Survival Backpack, What To Put In It?, page 1

There are five elements to consider for any pack in order to survive. In no particular order:

Fire
Food
Water
Shelter
First Aid

Anything you carry is a tool to complete one (or as many as possible) things on that list. The most common and expected is a good fixed blade knife as it can be used in part for all five of those goals. But your best and lightest tool is your own mind and experiences. Because a million dollars worth of gear in a pre-built bunker isn't going to save you if you have no idea of how to use these things.

Like all things in life, money helps. But the reality is that you can survive and then later thrive without a having so much as a single stitch of clothing on you when you begin. After all, we were all born naked and made it this far, right?

But to make life easier consider the following. And I can go into greater detail on each item if need be, such as the hows and whys:

But what if money is a factor in that you don't have enough of it to get all of the above things? In your kitchen there are some knives right now, grab a small pot or a couple of cans of vegetables (you can reuse the cans later). You have a blanket and pillowcase (makes for a workable pack if that is all you have, so does the blanket) your bedroom. Got a sheet on that bed? You have cordage and bandanas once you turn them into it with the knife from the kitchen. A pair of flip flops or dress shoes is better than being barefoot (heels, not so much, sorry ladies). That is a good start. Saving a few bucks here and there for better items is the best plan. Putting back $20 a week is $1040 in a year.

And one of my favorite questions is the one that asks "I am a smoker, how will have enough tobacco for the apocalypse?" Short answer is that you won't. Longer answer is that you won't need as much as you think as you can give up smoking (or severely cut back) when having to walk everywhere. Your body will do that naturally without much in the way of cravings except when sitting around doing nothing, which is a rare occurrence when working to survive. Longest answer is that you had best get some seeds and learn about growing tobacco or find people that do and barter for what you need but keep in mind that tobacco will be a currency as well. And you might be carving a pipe since cigarettes will be a luxury no matter how you look at it.