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

January 6, 2025

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Wirecutter Staff

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