What to pack in a bugout bag – a comprehensive look

by Graywolf Prepper

When considering disaster preparedness, keep in mind that what survival gear and emergency supplies you add to your bug out bag checklist and then pack in a survival bob bag (bug out bag) for your survival kit can mean the difference between life and death, or at least affect your level of comfort if SHTF and you had to get outta dodge. If you haven’t done so already, you should read my previous post on 10 key ideas for your bob bag list before we get started.

Plan Examples

There are a LOT of theories out there on what you should put in a bug out bag checklist. Just to give you a glimpse, here are a few examples:

The Ten Essentials that were first suggested by the Mountaineers in the 1930′s as to what was suggested to bring when traveling in the back country.

1.  Map

2.  Compass
(optionally supplemented with something like a Garmin Oregon 550 Waterproof Hiking GPS)

3.  Sunglasses
and sunscreen

4.  Extra food

5.  Extra water

6.  Extra clothes

7.  flashlight

8. First Aid Kit

1.  Firestarter like the Amber FireLight II
(or matches, chemical heat tabs, canned heat, or a magnesium stick)[4]

2.  Knife

Here’s what the American Red Cross says should be on your bug out bag checklist:

·  Water—one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)

·  Food—non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)

·  LED flashlight

·  Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)

·  Extra batteries

·  First aid kit – Anatomy of a First Aid Kit

·  Medications (7-day supply) and medical items

·  Multitool

·  Sanitation and personal hygiene items

·  Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)

·  Cell phone with chargers

·  Family and emergency contact information

·  Extra cash

·  Space Blanket

·  Map(s) of the area

·  Medical supplies (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, etc)

·  Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)

·  Games and activities for children

·  Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)

·  Two-way radios

·  Extra set of car keys and house keys

·  Manual can opener

And possibly

·  Whistle

·  N95 or surgical masks

·  Matches

·  Rain gear

·  Towels

·  Work gloves

·  Tools/supplies for securing your home

·  Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes

·  Plastic sheeting

·  Duct tape

·  Scissors

·  Household liquid bleach

·  Entertainment items

·  Blankets or sleeping bags

Here’s what FEMA (Ready.gov) says should be on your bug out bag checklist:

·  Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation

·  Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

·  Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both

·  LED flashlight
and extra batteries

·  First aid kit

·  Whistle to signal for help

·  Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

·  Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

·  Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

·  Manual can opener for food

·  Local maps

·  Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar battery charger

They then go on to list several items to have in addition if you can, including a first-aid kit, specialty items and a few other mentioned items.

Those are pretty good examples, and you can see even larger or different bug out bag check lists of what to pack in your go bag at Wikipedia, The Canadian Red Cross, or just start doing Google searches phrases like “bug out bag contents”, “what goes in a bob bag”, or “bug out bag check list”

Buy a fully stocked kit

He breaks it down pretty well and chooses these categories for what to put in your bugout bag and then goes on to explain a bit of the Bug Out Plan:

·  Water & Hydration

·  Food & Food Preparation

·  Clothing

·  Shelter & Bedding

·  Fire

·  First Aid

·  Hygiene

·  Tools

·  Lighting

·  Communication

·  Protection & Self Defense

·  Misc

The nice thing about Creek’s bug out bag checklist is that he gives you a list of categories and then goes through examples for each. What goes in your survival kit shouldn’t be chosen from a list of items you read from a prepper website – even this one. You should look at these bugout bag checklists as examples so you get the idea of what you need and can generate some ideas. What you need is a list of essential bugout bag categories to choose from and then some examples from each to get your mind flowing.

So the first thing you need to do is get a bag. Why on Earth would you do this first? I’ve seen lots of people pick what they need first, and then get a bag to fit it all. This, unfortunately, means picking a bag that suits your contents and not your back. You should get an idea of what kind of bag you’re looking for (everything from your every day carry bag do your SHTF / TEOTWAWKI survival pack) and then fill it with whatever essential items will fit, being careful to leave some room for things you find along the way or other things you decide to pack later on.

By choosing the right bugout bag, or set of bugout bags, you can make sure you can carry the thing for longer distances with greater comfort. It doesn’t do any good to pack 80 pounds of emergency gear into a bag and then bug out into the wilderness, only to have to drop 40 pounds of survival gear because you can’t carry it all. You also need to decide what kind of survival bag you’re needing. There are several types of bug out bags that you need to consider before even looking at the types of bags there are on the market. That sounds a bit confusing but read on, dear friends; read on…

So what are bob bags?

There are many names for bugout bags, and actually different types of bags, as well as many definitions and schools of thought for each bag. One of the key things that I try to preach is that your bugout bags shouldn’t look like bugout bags.

A huge camouflage bob bugout bag with lots of equipment hanging off of it, worn by a guy in 5.11′s and a khaki shirt screams prepper (amateur one at that) and that guy’ll be a prime target for people with more training than sympathy. Watch your OPSEC when deciding what to wear.

Here are my ideas of the different types of bags:

Bug out bag (BOB bag, bugout bag, Get-Out-Of-Dodge bag (GOOD Bag), E&E (escape and evasion) bag, grab bag, bail-out bag)

This is the generic term for the survival pack you’ll grab if SHTF. It’s not designed to be carried with you at all times but should be available within a few minutes. It’s a good idea to have more than one bob bag to ensure it’s always ready.

EDC (Every day carry)

This is the smallest bag (or pack, or box, or whatever you happen to have it in). It’s basically the stuff you have with you every day. In a lot of cases, it’s not even a bugout bag but a list of items you’d have in your pockets, in your wallet, on your belt, or around your neck.

Go bag

A go bag is a bob bag that can have a specific purpose. In Afghanistan, I had a go bag that had my essential items for survival but also for specific missions I might be called out to do. It’s also a generic term for a bob bag though.

72-hour bag

A 72 hour bag is a larger version of the bob bag and theoretically holds everything you need to survive for three days. This is highly subjective though, and dependent upon what kind of survival situation you’re in. Your carried water supply should be thought of as separate because it’s one of the most varied survival items based on your situation.

Get Home bag (GHB)

The get home bag is what you carry with you or put in your car if you’re out somewhere and for whatever reason, you have to hump it back to FOB living room.

Vehicle Survival bag or pack

Your car bob should always have essentials for car repair and first aid but you should keep a survival kit in it as well in case you’re caught out without your main bugout bag or if you break down with another person in the car who has to survive with you.

Office Kit

This is similar to the vehicle survival bag but it’s kept in your office. It should have enough items if something happened while you were at work such as an earthquake or hurricane.

The INCH bag or box (I’m Never Coming Home bag)

This is the biggest of the bunch. It contains everything you’d need to start over. My INCH bag is definitely separate from my other bags and is kept in an easy-to-get location. It’s essentially a bugout bag on steroids and is designed to be put into whatever vehicle I’m traveling in when I get out of Dodge.

Cache / stache

This could be a bag, box or container and it’s usually placed at a location outside of your home somewhere. It’s designed to hold survival equipment (weapons, money, a bug out bag) so you can get it if you’re out. Some people put them at strategic locations outside of town or even at a friend’s house. One good idea is to have one (or them) located on the way to your bugout shelter where you’re going if SHTF.

A cache doesn’t have to be outside of your house though. Some people hide survival equipment, money, weapons, or whatever inside their home. The difference here is that this stash isn’t usually easily accessible and it’s usually hidden. What would you do if SHTF and you had to temporarily bug out of your home, or came home and all of your stuff was stolen by looters or thieves? By keeping a bug-in cache plastered behind a wall or in a secret compartment, you ensure that you’ll have essential items when you return. Keeping your preps secret is very important and is part of a good OPSEC Plan.

So what goes into a bugout bag?

As mentioned, there are many ways to organize what goes into your survival gear bags or boxes. Each pack should have things from each category represented. Remember: Two is One and One is None. You should overlap different categories so that you’re covered whether you can only grab one survival bag or can get to all of them. Here is how I break down the checklist into different categories of essential survival gear to have in your bob bag:

Most Essential Survival Equipment:

·  Water Filters, Purifiers and Storage

·  Food

·  Shelter

·  Fire

·  Communication

Next Most Essential Survival Equipment:

·  Medical

·  Orienteering

·  Tools / Equipment

·  Power / Light

·  Weapons / Security

Additional Survival Equipment

·  Documents

·  Electronics

·  Comfort Items

·  Hygiene

·  Clothing

·  Money / Barter

Keep in mind, in any given situation, what may be most needed may be completely different than in another situation. A winter coat may be completely unnecessary in a desert environment but may be the most important #1 item in the Arctic.

So let’s break these down to give you a few examples of each so you can start to figure out what you need to put into your own bug out bags.

Most Essential Survival Equipment:

Water

Water is usually the most important thing to have. You can only last a few days without it. In an urban situation, you may be able to find water readily but it may not be suitable for drinking. What do you need to pack in your bug out bag for water? There are two main packing considerations; filtering and containers.

Water Filtration. There are many ways to filter water. UV lights, chemical, coagulants, and porous membrane filters, are just examples. Do some research and figure out what you want to carry in each bag. I usually pack a Life Straw in my smaller bags and a SteriPen UV light in the bigger ones.

Containers. Camelbaks are great to have in your bug out bag because you can carry quite a bit of water in a comfortable way, and access it without having to dig things out. They’re also very weight and space friendly. Canteens or water bottles can also be used. When on tactical missions, I always tried to have a camelback on my armor and also drink from water bottles whenever possible. Don’t forget to have at least one container that’s already full of water in case you don’t come across any to gather or filter for a while.

Food