Grab-and-Go or Bug Out Bags

Also known as a 72-hour kit, grab-and-go or bug out bags are designed to give you the resources you need to survive the first 3 days of a disaster.  You can buy ready made 72-hour kits, but most people build their own.  Building your own ensures you have what YOU will need, not just what someone else thinks you will need.  A commercial 72-hour kit is a good starting point, but you'll need to augment it with your personal prescriptions and any over the counter medications you might use routinely.  You may also want to carefully review the meals that come in your store-bought kit and update the menu to fit your personal and family tastes.

Why would bug out bags be of interest to campers?  Well, you might use a camping trip to test your bug out bags to make sure you have what you will need and won't be carrying around a lot of excess weight from things you don't need.

My primary bug out bag is on wheels.  I keep my motorhome stocked with food, clothing, medication, and sanitation supplies.  I call it my "DRV":  Disaster Recovery Vehicle.  During the summer I keep the fresh water tank full.  When I lived in southern California and didn't have to worry about freeze problems I kept the fresh water tank full year round.  But some disasters may make it impossible to use my motorhome in a bug out so I still try to keep a small 72-hour kit handy that I can grab-and-go.

A grab-and-go or bug out bag should be self contained and small enough that you can carry it with you if you have to evacuate on foot.  A back pack is a good format for a bug out bag.  It should contain everything you need to survive for at least 3 days:  food, water, first aid supplies, medications, extra clothing, sanitation items, gloves, some basic tools, a little emergency cash, and your bug out plan.  It isn't going to to you much good to have a bug out bag if you don't have someplace to bug out to.  You need to have a plan, know where you're going and how you're going to get there.  And you'll probably need alternate plans in case your primary route or destination is no longer functional.  You may be forced to evacuate to a FEMA emergency shelter and your bug out bag will ensure you will be more comfortable than folks who show up without anything but the clothes on their backs and what they have in their pockets.

Even if you are part of a government mandated and organized evacuation, having your own personal 72-hour kit can ensure you will be more comfortable than if you're simply hauled off to a FEMA camp or to the local high school gym and totally dependent on government emergency supplies.  Having recently experienced a level 3 evacuation first hand due to the Holiday Farm fire, I can assure you that you will be very hungry if you wait for FEMA to feed you! Locally organized relief centers appeared literally overnight to aid the victims of the fire, providing food, clothing, blankets, sanitation supplies, water, first aid supplies and even tents, sleeping bags and other camping essentials.  The response from nearby communities was so great that the county emergency preparedness agency had to ask people to hold off bringing donations for a while because they ran out of places to store and distribute them.

Keep your RV or your camping gear ready to go at a moment's notice.  Not only will  you be prepared in case there is an emergency that requires you to evacuate your home, you will have things ready to go for spontaneous outings.  There are times we need to escape the stress of everyday life to keep our sanity.  Having things ready to go gives you a chance for an occasional weekend getaway when you need a "mental health day".  If you're a tent camper, keep all your camping gear and supplies together and well organized into tubs or bins so you can hit the road quickly.  If you favor RVs for your outings, keep them ready to go:  motor fuel, propane, and fresh water full, holding tanks empty, basic food on board, medicine cabinets fully stocked, and some extra clothing in the closet.  Even if evacuation isn't necessary, being able to move out of a damaged home and into an RV or tent on your own property gives you an option to being hauled away into a refugee camp.  Being able to stay near your home may allow you to protect your property and have access to stored supplies.

Exercising your grab-and-go kits is a good way to practice your emergency survival skills -- and give you a chance for some spontaneous outings each year.  Doing a practice run lets you discover deficiencies in your kit and your planning BEFORE your life may depend on it.  If you come up short on a practice run you may be able to immediately supplement your kit or, if worse comes to worse, abandon your exercise and return home and try it again another day after correcting the problems.  If you wait until you are facing a real emergency to uncover the holes in your plan, it will be too late.  And spending a weekend living off your 72-hour kit might be fun, especially if you're well equipped.  Just be sure to replenish anything you use during your exercise.  Doing a practice run will let you determine if you do indeed have what you need and give you a chance to augment it as necessary.  Using food and water will let you rotate your supply to keep it fresh. 

Evacuation plans should take into consideration whether roads will be viable and what you will do if they're not.  When I lived in southern California I counted 133 freeway bridges on my normal route between home and work.  I am sure at least some of those would collapse during an earthquake, making the roads to get home impassable.  Having alternate means of transportation may be critical during a disaster.  Some options you might want to consider may include 4WD vehicles, ATVs, dirt bikes, bicycles, horses, and even "shanks mares" (your own two feet).  Yes, you may have to walk or hike, so make sure your emergency plan includes sturdy shoes and become familiar with the neighborhoods you may have to walk through.  Some neighborhoods may be more dangerous to cross than others and may require special planning and preparation.

I recently watched a Youtube video from Outdoor Boys where he tested his 72-hour kit on a weekend camping trip.  His 72-hour kit for is family of 5 comprised two duffle bags and included a tent, sleeping bags, food, and medical supplies.  Interestingly enough, his wife's "72 hour kit"was in the form of their 16-foot travel trailer and they each tested their own kits that weekend, with her "kit" coming out ahead when his tent proved inadequate for a sudden rain storm overnight.

What do you need in a bug-out bag?  Ultimately what you put in your bag will depend on your personal needs and preferences.  A friend of mine once said a single jar of peanut butter would last him a whole year -- because he hated peanut butter and wouldn't eat it.  However, here are some basic guidelines for you to use in building your bug out bag.  Consider your immediate needs:  food, water, clothing, and medical supplies.  Select foods you will eat, that have a long shelf life, and are compact.  Water is heavy so you may want to carry water filtration or purification systems in addition to a few pouches or bottles for immediate use.  Extra clothing may be essential as what you are wearing when disaster strikes may be inappropriate or inadequate for even a few days in survival mode.  Medical supplies should include a basic first aid kit and any special prescription drugs  you or someone in your family requires.  Beyond that, things like flashlights and extra batteries, fire starting tools (matches, lighters, flint and steel), a good knife or multi-tool will all come in very handy.  Here is a link to a FEMA guide for making your own 72-hour kit:  FEMA 72-hour kit.     

 It is a good idea to create personal bug out bags for each member of your along with a "family"bag that contains community items such as tents, stoves, food, and water.  Individual bags should definitely contain personal items such as clothing and preferred personal hygiene products but may also contain things for personal comfort, like teddy bears for younger children and equivalent things to help older kids and even adults.  Any time you have to use your bug out bag it is going to be a stressful situation and it behooves you to prepare for ways to make your life more pleasant during your evacuation.  Comfort is an underrated and often overlooked but necessary part of emergency preparedness, especially if you have children to care for.

Once you have created a bug out bag for each member of your household, be sure to inspect it and review its contents at least once a year to be sure it is up to date.  You may have old batteries or out-dated prescriptions or maybe your bug out clothes no longer fit.

Periodically inventory what you have in your bug-out-bags.  Discard and replace out dated or damaged items and make sure your medications are still applicable.  Once in a while it might be a good idea to check the sizes of any extra clothing in your survival kits.  As human beings our weight does tend to change over time and those pants a 29"waist that fit you when you were 20 aren't going to do you much good when you're 40 or 50 and have grown a few sizes!

Bug out!