Austin, that's a bit ...existential?... vague?... why not break out the Moslow's Heirarchy of Needs?
I was thinking more of:
reliable vehicle to bug out in.
Good boots for when the vehicle won't take you any further.
Shelter (tent & sleeping bag)
Water purification or serious source of clean water
food & fire
Self defense- firearms and melee weapons and the training to use them.
communications? cell phones work to an extent.
knife - always.
Hey, I've grown up a bit since the last time we talked about bugout bags. I'm a big fan of the Boy Scout motto - Be Prepared. Preparedness means different things to different people, though. The internet has made quite a few people iFamous who preach that carrying a big bag (or fanny pack) of **** with you at all times is a good idea. I think we really need to examine the idea of preparedness and "bugging out" before even talking about what one would bring...to bug out with.
Almost all of the things you listed above are preparedness items, with the exception of the tent...though knowing how to make a tent will get you a lot further in the long run than having a tent. We all live in different places and we all need to prepare differently. So with that, I think it's best to reference the Maslow's Hierarchy Needs. Having shelter/food/water/safety are ultimately what is paramount. Anything after that is just convenience. Skills + practice of skills + cash/valuables help a hell of a lot more (and faster) to reach those four key-needs than a bag full of stuff will.
If I need to "Bug Out," I want to bug out to a Four Seasons hotel, preferably with a freshly watered golf course and a nice selection of bourbon. I don't want to plan for a camping trip. If the world gets so bad that going on a long-term camping trip is what is necessary, well there will be a lot worse problems to deal with than not having a bag full of stuff. Plus, I'm lazy and really don't want to carry 30 - 50 lbs of stuff somewhere whenever gas runs out.
He was my sarcastic "fanny pack" reference, LOL. He does have some pretty decent content, but he talks way too much and he has way too much **** in his bags. One thing that I'll give him is that he puts some stuff in his kits that I would have never thought of...but with that being said, there is a line where preparedness meets over prepared. On top of that, there is a line where over-prepared meets overweight and cumbersome.The Nutnfancy youtube channel has really good vids on this topic if you havent seen them.
Dude, I keep a bottle of 99.8% deet in my car. It may feel like a sunburn, briefly, but it sure does work!LOl! I can make do with a tarp or woven leaves even but in SE LA the mosquitoes make that a bad idea!
Have you watched this guy's videos? (Brit... TA Oudoors). Old school camping!
Many parts of a pine tree....oh screw it, just arm up and go raid the preppers.
Videos? At an hour and seven minutes, I'd call it a movie, LOL. But no, I haven't.