What’s in The Bag? – David Yates

For many of us adventurers, a big part of getting out in the great outdoors is the gear that we use before, during and after our trip. Regardless if you see the world via 4 wheels or two legs, we all love our gear! In that spirit, we here at Expedition Georgia wanted to start a weekly post detailing different pack setups for adventure. With so many different destinations and means of travel, every adventurer’s bag is configured differently. Our hope is to bring inspiration and ideas for your own travel pack. In this first post, we will go over my pack that is set up as not only a camping pack but also as my vehicle emergency pack.

First let’s talk bags, everyone love bags. With so many options out there it can be quite a task to pick the bag for you. My current pack is an orange Osprey Ellipse 25 liter bag that I picked up for $51 on REI on Black Friday. A must for me on any pack is water bottle pouches on both sides. On one side rides my Nalgene 32 oz. water bottle sitting in a GSI stainless steel cup. The other water bottle holder houses my Hults Bruk Almike pack axe which is then cinched in tight using the Ellipse’s compression strap.

Going inside the small front pocket, I keep my North American Rescue Individual Aid Kit, as well as a basic bandage kit for smaller cuts and scrapes. The large pocket of this bag has great organization and clamshells for easy access to smaller items. In this pocket, I keep smaller items which will likely be used more frequently. Starting from the top left there is an AMK Rescue Whistle attached to a Suunto A10 field compass. Moving to the middle there is a Goal Zero Flip 30 in front of an old credit card wrapped in a good amount of gaffer tape. Gaffer tape is a great option for things like temporary gear repairs because of its less adhesive backing which won’t leave a residue. The final top pocket contains multiple sources of fire making including a mini Bic lighter, storm matches, and a Sparkie fire steel. The bottom of the pocket contains more items readily available for use including EMT shears, Klaurs XT1C flashlight, Sharpie, Mora Garberg knife, Klarus K1 battery charger with spare CR123A battery, CAT tourniquet, Sawyer water filter, eating utensils, and charging cords in a Maxpedition can pouch.

The main pocket of this bag is where most of the large less often used items reside. First things first, you gotta eat! As this pack is set up for a weekend trip, I keep six Mountain House pouches of various types right at the top of the bag. Pro Tip: The biscuits and gravy are a must!

Continuing with cooking, years ago I chose the MSR Pocket Rocket as my stove of choice and still use it today accompanied with an ISOPro fuel canister. For a shelter set up, I use a 5 x 7 tarp with one reflective side, an ENO Doublenest Hammock with straps, and orange paracord for guy line, and tie downs. Finally, I keep a pair of gloves and bungees for working and hanging odds and ends as needed.