Packing for Function Instead of Fear

When people start building a survival kit, bug out bag, go bag, or bushcraft kit, something strange often happens. Instead of packing for skills and real needs, they pack for their fears.

Fear is powerful. It makes us imagine worst-case scenarios instead of likely ones. And when fear drives the build, kits get heavy, cluttered, and hard to use.

One common example is too much food. Folks will pack days and days of freeze-dried meals, protein bars, and snacks—far more than they could realistically carry or cook. Food matters, but without water, shelter, and the ability to make fire, all that food becomes dead weight. A lighter kit paired with knowledge of foraging, rationing, and simple cooking goes much farther than a bag stuffed with calories.

Save time, just pack blood pressure meds and extra toilet paper!

Another area fear shows up is defensive tools. It’s not uncommon to see bags packed with multiple firearms, extra ammunition, pepper spray, mace, and other self-defense items—all for a short hike, a class, or a realistic evacuation scenario. Defense is important, but overdoing it creates legal, safety, and weight issues. Most outdoor situations don’t call for a full arsenal. Awareness, good planning, and smart movement solve more problems than extra weapons ever will.

These tools are perfectly okay to own, and perfectly okay to pack... Just not in every situation.

Then there are excessive lighting devices. Headlamps, handheld flashlights, lanterns, backups for backups—sometimes half a kit is dedicated to light. Light is useful, but you only need a few reliable options. Skills like fire-making, night movement, and camp layout reduce the need to light up everything like a stadium.

Fear also makes us pack gadgets we don’t know how to use. If you haven’t trained with it, practiced with it, or tested it, it probably doesn’t belong in your kit yet.

A good kit is built around function, not fear. It supports your skills. It matches your environment. It reflects realistic situations—not internet nightmares.

When you build your kit, ask yourself a simple question: “Am I packing this because I need it… or because I’m afraid?”

Cut the fluff. Build lighter. Train more. Knowledge weighs nothing—but fear can weigh you down fast.