Prepper Beginner’s Guide: Prepping Your Ultimate Bug Out Bag for Survival Camping

By Alexa Baccardi

©2013 Alexa Baccardi

Table of Contents

Disclaimer / Introduction

Chapter 1: The Bug Out “Bag”, Itself

Chapter 2: Shelter

Chapter 3: Water

Chapter 4: Fire

Chapter 5: Food

Chapter 6: First Aid Kit

Chapter 7: Tools

Chapter 8: Protection

Chapter 9: Bug Out Bag Products-For-Purchase Options

Disclaimer / Introduction

This book is meant to be used for entertainment and casual information purposes, only. It contains some suggestions about what a person can do to try and prepare for a disaster, whether man-made or natural. Neither the author nor the publisher make any claims that these are the only, or even the best, actions or items during an emergency or crisis situation. The reader agrees that by taking action of any kind as outlined in the book, the reader does so at his or her own risk. No responsibility or blame will be put on the author, publisher, or seller of this book. In the end, all decisions that the reader makes is the reader’s own, and no blame is to be put on the author, publisher or seller if a decision or item turns out to be wrong.

In other words – have your own plan of action in the event of an emergency or disaster, and simply use this book for idea generation, only.

Author’s Introduction

All around the world, preppers invest a good deal of time and effort into creating and maintaining an ideal shelter against many types of anticipated disasters. While most shelters are built like strongholds, they are not expected to be infallible. Most preppers have an exit strategy for when their base camp is compromised and part of that strategy is keeping a Bug out Bag (or BOB, for short) on the ready.

Having this pre-packed survival bag ensures that you can be on the move in little to no time – this is a useful attribute considering that a scant few minutes can make the difference between life and death in a disaster situation. A good Bug out Bag contains all the items necessary for 72+ hours of survival. It is meant to be used in any terrain, under any weather conditions. A Bug out Bag should contain items necessary to deal with most of the foreseeable dangers, while at the same time being light enough to ensure a high degree of mobility.

Why is all this preparation necessary? My own incident (not a mass disaster, per se, but still relevant) illustrates just how important it is to have the proper equipment in a survival situation.

Being an avid mountain climber I often find myself in situations most people wouldn’t encounter, and I usually have had to rely on my equipment to get me out of dangerous scenarios.  One such life threatening case happened more than 10 years ago, at the start of my mountaineering career, when I knew next to nothing about mountain gear and set out exploring armed with only enthusiasm and optimism.

At the time, my hiking party managed to get stranded in a mountain chalet due to a severe storm. Since we hadn’t packed any extra food for the trip and our provisions were dwindling, we started the trek back to the car as soon as the first break in the clouds appeared. The storm caught up with us again on the peak and didn’t let up until we reached our next camp site, a two days’ hike away from the car.

By that time we were already soaked and shivering. Our backpacks and their content fared no better (everything was soaked through). If it wasn’t for a group of kind-hearted hikers with extra sleeping bags, we would have gotten severely hypothermic (not to mention that our fire starting kit had become useless). As it was, it took almost an hour for the shivers to subside.

One of the hikers was a search and rescue member who taught us a valuable survival lesson that day – always make sure that your sleeping bag is dry (wrap it in several garbage bags if you have to). Ever since that incident I always carry waterproof material with me whenever I go climbing to make sure I will never again risk hypothermia. On top of that, I always bring extra nourishment that is both lightweight and has a high energy value, because you never know when you might be forced to extend you stay.

You can see how the above scenario can easily be transposed into a natural or man-made disaster, as these conditions can be very similar to “bugging out”.

You can avoid such incidents by being properly prepared, and this ebook is here to help you do just that. While this booklet is designed for one person, you can adjust it to fit multiple persons and/or longer survival times by increasing the amount of nourishment, getting a bigger tent for the shelter and having each member of the party carry his or her own backpack.

Chapter 1: The Bug Out “Bag”, Itself

The first item that you should consider when putting together a Bug out Bag is the bag itself. A proper “BOB” should be both durable and easy to carry – mountaineering or military backpacks are specifically designed to deal with these issues.

You need to first take into account the size of the backpack – a medium-sized (35 liter backpack) should be more than sufficient for a 3 day survival period. This gives you enough room to store all the necessary items without the extra weight that a bigger backpack would add. The material the backpack is made out of is also important – it should be water proof.

You also need to look for a backpack with a waist buckle/hip belt – the belt is specifically designed to take some of the weight off your shoulders and distribute it to your hips. By using a backpack equipped with a hip-belt you can also avoid steel frames – they are highly uncomfortable and rigid, putting more strain on your back muscles. In order to make the bag even easier to carry you need to select a backpack with padded straps and back (make sure that the straps are wide, that way they do not dig into your shoulders). A ventilation strip is an added bonus – it is located between the shoulder blades and its’ aim is to create a pocket where air can circulate between your back and the backpack, thus keeping you cool and dry on hot summer days. Last but not least, make sure your backpack has sufficient side-pockets and straps where you can store essential tools that you need to access quickly.

Packing Tips

Here are some useful packing tips that have saved me a good deal of grief on long treks. First of all, you need to know how to properly distribute the weight in your Bug out Bag. Put your tent and sleeping bag at the bottom of the backpack (you will only need them when you make camp). On top of them place the heaviest items like food cans and water bottles (they should also be close to the spine) – by doing this, your backpack has a balanced center of gravity. If you put the heavy items on the top, they can compress the lighter items, and, on top of that, the backpack will swing from side to side as you travel.

Aside from weight distribution, you need to make sure that the pack and its contents stay dry – fortunately, most modern backpacks come equipped with their own rain cover. You can add to that protection by wrapping your gear in plastic bags – when all else is wet, a dry sleeping bag and a fire are your only salvation from hypothermia. You should keep navigation instruments close at hand since you are bound to use them often when traveling. Also, make sure to have the first aid kit easily accessible – in case of a medical emergency you don’t want to waste precious time digging through the backpack to reach it. Last but not least, keep a few glucose bars (for energy) and a small water bottle at hand.

Chapter 2: Shelter

The next item in the Bug out Bag is the shelter. Choosing a proper shelter is important for long term survival – your shelter becomes your base camp and in it you can safely store your rations while you go exploring during the daytime. It is also your place of retreat when conditions deteriorate outside.

Tent

Considering how important shelter is, a four season tent is the ideal choice – regardless of the climate, you will be protected. This highly versatile tent is meant to endure in all types of environments, from the arid to the extremely cold – you only need one tent, all year round, across the globe.

When looking for a four season tent you need to make sure that it has a double wall. The double wall is very good for nighttime and cold environments, since condensation will form on the outer layer of the tent, keeping the inner layer dry. It also provides a bit of extra warmth – the air trapped between the two layers provides better insulation.

Another thing that you need to take into account is the weight of tent – a much too heavy backpack can slow you down a great deal, and generally make life miserable if you’re traveling on foot. Most double-wall 4 season tents are bound to be heavier than their single-wall counterparts – a light but durable tent of this category should weigh at most 4 kg (about 8.5 lbs).

You should also make sure that the tent is waterproof and seam sealed (that way, the water does not seep in through the seams). You can measure how waterproof a material is by using psi (pounds per square inch) or mm (millimeters of rainfall). These measurements represent the volume of water a fabric can handle over a 24-hour period before it stops being waterproof. Your tent should be able to withstand at least 2.000 mm (moderate rainfall). I would personally recommend getting a tent with 3.000 mm (heavy rainfall) – this way you can stay dry even if a strong storm takes you by surprise. The waterproof values for the groundsheet are higher – your groundsheet should have at least 5.000mm resistance, with a more ideal number centered around 10.000 mm.

Another aspect you should focus on is durability. In terms of materials, a nylon tent reinforced with silicon would be both strong and permeable (less condensation will form). We should not forget the tent poles – when it comes to durability, carbon fiber poles are the best choice since they are both lightweight and resistant. They are closely followed by aluminum alloy poles which are slightly heavier than their carbon fiber counterparts.

You will also need to ensure good ventilation. A low and high vent combination will keep a good airflow in your tent, with the colder, fresh air coming in at the bottom, and the moist air escaping at the top.

For high snow conditions it is important to take into account the shape of the tent. A dome shaped tent will fare much better since the snow will just slide off the top of the tent, thus preventing it from buckling under the weight. Tunnel shape tents can also be used in these conditions with the warning that the prepper should tap the roof from time to time to remove excess snow.

Sleeping Bag

While the tent is used as a cover against the elements, the sleeping bag is the one that provides the warmth necessary for a good night’s rest. The trouble with choosing a good all year round sleeping bag is the temperature fluctuations between the seasons. Most sleeping bags are designed with a narrow comfort interval (between the highest and lowest recommended temperatures). While there are numerous multiple season sleeping bags on the market, they are designed to fare better at colder temperatures. Thus, preppers using such bags in the summer might find themselves having to swim out of the bag in the morning. Nevertheless, a warmer sleeping bag is to be preferred over the more summer suited bags. With a winter suited sleeping bag, you can open the zipper to ventilate the bag better in summer time. However, with a summer sleeping bag in winter you should come prepared with a lot of warm clothes.

That being said, when buying a sleeping bag you should pay attention to the comfort level and upper and lower temperature limits. Before going to the shop, take the time to do a bit of internet research on the average temperature readings in your area and make sure your chosen bag fits them. You should try to choose the sleeping bag based on the lower temperatures as it is easier to adjust to warmer weather.

Another thing you need to watch out for is weight. Make sure your sleeping bag weighs no more than 1,5 kg, or about 3.5 lbs (keep in mind that this adds to the weight of the tent accessories). Some of the higher quality sleeping bags can weigh as little as 800 g or about 1.5 lbs.

Directly related to the above categories, insulation type is also important when selecting a sleeping bag. The most known insulation materials are down (feathers) and synthetic insulation. While synthetic insulation performs better when wet and requires less grooming time it also weighs more than down insulation. I would recommend getting down insulation since it is warmer than its counterpart and weighs significantly less. Just take special care to wrap the sleeping bag in several plastic bags to ensure it stays dry.

In terms of shape, I would personally recommend using rectangle shaped sleeping bags, as opposed to the mummy style ones, as the former gives more range of motion and the latter can feel too stifling (especially in summer time). Also make sure your sleeping bag has a double sided zipper – so you can open it from both outside and inside.

In order to better use the sleeping bag, it should be paired with a sleeping mat since a lot of body heat is lost through contact with the cold ground. Using a sleeping mat reduces heat loss and helps save you from rheumatism. The author’s pick in terms of sleeping mats lies with a closed cell foam mat (similar to yoga mats) – it is significantly lighter than an air bed or mattress and it is easy to set up.

Setting Up Camp Tips

Below you can find several tips that make setting up camp easier.

First and foremost, location is very important – make sure you are not too close to rivers to prevent flooding, also, when setting the tent up in a forest, steer away from dry stream beds (water tends to travel down the mountain along already existent paths – look out for signs of that on the forest floor). You should also keep out of the wind  – build a rock wall on the windiest side (this method is also used when building mountain shelters that have to endure high winds). In winter, avoid avalanche paths (big ‘corridors’ between trees are signs that the area is regularly ‘cleared’ of vegetation) and make sure to clear the snow at the top of the tent, but leave some snow at the sides (snow is a great insulator – provides added warmth).

When setting up the tent, make sure it is well anchored (you do not want it flying away in the middle of the night). A good way to do that is to use some heavy rocks, aside from driving the tent spikes into the ground – this provides an extra bit of safety during high wind conditions. In addition, if you own a double wall tent, you need to keep the two layers apart, otherwise, if there is not sufficient space between them, when it rains the flysheet (outer layer) will stick to the inner layer and your tent will be dripping.

Chapter 3: Water

Water is another important element of the Bug out Bag. While you can potentially survive several weeks without food, without water you would die of dehydration in around three to five days. And before that your judgment would be severely impaired and your internal organs would start to fail one by one. In order to prevent dehydration you need to have sufficient amounts of water. However, not just any water will do – it has to be potable, otherwise you risk severely upsetting you stomach and getting dehydrated even faster than had you not drank in the first place.

Water contamination is considered to be the leading cause of death and disease worldwide. As such, you need to make sure that you have a readily available source of fresh, potable water. There are several useful items that you can pack in order to insure that.

First and foremost you need some water containers. When you are selecting a water container it is important to consider it based on its weight/resistance ratio. Namely, you are looking for something light and durable. I would recommend using a foldable bottle – it is in essence similar to a water bag. It is very light and has the advantage of taking up very little space when empty. A good collapsible water bag should be able to withstand temperatures between -20 to + 100 degrees Celsius (-4 to +212 degrees F).

Another useful item is a pack of water purification tablets. The tablets are a form of chemical water disinfection and are recommended for longer survival trips. By having your own purification system, you are no longer dependant on the amount of water you can carry. When buying these tablets you should take note of the substance used as a base for disinfection – the most effective and common used are iodine and chlorine-dioxide based tablets (chlorine is also used when treating tap water).

Tablets are considered to be more effective than UV (ultra violet) water purification methods since some parasites and bacteria are less sensitive to UV light, while tablets can deal with most of them. Furthermore, tablets also offer several advantages over ceramic filters – they are lighter, they occupy less space, they offer residual protection after use and they also work on viruses (ceramic filters cannot filter most viruses). Make sure to get enough tablets to purify 4 liters (about 1 gallon) of water per person per day.

Another means of purification is the well known method of water boiling combined with adding some activated charcoal. This mix is very effective because boiling the water eliminates most bacteria and parasites and the active charcoal can deal with chemical contamination (if there is, for instance, a concentration of heavy metals in the local water source).

In order to boil the water, you should have a lightweight cooking pot – mountaineering equipment is ideal in this case as it is built to be light and durable. Look for pots made out of aluminum and titanium and make sure they weigh no more than 1 kg (about 2 pounds).

As for acquiring the second element, activated charcoal, I recommend buying activated charcoal tablets. These tablets are also used by medics when treating cases of poisoning – they work by trapping chemicals inside the charcoal (activated charcoal is porous). You should pay special attention to the recommended dosage – use about 1 gram (.03 ounces) for each kilogram (2.2 lbs) of body mass and make sure not to mix it with allergy medication. You can ask a local pharmacist or a medic for further information.

Water Packing and Purifying Tips

When traveling, it is essential to know the quantity of water required for your survival trip. The average human requires around 2 liters of water per day, in normal conditions. However, when traveling in very hot or humid areas, people require much more fluids as they can sweat up to a few liters in a day, even if they are not very active. In this case, the recommended dosage would be of 4 or more liters per day (at least 1 gallon/day).

However, when considering trips that last longer than a day, carrying so much water starts to become unfeasible. Therefore, a prepper should try to set up camp close to a fresh water source, preferably running water, since it is less likely to contain larger amounts of bacteria and parasites than stagnant water. In this case, it is essential to ensure that the water is potable. As a general rule of thumb, it is always better to collect drinking water from as high upstream as possible since it is less contaminated. A friend of mine once had the ‘pleasure’ of discovering a dead black goat further up the stream that he had taken water from.

The best place to get drinking water is from the source of a spring, as the ground provides a good filter for parasites and bacteria. In winter time, snow can also be used as a good source of water, however, preppers should not try to eat the snow. Eating snow reduces your core body temperature and makes you more prone to hypothermia. If you do not want to stop to build a fire, then you can put some snow in a small container and place it close to your body, that way, in time, your body heat will melt it.

Chapter 4: Fire

Another vital element for long term survival is making a fire – it can help you with anything from purifying water and cooking to keeping predators at bay. You can even use a fire to signal your position in a rescue scenario, or to sterilize tools in medical emergencies. Modern day fire starting kits are designed to help you get a fire going in any weather condition. Below you can find a list of items to include in your very own fire starting kit.

Fire Starting Gear

You can start by selecting waterproof matches.  Preppers should look for ‘lifeboat’ matches – they have a longer chemical head which performs better in wet and windy conditions. These matches were tested by the military – they can withstand gale force winds and still burn even when under water. Lifeboat matches are also easier to use (and less time consuming) than regular flint and steel.

That being said, current advancements in the design of flint make fire starting as easy as lighting a cigarette. While being durable, the flint lighter is still light and small. It is the sparking mechanism of choice for military issued fire starting kits.

Once you’ve got a sparking mechanism you need some tinder – easily flammable material – to get your fire going. The military uses fuel soaked cotton pads as tinder since the cotton is light and airy, and the fuel ensures that even the smallest spark can get it burning. Additionally, this tinder should function even when wet.

Another type of tinder you could use is char-cloth – highly flammable fabric obtained by burning vegetable fiber (e.g. cotton) at high temperatures in an oxygen deprived environment. Char-cloth is a traditional component of tinder boxes – it is used as a means of igniting the actual tinder bundle.

Combining both sparking mechanism and tinder, a bar of magnesium with ferrocerium attached is a fire starting kit used by many campers and alpinists. Magnesium shavings, when ignited, are very hard to be put out and can ignite even wet kindling. Alpinists prefer to carry magnesium in a bar because in this form, it is very hard to ignite. The ferrocerium is used in making a spark. Given the low weight of all the items listed above, it is recommended to have at least two different methods of getting a fire started.

Tips on Starting and Maintaining a Fire

You will first need to select a good place for the fire – make sure the area is cleared of vegetation, and when camping in a forest keep clear of low hanging branches. Previous fireplaces are ideal from this point of view. (Note: if it’s been extremely dry weather – a forest or anyplace with dry brush are ill-advised places to build a fire, due to mass fire hazard potential).

Next, you should surround your fire with stones to prevent it from spreading. If you have sufficient time, you can build a rock wall on the opposite direction from where you want the heat distributed – this arrangement is useful for when you want keep warm for the night.

Before you start the fire, you should have all the kindling and logs you will need ready at hand. As a general rule of thumb, you have to get double the amount of wood that you expect to need – fire burns through fuel quicker than most people estimate and from personal experience, it isn’t pleasant when you have to go out in the middle of the night to get some more wood.

Also, you need to be careful what type of wood you select for your fire – avoid as much as possible wood that burns too fast or that releases too much smoke. In order to be able to do this, you can either do some research on the types of wood available in your area and its burning properties, or, do a small scale test before you start your fire (burn a sample of your wood to see how it behaves).

Further on, you need to decide which fire building method you want to use. If the wood you found is wet, or if you only want to cook, I recommend making a classic teepee fire. In this case, you should make sure to leave some small gaps when stacking the wood, as fire needs oxygen to burn, so you should not smother it.

If, on the other hand, you want to keep the fire burning for the entire night without you watching it, then you should arrange the wood in a pyramid shape, with the fire at the top burning its way down. You create this shape by forming a base of two parallel logs on top of which you add rows of wood, each layer at a right angle from the previous one.

In case of rain you can cover the area above your fire with some waterproof material. You should keep in mind that you will need to cover a larger area than just that directly above the fire since rain can come down at an angle. Also you will need to make sure that the material you are using is high enough not to catch fire (at least one meter / 3 feet above).

When leaving your camping spot, you should douse the fire with water, then stir the coals and repeat the procedure. Coals can still be smoldering underneath even if the surface cooled off, so you should be able to stick your bare hand all the way through the ashes and not feel any warmth. It is better to be safe than start a forest fire – during hot summers and in more arid areas all you need is a drifting spark for the whole forest to be set aflame.

Chapter 5: Food

Food is always a concern when surviving in the wilderness. Having a balanced diet will keep you supplied with a steady amount of energy for the entire day and enable you to perform other actions essential for survival – like maintaining the fire or searching for water sources.

Food Type

When selecting the type of food you want to pack, you should look for items that provide both high energy and slow release, like a honey and nut bar. In this example, the sugars in the honey provide a high boost of energy and the proteins in the nuts ensure that it gets released over a longer period of time (instead of just burning through it). The slow release is important because it allows you to keep going with less snacking breaks along the way.

You can also look for foods that contain necessary vitamins like B, C, D and calcium and magnesium. Pack a few vegetables and fruit – oranges have high levels of vitamin C and fiber, carrots are good for vitamin A. You can pack some cans of tuna since fish is a good source of vitamin D, and take some cheese with you – all dairy products are rich in calcium (of course, you must recognize that refrigeration will likely be a hindrance for perishable food or leftovers, especially in the summer, so perishables should be eaten first).

Precooked meals like soup packs are very light and can last for a long time without refrigeration. Canned food is ideal in terms of shelf stability (it can last very long) however it is quite heavy. The military issued Meal, Ready to Eat (MRE) are an ideal food choice employed by campers and alpinists alike. They are lightweight, contain complex meals for a balanced diet and come in many versions (including vegetarian meals).  You can also consider packing freeze-dried foods – they are lighter and retain more taste than their dehydrated counterparts.

Gear

In terms of gear, there are three functionalities you need to take into consideration, namely storing, cooking and hunting.

First off, you need to consider how to store food, for instance, if traveling in a region with regular bear activity, having a bear canister is a lifesaver. The bear canister is a sealed container that prevents the bears from smelling your food and subsequently attacking you or your camp. In terms of storage, you should avoid using glass containers like jars when packing – if you bring an item that is originally stored in glass you should transfer it to a plastic container.

In order to cook your food or boil water you need to have a lightweight cooking pot, preferably made out of aluminum and titanium (that makes it both durable and lightweight). You should take into account the number of people in your travel party when selecting the size of the pot – a 2-3 liter (1/2 – &frac34; gal.) pot is good for one person. Every extra liter added afterwards accounts for one more person. You should not forget packing an aluminum cup for ease of eating – and depending on the weight of your bag, you might want to consider adding a soup ladle.

Another useful item is a spork – a combination of spoon and fork that saves weight and space. Alongside it you should pack a knife – one of the most essential tools for cooking (and otherwise). Look for a knife with a fixed, long and thick blade– it is more durable than a foldable knife and the length and thickness of the blade make it more versatile. Your knife is also very useful for hunting when preparing traps and snares and later on cleaning the meat.

The most efficient and lightweight hunting item you can pack is a snare wire. Snare wires should be made out of strong materials – usually some sort of metal or gout and should be equipped with a washer lock at the end (to make it easy to set up). You can also try fishing with some fishing line and a hook or, if you want to spend less time on obtaining food you can set up a fish trap. Mesh fish traps are significantly lighter than plastic or metal ones and also occupy less space (they can be folded).

Tips for Packing, Foraging and Hunting

When packing, you should make sure to always store more food than is strictly necessary for the trip, that way you should still have some provisions should unexpected situations prolong your stay in the wild. Should you get stranded, do not panic and organize your rations to last you the maximum amount of time. Take care not to starve yourself since you will need your strength to be able to take advantage of a rescue opportunity when it presents itself.  For this situation, it is good to pack high energy bars – mountain climbers prefer to have some glucose bars at hand when climbing as they offer a high energy boost with just a small bite.

At your campsite you should either keep food items away from your tent or store them in bear canisters to prevent a bear attack. Bears have very sensitive noses that can smell a bit of meat even through plastic; therefore you should make sure you get a metal, air tight container. For the same reasons, you should clean all hunted animals as far away as you can from your camp grounds.

Avoid as much as possible eating plants from the wild – unless you are very familiar with the plant. This applies to both mushrooms and berries – while most people stay clear of mushrooms, many do not realize that berries can be equally as poisonous.

Also, when encountering blackberries or raspberries keep a look out for bears – they like to snack on berries and they keep track of the berry bushes in their territory – you don’t want to encounter a bear on its feeding ground.

In terms of meat, large game is harder to hunt, however you can set up snares to catch smaller animals like rabbits or beavers. Look at the forest floor for animal trails – the best place to set up a snare is at a point where several trails intersect. If you will not shy away from insects, you can look beneath fallen logs for ants, termites or grubs – they contain a lot more proteins per gram than even beef or pork. Alternatively, you can try to fish if there is a body of water near your camp. Fish like to gather near rocks in fast flowing rivers, or around sheltered areas (like in the shade of a tree) in lakes and ponds.

Chapter 6: First Aid Kit

Needless to say, a first aid kit is essential in any survival situation, from treating small wounds that have the potential of getting infected to tending to major wounds and stabilizing the victim for eventual rescue.

Firstly, you need to include items for treating minor injuries like bandages, dressings, and some adhesive tape to hold it in place. You should add some alcohol pads or a bottle of disinfectant to clean the wound. Surgical gloves are another essential piece of equipment – to keep you from contaminating a wound.

If you are taking any medication you should bring it with you in a waterproof container. You can add some light antibiotics, aspirin and antidiuretic pills. Tetracycline is very good when dealing with diseases caused by tick, flea and louse bites.

For immobilizing fractures you can include some splints in your kit, however, you can manufacture splits out of available wood and repurpose long sleeved shirts as slings.

Preppers that are allergic to insect bites should carry a sting kit with them. The kit should include an antihistamine and an epinephrine auto-injector. You can complete this kit by adding an extractor pump – useful for extracting the venom out of the wound.

Having a tourniquet is very useful in case of severe blood loss – if a vein or artery was damaged. However, preppers should be cautioned that tourniquets are immediate lifesaving instruments and should not be kept in place for an extended period of time, or else the victim risks losing his or her limb. In this situation, it is vital to call for rescue.

Chapter 7: Tools

When it comes to tools, multi-functionality is the key aspect in keeping your Bug out Bag as light as possible. A multi-purpose knife operates under the same principle – it contains a variety of tools in a small package. However, you should also be careful that the equipment you select doesn’t sacrifice quality for quantity – what use is a tool that can do 10 things badly?

I would recommend packing an axe and clipper combination since it is good for both cutting wood and setting up snares. You should also pack a small sewing kit for potential tears in clothing, backpack or tent material. It should contain some strong thread and a needle. You might want to add a compass for navigation, in which case make sure that its casing is strong and keep it away from magnets. If living in a snow prone area you might want to consider packing a foldable snow shovel – the added weight is justified by it’s usefulness in clearing space. Last but not least, a flashlight with spare batteries is obviously a required tool on any overnight excursion.

Chapter 8: Protection

When traveling in wilderness it is good to have some modicum of protection against the local wildlife. If your area is notorious for snake activity, wear high boots – the snake strike area lies between ankle and knee. Simple advice and a bit of gear can save you from a painful and potentially fatal encounter.

In terms of comfort, having a can of bug spray should help keep your evenings insect-free and also prevent you from contracting a disease. Strong bug spray should keep at bay mosquitoes, fleas and ticks. Some insect repellents come in powdered or more solid form – and you can add them to your fire to protect your campsite. Look for an insect repellant that contains ‘deet’ – it is the active substance that deters insects from approaching you.

Of course, if you are so inclined, a gun or rifle of some kind lends itself to pretty good protection. For weight purposes, obviously a handgun would be easiest to carry and would protect (and be useful in hunting) of small game and even for protection against other humans who might mean you harm, in such disaster cases such as civil unrest. A handgun may not be all that effective against a bear, however.

If guns aren’t your style, Firecrackers are highly recommended against wolves or felines – the noise and smell will often deter them from approaching or pursuing you further (for the moment). They should buy enough time to let you get a fire going. However, you should never use firecrackers when confronted with a bear – it does little to no damage and only serves to enrage the bear.

As such, when dealing with bears it is good to have a different tool, like a whistle since most bear attacks occur during surprise encounters with humans. Bears generally want to keep away from humans and blowing on the whistle from time to time may help ensure that they stay clear of your path. If you DO come across a charging bear, keep bear deterrent spray within a moment’s reach! It can be effective in many cases, but you likely won’t have time to search for it!

Chapter 9: Bug Out Bag Products-For-Purchase Options

Before moving on to the products page (which has links to survival product options that you can purchase right away!), let me just say that it has been a pleasure writing this booklet for you. And while I sincerely hope you never have to use it because of an emergency situation, I hope that it has at least made you a little more prepared if a “bug out” situation does arise – OR – if you just want to go an extreme camping adventure!

If you have found this guide helpful, would you please do me a HUGE favor and write the book a review?

Thank you – and God Bless!

Alexa

Below you will find a list of useful links for purchasing many of the items mentioned in this guide. (Note: Pay special attention to the customer reviews! Also, these links are Amazon.com associate links, so purchasing through these links could result in commissions for the publisher of this book – thanks.):

Purchasing Options:

Bug Out Bag Backpacks (Click Link)

4 Seasons Tents (Click Link)

Collapsible Water Bottles (Click Link)

Sleeping Bags (Click Link)

Sleeping Mats (Click Link)

Backpacking Pots and Pans (Click Link)

Water Purification Tablets (Click Link)

Activated Charcoal Tablets (Click Link)

Fire Starting Kit (Click Link)

Lifeboat Matches (Click Link)

Magnesium Fire Starting Kit (Click Link)

Bear Resistant Containers (Click Link)

Bear Attack Deterrent Spray (Click Link)

Titanium Cups (Click Link)

Titanium Cookware and Utensils (Click Link)

Multi-Purpose Knife (Click Link)

Snare Wires and Kits (Click Link)

Collapsible Fish Traps (Click Link)

Table of Contents

Prepper Beginner's Guide: Prepping Your Ultimate Bug Out Bag for Survival Camping

Table of Contents

Disclaimer / Introduction

Chapter 1: The Bug Out “Bag”, Itself

Chapter 2: Shelter

Chapter 3: Water

Chapter 4: Fire

Chapter 5: Food

Chapter 6: First Aid Kit

Chapter 7: Tools

Chapter 8: Protection

Chapter 9: Bug Out Bag Products-For-Purchase Options