Tiny Pallet House

A bug-out bag is simply a backpack with things you might need if you had to leave your home quickly and stay mobile for a few days. If you live in an area with regular natural disasters like fires and storms a bug-out bag can make your escape to much safer.

The most important items you’ll need are shelter, food, and water. The most important feature of your pack is portability which mostly has to do do with overall weight, your pack’s design, and your physical fitness.

Continue reading for some ideas for making a very complete bug-out bag. You’ll probably find that a sub-set of these items will meet your needs but I wanted to capture a complete list in one place. If you were to put all these items in a bug-out bag it would be much too heavy so choose carefully.

Core:

• Lightweight Sturdy Backpack
• Lightweight Cold Weather Sleeping Bag & Pad
• Collapsible Emergency Shelter or Backpacking Tent

Water

• Filled Reusable Water Bottles (one gallon per person per day)
• Water Filter and/or Water Purification Tablets

Food & Cooking

• Cook Stove, Mess Kit, and Dish Soap
• Matches & Lighters
• Nonperishable Food Rations for 3 Days Minimum

Protective Gear & Clothing

• Warm Rain Resistant Cap
• Warm Water Proof Jacket
• Rain Poncho
• Water Resistant Hiking Boots & Spare Laces
• Sturdy Work Gloves
• Warm Gloves
• Sun Glasses
• Eye Protection
• Dust Masks
• Warm Socks
• Underwear & Long Underwear
• Sun Block & Bug Repellent
• Space Blanket

First Aid & Personal Hygiene

• First Aid Kit & Common Medications (Imodium, Tylenol, Aspirin, Benadryl, etc)
• Personal Hygiene Kit, Soap, and Moist Towelettes
• Handkerchief
• Personal Prescriptions
• Toilet Paper

Misc Gear

• Whistle & Signal Mirror
• Headlamp (AA Batteries)
• Small LED Flashlight (AA Batteries)
• Large Garbage Bags

Communications and Navigation

• Cellular Phone
• Maps (Include locations of public shelters, fire stations, evacuation routes, etc.)
• Compass
• GPS device
• AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio or Multi-Band Ham Transceiver(s) (AA Batteries)
• Binoculars

Toolkit

• Solar Battery Recharger for AA Batteries
• Spare Rechargeable AA Batteries
• Small Sewing Kit
• Multi-Tool
• Knife & Sharpener
• Small Folding Shovel
• Small Crow Bar
• Small Axe
• Rope/Paracord
• Duct Tape

Personal Items

• Identification (Passport)
• Notebook & Pens
• Cash & Coin
• Copies of Personal Documents
• Family Emergency Plan & Phone Numbers
• Financial Account Information
• Survival Books
• Bible (or other scripture)

Weapons

Possessing weapons of any kind is a very personal decision. While weapons can protect you that can also make you more of a threat to other people including law enforcement. Before considering packing weapons in your bug-out bag check you local laws and obtain proper permits before carrying concealed weapons; and by all means be sure to get proper training and consider the risks carefully.

It’s also important to point out that guns and knives are not just weapons but can be extremely useful tools for defense and hunting. So while I emphasize the great care in the decision making process I also want to say that they can also be very useful tools.

Here are some common choices:

Knife – A good survival knife typically has a fixed single sided blade of very high quality steel with solid handels and a full or narrow tang. The blade thickness should also be between 5/32 and 8/32 of an inch and 4 to 6 inches long. Stainless steel blades require less maintenance but are harder to sharpen and are more expensive. Carbon steel blades tend to hold an edge better and if used regularly will not have a problem with rust.

Handgun – It’s hard to define a good handgun for survival situations because there are so many good choices and personal taste ranges widely; but I think most would agree that reliability, accuracy, capacity, and weight are the factors at the top of the list. Some excellent choices are the Glock 17 and the Sig P226.

Shotgun & Rifle – These are a bit difficult to pack in a bug-out bag due to the barrel length but there are some interesting options like the Marlin 70PSS and the Henry U.S. Survival rifle. These are take down rifles that can be partially disassembled for easier packing and transport.

Another interesting option for versatile survival guns are shotgun/rifle combos. These will often have an over/under barrel configuration that combine a .22 rifle with a .410 shotgun. While these shotgun and rifle examples may provide some additional hunting capabilities, the handguns would probably be a better bet for self defense.

Links:

• The Bug-Out Campout – Great article on a real bug-out bag test.
• 10 Lessons from the Bug-Out Campout
• Photos and discussion of a prepper’s bug-out bag
• Another prepper’s bug-out bag
• Multiple bug-out bags
• Wilderness Survival – A nice collection of articles on food, fire, and staying safe in the wilderness.

More about Disaster Preparedness