100 Items for Your Bug Out Bag

It's time to revamp and review (or in the case of newbies, make) your Bug Out Bag.  A Bug Out Bag should be easily carried (not a 70l monstrosity), low profile (nothing that screams MIL-SPEC), and versatile (it can take you from an emergency hospital visit to a "get out of town forever" situation).  Here are 100 items you will want to consider adding to your BOB (note that any linked items are affiliate links and purchases made through the links support this blog).  Also note that this list assumes you are wearing a full set of clothes (good shoes, socks, pants, underwear, shirt, jacket) and that you will have in your pockets your wallet, keys, ID, cash, credit cards, watch, and cell phone:

1. A backpack (example here).  
2. Pack rain cover.
3. Complete change of clothes (socks, underwear, pants, shirt, swimwear, sleepwear).
4. Flip flops.
5. Heavier jacket (down, fleece).
6. Hat and gloves.
7. Your laptop/charger and/or tablet/charger.
8. Passport/important documents/additional cash.
9. Business cards/contact info cards
10. Prescription medications.
11. Sunglasses.
12. Charging cord for your cell phone.
13. Personal items: denture stuff, hearing aids/batteries, prescription glasses, etc.
14. Thumb drive (2).  One with all of your files backed up on it.
15. Power bank.
16. Hygiene kit.
17. Dr Bonner's soap.
18. Microfiber towel.
19. Umbrella.
20. Shemagh.
21. Ultra sil daypack.  
22. Contigo insulated bottle. 
23. Nalgene water bottle.
24. Ultra-sil rain poncho.  Can also double as a shelter.
25. Down throws.  Sew two together and you have a MYOG sleeping bag.
26. Headlamp.
27. Flashlight.
28. Matches.
29. Lighter.
30. Magnesium fire starter.
31. Spork.
32. Basic mess kit.
33. Can opener.
34. Camp stove/fuel.
35. Pocket knife.
36. Multi tool.
37. Fixed blade knife.
38. Knife sharpener.
39. Fisher Space Pen.
40. Rite in the Rain notebook.
41. Sharpie.
42. Mylar blanket.
43. Paracord.
44. Tyvek tarp.
45. Glow sticks.
46. Whistle.
47. Compass.
48. Maps.
49. Antibacterial wipes.
50. Toilet paper.
51. Tissue packets.
52. Folding trowel.
53. Water purification tablets.
54. Sawyer water filter.
55. Bandannas (2).
56. Small AM/FM radio.
57. Spare batteries (for radio, headlamp, and flashlight).
58. Work gloves.
59. Rubberized work gloves.
60. Pry bar.
61. 4 n 1 emergency tool.
62. Silcock key.
63. Fresnel lens/magnifier.
64. N95 masks.
65. Fishing kit.
66. Sewing kit.
67. Mirror.
68. Solar charger.
69. Handwarmers.
70. Candle.
71. Duct tape.
72. Ear plugs.
73. Sunscreen.
74. Head net.
75. Goggles.
76. Ziploc bags (asst sizes).
77. Plastic trash bags (asst sizes).
78. Zip ties (asst sizes)
79. Bungie cords.
80. First aid kit.
81. Tourniquet.
82. Quick clotting product.
83. Tampons.
84. Condoms.
85. Leukotape.
86. Moleskin.
87. Acidophilous.
88. Vitamins.
89. Potassium iodide tablets.
90. Bug repellent.
91. Pepper spray.
92. Bear spray.
93. Portable HAM radio/charger.
94. Binoculars.
95. Food (granola bars, instant soup, jerky, nuts, dried fruit, dried fish, candy, etc),
96. Beverage powder (coffee, tea, drink mix),
97. Gun/holster/extra magazines/ammo.
98. Burner cell with minutes (paid for in cash).
99. Entertainment (books on Kindle app, downloaded movies, downloaded music).
100. Currency (additional cash, gold/silver coins, jewelry, foreign currency, etc).

National Preparedness Month Day 8--Your BOB

Another preparedness item that everyone should have on hand is a Bug Out Bag (BOB).  The chances that you will need to grab this bag and flee at a moment's notice due to an apocalyptic event is close to nil but there are dozens of everyday reasons that having this prepacked "overnight bag on steroids" ready to go is a good idea. 

I've used my BOB when our neighborhood was evacuated due to an armed stand-off that took many hours to resolve, when the spouse had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital for a week, when I met a buddy in a city three hours from my home and decided to get a hotel overnight instead of driving back late at night...the possibilities are endless for the usefulness of your BOB.  I've also seen people evacuated due to wildfires/hurricanes/tornadoes with very little notice.  If they had a bag packed, they were far and away more prepared than people who got the evacuation notice and ended up in a panic because they didn't know what to take and what to leave behind.

The basic premise of putting your BOB together is to determine what you would need if you had five minutes to grab your bag and go for an undetermined amount of time.  What kind of stuff would you need?  Since I generally plan on getting a hotel in most instances when I can't return home, my BOB is pretty much an overnight bag.  I have separate gear for backpacking which I would take in the event that I was heading out to the wilderness for an undetermined amount of time.

The contents of your BOB should include:

• EDC bag (it goes with you everywhere)
• A bag.  I prefer a 35l backpack, others prefer a duffel bag or even a suitcase.
• Tech.  Laptop and charger, a mini travel mouse, extra batteries for the mouse, a power pack and on-ear headphones.  Note, your cell and charger should be in your EDC bag.
• Clothing.  Besides what you are wearing, pack a complete change of clothing which can be layered, a pair of flip flops, hat, gloves, poncho, rain gear, puffy jacket, buff, etc.
• Water and food.  A couple bottle of water in addition to enough food to last your for a few days to a week should be included in your BOB.
• Toiletries.  Include a basic toiletries kit which includes: toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mirror, comb, soap, deodorant, razor, tweezers, nail clippers, nail file, and Vaseline.
• Fix it kit.  This should include sewing kit, folding scissors, zipties, rubberbands, and duct tape.
• Medical kit.  It should include bandaids, alcohol wipes, antibiotic ointment, moleskin, benadryl, acidophilous, aspirin, Tylenol, opiod pain killer tabs, Super Glue, gauze pads, medical tape, condom, Ace bandage, Thera Flu, and Quick Clot.  Also include extra prescription meds, feminine hygiene products, make up, an Epi Pen, glucose tabs, glasses, and hearing aids/batteries, etc. 
• Wilderness emergency packet including sunscreen, matches, lighter, paracord, emergency blanket, compass, whistle, magnifying glass, electrolyte tabs, water purification tabs, bandanna.
• Other backpacking gear.  For an extended outdoor trip pack a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, tent footprint, stove and fuel, toilet paper, bear spray, bug spray, trowel, GPS, maps, headlamp/batteries, water filter system, mess kit/spork, Bonners soap, trekking poles, ziploc bags, pack rain cover.
• General travel items.  These include: air/bus/train tickets, passport/visas, an unlocked cellphone, extra memory cards, power adapter, and cash.
• Depending on the situation you may want to add a concealed pistol, holster, spare magazine, box of ammo.

EDC...INCH...BOB...Do You Really Need All of These Bags?

Preppers tend to like bags.  They also tend to like stuff...knife stuff, gun stuff, survival gear stuff...  In an effort to be prepared for anything, you will note many preppers want to have bags for all occasions.  Of course you need your EDC (everyday carry) bag, and it is always prudent to have a BOB (bug out bag), then there is the INCH (I'm Never Coming Home) bag.  Add to that a daypack for day hikes and a backpack for hikes of longer duration and you will find yourself with all sorts of bags and all sorts of duplication.

According to the Navy SEALs, "two is one and one is none" thus the need for redundancy.  In my book (granted my book pertains to the US and many other first-world countries not the countryside of Afghanistan), if I am carrying two of the same thing I have one thing too many.  I am a fan of ultralight backpacking, ultralight travel, and one-bag carry-ons, mostly because I have to schlep everything I am carrying myself and these old bones aren't getting any younger and I am way past the desire to carry a 60 pound pack.

As for packs, I have everything from a three-liter running vest to a 55l backpack and several sizes in between.  As for stuff to put into these packs, I don't like redundancy of items (I do like items that have multiple uses, however).  I don't want to have to change the batteries every six months in five different flashlights.  I don't want to have to rotate food out of several different bags every few months.  This means that instead of having several different packed bags, I have several bags and several single-purpose interchangeable component bags.

Here's how my gear closet looks:

• Pick a bag: running vest, messenger bag, daypack, 30 l daypack for travel, 55 l backpack for a long-distance backpacking trip or bug out situation. 
• Put all of my EDC stuff in the bag (this stuff is carried whether I am going out for a run or a day hike or hopping on a plane to go on vacation).  
• Pick appropriate shoes, clothes and outerwear to wear (like things are stacked together--running socks and clothes, backpacking clothes, travel clothes, formal clothes, etc).  Put additional clothes or shoes in large ziploc bags and add them to the bag if this will be a multi-day trip.
• Pick appropriate components: tech bag, outdoor survival kit, toiletries kit, international travel kit, office kit, first aid kit, backpacking gear (tent/stove/sleeping bag/etc)
• Hit up the safe for: cash, firearm/holster/ammo
• Run by the pantry for: water, food (grab-and-go food for running and backpacking has its own section in the pantry) 

With this system I can literally be packed and out of the house in less than 10 minutes whether I am heading out to a meeting or leaving for a 10-day backpacking trip.  The items in my gear closet have been reviewed and refined over the year, and every so often I take my supplies list and make sure I have everything on the list and/or change the list if needed (this is also the time to change batteries in the flashlight, sharpen the knife blade, change batteries in the radio, etc).  

One of the most important aspects of this system is to replace anything that has been used as soon as I get home so everything is ready to go for the next trip and I don't have to wonder if I am missing a toiletry kit item or used all of the moleskin in the first aid kit on my last run.