Lots of good thinking about the contents and use of the Contact Pack. I am intrigued that some people find owning good camping equipment as being out of the ordinary. Living in the Rocky Mountain west it is almost assumed that you have some camping gear and probably a few guns.
I am planning to set my campaign in Rocky Mountains, starting in Colorado. Given the small number of nukes targeted for Colorado (with the exception of the Front Range) there would be lots of relatively untouched areas and the bulk of the state's population would be dead. This is a much better situation than either of the coasts or the industrial heartland.
I am planning on a 4th edition campaign, likely using the 2017 EOTWAWKI date. When I contemplate believable Contact Pack contents I picture:
Clothing is a mix of Carhartts, hunting clothes and a random mix of t-shirts. Perhaps an army jacket to mix it up.
Gear would be well used mid range backpacking gear mixed with army surplus.
Firearms would be a pistol along the lines of a Glock or some other commonly us handgun. The idea of a model 29 is a really strange and inappropriate choice. Long gun choices would be pump shotgun, .30-06 bolt action, or even a semi auto AR-15. There are huge numbers of AR-15s in private hands throughout much of the country. It would not stand out 3-5 years after the war and might help explain why the carrier had survived.
Food would be canned goods and perhaps some freeze dried meals or MREs. Lots of those around, even if they are a few years past date. They would be the items a survivor might hoard for travel or to flee from a bad situation.
Luxury items for trade or to break the ice would be chocolates, disposable razors, stale cigarettes or chewing tobacco, small bottles of hot sauce, prescription pain killers, condoms, AA batteries and duct tape.
One thing to keep in mind is that a co-ed team might do well to have a woman as the contact person, or perhaps a male female team posing as a couple. Either is likely to be perceived as less of a threat to a community than a single guy.
Perhaps a set of keys for the mythical truck that broke down 15 miles back. Maybe a broken part from said vehicle that you a hunt for a replacement for.
A saddle for the horse that you lost 3 days ago?
A battered, non working MP3 player, with a concealed transmitter.
Probably a well worn hunting knife or even a machete.
Definitely a scruffier looking team member with shaggy hair and probably a beard for the contact person. But none of that hipster BS with mutton chops and ironic handlebar mustache. Other survivors would just see shooting him as a service to good taste and the future of humanity.
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