Lightweight 3-day Bug Out Bag

[pestilence]

Follow-up: there is a 500ml single wall metal water bottle that goes with this kit. It resides on my belt, and therefore I forgot to put it in this video. Please forgive me, this is the first breakdown video I've made and I am still learning. Thanks!

[davidkelly]

Forgive me if I've missed these in your video . I would add a rain poncho, a cap or hat, and a pair of work cloves . Thank you . Cheers

[jdam]

Should mention to rotate out things that expire like hand warmers. I found out the hard way. I will never buy that many of something I rarely use again

[lance]

Nice kit. But if I was doing a 3 day bug out kit. I would lighten the med stuff just a little bit and add poncho, beanie, gloves, maybe use bank line instead of 550. Spare batteries and zip ties also. Overall good kit in my opinion

[JessBurns-gv]

What a lovely video. So many bug out bag videos are over complicated and intimidating, but this is simple, comprehensive and enlightening. Clearly a man who knows what he’s doing.

[psiGoodbye]

Good setup. Not sure if I seen duct tape but that is a must. I wrap mine around old gift cards to keep them flat. I would definitely recommend going back through all your med stuff and slim it down some. I had the exact same problem at first and after traveling for a while I knew it was a bit overkill and needed to be slimmed and lightened down. Get a medium sized organizer pouch for med items to keep them all in one place instead of loose in the bag. Gloves, single hemo gauze, single crinkle gauze, single Israeli bandage, tourniquet/s, shears, duct tape, small assorted bandages, Tylenol, Ibuprofen and antibiotic ointment is really all you’ll ever need at one time. Also a big help would be a travel compression pouch for all your clothes to be put in same pouch and can be zipped to be made smaller. Socks should stay in plastic bag though even in pouch. Hope this helps!

[nickmartino]

I've even made improvised radiator hoses before for a friend's car we were with one time.... keeping a spool of wire with you is absolutely necessary and important

[felixdacat]

Nice vid...Good content...Great weight ratio...well thought out...loss of Power almost alway's appears to be the norm of fire prone areas so I would suggest adding a small portable solar panel to keep ur battery charged which can recharge all ur other electronics if you standardize your electronics to rechargeables, Some small Ecomms radio to stay in touch with family members and get news/weather/local Emergency public service info...a couple of N95's just in case for smoke conditions in ur area, lastly a Silcock key to access water spigots where streams and pools of water or collection ponds are not available...additions should keep you just under 20lbs or less...Thanks for inspiring me to lighten my load as well...!

[gnuylxz]

A few things you need to add to your bag:
A compass. You might be in an area that you are unfamiliar with and need a form of navigation
Maps of your state and region. I use both city and state with geological references.
A form of non-leathel protection. I don't want to kill an animal trying to defend his turf. I carry BearSpray and Sabre Pepper spray with Tear Gas and marker dye that most law enforcement officers carry. Both work quickly and have no long-term effects
A fishing kit. A few hooks with leader wire at least
I don't use much paracord anymore. I mainly use bankline. One spool might be heavey, but you get more line for the buck
But the biggest thing you missed is water. I don't care if you're walking 20 miles. You will need water, and if none can be found for your LifeStraw, you're in trouble

[lancepittman]

I prefer Sawyer minis. Not only can you drink straight from the water source, but also have pouch(es) or a Smart water bottle for later.

[NayNayL]

I would add a single wall stainless steel bottle incase your water filter malfunctions and i hate cold coffee so for me i absolutely have to have a way to heat water. A small toiletry kit with a small folding tooth brush, a folding saw and some toilet paper are a few other things i would add. I thought your video was great and your first aid gear is very well thought out.

[sandym]

Loved seeing the super glue come out 😊 Overall, a very well thought out First Aid setup 😊
Just some thoughts. I know you are wanting to keep it pretty lightweight for a backpack, but I'd like to add a few suggestions that, with the exception of a multi-powered radio / flashlight combo (powered by USB, Solar, Hand Crank, etc) and the Stanley set I'm about to mention are extremely lightweight.
The Stanley Adventue set (I take out the cups) will nest perfectly inside a stainless steel cup with butterfly handles. This gives you a way to cook / drink, and you can store food / tea bags / coffee packets / condiments / bouillon packets or cubes / hydration multilier packets / straws with spices sealed in them / etc inside it. I would also put some kind of eating utensil in there, as well. Personally, I have separate 'kits' in and on my BOB. For example, I found a small bag at Walmart that is the perfect size for my Stanley setup, and it holds my Sawyer Mini set as well. I have a cotton bandana folded up in it, a couple of small trash bags folded up, and a couple of ziplock bags rolled up and stored inside it. I also have a metal spoon and fork, a paring knife with a blade cover (yes, I carry a 'regular' knife, but why use it for cooking when this is so cheap and can be dedicated to the job?), and a mini silicone spatula and stirring spoon, all of which I bought at Dollar Tree. A mini fire set completes the bag. This bag attaches to my BOB on the outside, it's compact, and yet can also be detached to carry separately if I want to leave my bag in a camp setting. The mini Fire Kit is simple, and it is also repeated in my main Fire Kit. I purchased several small (about the size of 2 stacked decks of cards) containers with clamping lids. In them, I put mini matches, a bic lighter, and a Tinder source. Inside the lid, I used glue dots to affix the striker strips from the match boxes. This gives me the ability to start MULTIPLE fires, if needed.
I also have my main Fire Bag that can be quickly removed from the pocket of my BOB. It contains a smal Fire Kit mentioned above, along with a Ferro Rod, a Magnesium Bar, a waterproof match container with stormproof matches, and tinder (I have different kinds, both homemade and store bought, that I choose from). I want the tinder to be 2 things: easy to light, and longer burning for use in wet conditions. I don't have flint and steel, because I'm just not good enough with them yet. One thing I've done in making tinder is to cut slivers from a fire log, I buy some when they go on clearance after winter. I've also made the Vaseline dipped cotton balls (pack them in a pharmacy pill bottle), ones made from lint, etc. By the way, a tall pill bottle from the pharmacy will hold about 11 - 13 candle tea lights, depending on how thick they are.
I like the small sharpening stone, but it's pretty cheap to buy one of the all-in-one sharpeners anymore, and it takes up almost no room. They have the groove to sharpen hooks, the small rod for serrated blades, and the 'v' for regular blades / scissors. You can't control the angle of the blade, and they're useless for sharpening an axe, but for the price and the ounces of weight, added to the convenience and versatility of items you can sharpen, they're a great addition to your stone.
Another small 'kit' within my bag is a Sewing one. It's just a few needles (including a Sail needle and a Doll making one, because of their size and the eye size on them), a leather thimble, a small pair of GOOD scissors, and a couple of tiny spools of dark thread. This way I can use an inner strand of paracord to fix something major, but I also have thread for something smaller, something that I don't want to be as noticeable or that the thicker inner strand would worsen the problem.
I have also added about 3 heavy trash bags (3 mil thickness) folded flat, and 6 aluminum tent stakes. Yes, you CAN carve stakes, but why do so when these are cheap, lightweight, and can be used immediately when time is at a premium? Like I said, I DO know how to carve them, but choose not to do so when I don't have to.
Another thing I would add is a small roll of Gorilla Tape. Yes, I have wire as well (mostly for snares, etc), but the tape is extremely versatile. It's not just for fixing or joining things together, it can also be used in a medical situation, you can use it to add a waterproof cover to a small area, or even as a fire starter. I like the Gorilla brand, because it works better than anything else I've tried out, and especially for the price. If you don't want to carry the roll, you can simply take an old plastic credit card and wrap it with as much tape as you want to carry. You can also wrap your Bic with it, if wanted -- perfect for carrying a bit of tinder directly on your lighter.
One last thing I'll mention. You can also make a mini 'food survival' kit to drop in your bag, using either an Altoids tin or even one of the round pill containers that are found just about anywhere. In it, you would put a few fish hooks, some smaller sinkers, a bobbin or 2 wound with fishing line, and a rolled up leader or 2. You can also put rolled up pre-made snares or wire in the Altoids tin. If using the tin for the fushing gear, use a piece of tape to hold the hooks flat against the inside of the lid, to keep the points sharp and away from your fingers when you reach inside. Another benefit to using the tin for this, is that you can add a pair of tweezers and a pair of nail clippers as well. I have a single edge blade w/the paper guard in it, but I wraped the bottom part in a sleeve of tape as well. I also have a tiny multi-tool (I think it's called a Frog, but don't remember who makes it now) in mine. It's not hardy enough for main use, in my opinion, but it's perfect for working with wire or bending hooks that straighten out, and it takes up just a tiny bit of room in the tin. I like the segmented pill containers, though, to carry a wider assortment of hooks and sinkers, with the ease of just spinning the top to access them. I do, however, use a piece of medical tape to keep the lid from spinning to an open position while it isn't in use.

[carolinagirl]

WOW!....definitely gonna add a few of your items to my bag....thanks for sharing!

[bernardbarr]

No diarrhea meds? The comments on sawyer mini and poncho are a must for me. The mountains you live in cold? Both the life straw and Sawyer have problems with freezing temps. I can think of a ton of things tape can do that wire can't. Using a ferro rod and flint and steel are easy once you use proper technique. They don't require that much practice. The issue is setting up your tinder to catch the sparks. Good video.

[gregjung]

If you have prescription meds just in a plastic bottle they would go bad after a few months. I put some in every bag I have and found that out when I was going through them one day. I swapped them out for newer ones but I think I am going to vacuum seal them in small Mylar bags. I have seen them on Amazon for a great price. Still haven’t done it yet 🙄, but I will. Just wanted to throw that out there for you since you have meds also. I don’t know how often you swap your meds out. This is a great video and it gave me a lot of new ideas for my bags. Thank you brother.

[libertycoffeehouse]

You have to be able to stay warm. Replace a lot of that stuff. You need a puffy jacket, fleece jacket, and a light weight rain jacket. You need a lightweight tarp and a jungle blanket. Take that kit out into 20 degree weather and you will instantly realize it won't work.

[nickmartino]

Very well thought out kit for sure!!!!

[stephensvoboda]

Wonderfully prepared... Thank for the video

[EddieOakes]

Good information and a good video. I think some of your viewers often not split hairs on how you speak or your presentation. Subscribed!

[grumpyoldphart]

Very nice selection of items and well thought out!