In these uncertain times it’s a good idea to have a cache of items ready to go for when shit hits the fan….AKA the bug-out bag. Here are a few survival items every person should always have on hand.

The Bugout Bag

The Blackhawk! 3-Day Assault Pack
This is one tough bag. After a tour in Afghanistan, 4 years of college, and 3 years of working on tree crews; my 3-day assault pack looks just as good as the day it came off the shelf. With 2000 cubic inches of storage and numerous straps and D-rings, it can easily accommodate all the tactical gear you need when out in the field, and the reinforced nylon stitching has yet to fail on me; no matter what abuse I throw at it. The bag also features a pouch to hold a 100oz water reservoir, which in conjunction with the ventilated back panel will keep you hydrated and cool on hot days.

The Blade

The CRKT Ryan
Durable, Rugged, Affordable. Military personnel consistently turn to CRKT for quality and value.  When looking for a durable blade, few compete with CRKT, and none at the same price point. We don’t know about you but we don’t like to spend hundreds of dollars on a blade we are going to beat to death in rugged scenarios. We just want what works and with CRKT reputation, the Ryan blade is a solid choice.

The Water Filter

Aquamira Tactical Frontier Pro Water Filter
The issue with many “tactical” water filters is that they can only do one thing, but Aquamira has made one of the best multi-functional water purification systems on the market. Whether you prefer drinking directly from a stream, using an old water bottle, or sucking on your CamelBak straw; this is the only portable water filter you will ever need.

The Tent

NEMO Hornet 2 person tent
In certain situations, resources may not be available to you to build your own shelter, that’s where NEMO comes in. The Hornet tent weighs 2 pounds, and when packed only takes up 19×5 inches of your space. The dual stage stuff sack allows you to easily split this load between two people, or rearrange it to better fit inside your bag. The 85 x 51/43 (L x W head/foot) inches floor is quite spacious for one person with all their gear, and can easily fit 2 adults when needed.

The Light

5.11 Tactical PLX – This is the last flashlight you will ever need. This is a 90 Lumen flashlight in a small package. Runs off easily accessible AA batteries and provides 4 hours of continuous operation off a single charge.  Leave the taillights and 123 batteries at home, stick with the 5.11 PLX.

Navigation

The Outlandish Tactical Compass
No bug out bag would be complete without a compass. The floating luminous dial helps you quickly check your direction even in the lowest of light settings, and the durable metal casing will keep all the components safe. Whether you’re in the woods hunting or stuck on a land navigation course, this lightweight little compass will ensure you’ll always know what direction you’re heading,

Fire

Maratac Brass Lighter
Lets face it, we like easy and whats easier than striking a lighter.  The only lighter we recommend to take up valuable space in your 72 hour bag is this rugged little guy from Maratac.  Roughly the same diameter as a chapstick, it is only 1.5″ tall and has an o ring to keep it dry and to prevent fluid from spilling on your other essentials.

ExoTac PolyStriker
Lighter’s run out of fluid and matches have a tendency to fail, so ExoTac came out with this nifty little tool to help you start a fire in even the toughest of situations. The tool is similar to traditional flint and steel but superior because it doesn’t just produce a spark: it creates molten globulthat burn at over 5500° F. This little guy is supposed to be good for well over 1,000 strikes so you can relax knowing you have the best backup available..

The Grub

ER Bar
MRE’s take up too much space, and conventional energy bars don’t seem to have a high enough calorie count or shelf life to make the cut for most bug out bags. The Emergency Ration 3600 calorie bar solves both of these problems. ER bars are coast guard certified to remain fresh for up to 5 years, meaning you can throw a few in your bag and forget about them. Each package comes with nine individually packaged bars (410 calories each) that will provide you with energy to get through even the toughest of situations, as well as with the nutrients your body needs to function properly. The bars come in a lemon shortbread flavor that has been made with a “non thirst provoking formula” to help you conserve water should an emergency situation arise.

Medical

Tourniquet
We could go on and on about all the different medical supplies you might want to carry, but honestly some chapstick for nicks and cuts and a tourniquet for the big stuff is all you really need.  We prefer the RATS tourniquet because of its easy of use and because of its design, it can be used for other medical purposes such as attaching splints.

As you can see most of these items have already been provided in past TacPacks and are still available in our store.  Many others are very inexpensive and can be picked up for under $50.  We like to focus on the more expensive items to provide the biggest value to our subscribers.  Just getting started setting up your gear? You should probably sign up for TacPack to keep the costs low while getting the best survival equipment on the market.