Levels of Preparedness Equipment - Part 1; Bags and Knives

Nearly every prepper I know has a budget in which to purchase their gear across all the categories of preparedness. From firearms to heirloom seeds to bunkers buried deep in the ground, those preparing for a disaster or disruptive event need to carefully spend hard-earned dollars to leverage their priorities. Whether you have a budget of $1,000 or $1,000,000, what you buy and how much you spend can define your level of preparedness over all. Spending $10 on a knife that breaks the first time you use it as opposed to spending $125 on a knife that lasts you 30 years can mean the difference between life and death in a survival situation, but that has to be balanced with what you can afford. I've always said there's a fine line of benefit between having cheap gear and having no gear at all. A $10 knife that breaks after cutting a cord at least cut the cord before it failed, for instance. 

Over time most prepper budget's grow and with greater funding comes the ability to afford better quality gear. Also, with the ability for online selling, such as on Facebook Marketplace, Ebay and others, we preppers can engage in virtual swap meets, selling our older gear and buying better stuff cheaper either new or as 'gently used'. With that in mind let's break down levels of new, store-bought prep gear based on what you can afford. 

For this installment we'll start with the most expensive components of your 72-hour kit - Bags and Knives. We'll cover home and vehicle prep kits in later segments. I may also delve into other gear such as water filtration systems and first aid kits later down the road. 

Disclaimer: I am not getting any 'kick back' for listing these items, and this post is in no way meant to be an endorsement of any company or product. The pricing I list for any individual item is as of the writing of this post, and sale prices are tagged with '(s)'. This list is also meant to be a 'basic' break down regarding bags and knives, and will not cover all aspects of either. It is meant to be a reference for those starting a preparation plan and 72-hour bag or those seeking to improve their existing plan or kit.

Bags

The actual bag packed for bugging out or evacuation is critical. At the lowest tier a bag must meet the following criteria.

1. Size; to accommodate three days worth of supplies and gear, a bag should not be smaller than 50 liters, and preferably 60 liters or even larger depending on the physical stature and athletic capability of the person hauling it.
2. Material; a bag should be made of a solid composition, such as a heavy nylon or milspec canvas in quality. The bag should be resilient enough to track through heavy brush and woodland or grind along brick and mortar buildings in an urban environment without tearing and spilling your supplies all over the ground.
3. Appearance; having a solid tactical, military-looking bag is all badass and such, but can draw unnecessary attention. It just screams, "Hey look, that guy has stuff," and can give the impression that you're a(n active) member of the military. I strongly sway towards a hiker's backpack that will call less attention to you.

Not only is your bag arguably the most important component of your 72 hour kit, it can likely be the most expensive. Pricing varies widely based on material and layout.

• Inexpensive: Walmart.com, Aibecy Hiking pack - $56.49.
• Mid-cost: Dicks Sporting Goods, High Sierra Pathway - $109.99
• Expensive: REI, Osprey Traverse - $229.00
• Richy-rich: REI, Osprey Aether Plus - $350.00

Other Considerations

Aside from the three required criteria above, backpacks come with a host of options to be considered, such as fit, weight distribution, expandability, and load-out configuration. When shopping for a bug-out bag with my fiancé, we went to REI to check out their selection. One thing I really like about REI is you can test the gear. They have weighted sacks you can use to simulate gear and load up your chosen backpack then you can try it on and see how it fits on your physical frame. I picked two packs within our budget and my fiancé snagged the cheapest one and headed to the checkout. I told her she needed to load it up with the weights and try it on to which she replied with a shrug, "Why, it's a backpack. They're all the same", but she headed to the table to load them up and try them anyway. I stepped away to shop for survival food and when I came back she had the other pack in her hand. "Yeah, this one feels a lot better with stuff in it" she admitted. Trying out a backpack and having a plan on how you want to load it can help with the decision on where those precious dollars go, too.

Knives

Having a good quality knife on hand cannot be over stated. Still, some of the best knives I've had throughout my life have cost me less than $50. One of those funny "psychological ironys" I've seen and experienced is spending $100 or more on a knife and not using it because "You don't want to mar it or mess it up," but the cheap $25 knife that you don't care as much about is the one you drop in your EDC and becomes your favorite because you use it every day.

In this section I'll break down knives and offer tiers for folder and fixed-blade options. For the fixed-blade options I required them to be full tang, but didn't go into other qualities (such as steel type, length, shape, etc) for the purpose of scope.

• Inexpensive: 
• Folder - Ozark Trail 3.25, $7.46
• Fixed - Ozark Trail "survival" knife, $18.73
• Mid-cost:
• Folder - Cabela's Function EXF-A, $19.99
• Fixed - Cabela's Expedition, $24.99
• Expensive:
• Folder - Gerber Sumo, $44.95
• Fixed - Gerber StrongArm, $74.95 (<Author's favorite)
• Richy-rich:
• Folder - Benchmade 535-3 Bugout Knife - $279.00
• Fixed - Benchmade 162 Bushcrafter, $234.00

Other Considerations

Even more than backpacks, knives come with extensive options and features all focused around intention. Blade shape, composition, and length all vary, as can handle and over-all weight. Other options of a knife purchase might include a good sheath and even accessories, such as ferro rods, that may come packaged with the knife itself. Depending on your knife budget, spending just a few more dollars may offer a considerable upgrade.

Final Thoughts

Upgrading is the key to maintaining and improving a solid preparedness posture, and everyone who has a preparedness plan should always seek to better their position through improving their gear. Regarding the conflict between the cheapest of gear and no gear at all, I believe in having at least the cheapest of gear. I'll work up from there.

Peace.