Let me start by making it clear this is a fun thought exersize, not a serious survival concern. I'm not worried about having to escape from a POW camp or hostage situation.

That said, I recently read a book where a group of passengers were held hostage on a train by the Soviets as part of a bout of political trouble over a seized Russian submarine. The passengers seemed completely unequipped for the situation, even though this was the fifties or sixties when most men still carried a pocket knife and society was more rural and thus outdoor skills more common. Additionally, what supplies they might have had, maps, tools, compass, etc. would have almost certainly been confiscated during searches of their luggage.

So I begain thinking, what items would I put into an escape kit (for getting out of confinement, not a supermax prison, and for surviving and navigating a short distance of say 10-20 km afterwards) and how would I conceal the items so they wouldn't be found and confiscated?

Requirements for the kit would be that it should be easily conceallable or completely innocuous in appearance, relatively cheap, and useful (although almost certainly not sufficient) in any environment.

Items I so far would include on the list would be a compass, a knife, writing supplies, trade/bribe items, a watch, matches, a wire saw, a small flashlight, wire cutters, water purification tablets and compact rations.

As for concealment, false bottoms on luggage, and hidden compartments in other items come obviously to mind. What other ways can people think of to conceal helpful items?

So any suggestions or additions to this list (I know I don't have everything a person would want or need)? Or suggestions of products that fill these roles? Please note that things like watches, multi-tools, and writing materials would or might be confiscated. Only the absolute, most basic innocuous items are likely to escape scrutiny or confiscation.

Somethings I've found so far: A replacement blade for a Stanley pocket knife, its slightly larger then an exacto blade, and more robust, but still very slim and completely flat. An improvised handle would be very easy to make or include somewhere else in the kit. Water purification tablets could be stored in a first aid kit, possibly in an emtied asprin vial. Compact rations in the form of candy bars might be innocuous enough to avoid confiscation and could also serve as a low level trade/bribe item ditto single serving powdered gatorade packets. If carried with cigerettes (also a trade/bribe item, useful even if you don't smoke), matches maybe innocuous enough to be over looked. A wire saw can be concealled relatively easily in the seam of a piece of luggage, especially if you carry battered luggage and are handy with a needle and thread.