It's not a purse, It's a "Survival Attache"

For years I was always saying, "If I could carry a purse I would". So why not? A messenger bag is perfectly acceptable nowadays as long as you're prepared for the occasional ribbing in the shop over it. I finally decided that I needed a bag about six months after I got my handgun license.

Now obviously my carry is on my person at all times, but reloads can be stored in my bag quite nicely. This combined with having a bottle of water on hand makes it a necessity for me now. Having all this extra room to carry things has made me feel way more at ease in almost any situation. Simply having pain killers and Benadryl on me puts my mind at ease, being that I have a bad ankle and a mushroom allergy.

The specifics of the kit are really up to you. The way I thought about it was as if I would be stuck in a room with no food or water for 24 hours. What medications might I need? How much water can I conceivably carry before it becomes a hindrance to daily activities? How bored would I get? Everybody has different needs in these areas so I won't get too specific on my kit, just a general picture.

First and foremost is water. As I mentioned in a previous post I love my Platypus flexible bottle. Holds one liter and weighs almost nothing. For food all I generally carry is a bag of peanuts and a small Ziploc of quinoa. I try to have a granola bar for some carbs but I tend to eat them fairly regularly so they're not a constant. A multi-tool, Mini Maglite and my survival bandanna can all be quite handy as well. Ammo is a big one for me in my selection of this bag. It has five pockets for handgun magazines and three for my rifle. (I don"t carry ammo for my rifle normally, and usually only have two magazines with me) My handgun light and pepper spray round out the self defense stuff.  My survival tin is also included. (Detailed in a previous post) For non-essential stuff I carry a journal, (for blog ideas mostly) my iPod, and charger. Various pens, a usb for my phone, and lip balm.