Good point. Is the area you're off-roading prone to snakes, scorpions, poison ivy, or general biting/stinging stuff? If so, boots may be a better option, and I'd definitely vote for long pants.

I'm curious - do you 4X4 like I portage, taking everything with you, or do you set-up a base camp and make day trips?

A little of both. My last trip to the Smokies I set up a base camp and then explored the local area for a week. On a recent trip to the Grand Canyon, on the other hand, I moved 5 to 10 miles every night as I worked my way along the north rim. I'm gearing up for a trip to Alaska and I'll probably be moving every night since Alaska is a big place and I want to see more of it in the time available.

One of the things we learned in Iraq is that when a vehicle gets hit nothing gets out that isn't attached to you. Same applies for when the first clue that your rig is on fire is when you feel a burning sensation on the back of your neck. I suggest carrying as much gear as possible in your pockets and on your belt.
For when time allows a more orderly egress I include an empty large back pack. If I have to walk out I can gather up what I think I will need based on the current circumstances.
leo

You have a sat phone, right? And a least one GPS. Do you not have any friends with a 4WD vehicle who would be willing to drive the 20-30 miles to pick you up if you gave them a call and offered them a prime rib dinner and all the beer they could drink?

I'm retired so I can go on some long trips. I live in Kentucky but I range all over North America and a typical trip will be at least 3 to 4 weeks or longer and I oftentimes end up 30 miles or more from the nearest pavement - sometimes much further. My upcoming trip will be a 4 month trip up through the Yukon to Alaska and back.

What about adding a cook stove? Something like an MSR Reactor or JetBoil? Can the stainless canteen cup balance on a stove? If so perhaps a smaller stove would work. Seems like it would be quicker and easier to boil water and cook with a stove then building a fire. Also what model is the sat phone?

I have an Esbit pocket stove in my hiking backpack that I could move to my ditch bag.

My sat phone is an Iridium 9555.

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far. I am going to start carrying the PLB in a pants pocket with a neoprene cell phone protector. The advice on shoes is good. I really shouldn't be wheeling in sandals. I'm going to try to incorporate the other suggestions as well like better shelter and a saw. There were several other good suggestions but I already have those items in my bag now, like a water purifier.

The advice about Iraq and keeping more items on my person has definitely made me rethink some of this. I'm going to try to figure out how to make the best use of the two cargo pockets that are in all the pants I wear while wheeling. I'm thinking now that I should drop the altoids PSK I carry and substitute a bigger PSK. I could dedicate one whole pocket to a bigger PSK that covers the water_filter/food/shelter/firstaid categories, and the other pocket dedicated to holding navigation and signaling equipment (compass/PLB/maps/mirror). I'm going to need a heavier duty belt by the time I'm done! I already carry a large pocket knife on my belt all the time, but I could easily add the GPS and it's holster to my belt as well. I just need to figure out how to keep everything very compact and not bulging out my cargo pockets too far.

The sat phone is too fragile to carry in a cargo pocket and there are other items I'd like to have close by, like the mini solar panel, extra clothing, and firearm so I'll still need to have a ditch bag nearby.

Does anyone have any opinions on a Level III Molle backpack? I already own one of these, and I'm thinking I'll move everything from the cheap schoolkids backpack I use now to this bigger backpack. Here's the one I have... http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/MOLLE702-1.html



Please keep the suggestions coming. Great stuff so far.

I'm also still struggling with the best method of where to store the bag where it is held securely, yet I can grab it quickly. I have a laptop I use for topo maps and it's mounted over the passenger seat but the front passenger floor is open and easily reachable from the driver's seat. The passenger seat upright is also open (the place where a passengers back would touch the passenger seat). That might be an even faster spot to retrieve from than the passenger floor but I can't picture exactly how I'd mount it.

If you have to carry any of your gear any distance, there are many commercially available backpacks that are infinitely more comfortable, like the REI Flash 60. They are also quite durable.

You might consider carry some of your gear in a waistpack. I have the same problem with heavily loaded cargo pockets and lots of stuff hanging on the belt. We should probably wear suspenders like Grandpa did.