Bug Out Bag List: Ultimate guide for preparing Bug Out Bag when travelling in Africa
The need of Bug Out Bag List
Owing to the unpredictability of disasters, whether man-made or natural, potential preppers and survivalists tend to imagine a variety of “what if” scenarios. As a result, their bug out bags are filled with a range of gear and gadgets which might or might not proof useful in a disaster situation. This is article will give you the ideal bug out bag list to ensure that you will survive with what is in your head complemented, rather than supplemented with your bug out bag contents.
You can survive any disaster situation by achieving the following four objectives: be dry, be warm, be hydrated and be rested. You could use your bug out vehicle to keep you dry and rested, but you cannot be guaranteed to remain warm and hydrated. You can carry a bug out backpack with as much equipment that you would use on an extended hike, but your key focus during and after a disaster is to have bug out bag essentials that will enable you to survive for at least three to five days. In that time, your Head Office will have arranged for your evacuation and you would have been able to stabilise your personal situation despite the chaos around you.
The market for bug out gear is huge amongst preppers and survivalists. Some of this gear should be regarded as bug out bag essentials, but other kit such as knight vision goggles and handcuffs are both heavy and unnecessary.
As the majority of travellers to Africa will experience disasters or find themselves in hostile environments in urban rather than rural areas, herewith a bug out bag checklist:
- A holdall or small rug sack no bigger than 15 litre capacity.
- A lightweight waterproof jacket and a woolen jersey to keep you dry and warm.
- Two pairs of wool socks
- A water bottle and purifying tablets (the Aquamira brand does not taste of chlorine) as well as a survival straw or mini Sawyer filter system.
- A shemagh which can be used as shade, a towel, a small blanket, a neck scarf, extra insulation, a sling and a tourniquet if necessary.
- A torch with a spare battery
- A signaling mirror
- A small hygiene kit with a cut-down toothbrush, small tube of toothpaste, dental floss, anti-bacterial hand gel and some toilet paper.
- A notepad and writing instrument – a pencil (the shavings can act as tinder) or a Fisher pen.
- A full tang sharp knife held in a secure sheath.
- A small first aid kit with re-wrappable bandages, plasters, moleskin for blisters, pain killers and diarrhoea tablets. Keep an emergency supply of your personal medication.
- An automatic analogue watch with an alarm function.
- Three Bic lighters and a small container of cotton wool balls soaked in Vaseline.
- A button compass (to give you the cardinal points for navigation) and a local map.
- A set of lock picks, especially useful to defeat padlocks.
- Lightweight leather gloves.
- $ 200.00 or more in small denomination notes and some local currency.
This basic bug out bag list will provide you with the essentials to survive by adapting what you find in the local environment. Whilst this is not the ultimate bug out bag, the contents can be used on a regular basis before a disaster so that you are confident that they are fit for purpose.
Future articles will address urban survival tools and urban survival gear, as well as survival food and emergency food supplies.