No one desires to find themselves in a situation where they must suddenly abandon everything due to an emergency. However, due to the growing concerns today, many individuals opt to prepare themselves as a precaution. Most people are not excessively paranoid, but if you examine the world objectively and take simple measures such as assembling a bug-out bag, you could safeguard yourself and your family during an emergency. Some individuals create bug-out bags out of fear of a major and dramatic incident that could bring about the downfall of civilization. However, there are numerous common events that occur regularly, making it highly beneficial to have a bug-out bag. These events include:
- Tornado
- Home Invasion
- Flood
- Terrorism
- Earthquake
- Home Fire
- Riots
- Hurricane
- Tsunami
- Mass Shooting
What Makes a Good Bug-Out-Bag?
If you prefer not to personally choose each item for your bug-out bag, you can opt for one of the many pre-made bags available for purchase online. However, these bags are made for the general public and may not offer options tailored to your specific location. For instance, the supplies necessary for survival in a desert differ from those needed near water. Additionally, it is important to ensure you pack adequate supplies for your entire family, as pre-packaged bug-out bags may not contain enough for larger families.
What to Always Include
No matter what variables there may be, it is important to follow certain basic rules when selecting what to include in your bug-out bag. Refer to the guidelines below.
- Keep it simple – You are not trying to build a mobile home to carry around. Many prepper websites list dozens of items to pack. This not only adds cost, but weight as well. Pack simple, reliable things to cover your basic needs.
- Make it easy to carry – Make sure you can carry your bug-out-bag comfortably. You may have to walk for a long distance. If your bag is ill fitted or too heavy, you might as well have taken your chances sheltering in place.
- Plan for a specific period of time – 72 hours is a good place to begin as this is about how long a person can live without water. Once you start planning for weeks out, your bag will get too complicated and heavy.
- Be self-sufficient – If you are thinking about packing an item that needs something you don’t already have, forget it. The chances of finding that key item in a chaotic emergency situation is slim to none. If you are moving to safety, the last thing you want to do is worry about scavenging. Pack supplies that can be used both individually and together to save space.
- Only pack what you need – Remember the goal is to survive, not luxury. If you do not need it to survive, leave it behind.
Bug-Out-Bag Essentials
Please keep in mind that the following items are crucial to include in your bug-out-bag, and it is important to personalize them according to your family’s needs.
First aid:
- Bandages
- Medication (Rx and over the counter…don’t forget the anti-diarrheal meds. Without them you could have a really crappy day…)
- EMT scissors
- Tweezers
- Tourniquet
- Exam gloves
- Face mask
- Suture kit
- QuickClot
- Eye Patch
- Eye Wash
- Anit-Itch Lotion (for poison Ivy)
Fire and Shelter:
- 100 Feet Paracord (Paracord has many uses… carry as much as you can)
- Sleeping Bag
- Matches (waterproof/storm proof), Lighter
- Magnesium Firestarter (2 types)
- Firesticks, wetfire tinder, and/or other tinder
- Cotton Balls and Vaseline
- Tent and/or Lightweight Tarp
- Mylar Blanket
- Mylar Sleeping Poncho
- Rain gear
- Wool Blanket
- Bandana
- Clothing (coat, hat, gloves, socks, shirts, pants, thermal underwear, see list above)
- Heavy duty work gloves
Food and Water:
- Camelbak with attached water Filter
- Waterfilter or Lifestraw
- Widemouth Nalgene Water Bottle ( recommend 2)
- Canteen
- Water Purification Tablets
- Military Can Opener
- Spoon and fork
- Mulit-vitamins
- High Protein / High Calorie food bards
- 3600 Calories Food Ration Bars (Mayday, Mainstay, Datrex)
- Trail Mix
- Oatmeal
- Beef Jerky
- Seasoning (salt, pepper, or other favorite spice)
- Large Cooking Pot or mess kit
- Backpacking Stove and fuel
- Comfort Food – Coffee Singles, hot chocolate, teabags, sugar, hard candy
Hunting and Fishing:
- Rifle and/or Pistol w/ ammo (A .22 rifle is your best survival weapon because you can carry tons of ammo. This is primarily to be used for hunting, not for combat. If you are a good shot you can take down large game with a .22 rifle and you wont destroy too much on small game. The next option would be a shotgun with a mix of ammunition types. Slugs for large game, buckshot for small game, and everything in between for threats of the 2-legged nature.)
- Gun oil
- Gun cleaning kit
- Snare wire
- Fishing Pole or Survival Fishing Kit
- Fish hooks, line, tackle
- Paracord
Tools:
- Axe, hatchet, or tactical tomahawk
- Swiss style army knife
- Machete
- Multi-tool aka Leatherman (screwdriver, saw, can opener, pliers, wire cutters, etc.)
- Folding Saw
- Cable Saw
- Hand Chainsaw blade
- Folding Shovel or hand spade
- Knife sharpening stone
- Mill file (for sharpening large blades or axes)
- Full tang fixed blade “survival knife” (6-8 inch blade)
- Full tang fixed blade (4-6 inch blade)
- Folding Pocket knife with partially serrated blade
- Sewing Kit ( Choose one with a heavy needle, seam ripper and Kevlar thread)
- Duct tape and electrical tape
- Zip ties
- Carabiners
Lighting/ Communication/Navigation:
- Flashlight and batteries
- Dynamo flashlight (no batteries required)
- Crank/Solar Weather radio ( most have flashlight, radio, and adapter to power small electronic devices)
- Two-way radio (walkie talkie)
- Emergency Candles
- 12 hour light sticks
- Headlamp and batteries
- Signal Mirror
- Emergency Whistle
- Compass and map
- Binoculars (or rifle scope)
Sanitary:
- Toilet paper
- Washrag
- Soap
- Toothbrush / toothpaste
- Dental Floss
- Hand sanitizer
- Tissue
- Q-tips
- Shaving Razor
- Wet naps
- Garbage bag
- Feminine Products (can double as gauze or wound closure)
- Nail clippers
- Hairbrush / comb
Misc:
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- Hand/Foot Warmers
- Safety Pins
- Razor Blades
- Ear plugs
- Extra shoelaces
- Waterproof bags
- Extra Ziploc baggies
- Gas Mask
- Aluminum foil
- Cash or silver ( in a true bug out situation, cash may be worthless, but you never know. )
- Lip balm
- Hand lotion
- Vaseline
- Rite-in-the-Rain Notebook
- Pen/Pencil/Sharpie
Literature or paperwork-related materials
- Survival Guide
- Wild Edible and Poisonous Plant Guide (best to find a local guide)
- CPR Handbook
- First Aid Handbook
Please rephrase the text below while maintaining the same meaning: The items that are considered as identification include drivers license, passport, house/car titles, insurance cards, and emergency contact numbers.
Map of the local area.
A thumb drive containing all the pictures and important documents of your family.
With some basic planning, you can take steps to ensure the safety of you and your family in the unfortunate event that you are ever forced to flee your home.
