Slings / Shoulder / Waist Packs

This is everyday carry, the preparedness that actually rides with you instead of waiting at home. Most emergencies find people away from their gear, at work, in the car, out running errands, and the bag by the door does nothing then. A sling or waist pack is small enough to have on you every day, which is the entire point: the best kit is the one you're actually wearing when something happens.

Keep it honest about size. This is the short list, the things that matter in the first minutes and hours: a light, a blade, a way to treat a wound, water, a means to charge a phone. It should read as an ordinary bag, draw no attention, and sit comfortably enough that you don't leave it behind. What it lacks in capacity it makes up in the one way that counts, which is being present.