Survial kits (which include your bug out bag contents) are assembled to enable survival during a natural or man-made disaster or emergency. Their main purposes are to provide shelter or warmth, maintain health and provide first aid, provide food and water, and to enable signaling and navigation. These kits are recommended by the American Red Cross for all citizens to be ready for whatever emergencies may come.
Shelter and Warmth Components
Items included to provide shelter and warmth include space blankets, ponchos, tube tents, trash bags and waterproof matches.
Health and First Aid Components
A complete first aid kit should be included in the survial kits and should itself include bandages, medical tape, tweezers, scalpel, disinfectant pads, latex gloves, aspirin, etc.
Food and Water Components
The survival kit should include water, water purification tablets, canned food, MRE’s, fishing line and snares.
Signaling and Navigation Components
It’s a good idea to include a whistle, a signal mirror, super bright LED light, signal flares, compass, and a survival manual.
Tools
Obviously, some tools will come in handy in a survival scenario. You should include a fixed blade knife, a can opener, parachute cord, a hatchet, and if you have room, a camp stove.
These are all great things to include in your bug out bag contents. Your kit should be packed at all times and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Remember: you need to be able to ensure that your family can survive three days on the supplies you’ve got packed. Sure, all of the supplies for the family don’t have to fit in your pack alone. Your wife or significant other can certainly carry a pack, but it’s unlikely that a child will be able to carry as much survival supplies as they themselves might require. It will take some planning, but with a little research and a little bit of money, you will be prepared for the things we hope we never have to face.
