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The Definitive Bug-Out Bag Shopping List

“A person is smart. People are dumb, dangerous, panicky animals and you know it.”

Agent K, Men in Black (1997)

Tommy Lee Jones’s commentary on mob mentality seems—during these uncertain times—to be truer than ever. Toilet paper is flying off the shelves, food supply chains are redlining, and people are protesting across the nation against quarantine orders. Panic begets scarcity, and scarcity drives an otherwise normal society to collapse. While we hope this never happens, there is no reason not to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

When preparing you and your family for a potential survival situation, mobility is key. Preparing one or more “bug-out bags” for your home enables you and your loved ones to get out of a potentially dangerous situation quickly with the means to survive on the move.

Generally speaking, your bug-out bag should be relatively lightweight kit with 3-5 days of food and water with enough supplies to be appropriate in a wide range of environments. A good rule of thumb is to “have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it.” You can always shed some weight but it’s even more difficult to acquire something you might need. Gathering the items below can be made into one single kit or distributed across multiple bags to “spread load” across those who will be moving with you.

Have a Plan

Some experts will recommend you organize your “bug-out” plan into tiers or readiness conditions (REDCONs). For example, REDCON-1, -2, and -3 would serve as various levels of readiness for your planned duration of survival or threat level. REDCON-1 could be a lightweight daypack to sustain you through 24 hours, REDCON-2 for 48 hours, and REDCON-3 for 72+ hours. As the conditions on the ground change you could adjust your bug-out bag up or down to the sociopolitical situation in your area (e.g. global COVID-19 pandemic) or–if you have the cash available–stage separate bags at different locations at various readiness conditions.

Below you will find a recommended bug-out gear shopping list and some ideas for quality bags.

The Shopping List

Bags

Tools

Entertainment

Safety / Security

A Note on Weapons

Gun or no gun? One of the more highly contested views on bug-out bags is the need for firearms. This decision depends on many factors including your comfort level, your environment (urban vs. rural), and the circumstances for which you are preparing. On one hand, having a range weapon could prove invaluable for both defense and for the longer-term procurement of food. On the other hand, getting into a gunfight introduces more risk to you and your family it often ends in a wound or death. Those in favor of avoiding firearms posit it is more risk-efficient to avoid violent confrontations entirely and rely on begging, bartering, and stealing to procure critical resources (e.g. pack extra money and bartering items for food, water, etc.) That being said, this is entirely personal preference and your comfort level with handling and employing firearms.

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