Bugout bag Checklist

Bugout Bag Checklist
Contents for the perfect bugout bag...

Bugout bag checklist.
A bugout bag is a pre-packed survival backpack that weighs no
more than a third of your body weight. Each bugout bag is filled
with supplies to get you through the first three days of an
emergency and tools to go beyond.

While a bugout bag is your 72-hour disaster survival kit, pack
your bugout bag like it's the last set of items you'll ever own.
Such is the advice of Creek Stewart in his book, pictured right,
Build the Perfect Bugout Bag. To pack the ultimate bugout bag,
get the book, but get started with ideas b
elow...

Prepper's Bugout Bag Checklist
Prepping wasn't always cool, but now suddenly everyone thinks
they're qualified to give advice on what to pack in a bugout bag.
For example,
Good Housekeeping has a list of bugout bag items.

From their perspective, at Good Housekeeping, a bugout bag is
forgetting you through at the first 72-hours of a disaster. A 72-
hour bag is a good start, but if you're a prepper, you'll want
something more substantial.  Even so, the 72-hour bags can get
you on the right track. The
Emergency Zone 72-hour bag, pictured
right, costs around $99 and has ration bars, water pouches, and
even includes a roll of toilet paper.

Incidentally, we don't recommend packing heavy
ration bar bricks
in your bag. It's better to pack freeze dried backpacking food and
some energy bars. We also don't recommend the toilet paper as
it's too bulky. Try
Toilet Paper tabs.

Below is the prepper's bugout bag checklist:

#1: Water Survival Gear.
You can live just three days without water, which is why securing
water should be at the top of your survival priorities. Consider
these items for your bugout bag...

  • Metal container / cookset: Each bugout bag should have a
    way to cook!  Find a lightweight metal water container for
    cooking and boiling water. Stainless steel cooksets are
    healthier than aluminum pots. Something to consider is
    adding a mesh bag, which is ideal for helping you wash your
    cookset and utensils. Boiling will kill pathogens in your
    water, which is one of the main reasons to have a small
    cookset, like the one pictured right.


  • Water filtration method securing potable water. Portable
    water filtration is mandatory for your bugout bag. Lifestraw
    and Katadyn water filters will help you purify water for
    yourself and others, but everyone should have a water bottle
    that has a filter, like the Lifestraw Water bottle, right.

  • Water pouches. Having water pouches handy is ideal for
    when there isn't any water in sight to filter. While most 72-
    hour bags have them, they are heavy

  • Water treatment. Another good option for water to have
    handy are Water treatment tablets to help you get potable
    water from natural water sources such as streams and lakes.

#2: Firestarter.
A firestarter is another mandatory item for your bugout bag.
Include two firestarters, so you have options for getting a
campfire going for warmth, cooking and water treatment. Pick a
BIC and an alternative.

  • BIC Lighter or a Zippo. A BIC lighter (alternatively Zippo)
    should be your primary fire starter. A BIC lighter is the
    easiest fire starter to own.

  • Secondary firestarter (e.g., magnesium firestarter,  
    Ferrocerium rod with metal striker, waterproof matches).

#3: Food
Food is another mandatory item for your bugout bags Your bugout
bag should include both
freeze dried foods and food bars, not
ration bars which are quite heavy and better suited for your
watercraft, recreational vehicles or car kit. They are non-thirst
provoking and provide minimal calories. They will not give you the
nutrition you need. Having sustenance is important to help you
steer clear of FEMA camps and shelters or food lines.

  • Freeze dried foods. Mountain House backpacking ProPak are
    compressed to save you space.

  • MREs. Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) are a consideration to
    pack. They are more bulky and don't require you have a
    method to cook them. The food has MRE heater packets that
    activate in water to warm up your food, and usally also
    include condiments and utensils.


  • Energy candy: Chewing gum and hard candies will provide a
    burst of energy and are lightweight. They may help you hike
    the extra mile, deal with a diabetic emergency or help you
    pacify a kid.

#4: Knife and self defense tools.
Carry a knife as a basic survival tool and ensure you also have
something to defend yourself.
  • Quality fixed blade knife (blackbird SK-5, Becker BK2).
  • Folding knife or multitool.
  • Defensive firearm, knife, taser or pepper spray.

#5: Personal Hygiene items.
Personal hygiene is important too. At minimum you'll need to
pack in your bugout bag:
  1. Comb or small brush
  2. Soap (bar soap is excellent and you can carry it in a mesh
    bag to dry it out in between).
  3. Toothpaste, toothbrush, Dental Floss
  4. Wet wipes and or toilet paper tablets
  5. Tampons or pads, and diapers if applicable

Here's how to put together a
survival hygiene kit.

#6: Clothing.
Pack wool or water resistant clothing and avoid cotton, which
doesn't wick away moisture from your body.

Clothing items could include:


  • Change of clothes, including:
  • extra underwear and socks.
  • Swimsuit, which can also double for change of clothing
    or underwear.
  • Gloves for cold weather.
  • Warm and waterproof jacket.

#7: Shelter.
Most 72-hour kits don't include any kind of shelter, they usually
only include a poncho and a mylar emergency blanket. At
minimum have a tarp to shelter you from the elements.

#8: Light and Communication.
A flashlight is a basic, and most pre-packed bugout bags will give
you a bulky low quality method of illumination.

  • Survival radio. An emergency weather radio can keep you
    informed about your surroundings and inclement weather and
    give you important details on the emergency.

  • Cell phone with GPS.

  • Flashlights. Tactical flashlight, Headlamp, LED flashlight or
    solar light. (Be sure to pack extra batteries!)

  • Chemical lights. Chemical lights are not the same as glow
    sticks chemlights are lightsticks that come in a variety of
    useful colors and last much longer. Kids love them just the
    same.

#9: Hunting and fishing tools.
Bugout bag items you won't find in a typical 72-hour bag are
tools for fishing and hunting. These are long-term survival items
required if you must evacuate:

  • sling shot or snares.

  • Fishing kit, survival gil net or a frabill net. A gil net gill
    stretches across a stream or pond. A frabill net allows a
    simple push of the grip to open the net and land fish.

#10: Fix-it tools.
Preppers always have tools at hand including any of the following:

#11: First aid kit.
Know everything that's in your first aid kit and how to use the
items.
  • Antibiotic ointment. Neosporin or silver solution.

  • Anti-diarhheals.

  • Antiseptic wipes.

  • Bandages and Gauze pads.

  • Burn gel.

  • Cold packs. Cold packs are ideal for and an often overlooked
    prep. They will help reduce inflammation of an injury.


  • Lip balm. You may not think of Chapstick as first aid, but it's
    a powerful survival tool. Pack your favorite Chapstick for your
    lips, but also as a potential fuel source (because it's a
    petroleum product). Here's more about chapstick for survival.

  • Painkillers. Asprin and non-aspirin, Lidocaine, etc.
  • Prescription medicines.

  • Snake Bite Kit. Depending on your bugout route, consider
    carrying the additional weight of a snake bite kit for survival.
    This is crucial if you live in a farming community. Did you
    know that most snake bites happen as a result of farming?
    Put together a snake bite kit!

  • Sunscreen.

  • Tourniquet if you know how to use one!

  • Tweezers for splinter tick removal

#12: Pandemic supplies.
During a pandemic, be sure to have the following on hand in your
bugout bag:

  • Hand sanitizers.. Hand sanitizers sold out immediately
    during the earliest days of the coronavirus pandemic.

  • N95 respirator. An N95 respirator is NIOSH approved mask.
    Don't confuse it with a KN95 which is a brand name and
    doesn't offer the assurance of being 95% effective. An N95
    respirator is also immensely useful during wildfires and the
    aftermath of smoke.

  • Nitrile gloves. Nitrile gloves are good to have as part of your
    first aid kit, but are essential for pandemic.

#13: Navigation supplies.
Among the groups of items to pack in your bugout bag are
navigation supplies. Your cell phone can help navigate, but not if
the cellphone towers have gone down.

Be sure to have:
  • compass
  • maps
  • pencil and paper to take directions from others
  • ... and remember your cell phone!

#14: Utility tools:
After you've gathered the above items, you can consider adding
these items:

  • Collapsible Bucket. Backpacking bucket to help you carry
    water or edibles.

  • Gas Shutoff valve. During an earthquake you can be a hero
    if you can lend hand with a gas shut off valve.


  • Whistle. Pack a whistle that has amplitudes which can travel
    a mile or more. You will get exhausted calling out to your
    group or otherwise calling for help.

  • Wool blanket. A wool blanket is survival tool and ideally
    suited to protect you from the elements and keep you dry.
    This will add significant weight to your bag, but the benefits
    can outweigh the drawbacks, particularly if you're bugging
    out by vehicle. A wool blanket is fire resistant and a good
    item to have for shock victims.

How to get started building a bugout bag:
One of the best ways to build the ultimate bugout or go bag is to
make one yourself. Lay out all your gear before you pack. When
you know what's inside you'll be better able to access what you
need in an emergency. The best bugout bag is 25-lbs and under,
and it should be no more than a third of your bodyweight.


Study how others build their bugout bags:
Prepper's Tarp
------------------------------------------------- Revised 02/12/2021
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Happy endings...
Be sure to stash your bag with cash, family photos, passports,
extra glasses, diabetic supplies or anything else that would make
you and your family more comfortable. Also remember your pets!

Want to
build the perfect bugout bag? Prepping requires strategy
and careful planning. While everyone has an opinion about a
bugout bag and what goes inside, the ones you should pay closest
attention to are the backpackers and soldiers:

  • Backpackers bugout bags. Of the two, follow the lead of the
    experienced backpacker who actually puts his or her own gear
    together and ventures into the wild, modifying gear each
    season.


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