Prepper Recon

Bug Out Bag Check Up

We recently posted a guest post on the 10 most important items in a 72 hour kit. While the article was good, it was quickly pointed out to me on Facebook by several friends that many important items were missing. These items were not obscure items, they were extremely important items like a good knife and means of starting a fire. I believe the article was well intentioned, but was only an overview of what should be in a good bug out bag.

I am posting the Prepper Recon bug out bag check list which I hope you will find to be more complete. This may also be a good time to pull out your bag and take an inventory. Thanks for reading!

Bug Out Bag

The Bug Out Bag is a ready to go backpack or easy to carry duffel bag. It contains essential items you would need to survive for three days. There are  different schools of thought on what type of bag you should choose when considering your Bug Out Bag. Camping stores have a great selection of backpacks. Amazon has good deals on the old military ALICE packs. While there are similarities in all bug out bags, it is something that will be as unique as you are. It is also something that you can build upon. You don’t have to do it all in one day….. unless the stock market just dropped 900 points, then maybe you should print this out and run to your nearest camping supply store, because it just hit the fan.

Color

Some commentators recommend not buying anything military looking such as digital camo as it marks you as a prepper. It is what they call OPSEC or OPerational SECurity. The idea is that if everyone knows that you are a prepper, they are all going to show up at your door on Doomsday. While a military style bug out bag may mark you as a prepper and compromise OPSEC, it may also make you look like a hard target and would be thugs may look for a softer target. If you subscribe to the OPSEC school of thought and decide against an OD green bag, look for a dark blue or dark grey bug out bag. I think black could have the same effect as green. You want something you could fade into the foliage with if need be. A hot pink Dora the Explorer bug out bag isn’t going to work for that.

Size

Get a big Bug Out Bag. Trust me, it is going to need room to grow. Three days worth of food and a change of clothes is going to take up a lot of room and that’s just the beginning. If things get so bad that you have to leave your home, things are bad. There are some things you are going to want to have with you.

Contents

Your Bug Out Bag will be as unique as you are. Have some fun putting it together. There are several things that need to be in there but many of those things are available in wide variety.

Food-Try to store 3 days worth of food. An adult male needs on average 2500 calories per day. 3 days is 7500 calories. Granola bars have a lot of calories and complex carbohydrates. Nuts also have a high calorie content as well as protein. Dried fruit keeps well and has natural sugar for energy. Canned pastas are far from gourmet but they are high calorie. In a survival situation, you want high calorie, high fat items to get the most bang (energy) for your buck (weight). The Survival Warehouse has a great selection of freeze dried meals and MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). A small military style mess kit doesn’t take up much room and will allow you to cook any game you may be able to snare or fish you may be able to catch. It will also allow you to boil water if needed.

Water-You need a half a gallon of water a day to stay hydrated. 1.5 gallons of water  is going to weigh 12 pounds. One option is to carry a half gallon and have some water purification tablets or a portable filter like the Katadyn Hiker Pro. A cheap alternative is household bleach. Eight drops of bleach will sterilize one gallon of clear water or 16 drops if it is cloudy. It won’t taste great but it will keep you alive.

Multi-tool– A good multi-tool will have a knife blade, flat head, Philips head, pliers, and wire cutters. You can get a cheap one for around $10. You get what you pay for, it will be cheap and could break. A Leatherman multi-tool may cost over $50 but will last forever.  Perhaps you can  get a cheap one now and put the  Leatherman on your Christmas list.

Knife-Even though your multi-tool has a knife, you still need a good fixed blade knife. A fixed blade is one that doesn’t fold up. The knife is an essential element to the bug out bag and having a fixed blade in addition to the multi-tool ensures you have a back up. You should be able to find a good one at a camping store for around $20.

First Aid-Band-aids, Antibiotic ointment, Hydro-cortisone, gauze, tape, tweezers, alcohol, pain killers, scissors and a sewing kit are must haves for your bug out bag. Amoxicillin is available online under the label of Fishmox. It is used to treat infections in fish. It is exactly the same thing your doctor gives you a prescription for. I am not recommending this for human consumption, but hey, you want your fish to be healthy if you have to bug out.  The Israeli Battle Dressing is a must have for your first aid kit. It is a sterile gauze attached to a bandage similar to an ACE bandage. Quick Clot is also a valuable addition. It will stop bleeding in a deep wound. Also consider adding a suture kit.Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy from Doom and Bloom made a great video that will teach you to suture. The US Army field manual for first aid is available for a free download  under Prepper Links.

 Clothes– Pack a change of clothes in gallon zip lock bags to keep them dry in case you get wet. In fact keep everything in your bug out bag in zip locks to keep dry.

Shelter– A tent weighs a lot and takes up a lot of room in your bug out bag, but it will be better that going to a FEMA camp. Ask a Katrina survivor. Your other option is a tarp, but that is really roughing it.

 Electronics– You will want two small bright LED flash lights, a small AM/FM radio, and extra batteries for each. A pair of Midland XTG 2 way radios will give you a means of communication as well as NOAA weather alert channel.

Matches and a lighter– You can waterproof ordinary wood kitchen matches by dipping the tip in candle wax. This will gum up your striker so get “strike anywhere” matches if you plan to waterproof them. Magnesium fire sticks last forever and don’t take up much room in your bug out bag. A can of Sterno would be a great addition. You can make your own Sterno by cutting cardboard to the thickness of an empty tuna can, roll it up into the empty tuna can and fill it with leftover candle wax.

Important Documents– Put all of these in a zip lock to keep them dry. Also make copies of everything, including wedding pictures, on a zip drive. Here are some documents to consider.

PERSONAL DOCUMENTS

• Birth Certificates
• Adoption Papers
• Citzenship/Naturalization Papers
• Military Discharge Papers
• Last Will and Testament
• Trust Documents
• Burial Instructions (pre-paid services, plots, etc.)
• Safe Deposit Boxes and/or Safes (with keys and/or combinations)
• Powers of Attorney

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS

• Bank/Credit Union Accounts (Checking, Savings)
• Retirement Accounts
• Brokerage Accounts
• Pension System Statements
• Deferred Compensation Papers
• Credit Card Accounts
• U.S. Savings Bonds
• Money Market Accounts
• Certificates of Deposit (CDs)
• Stock Certificates/Bonds

FINANCIAL PAPERS

• Real Estate Deeds
• Mortgage Documents
• Property Tax Records
• Inventory of Assets (include appraisal)
• Vehicle Titles
• Income Tax Returns for Several Years
• Rental/Lease Agreements
• Partnership Agreements
• Outstanding Loans (either owed to you or by you)
• Pending Legal Actions/Lawsuits

MEDICAL AND INSURANCE INFORMATION

• Health Care Provider and Personal ID Number
• Organ Donor Information
• Living Will/Health Care Proxy
• Long Term Care Policy Information
• Life Insurance Policy Documents
• Veterans Administration Insurance Policy
• Mortgage Insurance Policy
• Property and Casualty Policies

Tools– Think about adding a folding shovel, hatchet and a wire saw to your kit. Always consider the weight when you buy.

Hygiene– A small bar of soap, toothbrush small tube of toothpaste, and a travel deodorant are essential items. Don’t forget toilet paper. Baby wipes  can be used to freshen up when no other form of bathing is available. Sunscreen and bug repellent are good additions, as you may be in the great outdoors.

Miscellaneous Items–  A deck of playing cards can help pass the time. I keep a small New Testament Bible in my bag.  Duct tape is a cheap fix all. Military para-cord holds up to 550 lbs  and can have several uses.  Be sure to include a manual can opener. Your food selections may be all MREs but you may have the opportunity to buy canned food and nothing else at some other point after bugging out. A few large garbage bags can be used for foraging, water collection, waste removal, poncho for you or your gear or several other uses. Small sewing kits are not much bigger than a silver dollar and can come in very handy if you get a rip or tear in your clothing or gear.

You can make a small fishing kit with a spool of fishing line. The spool will typically have 4 hollow compartments in the center. You can place hooks in one, a small bobber in one, weights in one and a few small lures in the other. Cover everything with masking tape and you have a self contained fishing kit.

If you get all of this, you will be off to a good start. Remember, a Bug Out Bag is also a Bug In Bag. Everything you store in there can also be used in the event you are unable to leave; and it is all in one place. This makes it easy to find in a crisis. We will discuss other gear for specific threats like Biological or Nuclear attacks in a latter post. There are some essential things to keep around the house for such incidents but if you try to stick everything in your bag, it will be the size of a V.W. bus.

Ready.gov has a lot of information and things to think about for preparedness and making a kit. They also provide brief explanations of  possible terrorist  threats such as Cyber attacks, dirty bombs, natural disasters and pandemics. Consider that this is a government website; everything in there is sugar coated. If they tell you to be prepared, there is a reason!

Happy Prepping!