This landed in comments and became a self-fulfilling prophecy:

Got a question that might turn into an easy post for you.

So you have the good ole ‘Bag ‘O Tricks’. It probably has some flavor of a 9mm sub gun, some expensive electronics, an a fat wad of 20’s. No need to confirm or deny these things. The point is that the cumulative value of this sort of bag is kinda pricey and it probably has a gun or two in it.

Does this spendy bag go with you every time you leave the house or just sometimes? When you go into places does it stay in the truck? Get secured somehow?

How do you balance risk of this pricy kit (not to mention potentially arming a criminal) with access for your personal use?

I ask because I am directly pondering these questions for my own life. Thanks in advance and happy Friday!

– Ryan

Here’s a fairly recent link to the Bag Of Tricks ™.

So, lets address the questions that Friend Of The Blog, Ryan, asked.

It probably has some flavor of a 9mm sub gun, some expensive electronics, an a fat wad of 20’s.

One of my older Glock 19’s is in there in a UM84 holster along with a couple spare mags. There’s a small AM/FM radio in there as well as my ICOM R6. Interestingly, I do not keep a large amont of cash in the bag, although I probably should. I usually just carry a couple hundred bucks on me at any give time just in case I get mugged, decide I want another P95, and reach a deal with the mugger.

Does this spendy bag go with you every time you leave the house or just sometimes?

Spendy is pretty relative. When I was a starving college kid in my twenties, everything was spendy. Nowadays…different story. The practical cash value of the bag and all it’s contents is probably  about a grand. That’s not an inconsequential amount, but its stuff that I’ve been carrying around for almost twenty years…so, basically, that bag and it’s contents have cost me one dollar a week since I bought it…and as time goes by, that average goes lower. I’d be pissed if I lost it or someone stole it, sure…but it’s monetary value, to me, isn’t enough to keep me from doing what I do with it.

It doesnt leave with me everytime I leave the house but it does go with me to work every day. And on out-of-town road trips. But for when I’m heading over to CostCo on the weekend or going to pick up my mail at the PO? Nope. Unless….there’s some ‘heightened concern’ going on. I usually leave it in the truck behind the seat and I’ve never worried about it there.

I ask because I am directly pondering these questions for my own life.

It’s subjective, man. Just like the stuff that you put and carry in your bag, your reasons and motivations will be unique to you. Only you can decide why you’re putting together such a bag and how you’ll use it…which will determine the value of what you put in there.

My BOT isn’t a ‘get home’ bag or anything like that. It’s simply stuff I want to have around when I’m away from my house and that will give me advantages in a crisis. It’s basically a giant nylon Swiss Army Knife with shoulder straps. Whats in it? Geeze, thats a list but here’s some of it: FAK, TQ, ICOM R6, AM/FM radio, knives, TacTool, Glock, mags, holster, flashlights, spare batteries, ration bar, water filter, handcuffs, zip ties, writing equipment, hand sanitizer, matches, lighter, water bottle, multitool, paracord, etc, etc. MacGyver could build an aircraft carrier with all the stuff I have in there.

What gets used the most? FAK and flashlights. Never used? TQ and Glock. Some stuff changes out as the seasons change…like my Winter Module which is gloves, hat, mitts, etc. But just because I haven’t had to use something yet doesn’t mean that its not worth taking along. I try not to go overboard on what I throw in there, but I do want things that will give me ‘an unfair advantage’ in a crisis.

So there you have it…it doesn’t go everywhere, but it does go to work with me everyday. Interestingly, I’ve almost never had anyone at work ask me about it. I think they just assume that its got a laptop and other junk in there.