anatomy of my backpack
Stuff I keep in my backpack, because hurricane zone and swamp.
on the outside
carry handle
- my "boodle bag", which holds pocket stuff and jewelry when it's not on me; this is tied with a clove hitch to a carabiner; it contains/i carry:
- * a compact, non-vented, viral mask
- * an ostensibly-clean handkerchief
- * my passport
- * my key-keeper (an old-fashioned, 70's style with hooks inside a snapping leather wrap
- * my wallet
- * a pen-knife with a roughly-ground edge, for sawing and scraping, especially if i'm eating wild game or fish
- * a large, sharp, folding knife that clips to my pocket
- * a combination whistle, compass, thermometer, and magnifier that clips on a carabiner on my belt loop
- * a tube of chap stick
- * a small, rectangular pill case with emergency migraine and dizziness meds, just in case (stuff happens when you're stuck in the woods)
- * a lens cleaning cloth, and two lens-cleaning wipes (i wear glasses)
- * two challenge coins: an Ubuntu challenge coin from my company, and a Navy Brat challenge coin (OBO my two Navy dads)
- * two collapsible, rite-in-the-rain pens
- * a thin, four-inch Milwaukee flashlight with a very powerful beam
- * a second zipper-wallet, containing two SwissCards, a monkey-tool, and a large (6x4) band-aid; the tools available include:
- ** a keyhole flashlight
- ** two short knives
- ** a pen
- ** two pairs of tweezers
- ** a pair of scissors
- ** several screwdrivers (four slot, two phillips)
- ** a serrated knife
- ** two bottle and can openers
- ** two magnifiers
- ** three rulers
- ** a butterfly wrench
- ** a manual direction finder
- ** a short sawblade
- ** several nut/bolt wrenches in varying sizes
- ** a flint-and-steel
- ** a button compass (but it doesn't seem to work very well)
- * my jewelry, which includes:
- ** a 200ft paracord bracelet
- ** a tool bracelet, which includes:
- * five socket wrenches, in varying (common) sizes
- * five slot screwdrivers, from jeweler's to large
- * three phillips head screwdrivers, with three different pitches
- * four allen wrenches in varying (common) sizes
- * two wide-blade allen wrenches (rare, but useful)
- * one glass-breaking tip
- * two wire-cutters in large and small sizes
- glow-at-night wire wrapped around the handle so i can find it in the dark (also on all zippers)
right-side back strap
- a small first aid kit; this will handle 20% of average first-aid needs
- my large swiss army knife and pouch; this will handle 90% of my typical tool needs; includes:
- * three pieces of rite-in-the-rain paper
- * a morse code and knot guide
- * an extensive first-aid guide
- * two small band-aids
- * a large fishing kit
- * a signal mirror, with the center hole (which is essential for it to do any good)
- * a whistle with a waterproof message compartment (and paper)
- * a rite-in-the-rain pencil
- * a really-good map compass, rule, and scale
- * a small sheet of magnesium foil for field welding
- * a magnifier
- * a phillips-head screwdriver
- * large and small slot scredsrivers
- * pliers and wire cutters
- * large scissors
- * a large sawblade
- * a fish scaler
- * a ruler (heh -- attached to the fish scaler, go figure that one)
- * a three-way file
- * long and short knife blades
- * a can opener
- * a bottle opener
- * a corkscrew
- * a jeweler's screwdriver
- * a straight pin
- * a leather awl
- * a weaving hook
- * two chisels
- * a pair of tweezers
- * an ink pen
- * a toothpick
- a small pair of tasco binoculars
left-side back strap
- a small-but-tough flashlight, clipped to a built-in loop
- my portable Yaesu ham radio, carried when we're in hurricane mode
flat front pocket zip
- my "peace, love, ubuntu" keychain
strapped over the left outer pocket
- a 100', 800lb rope
- four 350lb carabiners
- assorted non-weight-bearing carabiners
strapped over right outer pocket
- a compact, blow-up air mattress
on the inside
right outer pocket
- a multi-function camp hatchet; this has some built in tool functions (e.g., large bolts), as well as an included flint and steel and a bunch of orange paracord
- an inflatable camp pillow
- a silver emergency/camp blanket
- a tarp large enough to make a "tent"; it's also orange, so my preference is to use the paracord from the hatchet to string up the "tent"
left outer pocket
- a small bottle of hand sanitizer
- 2l collapsible water jug
- water filter straw, does many, many gallons
flat front pocket
- a usb-to-mini-d-shaped short charging cable (fits most of my equipment)
- a bag of mesh stuff bags
- a small amount of US and EU currency (enough buy water and snacks)
- a neck strap for the water filter straw
- two vented anti-viral masks with PM 2.5 filters
front large pocket
- spare phone charger with wall plug
- spare socks and underwear
- keychain with some old keys i haven't matched to locks, a keyhole flashlight, and an Ubuntu LTS USB drive
- two orange, belt-style, heavy rubber straps with pin-thru-hole closure
- two rolls of US quarters for vending machines, laundromats, etc
- a back-up bottle of prozac, a med i do better with than without
- short and long combs
- two collapsible, rite-in-the-rain pens
- a small bottle of aleve
- a small rite-in-the-rain notebook
- a small copy of the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence
- a Humalog injector with needle attached
middle large pocket
- a package of flossers, which i'll carry at least until i get my tooth fixed
- a wind-it-generator AM/FM/WB radio, with a large flashlight on one end
- a second, larger camp pillow
- a small zipper case with USB drives; some of them have stored documents and photos
- a zippered "power and data" pouch, which has:
- * my spare phone
- * an EU plug adapter
- * a collection of adapter tips for my computer adapter
- * a small battery that will power a cell phone for an extra cycle
- * a much longer phone USB charging cord and wall adapter
- * a leather-bound tape measure (6ft, maybe?)
- * a 2TB backup hard drive with USB cable
- * a large first aid kit, which will cover 80% of your field needs; anything much worse, and you need a paramedic
back large pocket
- a circular case with survival tabs: at least enough to last a couple of weeks
- a nylon stuff pack with five bags of trail soup; each bag feeds two people for one meal
- a black hard case with meds, including:
- * gasx
- * tylenol
- * aleve
- * benadryl
- * lens cleaners
- * santizer wipes
- * eight days of my regular medicines; eight days is far from enough for a direct hurricane hit, but within a week, there will be volunteer medical teams that can give you 30-day prescriptions in most situations
- a clear hard case with basic camp needs, including:
- * waterproof matches
- * another flint and steel
- * a paracord bracelet, handy to wear in the field when you're doing disaster work
- * a compass in a metal case; i also wear a reliable button compass / thermometer on my belt in normal times
- * two ring and chain saws, in a plastic bag so they don't abrade everything else
- * two small wind-it flashlights with keychain clips
- * a fire-blowing tube (for getting fires to start)
- * a small slug of duct tape on a metal hanger loop
- * a bit of paracord for short tie-offs
- * a combo mess spoon-fork-knive with whistle
- * a couple of collapsible cups (coffee capable)
- * a credit-card-sized, unfoldable guide to field work during a disaster; has a magnifier with it -- this helps a lot more than you'd think, because it has lots of checklists for different situations that you wouldn't necessarily have through thru
- * a bottle of electrolyte tablets (comes in a lot handier than you'd think for people who've been dehydrated for a while; prevents medical intervention often)
- * quick-reference guides for:
- ** fire-building
- ** primitive cooking
- ** paracord usage
- ** knots
- ** way finding (including the "radial search" method of staking yourself to a center point and spiraling out, which is absolutely awesome when searching for injured survivors -- you set up a base camp (tent, etc), stake yourself to it, and then fan out in a spiral; anyone you find, you move them back to base camp as soon as possible, where others on your team can care for them
- ** shelter-building -- for when you're stuck in a disaster area for 3-4 weeks, and you need to set up a somewhat more durable shelter with latrine and cook areas
- a basic ubuntu laptop with a large battery and charging cord with wall plug; you wouldn't think of this right away, but again, usually within three or four days, someone official will show up with a generator, and the person with the laptop is always tasked with managing rescue and recovery via simple spreadsheets, so it's almost always useful
- a package of dude wipes; these come in handy for sooo many things
- an extra spork and camp knife, both plastic, in case i need to share with somebody
- a list of my daily routines, so i don't neglect basic hygiene and mental preparation during disaster times; again, handier than you might thing
Worth the weight
It's worth it to be prepared. Not a prepper; don't tell me conspiracy theories. Just prepared because stuff hits the fan.