Being a full time college student on a campus with over 60,000 currently enrolled students, I thought I should post up a picture of what I carry to class. I used to use just a shoulder pack (messenger bag), but realized a pack is much better and more comfortable. Especially on the half mile walk to my classes from my apartment.

This isn't a full bug-out kit, as I have to try and keep weight down as much as possible (I pretty much spend the entire day with this bag, five days a week). The basic idea is just to get me back to my apartment and vehicle, as well as take care of any normal daily needs.

Anyway, here we go:



The bag as it sits, the side pocket on the right has my nalgene bottle. I don't carry a big one due to weight and because there are water fountains all over campus. (so I usually use those before I crack open my bottle)



The contents of the front small pocket (minus the nalgene). Protein bars, umbrella, pocket notebook, digital recorder, Surefire spares carrier (four spare batteries and bulb for flashlight).



The next bigger pocket with everything in its place.



Contents of the bigger pocket. CPR shield, 10 plastic bags, N95 mask, orange bandanna, belt case with bit kit for leatherman, case with ear plugs and benadryl, jute twine, flat Fox 40, mini-Bic in case, surefire E2e, Leatherman Kick, police search gloves (cut resistant kevlar), diamond knife sharpener, radioshack mini-screwdriver kit, pens, pencils, Industrial formula sharpie, high lighter with built in post-it flags.

The largest pocket in the back just holds my books, notebooks, and my day planner.

This bag also supplements my pocket EDC:

Looks like a lot of good gear, but you only carry it to get you back to your apartment, which is only a half mile away? Seems like overkill for that...

I am also a full time student at a university around that size. My backpack and contents are pretty close to the same thing. Generally speaking yours looks like a pretty good kit, that is if you have a good PSK and FAK in the bag (I may be missing something in your post).

I carry a fairly complete midsized Atwater Carey FAK and a PSK in my side pockets of my backpack. Details can be seen here: My EDC/Backpack kit

Is that some kind of twine in your kit? If so I would switch to Paracord...IMAO. I understand how you feel when setting up your backpack. Sometimes my bag (Targus Matrix) can weigh close to 40lbs with all my books!!! My backpack is primarily carried for school materials after all and isn't a BOB just like you said.

I hope my rambling is helpful

Do you need the Leatherman Kick and the Charge? Two Surefire lights? You could probably get by without the Kick and one of the Surefires. BTW, nice Benchmade 705. I'm trying to lighten up and not duplicate stuff that I rarely use. YMMV

I agree. I would ditch one of the Surefires and maybee the spares carrier and I would add a PSK and small FAK.

You forgot an important item..the pocket protector...kidding.

oldbaldguy, his apartment may not be standing when he gets back. or access to his apartment may be blocked.

that being said, get rid of your nutrition bars. they are junk and not worth the weight, space, or taste they occupy.

in fact don't pack anything that can melt.

nuts are far healthier for you than all that crap in nutrition bars, which are all fluff and advertising.

Being a personal trainer, I can tell you they are absolutely worthless.

No first aid kit or PSK. For first aid the benadryl, bandanna, CPR mask (with gloves), and few bandaids in my wallet cover pretty much everything. If I need more than that it's time to get back home or call the medics. As far as the psk goes, I'm putting a little something together. Really though, I could just add some fish hooks/safety pins, water purification tabs, and duct tape to have pretty much everything covered.



There's a few feet of paracord wrapped around the whistle for the heavy stuff and I think I will add some more. The twine is great however. It covers most situations where string is needed and it can be used as a firestarter, while being light weight and taking up little room.



I forgot to mention, I don't carry the charge everyday. Usually it's just one or the other depending on what I'm doing. As far as the surefires go, the single battery e1e-ha with KL4 (LED)head stays in my pocket even when I don't have the bag. It's my go-to light.

The E2e has two advantages though, it's noticeably brighter (two battery) and it throws much better (especially in smoke). However, the battery lasts longer in the E1e, it's cheaper to use (since it only uses one battery), and I don't have to worry about bulbs burning out or breaking since it's led. They're just different enough that I wouldn't really want to carry just one or the other.



Makes sense. Before powerbars and such got big I used to hike with a mixed bag of nuts, m&ms, and raisins for snack food. I think I might go back, it would probably be cheaper.


By the way, did I mention my university has it's own functioning nuclear reactor on campus.....yeah, I'm pretty screwed.

Yikes!!!That can't be good

I like most of what I see.

I agree with RAS, two Surefires and two fullsized multis? I'd drop one of each, but add a second flashlight that ran on AAs or AAAs. I'd like to see a second N95, a couple more pairs of nitriles, a FAK and a contractor bag though. Keep the jute, add some paracord when you get the chance.

What is on your thumb drive? I'd like to pimp one of my favorite opensource projects, Portable Apps- Firefox and OpenOffice portable for everyone, and Notepad++ and PortaPutty for anyone in a technical major.

No calculator?

Not too many of those around... UC Berk or RIT?

Yeah our university has one too. Its like 3 miles from where i live. It's pretty small i think (like that matters;).

For a while, it didn't even have a fence around it! Until one day a prying (and very attractive)reporter doing a story on it got a tour of the whole facility without even presenting identification!!

Once her story hit the news, they put up a fence
All this is pre 911 though...

Nah, no calc. I'm a Crime, Law, and Justice major with a Psych minor. Math stopped after statistics (which is good for me, I probably would have went into engineering if not for my sub-poor math skills).

As far as the thumb drive goes I'm taking a basic comp-sci course right now so I need it to save back ups of some files. Otherwise I don't use it much. I really should start taking notes on my laptop, but I still enjoy the simplicity and reliability of paper and a pen.




Penn State (Breazeale Reactor). We were actually the first university officially licensed to operate a nuclear reactor (back in 1955). Its been running for over 50 years. Chernobyl on the other hand didn't last 10.

I thought they shut that down years ago.

I guess that's what happens when all the alumni in the family die and we stop getting the newsletters. :P

one of the very reasons I carry a thumbdrive is important documents. I've scanned all my important documents carry them on my thumb drive. SS card, passport, driver license, insurance papers, etc.

Sure, someone could rob me and now have access to my stuff, but I would definitely be screwed if I lost all of that in say an earthquake, flood, fire, tornado. etc. And, by the way, in a disaster, short of carrying all that stuff with me everywhere I go, I would lose all that stuff anyway. atleast, this way, I have copies of everything on my thumbdrive.

You have a couple of options:

1) Encrypt the files on the drive with software that's self contained

2) Get a flash drive that has a fingerprint scanner that doesn't require additional software

just my $0.02

I'm back in school full time working on a 2nd engineering degree. You could cut down on the size a little by swapping the umbrella for a couple trash bags and binder clips.

For use with a large pack these work better (unless you've got some seriously large bags)to:
split one side
put it around you like a cape
use the clips to hold it closed.

For a quick walk across campus the umbrella is probably a better option than trash bags

i have not thought this out completly but did yahoo just recently make all e-mail accounts unlimited and i thought they encrypt the data. so one could back up anything they wanted and store on the web and access anywhere they wanted. may be a bad idea but like i said i havent thought it all the way out. just an idea.

Yeah, I've been kicking around a pretty similar idea. However, I still have a bad feeling about posting enough info for someone to steal my entire identity. Maybe if it were in a passworded .rar or .zip (can you password a zip file?) hidden away on a secure site with the file name "backpacking 8-21-06.rar" or something that looks like it would be rather boring and is of little value to anyone but me. But for some reason, even that would scare me a little.

Most software incarnations of the zip/rar format have the option to encrypt the files. You need to be aware though that most have very weak encryption set as default. Winzip has the ability to use AES encryption which is good enough for all but the super paranoid. One drawback of zip files is that although the files are encrypted, you still have the ability to "see" your files in the zip archive. It is only when you go to extract the files, that you are prompted for a password.

If you are looking for the best all around encryption methods, PGP is unbeatable. The newer versions of PGP allow you to create self extracting files with which the contents cannot be seen until they are extracted.

Another great (and free, as is PGP) product is Truecrypt. With Truecrypt you can create virtual encrypted disks and or entire partitions or USB drives.

Both these products source code have been studied by some of the best cryptologists in the world. As a computer security professional (part of my day job), I do not hesitate to trust any of my data to either of these two products as I do on a daily basis.

Not really. I've tried both. The problem with the umbrella is wind and something ends up sticking out. Usually the pack with laptop, books & notes. With a trash bag and a hat you stay dry as far down as it will reach. They also take up more room/weight in a pack thats heavy enough as it is.

Hi Rio,

You could do the following to save your data and ensure no-one intercept or reads your data.

Firstly you don't need a secure site to hide you confidential data. You hide your confidential data in plain sight.

You will need a security application called Steganos Security Suite Centre and iTunes on your PC.

By using Steganos File manager you can encrypt your data files and hide them it what is called a carrier file.

For example say you have a list of files you want to make secure, you would drag and drop into the Steganos Security file manager window. Any file will do but care has be made to ensure that the file are resonably small. i.e. try and keep the file list total under a few MB. This shouldn't be too difficult for all your crucial documents if using grey scale jpeg compression from scanned documents.

Once you have all the documents listed in the file manager you would then select to close the file manager. The file manager would then ask if you want to encrypt and hide the files. It will then ask you to select a carrier file. The carrier file can be a .WAV or .BMP file which is generally much larger than the encrypted file to be hidden. I generally select a .WAV file. The smaller encrypted file is then embedded/hidden into the .WAV (Music Track) file after entering the encryption password.

This is done by EORing the LSBs of the PCM stream of the .WAV file. i.e embedding the encrypted file (white noise) into the noise floor of the music. The music file will play as normal without any noticeable effects on the music sound quality. (although the SNR will be slightly affected) Therefore your encrypted files are now buried in a plain sight file. The carrier .WAV file can now be uploaded to your personal web space, ftp server, ipod etc and only you will know it is a carrier file hidding in plain sight an encrypted set of files.

This will take care of everybody except possibly the government who may be interested in any of your personal data, thats of course if they are interested.

Steganos Security makes things easy for the goverment to detect the carrier file by adding some header data on to the front end of the file. To lose this header information you need iTunes and its Apple lossless encoder. Just use this lossless encoder on the imported carrier .WAV file to create an Apple lossless encoded version. This will change the file format and detection of the header info on the carrier .WAV file much more difficult.

Save this itunes music file to your iPod or upload to your ftp server etc.

To get your encrypted files back just reverse the process. Convert the Apple Lossless encoded music back to a .WAV file using iTunes then open the carrier .WAV file with Steganos Security's File manager, enter the encrytion password and your data will reappear. Just Drag and drop from the file manager back into your desktop screen.

PGP is good but the problem is that the encrypted file has the extention .PGP which is an open invitation for someone to crack. The government can easily crack PGP files.

I know is getting off topic, however PGP does not need the .pgp extension. The extension can be anything you want it to be.

Also do you have any reliable peer reviewed sources that shows that pgp can easily be cracked by the government? If there is I need to get my tinfoil hat on...

Bruce Schneier who is one of the top cryptologists and computer security experts today, sits on the board of PGP. Believe me, Mr. Schneier would not be involved with PGP if he did not think it was safe...

If you would like to discuss this more off this forum, please pm me.

I've thought about that and do for certain things, but In a SHTF situation, communications are going to be disrupted and I'm not going to have access to the internet. I may be stuck in another country because I lost my passport. communications may be disrupted or overloaded. At least by having a copy of my passport on my thumb drive, if folks have a working computer, I can access my copy. Do they accept copies? Let me answer it this way. It's already happened once. While it took a lot of convincing even with the copy. I am confident the electronic copy worked to help prove my story.

Didn't they pitch a fit about the lack of that very problem when it was first written?

(And with my tin-foil hat firmly in place ) ... to borrow loosely from Shakespeare ... or did they protest too much?

Paul,
Ignore these philistines, they are just envious. Duplication of core gear between your pockets and bag is prudent. One basic assumtion is always that your are going to be separated either from your bag or from your pocket gear.

Scenario: TSHTHF happens. Either a fire or an earthquake. Your just out of the showers or the pool. You have got to leave FAST. Getting dressed isn't an option. Which do you grab, your trousers or your bag?

Answer: Your bag if your known as Henry the Horse. Your trousers if your known as Andrew Acorn

Seriously: The difficency's in your kit that stand out to me is lack of tinder, lack of shelter and lack of cordage. Those are easily and cheaply dealt with. A bottle of iodine tablets might be worth considering as well.

What you do is:

Save your next small mints tin. Stock it with either cotton wool with vasiline or better yet Tinder-Quick.
Buy one of those $2 emergency poncho's from Walmart or wherever for shelter.
Buy some kermantle laid 2mm line. Not as expensive as 550 cord. I carry both. Save the 550 for serious jobs The 2mm is considered a consumable.

As a point: I carry around with me a small tin of vasiline and a pack of tissues. Looks totally innoculus but together they make a very effective fire lighter.

Electronic copies are useful for stuff that isn't needed immediately. For your passport, you want hard copy, if for no other reason that a lot of places don't like letting just anyone put a thumbdrive onto one of their computers. Security issues.

Off topic, but why a second degree in the same field???

Both are in engineering but different specialties. The first was in industrial engineering. I'm currently working on a civil/structural degree.

Early 2006 the boss says "Do you want to go back & get the second engineering degree?" so here I go again. I'm a general engineer & cad operator with a civil engineer that I started working for as a summer job while working on my IE degree.

Since I completed it (the IE degree), I've finished a MS in technology & started the core courses for computer science. Professional engineering license requires so much continuing education every two years & I could either go to seminars or take classes. Going the class route is cheaper & I also get degree credit. The PE requirements are met by one class every two years but I find it's easier to simply keep in the habit of studying by taking a course a semester.

Good point. I just checked & the stink they put up was over copies being exported. At the time anything that used more than a 40 bit key was considered just like munitions.

iron, I did carry my passport, but somehow lost it. had it not been for the copy and some difficult convincing, I'm sure it would have been a more difficult situation.

Ok, I added:



Inside that I added some other medications (pepto, advil), some more gauze, sewing needles, and another pair of gloves.

In the pack itself I also added half of a pack of katadyn MP1 tabs, a little fishing kit (spider wire, hooks, weights), 15 feet of paracord, a 55 gallon trash bag, and a rescue flash signal mirror.

I think I've got pretty much everything covered. If I add some clothes and food I could go camping no problem.

Oh, and Mr. Ratcliffe, as far as tinder goes if I get a little mint tin I'll add some p-jelly/cotton. However, I've generally got about $200 worth of books and notebooks in the bag at any one time that I could burn if need be.

BOOKS are KNOWLEGE! They are the last thing you sacrifice.
Looks around for a gun to shoot him with. Haven't got one. Borrow your club mate? (joke).

Seriously: ITSHTF or TEOTWAWKI happens preserving books, particularly text books becomes an absolute priority. I once saw a calculation that demonstrated that it only takes 3 generations for vital knowledge to be lost and somewhere between 5 and 10 to reduce a civilisation to a state that is effectively barbarianism.

Whats wrong with barbarianism? The historic civilisations which have fallen by the wayside mostly derserved their fate. Can't really think of one that didn't.

Try it sometime.

I have a book on my bookshelf. The Chambers Dictionary of Science and Technology. It's a mere 1300 pages. Small print. Represents 3000 years of Human Advancement.

Think about it.

I must say your daypack is quite complete, you have excellent equipment, good work. What knife is that?

The folder is a Benchmade 707 (the newer version of their 705). It's a great knife; small, but very capable. I've carried the previous version (705) for at least six years and it could handle everything I could dish out (both camping and working in construction). I would still be carrying it, but I like the larger blade profile of the 707.

The two multi-tools are a Leatherman Charge Ti and a Leatherman Kick. Both are great as well, though I wish the Kick had a tool selection closer to what the original PST had, which would make it perfect (basically adding a file and small screwdriver). But, the diamond knife sharpener and small interchangeable screwdriver in my bag make up for it.

Can anyone suggest a good knife sharpener for a newbie at sharpening blades?

Doug has a page that does a better job than I can describing the different styles of sharpeners. At home, my personal picks are an 8"x2"x1/4" Arkansas stone mounted on a board with a patch of leather glued to the other side for stropping. In the field I use either a small diamond plate sharpener or the back of my belt as a strop.

Spyderco Sharpmaker is my favorite for maintaining a sharp edge or getting an already pretty sharp edge, sharper (like fixing a factory edge a bit). However, it isn't good for having to reprofile a blade. It would take a long time to do. For that the Edge Pro is better, but much more expensive. Both systems aren't really that portable though, but they are pretty fool-proof, which makes them great for a "newbie."

For field sharpening I love the DMT diamond stones. Especially their double sided diafold sharpeners. They work great for sharpening and maintaining an edge. The only problem is you have to be able to free hand sharpen (most importantly keeping an angle), which takes practice. I have a Blue/Red double sided diafold and a green mini-sharp. The blue/red gives me a razor sharp edge and the mini-green works like a strop to keep the edge maintained to shaving sharp.

The blue diamond sharpener in my bag is from walmart. It will sharpen both plain and serrated edges and it takes up very little space (as much as a pen). It isn't the best sharpener, but it works enough to put a usable edge back on a knife. It's also pretty cheap, and it's very versatile. Like the DMT stones though, you need to be practiced in freehand sharpening.

Paul,

Great pack. I wish all students were as well prepared (I'm a faculty member).

One thing I would suggest is some "positive" propaganda. Something like an emergency card with phone numbers of campus security, local police, next of kin, numbers for campus resources, personal contact information, etc.

Unfortunately, with all that's going on at various campuses, someone noticing your pack or finding it for whatever reason might label you as suspicious. I only mention this because I've thought of it myself in my EDC.

It's important to distinguish yourself as a well-planned individual and not someone prepared to run and hide out after committing some atrocity.

I don't think it's a fair judgment, but one I've seen on campuses when I start asking about escape routes and routine safety information.

Conventional wisdom unfortunately wants us to cower in a classroom and leave everything else to the "experts."

Have you tried these?

I had some in my car for over 6 months in the Texas heat and just opened one up and they tast fresh and were good... I split it with someone though, as it had WAY too many calories(409 Kcal) to eat as a snack!!!

That's one of the things that always amazed me. The "official" way to deal with any kind of incident is lock the hollow wooden doors (with the big glass windows), close the shades, and turn the lights off. Doesn't matter what it is.

I like knowing I'm somewhat better prepared than "lock the door and hope for the best." Generally, communication is so bad, people don't even know when to do that. The students often know before the professors. They spend so much money on everything else, yet emergency preparedness is seemingly quite neglected (though things seem to have improved a little since VT).


As far as the emergency info goes, all that is written on my planner. Which is the first thing you see when you open the bag.