I have both trucks pretty well stocked up for contingencies and "get home" scenarios, and guns/ammo/tactical side i'm set up well above average...but for now i'll go over my routine bug out stuff.

I'm no expert, but living all over the US we've gone through 2 major hurricanes, snowstorms, wildfires, etc, several of which we had as little as 45 minutes notice that we had to evacuate.   With that in mind, I made a "go shelf", where everything on the shelf can be tossed in a vehicle in the event we need to go somewhere.  The intent is to keep dedicated items consolidated somewhere to make things simple for my family should I not be home and they have to leave.    

On the shelf I keep my camping box on bottom, with normal camping supplies.  Tent, wet wipes, food prep stuff, etc. Then a couple cases of MREs, a toughbox full of freeze dried food, a couple buckets of FD food, a toughbox with 1lb gas cannisters, 2 burner stove, manual water pump, etc.  I also have a larger first aid kit in a sling bag that includes trauma as well as normal first aid items and meds.   I have a full size 20lb propane tank ready to go with a hose adapter for use on smaller stoves.  I have a couple sleeping bags and my actual go bag on top.  Not pictured is 3x 5 gallon water jugs that are stored inside to prevent freezing.

The go-bag is intended to be able to be grabbed as a standalone and have enough durable items to sustain 2-3 people, and water/rations for around 48 hours.  I decided to just make one bag pre-loaded as a no shit grab and go, but we have plenty of additional bags and gear available.  Ideally we can bring more but worst case this bag will keep people alive and going.   Best case it will augment us/them with durable survival goods.

As far as weapons, I keep enough space in the top for a pistol and magazines (and NVGs) to be inserted as those stay locked up versus sitting in the garage in the bag. I have a separate gun "go bag" secured away with several different options for size and scope which is a different discussion.

Inside the bag (30lbs dry):

2x Nalgenes with nesting metal cups
1x 3L camelbak
1x Snugpak merlin sleeping bag
1x Snugpak shelter
1x firestarting kit
1x multitool
gun lube
1x folding knife
1x silcock key
1x sewing kit
1x emergency mylar blanket
1x battery powered chemlight
2x battery powered headlamps
1x MS2000 strobe
10x N95 masks
1x sawyer all in one personal water kit
1x MSR miniworks EX water filter
15x chemlights
1x 2020 road atlas
200' 550 cord
assorted blister packs of batteries
gorilla tape
First aid kit
small pull out survival pouch (boresnake, lube, metal spork, sawyer filter, electric lighter, toothpaste/toothbrush)
Primus multifuel stove
Nesting stove kit with cup, camp fuel, and folding stove
MSR mess kit
vacuum sealed tampons and pads
4x freeze dried 2.5 serving meals
1x 1lb bag whey protein
microfiber towel
travel toiletry kit (3x toothbrushes, travel soap, toothpaste)
solar kit (goal zero nomad, nomad battery pack, several rechargeable headlamps and area lights, rechargeable AAA batteries and charger, various phone chargers)
thumb drive with archive of digital photos and scanned documents


There is redundancy in food and water preparation, and by design.  I have a large system and a small system for each.

Good to have choices...

Nice. Only thing I’d add is a small amount of currency in small denominations. I’m comfortable with about $50 (20, 4x5, 10 1’s).

Good idea, we keep some cash in the safe with the guns.

I just keep the motorhome full and plugged in about thirty feet from my front door. Then we live WAY out in the sticks so I've been bugged out for over ten years.

Good kit.  I'm glad to see the road atlas.  I've done the same and just purchased some smaller versions for my region.  I know many don't drive too far out of their region, even 100 miles from your home, how may know the numerous alternate routes?  My only suggestion is that you have a small, AM/FM radio if you have to go on foot.  Just getting local news or emergency broadcasts could be enough info to avoid traveling down a choke point that may be impassable.

I always recommend people make sure their kit supports their plan, and it sounds like you have the experience for that.  

ROCK6

They're in there, in blister packs.



I have one that was powered by a hand crank that I actually took out because it was a little too big.  Im actually looking for a small one that I can recharge with the solar panel and battery.  I found some on Amazon but just debating quality between the choices.

Instead of a road atlas, I go with state maps (usually free at tourist centers) for the few around me.

They give much better detail than the road atlas maps if you have to plan for an alternate route.

I keep a bunch downloaded offline, especially for topo data, but hard copies are a great suggestion.

Sorry to bump an old thread, but the water key is actually a good idea- haven't thought about that. Lots of buildings and parks have a spigot, but you need a key to use it.

I'll be throwing one in my bag.

Usually these threads have a dumb pile of giant knives and axes or shit you don’t need. This looks like it is well thought-out for a range of scenarios.

I second the cash on hand, but rather than $50 I would look at enough cash for a couple nights in a hotel, a couple tanks of gas, and some food.

Other than that, you could reduce some weight by using lighter accessory bags than thick 500 or 1000d nylon Multicam bags, and maybe upgrade to a jetboils stove so you don’t need the stove and mess kit separate.

That is a good idea. I'm just quirky about food and water prep redundancy. I have a large system and a small system for both.  The small stove is a small jet boil-esque stove nested in a cup with a small fuel canister.   The larger one is a multifuel MSR to have more fuel variety, and the mess kit is for food prep/cooking for the family versus just boiling water.

1x battery powered chemlight

Its a krill light. I use them all the time in the military.  Chemlight obviously isn't the correct name but they are used in the same capacity, except I can turn it off when I need to.

There are laminated state roadmaps.  Might want those for your ao. A gps is nice to have (1:100k downloaded and location accurate to a couple meters can be handy, and most people can't land nav that well)

There is a lot of well thought out stuff there, I guess depending on the situation you could cut/consolidate a lot of things.

Then again when I look at everything in the picture I imagine taking care of myself and not a family.



but that is a LOT of stuff to grab and throw in a truck, I like to keep my stuff light. less is more.
I dont want to burden myself with gear. If you plan to sustain yourself with your vehicle then I get it. but if you ever have to go on foot thats a lot to deal with.


my suggestions

1. you have 2x headlamps and a battery powered chemlight - I would ditch the MS2000 and the chemlights except for maybe 2, cuts a lot of bulk out.

2. your fire starting kit looks bulky - keep the storm matches, small firesteel, ditch the big lighter and replace with a gas station bic lighter. All of that will fit in the palm of your hand and gives you 3 ways to make fire.  

practice skills instead. learn to build a fire with a bow drill and use what nature gives you.
Once you learn more primitive ways it kind of dawns on you how little you really need to build a fire. Also, go camping and learn to build a fire in the rain if you never have.  


3. ditch the stove, mess tin, and 2 bags of freeze dried stuff - replace with canteen/cup, its a neat package and saves weight and space. all you need is hot water for your freeze dried stuff.

Toss in some cliff bars, jerky, trail mix. Every time you get hungry you dont want to have to dig out a bunch of stuff and you may be in an area that isnt the best to unpack a bunch of stuff just to eat.

This saves the weight and bulk of fuel, stove, mess tin.
If you are working out of a truck then by all means keep in it the truck but I wouldnt plan on humping all that extra stuff.

4. ditch the big solar panel - replace it with a small solar battery bank. The one I have is about the size of my phone and clips on top of a pack to recharge while you wear it.

5. ditch the tampons or leave them in a truck. If they are for a spouse then they can pack them. If you are using them for medical reasons to pack a wound then maybe keep 1-2. If you have a hole in you that big you arent going to make it anyway without actual medical attention soon.

6. I personally would ditch the tent and sleeping bag - I use a tarp and a bivvy sack in cold months. in the summer the tarp keeps you dry and it isnt cold enough for a sleeping bag. In the winter your going to be building a fire regardless.

A sleeping bag is big, bulky, and awkward to carry if you are in the woods.
build a shelter with the tarp and use the hot rocks from a fire ring for extra heat under the tarp using the bivvy sack.

7. you dont need a folding knife and a multi tool. that mutli tool has everything and then some compared to that folder. Add a 3-5" fixed blade knife in its place with a sharpener.  

8. I would ditch the emergency blankets - especially if you swap your sleep system for a bivvy sack. the bivvy sack destroys the emergency blankets with how quickly it gets you warm if you are wet/cold.




Again everyone's idea of whats going to happen is different.

I like to keep my stuff as light as possible so I don't burden myself with excess gear. If I need to abandon a vehicle and go on foot the rest of the way to wherever im going (20, 40, 100 miles?) then its not big deal and I still have everything I need.

Agree to disagree. If 30lbs is anywhere near the envelope for struggle you will have much bigger problems if you try 50-100 miles on foot.







Headlamps and chemlights can't be seen from search aircraft. An MS2000 can.




What big lighter are you speaking of? There's only a small electric lighter that's the same size as a normal lighter.  I've never had good luck storing bic lighters long term.




Using tampons to pack a wound is a wives tale. They are absolutely useless for that.  They do however make for a solid emergency supply for the 3 girls who will most likely be using the bag should something happen while they are already out.

I have gone back and looked at this thread a number of times.    One characteristic that I see that here that I like is that his system is intended for both longer term and shorted term evacuations.  I think some of the commenters might be missing that.   This also allows him to tailor what he takes with him if he is bugging out in a car/truck vs bugging out on foot.   Or be prepared to stay away for a day vs a couple of weeks.    An example is the poster that said ditch the solar panel and take a battery instead.   A good answer if you are going to be away from power short term.   The solar panel can work over and over again so it is a better long term option.   Another example is that his stoves and cookware can be used for the freeze dried food/MRE's that he is carrying or regular food if he resupplies from a grocery store or buys food from somewhere locally.      

In the military there is a philosophy that the mission drives the gear.   In preparedness you can never be exactly sure what you will need to prepare for so options are a wonderful thing.   OP's approach has a number of different options for essential day to day living.  

What I see here is not far from my approach.   I have basic stuff in the vehicles.  I have more stuff in the camper.  I have different items staged in the house.    If I cannot get home then I am not SOL.   But if I have to be out in five minutes then I hook up to the camper and be in much better shape.   If I have a couple of hours notice then I load up even more stuff.    Then I can take it all in my vehicle but if I have to abandon the vehicle then I can scale down as needed.    My wife thought that I was a little nuts until she saw how having a few items on hand turned a crisis into a minor inconvenience.   More than once she commented that if it hadn't been for the items staged in the vehicle that we would have been sunk.  

One detail that is important is that you cannot have a kit for emergencies then never use it.   My stuff gets used.   When I am out and about and I get hungry or thirsty then I eat and drink from the food and water stored in the vehicle.   When I get home I replenish it.   I use the tools, the maps, the GPS, the mosquito repellent, the clothes, the raingear.   I see what works and what doesn't.   Things that don't get used get taken out and replaced with things that I wish that I had when I find something lacking.  

You can certainly tell that the OP has some experience with the items that he has chosen and his no-nonsense approach to his system.   Thanks for posting OP.

I went through the same struggle of putting together a bug out kit when I lived in the suburbs.  The main suggestion I have is to practice bugging out.  Grab just your kit and hike into the typical terrain you will be traveling through and test all of your gear and get a sense of how everything works together.  I did this, and the most glaring deficiency I found was lack of enough water.  The next was that my pack was way too heavy for fast exfil.  Your pack looks complete and well thought out.

Nailed it.

If one is only preparing for an unlikely niche scenario within a larger already unlikely niche scenario, the odds are already  immensely stacked against you.

Contingency planning is always the name of the game if you absolutely require success.  When those contingencies are broad in scope and relatively unknown then scalability is now a necessary factor.

Ultralight is cool when its necessary, but super not cool when its not. The reality is that the actual odds of a scenario occurring where it requires one to go ultralight are immensely low, inside an already low probability for bugout in the first place.  However it is a lot easier to rapidly scale down than it is to scale up.

You can take shit you don't need out but you can't put shit you don't have in.

A lot of through hikers use a Smart water bottle because the sawyer mini can screw directly to it, versus the sawyer bag itself, which I’ve seen has mixed reviews.

Also, good idea on whey protein. I’d been contemplating that for backpacking.

The Sawyer bag is a piece of junk best replaced with a Cnoc vecto. The Vecto has the added benefit of carrying additional water if you're going a distance between water sources and have to carry extra
I've never been a fan of the smart water bottle thing. Too many years in my early military career before hydration bladders came along where we were limited to quart canteens for the most part. I know my rate of water consumption and can plan on refilling my CamelBak accordingly

read a little closer friend



you still have solar to recharge the battery bank, its just built into the battery bank itself. clip it onto the top of a pack and its constantly charging providing its daytime.


I guess everyone elses experiences are different based on past experiences. family, and the living conditions they require. Also the location of where you are plays a big part into it as well.
I grew up in the middle of nowhere so the only fun we had was getting in the woods and trying things. For a while I lived in a house with no heat or AC, though we did have running water.
so maybe I feel a little more comfortable than some with the "survival" aspect.

Several times in college my cousin and I would have a long weekend, or once the entire spring break where we took the entire week and just stayed in the woods.
We took a canteen kit, a knife, and a .22 and just stayed out there for 5 days. had a blast too.
but we stank by the 3rd day

The point i'm getting at is you would be really surprised with how few things you actually need to stay alive. but there isnt anything wrong with adding small things to make life easier but that being said I would rather have a 10lb bag than a 30lb bag.
But I understand you also have families to look after.

As for me, its just me. so I keep it simple.

something to sleep under (poncho) - I splurged and added titanium tent stakes and paracord
something to sleep on/in (bivvy sack)
fixed blade and a sharpener
fire steel and a lighter
canteen kit, I even added a small water filter
A few cliff bars
small compass
I do keep a travel toothbrush and toothpaste because im not an animal.

Thats it and thats getting me by pretty luxurious in my opinion and it all fits in a beavertail assault pack that weighs less than 10lbs and pretty much removes any burdens I have regarding survival.

There is just so much of a market for gear these days and manufacturers make it feel like you need to pack the kitchen sink instead of relying on yourself.

Yes, I saw that.    My experiences charging devices from the small battery banks with built in solar panels have not been good.   The larger panels allow for significantly more possibilities.   I should have said that, or I should have used a better example.  

I am not doubting you or your experiences but my experiences have been different.   I spent five years in the Marine Corps.   We did things outside because we had to regardless of the weather.  We didn't have much say in what we wore or how we were equipped and that cast a pretty tall shadow on some of the experiences.   Being there because WE HAD TO also puts a different spin on things than doing things because WE WANT TO.   Under those conditions the extra options really help to improve the quality of living.   That is the point that I was trying to make.  

But I appreciate that you clarified that.   Thank you.

We used to bring those small 6-8" solar charging packs with us when we deployed but they take an absurd amount of time in direct sunlight to charge. Ive also never seen one that wasn't trash and stood up to real use.  My fold out nomad panel and goal zero 8000mah battery have been the perfect compromise for space versus utility versus durability. That combo has gone with me to half a dozen countries and lived in my rucksack for about 6-7 years now.  

Honestly the best use I've found for it has been to power a standalone phone with 200gb of manuals, maps, and data sheets that have been invaluable to me in the real world already, much less in an emergency situation.

im on board with that for sure.

I have contemplated throwing some soap and deodorant in with my other items. being able to take a bath in a creek and feel somewhat clean is a huge morale boost after a few days of sweating and stinking.

I may have taken a bath slap in the middle of the new river while some kayaker's floated by a few years ago after camping a few days

Good on you for leaving your family prepared. Does your wife and children know how to operate all of the gear in case they need it when you’re gone or incapacitated? I.e. stoves, filters, etc.

I laughed at tampons and pads - I have several of each in long term storage but haven’t put them to grab and go. I’ll fix that oversight pronto.

Biggest thing I saw missing is one sleeping bag and one emergency blanket. You need at least an emergency blanket per family member and preferably a sleeping bag for each too. You really can’t rotate those at least for kids. Otherwise looks good, I’m going to borrow some ideas.

That cannot be overstated.   Even taking a "sink bath" can help.   My wife turns up her noes at the idea of me washing clothes in a four or five gallon bucket.   She says that it is impossible to get them clean like that.   I have done it more times than I can count and they are a whole lot cleaner than when I started.  Putting on even semi-clean clothes is a huge morale booster over wearing the same clothes for nearly a week.    You can go a long time with two sets of clothes if the clothes are quality items and you can wash and dry them at regular intervals.   The soap that I use is a camping soap.   Not optimal but it can be used on a person as well.  



You got my attention.    Which "New River" are you referring to?    

I have 4 sleeping bags staged with the stuff on the shelf, but only one in the bag itself.  The entire concept is scalable up to include grabbing more boxes, but in the event of having only the bag in the car it is what it is, one is better than none.

New River Gorge in WV.

pretty country but there are some rough areas out there for sure.

Not an area that I am familiar with.  

Suggest you either encrypt the flash drives, or set them up with a strong password.  Something easy to remember.  If the drives fall into the wrong hands, whoever finds them will learn a lot about you.

Strong Password and Easy to Remember?  Not Likely!

It isn't as hard as you think.   I like to use addresses with an additional detail built in to make them semi unique per site/system.    First I pick an address that I know but isn't directly associated with me.   Background:  FBI has a program where it feeds information associated with a person through a series of algorithms and tries each result.   Not that I am worried about the FBI but if the FBI has it today then the bad guys will have it soon if they don't have it already.   With Equifax getting hacked* I am pretty comfortable that most relationships and personal information associated with them are up for sale so......    Anyway, so I pick an address associated with a childhood friend, favorite place growing up,  or something like that.   For the purpose of this example I will use the address for Walmart Corporate Headquarters.   702 SW 8th Street Bentonville, Arkansas 72716.   So by just using the street address and replacing the spaces with underscores I get "702_SW_8th_Street"   That right there is 17 characters of letters, numbers, caps, and characters.    Then if I use this password for Walmart then I should associate something related to Walmart with the password.    I like to use two things related to the name.   So lets take the first and last character of Walmart, "W" and "T", reverse them and put one at the front and one at the end of the password.   So now I have "T702_SW_8TH_StreetW"   So now it is 19 characters of letters, numbers, symbols, uppercase, and lowercase characters.   Then I can apply this same process to other places that I want to login but only substitute the first and last characters.   That way if Walmart gets hacked then the hackers will get my email address and walmart password**.   But the hackers won't get my Amazon password, which would be "N702_SW_8TH_StreetA".   My Home Depot password is "T702_SW_8TH_StreetH".   If you really want to get ridiculous then you can include the city, state, and zip in the password but have fun typing that.   Also you could do things like "underscore for the first space and Ampersand for the second" but depending on the length of the address that could be excessive also.    

So yes, in my opinion this is quite easy to remember.  

*Ref:   https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds/equifax-data-breach-settlement

**There was an issue a couple of years ago where hackers compromised a retail system (I believe that it was Target) and got the customer's email addresses and passwords.   They tried to use the email address and password combinations to log into TeamViewer.   If the passwords worked then they used TeamViewer access to log in to Amazon and Ebay (through either the same password or through passwords saved in the browser) to buy gift cards for themselves.

If ya dont mind....what color would be a good choice?

I tend to use blue for low visibility light.  Its the same concept as red, minimizing distance it's visible at, but its easier to read with blue and blood shows up in blue light as well.

Thank you! ??