The Essential Guide To Building Your Bug-Out Bag

Whether it’s a wildfire, a hurricane, a flood, or any number of other emergencies, a fully stocked bag of emergency gear allows you and your family to quickly evacuate to a shelter or other secure location without forgetting any basic survival supplies and tools.

Let’s get one thing out of the way — yes, this is “prepper” mentality. Guess what. There’s no shame in being prepared. A certain organization has “Be Prepared” as their motto — and it’s meant to mitigate this exact sort of tragedy. And look at how many people literally had their lives suddenly and unexpectedly destroyed in this past storm. How will you respond to a crisis when it’s your turn?

Backpack

You need a bag to put all of this gear in. Ideally, you have an old backpack to use. But if you need to purchase one, the experts recommended one with a 50-liter capacity and hip belts for good weight distribution. As you load this bag, it’ll get heavy, which is why it should also have hip belts. These transfer the load off your back and onto your hips and will be an invaluable feature if you ever end up on foot.

Collapsible water bottle

It’s good to have a collapsible water bottle or two. This kind of bottle weighs almost nothing and takes up less and less space as it empties.

Sawyer Mini Water Filter

Given the importance of water in an emergency, we believe it’s important to have a way to filter found water in case your evacuation takes longer than planned. The Mini has a 0.1-micron filter that removes bacteria and protozoa such as E. coli, Salmonella, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and the cause of cholera.

Explore the complete guide to building your bug-out bag here.