The thought of having to leave where I’m hunkered down during a crisis terrifies me, and I hope I never have to use a bug out bag. Writing this post brings me a mild form of anxiety just thinking about how terrible it would be to have to leave where I feel most safe and have the greatest chance of survival when the you know what hits the fan.
Why would you have to leave your home in a time of crisis? There are numerous reasons why this could potentially happen. Maybe you live in an apartment building and the building catches on fire at the worst possible time because the gas is still on but the electric isn’t, and some very stupid person uses their gas stove to heat their home. Maybe there are wildfires. Maybe a train will derail close by and toxic fumes will pollute the air within a 2 mile radius. Maybe armed men wearing jackboots will start going door to door and telling people they have to come with them. Nobody knows why you might potentially have to leave your home during a time of crisis. Some people will refuse to leave no matter what happens, and while that might not be the wisest decision, it is understandable.
Next you have to consider how long you might potentially have to bug out for with your bug out bag. This bag will need to be considerably bigger than your vehicle bug out get home bag(link). While your get home bag will need 1-2 days worth of items if you had to abandon your vehicle and walk home, your main but out bag should be equipped to help you survive for 1-2 weeks. If you need to bug out for longer than that, you will need to rely on your wilderness survival skills.
Our pick for the best bug out bag we’ve seen on Amazon is……..
Food For Your Bug Out Bag
When it comes to food in a bug out bag for long term survival, nothing is better than pemmican. It is compact and has a very long shelf life (20-30 years!). Maybe most importantly, it is more calorie dense than any food I’ve ever come across. One small square of pemmican could potentially keep you full all day. No other food can compare with this. You need to make the best use of the space you have in your bag, and due to how calorie dense pemmican is, you can feed yourself for weeks while taking up the least space possible.
If you don’t take the time to learn how to make pemmican, you need to decide on foods that are compact, contain both fats and proteins, and will nourish you and keep you full for the longest time possible. Beef jerky is something to consider. So are other canned meat options. While they are great for bugging out at home, I would advise against canned fish like sardines and anchovies in your bug out bag due to the high sodium content and need for more water.
Water For Your Bug Out Bag
This is a big one. Water is heavy and your bug out bag will be heavy. How do you keep yourself hydrated? This is the answer
When you take off with your bug out bag, you need to know where you will go and ideally that will be a wooded area where you can survive in the wilderness until things resume to some sense of normalcy or until you can return to your home. When you scout out this area to bug out to, make sure to try to locate a pond or a creek or any body of water you can filter to drink.
More Items You’ll Need
Flashlights — while one is an absolute necessity, having two is even better. Make sure the batteries are relatively new and that they work.
Knife — I’d advise you having at least 2 knives in your bag, one being a heavy duty mini-sword if you will, and one being a multi-functional Swiss Army type of knife. Your heavy duty knife can act as both a means of defense and also as a useful tool to cut through tough things.
Duct tape —
Spare clothing — This is an important one. Even if you live in a comfortable climate, the temperature drop at night is something you’re probably not accustomed to for extended periods of time, like overnight. I would study your climate and keep and eye on the weekly weather forecast and
Gloves — Some people might not think of this one when planning out their bag, but you really need a pair of gloves. Having a few pairs of latex disposable gloves and also a heavy duty pair of gloves to protect your hands would be ideal. If you’re in a cold climate a pair of winter gloves or mittens would be advisable too.
Toilet paper — You’re definitely going to need this, and things will be quite unpleasant without it. While it is very light, it does take up space, so plan accordingly with this item and see what you can fit once you have filled your bag with everything else you need.
First Aid kit — Try to find the most compact, light weight kit you can find with the essentials. Every pound of weight in your bag counts. Rather than have it in a “kit”, I would probably just stuff every first aid item I need in a gallon size ziplock baggie, or even a quart size potentially.
Lighters and matches — I would bring both. You’ll need a way to be able to start a fire. Aside from a lighter and matches, I would consider a fire stick and other ways to create fire when necessary. If you’re a smoker and bringing packs in your bug out bag, not having a way to light them up would be pure misery. I will probably be smoking twice as much as usual when SHTF.
Firearm —
Pepper spray — This is a very useful thing to bring along for this wild and crazy (and stressful) ride. It could be used in defense against both animals and unruly humans. As I would assume you are a decent person, you don’t want to use any possible excuse to use your firearm against another person, even if they resemble a zombie more than a human being at that point. If you feel threatened and feel like the person who has approached you poses a real threat, spray them in the eyes and keep moving.
Bags — I would pack both heavy contractor garbage bags and also 1 gallon ziplock bags. The individual bags which take up next to no space and weigh nothing, not a box of these bags which would also weigh next to nothing, but would take up valuable space.
Battery operated cell phone charger — Cell phone service might still be operational, or it might go down. If it does go down, at some point it will probably come back on. I personally have a strong dislike of cell phones, but this is one instance where they would provide some value. Others can’t live without their phone and treat it like a safety blanket. Either way this is a must have item.
In addition to this list of essentials, I’m sure you will be able to fit other items in your bag that are important to you. Make sure your bug out bag is a decent size, and start filling it item by item. Be sure to be observant of what items add more weight than they’re worth, and what items take up more space than they’re worth. You can likely find lighter and more compact versions of the item.
Let’s hope we never need to use our bug out bags. It is likely that we can just hunker down at home and do what we have to do to survive. If you do have to get up and go though for whatever reason, a good bug out bag is invaluable.
