Survival: The Go Bag

Whether it’s to prepare for an emergency or to go on a survival trek, the go bag is a great idea for good measure. All of the survival gear in your pack should be light weight and useful, especially if you need to be on the go.

The survival kit, deconstructed: From top left, moving right. Items highlighted in blue are Amazon affiliate links..

• First off, a mess kit for cooking and eating
• A simple lightweight cook pot
• Lightweight and durable backpack with plenty of pockets
• Lighters, because they are easy to use and efficient – but they can break, so as a backup, I pack a magnesium fire starting kit. Magnesium fire starters are safe, fail proof, waterproof, and they last a very, very long time
• A spool of heavy fishing line. There are several ways that this can come in handy: Setting snares and other traps, Fishing, fixing and mending fabric, hanging food to dry, fastening shelter together, etc
• Next I have a collapsible shovel to help find food, bury excrement or to use as a weapon if need be
• Small hatchet for chopping wood, and to use as a weapon of course
• Compass just in case you get disoriented – it could happen?
• Optional bladder bag backpack. These come in handy for hiking and mountain biking, so that you don’t have to dig your water jug out of a backpack every time you need a drink
• The classic “Swiss” style army knife utensils – because eating with your hands on the go is messy – unless you pack napkins
• Pocket sized folding saw and serrated pocket knife. The ability to saw can come in extremely handy if you need to craft something out of wood
• Last but not least, the Lifestraw. A personal water filter that can clean up to 10,000 gallons of questionable water into perfectly drinkable and dare I say delicious water. This is my #1 top item for preparedness, since dehydration can kill a person faster than most other imminent dangers on the go.

Additional items not pictured:

• Emergency Foil Mylar Thermal Blankets – These thin and lightweight silver colored blankets can be used to reflect heat away or to retain heat when needed. The reflective surface can be used to signal for help and their waterproof property can help to collect water in a pinch.
• One roll of medical adhesive tape can cover most medical needs in an emergency situation. If you are looking to pack light then I see no need to carry around a bulky first-aid kit.
• A four quart canteen will hold enough water for one person to survive for several days without worry of dehydration – given that the minimum water requirements of one adult don’t exceed 1 quart per day.

Keep in mind that most people who find themselves in a dangerous wilderness survival situation were “only going hiking for the day” and end up getting stranded or lost. If you have a lightweight pack like this one, wouldn’t it be worth it to take with you on every hike for safe measure?

To check out some of these items in use and on the go in a survival situation, I welcome you to enjoy my survival video series on YouTube here:

Hank vs Wild – Episode 1

Hank vs Wild – Episode 2

Hank vs Wild – Episode 3

Hank vs Wild – Episode 4

Please feel free to leave a comment, I really appreciate your interest in this segment; the internet and I would like to know what you think about it.

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