This is continued from “The top 50 items that you need in your bug out bag Part 1 ”
So you have packed the first 25 items in your bag and you have taken a few steps to learn some prepper skills, good. You are on your way to being ready to survive in a bug out situation. However, you are not completely ready. There are still some items which you can add to your bug out bag which are essential (if not just plain helpful).
Here are 25 more items which are necessary for your bug out bag.
26. Pencil and Paper
Apart from taking notes on the situation at hand and recording data that you may hear, pencil and paper can also be used as a means to pass the time (so long as you do not waste the paper). Don’t worry about a pencil sharpener as your pocket knife can do the job. Ensure that you have a 2B or dark lead pencil. Don’t pack a mechanical pencil.
27. Family Pictures
You need to keep your focus on the people that matter in your life. Yes, you may not have them with you, either because of death or because of separation, but that does not change the fact that you need to have a place of reference. Additionally, if your family has been separated from you, it does a lot better for you to have a picture to show others to help track them down over a description.
28. Small Toolkit/repair kit
A miniature screwdriver within a glasses repair kit can help with a number of tasks. Using your utility knife will come in handy at times. Yet, there will be some things which take a bit more delicacy then the screwdriver on the knife (that and the smaller heads of the screws may not allow for the screwdriver on the knife).
29. Wonderbar/Flatbar
Similar to a crowbar but way smaller, the flatbar can be used to help you in urban situations in getting into abandoned cars and buildings. On the rural side of survival, the wonderbar can serve in a number of situations from prying up rocks to serving as a chisel.
30. Trick Candles
Have you ever tried to blow out a trick candle? Apart from the frustration of losing your breath, they are slow burning and consistently relighting. For the survivalist, this is perfect to use for starting a fire, especially in the wind.
31. Zip Ties
Cheap and simple to use, there are a number of uses for the zip tie.
32. Sling Shot
Preserve your ammunition if you packed a gun by learning how to use a slingshot. It comes in handy when hunting birds and small game. You will still need to have a bow for the larger game and a form of more modern defensive weaponry, but for the hunting part, a sling shot can get you by for a while. Plus, rocks (ammunition) are typically abundant.
33. Eye Drops
Even if you do not have issues with your eyes currently, eye drops are needed in your bug out bag. The atmospheric conditions are apt to be windy or extremely sunny. In either case, your eyes are likely to get strained and/or dried out. And with the small compact size of an eye dropper bottle, why not use it?
34. Dehydrated Fruit
Gathering supplies may be a bit more idealistic then you planned. In a bug out situation it may be days before you find a place in which to gather food. Your bug out bag should sustain you for about 5 days if you pack it correctly. As such, you need to have food which will not ruin easily, which is easy to carry, and has a nutritional value. Dehydrated fruit meets all of these criteria. Keep in mind that they do have natural sugars which can attract ants, so keep them in an air tight container.
35. Solar Powered Radio
Use a solar powered radio over a battery powered radio when preparing your bug out bag. The solar powered radio will be a top means of gaining information in an urban survival situation. So long as you have the sun, you should be good.
36. Freeze Dried Food
This is another supply to help you when the food goes scarce or when you have to bug out in an urban situation until you can get to a rural area. We need to keep your pack as light as possible and food weights a lot. Freeze dried food is lightweight and packs easily. The next best option would be Meals Ready to Eat. Though heavier what is great about the MRE is that they are designed to give the maximum nutrients to the person eating them. Granted, they are no five star restaurant meals, but you are surviving so you will be ok.
37. Insect Repellant
Even just a small bottle of an effective repellant can bring hours of relief from that constant biting and gnawing feeling that all you are is lunch for black flies and mosquitoes.
38. Blood Clotting Powder
This will work wonders in quickly sealing up bleeding wounds and helping it to heal faster while not using up all your bandages.
39. Trash Bags
Trash Bags can be used for more than just garbage (because realistically who is going to care about the trash when everything goes crazy). Keep them in your bag for helping carry game, water, and storage. Ensure they are heavy duty or else they may just be wasted space in your bag.
40. A spoon/fork
Eating with your hands may be needed from time to time, but you will want a spoon or a fork at one point or another. Granted you could make one through bushcrafting, but again why? Pack a metal fork or spoon.
41. Bandana
These can be amazingly useful for a variety of situations. From using as a makeshift bandage to covering your face with it to filter dust.
42. Sharpening Stone
If you have a knife in your bug out bag but you have no means of sharpening it once it goes dull, then you have a useless tool. Get a sharpening stone. There are plenty to choose from in various sizes.
43. Flashlight and batteries
Apart from providing vital help in a night bug out situation, the flashlight and the batteries can be used together to create a fire if needed.
44. Poncho
Ponchos can be used to keep the rain off in a survival situation. The poncho can also double as a make shift tarp for shelter if needed.
45. Medications
In all the preparations for your bug out bag, do not neglect to pack any medications that you have to take on a normal basis. Also, take pictures of any prescriptions which may be hard to acquire in a bug out situation.
46. Money
In a bug out situation, you will still need to have money. There will be businesses which are still able to thrive. The bad news is that those businesses are very apt to inflate their prices to crazy extremes. Keep enough to get what you need.
47. Anti-biotics
A potentially life saving addition to your Bug Out Bag. Consider these as a last option if you’re unable to receive proper medical attention. Use a broad spectrum anti-biotic at the recommended dosage per day for the recommended length of time until you’re able to get medical help.
48. Shoe Strings
Keep your feet laced up well and also have spare rope with some shoe strings.
49. Dental Kit
Make sure your kit includes a toothbrush, paste and oral analgesic for pain relief. Many of these will include instruments for temporary dental care if you’re unable to get to a dentist. Tooth pain can be bad enough without adding the extra discomfort of being in a stressful situation.
50. Small inflatable pillow
Yes, you will sleep better with your head on a pillow than over a rock. This is an often overlooked addition to your Bug Out Bag but by doing so also overlooks the fact that a good nights sleep can do wonders for your mental and physical health.
Most people will pick and choose the contents of their own Bags according to what they personally may need. A good idea is that when choosing items, to make sure that some of them can have potentially multiple uses. Just remember to pack as light as you can since you will have to carry your own bag. We’re not packing for a holiday week in the tropics, so keep it minimal but useful.