Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Things I carry in my 's-pack'

I recently came across a blog post about things that you should have in your car trunk, this is a non-exhaustive list of the things that I commonly keep in the trunk of all my vehicles, with a couple of additions of course:
Here is the starter list:
http://artofmanliness.com/2009/12/17/13-things-a-man-should-keep-in-his-car/
I would add the following to my normal trunk box:
- MAP
- Cheap Plastic Rain Poncho
- Glow sticks
- Compass
- A couple of 'space blankets'

When I posted the link and the above to facebook, I was quite surprised to get comments and questions from family and friends alike about what I carry for mountain / desert trips.
I start with a name that everyone in my immediate family knows:
--> the 's-pack'... s is shortened for 'survival'
I chose a bag with many pockets and some good exterior webbing to attach other things.


In the small pocket at the top I have the following:

It contains some hand-warmers, a 'neck-knife' a couple of LED flashlights, a compass / thermometer and a small amount of nylon rope with a 'figure 9 rope clamp'. It also houses a GPS (not shown).

The larger front pocket contains:

Some glow-sticks, waterproof matches, more 'figure 9 rope clamps', a magnesium firestarter and a waterproof survival pack (with lots of goodies in it). The survival packs have fire tinder, a whistle, a mirror, a wire saw and some hooks / string (as does the larger one in the next pocket).

Next I have the first main pack:

In it I have a portable first aid kit, lots of plastic emergency ponchos, 4 space blankets, 4 space sleeping bags, 2 space tents, DEET insect repellent, more hand warmers, another waterproof survival kit and about 10 triox tablets for heating water, etc. This is also where I put my topo map (for the specific region, not shown).
Finally I have the main compartment:

In this compartment you will find:
a folding shovel, a hatchet, a serrated knife in belt loop sheath, an aluminum stove / cup, a plastic tarp, nylon rope. You can see the machete I also have, but this normally is placed on the outside of the pack in webbing, along with more nylon rope and my HAM radio / antenna.

These are pretty much the basic items I carry with me regardless of the environment, I also have water / MREs that I carry in another pack. Between these two packs, I can support my family of four in just about any environment, providing heat / shelter / food and items to support basic food retrieval and sleeping area clearing.