Bug Out Bag Checklist for Preppers and Survivalists

A bug out bag (BOB), also referred to as a Get Out Of Dodge Bag (GOOD Bag), is a pack that has all the necessary items for any survival situation for 72 hours or longer. Below I'll provide a detailed checklist that will give you a good understanding of what you should have in your bag. Remember that when you pack to think about the weight of each item and ask if it will be worth carrying it. Most times more gear will be better, but just keep weight in mind.
The most important thing about a bug out bag is the QUALITY of the bag itself. You will be entrusting this bag with your life, so try to get a good quality. The best ones have a place for a water bladder, straps and good amount of outside pockets.
Remember the four 3's:
3 minutes without Oxygen, 3 hours in harsh weather, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.
Shelter- Shelter is the most important (3 hours in bad weather). If you know how to pitch a tent correctly then all this may mean to you is packing a tarp and equipment to set it up. If you don't then remember to pack something you know how to setup. Also remember to pack a sleeping bag and anything else you might need to keep you dry and warm.
Water- Water is behind shelter (3 days without water). Pack a few water bladders and remember to keep your water bladder filled with clean water (this may mean dumping the water in it and refilling it every now and again to make sure the water is nice and clean if the situation arises where you need to use it). Also, a water filter can save your life if you run out of water. Never drink water in the wild without boiling/treating it. Recommended amount of water intake is different for everyone but a good way to think about is half your weight in fluid ounces. So if your weight 150 pounds, 75oz a day is your recommended amount. 128 fluid ounces is a gallon so that would mean you need to drink a little more than half a gallon a day.
Food-Food is in last at 3 weeks (that's assuming you have water). Freeze dried food and MRE's are recommended for survival because they are high calorie food rations that will provide your body with the energy it needs. Trail mix also has a lot of calories so you may want to consider packing some to eat while you're traveling. Like water, the recommended amount of calories differs from person to person depending on height, weight, gender and more but try to eat 3,000 calories a day. Never eat below 1,200 calories a day.
Checklist:
Here is a simple checklist for your bag (This is not set in stone, everyone has difference skills and this is just to give you an idea):
Flashlight
A good survival knife
Tape (Duct Tape/Gorilla Tape)
MRE's or freeze dried food
Sewing kit
Some form of getting your hands clean if needed (dish soap, bar soap, etc.....)
Bottles of Water (Water Bladder that's filled would be good too. Water purification tablets and a water filter would be good as well)
Multi-tools are very good to have because they take up less room
Radio (Hand Crank/Solar would be best but battery operated is fine)
Rechargeable batteries for your equipment that needs them.
Camp stove (try to find one that uses multiple fuels)
A copy of emergency and important contacts (include addresses and phone numbers)
First Aid Kit
Money (If you have to leave your city for a few days
Maybe an extra copy of your I.D.
Para cord (preferred) or very strong rope
Map of the area
Hygiene necessities (comb, toothbrush, small can of shaving cream, razor, toothpaste)
A waterproof way of starting fire (flint/waterproof matches/etc...)
Extra change of clothes (include socks and underwear)
Can opener (small one)
A list for defensive purposes:
100+ extra rounds for each of your firearms
a form of night vision sight (Sighting scope, a rifle scope that functions in daylight and night, etc...)
Remember to camouflage all of your equipment (including your bug out bag itself)

This is Jeff from Survival Hour we are dedicated to informing the public how to survive almost any situation and providing the best gear to help. Be sure to check out our Survival Hour blog as well for even more in-depth information.
Check here for some good stock bags to start with(you should add a lot more stuff to them though): Bug Out Bags

Grandmother's Critter Ridder (Grandmother's Kitchen Wisdom) Book is a Must-Have

Grandmother's Critter Ridder (Grandmother's Kitchen Wisdom) is such a great book. I am so glad that I found it that I had to share it with all of my readers.It is full of timeless ways to get  rid of bugs in the house, around the house, in the garden, and more. Tons of all-natural ways to rid the pest out of your life. Just go to your kitchen the next time you have a pest problem.

What if the sun doesn't shine??

It has rained here or has had a chance of rain here for the last 3 weeks! No sun at all. Monday was the first day that we had any sun for any length of time. I hurried up and took all of my solar powered items outside. But, it wasn't enough. My lights and radios are all dead! I can't use the cell phone charger either. What do we do when we have no sunlight to charge our solar powered gadgets??? I even tried leaving the light on over the stove with the stuff under it and it didn't charge them. I don't like this at all. No sun all winter and now no sun in the summer time. Blah - this year is not turning out to be very good at all.

Bug Out Bag Practical Guide (Through a Prepper Fiction Survivalist Story): An L.A. Asteroid Impact

When I wrote this post , Bug Out Bag Practical Guide (Through a Prepper Fiction Survivalist Story): An L.A. Asteroid Impact, was a free Kindle book. This is a fictional love and adventure short story about a married couple named Jake and Tina. Tina gets (what she thinks is) the surprise of her life when the pregnancy test she just took turns out to be positive. Thrilled and a little scared, she starts to formulate how she might tell her husband the news – would he be happy about it?

But before she even gets a chance to tell him, they are flabbergasted at a television news bulletin that a previously undetected asteroid is within a half hour of impacting somewhere near their home in Southern California.

With absolutely no time to waste - and no time for Tina to tell Jake her news - they grab their Bug Out Bag, get into their SUV, and high-tail it the hell out of there, even while neighbors are still frantically trying to pack up a few essentials into their cars. Tina wonders while driving passed them if her neighbors will get out in time, and thanking God that Jake had their own bug out survival bag (which he actually prepared in the event of an earthquake) was always on the ready.

But Tina and Jake are far from getting away safely themselves. Fragments of the asteroid strike all around the Los Angeles area, and while they themselves are not hit directly, the freeway system becomes a huge free-for-all as millions of panicked drivers hit the roads trying to get the hell out of dodge – but quickly get nowhere because of the clogged roads. Dust, smoke, fire and devastation blind and choke the area from the thunderous impacts of the fiery rain of asteroid fragments.

Read on to find out what happens, how their Bug Out Bag is their only friend, and see whether Tina ever gets the chance to tell her husband about their unborn child!

Food Storage Recipe - Hobo Fish Dinner

These are so good. I love the foil cooking bags. Makes it so easy to cook up good food.

Hobo Fish Dinner

Vegetable cooking spray

1 teaspoon salt free lemon pepper seasoning

half teaspoon salt

half teaspoon dried dillweed

4 small baking potatoes...thinly sliced

2 medium thinly sliced onions

2 medium thinly sliced carrots

4 halibut fillets

Coat the inside of the foil bags with the cooking spray.

Combine all of the seasonings.  Arrange the potato slices in the center of thw bags.  Sprinle a bit of the seasoning on them and then layer the onions over them. Put some of the seasoning over the onion and layer the carrots. Sprinkle with the remaining seasoning mix. Place the fish over the vegetables. Fold the cooking bag up tight. Do this four times with each fish. Seperate the vegetables evening among the four bags.

Place the foil bags in your preheated oven or grill them outside.