I haven't found any threads talking about this specifically. What items would you carry in a ditch bag for a 4x4 rig while out on the trail? Most of my trips take me 20 to 30 miles or more off pavement and I usually stay out for 5 to 7 days at a time. I have all the gear you'd need to stay out on the trails for many weeks, but what if my rig was destroyed and I'm standing there looking at a burned out rig?

I usually wear either short or long pants that have cargo pockets and I carry a small PSK in an Altoids tin in one of the cargo pockets and I have a pocket knife. I also have a small backpack that I always keep near the driver's seat or in the tent that contains another PSK along with other survival items and I call this backpack my ditch bag.

The two most common scenarios I'm planning against are fire and flood. If I'm crossing a stream and all of a sudden my rig starts to get swept into deeper water, then the worst case is that I escape with just the PSK in my pocket and my pocket knife. Next best case would be that I can grab my ditch bag on the way out. Same goes if I were to have an engine fire or gas tank fire.

One of the main considerations is that a loss of a 4x4 vehicle will obviously occur on a trail and I can walk out following the trail back to pavement - I think that makes my requirements a bit different than many other general purpose kits.

Right now my ditch bag is just a cheap school size backpack and it has a GPS, a PLB, a sat phone, a small solar charger, a nalgene quart bottle of water, an Altoids tin PSK, magnesium fire starter/steel, some tender, first aid kit, signal mirror, MSR water filter, 4 liter dry bag, 1 liter dry bag, lightweight jacket, about 10 snack bars, small fishing kit, maps, compass, 2 rolls survey tape, small roll of duct tape, flashlight, extra batteries, headlight, a couple of emergency blankets, 50' paracord, some 30 gal. trash bags, stainless canteen cup, 6'x9' poly tarp, pocket knife, bug repellent, 2 new Bic lighters, lightweight walking shoes, socks, a hat, handgun and ammo, some cash, a bit of gold (I'm a prospector) and my point and shoot camera.

I don't trail ride in the winter but in late fall or early spring I do throw in a heavy wool sweater.

The shoes are on the list because I often wear sandals while wheeling and would need shoes to walk out to pavement. The camera is on the list because I use the camera on and off all day long - every day - and this is the item that forces me to keep the ditch bag next to me at all times.

My main questions are: What would you carry in the ditch bag that is specific for the 4x4 community and where would you keep the ditch bag while driving - where it can be grabbed quickly in case of a fire or flood?