My Ultimate Bug-Out Gear – Part 2

The rest of my gear is carried in, or on, a small back-pack; what some people refer to as a day pack.  The pack has several different compartments and pockets.  It also has some straps for tying things to the outside.  Starting on the outside of the pack, I have a fleece bag strapped to the left side of the pack.  The fleece bag is like a blanket that is folded in half with a zipper along the side.  It is adequate for warm to cool weather sleeping, but too light for cold weather.  To make the bag comfortable is cold weather I put a foot of pine needles under it and a foot of pine needles over it.

Fleece Bag

On the right side of the pack I have strapped on a small oil-cloth tarp.  This tarp is six by seven feet and can be used under the fleece bag as a ground cloth, folded over the fleece bag for extra warmth, or rigged as a shelter in rainy weather.  Strapped on along with the tarp is a light-weight hand axe with a leather sheath.  I also hook a Sierra drinking cup to one of the straps that secures my tarp.

Tarp and Hand Axe

There are four outside zipper pockets on the pack.  The top pocket holds an emergency solar blanket, a small first aid kit and a snake bite kit.

Top Pocket

Solar Blanket, First Aid Kit, and Snake Bite Kit

The largest pocket holds a flat, one quart, Boy Scout canteen, a water filter straw, and a bottle of water purification tablets.

Large Canteen Pocket

Canteen, Water Purification Tablets, and Filter Straw

A small mesh pocket holds a pair of mini-binoculars.

Mesh Pocket with Binoculars

The bottom pocket on the pack is where I keep stuff having to do with light and fire.  It holds a cigarette lighter, a magnesium bar with flint striker, two paraffin and sawdust fire starters, a small LED flashlight, and a tube of six extra AAA batteries.

Lower Pocket

Flashlite, Extra Batteries, Fire Starters, Magnesium Bar, and Butane Lighter

The bottom of my pack has a compartment in which I keep a Frog Togs rain suit.  This is a great rain suit because it breaths so you can wear it without breaking out in a sweat.  I also keep a bottle of insect repellant and a tube of sunscreen in this compartment.

Bottom Compartment and Contents

The main compartment of the pack has an inside pocket in which I keep a small fishing kit, 50 feet of parachute cord, some nylon twine, a ball of linen string, and some snare wire.

Inside Pocket Contents

Inside the main compartment of the pack I carry a small sheet-steel cook pot and three stuff bags.  Inside the cook pot is a folding pocket stove, six fuel tablets, and some strike anywhere matches.

Cook Pot and Contents

Three stuff bags inside the main compartment hold the rest of my gear.  One bag I call my “hardware bag.”  This bag holds a gun cleaning kit, a metal gun oil bottle, a small file, a whetstone, a multi tool, and extra ammo.

Hardware Bag Contents

My “clothes bag” contains a pair of gloves, a pair of wool socks, thermal underwear, and a balaclava hat.

Clothing Bag Contents

The final bag in my pack is my “food bag.”  The food I selected for my bag has to meet certain requirements.  It has to be light-weight, it has to have a long shelf-life, it has to be compact, and it has to be very calorie and nutrient dense.  These are the items I ended up choosing:

3 cups of minute rice

1 can of sardines in oil

1 can of chicken

1 package of tuna

1 package of beef jerky

3 protein bars

2 peanut candy bars

1 bag of dried fruit bits

5 bullion cubes

5 single serving coffee bags

2 tea bags

5 sugar packs

I also have a P-38 can opener and a spoon in my food bag.  I carry four plastic bottles of spices in my food bag to use in the preparation of any fish or game that I may take.  These spices include salt, black pepper, garlic, and chili powder.

Food Bag Contents

I find that with this gear I can travel light, set up a comfortable camp, and hunt and fish for additional food.  This is the gear that works for me.