The best thing for me to do would be to shelter in place for as long as possible (bugging in), only to leave when it’s absolutely necessary, to an alternate, pre-established, bug in location stocked with long term survival supplies and even hard copies of critical survival information. My bug out bag is the means by which I travel to my bug in locations.
I tried to uphold some basic principles when building this kit;
- Redundancy. Two is one, one is none. Always have a backup whether it’s a plan, procedure, or piece of gear.
- Dave Canterbury’s 10Cs of survival.
- Cotton kills. A reminder to pack wool socks if you don’t want to die of hypothermia but also a reminder to be conscious of what materials your gear is made of and to shoot for multifunctionality if you can.
The gear I included in my (ideal) bug out bag should fit inside a lightweight, comfortable backpack with about a 20 to 30 liter capacity. Other considerations might include blending in with “common usage” of the area and picking subdued colors (gray man), something with many pockets for common use items to be more accessible, consider waterproofing capabilities incase of rain or unintentional swim.
The target weight of my bug out bag is about 25 lbs. The following list is an outline of what’s inside and is roughly organized by descending priority:
- IFAK
Trauma kit: CAT tourniquet x2, hemostatic gauze, compressed gauze, compression bandage, 14ga needle with catheter, vented chest seal x4, NPA with lube, trauma shears, dry sterile burn dressing, space blanket, ace bandage, surgical gloves or nitrile exam gloves, triangle bandage, medical tape, sharpies x2.
Booboo kit: coban, gauze roll, bandaids, med tape, mole skin, steri strips, dermabond, Q- tips, chapstick, lancets, sting relief, cleansing wipes, alcohol prep pads, triple antibiotic, burn cream, otc medicines (tylenol, aspirin, dayquil, antacid, alka seltzer, nasal decongestant, anti-diarrheal, benadryl)
Future adds: “fish” antibiotics, sunscreen, insect repellant, itch cream, epi pen.
- Water
Current setup: 64oz of drinking water, life straw, camelbak bladder with msi QD filter, water purifying tablets, zip fizz x6, electrolyte replacement tablets.
Future adds: Greyl geopress, pathfinder nesting cup, single wall stainless steel canteen, sawyer mini, 4 way sillcock key.
- Cover
Current setup: Poncho, rapid ridgeline, woobie, BB trash bag, tent stakes x 6, #36 bank line, warming layer, socks, boxers, laundry bag, shemagh, good gloves.
Future adds: MSR Groundhogs, Snugpak SF Bivvy
- Fire
Current setup: Bic lighter wrapped in duct tape x2 (one in the fire kit, one in the top of the pack), waterproof matches, manmade tinder, 5/8” by 6” ferro rod, 15 minute flare.
Future adds: mini inferno, beeswax candles.
- Tools
Current setup: Folding saw, leatherman mut, fixed blade knife, cold steel shovel, head lamp (battery powered but would opt for a battery + usb charging type), spare lithium AAA batteries, mini roll of gorilla duct tape, zip ties.
Future adds: silky big boy, leatherman rebar, mora garberg.
- Calories/Carbs
Current setup: MRE, protein bars, candy. (my goal is to pack about 6000 calories)
Future adds: SOS emergency rations, pemmican, hardtack, manuka honey
- Comms
Current setup: Cell phone, baofeng UV5R w/ xl battery and long antenna.
Future adds: satellite phone, burner phone.
- Admin/Maps
Current setup: basic note taking gear, lensatic compass, mechanical pencils.
Future adds: local maps from https://mapstore.mytopo.com/, SUUNTO MC-2 compass.
- Hygiene
Travel toothbrush/toothpaste, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, chapstick, sunscreen, deodorant.
- Other
Current setup: Portable charger/jumper box (Type S), charging cables for electronics, extra cash or silver coins, spare mags cause that’s how we get down.
Future adds: powerfilm lightsaver max, garmin instinct 2 tactical, chest rig, binos
Previous weight/capacity considerations do not include my rifle, plate carrier or battle belt, however, bringing my kit will be situation dependent.