The Original Civilian Jim Wagner Go Bag
Jim Wagner
Criminals, terrorists, and nature itself have declared war on you! Are you prepared to survive any one of them? Will you have what you need if there is a terrorist chemical attack on the public transportation you are riding on? What about an office massacre, do you have a life-saving tourniquet to apply to an arm or leg to stop the arterial bleeding? Do your children have what they need after a school shooting? Now you can, with my Jim Wagner Go Bag. “What’s a Go Bag?” you ask. For decades tactical people (such as police officers, military personnel, and civilian contractors in conflict environments around the world) have always had a Go Bag ready to grab at a moment’s notice; also sometimes referred to as a “Bug Out Bag.” What’s inside a Go Bag is determined by the mission, but essentially a Go Bag is a punishment resistant bag that is thrown over a shoulder that contains mission essential gear. For tactical operators it is usually packed with extra ammunition for their weapons, medical supplies, an extra flashlight, batteries, and other items that can be grabbed and taken quickly. When I was a police officer I had a Go Bag in my patrol car. When I was a US Air Marshal my carry-on bag was my Go Bag. When I was the Team Leader for a military Special Response Team I had a Go Bag ready to grab if the base was under attack. However, none of them met all my needs, and they were not always very “ergonomic,” and so I designed my own. Now, for the first time ever there is a Go Bag specifically for civilians – you. You too can “think tactically” just like the professionals.
|
The Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection system teaches you how to survive criminal and terrorist attacks, and the Jim Wagner Go Bag provides you with a quick access bag that you can get to your life saving “mission essential” gear during a conflict or post-conflict.
As I mentioned, I was a police officer, diplomatic bodyguard, counterterrorist, and soldier, and I always has always had a tactical Go Bag within reach, but for civilian life I needed one that would not draw attention, be functional, highly efficient, go anywhere with me, but none on the market were suitable. First of all the other Go Bags all looked “too tactical,” which means they don’t allow you to be the “gray man” in a crowd. In other words, if you look “tactical” professionals and the bad guys alike are going to take notice of you. Second, Go Bags of the past did not have all of the features I needed. Therefore, I designed the ultimate Go Bag for myself, just like I had designed the ultimate tactical folder knife manufactured by Boker years earlier, and now it is sold all over the world. The Jim Wagner Go Bag is literally going everywhere in the world by many like-minded people who want to be ready for the small emergencies and the big ones.
|
The great thing about The Original Jim Wagner Go Bag is that I designed it specifically to fit under an economy class passenger aircraft seat, which means it will also fit under a bus seat or under a train seat. I then take the strap, bring it up, and then tuck it into the back seat pocket so in an emergency I can grab the strap, pull it out quickly, put it on, and then I can go mobile. The side profile of the Go Bag is very slim, which means it can “transitioned to the back” (a tactical term for a slinged weapon rotated to the back) or hidden under a coat, because maybe you don’t want the flight attendant to tell you to take it off as you are about to go down the emergency slide. After all, you’re going to need your supplies with you.
Specifications
On the outside the Jim Wagner Go Bag doesn’t look like anything special, and that’s the point. It’s what is on the inside that makes it the ultimate civilian “tactical” bag for natural or man-made disasters. Plus, it currently has several features that are my original ideas not seen on any other bags of its genre. Starting from the top of the bag to the bottom let me share with you the specifications.
Shoulder Strap Tourniquet
Although I recommend that a tourniquet be kept in your Jim Wagner Go Bag the shoulder strap can be detached at both ends and each end can be locked together making it a loop. The loop can be slipped over the injured arm or leg and then the red tab is pulled tight. Next, a tactical pen is taken from one of the two Tactical Pen Pockets and twisted using it as a tourniquet windless. You have just made a tourniquet in mere seconds. The strap can also be extended and looped under the armpits of a victim and used as a Rapid Extraction Strap. You can even use this strap as a belt or to carry things. The Shoulder Strap Tourniquet is my original idea.
|
MOLLE Webbing & D-Rings
At the base of the straps, heavily sewn to the bag, are two MOLLE (pronounced like the female name Molly), which is an acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment used by a number of NATO armed forces, nylon webbing that modular tactical equipment, or camping gear, can be attached to, or even a carabineer. The back-up system of a D-Ring is attached on both ends of the bag.
Tactical Pen Pockets
At the top center of the Jim Wagner Go Bag, and both sides, are Tactical Pen Pockets to hold a regular writing pen, but a sturdy metal tactical pen is recommended for use in self-defense or as a tourniquet windlass (a rigid bar that is twisted to apply pressure to a tourniquet). The two pockets are at the very top of the bag so they can reached immediately, even if you only have to use it as a pen to quickly write down something. The Tactical Pen Pocket is my original idea.
|
Document Pocket
On the back side of the Jim Wagner Go Bag, just under the Tactical Pen Pocket, is the Document Pocket that is large enough to fit European standard A4 paper, and definitely American 8.5 x 11 paper. In this pocket you can have your travel itinerary, maps, or any other documentation you want easy access to. The top is sealed with a long Velcro strip from one side to the other side.
|
Main Pocket
Most of your mission essential gear will be secure in the Main Pocket that is sealed with an industrial style zipper that is easy to pull with a pull string. Once opened you’ll find at the top a Chemical Light Stick Pocket, which is my original idea. It is a pocket made of durable clear plastic, and it is for a non-toxic and non-flammable chemical light stick. Just keep it in the pocket until you need it. If you need light for a long period of time inside the pocket, such as working in a natural disaster, then all you have to do is bend the chemical light stick while it is still in the pocket and it will be activated giving you hours of light.
The Main Pocket holds a lot of things, and here are the items that I always carry with me in this pocket:
Leather work gloves to be able to push aside or remove debris
Water filtration straw to filter contaminated water for drinking
Fluorescent orange baseball cap so it can be seen from a distance if I am stranded
Light to clip to the baseball cap
550 parachute cord that has a thousand different uses
Monkey fist to use as a weight to throw one end of the 550 parachute cord
Chemical light sticks, military grade, two for the pockets, and two spare ones
Disposable personal urinal bag
Ballistic sunglasses and carrying case
Space Emergency Blanket for cold weather conditions & improvised locator-beacon
Doorstop for hotel rooms or to keep a door open in an emergency
Disposable Magic Compressed Towel for hygiene, drying off, or cleaning
3 large folded clear plastic bags to make transpiration bag or solar still
Sun block (stick or tube)
All-weather Notebook, small
|
Magazine and Newspaper Pocket
Part of blending into an urban environment, being the “gray man,” is looking casual, and what better way than to have a magazine or newspaper sticking out of your “travel bag.” Inside this pocket is a sewn in D-ring, and I recommend that you attach a small solar or wind-up flashlight to it, and any important keys. In the corner of the pocket, sewn in vertically, is another Chemical Light Stick Pocket. If you don’t have any reading materials sticking out of the Magazine and Newspaper Pocket you can seal it with the Velcro strip at the lip of the pocket.
|
Tactical Flashlight Pocket
Just under the pocket, on the exterior front of the Jim Wagner Go Bag is my original idea of a horizontal Tactical Flashlight Pocket. You guessed it. Usually when the word “tactical” is in front of an object then that object can also be used in fighting. What makes this pocket original is that it is actually on exterior to make it accessible, because there is nothing worse than fumbling in the dark when you need light. Also, it is designed to have the flashlight on, and it can remain in the pocket with only lamp exposed. This allows you to have a headlamp, much like a car, when you are walking around; provided you wear the bag on your left side as most right-handed people do.
|
Compass Kangaroo Pouch
To the left of Tactical Flashlight Pocket is a 2.75” (7cm) slit, a kangaroo pouch, which is big enough to have a small magnetic compass inside. I prefer to have survival style compass that also had a whistle for signaling, a magnifying glass for making a fire using the sun and directing a fine beam of light to the kindling, and a thermometer.
|
Mesh Water & Food Bag Pocket
To the right of the Tactical Flashlight Pocket is vertical zipper. Unzip it, pull on the strap, and out comes a large mesh bag big enough to hold a 25.4 FL. OZ. (750 mL) wine bottle, or snacks, or food you may have collected in a disaster or wilderness survival situation. This is another one of my original ideas.
|
WMD Pocket
Technically it be called the CBRNE Pocket, which is an acronym for Chemical, biological, radiological, and explosives, but I decided to use the shorter, older, acronym WMD, which means Weapons of Mass Destruction. The reason this pocket is named that is because the most important piece of equipment I carry in this pocket is a smoke hood. A smoke hood not only filters out toxic byproducts of structure and car fires, but is also designed to filter chemical weapons. Few people know this, but one of the airplanes that was attacked on September 11, 2001 was with a chemical weapon, and terrorist have used chemical attacks here and there since then. Because you’ll need your mask immediately this pocket has a pull handle, and if the zippers are in the upper corner, opposite the direction of the pull, then the pocket flap opens up immediately for quick access to the smoke hood. Then there is a smaller detachable pocket inside where the smoke hood is stored, but I always have two masks in this pocket. Let’s say you are going out for a business dinner, and you can’t carry the entire Jim Wagner Go Bag, but you want your mask with you, and a couple of other small items, then you detach the small pocket, which is a Velcro system. Now you will be able to dawn on your smoke hood and get out of the contaminated area. In this same pocket I carry a surgical mask, the disposable kind worn by health professionals in case I am ill and I to avoid infecting others, or if there is a fire nearby sending a lot of ash in the air, but no toxic fumes. I don’t want to breath in that ash, and so I would put on this type of mask.
On the inside of the pocket flap is a pocket with a zipper, and inside this pocket I always carry the following:
Potassium Iodide tablets in case of a nuclear disaster
Credit card size card for bomb searches
Rectangle mirror for bomb searches, signaling aircraft, or looking at a face wound
Disposable Magic Compressed Towel for wiping off any dangerous chemicals
Chemical gloves when there is no choice but to touch a contaminated object
Travel duct tape, flat for a thousand different uses
|
Personal Health Items Pocket
On the exterior of the WMD Pocket there is a small pocket with a zipper. This is where I keep the following:
Band-aids (adhesive bandages)
Q-tips (cotton swabs)
Aspirin
Foam earplugs
Mesh Cargo Net
On the exterior of the WMD Pocket there is a Mesh Cargo Net that can squeeze small object inside. In this pocket I pack the following items:
Travel tissues, which can double as toilet paper if there is none around
Chemical Light Sticks, small (1.5” or 3.81cm)
…and small items you may want to put there temporarily, such as a toothbrush
|
Trauma First Aid Pocket
This pocket is not for a scratch, but dealing with a severe wound, such as a gunshot wound, a stab or cut wound, or even a limb that has been amputated or hanging by a threat. But, before you treat anyone you need protection, and that is why there is a Medical Gloves & Surgical Mask Pocket before you go to your trauma supplies. There is a pull-tab on this pocket, which is sealed by a long Velcro strip. Once it is open there is just enough space for a couple of medical Latex or Nitrile gloves and a disposable mask. I also recommend a disposable CPR face shield, which can be unfolded, in this same pocket. After all, you will want to avoid any biohazards.
Once you have your protection on you unzip the Trauma First Aid Pocket. The first thing you will see inside is a big elastic loop. This is where your tourniquet should go, along with a permanent marking pen to write the letter “T,” for tourniquet on the victim’s forehead and the time the tourniquet was applied. You can also use the pen to write on a door or wall when doing Search & Rescue missions. The reason this is the first thing that you see when you open the pocket is because you are dealing with mere seconds if an artery is severed, and you need to get a tourniquet on the victim, or maybe even on yourself, immediately.
The following additional items should be in this life-saving pocket:
QuickClot or Celox blood clotting sponge to go directly into or on the wound
The Emergency Bandage, also known as the Israeli Bandage, by First Care
Space Emergency Blanket for treating injury shock
|
Waterproof Bag Pocket
At the bottom of the bag is a zipper that goes the entire width of the bag. Reach in and pull out the red waterproof bag. This waterproof bag has many purposes, and two could literally save your life. When I was training with the United States Marines in a Tactical Swimmer course the instructor taught my class how to tread water, take off our pants, tie a knot at the bottom, zip up and button it and make a big “mouth,” hold it behind the head and then scoop in air into the opening. Then I had to squeeze the mouth closed, put the tied pant legs around the neck like a life preserver, and then use this as an improvised life preserver, and it worked. Yes, it would only last about ten minutes at a time with splashing water over it to keep it a little airtight, but it could keep one alive. Well, using this training I decided to place a waterproof bag into this Waterproof Bag Pocket that was big enough to keep the average sized adult male afloat should there be no life preserver. It worked better than a pair of combat pants because the bag is waterproof. That makes it much easier. Now, if you don’t have the strength to tread water to scoop in air from behind the head, you can put the parachute cord around your neck, half the mouth in the water and the other half out, and then “splash” in air. This gives you just enough to stay afloat. Then you can blow into the valve and fill it up with air like a balloon, and keep it inflated. You won’t see this feature in any other Go Bag.
Because the big bag is waterproof you can also carry water in it. In a survival situation you may have to gather and transport water.
Have you ever been stuck in an airport over night? Well, I have, and it is not a comfortable feeling at all. Now, I don’t carry a travel pillow with me wherever I go, because they are bulky and only good for a sitting position, and this is why I developed this waterproof bag to be a normal sized pillow. Just stuff it with a jacket, clothing, or leaves and you have a comfortable pillow to seep on.
If you are floating in the middle of the ocean or sleeping on a cold airport tiled floor you’ll want your improvised floatation device (not approved by any of the world's Coast Guard as a life preserver) or your “pillow” attached to your Jim Wagner Go Bag so they don’t get separated. This is why there are attachment straps inside the Waterproof Bag Pocket – to keep the two bags together.
Of course, like any bag you can carry what you want in it. You may never need it, but it is there just in case you need it. THE WATERPROOF BAG IS SOLD SEPERATELY.
|
The Logo
There was no symbol for a go bag or a bug out bag, and so I decided to design one. If you have ever been to Europe the Customs agents have two different stamps. When you enter the country the stamp has a box with an open left side. If the arrow points inside the box that means that indicates entry into the country. If the arrow points to the outside of the box that indicates departure from the country – going out. I took that same concept and did it with a pictogram of a Go Bag. The arrow pointing out on the left side indicates going, thus “Go” Bag. In color this arrow is red, and red always means emergency, and this is what a Go Bag is, a bag for emergencies. Since I created the first original Go Bag my name, the designer, appears on the logo. My name is in gray, because I always want to be “the gray man” in a crowd, so as not to attract attention to myself, and this should be your goal as well. Being the gray man, coupled with situational awareness, backed up by the proper tactical training, will help you survive in an increasingly violent world. The word “original” is part of the logo because no other designer or company has really made an authentic tactical Go Bag for civilians. At the moment of my bag’s release all other Go Bags look tactical. The people who wear them look like they did a private security mission overseas. However, the Jim Wagner Go Bag can be worn by anyone. I put the word “original,” because like my Jim Wagner Reality Based Blade, others will be copying my ideas, and I want my students and customers to know that mine was the first, and indeed the original.
|
Purchasing the Original Jim Wagner Go Bag
To purchase this unique tactical Go Bag simply go to the Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection online store, and order using Pay Pal, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express and it will be shipped to you almost anywhere in the world.
Currently the Jim Wagner Go Bag is sold empty. However, in the near future I will also be selling this bag with Minimum Essential Gear and another one Fully Stocked. Some people like to find their own gear, while others don’t have the time or experience to look and buy everything, which can be quite a daunting task.
ONLINE STORE
Learn How to BE A HARD TARGET
I just got done videotaping the promotional video on the Jim Wagner Go Bag, and it is currently being edited. Once it is finished I’ll have it up on YouTube. If you want to learn how to protect yourself, and those you care about, against criminals and terrorists then you can learn from me a number of ways: my YouTube training videos, through my official RBPP Facebook page where I post tactical tips every week, my many books and DVDs on the market by a variety of companies, and courses taught by me or instructors that work directly for me.
|
|
|