Very nice. A couple of things that I'd add:
I'd really like to hear more about what the "threat model" which this bag satisfices.
From a naive point of view, many soccer mom minivans contain 90% of this stuff. It's useful; but I can't imagine many situations where the lack of it causes major hardship.
Preface
I've been exploring low cost ways to increase resilience in the AI safety community as part of my work on Alignment Continuity; grab bags are one such intervention.
Since the Russia-Ukraine war kicked off, I've had a few EAs ask me about this kind of thing and so I decided that instead of just making a bag I'd make a guide too.
Thanks to everyone that helped and offered feedback and suggestions.
Overview
Grab bags are a tool for increasing your resilience in emergencies.
Not to be confused with 'bug out bags' - they are not intended to be your sole resource for several days/weeks spent living in the woods - it helps to think of a grab bag as an emergency toolkit.
A grab bag is defined as much by where it is as by what's inside it - it's something you have with you, or nearby, most of the time; it's something you can grab with only a moment's notice.[1]
A few good places to keep a grab bag:
Contents and Packing
The contents are organized into several bags[2] - a first aid kit, [yourstuffhere], hygiene kit, utility kit, food and water, and spare clothes (also yours).
The bags are packed in a specific order so everything is easily accessible and the first aid kit is the first thing you see when you open the bag.
On the outside of the bag I've added a small LED dongle for ease of access in dark environments and a USB flash drive.
Your Bag
The Bag
A rucksack or backpack is a good option, but I've chosen to build around a drybag - highly waterproof, rugged and much cheaper than a waterproof backpack.
All drybags are more-or-less created equal - this one comes with reflective patches, plenty of attachment points, and a shoulder strap.
Size
20 Litres is the sweet spot for a one person bag, if you opt for a 10L bag you're going to have to make difficult sacrifices with the contents.
If you find yourself needing 30-40L, for example if making a grab bag for 2+ people, then it might be wiser to use a backpack.
Your Bag
An off the shelf grab bag isn't especially effective. Everyone's needs and situation are different and so the contents of every bag should be tailored to the owner.
Below are some suggestions to help you get started -
Stuff Everyone Should Include
Stuff Relevant to Your Needs
Information and Data
High Utility Items
Boredom Isn't Trivial
Seriously, this is something that comes up again and again in accounts of survival situations, e.g -
Some suggestions smaller than a banjo -
First Aid Kit
(caveat: not a doctor or medical professional of any kind, I assembled these items based on fairly exhaustive research of what such people do include/recommend in first aid kits and I then sought feedback from a doctor friend.)
This is a first aid kit designed to be useable by anyone; no training or specialized knowledge required.
Most commercially available first aid kits are substandard, missing obvious yet critical components and rarely contain medicines, as the regulatory burden is too high.
Instructions are included wherever a components use isn't self-explanatory, and all medicines are packed with the official Patient Information Leaflet that they're sold with.
It is also intended that this kit will contain a first aid manual, or excerpts from one.
But as yet I've been unable to locate the right candidate - something compact, preferably with less of a focus on '... and then call an ambulance' than common first aid manuals.
The first aid kit includes:
Full table of contents:
(See footnotes for commentary on the less-obvious stuff)
Honorable Mentions
Certain items didn't make the cut for reasons that had nothing to do with how valuable they can be. This was usually because of cost, but also in some cases because of the potential for harm. I mention a few below that are worth considering:
Fish Antibiotics
Same as human antibiotics, just without the associated regulation and cost.
This is a better than nothing inclusion, a last resort.
Tourniquets
Be very wary when purchasing a tourniquet - there's a lot of garbage, and a lot of fakes.
In terms of specific products it's generally agreed that CAT > SOF-T > Nato > don't bother with anything else.
SAM Splint
Easier to apply and more comfortable than an improvised splint.
Vetbond
Superglue for humans, for animals. Same thing, 1/10th the price. Still 20x the price of the stuff I've included, but undoubtedly more fit for purpose.
A Noteable Exclusion - Iodine
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1adpju6M0lzwRqp0DWD4sAO8JiA_gHcAaJzQdvFSR55o/edit#
Utility Kit
Low cost, low weight, high utility.
Hygiene Kit
The essentials of hygiene are something we take for granted until we have to live without them. Poor hygiene quickly becomes an irritant, and can lead to serious illness.
Food and Water
We include food and water for the same reason we include painkillers and caffeine pills - in an emergency situation you need to be at your best; anything which limits your functionality, drains your energy, or distracts your focus can be life threatening in an emergency.
Thus food and water are included not in large quantities as med-long term rations, but as short term fixes for immediate problems.
A 500ml bottle of water and ~800kcal of non-sugary food (we want to avoid energy crashes) with a long (1yr minimum) shelf life are sufficient.
e.g. https://jimmyjoy.com/products/plenny-bar , or a bag of nuts/trail mix.
Costs and Suppliers
I've been highly budget conscious with every part of this grab bag. I believe I've struck a good balance between cost and effectiveness.
If taking advantage of economies of scale and producing these in batches, the cost per bag is around $120~[20] (roughly: $20 for the bag, $40 for the first aid kit, $30 for the utility kit, $20 for the hygiene kit, <$10 for food and water)
If producing only a single bag it will be significantly more expensive: $160~, mostly due to the first aid kit (and you'll have quite of bit of leftover medical stuff).
Suppliers
I wish I could point you towards a single source for all of this stuff, but I had to hunt around Amazon and eBay in order to find everything at decent prices. One suggestion I will make for those following this guide is to print off the list of contents for the first aid kit and take it to your local pharmacy - buying medical supplies online is a headache (even OTC stuff) and even sometimes more expensive than buying them from a bricks and mortar pharmacy.
The most efficient way of producing these is to get together in groups of 5~ or more and have one person do all the ordering/packing/distribution[21].
I'm currently available to do that for EAs in the UK.
This doesn't mean you have to carry it around with you all the time - an inconvenient bag is just as useless as an unreachable one (because it is likely to become the latter when you inevitably get tired of it and stuff it in a closet).
The 'kit' bags are ziploc slider bags in a mix of two sizes - gallon and quart (blame Ziploc for the imperial units). They're perfectly sized, quite sturdy, and reduce costs significantly compared to dedicated organizers or stuff sacks.
Make a note of their expiry date and set a reminder on your phone/PC etc to rotate them. However most medicines are effective significantly beyond their expiry date so you've got a fair bit of slack.
Caveat: if your bag is going to be left unattended in a publicly accessible or shared space, e.g. office, this could be risky.
Good backup habits are hard, but increasingly relevant. You should expect to be the victim of a ransomware attack in your lifetime.
shoutout to https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/LJw98jjiZDBKiZxKB/jetlag-nausea-and-diarrhea-are-largely-optional
The most potent antiseptic in the kit.
Not for use as a painkiller, but for use in preventing and mitigating heart attacks.
Can be used wherever a large dressing is needed, but is especially good for burns.
Anti-diarrheal
For acute allergies, also offlabel use as a sedative and to reduce nausea
For chronic allergies (e.g. hayfever), non-drowsy (for most people)
If you know where I can get the WHO ORT stuff, please tell me. The commercially available stuff is seriously overpriced.
I've included two types, one (NaDCC) is very cheap and mostly effective - would be ideal for treating dubious tapwater. The other (CLO2) is 100x more expensive but far more effective and can be used with just about any water. I've also included instructions :)
Using superglue to close wounds is usually a bad idea, but sometimes it's appropriate or necessary. Cyanoacrylate is the least-bad non-medical glue for this purpose. There are instructions included with the glue to help users determine when/when not to use it.
Anything that can work as a moisturizer, basically. Paraffin (same stuff as vaseline) comes in more convenient tubes.
A home-remedy for drawing out infections, especially useful for dental infections. Not a cure, but a practically zero cost intervention that could provide some relief.
If/When you don't have access to dental care, a broken tooth or lost filling is an emergency in itself.
https://www.drugs.com/cg/antibiotic-medication-allergy.html
At time of purchase, with inflation being what it is assume this is already 10% higher :S
Distribution is also a problem in many countries as there can be strict regulations on sending many of the components via post (e.g. medicines, lighter)