Helikon-Tex Bushcraft Satchel

As I say in the video review below – I have used this bag in several different ways:

1. As a big foraging/possibles pouch – It would be scrunched up in my rucksack/main bag when not in use but would then be taken out and used when wanderign further from camp and gathering food, tinder and other resources. It’s big enough to carry some basic essentials (water, knife, torch etc) with plenty of room to actually put the things that you find in there too. The lack of any padding or unnecessary features means that it can be emptied out and flattened down to then be rolled-up and stashed in a rucksack without taking up too much room.
2. As a daybag/recce bag – For some of my work over the last couple of months I have been working with clients in places where I wanted to carry some equipment out on short-ish trips (1-2hrs) into remote places, but would be getting in and out of vehicles and I didn’t want to be encumbered with a rucksack. Again – the lack of any padding or bulk means that I could just carry what I needed, have it readily accessible and just grab-and-go. If you’re meant to be the experienced professional then faffing around with kit whilst your clients are stood there waiting is not a good look…
3. As an internal bag/admin pouch in a larger rucksack – This is similar to the first use, but instead I would keep some important and often-used kit in the satchel and then shove it into my 40-50L rucksack. I often separate out my kit into several bags/drybags anyway, so the satchel just became a more wearable and comfortable version of the bag that I usually put my camp/kitchen/daily kit into. I would set up my tarp, bag and other shelter kit then just pull the satchel out of my rucksack and carry it over to the fire or where I would be cooking/eating. It is a great way of keeping everything organised – and it bypassed any tendency to be undisciplined or lazy with my kit because I always had a ‘home’ for it.

It’s not necessarily the way I do things, but I could also see the Helikon-Tex Bushcraft Satchel being a good Bug-Out-Bag for short-term realistic scenarios. If you regularly travel in a vehicle through remote areas then it’s a small and easily-grabbed bag that could carry a small stove, some food, spare clothing and other key environment-specific items.

I have also used it a few times as a shoulder bag in cities and when travelling – it’s comfortable enough to carry about 2-3kg of kit in, but with anything more substantial you wouldn’t want to use it for more than a few hours. For photographers there is some versatility in it being light and low-drag, but the lack of padding for lenses etc may need some careful consideration.