Housekeeping
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The post
Today is the second Friday of the month. Which means it’s time for Gear Not Stuff.
The concept for Gear Not Stuff is simple.
We live in a world of mass consumerism and have more stuff than ever. As I explained in my book Scarcity Brain, the average home contains 10,000 to 50,000 items.
If we want a new thing, we no longer have the pause of traveling to a store—we can buy it right from our computer, phone, TV, or even yell to Alexa.
We own too much, and curious forces are now leading us to acquire even more stuff …
Consider: Online retailers stole tactics from casinos, leading us to buy more faster. They leverage what’s called The Scarcity Loop. It’s worked on you if you’ve ever bought some crap and immediately regretted buying said crap. More on that here.
When we get overwhelmed by how much we own, we often seek minimalism.
But minimalism has failed us (you'll know this if you read Scarcity Brain). Luckily, I found a smarter way we can get more from less.
In thinking about how we can make smarter purchasing decisions, I’ve begun delineating between gear and stuff.
Stuff is a possession for the sake of it. Stuff adds to a collection of (too many) items. We often buy stuff impulsively to fix boredom or stress or to solve a problem we could figure out creatively with something we already have.
Gear, on the other hand, has a clear purpose of helping us achieve a higher purpose. Gear is a tool we can use to have better experiences that make us healthier and give our lives meaning.
Enter Gear Not Stuff, A monthly column featuring the best gear for different scenarios.
This month’s Gear Not Stuff: Don’t Die Gear
My job takes me into some, let’s say, “interesting” places.
In some of these locations, it’s the combination of nature and remoteness that’ll kill you. For example, the middle of the Bolivian jungle or Arctic.
In other places, it’s the people. For example, conflict zones like Iraq and other kinetic countries.
In both scenarios, the gear you carry can save your life. It determines whether you get home in the plane’s cabin in seat 27C or its cargo belly in a body bag.
The Don’t Die Event is coming up on November 2nd and 3rd. In it, we go extensively into the gear you should keep at home, in your car, and take with you while traveling (even in the places you think are safe), and far, far more.
We show you the gear matters and give you a lot of it for free in a killer GORUCK Don’t Die bag.
Today we’re covering a sampling of the items that’ll help you not die. The full dive is reserved for the event.
Let's roll ...
1. Nondescript pack
That is to say, a pack that fits all your gear but doesn’t stand out.
The most important point is that the pack shouldn’t look “military-ish” or too flashy. I.e., no MOLLE webbing across the front. No Louis Vuitton.
Get one that contains a few pockets to conceal important items like a GPS unit, burner phone, cash, etc.
Two Percent pick: When I go to unfriendly places, I use a GORUCK Heritage GR1 or Bullet. The bag is bombproof but generic and the top pocket is great for concealment (as shown in the video … just cut the zipper pull!).
2. Emergency kit
I won’t review all the odds and ends of a full emergency kit. Here are three necessities that many people overlook.
They can help you survive bleeding from car accidents, gashes, falls, and more. I keep these three items in my car when I’m not traveling. I’ve heard stories of people whose lives were saved or who saved someone else’s life because they had these items in a glovebox.
