Was just looking to do the same thing, (reducing weight in my EDC/GHB-It's hard not ot over pack "comfort items".) so I thought I would come on here and see how someone else approached it. Picked you first, and your video was right on time!! I may add just a few more items like a bit of a med kit and my Katadyn water purifier cause I have a little further to go to get home from work, (25 miles) and I am up in the mountains of the Northeast. Trekking is a bit different than on the plains. Plus, I am a bit of a water hog, I just need a lot of it to maintain. Have a base "Grayman" pack like yours for the towns, but I also carry a custom made MARPAT camo waterproof cover I made for it for when I hit the woods to switch it over if I need to. Great video, great ideas. I subbed and will check out some more of your vids. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your new kit with us. I understand that you have considered getting home from work. Is there anywhere else that you may go that might be further than 15 miles from home? For instance... my wife and I both work about 10 minutes by car to the places we work (we are very fortunate in this). However, I am a leader in my church which is 40 minutes away from home, and I am there at least 3 times per week. As well, we have friends that we often visit that live an hour away by car, shopping malls that are about 30 minutes by car, and two adult children with homes about two hours away by car. I have to plan then to have a get home kit that will get me from my children's homes (110 miles away) or somewhere in between their homes and ours. My kit is understandably a bit bigger than yours!
Some (U)LW considerations that I use. Reflectix house insulation (HD double mylar [say space blanket] with air bubbles). 2x50 ft cut down and duct taped together for 8x12 1/4 tarp. No weight. Multi-multi-uses. Tri-fold and roll up and horseshoe around ruck. Can use as rain poncho, full body gaiters, air bubble sleeping pad (can turn into a waterproof cocooned sleeping bag-bivvy or emergency shelter). Can become anything needed as a hammock, pup tent, tarp, flying tarp, ditch/culvert tarp cover. Becomes a backwall heat reflector and wind shield for a camp fire. Reflectix becomes body and ruck shawl as well. Minimal ounces. Two garbage bags cut into tube tent, can overwrap reflectix for a tube tent-bivvy-sleeping bag. Also duff-filled for duff sleeping mattress, or crawl inside bags with duff for duff-filled sleeping bag bivvy. With another set of folded/rolled 2-4 mil 12x12 clear plastic sheeting can make a supershelter (with reflectix). Same options for plastic sheeting as mylar. With tea candle or other candle, can use as a heated emergency shelter (Taro Swiss Bushcraft space blanket and tea candle was able to get 65F in Swiss Alps. With this insulation you can have a tropical tipi! Minimal ounces each. Just started using Starbucks Travellor 3 quart, 1.5 gallon HD mylar coffee bag for carrying screw cap water, or loose food (grains). Unscrew cap, pour out needed drink or food volume, screw cap back on. Flexible, moldable, durable (can drop full water 4 feet no bursting). Can use near fire and heat up water. Leak-proof hot water bottle for sleeping bag, hammock, shelter, etc. Bear hang bag, or can toss into pond/lake/stream for refrigerated foods/water (definitely a water-hidden bear bag). Big warm water for campfire heated shower water (vs solar heated plastic bag). Other food bag can hold entire volume of hot chocolate, oatmeal (sugar et al prep-prepped), easy cook peas, lentils. Hot water bottle for sleeping, but also hot water body bottle (stuffed into clothing for superb flexible, moldable heating item), and also hot water lap bottle when sitting down and placed between legs/on legs/hand warmer. Can also be hot water bottle for cold feet. No weight, except water/food. 1600s era British wick. Navy cotton dreadlock mop. Cut off dreadlock strand 8". Find same diameter copper/aluminum tubing 5". Saturate wick with gun/knife sharpening oil/WD40. Thread wick through tubing. Pull out end, fluff up, spark or flame, and have big flame, night light, firemaker, emergency shelter (above) heater. When done, pull back inside, snuff out. No weight. Dollar Store plastic shower cap (2). One for head covering (rain, wind, snow) and one to put over boonie/baseball cap etc. Both keep head dry/warm, and hat dry. Excellent for keeping head heat when sleeping. No weight. Bug out bag, ... hard candies, non-melting caramel chews, salt water taffy, chocolate bars - energy and comfort foods. Lightweight fabric gloves, anti-bugs, sunshading, keep hands dry/warm. 4x4 FLEECE not cotton shemaugh (aka water filter, dry/wet dust mask). Duff fill for warm sleeping pillow, or soft sitting pad. Shemaugh for sun/wind/rain/snow or head wrap anti-bugs (walking/sleeping).
If you have two 3 inch metal O rings vs those other smaller rings, you can make a tripod shelter (and cooking tripod) with these O rings, that can also be used for ridgeline purposes. Check YT Survival Russia, Lars carrying stretch wrap, and making (!) a stretch wrap tipi super shelter. Super item.
Forgot. Painters white tyvek zipper suit with hoodie and elastic wrist/ankle cuffs. Total body/head covering for anti-bug/-rain/-snow/-wind/-cold poncho, sleeping outfit. No poncho, no gaiters, no real need of tarp, ... breathable but will definitely keep heat in. Can wear at waist for gaiters, or full suit and sleeping (anti-mosquito) suit (0.1-0.4 micron pores). Could potentially wade in swamp water and remain "nearly" dry (zipper, ankles, wrist cuff issues). Minimal ounces.
Good decision on the poncho. Great kit, sensible approach, not over done like so many. But, no Candlepower? I'd add a flashlight. Also some snack bars, some wipes/TP, a boo-boo kit, and a Swiss Army Knife (less weight than other mutlitools). Your logical approach kept you from many typical mistakes I see in these kinds of kits.
