A bug-out bag as insurance against disaster
The COVID-19 pandemic made us realise how little it takes to shake our civilisation. We learnt that it will not always be possible to just pop to the shop and buy whatever we happen to need. Many of us started wondering: “what if a crisis like this, or a worse one, happens again?”
[UPDATE] The outbreak of war in Ukraine got us all asking “what if…?”. What if war breaks out here? What if bombs start falling on my neighbourhood? What if we run out of food, water or electricity?
This article only covers the basics of how to survive the first few days after a disaster. I have, however, written a much more detailed article devoted specifically to the blackouts that may be waiting for us in the future. It goes into far more detail on how to survive, and includes accounts from people who lived through a war in a besieged city. It will tell you what to do in the first hours, days and months after a war breaks out or the power is cut off. You can read it here: https://survivalism.pl/en/blackout-in-poland-how-to-survive-without-electricity-2023/
Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all solution here; the idea is rather to improve your chances of survival. A so-called grab bag, also known as an evacuation bag, can help you with that. Preppers usually call it a bug-out bag or BOB for short.
Amazon store, affiliate linkYou need to survive 72 hours
Your bug-out bag should hold the essentials that will let you survive for at least 72 hours.
72 hours happens to be the period after a sudden disaster in which the most people are killed or die. Once 72 hours have passed, you can expect organised help, for example from the government or the army.
If help has not arrived by then, the problem is far more serious and not one that even the best-equipped backpack can solve. For that scenario you need to prepare in a different way.
That is why there is no point packing a bug-out bag with enough supplies to last longer than 72 hours. It would be a waste of resources, and an overloaded evacuation bag can be a real pain to carry. Unless, of course, you are planning to run off to the Bieszczady (Poland’s remote, wild south-eastern mountains, the traditional place Poles dream of escaping to) and set up a winter camp there 😉
Where you live matters too, as a reader called Rob pointed out. If you live in the countryside near a forest, you will pack different gear (probably with more emphasis on camping kit) than if you live in a big city.
Readers have also pointed out that the list could do with a few extra items. Thank you for the suggestions; I will take them into account when I update and edit this article.
Use your imagination, improvise
There is no single recipe for the perfectly equipped evacuation bag, but every one should contain at least a few basic items essential for survival, which I will try to list in the rest of this article.
The list below is my suggestion, not a closed list. It is only meant to point out a few obvious pieces of kit that, for one reason or another, I consider essential.
Even a bag with just a few of the most basic items listed here can make the difference between life and death. You can (and, if need be, you should!) improvise. No penknife to hand? Take a kitchen knife. Survivalism is not just knowledge and equipment; above all it is a state of mind. To survive, you have to think the right way.
The evacuation bag itself
The first item in your evacuation kit should, of course, be a suitable backpack. You could even use an ordinary shoulder bag, or a suitcase. What matters is that you can carry it around easily and that it is tough enough not to fall apart when you give it a good yank, which unfortunately does happen with cheap backpacks. It also has to be roomy enough to hold everything you plan to put in it.
Think about whether you care more about mobility, in which case go for a light, small backpack that holds less, or whether you want to be as well prepared as possible, in which case a large framed pack will be the better choice.
Think through every side of your choice, too. With a big, heavy backpack you will not be able to move quickly over longer distances. In that case, might it be worth preparing an alternative shelter somewhere nearby that you could reach fairly quickly?
Or, if you went for a small backpack with only the basics, wouldn’t it be a good idea to hide a larger stash of supplies somewhere, for example buried on your allotment or at a spot in the woods that only you know about?
Medical supplies
Put together a first aid kit with the basics. Amazon store, affiliate link You can assemble one yourself or buy it ready-made. It should contain at least:
- bandages in various sizes or sterile gauze
- plasters, both individual ones and a roll
- painkillers
- something for diarrhoea. Activated charcoal does this job very well.
- antibiotic ointment. It can help you avoid infections with very serious consequences. In Poland you can buy it without a prescription.
- water purification tablets Amazon store, affiliate link
Remember to check your first aid kit regularly and replace out-of-date medicines with new ones. Plasters and other dressings have a shelf life too, so it pays to go through the contents every so often.
Remember: out-of-date medicines can be toxic and very harmful; taking them may do you more harm than good.
Toiletries
Nobody needs convincing that hygiene matters. It is especially important for your state of mind. So don’t forget these basics:
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- soap (an ordinary bar of soap is the best option)
- toilet paper. You may not need it, but when you need it, you really need it 😉
- for women, sanitary pads or tampons are important too
Here too, as with the rest of your kit, you need to strike a balance between weight and bulk on the one hand and usefulness on the other. While soap seems essential for keeping reasonably clean, deodorant is not necessarily so.
Tools
Amazon store, affiliate linkHere the only limit is your imagination (and your strength to lug it all around), but let’s focus on the items you need most, the ones that take up the least space for the most use. Pick one or more tools from the list below. Just remember that your survival backpack Amazon store, affiliate link has a limited capacity, and you can only carry so much.
- a large knife or a machete
- a small shovel or a folding entrenching tool
- pliers
- wire cutters
- a few metres of thin, flexible metal wire
- fishing line, ideally braided
- a screwdriver with interchangeable bits for different kinds of screws
There is also a whole range of multi-tools Amazon store, affiliate link on the market. Their big advantage is how compact they are: one multi-purpose tool with a dozen or more functions fits in your trouser pocket.
Their weakness, especially at the cheaper end of the market, is that they are not very durable or tough. Admittedly, multi-tools at slightly higher prices can offer decent quality and usefulness. A lot depends on how deep your pockets are.
An important part of your bug-out bag will be a detailed map of the local area and a small-scale map of the country. It is also worth equipping your BOB with a compass Amazon store, affiliate link. And you really ought to learn how to use it well in advance, because an emergency in which you need to navigate is not the best time to learn. If you would like to find out more, have a look at my articles on maps and on the cardinal directions.
Clothes
Clothing is an important part of an evacuation bag, especially warm, clean and dry underwear to change into.
- socks
- light sports shoes
- T-shirts, thermal underwear
- pants, boxers
- a blanket
- a hat
- gloves
There is a huge range of options to choose from here, but make sure you pick clothes that give you protection from cold and damp.
Water and food
A person can go a very long time without food, but only somewhere between a dozen and a few dozen hours without water.
A full stomach and a well-hydrated body are vital for survival. As hunger and dehydration set in, your physical and mental performance will drop. So make sure your bug-out bag holds enough non-perishable food and water or, which I think is the better option, a decent water filter.
Amazon store, affiliate link- water or a water filter. You will need 2 to 3 litres a day. So, as simple maths tells you, 72 hours means 6 to 9 litres of water per person. That is why it makes more sense to get a good filter Amazon store, affiliate link that lets you drink even from a puddle
- peanut butter, which keeps practically forever and is packed with energy, making it the best option in an emergency.
- sweet energy bars
- tinned meat or fish
- hard crackers or rusks
- sugar
- powdered milk
As with medicines, food supplies need regular checks: swap out anything nearing its use-by date for fresh stock.
Just bear in mind that the food you take with you is not meant for a gourmet dinner or an all-you-can-eat buffet, in quantity or in quality. Its only job is to give you enough calories to survive 72 hours.
Camping gear
If you still have some room left in your backpack, you might also squeeze in some camping gear. This is a particularly good idea for those of us who live in the countryside or near mountains or forests. As recent events in Ukraine have shown, cities are often deathtraps for civilians, so if a disaster drags on, get out of the city if you possibly can.
Basic camping gear includes:
- a tent: choose a model that comfortably fits you and your family but is not too big or heavy.
- a sleeping bag: here too there are very light, compact options. Just make sure your sleeping bag suits the weather. In summer a winter sleeping bag will be far too warm, while a thin summer one won’t keep you comfortably warm in winter. All things considered, the most versatile (and, sadly, expensive) option is a warm down sleeping bag Amazon store, affiliate link.
- a mini gas stove Amazon store, affiliate link that takes replaceable canisters. You can buy folding mini stoves that weigh just a few hundred grams or less
Choosing the right gear in this category is a hugely complex subject in itself, and I will try to cover it in a separate article in future.
Documents and other paperwork
You can also add copies of important documents, such as your passport, to your survival backpack, along with some cash in small notes or its equivalent, for example silver coins. To protect the documents from damage and water, seal them in plastic bags.
If you have an old mobile phone you no longer use, you can pack that too, together with a charged power bank. Your phone can serve as an emergency means of communication, for example to call for help, assuming of course that the mobile network is still working.
Even without a mobile signal, though, a smartphone can be a very handy survival tool. You can load it with useful apps, guides, books, information and offline maps that will help you get your bearings in a crisis.
Other useful things worth packing in a bug-out bag
Apart from the tools listed above, think about whether you will need anything from the list below. Once again, this is just a suggestion; everyone should pick whatever they consider essential.
- a few boxes of matches and a lighter. Don’t forget to keep them in waterproof packaging, such as a plastic bag.
- a small, portable radio Amazon store, affiliate link that runs on batteries Amazon store, affiliate link or a wind-up crank.
- a torch
- a multi-purpose penknife
- duct tape Amazon store, affiliate link (heavy-duty sticky tape). You can do an awful lot with this stuff. It doesn’t take up much room and comes in handy in all sorts of situations. You can rewind duct tape onto something flat, such as an old credit card, so it takes up far less space in your pack.
- a tin opener
- spare batteries Amazon store, affiliate link
- candles
- glue
- a spoon, teaspoon and fork
- a phone charger
- a few metres of kitchen foil
- a compass
- a mug
- a signal whistle
- a sewing kit
Family and pets
Several of you have raised the question of family. What do you do then? Well, I’m not sure there is much point packing your wife into the backpack. I also suspect that storing her that way for any length of time might cause a certain amount of inconvenience for both spouses 😉
Joking aside, the aim of this article is to draw attention to the most critical items of kit. Organisation and logistics are a different kettle of fish altogether. I may write an article on that one day, but I won’t go into it here.
How to store your evacuation bag
Keep your bug-out bag somewhere easy to reach, but make sure children and pets can’t get at it. Keep an eye on the use-by dates of medicines and food, too. Where necessary, replace and top up anything that is about to expire.
You could also make up several bug-out bags and keep each one in a key location, for example in the boot of your car, at the office or in the garage.
Anything else?
Is that everything? Hard to say. As I mentioned at the start, you cannot pack an evacuation bag that will work 100% in every circumstance. Besides, there would be no point building one, because it would weigh a ton 🙂
Or maybe you have other ideas about what to put in a bug-out bag?
Let me know in the comments.
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