What You Should Keep in Your Go-Bag

When stocking a bug-out or go-bag, the first thing many of us think about is including a rifle and pistol as well as plenty of ammunition. Although breaking down your AR15 and placing the upper receiver and lower onto your bag is fundamental, you need to include several other just as essential items.

While this list is not all-inclusive, here are a few basic things you’ll need to add to your go-bag.

Choosing The Bag

Believe it or not, picking the right carry bag is almost as important as the items you intend to put in it. Not only should your go bag include bare emergency essentials, but it also needs items such as MOLLE attachments, hydration compartments inside, and a grab-and-go handle.

Remember, when you really must hustle to get to safety, you may not have the luxury of time on your side. You need a durable bag that can handle most of what you need to take with you and that’s light enough for quick travel if necessary.

There are so many bags to choose from, but you may want to make sure your go-bag comes with the RUSH™ Tier System inside.

Inside and Outside the Go-Bag

You may choose to attach your AR15 to the outside of your go-bag and store several loaded magazines inside, and that’s perfect. There are several just as critical things to consider when stocking the perfect go-bag.

Communication is a crucial factor if you must move in a hurry, so you’ll want to include a battery-operated radio or even a hand-cranking style of communication. Whether you intend to communicate frequently, or the need isn’t as critical, it’s still wise to include additional batteries to be safe.

Since cash is still king, think about socking away some currency in your go-bag. You’re go-bag doesn’t need to have so much money that it’s a literal Fort Knox, but at least store a few hundred dollars to be on the safe side.

Emergency blankets are another vital thing to include in your go-bag. There may be situations when dealing with the elements; the only thing protecting you is a blanket you brought along with you in your go-bag.

Always keep in mind the reason you’re stocking a go-bag in the first place. Something has occurred that caused you to leave your domicile in a hurry. Have extra keys to your house and automobiles stored in your go-bag if you either lose the originals or can’t get to them.

Things You May Not Think About

Many times, we don’t think of certain things to include in our go bags. The same goes for any important documents such as passports, marriage certificates, proof of residency, etc. If proper identification becomes necessary, you’ll be glad you have them available.

Another thing you’ll want to include in your go-bag is a powerful flashlight and extra batteries. Today’s market offers a wide variety of compact mini lights that throw out some fantastic lumens and are compact and light.  

When moving about quickly, there is always the chance of injury, so having a tactical field emergency kit should be something to consider putting in your bag. Your field emergency kit also needs to include medications such as aspirin, rubbing alcohol, and antiseptic spray.  

Starting a Fire, Drinking, and Eating

Of course, there may come a time when you can’t get to a place that has running water or food, so storing several bottles of potable water and stocking up on MRE or meals ready to eat should be an essential part of your bag.

If starting a fire is necessary, and often if you’re out in the open, it is, matches or a perma-match are something you should think about including in your go-bag. Today’s market has several types of fire sticks that will do the trick for you, even in moist or damp conditions.

Many of us don’t think about when we’re in a situation where water is available, such as a stream or lake, but it’s not typically safe to drink. Yes, you can boil the water to make it safe, but this is certainly problematic when forced to hunker down in a cold campsite without a fire.  

That’s when water purification tablets are needed. Be sure to include an ample supply of pills for those times when you need to be sure the water you’re drinking won’t make you sick.

Waterproofing

While you certainly need water to drink, you also need to protect yourself and what you’ve stocked in your go-bag safe from rain and damp conditions. That’s where storing things that need to stay dry in waterproof bags is essential.  

Think of it this way. Anything you put in your go-bag that won’t operate very long in wet conditions needs to go inside a waterproof bag. Necessary documents, electrical equipment, matches, and food all need to stay dry and protected and the best way to do that is to store them in waterproof bags.

One Tool to Do It All

No go-bag would be complete without a multi-tool. There may be times when you need to saw branches to make a crude shelter. You may experience situations where you need to use the blade of a knife, a screwdriver, or scissors.

You can throw all three into your go-bag, but the best way to have all of these is by including a single tool that can perform any and every task you need.

The Need Dictates the Bag

Lastly, think about the situation you’re planning for and stock accordingly. If you believe an emergency will involve an abundance of tactical movement and dynamic conditions, you may need to select some items over others.

A good rule of thumb is to plan for whatever the situation may be and stock accordingly.

If you’re going to be away for only a couple of days, you may not need a ton of food and water, so you can pack light and go heavy on ammunition if you need to.

Conversely, if your bug-out may end up being a marathon event, you’ll need to make sure the food, water, and first aid supplies take up most of the space in your bag.