I've been making smaller kits for various situations for a couple years now, mostly Altoids tins, holsters, modified EDC containers and the like. Recently however I stumbled onto some of my camera bags I haven't used in a while. I decided to turn the bigger, rather unusual backpack bag into a rather nice-looking 'It just hit the fan' bag for the car or long-term outings. Not bugging out here, just trying to get as much as utilitarian potential out of this bag as I can to push my limits and bit and prepare myself better.

It's a standard-sized backpack, similar to what you'd see a tourist wearing, but is in reality a higher-end camera bag designed to look like a regular backpack. The main zipper compartment is actually only half-sized, the bottom is a sectioned-off camera bag that no thief would know to get into. Likewise, no one would know this pack's purpose unless they knew where to unzip. Here's the product info. The Adventure 7 model.
http://www.tamrac.com/frame_adv.htm
No, mine isn't digi-camo, just plain dark gray. Camo wasn't an option when I got it, doubt I'd shoot for it anyway. Urban camo is a must here, just a backpack no one needs to ask questions about until something goes wrong or needs to be fixed.

I have enough odds and ends around here to keep a small militia going, but before I start picking what goes in the bag and how, I'm setting a purpose for the bag and seeking advice from better knowing individuals. I'm not making a hiking pack, it's far too small to live out of, rather I want a fully stocked emergency/survival pack I can use as an innocent daypack. Needs it may need to fulfill.

First Aid
Basic survival elements, expanding on Pocket Survival Pak
Odds and ends to fix whatever breaks, make the day easier, Macgyver 101
Handle a stranded situation, whether with a car, hiking group or just a missed ride
Handle blackouts/bad weather in outings
Maintain enough free space in the top to still use as a daypack

Not touching a piece of gear yet, going to build off whatever people list. Handy things people keep in similar bags, expert-chosen solutions I can whistle about, geek toys that pay off, I'll take any suggestions.
Also, if anyone wants to make up a humorous or witty nickname for this pack, feel free to share, love embarrassing my other half with my gritty slang terms being butchered with my proper Chicago accent.

Weather is going nuts over here, hence inspiring resurrecting my bag for such a purpose, but also holing me up for the weekend with nothing but my gear, the web, my girl, and a couple weeks of laundry to do. Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions, anything to keep me from tying all these mismatched socks into a noose.

Welcome Newguy! If you just look at some of the recent posts here, you will find more lists and ideas than you will know what to do with...

As OBG said, the lists are all over. Do not expect to make the perfect emergency pack on your first attempt. Different/new gear will turn up and you'll realize it's a better fit or your requirements will change. At the least the seasonal changes effect most kits. Just keep your priorities straight and go from there.

Got an end-table full of possible supplies, narrowing down which, what, and when. Here's what I have to work with.

-Pocket Survival Pak-Replaced duct tape a while back, X2 Photon Freedom in neck carrier added.
-Several hundred feet of paracord, assorted colors, mostly red, varying lengths including shoelace size scraps
-Large garbage bags, guessing 40 gallon at least, used one as a poncho the other day in the storm.
-Extensive collections of lights, most recent purchases have been headlamps. Almost exclusively LED, headlamps are all AAA or smaller, handheld lights are various cells. Photons, 9V becons, Mags, Surefire, you name it. Just need to narrow down what goes.
-Few smaller Victorinox tools, Gerber sport tool. I EDC a Leatherman Wave, Squirt P4 on the keychain, Boker Wharcom as a standard folder.
-Connected with people in the medical industry, grew up a nurse's son, large supply of hospital-quality supplies hand-packed in my own containers.
-Large, transparent vinyl poncho, good quality. Few cheapie disposable ones, space blanket thrown in for luck, expecting a military issue ripstop grommet-cornered model in the mail.
-Duct tape all around. Around plastic cards, smaller rolls, bigger industrial rolls, got plenty.
-Neon-orange marking tape, got it years before they recommended it for marking trails. Visible and versatile enough to keep around.
-Military folding pragmatic compass, and Suunto Micro on a velcro wrist loop, plus the one in Doug's kit. Looking into my first GPS for geocaching.
-Lighters galore, even though I don't smoke. Tons of mini Bics lying around for projects, including one in a metal casing. Getting into these 'peanut lighters' lately, so those may become an option later on. Spark-Lite in kit, may throw some strike-box matches in because I have a brick of them lying around.
-Pouches all over. Nite Ize models, Countycomm organizer, random holsters for every tool around.
-Standard issue hexamine stove I got on a whim, fulled with fuel tablets.
-Zip ties in various colors, carabiners, some cheap clothesline rope plus the paracord, might throw in some eye-screws or compact super glue.
-Hand-sized mini-crowbar wrapped in paracord I made for cheap way back but never use, also carry a keychain-sized prybar from countycomm, for five bucks each I plan to get more in different sizes.
-Bandannas in every color. Also own an insulated spandex headwrap (...Ninja mask...) for below zero weather.
-Lycra, nitrile-palmed gloves I got for cheap online and plan to get more of. Fit great with no excess, palms are very grippy, seen something similar in a 'Doug Ritter Survival Vest' on amazon somewhere after I got the gloves.
-Bricks of ramen, prefer chicken, but doubt food will make it in before candy and other boosts.
-Nalgenes...Camelbaks...Name a color, I have it.
-Ear-plugs. Personal thing, I have the hearing of a wolf and while I can sleep fine with little noises, even a noisy kid on a coach bus can get my eye twitching. Also great for sleeping on the go.
-Various batteries, mostly AA, running low on AAA. Just got some new longer-lasting NiMH cells to slowly phase out my functional but annoying Energizer ones.
-Few Fox 40 Micros around, stock yellow, and one extremely modified Fox 40 Mini I went to the extreme with. Drilled a hole in the larnyard stub and filed off the top one, Any extra plastic is long gone, loud as ever with half the bulk. Been wanting some extras around for every bag I EDC, black or orange Micros, etc. Like to thank Mr. Ritter for bumping along the release of my first and favorite whistle, can't get enough of the things.
-Have a boonie cap in the mail. love ball-caps and tasteful bandannas, but been needing a real outdoorsy hat that may find its way into my EDC bag, might get another one to keep in this one.
-Pair of walkie talkies rated at 12 miles by the manufacturer, doubt that heavily but they'll work a few blocks and in the woods. Reminding myself to change the rechargable AAAs they use, 8 hour battery life tops.
-A padlock from a set which I have the key to on my keychain. This may seem odd...But have you ever had to run off to a CVS to buy a padlock to lock up a small moving truck while everyone else goes to the bar?
-May add some cheaper but better quality folding knives, logical thinking before all else. Hence, if we're all going on a hike, bring a couple folders. If we'll be around ropes, bring a serrated back-up. May even throw in a tiny Vic Classic just for those situations where a cute keychain blade is best.

If the influence isn't obvious, started out my survival research after a close call with a google hit to this site. Hence, it's kind of awkward interacting with the veterans here.

Other forums have steered me into a total backcountry, often survivalist direction. The truth is, this is simply an emergency-ready backpack I'll be taking with me on outings, events, trips, in the car, or even to higher-risk situations such as a barbecue with some rather accident prone relatives. My pack was selected for urban camo. I'll be using the top section as a standard daypack. Camera, food, odds and ends as we're moving around. The hidden bottom compartment which is actually half the bag, is where the supplies and response tools are. If some one looked in the bag, they'd fine the cell phone I was holding for them or our lunch. Unless they know to unzip the random zipper on the side, they'll never see the cords, tools, random odds and ends, and other gizmos I took along. Urban camo literally means urban camo, this pack will be hitting everything from Lake Michigan bike trips to movies in the park. It will see some outdoors, between hikes and trips, family outings and emergencies, I'm keeping the Survival Pak in out of knowledge that things can happen.

Personal concepts and philosophies...This is not a B.O.B., more of a reaction pack. While I could live off the supplies, it's more of a dedicated EDC option where stakes become higher than on my own. I'll use some similar concepts to the BOBs, but the fact it'll be semi-casual to have it on me sets it apart from a huge survival system.

Being somewhat group-focused, I will try to include extras of a few things. Thinking of getting a handful of cheap LED lights to pass around in the case of a power outage in a public gathering. Bic lighters typically switch hands to seven different owners on average before being thrown away, why not have an extra for the polite but unprepared smoker. While the walkie-talkies are a step-up from just yelling or dealing with cell phone signals, the idea of multiple whistles as group communication tools appeals very much to me. Even walking around a national park with wood-planked trails and marked path signs, the sight of a child running by alone makes me wish they had a barrel of free whistles in the lobby to save the search parties. That being a non-profitable fantasy, I'll just buy extras for my own groups and if a parent ever perks up and decides to get some right away, I'll toss them a couple, free, for taking the initiative.

Is money an object? Well, I can't fly Mr. Ritter out here on the Concorde to work with my personal Prada designer while Chef Ramsey fries up albino dolphin. On the other hand, my collection/engineering hobbies turn the 'cost' of preparation into a luxury tax.

From here, it's narrowing down what kind of lights to bring, what else I need, tricks to packing this all in, and some little things like what to use on the zipper pulls because I have a subtle touch of personal flair. Somewhere after getting into survival though these article archives, my favorite color went from gray to orange. Just accents, just enough to hint that something is meant to be seen and used.

Maybe I have been out of the loop or something, 'cuz I have no idea what a "military praqmatic compass" is. Lensatic , on the other hand, I am very familiar with (and I do not like them for what I use a compass for). I checked Miraim Webster and Wikipedia, with no luck at all. Can you enlighten me???

Yes, it's lensatic, I apologize for the botched title.

No problem. I googled pragmatic compass and actually got hits, but nothing I could see about a direction finding device. So I got confused. Again. Gettin' old is for the birds...

Pardon my ignorance...

I know what HUA, BOB and many other TLA's mean, but EDC escapes me.

Like the OBG, getting old (now 59 and almost bald as well) is weaing me down.

Ken

Do a search for 'Acronyms'. You'll find it..

Every Day Carry