EDC...INCH...BOB...Do You Really Need All of These Bags?

Preppers tend to like bags.  They also tend to like stuff...knife stuff, gun stuff, survival gear stuff...  In an effort to be prepared for anything, you will note many preppers want to have bags for all occasions.  Of course you need your EDC (everyday carry) bag, and it is always prudent to have a BOB (bug out bag), then there is the INCH (I'm Never Coming Home) bag.  Add to that a daypack for day hikes and a backpack for hikes of longer duration and you will find yourself with all sorts of bags and all sorts of duplication.

According to the Navy SEALs, "two is one and one is none" thus the need for redundancy.  In my book (granted my book pertains to the US and many other first-world countries not the countryside of Afghanistan), if I am carrying two of the same thing I have one thing too many.  I am a fan of ultralight backpacking, ultralight travel, and one-bag carry-ons, mostly because I have to schlep everything I am carrying myself and these old bones aren't getting any younger and I am way past the desire to carry a 60 pound pack.

As for packs, I have everything from a three-liter running vest to a 55l backpack and several sizes in between.  As for stuff to put into these packs, I don't like redundancy of items (I do like items that have multiple uses, however).  I don't want to have to change the batteries every six months in five different flashlights.  I don't want to have to rotate food out of several different bags every few months.  This means that instead of having several different packed bags, I have several bags and several single-purpose interchangeable component bags.

Here's how my gear closet looks:

• Pick a bag: running vest, messenger bag, daypack, 30 l daypack for travel, 55 l backpack for a long-distance backpacking trip or bug out situation. 
• Put all of my EDC stuff in the bag (this stuff is carried whether I am going out for a run or a day hike or hopping on a plane to go on vacation).  
• Pick appropriate shoes, clothes and outerwear to wear (like things are stacked together--running socks and clothes, backpacking clothes, travel clothes, formal clothes, etc).  Put additional clothes or shoes in large ziploc bags and add them to the bag if this will be a multi-day trip.
• Pick appropriate components: tech bag, outdoor survival kit, toiletries kit, international travel kit, office kit, first aid kit, backpacking gear (tent/stove/sleeping bag/etc)
• Hit up the safe for: cash, firearm/holster/ammo
• Run by the pantry for: water, food (grab-and-go food for running and backpacking has its own section in the pantry) 

With this system I can literally be packed and out of the house in less than 10 minutes whether I am heading out to a meeting or leaving for a 10-day backpacking trip.  The items in my gear closet have been reviewed and refined over the year, and every so often I take my supplies list and make sure I have everything on the list and/or change the list if needed (this is also the time to change batteries in the flashlight, sharpen the knife blade, change batteries in the radio, etc).  

One of the most important aspects of this system is to replace anything that has been used as soon as I get home so everything is ready to go for the next trip and I don't have to wonder if I am missing a toiletry kit item or used all of the moleskin in the first aid kit on my last run.

BOB...EDC...INCH?

I'm assuming you have a BOB (Bug Out Bag) and I'm pretty sure you have an EDC (Every Day Carry bag) but do you have an INCH?  Apparently this term has been around for a while but it is new to me.  An INCH bag, otherwise known as an I'm Never Coming Home bag, has as its contents...you guessed it...items that you would need if you were never coming home again.

A bit of Googling shows that some people think of this bag as a minimalist set up while others think it should contain everything including the kitchen sink.  I think it should be something in between.

Your EDC bag should include everything you would need during a typical day out: daypack, wallet, keys, cell phone, keys, bottle of water, couple of granola bars, sunglasses, firearm if you choose to carry, spare magazine, etc.

Your BOB should included everything in your EDC plus the things you would need to "bug out" or leave your residence for days, up to weeks at a time, due to a local natural disaster, a family member in a far away trauma center, a mandatory evacuation due to police action or a chemical spill, etc.  The items in this bag should be a simplified version of an overnight bag (change of clothes, toiletries, laptop, etc) along with enough gear to see you to survival for several days on your own (food, water, shelter materials, cooking materials, water purification tabs, etc).

Now the INCH bag, which would include everything you would need if you could NEVER come home again, really doesn't need to contain that much stuff.  When we sold our house and nearly everything in it some years back in order to travel for a couple years, I realized that you really don't need that much stuff to survive, no matter where you are.

If you could never come back to your home, what would you REALLY need?  Aside from the basics (your EDC stuff and BOB stuff), the only other necessities that you would need would include: cash, credit cards, jewelry and small valuables, your important documents (passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, Will, etc), and a back up of your computer files.  You really don't NEED 90% of the stuff in your house.  Most everything you own is easily replaceable.  You need to determine what isn't replaceable and then figure out what you would do if you need to leave immediately and forever.  Pictures, letters, and other documents are easy.  Scan them into your computer and keep a back up of this file.  On the other hand, great Aunt Edna's 500 pound china hutch will probably be left behind no matter how sentimental it is.

Contrary to some "INCH" lists, you really don't need to carry every tool known to man.  I'd rather carry the basics and scavenge anything else I need before I would carry a couple hundred pounds of gear.  I prefer to travel fast, light, and efficiently, with as little material stuff as possible.