In any disaster or crisis situation, a bug out bag is your key to survival. If your grandfather prepared a bug out bag years ago and your never faced any emergency situation then it's wise to update the BOB. There are better survival kits in the market and you must not solely rely on what your grandfather bought. The prime idea is to keep it effective and ready.
There is nothing wrong in leaving the survival kit untouched for months and some things can be left for years. But if any edible items are left for a long time, they will go stale. When you bug out in a hurry, there won't be any point of carrying heavy junk that you can't even use.
Essentially, the components of the Bug out bag must be kept clean, recharged, checked and replaced so that the survival kit remains effective. For instance, you can place a check card that will display the expiry of the contents within. This is important measure if there are any time sensitive items in the bag. The items that will need to be replaced from the bug out bag are as follows:
- First aid kit including dressing and band aids that will lose their sterility
- Expired water purification tablets
- BatteriesHygiene kit
- Supplements and oral medications taken regularly by any family member
- Clothing that gets short
On the flip side, there are some long-term storage items like flash lights and radio receivers that can remain effective for years. However, you can drop in from time to time to check their effectiveness. The batteries must be kept unpacked and away from the device where they have to be used.
According to the sods law, the batteries kept in the kit will leak dramatically if they are kept in an expensive kit. So when you have to bug out, make sure your kit is able to deliver what is expected from it.
Since there is too much information about bugging out available on the web, it raises a lot of confusion about how to prepare a bug out bag. The first question you may ask is what are your means for bugging out? Are you bugging out on a vehicle or on foot? Your considerations for bug out bag will vary accordingly. For instance, if there is an instant emergency and you can't load your vehicle, then its best to bug out on foot.