A lot of great stuff posted on this topic so far. Thanks for the list Bonafide. I really like the photos of your pack Mistwalker and the truck shots are awesome Vance. I love the life straw and the emergency blanket bivy (two relatively small but very helpful things you can put in almost any pack).
My dad was caught in an early season white out blizzard while hunting in Montana. The group of four were separated when it hit. He found his buddy and they survived the night by getting a tinder bundle started in my dad's jacket to get a fire. One of the guys didn't make it through the night. He was found 15 feet from the truck next to a pile of fire wood that never was started. My dad doesn't go for a day hike now without a pack full of food and gear.
This is a very big topic. It just really depends on what you are bailing out from and for how long. When I think of this topic I like to think in principals. What do you need to survive? Shelter, water, fire, food - add to that safety and medical supplies
I have several levels of go "bags" in a sense.
1) HOME - Enough food and water for my family if we for some reason could not leave our house for up to two weeks. I live in an earthquake zone so this is a real possibility.
2) A large tote full of gear that I could load up in my car quickly if we got word that we had to get out of our area quickly and could do so by car. My emergency food is also in a large tote so that could be loaded up quickly too. Some folks use a backpack loaded instead. I have my packs sitting next to the totes so I can transfer quickly if the car is not an option or if we can only go a certain distance in the car.
3) A go bag for each family member - based on their personal needs (clothes, medicines, comfort item - i.e. small stuffed animal for a child). There is stuff in my bag that my 4 year old does't need and vise versa.
4) Small survival bags stuffed into each car - also water, food, and warm jackets. If I lived in snow country I would also always have sleeping bags or wool blankets. I was taught to never use you car as a jacket. If it breaks down the heater won't work.
5) If you work in an office - you should have a survival bag there in case you can't get to your car or home.
6) My pocket always has a knife. I used to carry a lighter and paracord everywhere too, but have gotten lazy.
I also like to make sure everything has a backup if possible. For instance in the small survival bags in my car I have three different ways to deal with the issue of water. A life straw, water purification tablets, and a stainless steel water bottle that I could boil water in. For fire I might have a lighter, a pack of matches, a firesteel, and some paracord for bow drill fires. That way if one of them fails or runs out, you have other options.
I also believe that in general training and skills are usually more important than gear. You should know your local plants, what is edible, poisonous, etc. You should also probably have some escape routes planned. Where are you going to go? What natural hazards are in your area? How are your fire skills? Have you slept out in a shelter made of natural materials (debris hut, etc.) Do you know how to make any primitive traps and would you know where to put them or how to bait them? These are all questions I like to ask myself. I love to be outdoors so I like to try to further my skills while having fun. I also play a lot of games with my son, so he is getting trained but doesn't necessarily know it.
The other thing I think about is friends and family. Having a plan on where to meet your family is always good. I have a water filter that can handle more water than my family needs because I know in some situations there might be others with you that might not be well prepared. In a long term scenario trade items may be useful too.
