Bug Out Bag

It is vital to have a Bug Out Bag. If the proverbial stuff ever hits the fan, you want to be prepared to get out of dodge as quickly as possible with critical items. To do this, you will need to have them all gathered together in one place and have them portable. This is the point of having a Bug Out Bag all ready to go. There are a few critical steps to preparing a proper Bug Out Bag.

1. Pick a good quality, sturdy backpack. In the picture to the right you can see one made by RedOxx out of Billings, MT. I have met the owner and done a thorough study of their products. They are dependable and quality. This is the backpack I use, but if there is another you want then by all means get the one you prefer.
2. Get enough food and water for 3 days
3. Get some First Aid in your Bug Out Bag.
4. Add some weather protection that applies to your area of the world.
5. Put in a good flashlight and a radio.
6. Get a great survival knife and possibly a multi-tool--this is one thing I won't be covering in this hub.
7. Insert some cash, gold, silver, or barter goods.
8. Last, but not least, add a reliable source of fire.

This is just the start of a good Bug Out Bag. Each person needs to look at their area and circumstances to decide what is best. Make changes as your life changes. Most important of all, get started on your Bug Out Bag today, you will never regret having it.

 The very first step is to get a bag.  As I said before, I chose the RedOxx Airborne rucksack because I am comfortable with the actual bag and the construction of this bag.  If you want something different--get it.  Here are some things to think about. 

First, get a bag that is simple to carry.  You want your bag to be portable.  If you have all your contents gathered but then try to carry them in a a bag that isn't comfortable or easy to carry, then you aren't going to be satisfied.  A duffel bag may look good but if you have to travel some distance, a duffel bag that weighs 15 lbs can get pretty heavy.  On the other hand, 15 lbs on your back isn't very much.  Think about the style.

Second, get a bag that doesn't stand out.  If you have a brand new, very expensive looking bag it is possible that humans will become jealous of what may be in your good looking bag.  You are better off putting a little dirt and mud on the outside of your bag so it doesn't stand out.  You want to blend with the general population.

Third, get a bag that is big enough to hold everything you are going to put in it. 

This is possibly the toughest assignment. You need to get enough food and water into your Bug Out Bag to last you a miniumum of three days. You can go real basic and just get some Freeze Dried foods. I like Mountain House for this. Or you can get even more basic and get some survival bars. These are basically just oversized pieces of nastiness. They give you the calories you need and that is about it. The benefit of these is size. You can stuff a lot of calories into a small area. Just type the words emergency survival bars into the search engine of choice and you will find a ton of sources for these bars. Or, with food, you can mix it up a little. That is what I have done. Some of the bars, some freeze dried, and a few other snacks to make life a little more interesting.  The other option you have is to go the MRE route.  These are fairly decent, don't take up too much room, and give you a warm meal.  Not a bad combination.

Then, you have water. You need actual water in your pack. Don't depend on getting some and then purifying it. You have no guarantee that you will be able to find water. The easiest thing to do is to go to your emergency food supply source of choice and purchase some of the boxed water they are sure to sell. It comes in little individual boxes and lasts for years. But, along those lines, it isn't a bad idea to have a water purifier or some tablets to clean any water you may find. To do this, you need a water bottle. So get a good water bottle and if you want to add a purifier to your kit, then do so. I have a Katydyn Hiker PRO and it seems to do a great job.

Now is the time to add some First Aid supplies to your Bug Out Bag. There are a whole wide world of things you can add. I think it easiest to get a basic, but solid first aid kit and then add more of the things I am partial to. You can find decent first aid kits on the internet. There is a wide variety of items available. What you want is a general first aid kit that is measured by what it has in it not how many band aids the manufacturer stuffed in. If you have some medical experience and can give aid, you may want to add in a trauma kit or a burn kit or both. Just do some research and find one that fits your budget, your skill level, the space available in your Bug Out Bag, and your potential needs. I really like this site called Adventure Medical Kits. I am not sure if they are the least expensive, but for me, they seem to work. While you are at it, look at adding a few quickclot packs to stop bleeding. And if you or anyone who depends on you needs particular medicine, make sure to have some of that in the kit.

 Decide right now what weather you may encounter.  Take into consideration all the seasons and prepare for the worst.  Or, change your Bug Out Bag contents each season.  If it snows in your area, you need to be ready for it.  Prepare for wet and cold.  These can be killers to those who don't prepare.

As you put clothes in, plan in layers.  It is much better to have multiple layers that can be removed at will than to have one thick layer that is either on you or off you.  Also, get some extra socks in your bag.  And if you can fit it, put a small tent or at least a small tarp and some rope that you can use to rig a roof over your head.  You will appreciate that more than you can imagine. 

Having participated in 100+ winter camp outs in snow and inclement weather I can tell you from personal experience that you can never have enough of the following items:

1. Socks
2. Layers
3. Waterproof shells of some sort (windbreaker style)

Prepare and you will be warm.  Don't and you will be miserable and in serious jeopardy.

 Get a flashlight.  Don't let the kids play with it.  Put it in your BOB (Bug Out Bag) and put a couple of spare batteries in there.  I have the Fenix LD10.  You can see it over to the right.  It is an amazingly bright LED flashlight that only needs one AA battery.  I love AA because they are more readily available than AAA.  Plus, this thing will go for about 80 hours on just one battery depending on what level brightness you are using.  If you put it on the very bright setting it is incredibly bright.  Small, portable, has a pocket clip, uses one battery, heavy duty, waterproof, and lightweight--the Fenix LD10 has it all.  If you have a different flashlight you like, that is no problem.  Just make sure it stays in your bag.  And remember to regularly change out the batteries and the spares that you have in your BOB.

 Put around $100 cash in your bag.  Maybe a small gold coin or two.  Or even some silver coins.  You have no idea what an emergency might bring, but it never hurts to have some cold hard cash.  The benefit of gold and silver is that in a true emergency situation they will probably be more readily tradeable than cash.  You may also want to have some extras of your favorite items--to trade for things you haven't thought of.