches. ReQme seatbelt cutter/ window-breaker. 12’ x 2” Gorilla tape, wrapped over 4-6” piece of clear plastic report cover. ( Tear in 1” strips and U can smoke proof a hotel or office door. ). Flat plastic fresnel lens in a plastic sleeve. Signal mirror. ( Good to lookround corners and see what’s behind you and get something out of ur eye.) . Finally, 20’40’ of Kevlar or 550 cord.

My city kit also has an enhanced IFAK ( I’m a former volunteer City EMT ) and Bo-Boo I kit, siltarp poncho, 30gal. Plastic garbage bag , Heat Sheet foil blanket , sometimes a few bees wax tea candles to make a Plamer furnace. A Survivor water purifier straw with accessoy flat expandable 1qt. Canteens, dental emergency kit , meds/ caffine pills/ Advil + Tylenol , Benadryl, pseuphedrine generics , polypropylene liner or wool socks, lightweight Kevlar and leather gloves, waterproof swim googles and N-95 masks / surgical gloves and some alcohol based hand sanitizer and sundry other items that you may or may not consider tools. Food is a Millenium bar and some boiled sweets or M&Ms.

if my Go Bag / GHB is to be car carried, I add more clothing, food, water, etc. and tools. The extra tools are a 8” Knipex wire/ bolt cutters, LMK II sheath knife ( can cut live wires up to 220v. Google the story of US soldiers in Iraq, doing just that. And the best damn one handed , multi- purpose rescue tool I have ever handled, an Ontario SPAX-16. ( Heavy @ ~2lb.s , but worth it. Standard issue on Marine One and other military aircraft.) lastly, a 20oz. , long necked, single wall (so I can boil in it) aluminum Klean Kanteen, with a 550 lanyard thru the plastic screw-on top. It’s filled with boiled filtered water. Wrap the lanyard over ur thumb , aground the back of ur hand and hold the neck of the bottle and it a hell of a ”tire thumper”. YMMV.
 
ADDIT: Rereading my own post, I forgot to list a couple of other items that are “tools“ of a different type: Photocopies of all my important ID, medical insurance ID, Driver’s License, Car Registration an actual spare credit card, an actual secondary ID (e.g. my US Passport Card, all in a plastic ziplock bag, spare power cell if u don’t have a Mophie type battery on ur cell phone, at least 10 sheets of 3”x5” waterproof pieces of paper and a fine or ultra fine permanent ink sharpie pen ( let’s u also leave written messages on walls, doors, etc. ) and at least $500 in cash or better, a $1000, ( U can work up to it ) in mixed small bills, nothing bigger than a $20. Quoting the Bard, that is Bob Dylan: “ Money doesn’t talk. It swears!”. It will buy gas when the station is “out”., a ride out of town, a room at a hotel with “ no vacancy” and maybe buy off a mugger. Finally, not to let u think that I forgot, I am purposely omitting the subject of self defense gear.
 
I'm among those who choose the best gear that you can afford. But it shouldn't be a price tag that convinces you, it should be the quality and knowing how to use what is in your kit.

I do all of my emergency stuff in layers. What's in my pockets and on my belt will get me back to my ride (car, bike, whatever). What's in my ride will get me back home. What's in my home is in a box that can be quickly and easily moved into my car if we need to leave the house.

Since this is a knife forum I will state specifically that my usual EDC knife is a CPK with my Go-Box having a slightly larger Busse in it. Not cheap, but a lot of the gear in my bags is fairly inexpensive.
 
VorpelSword said:
Go-Bag Stuff: High-End or Low?

I am interested in knowing your philosophy of selecting the contents. Do you stock it with premium grade, high-end gear? Do you instead pick out items that are less expensive (cheap even) and possibly disposable or things you wouldn’t mind abandoning if expedient?

How do you decide? What do you do?
Click to expand...
Well... first of all...
Danke42 said:
The very premise of a go bag means something has already gone badly wrong.
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It's even worse than that. It's like training how to swim even though you don't have access to a pool, you don't live anywhere near water, and you never desire or plan to be on a boat. Not only would it be nearly impossible to effectively train yourself under those conditions, but if you ever do find yourself actually needing to swim, then it means a series of severely wrong turns have happened and you're probably f***ed anyway.

How are you going to slap together a single bag of gear for a situation you've never experienced before, can't predict the parameters or variables of, and still think that you're somehow going to be covered? It's absurd.

But since you are doing it anyway...

Have 2 bags. Put the cheap gear in your car, and keep the good stuff at home. Your car bag is the "get home bag". The bag you keep at home is in case you have to leave home. Having to get home is a much less serious situation than having to leave home. Home is where all your stuff is. Home is your shelter from the elements. If you have to abandon literally everything you own, it means things are super nightmarish. So if you're going to take anything, then you'd better take the very best of what you can take.

Plus if you're fortunate enough to be able to drive during this nightmare scenario when you have to flee your home (because the roads might be congested from everyone else trying to flee whatever disaster is happening), then you'll have that extra bag of cheap gear in the car. You can maybe use it to bargain with, or give it away to someone in need.
 
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