The Ultimate Bug-Out Gear List

Events over the past couple of years, including pandemics, natural disasters, and extreme weather conditions, are making more people consider themselves “preppers.” You don’t have to invest tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in elaborate safe rooms, 20-year stashes of food, water, and toilet paper, a well-appointed underground bunker, or a remote off-grid encampment to be legitimately prepared for an emergency. Few of us have the resources to do that.

But every person should have that most basic of gear ready, the proverbial “Bug-Out Bag” for the possibility that you might need to relocate — fast. Here’s our guide on the best bug-out gear you can get.

A Few Preliminaries

Before we go into the fine points of preparing your bug-out gear list, we want you to keep in mind a few practical considerations.

First, establish reasonable expectations. Assume that your gear will, at most, be able to get you through a week or two of hairy, possibly dangerous circumstances until you can stabilize your living situation. Anything beyond 1-2 weeks is unrealistic, though with smart planning you can extend your capacity to survive further.

Second, a well-appointed bug-out bag doesn’t do you much good if you don’t have access to it. You need to keep that bag somewhere that it’s likely to be close to you. No amount of planning will ensure access to your emergency bag; however, the most logical place to keep your bug-out gear is your car. With rare exceptions, our cars are usually near us. And although it may be worse for car wear and tear, parking it outside makes sure they’re always accessible, even in situations where.

So once you have your bug-out gear in order, keep it in your vehicle as you would any roadside emergency equipment. In fact, consider your vehicle not only part of your bug-out gear but your master “bug-out vault” that contains your “bug-out bag.” If you don’t own a vehicle, and can’t foresee purchasing one, consider purchasing some kind of lockable outdoor shed that is likely to remain accessible even if your home is collapsing around you. If you live in an apartment complex, consider renting a small, ground-floor storage unit accessible from the outside.

Third, before we get to the fine points of putting together your bug-out gear list, consider the top two survival items: a minimum of $500 in cash-on-hand, and at least a half-tank of gas in your car. In the event of a major emergency, you cannot rule out major disruptions to the banking industry and an inability to make electronic transactions. So keep a reasonable amount of cash. And make it a priority to keep your gas tank always at least half full. You don’t want to be waiting in a long line at the gas station if you need to evacuate an area.

Fourth, keep your bug-out backpack as light and portable as possible. You don’t want to be schlepping 30-lbs on your back. Look for products that are both light and compact.

In Priority Order…

This ultimate bug-out gear list has been established using principles of wilderness survival, light-to-ultralight backpacking principles, and the concept of “redundant systems” for the most important elements of your survival — warmth and potable water. The biggest threats to your survival are hypothermia, dehydration, or dysentery from drinking non-potable water.

Warmth

• A light or ultralight tent, tarp, or hammock. True outdoorsmen might be able to cobble together a debris shelter or even bushcraft their way to a formidable lakeside cabin. Most of us, though, need some help establishing a rudimentary shelter, especially if we happen to be “camping” in the middle of a city.

• A sleep system including a sleeping pad and sleeping bag or an emergency, reflective bag. 
• A single change of underwear, clothes, and socks — as light as possible.
• An easily compressible jacket and shell.
• Waterproof matches, lighters, firestarters.
• Foldable saw

Potable Water

• Two to three gallons of bottled water kept in the trunk of your car.
• Collapsible five-gallon water bags. These cannot reasonably fit in a bug-out bag, but could fit in the trunk of your car.
• Water filtration and purification.
• Iodine tablets.

Emergency Gear

• First-aid kit
• Prescription medications for you and your companion animal(s)
• Lighting, such as a flashlight and headlamp
• Radio. Ideally, the radio should be rechargeable through solar or kinetic energy
• Batteries and small, portable power packs for charging phones
• Small portable power station with solar panel. These cannot be packed in a bug-out bag, but are terrific additions to your bug-out “kit” if you have a car, making all other electronic devices more usable over the long term

Cleanliness

• Three quick-drying microfiber towels. One for washing, one for drying, and one for sanitary wiping. You won’t have space to carry around numerous rolls of toilet paper in a bug-out bag. Wash the sanitary wiping towel after each use with soap and water and keep it in a plastic bag
• All-purpose camping soap
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Travel bottle of deodorant

Food

Anyone with any wilderness experience knows that food is one of the necessities of your bug-out gear. A person can survive well over a month on a complete fast if necessary, but that comes with many health implications that hinder your ability to function. It’s always recommended to keep at least some consistent nutrition. Here are some suggestions for cooking and food supplies.

• Portable backpacking stove
• Small camp cooking pot
• Thermos
• Utensils
• Knife
• Can opener. Preferably a small, light, P-38/P-51 army-ration style can opener
• Plastic bags for short-term leftovers
• Emergency ration bars
• Tinned meats, cheese, and butter if you have space in your car
• Vacuum sealed, preserved meat sticks such as summer sausage and pepperoni
• Hardtack biscuits
• Soup packets and/or bouillon
• Instant coffee and hot cocoa packets
• GORP
• Meals ready-to-eat. Again, these are great items if you can store them in a vehicle. Otherwise, the volume of these products makes them impossible to pack in a bug-out bag.

Preparing For The Worst

For many of us, the idea of carefully thinking through a bug-out gear list and preparing a bug-out bag feels excessive or unnecessarily alarmist. However, remember that it’s better to be prepared for a dangerous survival scenario that may never come than to face such a scenario without having prepared for it.