The best bug out bags in 2024, tried and tested

As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of natural hazards — storms, wildfires, floods, oh my — the importance of having a “bug out” or “go” bag packed with outdoor necessities and stored close at hand has only grown. Without question, the best way to assemble such a bag is to put one together yourself with top-quality items. There are entire books and websites dedicated to the task, and the government offers help by providing packing lists through FEMA and ready.gov. Unfortunately, such lists run from 30 to 60 items, and gathering them one by one takes time and effort. An attempt to complete the job a few years back petered out about halfway through the process, which spurred interest in the pre-packed bags available on the market.

Though they could never be tailored to my exact needs, would one of these bags provide a base that could be rounded out with upgrades and additions? We tested six bags built to protect and provide for one or two people for 72 hours. None were perfect, but several offered a near-finished product and a solid foundation that needed only some finishing touches. And while it didn’t make sense to list every item in each bag, here are the favorites, with the more notable features highlighted (click on the links for each bag to find a complete roster of contents).

Best bug out bag overall: Uncharted Supply Co. Seventy2 Pro Survival System

$579 at Amazon; $589 at Uncharted Supply Co.

Weight: 18 pounds | Size: 25 x 18 x 7 inches

The Seventy2 Pro announces its intentions as a serious survival bag before it’s even open. The thick, waterproof exterior, with heavy duty shoulder and hip straps that have zippered pockets as well as an intricate system of loops and straps for extra gear feels sturdy and comfortable. There is some bonus space inside the single-compartment bag for extras, though most of the volume is consumed by an “insert” pack that lifts out and unfolds to reveal a matrix of labeled pockets holding high-quality gear.

The need to remove and unbuckle the insert to access almost any of the items can become tedious, but that’s the price of organization, which is critical in emergency situations. There will be no mad searching for missing items with this bag, and the insert offers other benefits: clearly printed directions and advice addressing a range of circumstances — from setting a broken bone to a list of edible plants and bugs — cover the outer panel.

The First Aid kit is the most complete and well-appointed of all those tested, including a full pair of shears, and it too has labeled pockets that suggest not just inventory but usages. Supplied food includes a three days-worth of Datrex bars and though the pack doesn’t provide water, there’s a Lifestraw water purification filter (which we recommend) that attaches directly to a bladder and a 48-ounce aluminum water bottle (which the company suggests filling with distilled water upon receiving) that fits into a sleeve on the outer bag.

Tools include a powerful telescoping flashlight, a multitool, a rugged fixed blade knife, a collapsible shovel and 100 feet of paracord that can be stripped to reveal individual strands usable as fishing line, sewing thread or fire tinder. The PPE includes full coverage googles and masks with activated charcoal filters that catch particulate matter down to .1 microns as well gloves and beanies. There are emergency blankets and a mylar tube tent as well.

The hand-crank radio/light/charger did not include emergency alerts, but it was the best of the lot, with access to weather bands and NOAA broadcasts. Besides the crank it has a solar charging pane and a rechargeable battery. It can charge a phone or power a call and take a charge from a laptop. Four minutes of cranking ran the radio at medium volume for more than 90 minutes. It wasn’t perfect; the LED display was hard to read in some light and the digital tuner was precise but took longer to scan through the dial and find stations than a rotary knob did.

But those quibbles don’t diminish the overall quality and thoughtfulness of the package, which makes Seventy2 Pro, even at more than $500, a great starting point and a good value.

Additions to consider

Best budget bug out bag: Emergency Zone Stealth Tactical

$294 at Amazon or $300 at EmergencyZone

Weight: 22 pounds | Size: 20 x 15 x 12 inches

The Emergency Zone bag is a considerable contender among survival bags, both in terms of size and what it has to offer. The discreet black-and-gray bag itself is massive, with space for additional items, but while the shoulder straps and back are well padded, the hip belt is not. Otherwise it has loops and clips for adding gear, a flint igniter on the belt buckle, a rain cover, and a hydration system. Inside, it doesn’t have the Uncharted Supply’s polish and organization — the equipment is split into three soft cases with more of a home-packed feel — but it sets itself apart through the sheer volume of gear included, especially for the price.

For starters, the First Aid kit includes butterfly bandages, a breathing barrier for germ-free mouth-to-mouth, full-size shears and even a stethoscope, although there are no over-the-counter medications.

The package starts with a 74”x47” dome tent that doesn’t fit inside the bag but is far more comfortable than a tube tent, although it does add nearly three pounds when attached to the pack’s straps. The tent pairs well with a pair of full-size bivvy sleeping bags, which are packed into the first inner case. There’s also a folding hand saw and a knife with a fixed six-inch multiuse blade looks and a paracord-wrapped handle. That’s a space-efficient way to include paracord, but the handle was hard to hold or use for long stretches and the cord can get dirty and wet (and therefore even freeze). A cranked light/radio/charger worked well (more than 30 minutes of radio on one minute of turning), but it didn’t have a solar pane.

The second case included Datrex bars and water pouches as well as a plastic water bottle, two one-liter water pouches with carry handles and two bladders with chlorine purification packets for making polluted water potable. The range of toiletries covers all the basics—washing, dental care, personal hygiene–and even includes toilet paper.

There are a few misses though. It was hard at times to get all the items back into the cases, and instead of the cord-wrapped knife and a coil of plain rope, paracord and molded handled knife might be a better mix. Also, the kit didn’t include masks or goggles, which seems like a glaring oversight after last summer, when smoke from Canadian wildfires turned the air hazardous over large sections of North America. Still, those are easy additions, and considering the price, there should be some funds left in the budget.

Additions to consider

Best light duty transition bag: Judy Mover Max

$195 $146 at Judy

Weight: 15 pounds | Size: 24 x 18 x 8 inches

The Judy knows itself and delivers on its stated mission. It’s not for someone who suspects they may have to survive in the woods for half a week or more, but it’s a classic transition bag, meant to smooth the journey from flight to resettlement, whether that’s at someone else’s home, a hotel or a camp/shelter.

It has many of the essentials organized and packed in a way that can bring the sort of calm needed in an emergency situation. Individual boxes sorted by category and labeled with their contents stack neatly atop one another. Nothing inside jumps out as extravagant—the medical kit is basic, though it does have a metal tweezer—but the overall package is thoughtful, including a small quick dry towel and wet wipes. Such items, though, make the omission of other toiletries—toothbrushes/paste, a comb—stand out.

The multitool is solid and comfortable to hold, and the crank radio/flashlight/charger didn’t have a solar panel or rechargeable battery, but it worked well; the directions claimed one minute of cranking would provide five or six minutes of radio time, but a minute produced 25 minutes of steady sound.

In theory, it’s meant to “sustain a family of 4 for up to 72 hours,” and it has four dust masks and four ponchos, etc., but only one pair of gloves. More troubling, the food and water math don’t really work out. There are seven energy bars, which with four people comes to just barely more than 1.5 bars per person a day over three days.

The fire-engine red bag is another potential drawback—it’s comfortable and waterproof and has room for extra items, but it is definitely not discreet and ours had a seam coming apart in the back on arrival. Overall, it’s a good basic bag and a good value that could be better with a handful of simple upgrades.

Additions to consider

Why do I need a bug out bag?

The U.S. government began tracking natural disasters — storms, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires — that caused more the $1 billion in damages in 1980. From that year through 2021, the country averaged 8.1 such events a year. Over the past five years, the U.S. has averaged 18 such disasters annually, and in 2022, the nation set a record, with 22, that stood for nine months. By September of 2023, the country had already accumulated 23 such events.

These occurrences often necessitate evacuations, wreak property damage and force displacements. And when the moment comes to flee, often there’s no time to assemble what’s needed to see you through whatever hardships relocation may incur. A little preparation can save your life. Even in cases with more lead time—hurricanes, winter storms—having a pre-packed bag will cover the essentials and allow you to gather other items and get out sooner. They even work for “bugging in,” providing vital supplies if you’re forced to shelter in place.

What to look for in a bug out bag

Start with the bag itself. Ideally, it’s waterproof, big enough to pack a few extra items, and plain in appearance—experts suggest you might not want to be the only one with an obvious supply of survival gear in an emergency. It should also have padded straps and a hip belt to make hauling easier.

What’s inside should vary, depending on where you live, time of year and whether you anticipate temporary relocation to some sort of shelter or believe you’d likely have to survive on your own for a time before help became available. Such things are hard to predict. Generally speaking, rural areas have less resources available, but fewer people, so one high school gym could house a decent percentage of displaced people. Urban or suburban areas usually more emergency services and personnel at hand, but they also have dense populations, which could overcrowd facilities.

Beyond that, there are some generally agreed upon basics. Here’s the government’s list from its ready.com site:

Basic supplies

Additional supplies

A note on tube tents

Tube tents make for convenient emergency housing because they’re light and small—most fold up into a flat rectangle of maybe eight to 10 inches lengthwise. The tent material, often nylon tarp, sometimes with a mylar liner for extra warmth, is a long tube, like a sock with the closed end cut off. You run a piece of cord through the tube and tie it off on either side about three feet off the ground. Excess material will lie on the ground, which allows you to climb inside the tube and create a “floor” by spreading the sides to stacking gear to form something of a triangle. Folding the ends in closes the space to the outdoors. It’s simple, in theory, but a little tricky in practice, at least the first time, so it’s recommended that you set it up once in the basement or yard before you need it. (Really, it’s a good idea to at least familiarize yourself with everything in the bag before you need it.) That will also provide practice refolding it, which might be the hardest part of using it but necessary if you want to get it back into your efficiently packed bag. One other tip: throw a few nails in your bag. There aren’t always trees or branches in the right place for tying off the main cord, and a well-placed nail can often do the trick.

A note on Datrex

All but one of the bags tested included nutrition bars or “food supplements” made from Datrex, a calorie dense, flour-and-sugar based product that comes in vacuum packed bricks that are good for five to sometimes 10 years. Make sure to mark all expiration dates—including those for medications—on a tag attached to the outside of the bag so they’re easy to check at a glance. Also, pack a few small sealable sandwich bags, because if you open the vacuum pack but don’t finish the bar, you’ll want to store it well. Taste is subjective, but moderate your expectations. The best comparison for Datrex might be two-week old pie crust—a little bit stale, a little crumbly, a little sweet. Not terrible but not terribly satisfying either. You could, of course, stash a handful of your favorite off-the-shelf protein bars in your bag. Just keep in mind they’re usually only good for about a year or so, and melty things are probably best avoided.

How we tested

Most product reviews offer an assessment of quality, but with bug out bags quantity matters, too. What is the range of products included and how many of each are there? That makes a difference, so our test started with an inventory of everything in the bag, including a comparison to the listed contents on the company’s website.

That bug out bags by necessity have a lot of items on hand also makes qualitative evaluation daunting, since it would require cross-testing of multiple product categories—multitools, flashlights, waterproof matches, etc. One article would turn into 20 individual reviews.

To simplify the process, we made certain concessions. We assumed all ponchos, mylar blankets and tube tents were created equal, even though some might actually be thicker or have pockets or provide more wind blocking, we left those sorts of assessments aside and merely gave points for inclusion. Likewise, when most of the packs used similar items or the exact same items, we didn’t distinguish either. For example, they all included similar ferro fire starters and the same make of waterproof matches, although not always the same number.

Otherwise, we took everything out and used it. We opened all the blades on the multitools and attempted small tasks with the pliers and main knife. With standalone knifes we carved the bark off fallen branches to see them in action and get a feel for their use (no surprise, all the brand-new, factory-sharpened tools performed well). We assembled tents, we cranked light/radio/charger units and noted how long they ran.

With First Aid kits, we assessed the breadth of offerings, including OTC medications (pain relievers, indigestion soothers, etc.), the number, size and type of bandages and whether or not they included scissors and tweezers (and were those preferable in terms of materials and usability). We turned on flashlights in a dark room and blew on safety whistles (to our dog’s dismay). We differentiated between medical masks, dust masks and N-95 level masks.

Going back to the opening paragraph, assembling a bag full of hand-picked, top-of-the-line items is the best way to build a bug out bag, so when you enter the world of pre-packed kits the operational guideline is “something is better than nothing.” We turned that into a question throughout the testing: In an emergency situation, would these items prove functional, sturdy and versatile enough to make a difference in your safety and comfort?

Other bug out bags we tested

Echo-Sigma Get Home Bag: SOG Special Edition

$600 at Echo-Sigma

Weight: 16.2 pounds | Size: 16 x 9 x 11 inches

The Echo-Sigma bag seems to suffer from a split personality. It’s outfitted with high-end S.O.G. brand tools, including a 5-inch fixed blade knife, a 3-inch folding knife with a windshield breaker and a seat belt cutter, and a 12-inch tomahawk style hatchet—serious backwoods survival gear—but the items inside the bag don’t seem to intended for that hard-core a mission. Our bag arrived without the 188-lumen flashlight or the thermal sleeping bag noted on the website’s “contents” list and it also seemed short on Datrex bars (based on the 2,400 calories a day for three days claim on the website). When notified, Echo-Sigma said the sleeping bag is not included in the SOG Edition, despite what it says online. Likewise, the kit doesn’t include a radio/charger or a whistle and the First Aid kit is aimed at much lighter duty, with only a handful of supplies and scissor so small it stirs memories of kindergarten art class. The waterproof bag is sturdy with numerous clips and loops, but it doesn’t have a hip belt and it’s packed so tight that some items are hard to put back in place. It was almost impossible to slide the 2.5L water bladder (which includes a drinking tube) in the back pocket without removing the food bars and water pouches from the box they come in and dumping them into the main pocket. Even then, it’s tight, and it makes the bag a lot less organized. A better value might be the company’s regular edition Get Home Bag ($319.99, on sale), which is almost identical except for the S.O.G. add-ons. Supplement that with a few tools and consider it a worthy transition bag.

Preppi The Prepster Backpack 3-day Emergency Bag

$395 at Preppi

Weight: 12 pounds | Size: 14 x 13 x 5 inches

The Prepster is made for the person who prefers their emergency bivouac unfold with a touch of style and luxury. The sleek canvas bag with leather straps opens like a hippo’s mouth to reveal a section of layered pockets that hold, among other things, a six-tube, designer “essentials” kit that includes everything from cilantro hair conditioner to grapefruit face cleanser as well as moisturizer and shampoo, two squares of dark chocolate, a bag of English breakfast tea and a serving of Astronaut ice cream. There’s even a handsome stainless-steel flask. That’s not to say it isn’t utile. It offers a selection of phone and computer charging wires to go with a hand-cranked light/radio/charger that includes weather band stations, a tube tent, Datrex food bars and enough water for three days and a sufficient sampling of paracord, lights, whistles, warmers and fire starters. The First Aid kit has a basic selection of bandages and balms although only a plastic tweezer. Likewise, the multitool is light, with small tools and a plastic casing that isn’t hand contoured, which made it uncomfortable to use for more than a few minutes. The bag, too, looks good but it’s not waterproof and the thin straps and handle make it painful to carry for more than a few blocks. All that makes the Prepster a high-priced transition bag with a few nods toward the survival category.

Ready America 2-Person Professional Emergency Kit

$200 at ReadyAmerica

Weight: 14 pounds | Size: 20 x 13 x 12 inches

The Ready America bag has a home-made vibe in that it feels like something you could and would produce yourself after a trip to Walmart. The bag, solid and waterproof but without a hip belt, holds everything in one big compartment. That space contains a box with food and water—10-year shelf life, best of those tested—and a pile of sealed plastic bags identified by stickers that look to be straight off the laser printer: Comfort/Heat, Hygiene, Lighting, and Tools. Most of the basics are covered, but a few things make clear this is more of a transition bag. For starters, the First Aid kit is a tiny 33-piece “pocket” version that has only a small selection of items. There’s also no form of shelter beyond ponchos and mylar blankets. Last, the hygiene bag is chock full of things perfect for making life in a shelter better: bar of soap, shampoo, mouthwash, toothbrush/toothpaste and tissues. The more hard-core equipment includes a flashlight/radio/charger, a sturdy and comfortable multitool with large fold-out blade and spring-loaded pliers, and water purifying tablets with a 2.5L bladder. Price and contents wise it’s comparable to the Judy, offering less in the way of organization and professional packaging but more in creature comforts.