A ditch bag - or abandon ship bag - is one of those things that you hope you've 

wasted a lot of money on. The fact is however, if you boat and fish with enough frequency, sooner or later you will be confronted with a potentially compromising situation. In the instance of an on-board fire or collision you may have to abandon 

ship in 30 seconds or less, and having essential gear packed and ready to grab 

could be a lifesaver.

There is a variety of pre-packed ditch bags available for sale, and purchasing 

such a kit might provide a good start. We would suggest that you evaluate 

contents of such a bag based upon the kind of boating you do and add and 

remove items accordingly. Rather than have this kit be a suitcase full of bulky 

items, ranging from medical supplies and tools to food and drink, you might limit 

your emergency stash to deal with one basic question: "Besides my PFD, what 

would I need in the water?"

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