99 freakin awesome ideas for your bug out bag

June 23, 2014 by graywolf

Lots of articles tell you the basics of what you need in your bug out bag. This
is a list of 99 things you may not have considered. Awesome! - 99 freakin awesom
e ideas for your bug out bag gear - http://bit.ly/1rSh7Bc There are a lot of goo
d articles with lists and other information out there to help you figure out wha
t gear you should have, such as my previous article on what you should have in y
our bug out bag. This post is really just to get you to think outside the box on
what gear you might carry or store.
After thinking about it, I thought I should just make a list of some of the thin
gs that you may not have considered for your bug out bag gear. It s a list of the
unusual, or the creative.
Some of this stuff will be on lists of necessary items but I chose those here be
cause there are those who may not have considered them even though they may be o
bvious to a lot of people, or because I had a couple of unusual uses for them th
at you may not have considered.
Just keep in mind that this doesn t mean you should run out and buy all this stuff
to put in your bag. If you can t carry the thing, it isn t gonna help you much and
could make things worse. Always keep your stuff as light and small as possible b
ut make sure you don t have a single point of failure (They called this a SPOF in
Warrant Officer school). You should have backups for every critical thing you wa
nt to do (make a fire, purify water, etc) in case you lose or break something an
d varied ways to do something in case the first way doesn t work.
Just to repeat this
because I still keep seeing people posting some nonsense abo
ut why would you pack 99 things in your bug out bag or similar,
THIS ISN T A LIST OF WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR BUG OUT BAG.
THAT LIST IS HERE.
THIS IS A LIST OF SUGGESTIONS TO GET YOUR MIND THINKING ABOUT NEW OR BETTER
WAYS TO HAVE THE RIGHT GEAR.
Remember, it doesn t help to have 10 lighters as backup if your environment and sk
ill level won t let you start a fire with a lighter. Also, remember that you shoul
d be carrying quite a bit of water in addition to your gear, so don t pack too muc
h gear. I pack my bug out bag the same way I pack for deployments
lay out everyt
hing I have, put my kit together, make sure I ve covered the Two is one and one is
none rule with more than one type of method (it doesn t do much good to have a ligh
ter as your only backup to your other lighter as your only fire-starting method
if a lighter isn t working when you need it due to wind or whatever), remove what
I can live without, re-lay out everything, rinse and repeat.
Here are my top 50 60 99 bug out bag items (so far) that you might not have con
sidered:
Backup and digital copies of all your important documents and reference info
rmation for the area. Digital stuff should be put on a secured thumb drive.
Weapons cleaning kit and CLP or equivalent.
gum wrappers to start a fire with a battery (they don t take up much space).
Small knife sharpener.
Tourniquet that you can put on with one hand. This is the kind that I carri
ed in Afghanistan.
Potassium Permanganate for fire starting/wound cleansing/water and some kind
of glycerol or sugarfree replacement to match for firestarting. This stuff is g
etting pretty hard to find nowadays. I had to order mine online.

Glow Stick Bracelets if you have kids so you can keep track of them while wa
lking at night. You can also use these to mark your gear or a path from your cam
psite to your toilet area so people don t lose their way. Get multiple colors so i
t s easier to know who s who.
Neck Gaiter for cold weather. This is an absolute necessity really. Takes up
almost no space and makes a HUGE difference in keeping you warm or the sand out
of your face.
Clotrimazole Foot Cream. This is one of the most important things I carry. I
was down for the count in Central America once due to a heavy rash that broke t
hrough the skin. Couldn t walk. Got some of this from a local pharmacy in a nearby
town and it went away in just a few hours. Amazing stuff.
12v way to power your stuff. This includes a 12v charger plus whatever you n
eed to hook it up. Maybe clips that connect to a battery to give you a power plu
g or just a good 12V USB charger plug.
Moleskin for blisters- your feet are super important
Maps of your area, both digital and protected paper.
Something metal to boil water and eat/drink in. I use a 24 ounce steel cooki
ng cup. There are plenty of options for this one.
Good compass like a tritium lensatic compass that I use.
Fisher Space Bullet Space Pen and Rite in the Rain All Weather Notebook
Aluminum foil to start a fire or use as a cup/cooking etc. There are lots of
uses for aluminum foil.
A Fresnel Lens Flat, lightweight and powerful magnifying lens to start fires
. Cheap too. (Video)
5V portable solar charger and USB battery for your cell phone or other USB t
hings.
Water filter like the Saywer Mini Filtration System or equivalent that will
connect to a Camelbak. I haven t found a better water filter yet. I even did a rev
iew of it.
Avon SKIN-SO-SOFT Bug Guard PLUS Insect Repellent Moisturizing Lotion
the on
ly thing I ve ever found to work.
Get a strong USB battery so you can charge your cell in case of emergency
Fluorocarbon fishing line for fishing and/or for cordage/traps. Don t get mono
filiment it won t hold up as well.
Dental floss reel for cordage or fishing line
or for cleaning your teeth. Yo
u don t need the whole case, just take out the reel and put it in something so it
doesn t come untangled. unwaxed dental floss doesn t burn very easily so it can be u
sed to hold food together over a fire but waxed dental floss can be used for all
sorts of things.
Extra meds you re on.
Birth control.
Vaseline-covered cotton balls or quik-tinder in seal straw segments for tind
er basically, waterproof your tinder. Just don t cover them completely or they re ha
rder to light.
Stormproof Lighter this one floats too
Spare batteries or better yet, 5v usb solar charger (above) with Solar Recha
rging Kit and Rechargeable Batteriesfor whatever you re carrying. Check out how I
put my solar power kit together here.
Sewing Kit
Couple of hidden hairpins to pick handcuffs or at least hidden handcuff key
Spare prescription glasses and/or sunglasses if they re needed
Goggles and some kind of scarf or neck gator if you live in a desert (haboob
s are pretty nasty). Seriously, get a neck gator. It s amazing how warm you can be
with something you can pull out of your pocket.
Small container of pine resin if available for wounds, glue, fire staring an
d more. Not sap resin. It s useful stuff.
Olive oil or coconut oil for cooking/lube/calories/lamp, or just emergency c
alories.

Cheap handheld ham radio that will also work on FRS/GMRS like this UV-5R or
even better, this BaoFeng BF-F8HP. If you want to transmit on ham frequencies wi
th it, you ll need to get a ham radio license.
Family radios for everyone in your group. Preferably ones that will run off
AA so you can recharge the batteries as you need to with your USB solar panel an
d AA charger pack. You can t expect to keep everyone within eyesight at all times.
Spare set of socks/underwear especially hiking socks.
Some kind of tarp or quality space blanket (not the cheap crappy ones) for s
un or rain shade with 550 cord or bungees.
Emergency radio

Charges with hand crank, solar or USB

Extra feminine hygiene products.

Pet antibiotics in case your fish
catch something they can t shake.
Small tube for siphoning. A Shaker siphon would be even better.
Sleep mask if you ll be traveling at night and sleeping during the day.
Tweezers to pull out splinters and thorns so they don t get infected.
A A quality emergency blanket and not one of those crappy ones
VS-17 type of signal panel sewn into the inside of a tent fly or alone.
Candles or at least candle wicks if you have olive oil or other available.
Work gloves for heavy/rough objects even when it s not cold.
Something like a commando saw or hacksaw blade to cut branches (or tie wraps
) with.
Recent pics and info on all pax in your group in case they go missing.
Titanium spork because it s better than eating with your fingers.
Soft collapsible water bottle (it comes with the Sawyer Mini Water Filtratio
n System if you get one of those).
Waterproof backpack cover. Sucks to get your toilet paper and spare underwea
r soaked from a rainstorm.
Signal whistle in case you can t yell (and it s louder anyway unless you re my ex)
.
Imodium or equivalent in case you get diarrhea. Don t use it until you ve let yo
ur body work things out for a bit though or you ll just be covering the symptoms a
nd not letting your stomach do its stuff.
Benadryl and/or epi-pen in case someone has an allergic reaction to somethin
g.
List of local repeaters/offsets for a ham radio.
Hat that covers your ears and neck from sunburn.
Quick-start or full manuals for any complicated equipment you re carrying, lik
e the UV-5R ham radio mentioned above (Thanks goes to db in the comments below f
or reminding me about this one)
Pantyhose (from the comments). This is a good one. I wear knee high s under my
socks if I m going on long hikes because it cuts down on blisters but full-on one
s (haven t worn those yet) can be used for things like a replacement fan belt on s
ome older cars or for cordage. Picked up that trick in basic training a few deca
des ago. I also understand that it was the driving force behind the idea for Und
er Armour.
Eyeglass repair kit (from the comments).
Green laser. I try to always have a laser with me when I m going downrange eve
n if they don t give me one. It s fantastic for signalling for help or just sending
a message for a LONG distance if you have line-of-sight. There are definitely ch
eaper ones than the one I listed but so far they haven t made it through a deploym
ent. The green ones travel much farther than the red ones, btw.
And now with more feedback from you guys, I ve updated the list again below:
Great for making tinder or weapons
And now for a biggie (an update I ve added after TONS of hours of research). T
he BEST way to stay warm and dry is to carry an ultralight 2-person backpacking

tent. The technology on these things have improved dramatically in the past 10 y
ears, and you can get an actual tent for about the same weight (or sometimes les
s) than a hammock/tarp or just a bivy.
Trauma shears. The Leatherman Raptor is pretty much the ultimate EMS set of
scissors and has 6 EMS tools on it. Botach also has a set of trauma shears that
has a fabric ripper built into it.
Deck of cards. This is especially helpful if you have kids but even if you d
on t, cards are a good way to keep your mind occupied if you re stuck somewhere for
a while. Even better than regular cards for your bug out bag would be Wilderness
Survival Playing Cards.
Trail marking tape. This is a good idea to have around your camp so you know
which way s back from the bathroom/food etc, to mark off your traps, or to just l
et people know which way you ve gone.
Tampons. These are good for starting fire, first aid, and for their obvious
use.
Non-lubricated condoms. Condoms can be used to hold water or keep things lik
e tinder or your cell phone dry in wet weather.
Small dual pencil sharpener. These are great for putting points on the end o
f sticks for making gigs or arrows, and the shavings make great tinder.
Small alcohol-burning stove. These are awesome for cooking if you re bedded do
wn for a while and have flammable alcohol to use. The one I linked to has a smal
l cooking set with it.
Piano wire. This stuff can be used to make traps, fashioned into a garrote,
or for anti-personnel traps or triggers.
Silver or gold for barter. Yes, you should have some precious metals on you
in case SHTF.
Backpacker s trowel. Good for digging out your toilet or helping to build a sh
elter floor.
Relighting birthday candles. Not just for pranks. Because these things don t w
ant to go out, they re great for helping you get a fire started in windy condition
s or just keeping you warm for a while in a tent.
Faraday/RFID shield. Used in case you d like to protect your phone or other sm
all electronics from an EMP or from being tracked.
Mini hacksaw. If you don t have the room for the hacksaw itself, just take a f
ew blades.
Small multimeter for troubleshooting.
Chapstick. Definitely needed for chapped lips but you can also put some on c
otton or lint as fuel to help start a fire.
Solar panel, battery charger, and USB battery to charge your cell phone, AA
batteries and small electronics.
This is the improved model

more power and better antenna

Cayenne Red Pepper. Good for seasoning, sprinkling around your area to keep
away critters, relieving pain, can help stop bleeding, and is a disinfectant.
Ripstop poncho. Keeps your upper body dry in the rain and can be used as a p
art of your shelter.
Military poncho liner blanket. We call these woobies in the Army. They re freaki
ng wonderful to have. Just ask any Soldier who s been deployed.
Emergency rations. Make sure you have some kind of food that will hold and h
as a lot of calories but doesn t take up too much room.
Quality fingernail clippers.
A Kindle Paperwhite with 3G but select without special offers so your battery
lasts longer. You can get it without the 3G but then you have to be near a wifi
to download something. With a kindle, you can store thousands of survival, medic
al, homesteading, repair, or whatever books on it for a tiny amount of weight. I
f you have 3G within range, you an just update it as you need to.
Foam ear plugs to allow you to sleep easier in a noisy environment and can b
e used as fishing floats.
Small pry bar.

Sea salt. Great for seasoning, for keeping salt in your system as you sweat
it out, and can help keep meat from spoiling.
Single serve instant coffee pouches. I ve used pouches like these TONS of time
s on convoys. They come in a lot of MREs (not as good as the version I linked to
though, I m sure).
McNett Outgo Microfiber Towel. I ve tried several microfiber towels in the pas
t and they all suck until this one. Don t buy any other brand unless you compare i
t to this one. I have two of these and have taken them in my bag to several coun
tries. This one actually works. The others don t.
Camelbak Elixir tablets. Contains electrolytes to keep you going and helps y
our water taste better if you re getting it from sources that have a funky flavor
even after filtering it.
Large trash bags. With trash bags, you can do all sorts of things like make
a poncho, carry water, hold water and heat it over a flame, make cordage, keep c
lothing dry inside your pack, make field-expedient flotation devices, make a she
lter oh, and hold trash.
Collapsible camping bowl. Pretty self-explanatory. If you don t have a bowl to
eat with, you ll have to make one. This is much easier and packs flat in your pac
k. I have the one linked here.
Large zip ties. These could come in handy for building a shelter, holding so
meone for a while, emergency repair on your backpack all sorts of uses.
Bicycle inner tube. You can make several Ranger Bands (super strong and wide
rubber bands to hold things) with one inner tube. Of course, you could always j
ust buy some already made for you.
Krazy Glue. All sorts of uses, from fixing stuff tho holding small wounds cl
osed.
pStyle for girls. This is a winner here. Girls on convoys I was on used to u
se things like this so they didn t have to go off on their own and take off their
pants. Great for women, especially in the winter, because you can pee standing u
p with your pants still on.
Heirloom seeds. If you ve bugged out permanently or just have to survive for a
long time in the wilderness, having seeds ready to plant could really come in h
andy, and they weigh almost nothing and take up very little space.
Trumark Slingshots Folding Slingshot. Packs small and gives you something to
hunt with that will never run out of ammo, but you can get ammo for it that wor
ks really well. You ll have to practice with it a bit though.
Small hand crank emergency radio. This particular one has a solar panel and
can be charged by USB, which works extremely well if you have a solar panel like
theEnerPlex Kickr IV, sCharger 5, or Goal Zero Guide 10.
Colloidal silver. Don t know why you d want it, but a lot of people think it wor
ks.
You are here: Home / Featured / What you need in your bug out bag
a comprehensiv
e look
What you need in your bug out bag a comprehensive look
October 28, 2013 by graywolf 26 Comments
20
Share
818
Share
21
Tweet
2.9k
Pin
0
Share
36
Share
What should you have in your bug out bag? The comprehensive article - http://gra

ywolfsurvival.com/?p=669What should be in your bug out bag?

A bug out bag is critical but what do you put in it? When considering disaster p
reparedness, keep in mind that what survival gear and emergency supplies you add
to your bug out bag and then pack for your survival kit can mean the difference
between life and death, or at least affect your level of comfort if SHTF and yo
u had to get outta dodge.
Keep this in mind though
you can t carry as much as you think you can if you haven t
been out there actually carrying it. This information that I m gonna give you isn t
a list of all the things you need to have it s a list of things you should consid
er. You should carry the least amount of things that you possibly can. For furth
er information, read How much gear should you put in your bug out bag? and just
as important: How much water should be in your bug out bag?.
Just to give you an idea, most of the time, this is what I keep in my bug out ba
g. I do have a larger bag that has some of the items below, but those are really
luxuries. If you can t carry your gear for the distance you need to, you might as
well save your money and not get it.
What do other people say you should put on your bug out bag list?
There are a LOT of theories out there on what you should put in the contents of
your bug out bag. Just to give you a glimpse, here are a few examples from other
people:
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.
Map
Compass
(optionally supplemented with something like a Garmin Oregon 550 Waterproof
Hiking GPS)
Sunglasses
and sunscreen
Extra food
Extra water
Extra clothes
flashlight
First Aid Kit
Firestarter (or matches, chemical heat tabs, canned heat, or a magnesium sti
ck)
Knife
american-red-cross-logo_0_5Here s what the American Red Cross says should be in yo
ur bug out bag inventory:
Water one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supp
ly for home)
Food non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-wee
k 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 informat
ion, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insura
nce policies) I have a break-down of what documents you may need and how to stas

h them here
Cell phone with chargers
Family and emergency contact information
Extra cash
Space blanket
(not one of those crappy one-time use ones)
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 list:
Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for d
rinking 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. Check the link
for exact details.
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 C
ross, or just start doing Google searches phrases like bug out bag contents , what g

oes in a bob bag , or

bug out bag check list

He breaks it down pretty well and chooses these categories for what to put in yo
ur bug out 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 list is that he gives you a list of categ
ories and then goes through examples for each. What goes in your survival kit sh
ouldn t be chosen from a list of items you read from a prepper website
even this o
ne. You should look at these bug out bag lists as examples so you get the idea o
f what you need and can generate some ideas. What you need is a list of essentia
l bug out bag categories to choose from and then some examples from each to get
your mind flowing.
So what should you do to start?
So the first thing you need to do is get a bag. Why on Earth would you do this f
irst? I ve seen lots of people pick what they need first, and then get a bag to fi
t 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 (ever
ything 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 som
e room for things you find along the way or other things you decide to pack late
r on.
By choosing the right bug out bag, or set of bug out 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 wi
lderness, only to have to drop 40 pounds of survival gear because you can t carry
it all. You need to practice wearing your gear in whatever terrain you might nee
d it in. What you can put in it will be based on how much you can carry. Don t for
get that you also need to carry water in it. Here are some thoughts on how much
water you should carry.
So what are bug out bags?
5.11 Rush 72

great bag

There are many names for bug out bags, and actually different types of bags, as
well as many definitions and schools of thought for each bag. One of the key thi
ngs that I try to preach is that your bug out bags shouldn t look tactical or mili
tary. A huge camouflage bug out bag with lots of equipment hanging off of it, wo
rn 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 y
our OPSEC when deciding what to wear.
Here are my ideas of the different types of bags:
Bug out bag (BOB 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 designe
d to be carried with you at all times but should be available within a few minut
es. 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 pack or case 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 (my personal go bag is linked here) is a bug out bag that can have a sp
ecific purpose for a short-term situation. In Afghanistan, I had a go bag that
had my essential items for survival but also for specific missions I might be ca
lled out to do.
72-hour bag
A 72 hour bag is a larger version of the bob bag and theoretically holds everyth
ing you need to survive for three days. This is highly subjective though, and de
pendent 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 item
s based on your situation. A lot of your 72 hours of survival is based on how mu
ch water you have. This 5.11 Tactical Rush 72 is a great choice for that, and I m
planning on switching my current pack over to it.
Get Home bag (GHB)
The get home bag is what you carry with you or put in your car if you re out somew
here and for whatever reason, you have to hump it back to FOB living room.
Vehicle Survival bag or pack
Your car bag 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 ma
in bug out bag or if you break down with another person in the car who has to su
rvive with you. My Harley has enough survival and medical equipment on it for me
to survive even if I get caught out broken down in the middle of the desert for
a couple of days.
Office Kit
This is similar to the vehicle survival bag but it s kept in your office. It shoul
d have enough items if something happened while you were at work such as an eart
hquake 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 bug out bag on steroids and is designed to be pu
t 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 outsid
e 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 strategi
c 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 bug out shelter where you re going if SHT
F. I ve written an extensive post on how to plan your cache locations here.
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 i
s that this stash isn t usually easily accessible and it s usually hidden. What woul
d you do if SHTF and you had to temporarily bug out of your home, or came home a

nd 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 e
ssential items when you return. Keeping your preps secret is very important and
is part of a good OPSEC Plan.
So what should you have in your bug out bag list?
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. Reme
mber: Two is One and One is None. You should overlap different categories so tha
t you re covered whether you can only grab one survival bag or can get to all of t
hem. Here is how I break down the checklist into different categories of essenti
al survival gear to have in your bob bag:
Most Essential Survival Contents:
Water Filters, Purifiers and Storage
Food
Shelter
Fire
Communication
Next Most Essential Survival Contents:
Medical
Orienteering
Tools / Equipment
Power / Light
Weapons / Security
Additional Survival Equipment
Documents
Electronics
Comfort Items
Hygiene
Clothing
Money/barter I have a good article on whether you should invest in silver or
gold here
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 f
igure 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 f
or water? There are two main packing considerations; filtering and containers.
Water Filtration. There are many ways to filter water. UV lights, chemical, coag
ulants, and porous membrane filters, are just examples. Do some research and fig
ure out what you want to carry in each bag. I usually pack a Life Straw in my sm
aller bags and a SteriPen UV light in the bigger ones. I ve now changed to a Sawye
r Mini. Much better.
Containers. Camelbaks are great to have in your bug out bag because you can carr
y 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 bottle
s can also be used. When on tactical missions, I always tried to have a camelbac
k 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 acr
oss any to gather or filter for a while.
Food
Obviously food is important but you can go for several weeks without it and surv
ive. The biggest danger of not having food is that your brain requires calories
to function and when you re starving, you re not going to think properly. You need t
o consider these in your bug out bag: carried food, hunting, fishing, and trappi
ng. Keep in mind that hooks and nets can be fashioned from items you find in nat
ure so packing items such as a knife can also double as food-procurement items.
Carried food. Try to keep high-calorie / low-weight food in your survival kits.
The larger the kit, the more and tastier food you can carry. I keep a small bott
le of olive oil in my smaller kits because there s 120 calories in each tablespoon
. You can also double it as fuel for a fire as well.
Hunting. Weapons are not just used for self-defense. A knife, gun, blowgun, bol
a, slingshots, or one of many other items can be compact and very helpful when h
unting to keep yourself alive in a survival situation.
Fishing. Fish are one of the best items to get in a survival situation and one o
f the easiest to pack for. A couple of fish hooks take up almost no space and is
usually one of the EDC items to carry. The weights and bait can usually be foun
d where you find the fish. You ll need some kind of line to hang the hooks and sin
ce fishing line is great for tying things up, I pack that along with hooks in my
smallest bags. In my bigger bags, I keep a small fish net.
Cooking Supplies. Your smaller go bags like the EDC can t usually carry a lot of c
ooking supplies but you should put some things in your bigger bags. A titanium c
anteen cup is lightweight and very useful. They re expensive but very worth it for
a survival bag. Some kind of Camping stove is definitely nice for your medium-s
ize and up bags.
Knife. Because knives are used to hunt for food, great as tools, and one of the
oldest weapons known to Man, they re a no-brainer to be packed in your get out of
Dodge bag. I keep a small one in my pocket at all times (part of my EDC system),
an exacto blade in my EDC kit, and a knife in each and every level and type of
bug out bag I use.
BTW, Survival Life has a free knife giveaway right now (as of this writing so I
don t know if it ll still be going on by the time you read this. Check it out here.
Shelter
A backpacking tent is a great thing to carry in your bob bag, but what do you do
if you can t get to or carry a bug out bag large enough to carry one? If you real
ly don t have any room, consider a tiny space blanket as one of the smallest shelt
ers, but understand they re only good for like one use. I keep one in pretty much
every survival kit I have. They are only if you have no other choice though bec
ause they tear so easily. For medium kits, consider a survival tarp, which can b
e used to make a field-expedient tent or as a rain-sheltered area outside of you
r packed tent.
The BEST way to stay warm and dry is to carry an ultralight 2-person backpacking
tent. The technology on these things have improved dramatically in the past 10
years, and you can get an actual tent for about the same weight (or sometimes le
ss) than a hammock/tarp or just a bivy.

9 ultralight backpacking tent for hiking or bug out bags 600

Exposure doesn t always come from the air. You can lose a lot of body heat into th
e ground if you re not properly insulated. A good sleeping mat may take up a lot o
f room, and the lighter and more effective ones can be pricey but they ll not only
keep you alive, they ll make your rest more comfortable.
Depending on your climate, also consider a mosquito net to sleep under if you do
n t have a tent. They take up a LOT of room in a survival pack but they were essen
tial when I was in Africa.
A sleeping bag makes things so much nicer when sleeping outside. They take up a
lot of room though. In a smaller bag, consider an emergency bivvy.
As with many other categories, a knife is extremely helpful to make survival she
lters in the outdoors. Make sure you have one.
Fire
There are many, many ways to start a fire in the outdoors. I wrote an article wi
th several videos about some creative ways to start a fire here. If you don t have
the right tools though, it can be extremely difficult. Making fire by rubbing t
wo sticks together is a LOT harder than they make it seem on TV.
will almost always work so keep a couple of them around. Fire is one of
ntials, so I always back those up with other things. There are two main
ations with making fire in a survival situation: ignition and fuel. I m
to go through all the methods, because there are hundreds, but here are
as

the esse
consider
not going
some ide

Chemical. Double-duty is essential to keep weight down in a pack and ensure you
have what you need. Some water purification bottles contain potassium permangana
te and easily fit into smaller bags. If you combine potassium permanganate and s
ome form of glycerin such as from transmission fluid, gel tablets, brake fluid,
or others, it burns extremely hot without having to be lit. It s a great way to ge
t tinder started in wet environments so I always have some. I still need to expe
riment on this stuff to see exactly what lights and what doesn t with it. Not ever
ything out there that is listed actually works. I haven t found a reliable way to
start a fire using this method.
Solar. Bring along a small magnifying lens to start a fire. It s easy to fit into
a small pouch but the smaller ones aren t too effective in real life. Keep in mind
that reflecting a concave surface such as the polished bottom end of a soda or
shaping ice into a lens will do the same thing. I found an absolutely fantastic
backup way to start a fire by using a cheap fresnel page magnifier that s about th
e size of a piece of paper. I did a whole review with video on my here.
Batteries and steel wool. Steel wool is actually a bunch of tiny wires. By rubbi
ng it against a 9v battery, you complete the circuit and the current is enough t
o burn out the wires. If you are carrying any electronics that require 9v batter
ies, make sure you bring along steel wool as a tiny addition to your packs. You
can use other sizes of batteries but keep in mind that typical ones are only 1.5
v so they don t push nearly the current so you may need several in series for it t
o work.
Soaking cotton balls or dryer lint in petroleum jelly is a great lightweight and
space-saving way to keep fuel to start a fire in your survival kit.
Fire piston. I don t have one of these fire pistons yet but they look pretty aweso
me. You basically put a tiny amount of something to burn in it, such as char clo
th (link to how I make char cloth), and push down hard. The air pressure increas

e catches the cloth on fire. I wouldn t use one of these for a primary or even sec
ondary item on my bug out bag list but they are a pretty cool utilization of bas
ic physics. These fire pistons are pretty cool but I think there are easier ways
.
Spark. A steel and flint combination can be used to start a fire also, but as wi
th some of the other methods, doesn t work well in damp environments. Due to their
small size and low weight, I always have one in my pack though and I have an Au
rora firestarter on my keychain.
Communication
ft-857-150x150
The Yaesu 857d. Best bang for your buck.
Communication is extremely important to add to your bug out bag inventory.
The primary consideration is for rescue. I always have a signaling mirror and a
whistle in my packs.
In larger bags, I bring along a VS-17 signaling panel for aerial rescue. It take
s up a fair amount of room though so it only goes into my bigger bag.
A cell phone is a no-brainer for communication, as long as you get service. If y
ou have a smart phone, load a GPS app into it so you can let them know your coor
dinates if you have some kind of radio communication.
I have one of these on my Harley. Super cheap.
Since I have a ham radio license, I have a communications bag just for a portabl
e ham radio that I bring with me whenever possible. I ll definitely be putting tog
ether a post about how to do one of these because I think they re essential for an
y prepper s survival plan. I carry a Yaesu FT-857D portable radio as well as a Yae
su VX-6R handheld ham radio, along with a small motorcycle battery, Solar Batter
y Charger, and homemade rollup antenna. BTW, these Baofeng UV5RA Ham Two Way Rad
ios are pretty awesome. They work on ham frequencies as well as FRS/GMRS and are
under $40. They re kinda complicated though so look through youtube for videos on
them. There are some pretty thorough ones there.
Next Most Essential Survival Equipment:
Medical
A few key items should go
and band-aids but larger
ubject in itself so I won
t aren t on everyone else

into your EDC such as alcohol wipes, antibacterial gel

bags should have more items. A medical kit is a huge s
t go into too much detail but here are my essentials tha
s first aid kit list:

Clotrimazole. This stuff is just foot fungus gel. It s a good antifungal and antib
iotic ointment. It was a lifesaver when I got crotch rot in Central America one
Summer though. A must-have in your SHTF kit.
Moleskin. Moleskin is essential if you start getting blisters, which you most li
kely will in a SHTF or disaster scenario because you ll probably be doing a lot mo
re walking than you re used to.
Sunscreen. Gotta have that in your inventory.
Chap stick. I keep several of these around. Not only is it good for your lips, y
ou can use it with the cotton balls or lint to help start a fire.
Bug repellant. Avon Skin-So-Soft is hands-down the best bug repellant I ve ever us
ed. I don t bring anything else.

Orienteering
Map. Make sure you have maps of the area that you ll be going to. These maps shoul
d have enough detail that you can find where you are and where you want to go wi
th no problem. Also, you should have your route maps from your bug out plan.
Compass. Don t rely on GPS to be there when you need it. There are many reasons fo
r that. I use the same compass at home in my survival kit that the Army issues m
e.
GPS. Don t rely completely a GPS, but if you have one, they make life so much easi
er. The Garmin eTrex is one I m considering.
Tools / Equipment
Tools are usually heavy so a bug out bag should make the best use of space. I us
e a Gerber multitool. I m lucky enough to have had a couple of them issued to me f
rom the Army but I d buy them if I hadn t.
Duct tape is another essential consideration. I usually save space by pulling of
f sections of it and wrapping it around items such as my lighters or canteen cup
.
550 cord is a necessity. It has so many uses. Don t forget that you can pull it ap
art and use the individual strands as string.
Vice grips are extremely useful but they are heavy for their size. I keep a pair
in my medium-sized and up bob bags and always have some in my car.
Power / Light
Light is a necessity to consider for bugging out. LED flashlights are usually th
e way to go because of how long they last. Their power has increased immensely i
n the last few years. I always keep a flashlight in my pocket, one in each bag (
except my EDC because technically my EDC is a system, not a bag so my pockets co
unt, and at least one spare somewhere else. My car always has at least two and I
have a few in my house too.
To run all these flashlights, and other things, you ll need batteries. One of the
best ways to go about this is to get all your items to run on the same size batt
ery. That way you only have to stock one size so you can cut down on the number
of spares you ll have to carry. If you can get a solar charger and rechargeable ba
tteries, you ll be even better off. I use CR123 s for as many things as I can find b
ut there s a good argument for using AA batteries due to how easy they are to find
. I may end up switching over to all rechargeable AA at some point but I ll have t
o replace a lot of flashlights to do that. I ve switched to AA battery lights so I
don t have to carry as many batteries and I can charge them all with the solar pa
nel, USB battery, wall power, or computer USB. Check out my Almost unlimited pow
er for your camping or bug out bag electronics article if you want to see how I
did it..
I found an absolutely screaming deal for a ridiculously bright and cheap AA flas
hlight that uses a CREE bulb. I liked it so much that I did a complete review on
it and I now have several of them all over the house and one in each vehicle. I
t also happens to be the best selling flashlight on Amazon and is #4 in the enti
re Tools & Hardware category. I like it so much in fact that I keep buying more.
They re less than $5 and ridiculously bright. I keep one in every vehicle and bag
and will be handing them out whenever I forget to buy a gift for someone.
My general system for power is a small solar panel, a Goal Zero AA battery charg
er, and a USB battery, each of which have USB outputs. The solar charger is powe
rful enough that it will charge my iPad or iPhone directly even if it s not 100% s

unny out. I ve developed a whole battery and small electronics power kit that allo
ws me to basically have unlimited power.
The backup battery will charge the iPhone about 4 times before it needs recharge
d. I usually keep the battery topped up by AC power and then charge it with the
solar charger as I need it and use that to charge my electronics instead of usin
g the solar charger directly unless my AC goes down, where I then use the solar
charger until nighttime.
For my INCH bag (or box in my case), I have a briefcase-sized folding solar pane
l and a golf cart battery. I use this stuff for my camper usually but will bring
it if I have to head out for a long time.
Weapons / Security
The whole weapons thing is a HUGE topic that s covered in many different ways with
many different points of view. I ll be covering this one in several posts later b
ut you essentially just need to make sure you pack something to defend yourself.
I always carry a pistol, although it s usually on me. You may even want armor.
I keep spare ammo and a cleaning kit in my bug out bags. You should start with a
n off-the-shelf cleaning kit to begin with but then add things to suit your need
s. One of the first things I added to mine was a dental cleaning kit. Start with
a larger dental cleaning kit and pull out the ones you need. For your smaller b
ags, you may want to consider using a hacksaw and cutting them down to size.
To alert you to people or animals wandering into your camp in the night, you ca
n string up a circle of fishing line and then hang a bell off of it. It s cheap, c
ompact and effective.
I don t personally carry body armor when I m not in a combat zone due to the immense
weight and size but I may break down and get one of the undercover types, or at
least get a kevlar fabric vest through one of my contacts.
Additional Survival Equipment
Documents
One of the key categories that people miss in packing their bugout bag is docume
nts because they have the mindset that they are going to be stuck out in the mid
dle of the woods somewhere. This may be the case, but hopefully at some point, y
ou ll make it back to civilization. Even if it s The End Of The World As We Know It
civilization is going to have to start somewhere and having identification and d
ocuments from the past may come in handy. Either way, don t screw yourself by choo
sing not to carry these essential items. I would suggest laminating everything o
r at least putting them in waterproof containers somehow.
ID. Bring your driver s license, any other ID s such as police or military ID, your
passport and your social security card.
Family records. If you have a flood or a fire, or have to head to a bug out loca
tion for a while, you don t want to keep your family records back at the house. Br
ing your birth certificates, marriage licenses, and anything else that you may h
ave a difficult time replacing.
Vehicle titles. This is especially important for whatever vehicle you take when
you get out of Dodge but you should keep them all with you.
Deed. Bring the deed to your house, just as with your vehicle titles.
List of contents. You should actually have several lists for your items and one
master list to call them out. I use an Excel Spreadsheet with a tab for every bu
g out bag I own and then laminate a minimized printed copy of each. This can be

a huge asset if you need to find a specific item, especially medical kit equipme
nt (which you should have in a designated area anyway). This way you don t have to
dig through all your stuff to get to something.
Contact list. List everyone you may ever want to contact for whatever reason. Pu
t their phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, family members, and anything
else that would help you contact them such as the Ham Radio channels they freque
nt.
Waterproof paper and space pen. Make sure you always have one of these available
. You never know when you ll need to leave a note, write down directions, or make
notes of things you observe while you re out.
Electronics
Thumb drive. If you have electronics that work, such as my little eee PC, a thum
b drive can really come in handy, especially for documents. Keep an encrypted li
st of logins and passwords, scanned copies of all documents, and your contact li
st. If you end up losing all your original documents, your thumb drive may help
you rebuild everything.
Cell phone.
iPad or other reading device. This may seem like something frivolous but imagine
if you could have copies of survival manuals or farming ebooks right on hand?
Comfort Items
There are a lot of purists out there who scream out whenever you mention bringin
g any comfort items, saying it s a survival situation and not a camping trip. Most
of these people have never spent more than a drunk weekend at a camping lodge.
I ve spent over a year in the jungles of Africa and in Central America. When you re
gone for months at a time, comfort becomes a priority. You can only carry so muc
h but a few things like toilet paper, pictures of family, and a paperback book t
o read can sometimes be worth their weight in gold. Or feathers, if that s a bette
r analogy.
Hygiene
Speaking of toilet paper, hygiene is important in the field. Proper hygiene will
mean less medical problems as well as better morale. I bring a camp towel and l
iquid soap, compact toothbrush, two travel-sized tubes of toothpaste, eye drops,
chap stick, and dental floss. Chap stick and dental floss are key because floss
can be used for other things such as tying things together (see #11 on my list
of Top 10 bug out bag survival tips).
Clothing
The most important items to bring along for clothing other than the obvious weat
her-specific warm or dry gear are; socks, t-shirts, and underwear. Always keep a
set of these three items in any bag they ll fit and then more in bigger bob bags.
Money / Barter
You should consider more than just bringing along your cash and credit cards whe
n trying to figure out what to put in your bugout bag but make sure you keep sma
ll bills and change in your survival kits. If you don t, that $10 item you need ba
dly may end up costing you the $100 bill you thoughtfully packed away because th
ey don t have change. To protect yourself from a short or long term economic colla
pse, you may consider gold or silver (see what I think about that here).
Keep these other things in mind when thinking about what to pack in case of emer
gency:
What should you bring with you to trade? Medicine you don t need could be very

valuable to someone else.

What skills should you use or learn that might be useful if things go real b
ad? Make sure you bring any tools or reference materials you d need to be able to
take advantage of your knowlege.
What items will probably be more useful than cash in a SHTF event? Having ex
tra food, medicine, alcohol or tobacco could be worth more than cash if SHTF.
What things willl you need to barter for in case of emergency? Make sure you
pack your essential items that are hard to find or you ll be trading away all you
r barterables for them.
Extra energy or communications access? Having access to solar power to charg
e someone s cell phone or letting them talk to others on your Ham Radio may be ext
remely valuable if SHTF.
So make sure you do a thorough bugout plan before you decide to make a checklist
for your bugout bag. Don t forget to get your go bags or containers first, based
on comfort and utility and then pack them as necessary, leaving some room for fu
ture items. Your bugout plan should tell you what bags you ll need where. Then go
through the list of what categories to pack for in your emergency kit and ensure
you overlap your supplies.
Remember: when it comes to critical gear (keeping in mind that you shouldn t carry
anything you don t need): Two is one and one is none.
For more information about what you should have in your bug out bag, check out B
uild the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit.
If you want to see what I ve packed in my bug out bag, check out How to build the
ultimate 25 pound bug out bag.