Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Guest Post by M.D. Creekmore at The Survivalist Blog

There has been a lot of talk over the years about bugging out, bug out bags, and bug out bag lists. The subject of “bugging out” is bound to come up in any conversation about survival preps and every survival blog has at least one article posted about how to put together a bug out bag.

Why Bug Out?

The subject of bugging out and bug out bags (some preppers refer to this kit as a bug out backpack) is a popular one and for good reason, disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes , flash floods or other natural disaster, could force survivors to “head for the hills” in search of safer ground.

We are constantly threatened by a series of potential disasters, both natural and man-made. It seems like we are being threatened from all sides, and sometimes, I admit to feeling like just throwing up my hands in despair and just giving up. It’s easy to give up. But I shake it off and prep harder than before. I’m funny like that…

We also face a series of potential  long-term disasters including, ecological collapse, economic collapse, agriculture disaster, war, plague, pandemic, an over oppressive government or any number of disasters that could force the need to seek safer footing or even hide-out in the hills long-term.

Bugging Out Vs. Hunkering Down

If you’ve read my article bugging out vs. hunkering down then you already know that bugging out to the hills should be your last option, when you have no other choice.

Bug out bags should be considered as a temporary survival plan or as a backup at best. You should keep in mind if you are forced to leave your home or retreat; you have essentially made yourself a refugee, which is the last thing you want during hard times.

A bug out kit will keep you alive for a few days, or weeks… then what? You had better have a way to supply your basic needs after exhausting the gear contained in your bug out bag contents.

Keep in mind that we are not talking about bugging out from the city to a pre set-up and well-stocked retreat in the hills, if this is your plan then you might not need a “bug out bag” since you can just load everything into your car and take off. But still having bug out bag essentials, i.e. life-saving gear in a pack or kit that is ready to grab and go is a good idea if you have to abandon your bug out vehicle and head out on foot.

It would be great if you already have a stockpile of food, medications and gear waiting for you at a mountain retreat, let’s just hope that you can  actually, get past the blocked roads, carjackers, checkpoints and other hazards that will be met along the way get there, unscathed.

If you do somehow, manage to make it through, all of the en-route hazards to your well-stocked retreat in the hills, still don’t be surprised when you’re “greeted” at the door by another family or group that has already, moved in. What would you do? They may outnumber you and be better armed… Will you walk away? Will you stay and fight for what is yours?

If at all possible, move to your retreat or relocate to a safer area now – before disaster strikes. Learn to grow your own food, raise small livestock and get to know your neighbors. I just hope that it’s not to late in the game for you to make the move. Time is running out and deep down I think that it’s already too late to relocate…

Bugging Out and Putting Together Your Bug Out Bag

Anyways, back to bugging out and how to put together a bug out bag

Some survivalist aka “preppers” look at this type of bug out kit as an “escape and evasion” bag. Where they will use the kit as a grab and go bag that will be used if they’re forced to head out to the forest and mountains to hide from danger – for most this is a flawed idea.

Living completely free of civilization, scrounging for food and shelter in the forest, mountains or desert for any significant length of time can be done, under the right conditions, by some people. But it would not be easy and the constant struggle to stay alive would be more than many could handle and most would not make it very long.

But when you’re left with no other option, besides stay and die or bug out to the hills and maybe survive a few extra days, it’s worth a try, and having a “bug out  or escape and evasion bag” ready to go will give you a better chance of making it…

The prospect of the hidden cave or dug out stocked with survival supplies should be a considered. Having a hidden cache of essential survival gear could mean the difference between death and survival if you’re forced to head for the hills.

I have several cache tubes hidden around my area, and have been working on putting in more. I will only leave my home / retreat if I have no other choice. I would rather stay and fight then run and hide, but if I have to run and hide, the hidden caches will give me a better chance of making it…

If it’s a natural disaster, where help will be on the way, but you have to leave for you immediate safety (say a hurricane is heading your way) would a friend or family member in a distant town take you in? You need to have a “disaster buddy” in another area, but still reachable in a few hours’ drive, with whom you’ve already made plans and have an agreement with, where if a disaster happens in your area that you can go to his place to wait it out and vice versa.

A government shelter, not for me thank you. I want to stay out of the FEMA camps.  And who wants to be dependent on the government for their survival anyways? Not me. But then I’m one of those “wrong-headed” Americans who would rather trust their own wits and skills than the government to take care of them after a disaster (or anytime)… They just hate that.

What You Should Have in Your Bug Out Bag

Okay, so what should be included in a bug out bag? Well that depends on you personally – you’ll have to consider things, like your location and where you’re going, your health, your skills, and time of the year. That’s why that there’s no one bug out bag list that fits all needs and individuals. But by looking at bug out bag lists that have been put together by a number of different people, we can get ideas to work with and expand our bug out bags for our personal location and needs.

What’s In My Bug Out Bag

Okay, since we are talking about bug out bag lists, I’m sure that you’re probably wondering what is in my bug out bag. Well I’ll show you… below are photos of my bug out bag contents. Hopefully, the photos will help you or someone who you know put together your own bug out bag.

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Bug out bag tools – Glock shovel, Mora Light my Fire, Gerber Multi Tool, and Ontario Spec Plus Marine Raider Bowie.

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Light and fire starter items…

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

A bug out bag first-aid kit – note the Quickclot.

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Small solar / crank AM AND FM radio. Dollar bill is for size comparison.

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Tying, binding and snaring…

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Water, Lifestraw, and Berkey Water Bottle with Filter.

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Food items should be light weight, provide essential nutrients and be suitable for long-term storage of one year or more. I replace my bug out bag food every year…

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Personal hygiene items.

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Chow time. Don’t forget to include cooking and eating utensils in your bug out bag.

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

A sewing kit is a must in you bug out bag.

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Bonnie hat, lightweight work gloves, extra socks, 8′x10′ tarp and head net…

1x1.trans Bug Out Bag: The Only Contents List You Need

Outdoor survival kit, compass, extra flashlight and batteries and camo compac.

Bug Out Bag Firearms

Most people will suggest a .22 caliber rifle, such as the Ruger 10/22 and this is a great choice. A .22 caliber rifle can take small game as well as larger game such as deer with proper shot placement.

Another advantage for having a .22 Long rifle is the relatively low-report especially when using CB caps and the ability to be effectively silenced with a homemade sound suppressor aka “silencer”. Just remembered that such a device is illegal without proper government approval and will land you behind bars if caught, and is suggested here for a worst case scenario only or after you have went through all of the legal hoops.

The downside of the .22 Long rifle round is limited range, penetration and stopping power all of which limit the rounds effectiveness when used for self-defense. I suggest a backup handgun chambered for a cartridge suitable for self-defense. I would not go below a 9mm or 38 special and then us good expanding ammo.

Even with a 9mm and 38 special, you should seriously consider using only the +P rounds such as the 115 or 124 grain JHP +P in the 9 mm or 158-grain lead semi-wadcutter hollow point .38 Special +P for defensive purposes .

Your location would also determine weapons choice. For example those bugging-out in grizzly country should definitely consider something more powerful than the aforementioned 9 mm or 38 special.

My first choice for protection against such large game would be a center-fire rifle chambered for 308 or larger. My second choice would be a magnum revolver with a 5.5″ to 7.5″ barrel chambered for .44 Magnum or larger.

It is wise to avoid any armed confrontation if possible. Trust me you are not a coward if you avoid the possibility of being shot or having to shoot someone else. You are not expendable – neither are the lives of your family or those in your bug out group. Those with the macho kill ‘em all attitudes will not last very long after the poop hit’s the fan.

With that being said, a semi-auto military style rifle should be considered especially if you are trying to get from an urban area to the country, where facing organized gangs or other threats attempting to block your exit could be a possibility.

An AR-15 with collapsible buttstock or folding stocked AK-47 (for compactness and conceal ability) could help get you out of a dangerous situation if pressed into one, while taking up little space and not adding significant weight to your overall survival gear.

I hope that you’ve found this article on bug out bags, and bugging out useful and can put the information above to good use – please share this article with your friends and social media contacts.

Well over to you… what do you have in your bug out bag?

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Billy
Billy

Like assholes, everyone will have an opinion…

Don’t care for the Gerber shovel, even with the weight savings. Much prefer the old wooden handled issue folding shovel. Heavier, but you can chop a fuckin tree down with it if you have to.. or brain the hell out of someone if you have nothing else.

That compass that’s pictured is junk. Little more than a toy. Go for a Tritium Lensatic Compass made by Cammenga. Have a button compass, like a Silva, as a backup.

Might want to include a topo map of your area. I’m used to 1/50,000 maps, but they come in other flavors. Covered with acetate and folded up into a pocket up in the boonie hat.

Lugging around a Ruger 10/22, plus mags and ammo, plus your go-to people-shooter and those mags and ammo? Nah… get a decent .22 revolver. No mags to lose. Eats any ammo. Not nearly as finicky as a semi auto rifle. Smaller, lighter and in the hands of a good marksman, you can score head shots on rabbits and squirrels at respectable distances. Don’t even need optics.

I would substitute heavy cowhide leather work gloves in place of the ‘lightweight’ ones. They hold up much better. A good compromise between durability and dexterity would be deerhide gloves. These are about 20 bucks at any hardware store.

+1 on the lifestraw. Good shit, there. And paracord. But try to find the genuine article. That junk they sell at Fail-Mart is pretty piss-poor. You’re looking for genuine issue 550 cord. Replace your boot-laces with it. Wrap your knife sheath in it. Then you’re gonna want about 100′ of it coiled up. By the way, you can pull the individual strands out of the center of 550 cord and make snares with that, so you don’t need to pack any wire snares.

I’d rather have an issue canteen and canteen cup than that thing in the picture. And German Army issue eating utensils are way better than anything I have ever come across. They all clip together, too. If you don’t want them rattling around, stick them in an extra pair of socks.

Duct tape. Get some. I usually re-roll some into a cylindrical shape, maybe 30 feet of it. Then pack that. Good for all sorts of shit.

As far as weapons? You use what you can hit with and are comfortable with. I’m not gonna get into some shit-flinging contest as to what’s better and why. If you can hit with it reliably and got ammo for it, that’s good enough for me.

Remember the mantra: Three is two, two is one, one is none… have backups.

Billy
Billy

Couple afterthoughts…

– Get an Army-issue waterproof bag or two. These are just rubberized bags that tie shut. Put that in your ruck, then put everything else in the waterproof bag. Tie it shut. Lots of your stuff will get ruined if it gets wet. Can’t do much with wet toilet paper…

– Whatever backpack/rucksack you choose to use, you need to be The Grey Man. Pick a beat up, but serviceable, rucksack. If you buy some Eddie Bauer colorful piece of shiny shit, all you’re doing is telegraphing to people that you have the cash to buy really nice stuff – and that whatever is in your bag is probably really nice, too. Nice enough to kill you for. Colorful shit also telegraphs your position. I chose a beat-to-shit, but serviceable, German mountain ruck. Plain vanilla OD green, but still good to go.

underfire
underfire

Billy…certainly agree about the cord. Being a farmer and cowman, I always keep a few pieces of baler twine in my pickup, it’s the single most used item I carry.

bb

People in PARIS Need bug out bags ‘ANTI -ISRAEL PROTEST ROCKS PARIS….drudge report.

Iska Waran
Iska Waran

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backwardsevolution
backwardsevolution

Bug Out boat:

a cruel accountant
a cruel accountant

How long do bug out supplies last. Week, year, maybe couple years at the most. Then you are dead.

What you need are skills

Foxfire books. Survival for the long haul

ragman
ragman

Billy ETAL: great advice! Preparing for bad times no longer automatically qualifies a person for membership in the “Lunatic Fringe” Staying home and prepping to “stay in” makes more sense in my situation. At least until I can relocate to Western NC, hopefully next year. We are all in different situations with work, family, and finances but doing something is better than nothing in all cases.

hardscrabble farmer
hardscrabble farmer

You might want to add a few practical skill sets to that bag. Having a compass and being able to shoot a reverse azimuth are not the same thing. A knowledge of edible wild plants and their seasons is crucial if you happen to get lost- forget societal collapse- in whichever region you happen to live.

Personally I’d throw a wrist rocket in there as you don’t need to carry ammo, it doesn’t make a sound and it’s extremely effective for small game. My kids are extremely good at using one and it’s a skill you can pick up with only a few hours practice.

Bostonbob

I thought this was a neat idea, golf trolley bug out bag:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Grey-Man-Bug-Out-Bag/

Bob.

Billy
Billy

accountant,

Your point is taken re: skills. I have a small library I built that covers everything from building ancient water wheels to construction techniques to skinning game and tanning their hides… I promised to give Admin a list of the books in my little library. Still have to make good on that… The Foxfire books are in there too. They are a good place to start, but more is needed.

This list is more a worst-case scenario type thing… in other words, your worst fears have been realized and the Free Shitters have been transformed into Undead Mutant Zombie Biker Free Shitters… and here they come over the hill and straight for you…

You got maybe 3 or 4 minutes, maybe less, to grab your shit and di di mau…

Getting out of Dodge City should be easier than that…

In other words, pick where you’re going to bug out to ahead of time. Drive it on a map. Then take some of your gear/food/etc and cache it. Like those big, black super heavy duty plastic barrels with screw-on lids over at Cheaper Than Dirt, or some of the purpose built waterproof containers made specifically for filling up with stuff and burying. Throw in some O2 and moisture absorbers. Mark it on a map. NO GPS! DO NOT USE GPS! If you mark it with a GPS, if you can see it, then they can see it… use a map and a marker.

Stash that stuff ahead of time so you don’t have to hump so much crap. Since we’re assuming the well-prepared Doomer will be driving to their bugout location, make sure to stash fuel, too.

Bugging out on foot will suck. Trust me. Legging it blows. Vehicles are much nicer and you can carry way more shit. Go for an older vehicle. Like an old Dodge Power Wagon with a diesel engine or an old Ford F250. Not some clapped-out rusty piece of shit, but nothing real nice, either. Invest in making it mechanically excellent, and hang the looks… doesn’t have to be super fast or have armor, spikes and barbed wire all over it – like you just drove off the set of The Road Warrior. It just has to start every time you turn the key and get you and your shit from A to B.

Something like this:

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Not this:

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And especially not anything like this!:

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You’re going for a combination of The Grey Man combined with something pretty tough and durable. Make it look like shit to deflect unwanted attention, but make it mechanically excellent.

I’ve always liked the bobbed Deuce and a Half trucks. Big old Cummins diesel engine and way over-engineered. But man, you can hear that whistling exhaust coming from miles away… you actually do need ear protection when you drive those things, being as the dumbshit who designed the thing probably welded a police whistle into the exhaust – and then put the exhaust right next to the passenger door vertically just to troll the shit out of everyone…

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Eddie
Eddie

What’s in the bag has to vary with what the plan is. The best bag is worthless with no plan. Bug-out to where? Answer that question before you provision the bag.

For me, I’d pass on the shovel and that ridiculous Bowie knife and go for a decent skinning knife or even a sharp, high quality three blade pocket knife…and a hatchet.

The breakdown 10-22 is the best shooting iron I’ve seen for bugging out. No handgun for me, ever. Best thing about a .22 is that ammo is light. I’d carry a couple of hundred shells, at least.

Sewing kit? Really? Levis with a zipper and t-shirts and a zip up jacket. No button sewing needed.

I probably wouldn’t carry bottled water. Maybe an empty bottle. More food would go in my bag. I won’t be setting any snares, so that stuff is useless to me.

Eddie
Eddie

And…I’d want a good pair of lineman’s pliers. Insulated. And keep the leatherman toy and give me two pair of small channel locks, a straight blade screwdriver and a philips.

Chicago999444
Chicago999444

About that “well-stocked retreat” somewhere in the hills, or in some “small community”.

Guess what, somebody else, or most likely, many somebodies, got there first, and after they ate all your food stores and found all your guns and ammo, they settled in and will be waiting for you to show up to assert your “property rights”. Meanwhile, a few hundred thousand “free shitters” are following you right out of the city or its surrounds and they all want the same thing you do.

As M.D. says, bugging out is the last resort. But don’t think your cozy, well-stocked refuge is going to be waiting for you when you do- prepare for the worst, which is a life of homeless hunting and gathering.

It might be better to get to know every inch, every nook and cranny of your own city or town so that you have a place of temporary refuge relatively close by, where you know people and know how to obtain what you need. While no place would be good in the event of a complete collapse, you’re better off in the collapsed shithole you know, than the one you have to hike 500 miles amidst mobs of other desperate refugees, to get to.

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