Home checklist summary:
- Water: 15 gallons per person.
- Food: non-perishable, long shelf life, easy to make or ready to eat.
- Fire: lighters, matches, and a backup fire starter.
- Light: candles, crank or battery powered flashlights or lanterns.
- Heat: mostly from clothes and blankets, but also propane heaters and survival blankets.
- First aid & medication: see what medical experts keep in their home medical supplies and individual first aid kits.
- Hygiene: hand sanitizer, camp soap, baby wipes.
- Communication: crank or solar powered NOAA radio, flares, whistle.
- Cash: small bills, as much as you can afford to stash.
- Documents: copy of deeds/titles, insurance policies, birth certificates, maps, etc.
- Tools: axe, work gloves, wrench for your gas lines, zip ties, duct tape, sewing kit, etc.
- Self defense: depending on personal views, up to and including firearms and ammo.
Bug Out Bags for every adult
A Bug Out Bag (BOB) is basically a backpack that is always packed and ready to go at a moment’s notice. It contains a wide range of the basics you need to survive for at least a few days and ideally much longer.
Example scenarios:
- You’re ordered to evacuate because of a storm.
- You wake up to a raging wildfire near your home.
- Your neighbor’s house is on fire and you run over to help.
- An aggressor is coming to your home and you need to leave quickly.
- Law and order is breaking down and you’re better off leaving the area.
- A missile strike or terrorist attack happens nearby and you need to leave town.
Key points to keep in mind:
- You don’t know what will happen.
- You can’t cover every potential need.
- Weight matters — a lot.
- You might be on foot for a long time.
- You might be in an evacuation or refugee center, out in nature, or squatting in buildings.
- It might be summer or winter.
- The weather might be insane.
- You might be alone or with other people.
- People around you will be panicked and possibly dangerous.
- You might be or get injured.
- You might be on your own for a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, or longer.
Bug Out Bag checklist summary:
- Backpack: the right pack matters, not too big, not too flashy, good hip support.
- Water: tools to make or store water, not lots of water itself.
- Food: many people carry too much of the wrong kind of food.
- Fire: matches, fire starters, and a lighter.
- Heat: survival blankets and an insulated outer layer.
- Shelter: tarp, possibly an ultralight hammock or tent.
- Light: headlamp, battery- and crank-powered flashlight, candle.
- Communication: portable Ham radio, signal mirror, whistle, flares.
- Medical: see the portable medical kit checklist.
- Hygiene: camp soap, camp toilet paper, wipes, hand sanitizer.
- Navigation: laminated maps, compass, binoculars.
- Tools: field knife, multi-tool, cordage, zip ties, duct tape, safety pins.
- Self defense: gun, ammo, knives, nonlethals, depending on personal choice.
- Field guide: compact book with guides on various survival techniques.
- Documents: any important stuff like copies of birth certificate, medical records.
- Clothing: hat, sunglasses, socks, maybe a full set of climate-appropriate clothes.
- Misc: cash, small paper pad and pen, maybe a psychological comfort item.