Bug Out Bags – What Most Are Doing Wrong

I have watched YouTube videos and read tons of articles on how people are setting up their bug out bags and there is one mistake I see over and over.

In the military they teach you redundancy, hell even your parents probably told you “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” but I see it over and over. Everyone seems to put everything in one large backpack. There are lots of issues with a single pack system. If you have to drop your pack or you are not with your pack and cannot get to it then you are stuck with nothing,

The way I was taught was to have multiple systems; it has always worked out well for me and just makes good sense so I thought I would pass it on. In my family we actually all have three packs. 1^st pack is just a minimal kit for hiking etc. It is a drop leg pouch that has some basic first aid, fire starter, emergency blanket, water bottle, signaling device, and a knife.

Our second and third bags are two part systems which both have minimal survival gear so they can be used together or separately. Our second bag is actually a get home bag that has enough food and water for 3 days. I use the Ribzwear Front pack for this and my wife and daughter both use the UTG messenger bag. Either works fine but these bags are well stocked and kept in our vehicles so that they are close at hand at all times. This second bag carries all of our survival must haves and can be worn with our third bag.

The third bag is what most people call their bug out bag. They are backpacks to fit each of us. In this bag we keep extra cloths, sleeping bag, camp stove, and other items we would like to have but could live without if we cannot carry the bag for some reason.

I know this may seem like a lot and it probably is for the average person. Most people would not need the first bag. We only have these because we do a lot of hiking and it’s good to have the basics on the trail. For those of you that do make bug out bags I highly recommend you use the two bag system. Making your get home bag small but packed with everything you must have for survival and kept in your car. Then use your backpack for all your want to haves.

Keep your get home bag as your main system. It’s the one you will take with you no matter what the situation is. Your backpack on the other hand is large and makes you stand out. If you are in a social collapse situation it might not be wise to take it, or if you have a long ways to go. Regardless of what you use just make sure you keep your must haves and wants separate and easy to get to in case you have to drop and run.              

We use to sell the UTG messenger bag as the main part of your bug out system and you can still see how it was set up on our Bug Out Bag page to help give you ideas. We are no longer publicly selling these but do have some in stock .So if you would like a preset bag contact us and we will get you a price.