If you have a need to grab your bug out bag, you are immediately thrust into a leadership position. You need to be assessing the situation, not trying to find food or water the first day. With others with you, there will be other issues to contend with. You will also need to plan.

Your bug out bag or survival kit needs to be easily transported. (A backpack is one of the best methods of accomplishing this.)

Why do you want it in a backpack?

Most likely, one of the first things you'll need to do is move. You'll want or need to leave the area for a new one and thinking about how to bring anything you need is not what you would like as a priority. You want something you can grab and go. Having it in a backpack is probably the easiest way to transport your bug out bag.

Your bug out bag is there to keep you alive in dire situations. Hurricane, tornado, earthquake, NBC attack. It may be cold, rainy, and just miserable out. Thinking worst scenario prepares you for any scenario. Your bug out bag needs to consist of the things you'll need to keep you and yours alive. So what exactly do you need?

Food and water are of course first to come to mind and should certainly be a priority. Your bug out bag should have food and water but what else? Think of yourself in a survival situation. You have nothing but the clothes on your back, it's cold, raining, and you are too many miles from any civilization.

Fire and shelter takes care of the cold and raining part.

You must have a means of getting yourself warm. Fire also provides for cooking, and boiling additional water. You must take care of your immediate needs so you can start thinking about future needs. A magnesium stick is perhaps the best thing you could have to get a fire started. They last a long time and are excellent fire starters. Waterproof matches can be lit even when wet and can be crucial to starting a fire in the rain. At least one of these fire starting options should be located inside your bug out bag. You will also need a knife to shave the magnesium.

Thermal Blanket - A blanket...also a shelter. These are compact, very light necessities of any bug out bag or survival kit. Thermal blankets reflect your body heat back on to you so you can stay warm even in cold. They can also be fastened into a shelter to keep the rain off. Don't underestimate the value of a thermal blanket especially since it does not use up much space or weight.

With these simple items, you have taken care of your immediate needs. As a leader, taking care of issues quickly and efficiently also leads to your best chance of survival. You can think better shelter as soon as possible. But for now, you will last the night.

The little bit of items described above got you through the night. But as a bare minumum bug out bag, there are other survival items that will make your life even more comfortable. Weight, is of course a factor in deciding what items to put in your bug out bag. A fanny pack is much smaller than a backpack so you'll need to be more frugal in your choice of contents. A back pack affords more space to carry more stuff.

Getting through the night is a first priority. Going on from there is the obvious second. Protection from the elements means not getting rained on, not freezing your butt off, not baking in a desert sun. Although the thermal blanket was nice, a poncho holds more shelter value than a thermal blanket. Your poncho drapes over your enitire body, keeps out more of the weather, and can be fastened into a tube tent for protection on all sides of your body. A fanny pack has a lot of room as long as you pack it right. A poncho doesn't take much space; and wouldn't you rather have a thermal blanket AND a poncho?

I mentioned knife above in the paragraph; a knife is a critical component of any survival kit. A simple Swiss Army Knife takes care of most of your needs and is small enough to reserve a spot in your bug out bag.

Fishing Set - If you are lucky enough to be near a body of water, you'll thank yourself over and over for having a basic fishing kit with you. Fresh fish for dinner would certainly improve anyone's demeanor. It's important to make sure everyone is looking towards the future and not giving up. From a survival stand point, every healthy able body can improve your chances of survival. Hooks, line, and sinkers is all you need. You can fashion a pole from a stick.

First Aid Kit - A basic first aid kit can not be overlooked. Hopefully, you won't have a use for it, but if you or someone else does, bandages, gauze, and antiseptic helps prevent infection.

Remember the beginning where I said you have nothing but the clothes on your back? Ever walked or spent time in nature? Clothes get ripped and torn. Needle and thread can go a long way in a survival situation. Sewing kits have been carried by soldiers as long as a sewing kit was available. Having one on you can keep you covered while you figure out how to use animal skin for clothing (or get rescued).

These are the basics of essential survival. The bare minumum. If this is all you could take, you'd be happy you did. There is a lot more survival gear that you could put into a bug out bag. By preparing in advance, you could fill a backpack with enough equipment and survival gear to sustain you and four others for 3 days or more. If you have pets that are going with you, then you'll need to provide for them as well. A can of dog food for each person to carry. And they'll need water replenishment too.

Backpack Bug Out Bag