The $250 Bug Out Bag

Welcome to the second in the trilogy of Bug-out bags, here we look at putting together a bug-out bag within certain budgets. Today we will be looking at how to put together a bug-out bag for $250.

A bug-out bag is vital for a prepper, you might carry it in a vehicle or have it handy for a quick escape.

On a budget, a $250 B.O.B is a good bug-out bag. There is a lot in this bag and what I found when putting one together, for this article, was that when you think hard about what is out there, and where to shop, you can survive a long time with one.

My advice would always start with the survival kit, they are an amazing collection of items throughout the price range and a must for your B.O.B.

It is something that will eat into your budget but is worth it as you can fish with the fishing gear, start a fire with the fire kit and carve a wooden spear using the tactical knife, leaving the rest of the budget for other important things, like the dry sacks.

If I was building a B.O.B for someone on this $250 budget, the items on the list would be a must as everything on this list is perfect for survival.

The person receiving it wouldn’t have to worry about if they could survive when needing to flee a bad situation. They just grab and run knowing that they will be okay.

Breaking Down This $250 Amazon Survival Kit!

Normally a bug-out bag will have various items, like survival kits, however, the main focus is having enough food and water to get you past the chaos unprepared people will create, as chaos is infectious and people will do things to make sure they have supplies or take to sell on.

At least with the survival kit you can supplement the food bars with fish and meat as well as learn to recognize what you can forage like mushrooms and berries, as well as where running bodies of water are.

The Rucksack

Cicilin Lightweight Hiking Backpack 40L ($17.39)

I chose this backpack because for the price it looks good and the price range does not eat into your budget as much as other bags.

This bag has two zip compartments to fit all the supplies in and it has two loops to attach something like a sleeping bag.

It has two mesh pockets for your water bottle and crowbar. The front zip section can be used to store your waterproof coat.

Water

Fimibuke 1 Gallon/4.546 liter bottle ($12.23)

The bottle will be enough for one person for four days. The bottle has markers that allow you to track how much you have drunk over the day, which is aided by a built-in straw and handles.

The bottle is also BPA-free, which is good. This water bottle will fit nicely in the mesh pockets.

Joypur Portable Water Filter Mini Straw ($14.99)

This allows you to drink from a body of water and filter out foul toxins. It is capable of filtering 5000 litres or 1009.846 gallons of water.

The straw you can put into the same mesh pocket as the water bottle.

Water is so important for your survival. You can’t survive long without it, your body needs plenty of water over the day.

Food

Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Bar 12 pack. ($9.99 brownie flavor)

These are plant-based, gluten-free, non-dairy-soy-free, lactose-free, kosher, non-GMO or Vegan protein bars.

This box will give you either an 11-day supply (2 a day) or 4 day supply (3 a day)

Food is also important for your survival. If you can not move, you can not survive. The bit you can survive longer without food than you can water.

Survival Kit and Maintainance

LUXMOM emergency survival kit. 142 piece kit. ($78.99)

There is a lot in this kit:

• First aid kit
• Survival Shovel and Pick
• Tactical Knife
• Tactical Pen
• Wire Saw
• Multi-Tool kit hammer/axe head
• Fishing Kit
• Fire Starting kit
• Paracord Bracelet with compass
• Paracord Rope
• 8 in 1 Spork
• Tactical Flashlight/Torch
• Carabiner
• Multifunction Saber Card
• Glow Sticks
• Dual Tube Whistle

The list has a lot of important items that are worth having on you: a fishing kit to get fish from a stream or a tactical knife to make a spear from a solid piece of wood.

This kit looks impressive. Whether you’re starting out as a prepper or have preps already, this is still a good kit to have on you, with some extras it will also make a good vehicle breakdown survival kit. I might look at getting a few myself.

Mutai Knife Sharpener Pen. ($7.99)

The retractable rod will sharpen straight-edge knives and serrated edges.

Your knife will need a sharp edge as a dull edge is no good, so maintaining a sharp edge is a must.

You can’t create a wood spear, you can’t cut a fish or an animal or cut rope properly.

Dry Bags and Waterproofs

Pimoys 6 Pack Waterproof Dry Sacks. ($13.75)

This 6 pack comes in 2.5L, 3L, 3.5L, 5L, 8L which you can use to store items.

I use these and they are very good.

• You can use the 2.5L for electrical items and their wires.
• 3L for dry underwear and socks as if you manage to cross water your feet will be wet if your boots get soaked then your feet are in danger of having problems that were last seen in trench warfare.

• 3.5L for the second set of dry clothes and a towel. Being dry is an important factor in long-term survival. You need to maintain your core body temperature.
• 5L you can use to store your other supplies to keep them dry.
• 8L you can use to line the bag, which is what I do, double the waterproofing.

This is what my main bergen bug-out rucksack looks like. I will be getting more of these for my webbing pouches and side pouches.

Anyoo Waterproof Rain Poncho ($18.99 X-Grey)

This is a nice waterproof poncho that has a cap peak and a neck toggle and has snap press studs to create a more waterproof coat.

This has eyelets or grommets so you can use paracord to create a shelter, which is really handy and you can collect rainwater this way as well as hand the poncho this way for drying.

You can also wear this over your rucksack as well or a rucksack up to 50L.

Crowbar

Edward Tools Gooseneck Wrecking Bar. ($19.95 12 inch)

Strong and rustproof. This item can do serious damage with any end you choose and being 18 inches gives you more length to hold and use as a lever when opening objects, while being rust-proof and dropped forges will help it survive for a long time.

Windows, doors, pallets, or as a self-defense tool, this wreck what gets in the way, and when it comes to your survival, that is important, as you might need to open a crate full of MRE’s or Water bottles or even fight for your life, so something strong and reliable is important.

You can store this using the side straps and one of the mesh pouches of the rucksack to store it.

Hygiene, Comfort, and Communications

The Nobleman face cooling and Body Cleaning Wipe Pack. ($6.99)

Hygiene is important when surviving, if you’re clean then you feel better, even if you’re traveling long distances to survive while tired, hungry, and/or thirsty

Being unhygienic can lead to you falling sick and you can not have this when trying to survive, you become vulnerable and that is never a good position to be in.

ABtakkat Portable Solar Crank Radio ($19.90)

Keeping an ear out for broadcasts could save your life, be it a government emergency broadcast or a broadcast from other survivors, this is also important if you can’t replenish your rations, but most importantly, you can not survive alone.

This is a solar and crank charger device meaning that either the sun or your power will the battery charge, the battery itself also powers the built-in LED flashlight/torch.

Don’t Die in the Woods Emergency Blanket (4 Pack. $24.99)

Made of heatflex Mylar, this is one of the world’s toughest blankets and you get four in durable packing.

They will easily wrap around one person or cover two people while you use one or two more to use as something to sit or lie on.

You can use the carabiners to clip each pouch to your bag loops or store them in the bag.

Total:

$17.39 (bag)
$12.23 (bottle)
$14.99 (straw)
$9.99 (bars brownie)
$78.99 (survival kit)
$13.75 (dry packs)
$19.95 (12-inch bar)
$6.99 (wipes)
$19.90 (radio)
$24.99 (blankets)
$18.99 (pocho X-Grey)

$7.99 (pen knife sharpener)

We have a grand total of: $246.15

Final Thoughts

A $250 bug-out bag is a good intermediate kit and from this list, we can see that you have a good chance of surviving for a short time, however, some of these bug-out bags might end up allowing you to survive longer due to being able to fish and hunt using the survival kit.

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