The recent thread about keeping stuff dry in your truck bed got me thinking about my Bug Out Bucket, or BOB.  It's a 5 gal bucket with a gamma seal from Fleet Farm that basically holds everything I need in the event of a small emergency.  It actually consists of two parts: the bucket and a helmet bag that I use for tool storage.

The setup

They're small, relatively lightweight and don't take up much space in the bed.  I have them cinch strapped to the front of the bed and if I ever need full use, I can easily move them to the cab.

Bucket contents:

I'm still fine tuning the items but here is what is in the bucket.  It contains a 30 cal ammo can, a tri-fold shovel, a tarp, toilet paper, trash bags and jumper cables (which have since been moved to the tool bag).  

The Bucket:

Its just a plain 5 gal bucket and gamma seal from fleet farm.  Like most everything in this kit, it serves multiple purposes.  The bucket is a convenient, waterproof container that can act as a seat when changing tires in rain, mud, snow, etc.  It can also be used to collect water (more on that later) or various other fluids.

Ammo can:


I have this spray painted orange so I can easily find it as this is my "personal survival" kit.  It contains orange 550 cord, waterproof matches, emergency blankets, candles, can openers, first aid kit and water purification tablets.  I carry a blanket, flashlight and larger first aid kit in the cab but this has everything I would need in terms of making a fire, staying warm, mending small injuries and making a shelter.

Tool bag:


I leave these in a helmet bag since they'll be used more often.  This is also something that needs a few items.  Currently, it carries ratchet straps, rope, pliers, screwdrivers, gloves, duct tape (which has since been moved to the bucket), razor blade, fishing pliers and nail clippers and magnets.  Most of these items are self-explanatory but the magnets are a nice addition.  These are magnets from a hard drive so they are compact and powerful.  They allow me to either magnetize objects for reaching screws that may have dropped past my reach and also allow me to attach a tarp to the truck body in the event the duct tape won't stick, such as in very cold or wet weather.

I'm missing tow straps and the bucket has room for more stuff but this is my basic survival kit.  I think I may add a small fishing tackle setup to the bucket.  Everything in the BOB can be used for several things.  The bucket is a dry storage/seat/water of fluid container.  The shovel can also chop.  The trash bags and tarps can make a shelter, poncho seat cover, hip waders.  The duct tape and 550 cord have numerous potential.  

The one thing about this setup is that if I ever have to deploy it, I want to be found.  This isn't a TEOTWAWKI kit, but a personal SHTF kit.  Anything from a benign flat tire on a cold, rainy night to a survivorman-like vehicle trapped in a snowbank on a desolate stretch of road.  The orange 550 cord and emergency blankets are highly visible which is what I want in this kit.  In the event of a TEOTWAWKI event, everything can still be used but I carry subdued 550 cord in my other kits.

I'd like to hear people's comments on this setup and thanks for looking.

you might include some way to heat up some water for coffee or soup... I use a new old surplus Swiss Ranger stove (about $20 a pair) for my car kit... opening up the fuel feed hole you can get a can of Sterno in or a Trangia alcohol stove, in addition to a conventional twig stove... I store it with the Sterno, even though it does not put out the heat of the Trangia, just for the convenience of storage ....the surplus kit comes with a nesting cup and aluminum bottle...

That's not a bad idea.  I'm also thinking about putting a large, aluminum dessicant in the bucket.  In keeping with everything else, it'll keep the humidity low when sealed and if I needed to, I could dump the dessicant out and use the container to filter particulate from the water.

It looks good. I would add a reflective vest and a machete to the kit.

I have a reflective vest that road workers wear in my vehicle emergency kit that I will put on if I'm on the side of the road, changing a tire or something.

I also have a machete in mine. You can take a $8 10" file and put almost a razor edge on it if you want to.

I'd add:
Bottle of water
Crescent wrench
Flashlight