Guest Post: Top 3 Bug Out Bag Items Most People Forget About

Top 3 Bug Out Bag Items Most People Forget About

When you hear the term, “bug out bag,” most people think of a whole laundry list of items that they believe must be in their bug out bags.

Here are the most common things people add to their bug out bags:

Weapons (guns, ammunition, knives, etc)
Ammunition
Food
Water cleaning equipment
First aid solutions
Shelter equipment
Paracord
Fire starting equipment

These are all very necessary when it comes to a bug out bag, but I think we’re missing a few key ingredients to a well mannered survival kit. I’ve been the owner of www.SurvivalBlog.org for the last 5 years, and I believe that every bug out bag needs to contain these three items in addition to the normal survival gear.

Forgotten Bug Out Bag Necessity #1: A Meat Thermometer

I’m an avid hunter and constantly am using my meat thermometer for everything from chicken to wild hog – I never would leave home without one.

In a grid-down, survival situation, you’ll be needing to use this meat thermometer way more often than you would in the comfort of your own home.

Remember: just about all meat can be eaten once it reaches about 165 degrees, but here’s some more information on meat:

Fish – 145 degrees
Poultry – 165 degrees
Ground meat – 165 degrees

Forgotten Bug Out Bag Necessity #2: Remington Oil

Remington Oil (Rem Oil) is a huge necessity in the field – and lots of it. Not only can you clean your firearms, but you can also maintain your other survival tools.

Remington Oil protects guns, knives, forks, spoons – or any other metal device.

Forgotten Bug Out Bag Necessity #3: Bring Your Papers

During a SHTF situation, you won’t know if there will still be records around.

You might need to prove you own your own property, are married, or anything else.

It’s important to have copies of birth certificates, wedding certificates, tax receipts, land deeds, insurance documents, and other papers during a survival situation. When law and order is re-established, you might need to prove your very existence.

Your Thoughts?

If you thought this post was helpful, please Like, +1, or Share it using the social media buttons at the top of the page! Can you think of any survival items that are often overlooked? Please let us know in the Comments Section below, thanks!

Author Bio:

Andy Hallinan is an avid survivalist and owner of the second most trafficked survival blog in North America. Check out more of his stuff at www.survivalblog.org

Fish Antibiotics For Humans: A Safe Option For Your Survival Kit?

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There has been a lot of buzz lately among disaster preparedness blogs and forums about the idea of stocking up on fish antibiotics for humans in the event that there is a disaster or bug out situation and normal medical channels such as doctors, pharmacies, and hospitals are not functioning.

In this guide, we will examine the safety and feasibility of this option as well as look at some other important factors to consider.

Fish Antibiotics For Humans

The topic of Fish Antibiotics For Humans is a hot issue because some survival perparedness-minded people believe that fish antibiotics are interchangeable with normal doctor prescribed medicines and are a good addition to a survival kit or bug out bag.

Doctor prescribed medications can be hard stock up on so some these individuals are attempting to source an alternative that:

Is effective for curing infections in humans
Is readily available to ordinary people
Is available in larger quantities than the single doses that are normally prescribed

Are fish antibiotics for humans safe?

First off, if you are considering this or any other medical related option, you should perform whatever research you deem necessary AND talk to a doctor. Don’t just take this article as you main resource, the author is not a doctor and does not dispense medical advice.

To answer the question of the safety of fish antibiotics for humans, we must first consider the following factors:

What are the ingredients of Fish Antibiotics vs Human Antibiotics?
What are the dosages offered?

I have researched some common brands of fish antibiotics and created this table to help share the information:

Fish Antibiotic Name	Active Ingredient and Dosage
Fin Mox Forte	Amoxicillin 500mg
Fin Flex Forte	Cephalexin 500mg
Fin Flox Forte	Ciprofloxacin 500mg
Fin Pen Forte	Penicillin 500mg

So, if someone was interested in acquiring some fish antibiotics for humans, they can see that these readily available medicines appear to be both the same ingredient and in many cases the same dosage as those offered to humans from pharmacies.

Other Factors To Consider When Researching Fish Antibiotics For Humans

1. Does the fish antibiotic have only 1 ingredient – The last thing anyone wants is to buy and take one of these products that also includes a fish health supplement in it that has not been used by humans. Make sure before you buy that the only ingredient in the capsules is the antibiotic that you want such as:

Amoxicillin
Cephalexin
Metronidazole
Ciprofloxacin
Penicillin
Ampicillin

2. Make sure that the dosages are appropriate to what is recommended by a doctor or a well respected resource such as Drugs.com.

3. Store antibiotics properly – These medications should be kept in a cool, dark place with the original seal intact until needed. It is also essential to monitor the expiration date if each bottle and discard and replace any that are out of date.

4. Be aware of allergies – A small segment of the population is allergic to Penicillin and its derivative medicines. Be aware of all medical allergies for anyone you are making a Bug Out Plan for.

5. The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria in modern society is a major threat to modern medicine. The frequent use of antibiotics in both humans and animals has accelerated this trend. Best practice is to use these drugs only when necessary.

Where Can I Buy Fish Antibiotics For Humans?

Because this is typically administered to fish, there are currently no prescription requirements that this author is aware of (check your local laws).

Without this constraint you will find that fish antibiotics can easily be purchased both from Amazon. Refer to the chart above and click the product name to see it on Amazon.

For further analysis of the topic of fish antibiotics for humans, check out this video by Dr Joseph Alton, author of the excellent book The Doom And Bloom Survival Medicine Handbook and owner of the Doom and Bloom Blog.

Conclusion

It appears that fish antibiotics for humans is a low risk proposition and would be available to be added to a well stocked list of Bug Out Bag Essentials or survival kit. As always, consult with a medical professional before taking ANY medications and conduct your own research before purchasing these products.

Your Thoughts

If you thought this post was helpful, please Like, +1, or Share it using the social media buttons at the top of the page! What do you think of adding fish antibiotics to your Bug Out Bag List? Do you know someone who has taken these products in a medical situation?Please let us know in the Comments Section below, thanks!

Top 10 Multi Purpose Survival Tools for Your Bug Out Bag

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Here at The Bug Out Bag Guide we strive to build the best survival kit using a philosophy of practicality and efficiency. An excellent way of practicing this mindset is to utilize multi purpose survival gear to meet the needs of our Bug Out Plan. Multi purpose survival gear items improve our survival kit in multiple ways:

Save Space – Why bring 3 items when you can use 1 do do the same jobs? Consolidating items to save space will free up room in your Bug Out Bag to carry other useful survival tools or more food and water.
Save Weight – We have covered at length the perils of weighing yourself down with everything plus the kitchen sink, and have even built a tool for you to check your own Bug Out Bag’s weight. Reducing the number of items you carry will pay increasing dividends the longer you have to travel.
Increase Simplicity / Reduce Clutter – The more items you pack the harder it will be to find what you need. Stick to the essentials – Pack less and improvise more for an efficient survival kit.

Our Picks for Multi Purpose Survival Tools

We have researched long and hard and compiled a list of the best multi purpose survival tools below. For most categories, there are a great many options of items to consider while building your best survival kit. We have made a recommendation of the best we could find where applicable for those who do not have the time or inclination to search on their own based on utility, size, and weight. However as always, you need to choose the best items for YOUR survival scenario.

Survival Hatchet

These come in many flavors but most of them will do the jobs of a hatchet (obviously), pry tool, shovel, and wrench. We should look for any opportunity to remove high weight to volume ratio items such as steel tools to build the best survival kit, so being able to leave behind any of these is a good step. For more info check out our in depth reviews of the BEST survival tomahawks here.

Survival Whistle

These are generally quite cheap and are cover a lot of the basics. Most survival whistles combine a compass, dry container with the whistle and some even have a fire starting flint within.

Multitool

Anything with both the words “multi” and “tool” in it is worth having a look at. There are a great many options for multitools – focus on weight and practicality when looking. Are you going to really NEED the one with the allen key and corkscrew? Stick to the basics of a straight blade, saw, and can opener (like this one here) and add what few other options you see fit. Some bonus items that are rarely thought about are a magnifying glass and USB stick. These come on some multitools and can be used to start fires and store important family records, respectively. If you want to learn more about choosing the right multitool for survival, you can check out our article here.

Tarp

There is so much you can do with a tarp, it is a multitool all in itself. Besides the obvious of keeping gear dry and being used as a shelter, they can also be used for signaling and be easily turned into a stretcher to carry injured party members.

Plastic Bags

It is good to have a few of these as they have many, many uses and are very light and small. Plastic bags can be used to carry water, keep clothes and fire starting kits dry, store food, and organize small items.

Survival Knife

We covered Survival Knives generally in our Bug Out Bag Essentials post but they are so useful it is worth re-hashing here. Generally you are better off getting a solid, full tang knife from a trusted knifemaker such as Ontario, Camillus, Becker, or Gerber. Stay away from hollow handled survival knives if at all possible. The small amount of storage space will not make up for the overall inferior build quality. For more information on choosing a good knife for any outdoors situation, check out our comprehensive guide by CLICKING HERE.

Duct Tape

Good old duct tape, where would the world be without it? Duct Tape can be used as an emergency bandage, to secure a splint, to reinforce or repair waterproofing, as a rope replacement for shelter building, and taped over sore spots to prevent blisters.

Bandana

A bandana can be moistened and tied around the neck to help keep you cool, be used to filter water, will protect you from the sun, be used as a bandage, be utilized to tie on a splint, or be a replacement for rope in tasks such as shelter building.

Paracord

This is a small, strong cord that can be used in shelter building, ascending or descending inclines, as a clothes line, to fasten a splint, or to build a snare. Read out article about paracord uses and storage here.

Sanitary Pads/Tampons

These are often overlooked but are highly versatile. In addition to its intended use, a sanitary pad can be used as a bandage, it can be shredded and used as tinder, and it can be used to filter sediment from water.

BONUS: Your Brain

I know this is a list of the Top 10 Multi Purpose Survival Tools but this is really worth mentioning. Your own brain is the most valuable multi purpose survival tool that you have. Your mind contains the willpower to persevere in a dire survival scenario, and as importantly, the ability to improvise and modify your Bug Out Plan to overcome unforeseen problems. Rely on your own thinking before any of these other tools we mentioned, it will get you out of most sticky situation.

Top 10 Multi Purpose Survival Tools

We have build the table below to help you consider multi purpose survival tools when planning your bug out bag list. You will see in there Our Picks for the best items that meet our basic survival needs. If you click on the image for any of these, you will open up a window to Amazon.com where you can conduct further research on this item or others like it to see what best meets your needs.

	Multi Use Item	Our Pick	Items it can replace	Uses
1	Survival Hatchet	Ontario SP16 Spax Tool	Hatchet, Pry bar, Shovel	Cut, Pry, Break glass, Punch holes, Open/close fire hydrants and gas mains, Open manholes, Self defense
2	5 in 1 whistle	SE - Whistle - 5-in-1	Fierstarter, compass, waterproof container, matches, lighter, signal mirror	Signalling, navigation, firestarting, dry container
3	Multitool	Leatherman Sidekick Multi Tool	knife, saw, can opener	Cut Wood, Clean animals, Harvest plants, Slice rope, Shelter building, Self devense
4	Plastic Bags	Whatever is in your kitchen pantry	Dry Bag, Fire starting kit container	Backup water container, Dry bag, Store food, Organize small bits of gear
5	Survival Knife	Gerber LMF II Infantry Knife	Camp saw, hatchet, can be used for nearly any bushcraft task.	Food gathering, First aid, Shelter Building, Navigation, Fire starting, Self defense
6	Duct Tape	3M Utility Duct Tape	Rope, Bandages	Emergency bandage, Repair waterproofing, Shelter building, Prevent blisters
7	Bandana	Head for Survival Triangular Bandana	Triangle Bandage, Hat	Emergency Rope, Wet it and tie around your neck to keep cool, Sun Protection, Arm sling, Compression bandage, Filter sediment from water
8	Paracord	Army Universe Nylon Military Paracord	Rope, some first aid items	Shelter building, Climbing/descending, grapelling hook, Tie on a splint, Build a snare
9	Tarp	Heavy Duty Tarp	Emergency Shelter, Signal Mirror	Keep items dry, Keep you off the ground when sleeping, Made into a stretcher, Used as shelter, Used for signaling
10	Sanitary Pads/Tampons	Whatever is already in your hygiene kit	Bandages, Tinder	First Aid for bleeding, Start fires, Emergency water filter, Femenine hygiene

Conclusion

There are many multi purpose survival tools that can be utilized to save space and weight in your Bug Out Bag. Carefully consider the pluses and minuses of each when building your Bug Out Plan and Bug Out Bag Contents List in order to build the best survival kit for YOUR survival scenario.

Your Thoughts

If you thought this post was helpful, please Like, +1, or Share it using the social media buttons at the top of the page! What do you think of these multi purpose survival tools? Is there an additional use for any of them that you know of? Is there any other survival gear that you would recommend? Please let us know in the Comments Section below, thanks!

How to Make a Bug Out Plan

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It can be argued that having a bug out plan is as or even more essential than having a packed bug out bag as one can escape mortal danger with or without a survival kit as long as they have a plan.

We have looked in the past at how to pick a bug out bag as well as what to put in it and even how to customize it for wilderness or urban survival.

Now we will maximize our survival preparedness by examining how to execute a bug out or strategic evacuation.

Click on the link below to download a free template for making your own custom bug out plan. The information presented in this article will help you make informed decisions while formulating this plan. Once it is complete, be sure to share it with anyone whom you will be bugging out with and conduct practice runs to make it second nature.

Also, be sure to review and update your bug out plan periodically to make sure it is effective towards the ever-changing threats you may face.

Factors to Consider When Making Your Bug Out Plan

1. What disasters are likely to occur in YOUR area?

An important part of survival preparedness is knowing what has happened historically. Is your area known for having massive floods? Are you in an earthquake zone? Has your town or city been a target of terrorist attacks?

Consider these factors when making your plan, as they may immediately eliminate some options or make others more favorable.

2. What are your personal strengths and weaknesses?

Considering these can help tailor your Bug Out Plan to complement your strengths, mitigate your weaknesses, and give you a much higher probability of survival.

Are you very fit? Great, you will be able to carry more survival supplies and plan a longer route.
Do you know how to perform survival first aid? That could be vital if a member of your party gets injured.

Identifying weaknesses can be as easy as understanding what survival skills you need to train in.

Can you make a fire reliably? Are you able to navigate at night with your map and compass?
Do you have a working knowledge of plants and animals in your area?

Learning these things and other survival skills will make your Bug Out Plan far stronger.

Remember, the more skills you have, the less you need to carry.

3. Plan on more than one possible destination

The best practice for survival planning is to have at least 4 destinations as a part of your Bug Out Plan, one for each cardinal direction on the map (North, South, East, West).

This can be narrowed down due to both geography and the likeliness of particular events occurring. For example, if you lived on the Mississippi River’s western bank and were preparing for a flood, you would not need to consider bugging out to the East. Having multiple destinations in your plan and multiple routes to each adds a level of flexibility that must be planned out ahead of time. Going through this planning effort will make you prepared no matter what disaster fate throws at you.

Going through this planning effort will make you prepared no matter what disaster fate throws at you.

4. Have specific destinations in mind

Having a destination in your bug out plan gives you a goal to work towards as you travel. This will have an enormous positive psychological impact on your survival scenario. Surviving is extremely difficult in even favorable conditions and having a positive state of mind makes a huge difference towards success.

Certain types of destinations, such as a second home, relative’s house, or designated camp also allow for caching survival supplies both at the location and on the routes to them. Besides giving you an even greater psychological boost, this will massively increase your odds of survival as well as lessen the amount you have to carry.

If none of these options are available, look for large public facilities or designated shelters, no matter what it is, having a destination is a key element to your bug out plan.

5. Calculate how fast you will be able to travel

This is essential for planning your routes. If you can calculate your average travel speed you will know how many hours or days it will take you to reach your destination. This then informs you as to how much survival gear and supplies you need to either carry, forage, or cache along the way. Your average travel speed will be most heavily impacted by the following factors:

Weight of your Bug Out Bag

An average person should carry no more than 25 percent of their body weight in a backpack. More than this is possible but highly strenuous, plan your bug out bag accordingly. To aid you in determining what you will bring and how it will affect the overall weight of your bug out bag, we have created this free tool. It is even better if you can perform a test carry of your bag over a significant distance to ensure you can handle it. You need to be able to carry your pack for hours, if not days. Bringing too much weight will hobble your progress.

The terrain you will be crossing

The average walking speed with a pack is 2.5-4 miles per hour on flat ground. When planning your route, you need to account for what type of terrain you will be crossing. People often make the mistake of thinking that hiking downhill is faster than uphill. This is often not true, as hiking with a pack downhill will mean that you need to take extra care to have proper footing and to brace your steps. Will you be picking your way through rubble or having to cross a body of water? Plan a realistic pace as a part of your survival planning to have a better outcome.

Overall fitness

A very fit person will obviously be able to cover more ground than an unfit person. Assess yourself realistically for this trait; there are no egos in survival. If it has been a while since you went for a run, plan accordingly. The great part of making a Bug Out Plan is that it brings to light your weaknesses. This allows you to address them BEFORE they become a liability. If your plan would benefit from additional fitness, start slow going for walks or runs and then build up to conditioning your body to hike with the additional weight of a pack.

The makeup of your party

If you are creating Bug Out Plan for additional people you will have to consider this as a factor. If you are moving with elderly people or children, you should incorporate into your survival preparedness the additional resources and time needed to assist them. Do this by planning your routes’ progress based on how far you expect to travel at the pace of the least fit/mobile of your party.

Additional Factors to Include in Your Bug Out Plan

Plan on packing an extra waterproof or laminated map with your routes and destinations clearly marked. It is additionally helpful to mark landmarks along each route to aid navigation.
If you are bugging out with others, establish a rallying point for you all to meet at. Doing this beforehand avoids a messy situation where you are all wasting valuable time desperately attempting to contact each other when you should be on the move.
Also, bring along a list of emergency numbers for friends, family, and government agencies. This will help you stay in touch and keep updated on the disaster situation as it evolves.
This may seem obvious but actually USE your Bug Out Bag to make your journey easier. This may mean using your hatchet to fashion a shelter or pry tool to open a door to access a shortcut. There is no point in planning, packing, and carrying awesome survival supplies if you are not going to use them. Have you ever gone camping with a friend who brings a carload of gadgets that they never even take out? Battery-powered tent fan, anyone? Do Not Be That Guy.
Plan on looking for a place to spend the night 2-3 hours before sunset each night. You may not like the idea of trading that much travel time in, but this will give you enough time to find a safe, dry place to camp, prepare food and water, and establish your shelter.
Know that a 160-pound person will burn more than 400 calories in an hour while hiking and more than 500 if carrying a full backpack. This is a level of exertion comparable to that of aerobics or running. Incorporate into your survival planning rest breaks and methods of keeping yourself hydrated and fueled up.
Once you have made a bug out plan it is important to review it periodically to make sure it still fits your personal survival scenario. Learn how to do this and get our free Bug Out Kit Update Checklist here.
More information about general disaster preparedness planning can be found at Ready.gov (external link).

Conclusion

Creating a Bug Out Plan is an important step towards your overall survival planning. Utilizing these tips to build a simple, effective survival preparedness plan will ready you and your loved ones to survive when disaster strikes. Download our free Bug Out Plan Template and get started preparing your family to evacuate. Be sure to also use our Free Bug Out Bag Planning Tool to help you determine what to pack.

Remember, chance favors the well prepared.

Your Thoughts?

If you thought this post was helpful, please Like, +1, or share it using the social media buttons at the left of the page! Have a great Bug Out Plan that you would like to share? Are there any factors that you think are essential to consider when making one? Please let us know in the Comments section below. Thanks!

How to Pick the Best Bug Out Bag Backpack

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Which Bug Out Bag backpack is best?

Choosing the right bug out bag backpack is the important first piece of equipment you’ll need to purchase when building your kit.

Should you choose a backpack, duffel bag, or backpacking style bag?
What qualities should be considered when picking one?
Are any features that are particularly important?

We’ll tackle these questions and then share our recommended bug out bags.

How to Pick the Best Bug Out Bag Backpack

The types of bags typically employed as Bug Out Bags are:

Backpack – A Bug Out Bag backpack can be anything from a school book bag to a tactical assault type bag. This category has the widest options and is the most commonly used as it has a good balance of size and variety. This is optimal for 1-2 people or if you are bugging out with a party of adults who can each carry their own survival supplies.
Duffel Bag – These generally are a greater volume than a backpack but lack the ease of carrying. This is a good option if you are planning on bugging out in a vehicle and have a destination in mind such as a second home or designated camp. You would not want to have to carry this type of bag for an extended period over uneven ground.
Hiking Pack – This combines the best features of a backpack and duffel bag being that it will have a large volume and ergonomic carrying options. You will be able to carry much more survival gear in one of these than in a backpack which is great if you are evacuating with a family.

Critical Bug Out Bag Backpack Factors

1. Comfort and Fit

You may be humping your Bug Out Bag for days on end. You need something that you can wear comfortably, and that will not limit your movement by causing you discomfort. Pay attention to the following features when looking at a candidate bag:

Hip straps and hip padding – This is the single most important thing when looking at a bag for comfort and fit, which is something that is not understood by someone who has not humped a heavy bag over long distances. Hip support straps snug the pack tightly to your hips allowing the weight to be carried by the strong muscles in your thighs and hips rather than balancing the load on your shoulders. This improves balance by lowering the center of gravity and saves your back and shoulders from bearing the weight. It is exponentially easier to carry a heavy load in this manner.
Width of straps – Are the straps made of narrow webbing that is going to dig into your shoulders and hips or is it wide with ample padding to cushion the attachment to your body? I reiterate: you have the potential to carry everything you need to survive over long distances. If you are hobbled by discomfort you will not be able to travel as fast or far.
Sternum clip – This enables you to secure the shoulder straps to a comfortable position and uses the bony part of your chest as a counterbalance to the backward leaning force of the bag.
Allows for airflow on the back – Walking all day with a sweaty back can lead to discomfort and chafing. Most better bags come with channels or webbing in the part of the pack that faces your back. These allow for air flow to minimize this.
Are there any hard elements within the bag that may rub or poke into you – Some bags have rigid frames or hard plastic bits to help them retain their shape or to allow you to strap things to them. They do not need to be avoided as a whole, but they are something to consider when choosing one. I once ignored this when choosing a hiking pack that had a metal frame right at the height of the back of my head. This caused me to have to lean slightly forward or bang my head… for miles. Please do not make the same mistake.
Gender specific design – Many bags come in male and female options. These have the straps cut and shaped in particular ways that make them better fitting for their designated gender’s body types. There is some good information here about measuring yourself to help find the best fitting pack.

Best Bug Out Backpack Example — This bag has many options to ensure a good, comfortable fit.

2. Volume and Mass

How much space do you need in your Bug Out Bag backpack? This is determined by:

How many people are you carrying survival supplies for? Will you be bugging out by yourself or with a family in tow?
Do you plan on packing your Bug Out Bag with everything and the kitchen sink or just the bare essentials?
The more you pack, the larger volume bag you will need and the more mass you will have to carry on your back. It is one of the most important trade-offs you will have to consider.
Consider your phyical ability when determining how much weight you can actually carry.
I prefer sticking to the essentials rather than bringing everything under the sun and then scavenging and improvising on the way. Multi-function items are a godsend in getting the most from your gear in this regard.

best bug out bag backpack

3. Accessibility

So now know that you want the perfect fitting bag that carries the right amount of survival supplies, great job!

Let’s consider the options for how we will be compartmentalizing the gear and accessing it.

If you have a decent sized list of bug out gear, you will have a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and utility. Putting this all in one large compartment is a formula for inefficiency and frustration. Imagine you have slipped and cut yourself and now need to dig through all your clothes, tools, and rations to get to your medkit. Not good.

What we want for an efficient bag is one large compartment to store general items and several separate, smaller compartments for storing smaller subgroups of items. Most modern bags have multiple compartments and options to attach small satellite bags. This is ideal. Before packing, you will want to organize your gear with these compartments in mind. You will want to put larger items in the main compartment and smaller ones in the secondary pouches, organized by item type. This will make finding things in a hurry much easier and your Bug Out Bag more useful overall.

best bug out bag backpack — Here you can see how you can organize a multi-compartment bag to maximize functionality

4. Useful Features

So you have your Bug Out Bag backpack that meets your basic needs, what are the best additional features you should be looking for that will increase your chances of survival while bugging out?

Hydration Bladder Compatibility – Integration of a hydration system such as a Camelbak is a huge bonus to any bag. This makes it far easier to carry large amounts of water over long distances. As you will be exerting yourself, keeping properly hydrated is essential to keep you moving as fast and as far as possible. There is some good additional information on choosing a hydration pack.
Rain Hood – Many bags come with a rain cover integrated within. This is usually tucked away into a velcro compartment and then pulled out and over the bag when needed. This will keep your gear dry and preserve it optimally for when you need it.
MOLLE compatibility – MOLLE (pronounced “molly”) is an acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. It is used to define the current generation of load-bearing equipment and packs utilized by a number of armed forces. This widespread use means that there are a HUGE number of compatible options for adding accessories to a MOLLE compatible bag. Items that use MOLLE include tool sheaths, pouches, hydration bladders, and medkits.

Best bug out bag backpack mollee — Many bags have MOLLE attachment points for easy customization

The Best Bug Out Bag Backpacks

Here are some backpacks that are excellent choices for your bug out bag.

Bag Name	Features	Hydration	Molle	Cost
5.11 Tactical Rush 72 Backpack	Sized for 3-day excursions. Designed by special operations combat veteran. Large, external shove-it pocket, Top exterior crescent-shaped organization pocket, two exterior, side, gusseted zippered pockets. Water-repellent coating.	Yes	Yes	$$$
VVV Gear Paratus 3-Day Operator's Pack	Modular design - 3 packs in 1 2 large compartments, multiple interior pockets/organizers, two attached MOLLE pouches Heavy duty zippers	Yes	Yes	$$
Reebow Tactical 3-Day Backpack	1 large compartment but with many other organization pockets. Great value for the price.	Yes	Yes	$

Our Pick

Looking at the features, price, customization options, and overall quality we have chosen to award the 5.11 Tactical Rush 72 as Best In Class for the following reasons:

Modular design allows us to plan and organize our Bug Out Bag for maximum efficiency
High quality, durable pack for a great price
Medium carrying capacity means that we will be able to carry our essentials without being weighed down
High quality, padded straps will let us move faster and for longer while bugging out
MOLLE integration and Hydration bladder compatibility exceeds our standards

For those that are building a more compact or lightweight bug out bag, consider the smaller 5.11 Tactical Rush 24 (or the even smaller 5.11 Tactical Rush 12).

Remember, it’s important to design your bug out bag according to your physical ability. Use our interactive bug out bag list builder to help you decide what to pack while automatically estimating the bag’s approximately weight.

Budget-friendly picks: If you prefer a budget-friendly option, take a look at the 3V Gear Paratus 3-Day Backpack or the Reebow Tactical 3-Day Backpack.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you have taken away from this discussion the elements that you need to look for in finding a suitable Bug Out Bag backpack. This is an important step in your disaster preparedness journey and getting it right make a huge improvement in your ability to bug out when the unforeseen strikes.

If you are ready to plan what items to pack in your Bug Out Bag, check out our Free Bug Out Bag Planning Tool.

Remember, chance favors the well prepared.

Your Thoughts

If you thought this post was helpful, please Like, +1, or Share it using the social media buttons at the top of the page! Are there any features or types of Bug Out Bags that you would suggest? Please let us know in the Comments section below, thanks!