The Best Gear for Your Bug-Out Bag

In the event of a wildfire, a hurricane, a flood, or any number of other emergencies, it’s essential to have a fully stocked go bag (also called a “ready bag,” “go bag,” or “bug-out bag”) of emergency gear. This way, you and your family can quickly evacuate to a shelter or other secure location armed with basic survival supplies and tools.

Things to know

Essential picks

  • When building a go bag, consider the recommendations here as a baseline.

Customization

  • Be sure to also consider your individual needs in an emergency, including medications.

Bag options

  • We’ve selected a durable inexpensive backpack as well as a pricier model for upgrading.

Pre-made bags?

  • We still don’t recommend them, but we understand their appeal and tested several.

For this guide we focused on gear that could be easily carried in a backpack, emphasizing lightness and portability wherever possible. For sheltering in place, we have a separate guide to the best emergency-preparedness supplies to help you manage at home for a period of time following a disaster that knocks out utility services or cuts off outside resources to your area. We hope both of these guides will help you be prepared with reliable and versatile tools that can help you manage whatever emergency you may face.

Continue reading the complete article written By Doug Mahoney and Joshua Lyon here

LAST UPDATED

October 24, 2024

Written by
Photo thumbnail Blog Author

Wirecutter

Media Mentions from Wirecutter

Wirecutter’s mission is to recommend what really matters. Each year, we independently test and review thousands of products to help you find just what you need. Our goal is to save you time and eliminate the stress of shopping, whether you’re looking for everyday gear or gifts for loved ones.

We strive to be the most trusted product recommendation service around, and we work with total editorial independence. We won’t post a recommendation unless our writers and editors have deemed something the best through rigorous reporting and testing.

Explore More Content

Media Mentions

Jennifer Pharr Davis
Hiker, Speaker, Author

Media Mentions

“Our mission is for everyone in the world to have access to clean water,” maintained Beth.

KNA
KNA Press

Media Mentions

We tested four portable water filters and recommend the Sawyer Mini Water Filter.

Doug Mahoney and Joshua Lyon
Staff Writers