SURVIVAL GEAR
SURVIVAL PACK
The Gear That Keeps You Alive When Comfort Falls Away
Survival isn’t a dramatic scenario for me.
It’s not fantasy.
It’s not a hobby.
It’s not a “prepper identity.”
Make it stand out
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Survival is simply the foundation of being human — the baseline that everything else in life sits on top of.
If you can’t take care of yourself in the most basic ways, what good is any of the rest of it?
Most people picture survival as something extreme — lost in the woods, abandoned in the mountains, stranded after a disaster.
The truth is simpler:
Survival is just living without the illusions.
Survival is you versus the moment — without assistance.
That’s why I built a survival pack that’s practical, capable, and stripped of all the garbage that clutters most “survival kits.”
Every item in my setup is there because it has saved me trouble, saved me time, or flat-out kept me safe.
This is the Unencumbered way:
simple, durable, reliable — and earned by experience.
THE SURVIVAL MINDSET
Keep It Simple. Make It Repeatable.
A real survival kit isn’t a box of expensive toys.
It’s a system — a set of tools that:
complement each other
cover each other’s weaknesses
still work when you’re not at your best
Anyone can build a kit that works on a sunny day when they’re well-fed and fully rested.
A real survival loadout works:
when it’s raining
when you’re exhausted
when you’re hungry
when you’re hurt
when you’re scared
when your hands are shaking
when your brain is foggy
when you’re making mistakes
That’s why my survival pack is built around simplicity and repeatability.
If something requires perfect conditions or perfect focus, it doesn’t belong in the pack.
Everything has to be:
easy to use
hard to break
versatile enough to solve multiple problems
This is not a show-and-tell kit.
This is the loadout I expect to work when comfort falls away.
THE SURVIVAL PACK
What I Carry and Why
This is my survival pack — the gear that lives in my Gecko backpack and comes with me when “just in case” isn’t good enough.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
1. Gecko Backpack — Mobile Basecamp
The backpack is more than a container.
It’s your mobility.
The Gecko hits the sweet spot:
big enough to carry real gear
small enough not to punish you over miles
durable enough to drag through brush, rain, and rough ground
A heavy, oversized pack will beat you down.
A flimsy pack will fail when you need it most.
The Gecko sits in that middle lane — balanced, tough, and comfortable.
2. Apparel — Socks & Gloves
People underestimate how fast hands and feet can shut you down.
Cold hands lose dexterity.
Wet feet lose mobility.
If you can’t tie knots, strike a fire, button a jacket, or hike another mile, you’re done.
A spare pair of socks and a reliable set of gloves are small items that create huge advantages in the field.
3. Bug & Hygiene Control
Bug Spray, Wipes, and Cleanliness
In the wild, discomfort becomes distraction, and distraction becomes danger.
I carry:
Bug Spray — Repel Wipes
Ziploc: Wet wipes / Q-tips / Kleenex
Ziploc: Toothpaste / Whisps / Mouthwash
Ziploc: Soap bar
These might look like “comfort items,” but they’re more than that:
Bug protection keeps you from getting eaten alive and losing your mind.
Clean hands and face help prevent infection.
Being able to wash off blood, mud, or grime keeps small problems from becoming big ones.
Clean isn’t luxury.
Clean is survival.
4. First Aid Basics — Bandaids, Advil, Tylenol
Another small Ziploc carries:
Bandaids
Advil
Tylenol
Pain and small injuries slow you down, cloud your judgment, and sap your energy.
These aren’t meant to replace a full med kit — they’re meant to keep you moving and thinking when your body doesn’t want to.
5. Heat — Zippo Hand Warmer
Cold is one of the most dangerous forces in survival.
The Zippo hand warmer:
is small
reusable
produces steady heat for hours
Warm hands equal usable hands.
Warm core equals usable brain.
Morale, dexterity, and decision-making all improve when you’re not freezing.
6. Perimeter Alarm — Awareness While You Sleep
Survival isn’t just food, water, and fire.
It’s also security.
A perimeter alarm gives you early warning if:
animals wander in
someone approaches camp
something shifts in the environment
That extra layer of awareness lets you actually sleep, and sleep is survival.
7. Cordage — Bank Line & TRD Paracord Dispenser
Cordage is one of the most powerful tools in existence.
I carry:
Bank line
TRD Paracord Dispenser
Bank line gives you thin, strong, grippy cord for traps, bindings, and finer work.
TRD’s dispenser gives you clean, tangle-free paracord on demand.
With cordage you can:
build shelter
hang food
lash tools
repair gear
improvise harnesses
rig tarps
create stretchers
fashion snares
Loose cord in a bag becomes a mess.
TRD turns it into controlled capability.
8. Fire Redundancy — Zippo Triplet
Fire is non-negotiable.
I carry three separate fire tools, all Zippo:
Zippo Matches Set
Zippo Flint
Zippo Lighter
Fire means:
heat
cooked food
purified water
light
predator deterrence
signaling
morale
If one ignition source fails, another still works.
If one gets wet, you have backups.
Redundancy in fire isn’t overkill.
It’s wisdom.
9. Light — Nebo Flashlight
Darkness plays tricks on the mind.
Light ends those tricks.
The Nebo flashlight is:
compact
bright
durable
It works for:
night movement
camp chores
checking terrain
signaling
reading maps or manuals after dark
Light turns chaos into clarity.
10. Knife — Benchmade Processing Knife
This is the workhorse of the pack.
The Benchmade processing knife handles:
cleaning fish and game
food prep
shaving wood for fire
carving notches
cutting cordage
crafting tools
general camp work
A survival knife has to strike a balance between durability and precision.
This one does.
11. Tool Set — Screwdriver & Wrenches
Survival isn’t only about nature.
It’s also about gear:
stove parts
filter fittings
bolts, nuts, and screws on equipment
brackets, clamps, hinges
A small tool set — basic screwdriver and wrenches — keeps critical gear working instead of turning into dead weight.
12. Ground Work — Vargo Titanium Trowel
The Vargo titanium trowel is simple but essential.
It helps with:
digging latrines
building drainage trenches
digging fire pits
burying waste
scraping and shaping dirt or coals
Titanium means it’s light, tough, and won’t rust out on you.
13. Water — MSR Filter
Water is everything.
I carry an MSR water filter because it’s:
rugged
reliable
tested in the real world
It turns sketchy sources into usable water and keeps you from gambling with your health.
You live or die by hydration speed and safety.
This solves that problem.
14. Cooking & Eating — Gerber Utensils, Solo Stove & MSR Stove
Fire is survival.
Controlled fire is comfort.
My cooking system is three parts:
Gerber Cooking Utensils
Solo Stove
MSR Stove
Gerber utensils are strong, packable, and built to last.
The Solo Stove burns twigs and scraps efficiently for long, steady cooking.
The MSR stove gives you high-performance, fast heat when conditions demand reliability over scavenging.
Together, they let you cook in almost any condition — quickly or slowly, with found fuel or carried fuel.
15. Tenkara Fly Rod — Food from Water
Fish are one of the best renewable food sources in many environments.
The Tenkara fly rod is:
ultralight
collapsible
simple
silent
No reel, no complicated hardware.
Just skill, line, and consistency.
When you’re near water, this turns patience into calories.
16. Slingshots — Pocket Shot & SimpleShot
Silent hunting matters.
I carry two slingshots:
Pocket Shot slingshot
SimpleShot slingshot
They’re:
lightweight
compact
effective with practice
quiet
Birds, squirrels, small game — slingshots give you options without burning ammo or making noise.
They’re also great for training accuracy and focus, even when you’re not desperate for food.
17. Gerber Hatchet — Wood, Shelter & Force
The Gerber hatchet turns trees and limbs into structure and fuel.
It handles:
chopping firewood
processing branches and logs
hammering stakes
clearing camp space
In survival, wood is heat, shelter, tools, and structure.
The hatchet is your multiplier.
18. Shelter System — Blanket, Tarp & Emergency Tent
Shelter is a system, not just a single item.
Mine includes:
Kammok Field Blanket
SOL Heavy Duty Tarp
SOL Emergency Tent
The blanket provides warmth and comfort.
The tarp becomes a roof, windbreak, wall, ground cover, or gear shelter.
The emergency tent is fast, compact, and gives you instant protection when weather turns ugly.
Together, they can create:
a quick emergency bivy
a more permanent tarp camp
layered insulation for cold nights
Shelter is what turns “out there” into a place you can survive.
19. Power & Energy — Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC + 2× Nomad 20
Modern survival takes advantage of modern tools.
I carry:
Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC power bank
Two Nomad 20 solar panels
This system gives me:
light
GPS and mapping power
phone or tablet charging
camera power
backup for headlamps and flashlights
the ability to keep comms and navigation alive
Two Nomad 20 panels mean I can keep the Sherpa topped off and stay operational for long stretches.
This isn’t about comfort-screen time.
It’s about turning knowledge and communication into survival tools.
THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT SURVIVAL KITS
Most people build survival kits out of fear.
I built mine out of experience.
This pack isn’t theoretical.
It’s been:
soaked by storms
dragged through brush
bounced around in vehicles
used in real cold, real heat, and real fatigue
Everything in it has a job.
Everything in it earns its weight.
That’s what makes it an Unencumbered Survival Pack.
Not the brand names.
Not the aesthetics.
Not the fantasy.
Just simple, durable, proven tools that keep you alive when comfort falls away.
SURVIVAL PACK — QUICK GEAR LIST (REFERENCE)
For the blog notes / podcast description / photo captions:
Backpack -
Gecko Backpack
Apparel -
Socks
Gloves
Bug & Hygiene -
Repel Bug Wipes
Ziploc: Wet Wipes / Q-Tips / Kleenex
Ziploc: Toothpaste / Whisps / Mouthwash
Ziploc: Soap Bar
First Aid Basics -
Ziploc: Bandaids / Advil / Tylenol
Warmth & Security -
Zippo Hand Warmer
Perimeter Alarm
Cordage -
Bank Line
TRD Paracord Dispenser
Fire -
Zippo Matches Set
Zippo Flint
Zippo Lighter
Light -
Nebo Flashlight
Tools & Cutting -
Benchmade Processing Knife
Tool Set: Screwdriver / Wrenches
Vargo Titanium Trowel
Gerber Hatchet
Water -
MSR Water Filter
Cooking -
Gerber Cooking Utensils
Solo Stove
MSR Stove
Food Gathering -
Tenkara Fly Rod
Pocket Shot Slingshot
SimpleShot Slingshot
Shelter & Warmth -
Kammok Field Blanket
SOL Heavy Duty Tarp
SOL Emergency Tent
Power -
Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC
2× Goal Zero Nomad 20 Solar Panels