How to Pack a Hiking Bug Out Bag or Backpack

A bug out bag is a must-have for all preppers! Whether in a domestic emergency or a natural disaster, you should be able to grab it and go in seconds. Get your bug-out bag ready with these easy steps!

RELATED: Building A Bug Out Bag

5 Easy Steps in Preparing Your Bug Out Bag Contents

Things You’ll Need

Bug out bag
All the essential items you’ll bring

Step 1: Organize the Contents of Your Bag

Although there are standard prepper supplies, there are no strict rules when it comes to the items you’ll bring. In the end, it will really depend on what you need and your personal preferences.

If you are new to this though, you can narrow it down to a few basic groups of essential items.

Food
Water
Medicine
Hygiene
Tools
Shelter
Clothing.

These are just the basics though. You can add more items depending on your specific needs.

Once you’ve decided on what items to carry on your bug-out bag and consider other essential factors, it’s time to get organized. The idea is to allow you the easiest access possible to supplies inside your backpack.

The key here to get your pack organized is to arrange your bug out bag list according to importance and use.

Items that are more likely to be used should be easily accessible. These include tools, navigation devices, utensils, and the like. Stuff that you will not be using most of the time could be placed further down the bag.

Again, bug-out bag contents will depend on your particular location and situation. We cannot stress this enough. Your kit should be tailor-made based on whether you will be heading to an urban or rural location.

If for instance, you are bound to stay in the wilderness, navigation devices, as well as tools and shelter, should be prioritized.

Aside from this, weather and climate also need to be considered. A backpack full of items designed for dry location would be useless in an area prone to snowing and rain. The idea is to customize and organize your bugout bag with these factors in mind.

Step 2: Start at the Bottom

First off, you need to consider that the bottom of your bag is for non-immediate items. This means that this spot is reserved for things you don’t have to unpack with urgency.

These include:

Tents
Sleeping bags
Cooking equipment

The idea is to strategically position these items to give way to gears that you usually use when bugging out.

The majority of hiking bags are designed with lower compartments to accommodate bulkier items. It is advisable to invest in this type of backpack.

It would save you a lot of hassle during unfavorable situations where you have to unpack your entire cargo just to get smaller items like flashlights or knives.

Step 3: Go Heavy in the Middle

There’s a logic why the heaviest items should go in the middle of your bug-out bag. Heavy gears when placed at the bottom of your backpack tend to feel heavier.

To counter the pull of gravity, place back-breaking stuff somewhere in the middle section of your bag.

There are two main advantages of this hack:

By manipulating your bag’s center of gravity, you can make your load lighter.
This technique allows you to balance your backpack with greater ease. This would be of great advantage when treading treacherous terrains.

Step 4: Go Light at the Top

After taking care of the bulkier and heavier items, you can now pack lighter items at the upper section of your bug out bag. Most of the time, lighter items are also stuff that you reach out for often.

These include

Water canteens,
Hunting knives
Flashlights
Fire-starters
First aid kits
Navigation tools
Communication devices

Important Note: Avoid stacking up too many gears in the upper part of your backpack. This will defeat the purpose of going light at the top. Smaller items when combined in bulk will way as much as heavier gears reserved in the middle.

Step 5: Test Your Bug Out Bag

The final step is to road-test your gear. Once you are done preparing your bug-out bag, go out and try it. Spend time with your backpack under normal conditions to get the hang of it.

By doing this, you can identify the flaws of your bug out bag. This will help you improve your pack and add or remove items based on your test.

Testing your equipment also helps you get better at using it. As a result, this will make you more prepared in times when you will be using your bag for real.

Basic Bug Out Bag Checklist

If you are just getting started on this bug-out bag preparation thing, you might want to check this list out. This list may not be the ultimate but it will help you have an idea of how to organize your survival kit.

Water – You can survive for weeks without food but die like a fly in three days without H20.

Food – Choose food options that can last for days during long bug outs. Canned goods, dried veggies and fruits, instant noodles, and pickle meat are cool. Choose ready-to-eat but nutritious edibles.

Medicine – Getting sick in the wild is a difficult predicament. In the absence of hospitals and clinics, the chance of dying fast is high. Never forget to pack a well-provisioned first aid kit. It will spell the difference between you surviving and not surviving.

Shelter and Clothing Items – Invest in a high-quality foldable tent. Apart from this, choose clothing articles that are durable yet easy to wash and dry. For cold-weather clothes, go for light yet heavily insulated options.

Navigation Devices – Navigation devices like a compass, GPS tracker, and radio are essential gears when going out in the wild.

Survival Tools – Stainless knives, fire-starters, and flashlights are basic tools you’ll need in your bug out bag.

Check out this bug out bag for the Apocalypse vid by Wired:

Preparing your bug out bag is a breeze as long as you know what you are doing. With these simple tips, you can start packing your survival kit in no time. It could be the end of the world as we know it but you could feel fine as long as you are always ready. Cheers!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Do you have any cool survival bag packing tricks to share? We would be glad to know your thoughts in the comment section below!

Up Next:

Calling all preppers, craftsmen, bushmasters, outdoorsmen, and all-around skilled people, Survival Life needs YOU! Click here if you want to write for us.

Don’t forget to stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!

Source