A packing list for Indigenous resistance camps

By Sakej Ward

I have just had a request to put up a packing list for activists going to Indigenous resistance camps. I have a general purpose Load out List. Its a lot of items but start acquiring your gear in the order of Personal Items first, Load Bearing Vest, Operational Rucksack (A-bag) then Sustainment bag (B-bag). Every camp would have its own specific requirements but here is a Load Out for activists.

Activist Load Out Packing list

Personal Items (Always on your person)
1. Watch
2. Phone – with a cloaking bag
3. Boots
4. Belt
5. Small LED light with tactical pouch or on 550 cord braided key chain
6. Leatherman Super 300/core/wave with tactical pouch
7. Small pad of paper and pen

Load Bearing Vest (LBV) – This is your Life Support System in the bush. Always wear it at camp.
8. Web belt or riggers belt
9. Canteen with pouch and canteen cup and a bottle of water-purification tablets
10. Butt pack
11. 6”x10” General Purpose pouch for survival items – 3 mil Contractor bag, Emergency blanket, lighter with 1” wide 4’ to 6’ long strip of bicycle tire tube wrapped around it, Swiss Fire steel and Wet Fire tinder – replace handle with tape, 30’ of duct or gorilla tape wrapped on old business card, lexan spork, 3 rolls of snares, Soap dish (with small fishing kit, small emergency candle, button compass, pencil sharpener) wrapped in bicycle tire tube, glow stick tied to 4 feet of cord.
12. Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) pouch – CAT tourniquet, Celerox blood clotting agent, Israeli bandage, 2 super tampons, 1 pair of surgical gloves in a sandwich bag
13. K-bar knife with sharpener attached to the sheath
14. Flash light – general purpose light like a mini-mag lite or energizer hand held 2 “AA” type light or get a head lamp. Put in one of the vest pouches.
15. Small base plate style compass. Put in one of the vest pouches
16. camo stick. Put in one of the vest pouches
17. Protection (gas) mask in carrier – carry on a shoulder strap over top of LBV
Note: Keep in the buttpack – mask, pair socks in freezer bag, 1 emergency dehydrated meal, boonie hat, sliding or sabre cut saw, 50’ of 550 cord, and gloves (camouflage pair of mechanix gloves), decontamination bottle (mix Maalox and water)

Operational Rucksack (A – bag)
1. Large backpack – ex – ILBE, ALICE, or MOLLE II rucksack
2. Dry bags or two 3 Mil Contractor bags as a rucksack liner to keep all items dry
3. Military sleep system and compression sack or Cold weather sleeping bag, light sleeping bag to place in the colder one and a Bivvie bag to cover all of it. (season dependent)
4. Sleeping pad
5. 2 sets of camouflage uniforms (shirt and pants) the camo pattern should be one of these – MARPAT, Tiger Stripe, CAD PAT, ATACS Foliage, multicam, woodland or O.D. green
6. 6 pair socks in freezer bag
7. Sleep clothes (1 set)
8. 4 t-shirts
9. 4 underwear
10. Boonie hat
11. Wet weather gear – such as Gortex jacket and pants or camo frog togs type of rain suit
12. Warm gear – a) summer – fleece sweater, heavy socks (1pc) or b) winter – fleece sweater, thermal base layer – med weight, 2pair merino wool socks, toque, winter gloves, shemagh, and neck tube
15. Personal hygiene – toothbrush, toothpaste, comb or brush, razor, face cloth, towel, body and hair wash, q-tips, nail clipper, dental floss, and handy wipes.
16. Bug net or jacket – summer season
17. Military poncho (or 6’X8’ tarp) and 4 dark coloured bungii cords (24’-36’). Used as your shelter
18. Six dehydrated back up meals
19. Small folding shovel – military entrenching tool or Gerber gorge shovel or S.O.G. entrenching tool. Placed on outside of rucksack
20. Tomahawk or hatchet. Placed on outside of rucksack

Sustainment bag (B-Bag if you are going to stay more than a week)
1. Large duffle bag or aviators bag or another rucksack
2. Dry bags or 3 mil contractor bags as a bag liner to keep items dry
3. Civilian clothes – 2 sets of pants, long sleeve shirts, t-shirts
4. 1 set of Recreational clothes – t-shirt, shorts, joggers, hoodie
5. Work clothes – 1 set of durable clothing
6. Binder, paper, pens
8. Extra batteries and chargers
9. Small 1-2 person tent
10. Tarp – large enough to go over tent
11. 550 cord
12. Small folding chair – like the tripod type
13. Extra flashlight and batteries
14. Extra face cloth, towel, handy wipes and personal hygiene items
15. Extra lighter(s) and extra tinder (cotton balls covered in Vaseline)
16. Cook kit- 1 quart pot, small frying pan, small spatula, small ladle, steel wool, small bottle of dish soap, small stove is optional
17. Small tent repair kit
18. 100’ of 550 cord
19. Roll of dark color duct tape/gorilla tape
20. Small bottle of crazy glue/gorilla glue
21. Book for leisure reading
22. Deck of cards

Remember, this is just a general purpose list. The camp you go to may have more specific needs (such as improvised armor from non-lethal weapons) so either check ahead or anticipate what you may need there.
Train with your gear so you know how to use it under stress and in the dark, especially the 1st aid gear.
Its a lot of gear but the more you have the greater your level of self sufficiency (less of a burden on the camp logistics) and operational independence.

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