AxMan's $30 Bug Out Bag

Contents 1 $30 Bug Out Bag 1.1 Emergency Devices 1.2 Shelter 1.3 Medical 1.4 Water and Food 1.5 Personal Protection 1.6 Misc 1.7 Further Thoughts

$30 Bug Out Bag

I created this kit from scratch, mostly out of stuff I had laying around, to prepare for hiking in Yosemite National Park. Now it rides in the trunk of my car. Not counting the Mora knife and the revolver, total out-of-pocket cost was about $30.

I had two goals:

1. Cover all major groups with minimal gear
2. Assemble everything on the cheap

Your goal should be not to create the perfect bug-out bag but just to do something, even if it's not perfect. Use this as inspiration to do your own scrounging.

This recipe should not be followed exactly -- instead, like one of Grandma's recipes, it should be improvised upon.

Emergency Devices

• Mora 748 knife ($18) NOTE: This could've easily been a large sturdy kitchen knife from the pawn shop. Read these knife-specific pages for advice on selecting a blade.
• Mini-LED flashlight
• Clip-on micro-LED flashlight (promotional give-away item)
• Bic butane lighter
• Waterproof matches
• Tinder (lint + vaseline, or cotton balls plus vaseline) See Emergency Firestarters for more.
• Whistle
• Impromptu signalling mirror (using bottom of aluminum bottle below)

Shelter

• Plastic poncho
• 4 heavy-duty garbage bags
• Lightweight sweatshirt

Medical

• Assorted band-aids
• Surgical tape
• Several doses each of the following: ibuprofen; acetominiphin; anti-diarrheal; caffeine; ciprofloxacin

Water and Food

• 1 gallon of water in 4 smaller containers (3 plastic, 1 aluminum -- aluminum useful for boiling when emptied)
• 4 power bars
• 1 bag of trail mix
• Beef jerky (I ate this as soon as I started thinking about bears...)

Personal Protection

• S&W Chief's Special revolver (I did not carry this in the park, but only in places where I am legally allowed to do so) and 10 extra rounds
• 1-oz. bottle of hand sanitizer (also useful as tinder)
• 6 pre-packaged wipes (the kind you get at a BBQ restaurant)
• bandanna (sweatband, nose/mouth filter, bandage, water filter, wave to get attention)
• handkerchief
• extra pair of socks

Misc

• 30 feet of 7-strand 550-lb paracord
• Compass
• Map (hiking or road maps, depending on your situation)
• 10' of duct tape (wrapped around the short end of an old gift or credit card)
• 40' 25-lb test fishing line (wrapped around that same card)
• Tapestry needle (has an eye big enough you can sew with the fishing line)
• Sewing kit (the kind you can get for free at hotels -- or used to be able to: thread, needle, buttons, a couple of small safety pins, etc.)
• 6 large zip ties
• 4 large and 6 small ziploc bags
• 4 carabiners

• Identification
• Cash ($100) and several dollars in quarters
• Fully charged cell phone, turned off
• All this toted in my pockets and in a battered JanSport backpack I bought for $2 at a used clothing shop

Further Thoughts

1. The major expense and most controversial item in this bug out bag is the firearm. I'm not going to preach: make up your own mind. A used firearm can be legally acquired in most parts of the United States for $175-$225.
2. A multi-tool (such as a Leatherman or Gerber) is an excellent item to add to this bag.
3. This bag relies heavily on improvisation, substituting garbage bags for tarps and shelters; a bandana and duct tape for a large bandage; sewing kit to stitch up cuts; etc. Education, training, creativity and the survival mindset are key. No amount of gear can possibly replace them.
4. Read Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales. Then read it again. It's not a how-to: instead this book tells the story of survivors and what goes on in their minds. Thought-provoking and extremely well-written.
5. Try out your gear, the same way you break in your hiking boots. It's no good having stuff if you don't know how to use it. (See #3 above.)

I hope this information challenges you to get up right now and either assemble your first Bug Out Bag or to add or subtract an item from your existing bag. Don't just think about it: do it.