The lost trooper thread reinforced the idea that what's on our body might be all we end up with in a survival situation. I encouraged Glock-a-Roo to add pics of his to a PSK thread, and then thought that starting a new thread might be better. There are multiple PSK and EDC threads, I know, but this one is about what you wear on your body (not your pack) when you go off-roading.

Let's assume you're in the wilds, and somehow lose your pack. (Capsized canoe maybe?) What's in your pockets or on your belt is all you get. What do you have left?

I always EDC, on my body, a woven belt, Leatherman Kick with fire steel and mini mag, a lighter, and my necklace (made of 2 ft of cordage) with micro photon, harmonica and my kid's birthstone

[url=]EDC[/url]

My keychain with SAK, whistle, mini fauxton, monkey fist and (usually) a quarter (donated it yesterday so I need a new one.)
[url=]Keychain[/url]


When I go off-roading I remove my PSK (carried in a small Case Logic camera case) from my EDC purse and either put it in a cargo pocket or onto my belt. (It's Doug's plus a magnesium block, SAK, squeeze light, orange balloon, dryer lint, extra quick tinder, lrg ziplock freezer bag, mini bic, H20 tabs) I wear a baseball hat and sunglasses, add an LED flashlight to my belt and put an orange emerg poncho, bandana and a Cliff bar in my pockets. I also wear a lanyard with whistle and LED around my neck, and have my prescription glasses (in a hard case) in a cargo pocket.

[url=]Off-roading[/url]


I also always wear hiking shoes or boots, a watch, an extra hair elastic or two, and carry a full water bottle, either in a pocket or clipped to my belt by a carabiner.

EDIT: I also carry a little AMK FAK, with an added maxi pad, too. (I think it's called the "Hiker" kit. It's in a little orange carry case.)

My keychain duplicates yours and on my body I carry a pouch that holds my Wave, an altoids tim w/firestarting goodies, and my cellphone. The belt that holds that has a stash compartment that holds cash. My shirt pocket contains a pen and small notebook.

But I have never understood losing your pack when hiking in the wilds. It just shouldn't happen if you have any kind of experience and with all my misadventures over the years, it has never come close to happening to me. I have dealt with really inexperienced newbies who, panic stricken in a storm, threw away their packs, so they could run faster through the woods in order to evade an oncoming storm (??), eventually injuring themselves and initiating a SAR operation, but they were definitely bottom of the barrel types.

I was surprised that the trooped was carrying his tent in such a manner that it could slip off his pack. Packs should contain their contents inside and present a smooth uncluttered exterior, the better to glide through the brush.

The time to really check your EDC for self-sufficiency is when you are traveling by airplane, boat, or car. In all these situations, your pack will be on board, but not close at hand. An accident then automatically separates you from your gear, perhaps destroying it. In airplane crash survival, the need for quick exiting is highlighted, and you will very often wind up outside the wreckage with only your immediate EDC.

Agreed Hikermor. When travelling by foot, the likelyhood of losing your pack is low as long as your common sense is at least medium.

Air travel makes me shiver for just that reason, actually. Even a trip in the car could find you seperated from your gear. It's something I'm thinking about as I prepare to swith my daily commute from car to a combo of bike and train.

Best to just make a habit of carrying your bare essentials on your person.

I dunno about that. Every external frame pack I ever used in Boy Scouts made me look like a steroetypical gypsy - stuff hanging off everywhere. Now, internal frames,I'd agree with you.

My current EDC:

Roughly left to right. The white remote stays in my room. Reflective belt, ipod nano, notebook with unit ID card, Kershaw pocket knife, chapstick, Surefire E2L w/ red filter (the E1L is in the pic), wallet, 4Gb thumb drive, Leatherman, CAT tourniquet, 14gauge angiocath, 1 magazine of ammo, Beretta M9 pistol, ID card and belt. Poptarts and water were just sitting on my bed.

Not in the picture are my bottle of Tabasco sauce and my 2 compressed bandages.

You are correct, losing a pack should never happen. The only time I worry about this and always ensure that I have bit more then basic gear on my body is during river crossings. Crossing a river with a fully loaded multi-day pack strapped to your body can result in a disastrous outcome. I was taught long ago to loosen/unbuckle all straps before crossing in case of a slip and you end up in the drink. If this does happen, the backpack is easy to shed and may save your life.



Love/hate with this one. I like the ease of access of having some gear on the outside of the pack. However on the flip side, gear snagging on branches etc can be a pain...not to mention the possibility of the gear somehow coming loose and falling off. (Yes I have seen it happen.)

Agreed. Sort of. I use an internal frame pack (Jack Wolfskin Femme model) but often carry my tent strapped to the side. Before I secure the tent with the pack's built-in straps, I tie the cord of tent's stuff sack to the nylon webbing of the pack. If the straps should somehow loosen (not sure how they could) I'd certainly notice I'd dropped the tent because I'd be dragging it.

mine's scatttered in multiple places...specialized stuff repacked from AMK PSK

key ring... p38, Fenix LED EO1 light, pill fob with aspirin/ibuprofen

heavy duty 4x6 zip pouch (cargo pocket)..MRE hot beverage pouch,Katadyn ClO2 tabs,blood stopper gauze, 3x3 gauze, cloth knuckle bandage, signal mirror,3ft duct tape, 15ft mono for cordage, haven't replaced the povodine prep since recall, alcohol wipes, small assortment of ibuprofen/Tylenol (fever)/Immodium, cut down pen

in multi tool pouch ...brass whistle, Victorinox Farmer, 4 quarters taped in a strip, small ferro rod-needle-safety pin taped to a hacksaw section,tweezers, AAA battery, button compass taped to miniBic

Leatherman PS4, Benchmade Axis lock folder, KelTec 3AT,bandanna

you guys have become addictive!

I love the orange Izzy. I think you're going to make an addict out of me yet. (Don't worry Les, it's a healthy addiction!)

Orange scale material

Pre-shaped, unfinished blanks for making scales.

My opinion comes based on the LBE I wore in the Army. Still love that concept and have tried numerous times to duplicate using civilian gear for lighter weight, better coloring and fit with civilian packs.