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.