While there are times when natural disasters require you to stay in your home to keep yourself away from harm, there are also instances when it is best for you to leave and evacuate your home or your neighborhood.

There are times when serious flood, fire, earthquake or any other emergency makes your house unlivable. During these instances, you have to make sure that you carry a bug out bag with you.

Bug Out Bag Defined

Also popular for its other names such as the 72-hour kit, the BOB, the grab bag, the GO bag, the battle box and the get out of dodge bag, the bug out bag is considered to be your best friend when it comes to surviving a situation that requires you to evacuate your home.

The bug out bag is known to be portable and contains all the items that you need to survive for a period of at least three days. The items that should be stored in the bug out bag actually differ from one user to another.

There are factors that determine the contents of the bag and these include the environment, the climate, the terrain and the availability of the items.

Bug Out Bag Checklist:  Essential Items that should be Included in your Bag

For the bug out bag to serve its real purpose, it should contain items that are needed by humans to survive. Your checklist should include the following:

1.  Food and Water. These are two of the most basic needs of humans so you should never fail to store these in your bug out bag. For the foods, you should consider storing ready to eat meals, dehydrated foods and food bars that have long shelf life in your bag. It is also advisable for you to make sure that the food and water that you store in the bag can last for at least three days.

2.  Shelter. This does not mean that you should pack a tent in your bug out bag. A multiuse poncho or a tarp can already help you create a temporary shelter if you are forced to leave your home during a disaster.

But you have to know that a multiuse poncho is preferred by many people. The reason behind this is that aside from being a good shelter from rain, snow and sun, you can also expect it to work effectively for the purpose of collecting water and signaling for help.

3.  First Aid Kit for Emergencies. For the bug out bag to provide you the kind of support that you need, you have to make sure that it contains first aid supplies so you can keep yourself away from danger.

The first aid supplies that you should never fail to store in your bug out bag are bandages, scissors, pain relievers, disinfectant, nausea pills and any other necessary medication.

4.  Topographical Map. This is an important item in your bug out bag as this can help you out when it comes to navigating the terrain. You should prepare for a disaster by asking someone to teach you how to read a map if you do not know how to do it yet or to find a good website or book that offers map-reading tutorial.

5.  Light. You need to store items in your bug out bag that are proven to be excellent sources of light. You should consider bringing with you a LED headlamp, a flashlight, lighter and candles as you could never afford to get lost or hurt in the dark during a disaster. By storing these items in your bug out bag, it will be easier for you to perform certain tasks such as preparing food and building shelter even if it is already dark.

Where can you Get a Bug Out Bag?

For you to find the best bug out bag for you, you should consider shopping online. There are a lot of online shops out there that offer a bug out bag that contains essential items that are good for two to four people.

But if you want to save a substantial amount, you should consider creating your own. Just make sure that you choose a bag that is strong enough to carry the weight of numerous items.

The bug out bag that you have chosen should also be easy to carry to ensure that you will never have a hard time carrying it once you leave your home temporarily.