The Goody Bag System

[SaturatedShadow]

It probably began when I got my first pocketknife, but as long as I can remember, I have had an obsession with being prepared. Among my friends, I am the person they know to ask if they need a knife, or a bottle opener. I'm the person that has a bag of tools in their truck, and multiple extra jackets. Over the years, I've organized and streamlined my gear collection into the system I use today. I would like to share that system you all. Maybe it will give you some ideas, maybe you will have advice to improve my system.

I am not any kind of expert. I'm just a guy that likes hunting, hiking, fishing, working in the outdoors and values the feeling of self sufficiency that comes with some skills and a well stocked kit.

The knife/gun/gear/survival skills community has several acronyms for various kits (BOB, GHB, PSK, etc.) and each of them carries its own connotations and preconceptions. Because of this, any discussion of them often starts a debate over the exact definitions of the terms used to describe the kit. My kit does not exactly fit the definitions of the common terms, so I made up my own name for it.

Long before I ever heard the term "Bug out bag", I had a few basic survival items, flashlight, gloves, and other things I might find useful in an ammo box in my truck. I called this my Goody Box. Turning 23, getting my CCW, and discovering others obsessed with being prepared led me to improve my little ammo box kit to an integrated system designed specifically for my needs and tastes, The Goody Bag System.

 

[SaturatedShadow]

The stuff I carry in my pockets each day is the foundation of the Goody Bag System. They are my first line of defense against unpreparedness. All my other kits are designed to work with the items I keep on my person.

My primary knife is the Ka-Bar/Becker/ESEE BK14 Eskabar. Now that I’ve been pocket carrying a fixed blade knife for several months, I cannot imagine going back to a folder as my primary blade. A fixed blade is stronger, quicker to deploy, and easier to clean.

I carry it suspended from a paracord loop attached to my belt. It rides in my pocket right where a folder with a clip would ride.

My carry pistol is a Walther P99 9mm. This gun has all the features of a Glock in what, to me, is a better looking and more ergonomic package. I carry it in a Crossbreed Supertuck holster at 3:00.

In my right pocket, I keep a Mini Bic lighter and an IDL Tools T5 multitool. The lighter and pliers are kept inside a neoprene flash drive holder to avoid having a bunch of loose items rattling around in the bottom of my pocket. I sometimes carry a Victorinox Solo as a backup to my Eskabar.

My left pocket contains my keys, which include a paracord lanyard, and a Streamlight ProTac 2L LED flashlight.

I keep my wallet in the right back or cargo pocket, and a bandana in the left.

I carry a spare magazine for the P99 in a DeSantis double mag pouch on my ankle. I found that removing the spare mag from my belt was more comfortable and made concealment of my firearm easier.

I also wear more paracord on my wrist.

And I carry a cell phone of course, usually in a Maxpedition phone pouch or the phone/magazine pocket on 5.11 pants.

 

[SaturatedShadow]

This is my basic, minimal, compact survival kit.

I love seeing examples of Altoid tin survival kits. They’re just cool. But when I really think about it, they simply aren’t big enough for my needs. This is because they are not big enough to hold an emergency blanket.

My home is Southwest Missouri, and unfortunately, we don’t have any real wilderness. When I’m doing my normal outdoor activities, hunting, hiking, burning brush, playing with knives, or fixing fence in the back of the farm, I’m never far from some kind of civilization.

If you get lost in Southwest Missouri, just pick a direction and walk in a straight line. You’ll come to a fencerow, road, or house within an hour, probably more like 5 minutes. For me, a “survival situation” is being injured in the woods and not being able to just walk out. Logically, if I don’t have the ability to just walk out of the woods, I probably will also not be able to run around chopping branches and gathering leaves to make a shelter. Therefore, I want an emergency blanket in my survival kit.

A likely scenario would be breaking a leg. I would make a splint and administer whatever first aid I could then calmly call someone and tell them to come get me. Assuming my phone doesn’t work, gather enough wood for a fire, wrap up in the blanket, and wait for someone to come looking for me. If I’m going to go through all the trouble of building a shelter with a broken leg, I might as well make a crutch and limp out of the woods.

Maxpedition Barnacle pouch
Becker BK13 Remora
Adventure Medical Kits Heatsheet
LMF Firesteel 2.0 Army
LMF 2.0 striker/whistle
Tinder Straws
Streamlight Nano
Button compass
DMT MiniSharp
8-10 feet of paracord
Plastic bag
Katadyn Micropur MP1 tablets
Band-aids
Butterfly sutures
Gauze
Ibuprofen
Benadryl
Swiss army knife tweezers

It can fit into the pocket of a jacket or hunting vest or worn on the belt. I often carry it in a 5.11 MOLLE pouch with water on the belt. I hope to try it out attached to the side of a Maxpedition bottle carrier.

It also fits perfectly on a BK11/BK14 sheath using the Ka-Bar TDI MOLLE straps.

 

[SaturatedShadow]

The Goody Bag Level II is more like an EDC/Get Home Bag. It mainly holds minimal survival gear, though not quite so minimal as the Level I, and support items for my concealed firearm.

This bag gets slung into the truck each morning and is carried inside every night. If I ride in someone else’s vehicle, this bag comes along while the larger Level III does not.

Goody Bag Level II is kept in a 5.11 Bail Out Bag

The main compartment contains:
Goody Bag Level I
ESEE Fire Kit
Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit
Flask of water
Clif Bar
Paracord
Bandana
Small pry bar
Compass
Extra Bic lighters
Duct tape
Spare CR123 batteries
Tinder in match container
Zippered camera case for EDC items when not on my person
Pencil
Gun cleaning rod
Kershaw Skyline

One side pocket contains:
Rite in the Rain notebook
Ibuprofen
Gloves
Head covering

The other side pocket contains:
Blackhawk Serpa Holster
Break Free CLP
Ear plugs
Cleaning patches

The front pockets contain:
4 spare magazines (60 rounds 9mm)
Sunglasses

Yes the amount of ammunition is probably excessive, but this kit doubles as my range bag as it contains everything I need to go shooting.

Every night, all of my EDC items listed above are put in this bag. If for some reason I have to make a rapid evac in the middle of the night, my carry pistol, Eskabar, keys, wallet, and everything else I carry is in the bag ready to go. If I hear what sounds like an intruder and have to go check the perimeter, gun, ammo, and flashlight are in the bag next to the bed. If I forget to put something in my pocket in the morning, it’s with me in the bag.

 

[SaturatedShadow]

The Goody Bag Level III is the larger, more comprehensive bug out/play in the woods kit.

It is contained in a 5.11 Rush 24 backpack. I have been very pleased with the Rush 24. It seems to be well stitched and very durable. There are plenty of pockets for organization on the inside, and a healthy amount of MOLLE webbing on the outside. It carries very comfortably for a backpack of this type, meaning one without a waist belt. In using the bag, I have made a minor modification.

I added a compression strap to the bottom of the pack. I had a strap on hand, which even happened to be a matching color, that I wrapped around the pack and fastened with paracord on the MOLLE webbing. This helped to keep the load solid and steady when the pack is not stuffed to capacity.

On the left side of the pack (when I’m wearing it) is mounted a 5.11 mag pouch containing a P99 magazine and Becker Necker attached with TDI MOLLE straps.

On the right side is a 4Sevens Quark Turbo and a 5.11 dump pouch.

MOLLE’d to the front is a 5.11 6.6 pouch. When heading to the woods, the Goody Bag Level I goes in this pouch. Also in the pouch is a bandana and an Altoids Smalls tin with two petroleum jelly cotton balls in it.

In the left side pocket:
Paracord
Gerber saw
Spare batteries

In the right side pocket: Fire
Bic lighter
Fatwood
Altoids tin full of petroleum jelly cotton balls
Road flares

In the top left front pocket: Sweet, sweet redundancy
Firesteel 2.0
Sriker
Mini Bic lighters
Whistle
Compass
Fishing kit
Headband for using flashlight as a headlight

The front pocket contains:
Gloves
5.11 watch cap
Gun cleaning patches
a sling I made
First aid kit

My first aid kit consists of the contents of one of those Johnson and Johnson kits you can find at Wal-Mart and such stores stuffed into a 5.11 10.6 MOLLE pouch. I then supplemented this “booboo kit” with several rolls of camo gauze from my local army surplus store, triangle bandages, super glue, and some meds. I intend to add some Quik Clot Combat gauze in the future.

On the inside I keep:
a multitude of Clif Bars
50 feet of climbing rope
UnderArmour base layers
Extra socks
Toilet paper in a waterproof bag
Small Bible in a waterproof bag
Two stainless steel water bottles

Sunglasses in the sunglasses pocket, and shemagh in the hydration pocket.

I still need to add a tarp, and I’m contemplating a hydration bladder. I picked up a GSI cup and I have a Maxpedition bottle holder ordered, which will go inside the pack for water and cooking.

The water bottles can be attached to caribiners on the outside and secured with paracord and cord locks to free up much of the space inside. This allows me to carry enough clothing for a weekend out of town inside the pack.

The level III kit mostly stays in my truck.

 

[SaturatedShadow]

This is the kit I usually bring when hunting or playing in the woods.

I wanted to keep it very minimalist and lightweight.

LMF Army firesteel and BK13 on the outside.

Bandana attached to the back.

Bottle and cup in the main compartment, of course. Two person heatsheet, ceramic sharpener, whistle, light, tinder straws, and first aid pouch (gauze, band-aids, butterfly sutures, water purification tabs, ibuprofen, benadryl) in the front pocket. Paracord around the shoulder strap.

 

[The Warrior]

Good stuff SS. Am currently getting some kits in order.

 

[Widerstand]

Can't wait for you to finish this up!

 

[slapper]

Nice!...looking forward to seeing the rest...What is in the flask?

 

[Quarter Tank]

Nice!...looking forward to seeing the rest...What is in the flask?

better be some Whiskey

 

[kickplate69]

Im not trying to be annoying, but note that medications expire, so replace when necessary.

 

[Bladite]

whiskey rarely expires

expiration dates on medications are part of a scam to make you buy more imho, for a lot of that stuff, it would years to go bad. years and years and years beyond the printed expiration dates. which, again imho, have more to do with profits and lawyers and covering their assets.

 

[SaturatedShadow]

Im not trying to be annoying, but note that medications expire, so replace when necessary.

Good call. I believe in using items from my kit when needed and replacing as soon as possible rather than saving for "emergency use only" as some people do. Theoretically, they will be used and replenished before going bad.

 

[SaturatedShadow]

Just water in the flask. I'm one of them old baptist types. I do occasionally throw a pipe and tobacco in that pouch.

 

[kickplate69]

Bladite, take a pharmacology class. meds expire, albeit it takes a tad longer than what the expiration dates say. but it is for real, and some medications loose potency faster than others, based on oxidation rates. Meds in blister packs are sealed airtight for a reason. But you are right about meds like ibuprofen ( which is vastly more effective than acetaminophen ) and that is the way they are, ( loose pills in a bottle )they will be potent for longer than expiration ( about 50% longer ). Not trying to be a dick, because I have learned a lot from you. But just saying.

 

[GoNadz]

Bladite, take a pharmacology class. meds expire, albeit it takes a tad longer than what the expiration dates say. but it is for real, and some medications loose potency faster than others, based on oxidation rates. Meds in blister packs are sealed airtight for a reason. But you are right about meds like ibuprofen ( which is vastly more effective than acetaminophen ) and that is the way they are, ( loose pills in a bottle )they will be potent for longer than expiration ( about 50% longer ). Not trying to be a dick, because I have learned a lot from you. But just saying.

I'm not going to lie, I was under the same impression Bladite was under. I'm still not buying that a bottle of Tylenol needs to be pitched b/c the date on the side says it expired 2 or 3 months ago. Hell, I'll take it 6 months later. Then again, I'm certainly no expert on anything like that, I just feel that it's half-gimmick and half-liability concern. Thanks for setting it straight, though, Kickplate :thumbup:

SaturdatedShadow, the kit looks good, brother. Keep the pics comin'!

-Nadz

 

[SaturatedShadow]

Updated and bumped

 

[Sagewood]

Good Stuff Shadow. I like the individual level system you went with. I may have to incorporate the same system with my equipment.

Looking foward to the rest!

Bladite, take a pharmacology class. meds expire, albeit it takes a tad longer than what the expiration dates say. but it is for real, and some medications loose potency faster than others, based on oxidation rates. Meds in blister packs are sealed airtight for a reason. But you are right about meds like ibuprofen ( which is vastly more effective than acetaminophen ) and that is the way they are, ( loose pills in a bottle )they will be potent for longer than expiration ( about 50% longer ). Not trying to be a dick, because I have learned a lot from you. But just saying.

That being said, what about vacuum sealing your emergency meds for your BOB? They wouldnt last forever, but you would think they would last somewhat longer than expected.

 

[Captain Airyca]

I like this thread. Love the organization.

 

[maethor]

Looking good so far... I'm actually surprised to see a Walther in the middle of all this Glock madness. Nice carry!

take care

maethor