You wake up in a hospital after an accident, and you find that you are alone and abandoned by everyone. Lost, you discover an apocalyptic landscape where zombies have taken over the world around you! No, of course we're not in The Walking Dead! But our good old Rick and his sidekicks would have liked to be able to prepare for the end of the world before it showed up!
Whether you're a survivalist convinced that the inevitable will happen or simply someone who likes to be prepared, we're going to explain what you should include in your survival bag or evacuation bag.
What is a survival bag?
It's a broad question, but it's important to understand that it's a very personal matter. Indeed, if you live in a mountainous region at high altitude, for example, your bag will need to adapt to the defined conditions. Moreover, is this bag intended for the survival of a single person or an entire family? It's primarily up to you to define your priorities, but let's look together at the important points not to neglect.
Before discussing which essential survival tools to put in your evacuation bag, choosing the bag is the first thing to do. Depending on your level of demand and preparation, you should choose the right backpack volume. To make your life easier, 5.11 Tactical offers the Rush 2.0 range. This line comes in three options with backpack volumes to stay self-sufficient for 12, 24, or 72 hours. Thus, the 5.11 bag volumes range from 24 Liters to 55 Liters. Of very good quality and ingeniously designed, this backpack range will never let you down and will accompany you for a great many years!
Well, once the backpack is chosen, here is a list (non-exhaustive) of the main items to include in your survival bag.
First aid kit
Is there a doctor in the house? Of course not! You'll have to manage minor injuries and other medical care on your own. Having medical knowledge will be a real asset and could save lives. Beyond knowledge, you need a minimum of equipment. For this, Arva and Sol have provided complete first aid kits or survival kits to deal with delicate situations. Thus, you will find in small optimized boxes all the necessities such as sterile compresses, syringes, bandages, thermometers, scissors, and more. The advantage of these survival kits is that they have been designed to contain the essentials without overloading your survival bag.
A Fire Steel or ignition kit
Easy to use, the fire steel or flint will be very useful for lighting a fire at any time. Whether it's to warm yourself or prepare a meal, having a fire starter is essential in survival conditions. The products offered on your Kodiak Store will allow you to light a fire even in humid conditions. You'll see that the choice of Fire Steel is made based on the number of uses and the format of this outdoor tool. Good to know, the SOL brand offers an ignition kit with a lighter usable 5000 times as well as 20 wicks for a very quick fire start. These fire-lighting tools should have a prime spot in your evacuation bag. Some brands like Wildsteer offer knives with sheaths that will easily allow storage of a Firesteel.
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Protective clothing and sleeping kit
The weather may not necessarily be your best ally. Therefore, remember to pack suitable clothing that will keep you warm. These should be lightweight and high-performance to avoid overloading your BoB (Bug-out Bag). The poncho to protect you from rain remains a must-have. For nighttime comfort, SOL offers a whole series of reliable and high-quality items to ensure your safety. You will find an ideal survival blanket, an emergency shelter kit, as well as a sleeping kit that will retain 70% of body heat.
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Paracord
A versatile and essential tool for survival, with paracord you have the assurance of having an ultra-resistant cord at hand. You'll find it useful for building a shelter, setting traps, or repairing just about anything. Capable of supporting a load of 250 Kg, many survival knives have this cord in their handles. Available in several lengths ranging from 7 meters to 30 meters (25 Ft or 100 Ft), it is also offered in the form of a survival bracelet that provides 4 to 5 meters of paracord. To make this paracord even more versatile, it is also offered in an inflammable version (Firecord) or with a fishing line among the strands that compose it.
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A flashlight or headlamp
Seeing and being seen is essential to avoid injuring yourself during a bad fall while waiting for rescue to arrive. Ideally, you should plan for two light sources in your BoB. An LED headlamp to navigate safely in your improvised camp will be ideal. For excursions and progressions, a long-range flashlight is essential. You should choose waterproof lamps that offer several lighting modes and long battery life. You will find on Kodiak Store a wide selection of flashlights offered by Nitecore and Ledlenser.
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A multi-tool
Cutting, sawing, pinching, screwing, filing, etc... It's obvious that dragging dad's toolbox that weighs a ton is not the smartest thing to do in a survival situation. For this, the multi-tool knife remains a very good alternative. It is thus an essential survival tool to have in your evacuation bag. Leatherman offers multi-tools that have up to 19 tools. These will provide you with the essential tools for survival and should be owned by everyone for daily EDC (Everyday Carry). Note that there are also super practical multi-function bracelets. Incredibly well designed, these survival bracelets guaranteed for 30 years offer no less than 29 tools around your wrist.
A survival knife
Obviously, it's a must-have! You'll need to think carefully about choosing this one! Indeed, a survival knife with a long blade will be ideal for splitting wood. However, it won't be versatile and therefore not suitable for work that requires more precision. The ideal would be to create a pair, for example with an ESEE Model 6 for heavy-duty work and an ESEE Izula 2 for precision. The brand Mora offers excellent bushcraft knives at very affordable prices.
Ideally choose a steel that is not sensitive to moisture. Also ensure that it offers good edge retention as well as easy maintenance with a sharpening stone. Survival enthusiasts will prefer fixed blade knives for strength and reliability. That being said, Cold Steel offers an excellent blade locking system, the Tri-Ad Lock. Indestructible, you can thus opt for the SR1 and benefit from the advantages of a folding survival knife.
A water filtration system
It's well known that we can go 3 minutes without breathing, 30 days without eating, and 3 days without drinking. Staying hydrated will allow you to remain clear-headed about making good decisions in tricky situations. Bringing a water filtration system with you in your survival bag will also prevent you from getting sick by drinking non-potable water. Water purification systems are very effective and will eliminate 99.9% of bacteria. Thus, you can opt for the filtering straw if you're alone or large capacity filtration systems of 12 liters for example for you and your family.
Food
It will be possible for you to go without eating for a few days. But since you can't become a hunter overnight, it will be useful to bring food with you. This way, you can fuel up on energy and optimize your capabilities. Avoid fresh and perishable products; your choice should turn to long-lasting foods. You'll need to find the best compromise between caloric intake, bulk, weight, and practicality. Taste? Yes, it's important, but don't forget that you're not on vacation but in a survival situation. Thus, the freeze-dried kit remains a very good alternative. When making your provisions, remember that you will need to consume an average of 2000 calories per day (to be adjusted according to your activity level and body type).
How to pack your evacuation bag?
Personally, I hate accompanying my wife shopping and seeing her rummage through her handbag for long seconds to finally be able to whip out her means of payment. It's a lack of preparation and anticipation that doesn't fit my personality. It's obvious that you'll need to organize your survival bag to avoid this "handbag effect". Thus, your evacuation bag should be carefully prepared so that you can very quickly pull out the tool you're looking for. Therefore, we advise you to arrange the items in order of priority and urgency. Don't put a knife that could potentially be used for self-defense at the bottom of the bag because it won't be with your water filter straw that you're going to deter an aggressor.