Gaye Levy
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Let’s face it. No matter how much we hope we will never have to evacuate the comfort of our homes, there is always a possibility that circumstances will require that we gather our emergency supplies and leave on a moment’s notice. When that happens, you want to be ready to grab your spouse, your kids, the family pet and a well stocked bug-out-bag with enough gear to get you by for at least 72 hours.
Where do you start? If you are like me, you started with a very basic kit using items you already owned. From there, you advanced to a more robust pack filled with the esoteric items of survival: an emergency radio, a tactical knife, some rudimentary shelter, a first aid kit, and fire-making supplies.
As easy as it may be to be smug in the knowledge that you now have a Bug Out Bag, over time you are going to want to refresh and renew, or even start over.
Today I am thrilled to present the Tactical Traveler Bug Out Bag from Ready to Go Survival.
The Tactical Traveler – First Observations
This pack is fabulous! Okay, I am done with my review. Just kidding, of course.
My first observation when I took Tactical Traveler out of its box was that everything arrived, all at once, pre-packed in a military-grade Rothco Medium Transport Bag. Now why is this important? Because when I order a “package” of something, I want it to arrive together not piecemeal over a matter of weeks. Plus, having everything packed inside the bag allowed me to see how to take advantage of all of the nooks and crannies of the pack and to maximize its space.
The stated weight of the Tactical Traveler is 20 pounds but just to be sure, I weighed it myself and yes, it was almost exactly 20 pounds. Weight is important because if the pack is too heavy, at best you won’t get far and at worst you will hurt yourself while carrying it. I took a 3 mile hike with the fully loaded pack and had no problems whatsoever. Granted, 20 pounds is not a lot of weight but at 105 pounds, I am on the small side and was concerned about carrying even 20 pounds without straining or tiring.
I need not have worried. The design of the pack is such that you can adjust the straps so it fits perfectly. The other thing is that the pack itself is narrow, meaning you can pass though narrow openings without bumping into the sides. The loaded pack was such a non-issue, carry-wise, that I ended up staying outdoors with the pack on, getting water out of a local pond (actually, quarry nine) and even playing ball with Tucker the dog on the green in front of my home.
The Gear
One of the problems I have with purchased kits is that often times the gear consists of cheap, no-name items being sold at a premium price Not so with the items in the Tactical Traveler.
Here is a complete list of what is included:
1 Mil-spec Rothco Medium Transport Bag
1 205 Piece First Aid Kit
20 Potassium Iodide Tablets 65 Mg
10 Ammonia Inhalants
1 Smith & Wesson Tactical Ops Knife w/ belt cutter & glass breaker
3 Wise Company Meals
9 Emergency Food Bars (3690 calories)-
20 Packets of Emergency Water
1 LifeStraw Water Filter
1 Tactical Flashlight 220 Lumen w/ strobe S.O.S.
1 Compass
1 Windstorm Emergency Whistle
1 SOL Emergency Blanket
1 Aurora Fire Starter
2 Disposable Lighters
1 Pack of Storm Proof Matches 25 pc
1 Pack of Quick Fire Tinder 10 pc
1 Roll Duct Tape 10 yards
1 Pack of Water Purification Tablets
5 6″ Glow Sticks
4 Sets of Ear Plugs
1 50′ 550 Paracord (my review kit included 100’)
10 Large Zip Ties
1 Steel Folding Trowel
1 Tube Tent
1 Mil-spec Poncho
1 Signal Mirror
1 SOL Sleeping Bivvy
6 AA & AAA Batteries
1 Pair Work Gloves
4 N95 Mask
6 Heat Packs
2 5′ Utility Straps
1 Fishing Kit
1 Uvex Goggles
1 Etón Crank Emergency Radio with Flashlight, Solar Power & Cell Phone Charger (add-on item)
1 Gerber Multiplier 400 Multi-Tool (add-on item)
I wish that Ready To Go Survival had been around with the Tactical Traveler when I was first putting my bug out bag together. It would have been a lot easier in the long run to start with all of the gear I needed, nicely organized.
What’s Missing?
No pre-packaged emergency kit will be 100% complete. With the Tactical Traveler I will want to add few personal items such as a flash drive with copies of important documents, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, pet food, No-Rinse bath wipes and prescription meds. And of course, my personal weapon. Extra clothing will need to go in a secondary pack.
It is worth mentioning that Ready to Go Survival will customize a pack for you. So, for instance, if you want 2 rain ponchos instead of 1, no problem. Just let them know.
The Final Word
The Tactical Traveler (or any of the other packs at Ready To Go Survival) would make the perfect holiday gift to yourself or to someone you love.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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385 Responses to “Review: The Tactical Traveler Bug Out Bag”
I have a couple of items I would add, some would be carried separate, some in the extra pockets or space in the back-pack.
First are a couple of things you mentioned, the prescription medicine, hand sanitizer, and wipes, and the usb stick with info.
You also mentioned weapons, mine would include dual purpose items like knives, and a fantasy weapon I got at a ren-faire, that I call my hax. My hax is a bladed weapon that can be used as an axe, with a point on the end as well as the blade. It is heavy and sturdy so I wouldn’t be afraid it would break. Also I don’t have a gun, but an airsoft pistol with the plastic BBs, mostly to scare away smaller animals.
Beyond that are my wok, I could hang it from it’s ring on a strap or clip, as well as some cooking utensils. My android tablet, loaded with reading material and entertainment of sorts. If the net was still up and running I have most of my stuff in the cloud so I could get it that way, with important stuff both in the cloud, on external storage, on my laptop. Unless hit by an EMP, I have battery time to download and transfer files for travel. With eBooks on my tablet, I wouldn’t have to be connected, so therefor my survival, and gardening library would also be on my tablet.
Mentioning gardening, I just moved to a place where I can set up a balcony garden, and plan on buying one of the survival vaults of seeds, as well as certain other seeds for foods I like, as well as some that I can just quick grow for sprouts. In a bug out situation, the sprouts would be a good choice but the other seeds would be for when I get to a more permanent spot, even if only enough to a couple months of growth.
I also always carry at least one, if not more, bandannas, and have winter gloves, as well as a single glove with the finger tips open (lost the other one), both of these I carry because I learned uses for them when I worked as a pizza and Chinese food delivery driver, and in restaurant kitchens.
The last thing I would try to carry is my camera and camera mono-pod. I have used the mono-pod as a walking stick, and it expands from 2 ft to almost 8 ft, and can be use to knock things over, or out of a tree. or off a roof. The camera is digital, with video mode, so I can use it on the mono-pod to see over and around walls and check if it is safe to travel on without attracting attention.
I can’t think of a thing to add. It is pretty near perfect!
I would add my personal meds, a folding saw, handun with ammo, and a snare for small game.
I would add a water bottle, a tarp, and my meds.
I would add my prescriptions, and my firearm and ammo. Since I have not set up a BOB yet, I don’t know what else would be nice to have. The list of what is included looks pretty comprehensive.
Prescription meds, of course. A little OTC medicine pack. Toilet paper. Deck of cards.
This really is a terrific kit. Items I would add to the Tactical Traveler Bug Out Bag: A small, essential oil kit including: oregano, lavender, clove, thyme (for antiseptic properties): tinctures of oil of oregano, olive leaf, astragals root, etc. for building the immune system while under stress; personal care products – toilet paper, personal bath wipes, hand sanitizer. Small bills (currency), extra duct tape, cotton balls coated with Vaseline, pepper spray (bear defense type), Panda licorice and a couple of good paperback books.
I’d weigh the pack to keep the total added weight under and additional 10 pounds.
I would add a few personal care/hygiene items (ie; toothbrush, wet wipes, t-paper) and of course my weapon and ammo
I would add my mini burner, two 20 oz bottles of fuel, either my spax or fast hawk, and of course handgun and ammo
I would add a neck gaiter