reasons

Now the reasons behind the stuff

garbage bags- makes great raingear, slip it over your head and cut out the face, use it to line a hole in the ground to gather rain water for drinking, use as a middle layer between leaves when building a shelter, floor insulation so that you don’t get wet sleeping, good for catching fish. You can even put them over your feet to prevent moisture, or under your clothing to do the same

Twine- so much you can do with this, use to tie branches together when building a shelter, make traps, hanging things out of reach of animals, catching fish

Lighters- ok so we are not all boy scouts, and trying to light a fire the old way is time consuming, annoying, and sometimes just damn impossible. matches will eventualy get wet, a lighter shouldn't

Knife – skinning, cutting, gutting, tying to a stick with the twine to use as a spear, tons of stuff, but a folding knife may get rusty, so try not to use them

chlorine pills- this stuff is god send, if you can’t take the time to boil your water, or if you can’t light a fire to do so, just drop a tablet in your canteen and fill with water, it will kill most of the bad stuff

Salt- this stuff is gold. Use it for food, something’s you may have to cook you may not like, but salt will make it better, salt is also used when added to water to clean wounds, gaggle with when your have a sore thought, mix and sniff with water when you have a sinus infection….but most importantly to clean and heal wounds, cuts, scrapes. The deeper the cut, the more salt you use. Also used to preserve foods so that you don’t have to hunt every day.

Fish hooks – well, you can guess what this is used for, but remember to get the NON BARB ones…. Trust me, you don’t want to try and remove a fish hook that is caught on you, or in your hand or neck if it has barbs on. Plus removing the fish is much, much easier and you can use the fishing line for other tying things, and you need the weight to bring the hook down to where the fish are.

canteen- if you can’t figure this one out, just put your head between your knee’s and kiss your ass good by

Asprin and non-asprin- You need both of these, unless your allergic to one or the other. Aspirin not only kills pain, but brings all kinds of swelling down, from a bad back to a sprained ankle….while non-aspirin will bring down a fever it doesn’t work at all for swelling

Hand held can opener- I know I didn’t include any real food in this pack you have to catch your own, but a can opener comes in handy when it’s safe enough to forage in towns. Canned food lasts forever

fork, knife, spoon – we have to have some creature comforts, make sure they are stainless steel, and the plate is lightweight, flat and easy to pack….some civilization is always needed

Socks- dry feet are of major importance, keeping your feet dry and warm will keep you alive, so you have to make sure they are dry, and warm no matter what. HINT: is once a month use one of the chlorine pills in a little water, and wash your feet good, between the toes and everything, will clear up all kinds of fungus

Boots- ok these have to be WELL WORN boots, not new ones, and if you can’t afford boots, get some high top sneakers and spray them with the water proofing. (don’t put them in the bag, tie them to the outside of the bag)

Toilet paper- if I’m going to shit in the woods, I REFUSE to use leaves, plus when you do foraging in the towns later you can get more. Hint: wrap them in the plastic bags to keep them dry

Levi’s- best things for the woods, hard to damage or cut accidentally, almost indestructible. (don’t go for form fitting, nice and lose is the way to go)

long johns- there is so many really good thermal underwear out there, keeps out the cold and might just save your life

gloves-keeps out the cold, protects your hands.

note book, keep track of where you found good food, and what bad food looked like

flannel shirts- wash them well a couple of time to make them all soft, still the best thing for keeping warm (Buy large size’s, you may have to layer them in really cold weather. Get them at least 2 size‘s too big for you)

sewing kit- not only to keep your clothing in repair, but good for stitching up cuts and such when nothing else is available, try to get it with nylon thread and cotton

Cooking pot. (You can put stuff inside and then pack it). You have to cook in something. Metal without the Teflon is the best; campfires can be rough on pots.

The energy bars, good long lasting food, good for quick energy or if the weather is too shitty to hunt. The m &ms are for energy, snacks, and to keep your blood sugar up, plus you can use those plastic containers for all kinds of neat shit.

Rice. Rice is nice. A little fits in a good space, and when you cook it, it expands and is very filling



This will make a nice neat, if not heavy bag to carry. Be space conscience, stuff things into the pot, and such to make more room. If you still have some room, try putting some rice in there, in a zip lock bag of course. Rice is heavy, but a little will go a long way when you’re trying to fill yourself up.

Keep the bag, boots, and any outerwear (I don’t care if it’s 90 degrees out, grab the coat and take it with you… it won’t always be summer, and you can always use it as a blanket for cooler night!) by the back door, where you can find it in an emergency. Don’t keep the boots in your closet and the back pack by the door. In an emergency you have to hop and run!! No time to empty your closet out looking for boots or gloves. When you get to a safe dry place you can take the time to change in to the clothing in your pack, which is why it’s great to “overstuff” you bag, once you get changed there will be much more room in there for things you find along the way.