When an emergency is imminent you need to be ready. Pack your bug-out bag now.
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We are living in an apocalypse. Everyone should be ready to evacuate. Do this when you are calm, not as the disaster looms. I moved from earthquake country to hurricane country. I’ve been through this. Let me help you figure out what to pack in a bug-out bag.
Some disasters call for staying home. But sometimes — if you are in a hot fire zone, volcanic eruption, earthquake, or the path of a hurricane — getting out fast is your best course of action. Are you ready to flee if necessary?
When disaster is looming is not the time to prep. Assemble your go bag — or bug-out bag — when things are calm. You’ll pack a smarter bag and save money.
You know you need a change of clothes, toiletries, your cell phone, and other basics. But here is a list of things to add to your go bag that will get you through the not-normal situations you might encounter while you are living out of that bag.
The Bag
For many people, the go bag is in their car. This is a reasonable strategy as long as you can drive away from the disaster. Even if you can’t, grabbing your emergency kit from the car is something you can do quickly. You might want a collection of small bags you can squirrel away in the car to keep your emergency supplies in order and easy to find — and to keep your car neat.
If you are packing an actual bag, though, you want something big, durable, and inexpensive like this big duffel from AmazonBasics ($20.55) Keep it in your car, if that’s your strategy so you don’t have to hunt the closet for it if you need to leave by boat or foot.
A power supply for all your gear
If Zombies are in pursuit, the world is in an apocalyptic state, or even if it’s late at night, you do not want to wait around for AAA. This HALO Bolt power bank ($120) will charge everything from your laptop to your car. If you can connect to the grid occasionally, it will keep all your gear going.
A way to turn the sun into power
Add a battery to your kit that can charged with sunlight in case you are without power for a long time. This power bank ($19) can be charged by leaving it in the sun or plugging it in. It’s also a flashlight. You can’t have enough of those.
Pack some snacks
You don’t know what’s going to happen when you evacuate. Pack some snacks. If you always keep a bag of protein bars or trail mix ($21) in your car or go bag, you won’t be the hangry human who can’t rise to whatever emergency happens.
You also won’t be the one faced with a hangry child or partner in the middle of an emergency. No one is their best during a sugar crash.
Don’t forget hydration
Dehydration is a serious hazard, too, in an emergency. Make sure you bring water. Coconut water, though, will recover a human from dehydration faster than anything. So pack some shelf-stable boxes of coconut water ($15.)
Bring some toiletries
If you end up in a shelter or campsite, you will want to get clean at some point. Pack your go bag with essential toiletries.
If you don’t want to commit the space and money to a backup of your everyday products, throw in a bar of this hair and body soap ($12) so you can take a shower when the opportunity presents itself. It won’t spill and you can jump on a flight, if that’s your exit, without worrying about liquids.
Some Basic Tools
Sometimes a screwdriver, zip tie, or tape can be the thing that saves you. You never know which it’s going to be. So a go bag should have some basics in it: Zip ties and good tape are must-haves. But keeping a basic toolbox $23) in your car and/or go bag is also smart.
Food Storage
Who knows what the restaurant and grocery situation will be like out there? If you find something open and serving, you might want to stock up. Or you might have leftovers in the fridge you want to take along.
Keep a good food thermos on hand. This Stanley Insulated Food Jar ($38) is perfect for this. It comes in four colors and it even has an integrated spork.
A good double-wall insulated cup is also a great idea, allowing you to grab a hot or cold drink you can sip from all day whenever you find a source.
This Yeti Rambler 26-ounce insulated tumbler ($27) is perfect for this.
It is easy to wash, easy to see what you are sipping, and it holds plenty. It comes in lots of colors but a bright color you can spot during chaos is never a bad idea.
A First Aid Kit
Don’t let a small cut or other injury derail your survival. Keep a good first aid kit ($42) in your car at all times — and especially during an emergency. Add some liquid bandage and backups of everyone’s medications.
Some good flashlights
Good flashlights are essential in any emergency. These LED tactical lights ($23) are small, bright, versatile, durable, and affordable. This is a pack of two.
A headlamp beanie
You could include a headlamp but this beanie with a built-in LED light ($15) is a better idea. It is easier to pack and will keep you warm while providing hands-free lighting.
It comes in lots of colors. Pick one — preferably bright — for your clan so you can put them on and spot each other in a crowd.
A small & packable lantern
Since you don’t know what your emergency will look like, a lantern you can set down in a campsite or use to illuminate your home — even a temporary one — is a good call.
This KIZEN solar lantern ($16) is packable — it compacts to the size of your palm — and charges with sunlight.
Dry Bags
At least one of the bags you have in your car should be able to keep some essentials dry, especially if your emergency is potentially wet — like a hurricane.
A good dry bag ($10) can hold a change of clothes, your phone, a battery, a light, and your wallet, keeping these essentials safe even if a flood is your disaster.
If you fill it with air, it will float, too. And that could save you.
Also, pack enough phone dry bags ($9 for two) for everyone’s phone. Your phone will become an essential lifeline out there. This is not the time to kill it with water.
Did I forget anything? Good luck out there!
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