For my entire life, my parents have ingrained in me the mantra: Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. I grew up in Florida, then North Carolina, I and now live in New York City, and have carried those words with me through many hurricanes, floods, and electricity outages. The one thing that has always given me a sense of calm amidst the chaos of the unpredictable is my sense of preparedness.
I can’t control weather disasters, but I can control how I react to them and advocate for my own safety. Part of that is having a fully loaded bug-out bag, also known as a go-bag or survival bag, which is a pre-packed backpack that holds essential supplies necessary for short-term survival and evacuation in the event of an emergency.
Along with those eight words, my parents also instilled in me the importance of having an emergency bag filled with food, first aid, personal items, and tactical gear on hand at all times. Here’s what I put in mine.
But First, What Kind of Bag Should You Get?
Although any bag for a bug-out bag is better than no bag, prioritizing one that is water-resistant will save the contents inside of the bag in the case of flooding or especially bad rainfall.
Though there are very few genuine waterproof bags on the market, my favorite is the Osprey Roll Top Backpack. It’s spacious enough for all of the items I want in my bug-out bag (and then some!), and has padded straps for comfortable carrying. Really, I lugged this all throughout Manhattan last week to take photographs of it at the office, and then carried it around after work to dinner and back to my apartment. Twelve hours later, it didn’t put a strain on my back in the slightest (which is what you want in a bag).
If you don’t want to buy a new bag, a rain cover like REI Co-op’s or Joy Walker’s is also a worthy investment. I also always find it a good idea to put some toiletries and other items that are not in plastic packaging inside of a Ziploc plastic bag to protect them from the elements.
We all need to eat, and that’s even more true during an emergency when extra stress is put on your body. During emergencies, food banks and donation centers get crowded, with large numbers of people seeking food. If you have to evacuate your home, it’s vital to have two to three day’s worth of packaged, canned, and other shelf-stable foods in your bag.
First-Aid and Personal Hygiene
Right up there with food is making sure you have plenty of personal hygiene products and first-aid supplies in your bag. Everyone’s needs are different — depending on your situation, it’s a good idea to pack items like tampons, pads, contact solution, and an extra pair of glasses. When thinking about what to put in my bag, I mentally walk through my daily routines to make sure I have everything to be comfortable.
This list isn’t exhaustive, but it is a good place to start.
- Miniature first-aid kit
- Hand sanitizer
- Wet wipes
- Tissues
- Toothbrush
- Miniature toothpaste
- Masks
- Bug spray
- Earplugs
- Medication
- Lip balm
- Soap bar
- Deodorant
- Sturdy gloves
Tactical Gear
In addition to consumables and personal care, tactical items like flashlights, compasses, and other survival gear are also imperative to stay comfortable (and well prepared) in an emergency. Again, everyone’s needs are different, but I approach filling my bug-out bag by thinking about scenarios I’d most likely find myself in (evacuating due to flooding, hurricanes, or potential electricity outage) and gathering items in those scenarios.
For example, in the case that the internet is down, I like to keep an informational booklet on hand that tells me how to start a fire or what to do if I see a bear. Those are more extreme scenarios, but again, prepare for the worst. Here are a few things I make sure are in my bag.
- Portable charger, with plugs
- Stainless steel water bottle, like a Hydroflask
- Stainless steel utensils (I prefer a spork)
- Emergency thermal blankets
- Matches
- Compass
- Informational booklets
- Flashlight
- Handheld radio
- Water filter straw
- Pocket knife
- Sunglasses
- Rope
- Cash
This isn’t an exhaustive list of everything.
Do you have a bug-out bag? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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