What is a "Possibles Bag," and Should You Make One?

Before getting into the tantalizing question of the title, I should cover some background information.

First, if you've followed my account for any length of time, you've probably noticed I have an interest in history. Not just the order of events in the past, but the evolution of ideas in technology, politics, philosophy, and economics influencing (or influenced by) those events.

Second, I'm also interested in how things are made. It's convenient to buy things off the shelf, but having something bespoke is often better. I want to encourage my readers to modify things. Learning new skills and old cultural traditions can broaden your horizons or connect you with your ancestry. Building your skill set also makes you a more capable and confident person.

Finally, third, I advocate for emergency preparedness. You are your own first responder when disaster strikes, whether the cause is natural or man-made. Take a CPR course and build a first-aid kit. Have plans for sheltering in place, evacuation, or getting home if roads are blocked. A few years ago, I shared a Survival Kits 101 draft for a library program I led if you need a starting point.

This all adds up to the topic of the title: the "possibles bag" of the mountain men on the frontiers of North America.

Image by Kaz Carr from Pixabay

It also leads down some unexpected rabbit trails. You see, here in the Pacific Northwest where I live now, and back in the upper midwest where I grew up, there is a long history of voyageurs, fur trappers, and frontier traders. Books abound regarding this era, fiction and non-fiction alike. The "possibles bag" is a sort of small satchel or haversack containing everything such a fur trapper or explorer could possibly need, including his bullets, powder flask, tools, rations, and other essentials to survive if that were all he had on hand.

Except, maybe not. According to this source, "The Possible-pack was much larger than an individual’s ‘shoulder-bag’. It actually carried a lot of the 'possibles' or essential items but was designed to be carried on a pack horse." In other words, what many even in the reenactment world call a "possibles bag" would have been called a "hunting bag" or "bullet pouch" at the time. In the same article, the author lists typical 1850s pouch contents as follows, with some editing on my part:

1. Gun worm or ‘wiper’ for cleaning the bore of a gun.
2. Ball-Screw for extracting a ball from the gun barrel.
3. Adjustable powder measure
4. Turnscrew (screwdriver)
5. Cone wrench – removes the percussion cap cone at the breech of the musket.
6. Pistol brush – for Colt’s patented revolver
7. Pistol tool – for Colt’s patented revolver
8. Bullet mold -.530 caliber for a .54 rifle
9. Capping (priming) mechanism – attaches a percussion cap to the cone.
10. Tinder box (fire-making kit) with charred cloth and plant fiber, flint and steel
11. Patch knife (repurposed dining knife) and whetstone
12. Gunpowder flask.
13. Bullet bag & wadding.
14. Compass.
15. Pipe and tamper.

There is much more information in the original article, so take a look.

But what if we ignore history and stick with the popular parlance? In fact, we can easily consider a modern version of the idea. Do you know a woman whose purse contains almost anything you could imagine? If you have a headache, she has 3 kinds of pain reliever. If you need a safety pin, she has 2 different sizes on hand in quantity. There's a pack of chewing gum, a glasses repair kit, spare pads/tampons, band-aids, hand wipes, a roll of scotch tape, a special rock from a kid, and a booklet of family photos all easily found by the purse owner despite looking like an incomprehensible jumbled mess to anyone else. If you need it, she has it, guaranteed.

That's a possibles bag if ever there was one.

Maybe you're not that woman. Maybe you're not a woman at all. But she can still be the inspiration to be better prepared when she's not around to bail you out. For whatever reason, the fanny packs of the '90s surged back into vogue in recent years, and they can hold a lot of odds and ends. If you're a corporate worker with a briefcase or messenger bag, it may have a compartment which could be repurposed to hold some useful items, and having them on hand might help you stand out next time there's a chance to climb that corporate ladder. Maybe you have a vintage leather or canvas military surplus satchel like Indiana Jones' gas mask bag.

It might be fun to make your own by repurposing some fabric from an otherwise worn-out garment or leftovers from another project.

Or if you want to work with leather, there are all kinds of ways to make what you need.

Find what works for you! As for what to put inside it, your mileage may vary. Here are some ideas to start.

• A good multi-tool like a Leatherman or Swiss Army Knife is extremely useful.
• A Bic lighter is today's equivalent to tinder, flint, and steel.
• An Altoids tin boo-boo kit with band-aids, tweezers, antibiotic cream, and a few over-the-counter medications can cover a lot of small emergencies.
• Modern screwdrivers with a variety of interchangeable bits are nice to have on hand, as are an adjustable crescent wrench or slip-joint pliers, depending on your needs. This screwdriver is my old Craftsman with Phillips #1 and #2 bits, slotted 3/16″ and 1/4″ bits, and 1/4″ and 5/16″ nut drivers. You may prefer a model taking standard bits in a wider variety of styles.
• A deck of playing cards can turn an irritating delay into a fun passtime if you know the rules to just a few games. Alternatively, a handful of standard dice can be used to play Yacht.
• A USB drive and a spare charger cable for your phone are technology essentials today.
• Duct tape isn't an ideal repair material, but it's convenient and easy to use.
• Parachute cord, micro cord, or other cordage can serve many purposes. Have you ever broken a shoelace or needed to replace a drawstring?
• A permanent marker
• A notepad and pen/pencil makes it easy to leave notes, record ideas, etc.

Photo by me of most items listed above. Most of this aside from the screwdriver and other tools would probably fit in a small pouch only about 4x6x2" or 10x15x5cm. I'll instead be using some of this to upgrade my car kit.

This list would take up very little space. Everyone has their own specifics, but take some time to note what you wish you had on hand in the last few months and plan to have it on hand from now on. What might you need to fix, what do you need to have as a spare backup, and what would you need to entertain or care for yourself, or your kids? Most of it might be stuff you already have, and buying the rest shouldn't be a huge expense.

This might not even need to be something you carry with you. It can sit quietly in your car trunk, an office desk drawer, a corner of your toolbox, or wherever it will be close to hand when you need it. It's also easy to grab and take along if you're on the go. Emergency preparedness doesn't have to look like a stereotypical survivalist caricature, and it means making sure your specific needs are met when your likeliest worst-case-scenarios or routine inconveniences rear their ugly heads. Give it some thought and plan to have a better tomorrow even if things don't go as expected!

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