With all that’s going on with tornadoes, floods, fires, and snowstorms where people have been stranded in their vehicles for far too many hours, I thought now would be a good time for this prepper tip.
Bags To Go are just that… bags you need when in a hurry. There are three different type Bags To Go. They range from simple to complex. It depends on how you feel about prepping as to which one might suit you.
Grab & Go Bag
To me this is a must have one and one you put together yourself. I call it a Grab & Go Bag, since that’s exactly what it is. If you’re going on an hours long ride—in your car or someone else’s—this is the bag you grab before you go. You never know what awaits you on the road. You could be stuck for hours in traffic, caught in a snowstorm, broken down with no help coming for hours or any unexpected incident and you would be grateful for having your Grab & Go Bag with you.
A recommend a wetproof backpack for any Bags To Go since you never know what you’re going to run into. Think about it as sheltering in place for more hours than you want to. What would you want with you and what would you need or would come in handy?
Here’s a rundown of some basic items.
One change of clothes
Extra pair of shoes
Water
Energy bars
Snack foods
Mylar blankets (foil blanket takes up little space)
Compact first aid kit
Flashlight (small/wide range)
Refresh wipes
Swiss army knife or a Leatherman (personal choice) or both
Whistle (believe me it comes in handy more than you would think)
Extra cell phone charger (not the type you plug into the vehicle)
Extra Medication (if taking any)
When you come down to it, it really isn’t a lot of items, but think of the impact they would make if you were stuck somewhere for endless hours with no chance of getting water or food, heat, etc.
Also, if you are taking a pet with you make sure to provide a Grab & Go Bag for him as well.
Water, collapsible bowl, food, snacks, & you might want to think of taking along a favorite toy.
You know yourself best, so you know what items you may want, need, or would come in handy to build your personal Grab & Go Bag. You may never have a need to use it (which is why you refresh it time and again) but if you only use it one time, it will be well worth it.
Bug Out Bag (B.O.B)
This Bag To Go is more involved. This is when you have no choice but to go, leave, evacuate. Think of it as a Grab & Go Bag on steroids. You’re not just thinking of endless hours. You’re thinking of possibly days or weeks with little to no time to gather anything. So naturally you’ll need a larger backpack and a backpack for each individual family member and pet(s).
Think of necessities to survive a week or more. It also depends on hot versus cold weather, so keep that in mind. Start with the basics.
Water (Must have for survival.)
Food (pre-packaged dried meals come in handy for this as does a jar of peanut butter.)
Snack (A necessity for stressful situations especially for children.)
Clothes (Main garments can be worn for days, not so undergarments. A handy thought.)
Sleeping bag (Important if you’re housed in one of the designated shelters.)
First aid kit (More than a compact one and with thoughts to everyone’s medical issues.)
Wet wipes (Refresh ones for people & ones to clean surfaces. Packaged ones for easy carry.)
Phone chargers (Non-plugin ones plus your regular plugin ones.)
Swiss army knife or Leatherman (A must in any Bags To Go.)
Whistle (One in each bug out bag. It can find kids if lost or accidentally separated from you.)
Small portable radio (In case communications are down.)
Important documents (In waterproof bag. Not kept in the B.O.B but are ready to grab & go.)
Entertainment (Stuck in a shelter with nothing to do & no Internet. Be creative!)
Again, you know you and your family the best, so build your bug out bag to fit each person’s not only basic needs but their individual needs as well.
Survival Bag
This Bag To Go is full-gear, survival mode, nothing much left, pitch a tent! If it sounds over the top it is. This is when you are on your own, no shelter to take cover in, starting from scratch so to speak. That means you supply your own shelter and that calls for a tent!
Instead of going into a lengthy list of necessities, here’s an Amazon link that shows you a variety of pre-made ones so you can see what goes into such a bag. The premade ones can be costly, but you can put your own together a little at a time and learn what suits you best.
So, there you have it, three diverse types of Bags To Go to consider. The easiest and one I have made beneficial use of is the Grab & Go Bag. It is simple and easy to put together and the one that has served me the best.
One more bag I want to suggest is a Vehicle Prepped Bag. You don’t grab this one when you need to go it is already in your vehicle, always there if you ever need it. You can use a backpack or a tote to store the items. A backpack might work best in case you need to grab it if you have no choice but to leave the vehicle.
Basic items
Blanket (Do not throw that old blanket away, wash it, roll it up, and in the bag it goes.)
Energy bars
First aid kit
Mylar blankets (Pack one for each family member. If it’s just you, pack at least four. You never know who may be with you.)
Glow sticks
Anything you feel you might need.
Watch for more prepping tips.
Until next time… stay prepped and prepared!
Pepper
* I do not receive any compensation for product links.