WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR BUG OUT BAG

First Aid

In no particular order, here are some first-aid items you should consider putting in your bug out bag:

Medication

Prescription medications, aspirin, ibuprofen, anti-diarrheal, antihistamines, Sudafed, multi-vitamins, Epipen (if you have severe allergies), antibiotic ointment, antacids.

Bandages

Band-Aids, butterfly stitches, gauze, ace bandage, triangle bandage, first aid tape, trauma pads, eye patch..etc. You get the idea here.

Basic first aid items

Examine gloves, tweezers, EMT scissors, eye wash, face mask, antiseptic pads, cold compress, insect sting relief ( most of these items you will find in a quality first aid kit)

Advanced First aid

CAT Tourniquet, QuikClot, Israeli Bandages, decompression needle, suture kit, sutures, scalpel blades, snakebite kit, wire splint, SAM splint

Besides first aid, you may consider getting a gas mask to put in your bag. Should there be riots, there will be tear gas. In case of fires, there will be heavy smoke. Wouldn’t you like to be able to keep going while others are choking on toxins?

Tampons

While it is not a bad idea to have these in your kit, they are not intended for medical use. I see a lot of people talking about using these for open wounds but this is an unsafe practice. Tampons are not sterile and are not designed to be used as a first aid item. Although tampons are made to be used internally, they are not intended to be used for wound care or as a sterile dressing. Here are a few reasons why tampons are not recommended for first aid use:

Not sterile: Tampons are not manufactured under sterile conditions and are not sterile products. They are made for personal hygiene and not for medical purposes. Even though tampons are made with absorbent materials, they can still harbor bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that can cause infections if introduced to an open wound.

Absorption may cause further damage: Tampons are designed to absorb menstrual flow and are made of materials that can swell when exposed to liquids. If used on an open wound, a tampon can absorb blood and other fluids from the wound, which can cause the wound to dry out, stick to the tampon, and potentially lead to further tissue damage or pain when removed.

Alternative, better options: There are many better options for wound care and sterile dressings that are designed for medical use, such as sterile gauze pads, adhesive bandages, and wound closure strips. These products are manufactured under sterile conditions and are designed to promote healing and reduce the risk of infection.

Exposure to the Elements

This is the second most important group of items to add to your Bug Out Bag. Prolonged exposure to extreme weather conditions can result in death or the loss of limbs.

A lot falls in the category as it covers personal clothing, basic shelter, all the way up to a tent . I also consider fire to be in this category as it will protect you from the frigid elements. Most of your bulk and weight falls in this area so be mindful of the gear that you select.

Let’s start with clothing, from the head down.

Head

Wool winter cap, balaclava, sunglasses, boonie hat, bandana.

Torso

Water-wicking shirt, long underwear shirt(thermals), t-shirts, light inner jacket, outer heavy jacket (water resistant), rain jacket (with hood), parka, and camouflage poncho for when you do want to hide.

Hands

Winter Gloves, leather work gloves, fingerless wool gloves

Legs

Heavy-duty belt, long underwear, roomy cargo pants (water resistant), rain pants

Feet

Moisture wicking inner socks, wool outer socks, comfortable hiking boots, water socks (so you don’t get your boots wet should you need to cross a river or stream).

Shelter

Mylar blanket, mylar sleeping bag, lightweight tarp, bivvy, sleeping bag, wool blanket, all weather tent, foam pad or Therm-a-Rest. There are many variations of these items. Do your research and find the best items for your climate. While Mylar blankets are not your best option, they are lightweight and will be useful if you need something fast…but don’t make them your primary form of shelter. I do recommend having a few of these blankets since they take up very little room.

Fire

I consider fire to be very important. You should have multiple tools to start a fire as well as multiple types of tinder.

Firestarting Tools

Ferro rod, matches, windproof and waterproof matches, butane lighter, Paracord (learn how to make a bowdrill)

Though a bowdrill is not a practical survival skill or tool in todays modern society, having that knowledge will increase your confidence and fire making skills. By all means have the proper modern tools but if you can start a fire by rubbing sticks together, think about how good at this skill you will be when you have modern tools.  

There are many different types of flint fire starters. The Blastmatch is popular because it can be used with one hand, but it has moving parts…which means it can and will break eventually. I have one of these, but I have a backup for when it does break. Your backup should be entirely different. I suggest a solid 6 inch long ferro rod as it is easier to hold onto when your hands are cold.

A common item I hear about in peoples fire starting kits is a 9v battery and steel wool.  While you can use this to start a fire, it is a single use item.  The steel wool is useless after you have used it just once.  Replace that battery with another ferro rod as you can start thousands of fires with it.  However, if you have never used a ferro rod before, I suggest you get out there and practice. You dont want to be figuring it out in an emergency situation.

Tinder

Cottonballs with Vaseline - I have found that this is THE BEST fire starting tinder as it is easy to make and cheap. It will also burn up to five minutes which gives you a lot of time to start a fire.

Char cloth, waterproof fire sticks, wetfire tinder, dryer lint, etc…. there is lots of different tinder out there so choose what works best for you.

Since I mentioned dryer lint, be aware that dryer lint often times contains hair and synthetics which do not burn as well. They are more likely to just melt quickly and not produce an adequit flame. Cotton balls are cheap so why not forget about repurposing that dryer lint for your bug out bag, and spend a couple bucks on something that works better.

Water

The best way to purify water is to boil it. This will kill all bacteria. Better yet is distillation, but this is not easy to do. This is where you convert water to steam, and then back into water without cross contaminating it. If done properly, distillation will even remove radioactive particles from water. I won’t go into that here. Boiling water will not remove dirt or other particles so you should filter your water either before or after boiling, but is safe enough to drink if you cannot do this. Use a cloth to filter out large particles if nothing else or get yourself a water filter.

Here are some items I recommend for water:

Wide mouth water bottle, small metal pot or cup, water purification tablets (iodine tabs), portable water filter (Lifestraw, Katadyn, Sawyer, etc…) scarf, coffee filters. I go with wide mouth water bottles because you can put items in them when not in use. I have a Sawyer Squeeze water filter in mine, along with two of the collapsible bags that come with the Sawyer. Also in my water bottle are purification tablets, matches, a can opener, and a spoon and fork.

I also suggest you get a Camelbak or some alternative that will fit in your backpack. I find that these bladders make your water taste like plastic. Get yourself another water filter that will attach inline to the hose coming out of the bladder. I know Sawyer and Aquamira both make filters that will attach to them and they make me super happy as I hate the taste of plastic flavored water.

Nutrients and Energy For Your Body

While food is the last on the list for The Rules of Three, it is still very important. Personally I have a high metabolism and find it difficult to go even a day without eating before I become weakened and/or ill. Therefore I suggest you have at least a weeks worth of food in your Bug Out Bag. Many survival kits only call for 3 days worth and I don't consider any kit with this limitation a true bug out bag. Besides food, you should also have hunting tools so that you can make it longer than your carried supplies. Eat what you can hunt/scavenge first and then dip into your food rations.

Food

The first thing you should think of when you think of food is a knife. With a knife you can make anything you need to hunt for more food should your supplies run out. I build my kits so that you can last longer than the standard 72 hours if you have to. I suggest you don’t go cheap and buy a quality knife. Personally I carry 3 knives….well I carry more than that, but will only talk about 3 of them. I recommend a longer full tang fixed blade for doing large work, a shorter full tang fixed blade for light work and skinning, and a good folding pocket knife with a partially serrated blade.

Now that that is out of the way let’s talk about your actual food supplies. 72 hours is all you need….right? I say wrong. A full survival ration bar is 3600 calories. This means you get 400 calories per meal for 3 days. FEMA says that is all you need…

I suggest you have 3600 calories worth of these ration bars plus the following.

• At least 15 servings of dehydrated meals. This is typically 3 food packets.
• As many oatmeal packets as you can fit in your bag.
• Clif bars, Power bars, or something similar.
• Trail mix with nuts and chocolate for a quick fuel.
• Beef Jerky

You can’t cook easily without something to cook in. I suggest you get the largest stainless steel pot that you can fit in your pack. You won’t lose any space from a large pot because you can fill it with items before putting it in your bag. The bigger the pot, the more food you can make and more water you can boil to purify it. You will probably want to pack some spices as well. Something as simple as a salt and pepper shaker could keep you sane.

For hunting food you should have fishing tackle, a cable snare and at least 20 feet of paracord. Other items that I suggest are a slingshot, crossbow & bolts, and/or bow and arrows.

Another important part of your bug out bag, which most people forget, is identification. Get copies of your drivers license, passport, insurance cards, house deeds, emergency contacts etc… and put them in a waterproof bag . Should you have the need to identify yourself or return home, you have proof of who you are.

First aid

• Bandages
• Medication (Rx and over-the-counter…don’t forget the anti-diarrheal meds. Without them you could have a really crappy day…)
• EMT scissors
• Tweezers
• Tourniquet
• Exam gloves
• Face mask
• Suture kit
• QuickClot
• Eye Patch
• Eye Wash
• Anti-Itch Lotion (for poison Ivy)

Fire and Shelter

• 100 Feet Paracord (Paracord has many uses… carry as much as you can)
• Sleeping Bag
• Matches (waterproof/storm proof), Lighter
• Magnesium Firestarter (2 types)
• Firesticks, wetfire tinder, and/or other tinder
• Cotton Balls and Vaseline
• Tent and/or Lightweight Tarp
• Mylar Blanket
• Mylar Sleeping Poncho
• Rain gear
• Wool Blanket
• Bandana
• Clothing (coat, hat, gloves, socks, shirts, pants, thermal underwear, see list above)
• Heavy duty work gloves

Food and Water

• Camelbak with attached water Filter
• Waterfilter or Lifestraw
• Widemouth Nalgene Water Bottle ( recommend 2)
• Canteen
• Water Purification Tablets
• Military Can Opener
• Spoon and fork
• Mulit-vitamins
• High Protein / High Calorie food bards
• 3600 Calories Food Ration Bars (Mayday, Mainstay, Datrex)
• Trail Mix
• Oatmeal
• Beef Jerky
• Seasoning (salt, pepper, or other favorite spice)
• Large Cooking Pot or mess kit
• Backpacking Stove and fuel
• Comfort Food - Coffee Singles, hot chocolate, teabags, sugar, hard candy

Hunting and Fishing

• Rifle and/or Pistol w/ ammo (I feel a .22 rifle is your best survival weapon because you can carry tons of ammo. This is primarily to be used for hunting, not for combat. If you are a good shot you can take down a large game with a .22 rifle and you won't destroy too much on small game.  My next option would be a shotgun with a mix of ammunition types.  Slugs for large game, buckshot for small game, and everything in between for threats of the 2-legged nature.)
• Gun oil
• Gun cleaning kit
• Snare wire
• Fishing Pole or Survival Fishing Kit
• Fish hooks, line, tackle
• Paracord

Tools

• Axe, hatchet, or tactical tomahawk
• Swiss style army knife
• Machete
• Multi-tool aka Leatherman (screwdriver, saw, can opener, pliers, wire cutters, etc.)
• Folding Saw
• Cable Saw
• Hand Chainsaw blade
• Folding Shovel or hand spade
• Knife sharpening stone
• Mill file (for sharpening large blades or axes)
• Full tang fixed blade “survival knife” (6-8 inch blade)
• Full tang fixed blade (4-6 inch blade)
• Folding Pocket knife with partially serrated blade
• Sewing Kit ( I recommend one with a heavy needle, seam ripper and Kevlar thread)
• Duct tape and electrical tape
• Zip ties
• Carabiners

Lighting/ Communication/Navigation

• Flashlight and batteries
• Dynamo flashlight (no batteries required)
• Crank/Solar Weather radio ( most have flashlight, radio, and adapter to power small electronic devices)
• Two-way radio (walkie talkie)
• Emergency Candles
• 12 hour light sticks
• Headlamp and batteries
• Signal Mirror
• Emergency Whistle
• Compass and map
• Binoculars (or rifle scope)

Sanitary

• Toilet paper
• Washrag
• Soap
• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Dental Floss
• Hand sanitizer
• Tissue
• Q-tips
• Shaving Razor
• Wet naps
• Garbage bag
• Feminine Products (can double as gauze or wound closure)
• Nail clippers
• Hairbrush/comb

Misc.

• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• Hand/Foot Warmers
• Safety Pins
• Razor Blades
• Ear plugs
• Extra shoelaces
• Waterproof bags
• Extra Ziploc baggies
• Gas Mask
• Aluminum foil
• Cash or silver ( in a true bug out situation, cash may be worthless, but you never know. )
• Lip balm
• Hand lotion
• Vaseline
• Rite-in-the-Rain Notebook
• Pen/Pencil/Sharpie

Literature /Paperwork

• Survival Guide
• Wild Edible and Poisonous Plant Guide (best to find a local guide)
• CPR Handbook
• First Aid Handbook

Identification

(Drivers License, Passport, House/Car titles, insurance cards, emergency contact numbers)

Local Map

Thumb drive with all of your family pictures or important documents