The USPreppers 72 Hour Bug-Out Bag Essentials

US Preppers Bug Out Bag Guide
A wildfire crests the ridge above your neighborhood as the call to evacuate comes. You have 20 minutes to grab your essentials and go.

The tropical storm offshore has built into a category four hurricane overnight with landfall expected sometime in the next 5 hours. You have two hours to gather all that is precious to you and leave.

bug-out-bag essentialsHearing such news most people would scramble, grasping for anything of supposed value without thinking clearly about what is truly essential to survive until the disaster passes.

A prepper, someone who thought about what to do ahead of time and prepared for such emergencies, would simply grab their bug-out backpacks and hand them out to their family members, each bag already full with enough survival gear to last At least 72 hours. Everyone would calmly gather into the family car and head out just as they had planned and practice many times before.

This bag is not meant as long term survival gear. Its purpose is to get you and your family through the first three critical days after a disaster. Its job is to help each person survive until they can reach solid ground where they can take a deep breath and think about what to do next. But before that, there are four emergency essentials every bug-out bag has to have inside.

Bug-Out Bag Must-Haves

• Water

prepper bug-out-bag

A healthy person can survive at most 8 weeks on an empty stomach but that person can’t last much longer than 3 days without water even less if they find themselves on the move.

Everyone is supposed to drink about two to three liters a day, not accounting for cooking or personal hygiene needs. As water weighs about 2 pounds per liter that would account for 12-18lbs of your total for backpack’s weight. If that is too much then consider 1 liter per day and pack a quality water filter to replenish your supply from rivers or streams.

• Food

The average person can technically last weeks without food, but honestly, who wants to? Food is the fuel that keeps you thinking and moving especially during a stressful, emergency situation. On average, a moderately active person between the ages of 14-40 needs 2,000-2,800 calories a daily with most of that coming in the form of carbohydrates.

These are the real sources of energy for the body. So stock up on dehydrated fruits and freeze-dried meals containing grains (wheat, oats, rice), beans and starchy vegetables (potatoes, peas, corn) and consider nuts for protein. These are lightweight foods perfect for keeping your bug-out bag at a manageable weight. When everything comes apart, you will need some high carb items to push you through to the other side of those first three days.

• Shelter

Pack a tent and something to sleep in, preferably a sleeping bag. Sleeping out under the stars leaves you vulnerable to the elements, insects and other creepy crawlies in search of something warm to curl up with. A mobile home in a bag isn’t necessary but consider what the weather typically has in store for any given season and plan accordingly. Quality tents and sleeping bags these days are affordable and pack up into small spaces suitable for your bug-out bag. They will get you through those first three days or longer until you find something better or the situation stabilizes.

• Medical Equipment

prepper first aid kitsYou could fill a book writing lists of the kinds of first aid supplies that you should have. Because everyone has their own specific needs, consider making your own medical kit or purchasing a ready-made one you can customize with your particulars needs.

Having said that, there are some basic supplies every kit should include; bandages, gauze and sterile dressings, disinfectant, antibiotic and burn ointments, a cold pack, a roll of medical tape, pain relievers, nonlatex gloves and a first aid booklet. If you can get through 72 hours, you should be able to locate real medical help for any more significant problems.

Remember, this is the basic equipment and supplies any bug-out bag should have. Other than what was mentioned above, include clothes appropriate for your region, comfortable yet sturdy footwear, a multi-tool to address any repairs that arise and even some form of protection just in case. When a disaster occurs or should even TEOTWAWKI come, the more prepared you and your family are, the better your chances will be for surviving those first three critical days.

About US Preppers

Welcome and thanks for visiting! My name is Robert and our mission at US Preppers is to help you prepare for emergencies or disasters before they happen. As a family man and father of two boys, I am concerned about the future of our modern way of life. We know things can happen and we are not going to be complacent and let society dictate our survival.

We are US Preppers!