For one thing, it's a really great place to keep all your gear so you can find it the next time you need it!
Mind set:
Your mission is to survive with your loved ones for whatever period of time necessary, with what you carry on your back and in your hands. Think of yourself as the tortoise, at home, totally self sufficient but all the while knowing you must be prepared to act as the Hare, able to scamper away quickly, with the tools needed for survival.
Below, you will find my ideas on what the best packs are for the money, how to rig them, and what to put in them for the purpose of survival.
My opinions are formed from 44 years of backpacking, both as a kid, and in the U.S. military with 26 years combined service as a Marine, an Army Special Forces Soldier and a Combat Engineer Trainer in the Army National Guard. I hope there is something within these writings that you find useful. Mine is by far not the last word on this subject. I invite your comments, good, bad and ugly (hopefully not too ugly).
You know what they say about opinions. Some of you will agree with me, others will not. I do not claim to be an expert at anything, only a student. Experts worry me. I was once asked by an old S.F. Demolition Sergeant if there were any Demo experts present. Naturally I eagerly raised both of my hands along with several other young troopers.
Wrong! The old Sergeant then proceeded to explain that there is no such thing as an expert, and we were incredibly foolish to assume we were. We were students and hopefully would someday become good ones; a point he made very clear. The definition of an expert he said is: Ex: a has-been, Spurt: a drip under pressure! I never described myself as an expert again. “Experts” can get you killed.
Survival is the same way. With a positive attitude, a fair amount of knowledge, and a little luck; mixed in with a dash of humility and some good common sense, you have an excellent chance of coming out on top.
Once upon a time an “expert” told me only moments before he broke the hollow pot metal handle off his Chinese made “Rambo Survival Knife”. “Don't waste your money on expensive survival equipment, you probably won't need it anyway.” This was an unwise man. My experience has proven that you should always buy the best quality equipment you can afford. The low price paid for cheap equipment will quickly be forgotten when it fails at the time you need it most. Remember that cheap discount store rain poncho that ripped the very first time you used it?
Disclaimer: I have been told I'm a fair story teller, I never claimed I was a writer!
Notes: The 3 Levels of survival as they pertain to the Survival Rucksack.
Think Modular.
Each level below allows you to survive, although with a diminishing level of certainty and comfort.
1. Rucksack with attached patrol pack and web gear.
2. Patrol pack and web gear
3. Web gear
For the sake of redundancy to make a point I may repeat my self occasionally, plus I am an old guy and sometimes I tend to forget what I have already said. It happens.
Commercial or Military surplus packs, a dilemma.
U.S. Military (surplus, but in new or excellent condition).
Civilian
Foreign Military
Civilian or Military equipment: Pros and Cons of each
Civilian, Pros:
Usually more advanced
Usually very comfortable
Lighter than military
Cons:
Usually not as rugged as military
Usually much more expensive
Fewer places to hang gear on outside of pack
Often times available only in bright colors (do you want to be seen)
Military, Pros:
Much less expensive than civilian
Widely available
Very rugged
Subdued colors
More places to hang equipment on outside of pack
Generally more pockets for storing gear, easier to access more items of equipment
Some packs can be made quite comfortable with certain after market modifications
Cons:
Often times not as comfortable as civilian packs
Usually heavier than civilian packs
Often not as well designed as civilian packs
For the money, I generally prefer the military pack over the civilian pack if it meets my criteria, but do not misunderstand, money is not the most important issue. If a military pack has the comfort and versatility or can be modified to that end to perform adequately, I will almost always go with the military over the civilian pack.
The information contained in these writings represents the opinions of the author. The author assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of the information contained herein.