Step 3: Self-Reliance for 2 Weeks & Intro to“Bug Out Bags”
There used to be recommendations out there (you know, from official sources), that you needed at least 3 days worth of supplies in case of an emergency. That has now changed. Now the recommendation is at least 2 weeks worth of supplies so you can be completely self-reliant in the event of an emergency. That’s a little bit more than a couple cans of pasta sauce, a kg of pasta from Costco, and a couple candles, I’d say.
I’ve seen many lists out there, and different ideas for how much food and water you would need, and everyone’s situation is different. The point here is to have enough to get through “it” without having to suffer.
Where I’m at
My ultimate goal is to create a system that incorporates our “bug-out-bags” or BOBs (to grab and go if you need to get out fast, like you would in an evacuation situation) with our “stay-home-kit” or SHK, to keep everything as simple and streamlined as possible. Our individual bags would have everything we need to get out fast and keep us safe until we get to wherever it is we’re going - for up to 3 days. This might be by car or on foot, so these need to be backpacks with my partner and I carrying the majority of the load. Then in a bin or two in the garage, we’d ideally have all the extras to sustain us at home for a longer period of up to two weeks. Things like more water, food (especially heavy things like tins of soup/chili/etc.), generator, etc. For now though, I’ll work on getting the BOBs ready, and then build up the Home kit.
For the longest time, our emergency kit was basically big jugs of water, some N95 masks left-over from the pandemic, a couple freeze dried meals, and some extra fire making things from my SAR 24-hour pack in a big tupperware bin in the garage.
But now I’m started to get a little more focused. So far, I’ve raided my kitchen for some foods that we regularly eat anyway, that have a BB date at least 6 months in the future (I have a note to do twice yearly checks for soon-expiring food). Things like tins of bean chili, soups, a sleeve of cookies. Important morale boosters. I’ve added some things to my first aid kit, like roller gauze and some more gauze pads, and put that down in the SHK.
I also have a long history of outdoor activities, camping, hiking and climbing. Over the years I’ve accumulated a lot of gear, and over the last few days I’ve been going through all the things I don’t need for my SAR pack, and adding it to our SHK. This has added a lot of useful gear that would be expensive to buy all at once:
siltarp
super glue
msr dragonfly camp stove
cordage
old camping knife (just a small blade for doing work where I don’t mind if I damage the blade)
my two-person tent
waterfilter
water purification tabs
spare headlamps
dry bags for keeping gear organized and dry (obviously)
So I’m on a roll and decide to have a schmooze around the dollar store to see what I could get. A small standard blue tarp, individual packs of tissues and zipties were in my haul. (And the kid got a stickerbook to prevent a meltdown ha).
Then to the grocery store to see if there were any little bits I could just tack on to my regular shopping to help get some “meat” into our SHK/BOBs. I ended up getting:
a box of nitrile gloves (which I needed for our 1st aid kits and my SAR pack anyway)
different sizes of roller gauze
ducttape
hand sanitizer
pack of lysol wipes
shelf stable oat milk (for coffees obviously)
“just add hot water” noodle bowls
peanut butter
And lastly, for now, the other week I needed to order a couple things for my SAR pack, and saw that cutlery sets were on sale - so I hooked us up with 4 sets for our little family. Each on a carabiner to keep them separate. I also splurged and got some good quality instant coffee, though I’ve only got enough for 2 of us for 2 days, so I’ll need to add to that a little.
The point I’m trying to keep in mind throughout this whole process is making sure I’m getting things that we actually like and will eat/consume as they sit unused and need replacing in our kits.
What I’ve got:
food for 3 days for 4 of us (including: freeze dried meals, cans of soup/chili, instant coffee, shelf stable oat milk (for coffees obviously), “just add hot water” noodle bowls, peanut butter, cookies)
water for 4 days for 4 of us (and the cat)
cat food for 3 days
first aid kit (needs some additions)
6x8 standard blue tarp
cordage
masks
ziplock bags
lighter
fire-starter cubes
siltarp
super glue
msr dragonfly camp stove
old camping knife (just a small blade for doing work where I don’t mind if I damage the blade)
my two-person tent
waterfilter
water purification tabs
spare headlamps
dry bags for keeping gear organized and dry (obviously)
ducttape
hand sanitizer
pack of lysol wipes
So there is a lot to be desired here. BUT! I’ve started and I’ve got more than I had when I just had some jugs of water in an “emergency kit” sat in the garage. That’s what’s been down there for months. I’ve added to it, and that feels pretty great.
Where I need to get to
This list is an amalgamation of things I’ve found online and my own family’s unique needs (we have a cat, for example). I’m sure this will slowly evolve over time, as we add, possibly subtract, and figure out what works for us. As newbies, I’m looking at everything and trying to figure out how it fits into what we need. Feel free to use this list in your own prepping, but please know that I’m no expert and nothing on this page is meant as “advice”. I’m just sharing my newbie prepping journey with you - if you have some suggestions and advice for me, I’d love to hear it!
food: approx 2000-2500 cals per person x 14
water: approx. 4 L per person x 14 (this is for washing/cooking also)
water filter
water treatment tabs
flashlight + spare batteries and/or headlamps
candles
lighter/matches
lanterns/glow sticks
First Aid Kit - enough for the whole family/major trauma event
wet wipes
sanitizer
masks
camp soap/biodegradable soap
small microfibre hand towels
toilet paper
bucket/toiletseat/composting toilet
fire starters/tinder
wood stash
extra clothing
shelter such as a tarp or tent
cordage
camp stove/propane stove
communication device
pet food/cat food
cat bowls for water and food
emergency papers/copies/etc. paper & usb backup (include things like deeds, titles, insurance policies, birth certs, health card info, maps, pics of family, etc.)
emergency blankets/bivy per person
everyone’s medication
tylenol/ibuprofen/kid’s tylenol/whatever you use for headaches/pains/etc.
cash (as much as you can spare - but even $20 to start will help)
tools: axe, shovel, trowel, work gloves, wrench for gas lines, zip ties, ducttape
self-defense: bear spray (we live in canada), body armour, safety glasses, firearms, personal weapons
diapers + wipes + garbage bags
small propane heater + spare propane
blankets
fire blanket/fire extinguisher
generator
charging cables for all devices
solar power block/extra power blocks
local and emergency info
spare books
headphones
crayons/colouring books for kids
pads/tampons
So there you go. What am I missing? What do I need to add? What do I not need in there?
Hope your prepping journey is going well!
