By: Frank Borelli, 25 March 2005

I've read numerous articles in the past about what a cop should carry in his "fanny pack". I've read online forum board discussions about what cops carry off-duty and what they should carry off-duty. I've written two articles about inventorying your equipment: one aimed at cops, and one aimed at soldiers. Now I take on the task of trying to figure out what civilians should carry under varying circumstances. I've considered this at some length and have come to the conclusion that only emergency circumstances would justify the immediate need to have a bag of equipment and/or supplies ready to go. Most often, in my past, I've applied familiar emergency circumstances to that need: a call-out to go serve a warrant; a hurricane that has unexpectedly changed course and is headed toward home; the sound of glass breaking at night that needs immediate investigation. Then it hit me: two of those very situations can be applied to anyone. Within the past few months I can point out weather conditions that caused emergency evacuations: mudslides in California and wild fires in Arizona. So, with that said, let's get down to it: What should you have packed, ready to go, in what kind of bag, duffle or backpack under various conditions?

I've come up with three different types of bags that I feel meet most requirements. The first two, Immediate Response and Bug Out, are probably the most necessary and common across the United States - and in a whole lot of other places. The third one - a Battle Bag - is (unfortunately) probably not a bad idea in some places in the United States; would be common for cops on call; and would be a good idea for those who can afford it in the, ah, more public-safety-challenged countries of the world.

I will recommend contents for those three types of bags, and give brief justifications for why I make those recommendations.

The Immediate Response Bag
The Bugout Bag
The Battle Bag