Bugging Out

 This past week while I was searching packing lists for various outdoor activities, I thought it’d be a great idea to do a series (with future updates) on the contents of my Bug Out Bag, my day pack for hunting, my multi day pack for hunting, my vest for upland hunting, and my single day & multi day fishing trip packs. 

Also, I started a comprehensive rundown and update of the last five years, but after two nights of typing, I’m only through 9 months. So this will have to fill in for the time being. 

This is the third or fourth iteration of my truck bag or bugout bag. While I’ve always kept a lot of emergency gear in the truck, a consolidated setup to evade hysteria or other disasters came about at the outset of the pandemic in spring of 2020.

From what I’ve gathered from other preparatory types, there are a lot of specific bags for different situations: SHTF (shit hits the fan) bag, get home bag (for keeping at the office or workplace), bug out bag (leave conventional civilization for multiple days or longer), and so on. My bag serves as a little blend of the three listed above, and I’m always open to input or pointers. Budget doesn’t allow me to keep 3 nice setups with gear I feel comfortable using in those serious situations, so I decided to invest in one.

I started out with a Mystery Ranch 2 Day Assault Pack. I found that a lot of my gear was on the outside of the pack, and the mix of that, and the tactical aesthetic, seemed to make the bag a target for theft inside my truck.

A year later, I found a deal on an Arc’Teryx Khard 45 assault pack. It has an internal frame sheet for heavy load carrying and blends in a little better in multiple environments. It’s part of their LEAF series of products, and I’ve found them to be bombproof, albeit very pricey. If you can be patient on eBay and Facebook marketplace, items come up from time to time at a better price point. 

Without further adieu, let’s get into the packing list.

My setup /// prior to unpacking

I always like to have a knife accessible on my pack or in a pocket, so it is the only item on the pack’s exterior. This is a Spyderco Perrin Street Bowie. It seems to be a good balance between a knife for self defense and other outdoor or survival/bushcraft tasks. 

One of many zipper pouches separating gear. I have about a dozen of these made by my good friend Alex here in Bozeman.

This is my first aid pouch. The main difference between this and other IFAKs in my hunting & fishing gear is the addition of chest seals, shears, Gecko Grip tape, and a CAT (combat application tourniquet).

Unloaded IFAK

The remainder includes meds, antiseptic, bandages/gauze, nitrile gloves, a triangle bandage, After Bite, and an emergency thermal blanket. I don’t keep the blanket in my hunting IFAK because I usually have much warmer clothing or gear on hand. 

Prometheus Design Werx Admin Pouch with Insert

The next item in the bag is the admin pouch, which contains most miscellaneous gear that doesn’t fit into another grouping. The insert from PDW helps keep this very organized.

PDW Admin Pouch Insert

This has an extra knife, lighters, a ferro rod, seam seal, waterproof repair patches, a whistle, sewing kit, pen, and a couple charging cables. As I’m writing this I realize I needed to add back in USB-C and lightning cables that I borrowed from this on a fall hunting trip. 

Food and cooking pouch

The next (and heaviest) pouch is food and cooking. I keep my former backpacking stove (MSR Pocket Rocket) with a larger Isobutane/Propane fuel canister in case the bug out lasts more than a few days. Similar to backpack hunting, breakfast and mid day fuel consists of Clif Bars, Honey Stingers, and Gu. Evening is ramen. A small spork, chopsticks, Sawyer Squeeze water filter, and Ti pot & bowl round out this equipment.

Unpacked food pouch

Extra clothing pouches

In our climate, cold weather can be a life threatening situation quickly. A Helinox synthetic down hoody, beanie, two sets of gloves, extra socks, a poncho, and buff reside in this pouch.

Extra clothing unpacked

All contents unpacked

Outside of the pouches, some loose gear goes in the top zipper compartment and side compartments on the backpack. This includes:

Eton emergency radio

Goal Zero Sherpa 1000 battery

Petzl headlamp

Fenix TK16 flashlight

Brooks Mountaineering ultralight tarp

(2) Thyrm Cellvaults with AA and AAA batteries

Rite in the Rain notepad and Bic mechanical pencil

HK USP 45 ACP with 3 mags 

4 Titan Straps

100’ of 550 paracord with 2 climbing rated carabiners

1L Hydroflask (with water)

EOD Robotics breacher bar

Thanks for reading, More to come soon on other packing lists and an overall synopsis since my last time posting regularly here.

-AM