Be Prepared.
During the era of the North American frontier, hunters, trappers and other travellers carried small bags for the collection of tools and everyday necessities that might be needed during a day in the field. Today, these are commonly referred to as possibles bags or possibles pouches.
There is also some historical confusion around the terminology. Modern muzzleloading and reenacting communities often use possibles bag for what historical sources may distinguish as a shooting or hunting pouch, while the term possible pack could refer to something considerably larger and intended for pack animals. In other words, there was never one single, universal “possibles bag” design.
The exact form and contents of these bags varied considerably. Shooting and hunting pouches could carry items associated with firearms and hunting, while other small bags served more general purposes. Over time, the term possibles bag has become a broad way of describing a pouch for carrying the miscellaneous essentials of life in the field.
These days. We have refined the design to suit a more modern kit list. We no longer need a bag to hold musket balls, lead molds, and tools for a flintlock. Not many of us are carrying a clay pipe and tobacco into the wilderness, although to be honest, that does sound rather cool! In addition to these items, the old possibles bag would perhaps include:
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Fire Kit - Char cloth, punkwood and perhaps fatwood, flint and steel.
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Tools - An awl. Needle and spare thread. A whetstone.
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Provisions - Jerky or pemmican wrapped in oilcloth. Coffee.
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A small knife
Here is what a modern kit - to fit the Casström possibles pouch - could look like:-
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Fire Kit. A firesteel, BIC lighter, some vaseline smeared cotton wool, and some birch bark.
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Tools - A medical kit of paracetemol, plasters, tweezers, and a small tube of antiseptic cream. A pocket sharpener. A small sewing kit.
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Provisions - A couple of cereal bars
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A folding knife
The appeal of this type of pouch if not the name, but the philosophy behind it.
When you're heading into the woods, you quickly learn that a handful of small objects can make a big difference. A firesteel. A sharpening stone. A little food. A first-aid item. A folding knife. Some cordage. A tin with something useful inside.
The possibles pouch is a way of keeping these important little items all in one place, and easily accessible.