Putting Together Your BoB Bag

The items listed are just general suggestions. You will need to determine exactly what you think will be needed to accommodate your bag. Any items Underlined is what I have added to the Five pillars of survival.

Bug Out Bag
www.tacticalintelligence.net/bug-out-bag
With the rise in natural and man-made disasters, there has been an increase of interest in emergency preparedness — particularly how to put together a bug-out bag.

What is a Bug Out Bag?
A Bug out Bag goes by many names — BoB, Go Bag, GOOD (get out of dodge) Bag, 72-hour kit, Egress Bag, E&E bag, grab bag, bail-out bag and so on but they all share the same purpose: It’s a portable kit that contains around 3-days worth of the necessary items you need to survive if a disaster forced you to immediately evacuate an area.
The recommendation is that a bug-out bag should contain enough supplies for seventy two hours. This originates from organizations responsible for disaster relief who are banking on the presumption that it may take them up to seventy two hours to reach people affected by a disaster and offer help.
This is where I part ways from the standard philosophy of a bug-out bag. In my opinion, being dependent upon relief agencies should be your last resort (Katrina anyone?).
Ideally you should have enough food and provisions to last you longer than 3 days — 2 weeks being the ideal — and on top of that your bug-out bag should contain items that, with the proper training, can keep you alive far beyond that two-week window.
Obviously there are weight and space limitations but you’ll still want to get as close to that ideal as possible.

The Five Pillars of Survival
When outfitting your bug-out bag, your first focus should be on the five fundamentals of survival: Personal Security, Shelter, Water, Fire (Energy), and Food. These are the core fundamentals that, when provided for, will keep you and your loved ones alive.

Personal Security/Hunting/Fishing/Travel
Personal security items are those items that keep you safe and help you stay alive (in the case of injury).
This would include whistles to alert rescue personnel, signaling mirrors, medical items such as a first-aid and trauma kits as well as personal protection devices you would use to keep yourself or your loved-ones safe such as pepper spray, a stun gun or a firearm.
When you’re bugging out, chances are that you’ll be camped out somewhere. Given this scenario, personal protection could also include a perimeter defense/early warning system around your camp. On the low end this could simply be some trip lines attached to bells or other cheap noise maker and on the upper end it could be a portable perimeter security system..

Hand gun with spare bullets
Taser gun
sling shot
Pepper or bear spray
Pocket knife (preferably a quality knife with a fixed blade)
Hunting Knife, Machete, & Sidearm (ammo)
Pocket Fishing Kit (line, sinkers, hooks)
Trap Wire
sharpening stone
A quality map compass
Map of local area and state/providince
Emergency CERT Guide (including maps of area & military points)
Drysack Emergency Whistle and lanyard
Signal mirror
Emergency flares
MultiTool
glow sticks (12 hrs)
GPS Tracking device
Battery operated radio

Shelter
The Shelter portion of your bug out bag includes those items that maintain body temperature and protect you from the elements.
Since exposure is the most common cause of death when being caught outside, shelter is appropriately one of the key pillars of survival and is required for your bug-out bag. The items that fall under shelter simply include those things that will maintain body temperature and protect you from the elements.
This could be a space blanket as well as proper clothing for the current season (your bag must constantly be updated/maintained), but as you move up in bug-out bag upgrades, a better choice would be a lightweight tent (or hammock), sleeping bag and sleeping pad.

Small tarp (can be used as a wall or roof for your shelter)
Space blanket (can also be used to create a shelter)
Emergency Tent
mylar blankets
hand warmers
Light Weight Sleeping Bag
emergency blanket
Compression Sack
100 ft. of 550lb Paracord (to tie and hold together your shelter)

Water
The water portion of your bug out bag includes water itself as well as those items that allow you to hold, filter, and purify water.
Clean drinking water is paramount to staying alive during an emergency situation. Many times as a result of earthquakes, flooding or storms, basic utilities such as water are no longer available. Having the ability to purify water that is available (such as flood water etc) will allow you to stay hydrated and stay alive until the utilities come back on or until you reach another clean water source.
Having clean drinkable water should be your top priority with food following right behind. If possible, get yourself a water bottle that has a filter built into it so in the case that you need to collect water from a nearby river or stream it will filter out most of the harmful bacteria. Remember though, it’s always your safest bet to boil the water before you drink it regardless of where you found it.

Crush Proof Water Container
Water Decontamination Tabs
Emergency Water Filtration Straw (always keep it pre-filled with fresh clean water)
Water bottle
canteen

Fire/Heat
The fire portion of your bug out bag include those items that you need to reliably start a fire and cook your food.
Fire is another one of those items that are crucial in a surivival situation. Having the ability to make fire can heat cold bodies, warm and cook foods, boil water and raise moral.
In this area the types of items you want are as follows: Matches, Lighters, Spark Makers (Firesteel etc), Tinder (cotton balls/vaseline, wetfire etc)
Keeping yourself warm and dry is also extremely important and being able to make a fire is extremely important. Hypothermia can set in faster than you think so keep this in consideration when adding any of these items to your bag. You will want to be able to make a fire in any type of weather so I personally would go with a magnesium fire starter.

Hand and foot warmers (if you live in a colder area)
Emergency candles
Camp Axe
liquid candle
Vaseline Soaked Cotton
Dryer Lint
Waterproof strike anywhere matches
Windproof lighter
Magnesium fire starter or flint and steel

Food
Surprisingly food is the least important of all survival necessities. Humans can go for an average of 3 weeks without food. However the benefit of it is that it’s a great moral booster and it can keep you spirits and energy levels up in the face of a stressful emergency situation. While you can pack canned goods and other items such as these, it’s better to pack high-caolorie dense items such as energy bars, granola, dehydrated or freeze-dried foods. These pack a lot of calories in a small package that will save on weight and space.

A few MRE’s (ready to eat meals)
A few packages of oatmeal, granola bars or high energy protein bars
Mixed dried fruit and nuts
Hard candies
Jerky
P-38 can opener (in case you come across some cans of food along the way)
aluminum foil
Outdoor cooking and eating utensils
Mess kit & Spork
Non-perishable foods (such as pre-cooked canned meats, jerky, boxed juices, coffee, etc.)
rammen noodles
stock bouillon cubes
spices
Pet food

Clothing
You should keep a complete spare change of clothing in your bag as keeping yourself dry is very important. Modify the type of items listed here to suit your location and and environment.

Pair of underwear and socks (add long-johns if you live in a colder climate)
Pair of jeans or pants made of high strength material
water-resistant clothing
Pair of gloves and hat or bandana
T-shirt and sweater
closed-toe shoes or boots
Rain poncho

First Aid
basic first-aid guide
First Aid Kit (including medications & liquid stitch)
moist towelettes
antiseptic towelettes
latex gloves
acetaminophen (Tylenol)
ibuprofen (Advil)
aspirin
diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
loperamide (Imodium A-D)
burn cream
sting relief towelettes
hydrocortisone cream
triple antibiotic ointment (Neosporin)
cough drops
earplugs
instant ice pack
tweezers
nail clippers
scissors
digital thermometer
cotton balls
waterproof adhesive tape
moleskin
band-aids
butterfly bandages
ace bandage
triangular bandage
Super glue
oral gel or the generic benzocaine
Snake Bite Kit
feminine hygiene pads (Great for large dressing)
4x4 Dressings
Kling gauze rolls
surgipad
roll wet proof adhesive tape
band aids assorted sizes
scissors
sterile water
pocket mask
large trauma dressing
instant glucose
burn sheet
peroxide
kerlix rolls
rescue or space blanket
hypo allegenic tape
eye patches
erg or gatoade packs
pen light
pen and paper
syrup of ipecac
Arm wrap (in case of a sprain or fracture)
Rubbing alcohol (to sterilize)
Puffers, Epee Pen, etc..
Suture kit
Any prescription and non-prescription medication you may require
Quick Clot or cayenne pepper (cayenne pepper will thicken the blood and help slow or stop the bleeding)

Personal Hygiene
RAD sticker (personal radiation dosimeter)
potassium iodide (radiation emergency thyroid blocker)
lip and skin moisturizer
cornstarch/baby powder
hand sanitizer
Insect repellent
Vitamins
Q-tips
razors
deodorant
petroleum jelly
bar soap
kleenex
floss
baby shampoo
hand lotion
hair ties
mirror
sunscreen
Comb/Brush
toothpaste
toothbrushes
feminine hygiene pads
toilet paper
washcloths

Tool/Extras
Zip-lock baggies
Para Bracelet
magnifying glass
Dust mask
duck tape
Electrical tape
4-in-1 screwdriver
Wire cutter
Binoculars
Shovel
Hammer
Sturdy rope
LED flashlight/Heavy Duty flashlight or headlamp and extra batteries (store batteries separately)
Cell phone (preferably a smartphone)
sewing kit
blank notebook
pencils
Bleach
extra batteries (for flashlight and radio)
zip ties
trash bags
N95 dust masks
duct tape
safety goggles
split leather gloves
Roll of quarters (for pay phones) and at least $100 – $200 in small bills (you never know when you’ll need to make an emergency purchase or have to buy your way out of trouble
Adjustable wrench (to turn of gas valves, tons of other uses)
Small mini screw driver with bits (to fix eye glasses or other small items)
Small hose (you might have to siphon gas) – has many other uses