Man, this bag is really heavy!

How heavy should my Jump Bag be?

This is one of those questions that can start a flame war on a forum or post thread.  Some folks will tell you that it should be about 10% of your body weight, and some will go as far as about 20%.  That can be a lot of weight, especially if you're not really someone who is used to lugging around a heavy bag.  There are a few folks that tell you if it's more than 10 pounds you have too much stuff!  You get the idea.

I wouldn't recommend carrying more that 20% of your body weight even if you're in the shape to do it.  That's just not how you want to treat yourself.  Trust me, I was in the infantry, we routinely carried more than 20% of our body weight and it was not on my list of Fun Things To Do.  You do need to consider what you will need, and then once you think you know, find out how much it weighs and go from there.

What is all this stuff for?

Before you try and figure out how much you should carry you should try and wrap your head around what you're going to be doing.  If you don't have mad bush craft skills, then you should probably avoid gear that requires it.  If you are an urban dweller and are certain you're not leaving the confines of the asphalt jungle, then don't pack an inflatable kayak.

The basics are shelter, water, food.  So you could have a bag with a poncho (which can be used as a rudimentary shelter), a water bottle, and a pile of Cliff Bars.  It's bare bones, and not ideal, but if it's all you can grab (you should already be packed!) then it would cover the basics in a pinch.  If you're only going to be jumping to the next town, and you're going to be driving, this might cover you and it's probably under ten pounds.


As you add complexity, you add weight.  I already mentioned the use to weight ratio I try to look at when I pick items for the Jump Bag.  Things that serve more than one purpose are always better, but sometimes a thing is only good for one thing. 

Skills play a large role in what you will carry, especially if you're looking for a Jump Bag that will help you survive for several days.  They say that the more skills you have the less gear you need.  And I think this is a fairly accurate statement.

We started out talking about weight though, so let's get back to that.  Assuming that you are thinking of your Jump Bag as a 3 day survival kit, like many experts suggest, then you need to consider that part of your weight is made up of consumables.  Water and food tend to be the first things that come to mind here.  You consume them and they are gone.  That's less weight, and this will probably be good since you're very likely to have been traveling and getting a bit worn down so less weight will be good.

If you try and carry three days of water, assuming a gallon a day per person, you're already carrying 25 pounds (not counting the containers).  So chances are you'll have less, which means you should have some way to filter and purify water you find on the road. 

Three days of food, if you're not picky or suffer from any food sensitivity, might not be hard.  Freeze dried food is lights, compact, and surprisingly tasty.  But you need hot water (well, water might be fine even if it's not hot but...) which means a way to heat water.  And something to heat it in.  And something to eat the food with (a spork is a good option, who knows where your hands have been!).  It's a little expensive, but you might only need a few of them to cover you.

Canned food, it's heavy but you might not need to heat it.  Although, cold canned ravioli is probably not as good as...no, even hot I can't imagine it's all that good.  Did I bring a can opener?

 Ramen noodles are not food, according to my wife.  But in a situation where I need my Jump Bag, they fit the bill.  You can carry a lot of ramen in a small space.  Crush them down into noodle bits and pack them into a zip lock bag.  You can even eat them raw, if you are one of those people that only eats because if you don't you'll die.  In a survival situation though, everyone should have that mind set.

Stay warm, or cool, or out of the weather.  Shelter might be, as I said, a poncho.  You might find a natural shelter, like an abandoned house (those aren't natural shelters?)  or a rock overhang.  So shelter could be zero weight all the way up to a tent. 

What was the question again?

So we've said a lot, but haven't really told you anything.  How much should you carry?  As much as you can get away with, everything you'll need, no more than you can carry, nothing. 

Cover the basics.  Know your limitations.  Be resourceful.  Practice carrying weight until you know how much you can carry without hurting yourself.  And we haven't even talked about the actual bag yet. 

What's your experience/opinion?  How heavy do you think the Jump Bag should be?  What are the top three things you can't imagine not having in your Jump Bag?