Finally!
I finally get to show off my Bug-Out Bag with you all!
Or should I call it BOB? That’s the short term for it after all. I actually like the idea of naming my bag BOB.
BOB it is then!
Full disclosure: I am missing a few items that are recommended for BOBs at all times but I’m gonna show you what I have anyway. I hadn’t unpacked my bag in a while so it was fun remembering that I need to make a new list with the items I still need to get.
Also, I’d like to take fun photos with it out in the wild. But that’s for another day. My roommate has agreed to do a photoshoot with me soon so that’ll be fun!
First off, I want to give you a rundown on what a Bug-Out Bag is.
The game is in the name. Although, if SHTF, the situation would not be a game in any way.
That being said, a Bug-Out Bag is a packed bag ready to go in any emergency.
Whether it’s a forest fire, tornado, emergency evacuation.
You name the situation in which you need to leave within thirty minutes or less and that’s the bag you grab.
To be honest, saying thirty minutes was gracious. There’s no telling how long you will have in that moment.
Having a BOB of your own will reduce the amount of stress you experience in that emergency situation.
Meet BOB
And no, stop thinking of Bob from Minions! Or is that just me?
Anywho, I bought my BOB backpack from a guy on Facebook Marketplace a few years ago and it’s the perfect size for me. I’m honestly not entirely sure what the brand is but Tactical Gear has a similar bag if you like this one.
If not, there are plenty of options to choose from. You don’t have to use a tactical style bag if you don’t want to.
Just like in my Get Home Bag blog, I mention that I choose this style because of the exterior molle system. This comes in handy for a few of the items I keep inside the bag currently. They have hooks in order to be carried on the outside easily.
I also like having hip straps for extra durability if I ever needed to bug out and possibly walk for miles to my “Safe Haven.”
Plus, this bag has hidden stow-away pockets on either side for carrying a gun or personal items you don’t want to be easily found.
Let’s Look Inside
First off, in the outermost pocket, I keep smaller items and things I may need to grab quickly. Like gloves, individually wrapped masks (they stay sanitized this way), camping toilet paper, doggy bags in order to leave no trace, and one of my larger knives that can also hook to the outside.
You can also see that I have two patches on my bag. One is my blood type which I finally found at a tactical store. This comes in handy in case anything happens and I’m not wearing my Road ID bracelet.
The second patch I received after attending a 5.11 Tactical BOB class. It basically labels my bag as a BOB.
For the second pocket, I have inside:
- Notebook and pencil -need to add a pencil sharpening and/or upgrade to my Rite in the Rain pencil set.
- Laundry Line for camping
- Hand Crank Radio
- 5 Gallon Bucket Opener -probably seems random but I read in another blog that this tool could come in handy if you ever come across a food stash if SHTF or even if you need to get into your own buckets.
- Foldable Saw
- Multitool
- Multiple fire starters: flint and steel, lighter, and the smaller bag that contains empty toilet paper rolls filled with lint and wrapped in newspaper. (Saw this idea a while back as well.)
- SOS Brand Emergency Tent and Bivy
- Mosquito Head Net -another random item but it really works! I used this while taking photos of stars in the Idaho mountains while being swarmed by more mosquitoes than I like.
- Mostly fun items -glow sticks, deck of cards, a New Testament, and copies of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence (Might need these when starting America over).
As you can see, this pocket holds mostly smaller, random-ish items that are still important but don’t get packed into bundles in the main compartment.
Speaking of which:
For my large interior pocket, I use camping Ditty bags to organize my items.
In the larger, blue bag I keep my camping food. I know theres isn’t a lot here but I plan to get more. As well as some emergency food rations. Your bag is not meant to keep you alive indefinitely. The rule of thumb is to have enough food to sustain you for 72 hours. Or at least get you to your destination.
The yellow bag holds my stove options. I have a wood burning camping stove and my favorite purchase: the MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove. Along with some fuel and matches.
The larger orange bag holds my Sawyer water filtration system, water tablets, a smaller compact laundry line.
In the smaller orange bag, I have my kitchen utensils. Like a stainless steel mug, silverware, camping soap, more matches and fire starter, and a few different towels.
The red bag holds my extra clothes. Yes, I need to possibly add a few items but I keep the basics in here. Underwear, extra shirt, tank top for layering, socks, bandanas, a beanie, and a homemade Paracord belt.
Here are a few items that I keep on hand but are not kept in my bag:
- An extra Shemagh (head scarf)
- Ductape
- Extra emergency blankets
- Aluminum Capsule
- More intense face masks
- Pro Knot cards
- Electrolytes
- Hand Warmers
- Extra pouches
Yep, That’s It
In case you haven’t noticed, I am a fan of the Coghlan’s brand. Easily accessible at Walmart and reasonably priced. Of course there are “better” brands you can choose from, but these items are great if you’re just starting to put your bag together.
If you want a good list to use while putting together your own BOB, I highly recommend downloading the PDF from Bug Out Bag Academy. It’s a great list! I have it saved to my computer and I’m using it to find the items I’m still missing.
Also, if you just need a bag that isn’t fancy and possibly already put together, you can look up 72 Hour bags online and start there.
Of course, these bags will only have the basic items so if you have some sort of food allergies or specific preferences, you can always change the items out.
Having a BOB is a must for every household member–especially kids.
There’s no telling what could happen to make you flee your home if you’re unable to Bug In and there may not be enough time to gather what you need.
Having a BOB ready to go should never instill fear in you. Instead, you should be less stressed knowing that if something happens, you know exactly what to grab and you have peace knowing it holds everything you need.
My friend, it always better to be ready. If you don’t already have a Bug Out Bag, please consider putting one together for yourself.
Even if nothing happens to make you evacuate your home, at least you know you’re prepared just in case.
Hope you enjoyed seeing what I have ready to go.
Until next time, Happy Prepping!
