Up to this point, building your own BOB has been fairly conceptual. From here on out, this is a hands on project. It’s time to start collecting gear to stock your BOB and begin understanding this gear. We will go over what is truly essential and how to use it; this is the fun part. There are twelve supply categories that need to be considered when stocking your Bug Out Bag. I’m going to talk through and cover each of these topics over the next few weeks. Some of you might see a few things listed and think, “Duh! That’s obvious,” but there are some things that I might be able to point out when choosing your specific product. My personal rule of thumb is that everything should have multiple purposes, and I’ll explain what I mean by that.
Before we get to the contents of your bag, you must consider the bag itself. It is important to use a good sturdy bag that will be comfortable to wear while walking for hours if the need arose. There are many good brands and I strongly encourage you to make sure it has YKK zippers, duraflex buckles, and cordura fabric. It is also a good idea to use a bag that does not look flashy. Do not display on your bag what it is or hint to what is inside. As I have stated before, it should keep a low profile. This is the bag I am currently using and love it! It’s made to last and can take a beating.
Supply Categories to include in your BOB:
1. Water and Hydration
2. Food and Food Preparation
3. Clothing
4. Shelter and Bedding
5. Fire
6. First Aid
7. Hygiene
8. Tools
9. Lighting
10. Communications
11. Protection and Self-Defense
12. Miscellaneous Supplies
Water and Hydration
Water is an obvious necessity for survival, but there are some things to consider when packing it in a SHTF scenario. Water is heavy, therefore you would not want to be carrying around a case of water bottles on your back. Though, I would not choose a plastic water bottle even if it might save a few grams in weight. Instead, I choose to have a metal canteen style bottle because it can be used to boil water if you need to disinfect some water you found that you’re not sure is safe to consume.
I even wrap my metal water bottle with duct tape. Duct tape is a must! I like to wrap my bottle with at least 10-15 feet of duct tape. Not only does it help protect your bottle, but duct tape is an excellent multi use survival resource. It has hundreds of uses. Some of these include: first aid bandage, cordage and tarp, tent, or gear repairs. Wrapping your water bottle instead of packing an entire roll of tape saves you space and weight. I’d like to add that packing a collapsible soft container allows you to reduce bulk as water is used. Consume the water in this container first. When empty, they take up virtually no space and weigh just a few ounces. Make sure you have at least two ways of purifying water; purification tablets, and a hand pump filter for example.
You can always have a water bladder to insert in your BOB. They are typically used in a separate hydration pack alongside your BOB, but having it separated is not necessary, you could slip it right into your BOB along the back, they do not take up too much space. This is my favorite hydration pack that I use in addition to my BOB because it has multi-use functions such as the molle webbing.
Again, it all depends on your preference, as long as you have multiple resources for water and filtering it. Remember, our bodies are made up of almost 90% water!
We also have pre-made, ready-to-go Survival Kits available in our shop (under the Merchandise tab).
Holy Homestead 