Preface
My go bag is tech-y and lighthearted - if you’re looking for the contents of a real emergency go bag, check out the NYC Office of Emergency Management’s bag and Charlie Gallo’s more layered approach first. Then read on!

In praise of janky tech
You know what’s nice? Having the latest best technology money can buy with you and at your disposal. But you know what’s better? Having the cheap-ass inferior commodity versions of said devices, because you will be unafraid to lose or destroy them and not cry if they get ganked by this cute girl’s skinny tweaker housemate.

What?
I’m about the edge as much as anyone, but there are times I don’t want to be carrying around almost two K worth of electronics and four wall chargers. (Treo + iPod + Nintendo DS + iBook.)

No, what’s a “go bag?”
Oh. It’s what you need to, you know, leave. In a bag. For me, it’s what I want with me when I escape from LA for a weekend, minus the clothes.

What’s in it?
$300 Panasonic SV-AV50S? $30 CVS camcorder.

I think the CVS camcorder is great. 20 minutes of video is a poetic constraint. The fact that it’s a toy puts people at ease, too. More expensive tapeless camcorders look like Gundams, which is cool, but not totally cool.

$200 2gig iPod nano? $20 0.25 gig Rio Chiba.

I wanted a little music for the road and managed to get in on this great deal for a Rio Chiba. It’s no iPod, but it works and lasts ages on a single AAA. I just wanted a little music for the plane, that’s all, and before finding the Chiba I considered the Iomega HipZip, Nike PSA220, and 3cm cd/mp3 players like this cheesy Memorex.

$145 NintendoDS + Tetris Worlds? $10 Radica Lighted Tetris.

Tetris is more than a game - it’s a sedative. The screen on the Radica is kind of small, but what do you want for $10? Actually, the design is pretty nice and thanks to an actual Tetris license, the gameplay is close to the Pajitnovic ideal. I notice that Amazon’s selling it for $12, but I got mine at Target for a sawski.

$999 Apple iBook? Four folded sheets of paper and two pens, 52¢.

You don’t need the computer, you just need to be able to jot down notes. Relax.

Paper? I do need a computer, clown!

Consider an Alphasmart Dana? The basic model is $380, weighs two pounds, and seems to be crafted in the spirit of the amazingly fantastic Newton eMate. I don’t own a Dana, but the people who do seem really passionate about them. (If somebody wants to send me one to review that I could keep that would be very nice of you hint hint hint.) I also sort of love the Psion Netbook but that’s a whole other study in niche-y computerlove insanity.

Then throw in

Two Clif bars ($2), a bottle of Volvic ($1.50), a lighter ($1), a pack of tissues (50¢), and your Hipster PDA (15¢). The actual bag I keep all this stuff in is a military surplus rain camo map case, which cost me $10 at the Supply Sergeant. (I’ll have pictures of my actual bag up as soon as I get my Rebel back from my little sister.)

Grand total: $65.67.

(Okay, I cheated)
I always carry my Treo. You could switch in one of those prepaid phones from Virgin or STI or Tracphone or if you just want something for emergencies, any charged cell phone can make a call to 911, without service activation.

Nerd
Add in:
Leatherman
USB key
Torx T4/5

Psycho killer
Flea market knife
Smoke bombs
Batarangs

Sexy beast
Magnums
2oz Astroglide
Hand mirror

A serious socioeconomic comment: two seconds
The ultimate triumph of commodity pricing for electronics would be for the best products to be freely available worldwide and cost nothing. This will never happen, but it will sort of happen. When everyone, like, not just the first world, has computers and internet and free VOIP wiPhones there’s still going to be war and death and inequality but more understanding and increasingly efficient markets and better narratives and smarter kids to usurp and upend us. Join hands and sing!

Now: what’s in your bag?

Update
Thanks to everyone the great suggestions in the comments - keep ‘em coming! Here’s the picture I promised of my bag: