My military kit in Iraq was a water source connected to my body that was always full (I drank out of a camel back that was attached to my vehicle seat) and every signal/commo device I could fit on my vest/body. Every fiber of my being was going to be focused on re-establishing contact with friendly forces. I actually didn’t have very many interesting items. Just PLB, signal mirror, whistle, smoke grenades, pen flares, buzz saw (chemlight with 550 cord attached to swing around for a larger signature) strobe (with IR capability) and a VS-17 panel. I did carry some water purification tabs, but I figured that even if I did find a water source, I wasn’t hanging around long enough to filter it with anything but a bandanna, drop in some tabs and keep moving. There were a lot of other little things I carried, but those stand out as being the most critical. I also tried to always keep a MRE main course in my cargo pocket, but otherwise I don’t think I had any food or food procurement items, just electrolyte mixes.

Not trying to hijack the thread or anything, but I would say that one of the most important items in my kit was a picture of my family, some religious psalms embroidered on a handkerchief and the ranger creed (I’m not a Ranger, but it’s a great creed). I looked to these items daily for inspiration/motivation and I’m sure they would have come in just as handy in a survival situation.

Another interesting item for discussion is the blood chit. Their these documents that are written in several languages that basically say that I’m an American Soldier, circumstances beyond my control have led me to ask you for help and that if you aid me you will be compensated by the US govt. I’m not suggesting that the ETS community is in need of evasion aids, but it just occurred to me that having some basic “this is who I am and I need your help” documentation in a few languages could come in helpful if you were going to be traveling in an area that spoke a language you did not know.