It is vital that you prepare emergency supplies before a disaster strikes. In a major situation, it could easily be at least three days until services are restored to your home or community, or until you get to a secondary location where you have them.
What Is A Bug Out Bag?
A “Bug Out Bag” (BOB) is a portable emergency kit that should include all the essential things you might need in order to survive on your own for at least 72 hours.
The main point of a BOB is for evacuation, rather than surviving long-term, which is what separates the bug out bag from a full survival kit. Therefore, this guide is designed to help you prepare for the critical 72-hour period for evacuation during a disaster scenario.
It goes without saying that in the event of a disaster, you will need to evacuate quickly. This means your bug-out bag should be relatively lightweight, portable, easily accessible, and contain the items you might truly need.
Although the most common term is “bug out bag” it is important to note that they are also called by several other names, including; BOB, 72-hour kit, grab bag, bail-out bag, GOOD (get out of dodge) bag, personal emergency relocation kit, and others. So be sure everyone in your family and/or your evacuation crew knows exactly what you call it and what it means.
Water
Escaping disaster is going to be hard work. You’ll get thirsty.
While building your Bug Out Bag pack lots of water. In fact, you should have at least 1 gallon of water per person to stay alive. This can be lowered for just 72 hours, or if you have other ways to get water and make it potable.
When disaster strikes it is going to be more difficult than you ever imagined to find clean drinking water. At a minimum you need at least 3 ways to purify water. A great water filtration system is the Berkey Water System. Also get water purification tablets to use as a last resort.
Armed with 3 ways to get drinking water: boiling, filtering and chemical treatment, you’ll see water sources in places most people won’t look during an emergency. Use this to your advantage.
Packing List:
- Water Treatment System
- Water Purification Tablets
- Metal Canteen
- Two – 32oz Plastic Water Bottles
Food
You can survive without food. But it’s not easy. Remember this when you are putting together your Bug Out Bag.
Aim for simple, non-perishable foods like canned meats and beans.
You will find yourself considering dehydrated space food or Military MRE’s to pack in your Bug Out Bag. Go with MRE’s. They last for a long time and are easier to pack. Not to mention they include their own heating mechanism.
For good measure load up on energy bars and throw in a few candy bars. Both are high calorie foods that will give you the energy you need right when you need it. Like after fighting off a deranged backwoods mountain man.
Beyond fast and easy foods, a simple cooking kit will be extremely useful in helping you ride out waves of hunger. Having a way to prepare food will allow you to survive for longer periods of time in the event the emergency lasts longer than 72 hours.
A great lightweight backpacking stove will be something you’ll love for survival. Toss in one or two portable fuel cans to keep your fire going. Also pack a metal pot, metal cup and a universal utensil like a spork.
Packing List:
- Camping Stove
- 2 Fuel Canisters
- Metal Pot
- Metal Cup
- Utensils
- MRE’s
- Energy Bars or Candy Bars
Emergency Shelter
Shelter is your first line of defense against the elements in an emergency.
You may need to evacuate your home quickly and there may be no safe place for you to go. Arm yourself against the weather by preparing for cold temperatures, rain and even intense heat. You can’t predict when disaster will strike so prepare to be flexible.
Determining your shelter strategy can be one of the toughest decisions you will make while building your Bug Out Bag. Make your choices depending on your location, potential weather conditions and survival experience. When in doubt pack multiple options for a better chance of survival.
Note: Many survivalists maintain a minimalist attitude when it comes to emergency shelter. Do not let this discourage you from packing adequate shelter necessary to survive. One of the most important elements in a survival situation is your mental attitude and a positive outlook.
Your survival gear should reinforce your feeling of safety and comfort when in the wilderness.
Here is a variety of creative and effective ways to build an emergency shelter:
Lightweight Camping Tent
A one or two person camping tent will give you the comfort and flexibility to survive for longer periods of time. Although a tent will take up more room than other emergency shelter options, it will give you the protection and peace of mind to outlast any disaster.
For families, a larger group tent may be a better way to go. Adjust and rearrange your supplies among family members’ Bug Out Bags to make room for the tent.
Waterproof Nylon Tarp
A lightweight 6’x10’ waterproof rip stop Nylon tarp is a cost effective and efficient emergency shelter. These can be used in all types of weather conditions and are easy to set up. A Nylon tarp is compact, cheap and an extremely versatile way to build a shelter.
Reflective Emergency Survival Blanket
You can build a simple shelter from a reflective emergency survival blanket. This is a must-have survival item. It can be used as a sleeping bag, ground tarp or a tent shelter. There are many brand to choose from and most importantly they are both lightweight and cheap.
Heavy Duty Military Poncho
A great emergency shelter can be built using a heavy duty military poncho. Before bugging out, practice making an emergency tent using the grommets in the corners of the poncho. Throw in a wool blanket and you could survive any type of weather conditions comfortably for days.
Sleeping Bag
A compact sleeping bag in a compression sack will be an important addition to your Bug Out Bag.
A high-quality 30 degree bag will help you stay warm and comfortable in an emergency. If you have additional room in your bag you should include a wool blanket. Wool is extremely durable and will maintain 80 percent of its insulating properties even when its soaking wet.
Packing List:
- Waterproof Nylon Tarp
- Reflective Emergency Survival Blanket
- Heavy Duty Military poncho
- Sleeping Bag
- 200 feet of para-cord
- 2 or 3 Heavy Duty 30 gallon garbage bags
Clothing
Your bug out bag must include clothes that will protect you from the elements while you are surviving in the wilderness or even in your own backyard. The type of clothes you pack will need to vary depending on where you live and the type of weather you may be facing. Take into account some of the most extreme weather that occurs in your area and pack for the worst.
Without the ability to dig through your closet in an emergency situation, your bug out bag needs to include winter clothing items that you may already own. You can look for winter clothes during summer sales or retire your old clothing into your bug out bag.
Packing List:
- 2 pair of wool hiking socks
- 2 changes of underwear
- 1 extra pair of pants
- 1 base layer thermal underwear
- warm fleece hat
- 2 extra shirts
- 1 mid-weight fleece
- 1 warm rain jacket
- 1 heavy duty military poncho
- 1 pair of comfortable waterproof hiking boots
- 2 bandanas
- Leather Work Gloves
- Sunglasses
Fire
Fire is essential to your survival.
Have at least 3 ways to start a fire in your Bug Out Bag. In addition to your basic fire building skills, you should include a lighter and waterproof matches. Grab a fire steel if you don’t already have one. These will create sparks in any weather condition you find yourself in. A fire steel will be a real lifesaver.
To save yourself the trouble of finding adequate tinder in the wilderness, pack a small amount of dried tinder to get your fire going quickly. This can range from our more traditional tinder such as bark or brush to more creative options such as cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly or a charred piece of cloth.
Packing List:
- Lighter
- Waterproof matches
- Fire Steel
- Tinder
First Aid and Hygiene
A first aid kit is an essential, but often overlooked element in you bug out bag. The easiest solution is to find a pre-made first aid kit that includes most of the basics. It is a good idea to add additional large adhesive bandages to the kit for more versatility.
In addition to first aid supplies, all of your usual hygiene products should be included. When bugging out for an unknown length of time it will be imperative to keep up your hygiene. There can be hundreds of variations of products you need to stay healthy and clean but the most obvious are toilet paper, soap, toothbrush and hand sanitizer. Add items that you are most familiar with and will help you survive for at least 72 hours.
Packing List:
- Adhesive bandages (of several sizes)
- Butterfly closure bandages
- Gauze dressing
- Toilet Paper
- Bar of soap
- Bottle of Hand Sanitizer
- Toothbrush and tooth paste
- Insect Repellent
Tools
One of the most important elements of your bug out bag is a full tang fixed blade survival knife. Many hardcore survivalists will tell you that they could survive in the wilderness with nothing but a knife. This of course implies that without it they might not stand a chance of surviving.
Your bug out bag needs to include a high quality all-purpose knife that is large enough to tackle big tasks like chopping and splitting wood or even self-defense. Your survival knife can be used for preparing food and hundreds of other creative applications around camp. See our guide on Survival Knives for more advice and tips on finding the best survival knife.
It is easy to go overboard on the amount of tools you pack. Although they will be useful in the wilderness you may need to scale back and aim for more versatile tools. Use your creativity and find tools that will serve multiple purposes and travel well.
Bringing your tool box is not recommended. Consider adding these tools to your bug out bag:
Packing List:
- Full-tang fixed blade survival knife
- Leatherman Multi-tool
- Small Knife Sharpener
- Rope
- Duct Tape
- Machete
- Can Opener
- Small Fishing Kit
- Compass
Lighting
Every bug out bag needs to include at least two light sources. These can range from candles, small LED flashlights or even glow sticks. Multiple options are important to help you adapt to each situation.
Packing List:
- Small Flashlight
- LED head-lamp
- 1 glow-stick
- 1 package of 9 hour candles
Communication & Important Documents
During an emergency situation where you must evacuate your home you will need a way to communicate with your family, friends and the outside world. The first priority in communication will be a fully charged cell phone and a battery backup. As has happened in past emergency situations, such as during power outages cell phone towers have gone out of service and you may find yourself without adequate signal.
A small battery powered AM/FM radio will help you stay informed about the situation and the state of emergency. A radio will be essential to know when it is safe to return home or whether you will need to modify your survival strategy.
Carry important documents with you during an emergency evacuation. You should have these documents in a safe and easy to access place in the event you need to evacuate quickly. It may be smart to keep a copy of all of your important documents in you bug out bag in the event you cannot reach the originals or they are destroyed.
Packing List:
- Cell Phone
- Extra cell phone battery or portable charger
- Small battery powered AM/FM radio
- Detailed map of your surrounding area
- Waterproof map case
- Important Documents
- Important phone numbers
- Important account numbers
- Drivers license
- Passport
- Social Security Card
- Medical information
- Gun Carry Permit
Protection
During an emergency situation you need to be prepared to defend yourself and your family. It is inevitable that there will be chaos around you.
Your best self defense will be a small, easy to carry gun. Not only will it intimidate any poorly armed attackers but it can also be used for hunting if necessary. The type of gun you carry is a personal decision and there are many great options out there. From choosing between shotguns, rifles or even handguns, the most important choice is packing one in your bug out bag.
Your Next Steps
It might be a cliche saying, but it’s true nonetheless… “The only thing certain in an emergency is uncertainty.”
Take the small steps today in order to become prepared for a disaster before it strikes. Gathering a few essential supplies now will make a huge difference in the success of your survival in a bail-out situation.
At the very least, it is important to have a minimum of the 10 C’s of survivability ready in a bag at all times. No matter where you live there is always a situation where these items could be needed at a moments notice.
As we have seen in past disasters there are not enough resources to help everyone during an emergency, so it is imperative that you become self-sufficient; even if it is only for the ever important first 72 hours. And if things really get crazy for the long-term (SHTF) you will likely be among the survivors!