Essential Items For Your Bug Out Bag | Hacker News Reader

Essential Items For Your Bug Out Bag

frugaldad.com

12 pointslimist9 comments

Items in my bugout bag:

  70 liters worth of water purification tablets
  2x 1L Nalgene bottles (sized for use with the water purification tablets)  
  3600 calorie ration block (4 days worth of food)
 Cooking gear (pans, cutlery)

  Utility knife (Ka-Bar next gen)
  Multitool (Gerber Flick)
  Small hatchet
  E-tool (folding shovel, otherwise known as an entrenchment tool)
  Work gloves

  Lightweight sleeping bag (-5oC)
  2 person expedition-grade tent
  6x8' Lightweight Tarp
  
  Fire-starting gear (waterproof matches, numerous Bic lighters, flint/magnesium bar)
  Wet-wipes (toilet paper), Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Deoderant, Soap (very important for maintaing proper hygiene!)
  Hand Sanitizer (for hygiene and starting fires!)  
  
  .22 Air-rifle and pellets (for hunting small game)
  
  $400 in small-denomination notes
  Spare change of clothing (everything down to sock and underwear)
  A *big* first-aid kit (including basic surgical gear and a splint)
  4x Garbage bags
  LED Flashlight (and 4 lithium batteries, about 100 hours of light)
  Compass
  Local maps
  Emergency Blanket
  2x Glow Sticks
  Fox 40 whistle
  30' or so of paracord

All neatly packed in a Camelback 'Motherlode' pack (which is a great pack!)

My bag is structured to allow myself and one other person to survive just about anything in relative comfort for 2 days, and to provide the basics for indefinite survival as well. In addition to emergency use I use my bugout bag whenever I go camping, it's pretty great just to be able to grab the bag out of my cupboard and be ready to go!

The vitamin tip is a pretty good one. I'd say a bunch of blank paper and pens - if you find yourself in a survival situation, you may need to do some planning to get yourself out of it and also they are kindling, etc. A portable solar panel is a solid idea... http://www.earthtechproducts.com/p2008.html but I have no idea how practical - and there's the elephant in the room of missing items, how about a gun and a case of shells?

I always keep Ibuprofin with me when traveling, and in the car.

Nice article, but they completely missed #1. The most important thing is water. Aside from being more important than food, shut off your water and try living a day or two in your house. And I wouldn't want to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere in my car without water.

The list includes water purification tablets, and a canteen.

Probably a portable stove for boiling water and light cooking would be ideal to include too.

Yea tablets should be part of everyone's first aid kit. I prefer my katadyne filter. But those 1 gallon water jugs from Crystal Geyser or whoever work great in the trunk of your car. The 7 gallon plastic jugs (Walmart, REI, etc) are perfect for storing in your garage and using during camping or emergencies.

But there is a difference between bugging out and staying put. In his example of an earthquake better to stay put for a while and drink the days worth of clean water in your hot water tank/toilet cistern, etc

Add to this: AR-15 with a collapsible stock for varmit/food hunting, fishing hooks and line, and either a solar panel to charge your batteries or one of those backpacks with the solar panels built-in. Also some kind of head coverage both for cold weather protection in the winter and sun protection in the summer.

I'd be sure to have a good pair of walking/hiking shoes as well. No telling how much walking you might have to do.

Gee, this is almost exactly what I take on a backpacking trip (although I'd substitute a tent and sleeping bag for the tarp). Calling this list a bug-out-bag is stupid.

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