Beijing’s an urban jungle, and in any jungle, we need tools to survive and thrive. As urban jungle dwellers, we’ve managed to blend practicality with style, resulting in the modern bag. Here, form meets function, and what looks stylish and fashionable on the outside contains all our essential survival tools on the inside. Inspired by this, we ask expats each week, “What’s in your bag?” and get insights into which essentials they keep on hand when out and about in the capital city.
My name is Calvin Trent. I’ve been teaching for over seven years in various locations around the world. I’ve left and returned to Beijing three times with different jobs and still haven’t gotten tired of it. I currently work as an educator for a company called Pingo Space.
Unlike the other teaching jobs I’ve had, this one actually requires me to go outside once in a while to lead summer camps for children. When I’m not teaching, I usually stick to indoor activities such as drawing comics and training in martial arts, so I don’t really consider myself much of an outdoors person. The last time I lived outdoors for a week was in 2015 when I visited a temple in the mountains of Yunnan Province to train in kung fu. Although I enjoyed the experience immensely, I don’t know if I could’ve endured it longer than a couple of weeks.
On that journey, as well as on most of my other outdoor adventures, I usually use the same bag. It’s a black, military-style travel backpack that was given to me by my younger brother. He is an avid outdoorsman who does everything from hiking to rock climbing. This is one of the few gifts I’ve received that has lasted through years of continued use, and it shows no signs of wearing out anytime soon.
Now that I need to take groups of children to survive in the wild for days on end, the contents of my bag have been adjusted accordingly. Here are some of the essentials:
- Survival Liquids:
Aside from the obvious bottle of water, there are many substances that can be used to survive a camping trip in nature. Mosquito attack? Bust out the bug spray. Scorching heat? Time for some suntan lotion. Other possibilities could include mouthwash, rubbing alcohol, or even sports drinks.
- Survival Keychain:
My keychain is specifically designed for wilderness survival. It includes a flashlight, a thermometer, a compass, and a whistle.
- Cap:
Suntan lotion can only do so much against the intensity of solar rays. For added protection, I always bring a baseball cap. Not only does it protect my face from getting sunburned, but it also keeps the sunlight out of my eyes.
- Deck of Cards:
What’s the point of surviving if you never have any fun? A standard deck of 54 playing cards (including jokers) is a highly versatile entertainment tool that allows for thousands of different games. They can also be used for practical purposes, such as random selection or dividing people into groups.
- Survival Skills Journal:
Last but not least is what I might consider my most important survival tool. My Survival Camp Skills Journal serves as a reference guide to many important survival skills, including knot-tying, shelter-building, navigation, and more!
Want to share your Beijing survival tools with us? Shoot us an email at editor@beijing-kids.com, message our official Jingkids WeChat account (ID: beijing-kids), or leave a comment below!
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Images: Calvin Trent
