Survival Blog: 24 Hour Survival System (Decision Series)
Tested by and blog post created by Nick Gaines, LSDS survival expert & Decision Series lead
There are many philosophies surrounding Survival Techniques and Equipment. I feel like an understanding of the one behind what we do here at LSDS can help clarify some questions commonly asked us by our clients. Firstly, are we selling a bag? Technically no because you can buy any of the gear we have on your own. We are selling a skill-set and the ability to transfer that knowledge to you. Our first presentation of that knowledge is the consolidated research and testing that goes into the bags we have selected. There are plenty of “Go Bags” out there and lines of equipment that we most certainly know the expert survivalist advertising them would never bet their life on if given the choice. They often cost half the price of the gear we offer. I have seen many cheaply made, unreliable items placed amid decent gear in commercially available bags to cut costs. I personally find this irresponsible and a safety hazard. I cannot in good conscience send you off with a piece of gear that I do not trust. That doesn’t mean I can’t improvise almost any item for my use. What you are paying for is experience, reliability, peer reviews, and something you can bet your life on. That is not where I want bargain pricing or a hot deal. I want dependable, reliable, functional and consistent.
How are we selecting the items that we outfit our clients with? What are the differences between the 24 Hour and 72 Hour bags and the mindset that we had behind building both. We have an article on the details and testing of the 72-hour bag already up on the LSDS Blog so I will not repeat myself ad nauseum, except to articulate this; the 72-hour bag is for hard use, period. It’s a top loader with no pockets or zippers and is a thick PVC dry bag. It can literally be used as a legitimate flotation device. Its contents reflect the same methodology and the testing process was equally as harsh as the bag itself.
The 24-hour bag is for every day use. We took a bag specifically designed to blend in to an urban environment. We want you to carry this every day. The items in the bag are extremely hard use but are lighter, smaller and fit in a small dry bag that fits inside the 24-hour bag allowing separation from your survival gear and your every day items. The bag has a padded compartment for a laptop, organized pockets for everyday items, a concealed carry pocket and it is large enough to put your gym clothes in etc.
So, lets break this Urban to Rural 24-hour survival bag down for you. I have a link here to a 17-minute video made in the swamps of East Texas. Temperatures were 100 plus degrees Fahrenheit, we had been hiking for hours and believe me when I tell you this is a truly harsh environment. The area is riddled with venomous snakes, wild boar, alligators and countless other objective hazards. You can see the sweat dripping, the imperfect lighting and even the physical exhaustion in my face during the video. We did this in one take and after hours of hiking because I don’t find a test or video of a perfectly well rested human in a controlled environment incredibly compelling. My guarantee to you is a real and raw take on what I personally use in the backcountry. We have decades of experience doing this but truly believe constant practice and pushing of limitations provides the necessary relevance of skill and equipment. So, without further ado follow the link to my item by item rundown of the bag. Filmed by Freedom Defense Labs.
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