Survival Q&A: "Should I Build A Bugout Bag Or Buy One?"

QUESTION: "Is it better to buy an already made bug-out bag, or is it better to build my own?" - Patrick F.
Let's face it... Who wouldn't want to have the answer to their survival needs be just a click and a credit card away from ensuring your SHTF safety. Truth is, it's not quite as easy as that. In fact, most of the pre-made bugout bags out there are chock full of low quality gear, and will cost you much more than you should have to spend on your supplies. In this Q&A video, I'm going to share with you my take on pre-made gear bags, and why it's not the ideal route when it comes to your SHTF safety and protection.
If you have any bugout bag questions or tips that you'd like to share, go ahead and leave us a question or a tip at: WarriorLifeTips.com​​ and if we use it in an upcoming broadcast, we'll give you credit and send you a free "thank you gift" in the mail.
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TIMECODES:
0:00​ - Intro
1:18 - Your Gear for Your Threat
2:25 - Walmart Survival Kit
3:30 - Expensive Pre-Made B.O.B
5:39 - The Prepper Lifestyle
6:41 - Outro
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#warriorlife #bugoutbag #shtf

[@Warrior]

So many more people are waking up to the fact that YOU are the only one you can really count on to stay safe and protected in a crisis. The demand for survival gear and bugout bags is super high right now and it's pretty tempting to just buy a "one-and-done" kit online. Is it the best approach? Hmmmm

[@LeeEngle]

I started my bag in 1980 and worked on upgrading/improving it until it was stolen out of my car in 2015. Hint - keep an accurate inventory for insurance purposes. I was commuting Austin to Waco and felt naked so I ordered a pre assembled Echo Sigma bag. Just like my original, I have upgraded / improved it over the last 6 years, but, it did very well meeting my immediate needs when I needed a replacement.

[@coldwaterjimmy7044]

Jeff, a lot of great tips. I like the bit of humor that you interject with your videos. Items that I include are a bar of soap and a couple extra freeze-dried meals. Hey, rather have more than less food. I can always plant my butt on the ground and eat the extra food if the BOB. Is too heavy, then go my merry way with a full stomach.

[@azure6392]

I've looked at well over 100 BOBs, both commerical and DIY. Commercial bags are often low quality and minimalistic. Everybody has different ideas of what should go in one. Having found Dave Canterbury's 10 Cs of survival, I use those categories as a basis of evaluation. You still have to choose what to include and evaluate quality & price. Jeff Anderson's list of BOB contents is excellent. Have started a matrix of EDC, get home bag, BOB, and INCH bags. Some redundancy is desirable, but there's a limit.

[@william.maclennan9061]

Dear Warrior Life, I always make my own bags. But I watch channel's like yours to improve upon my own bags. Thank you, Stay safe, stay well

[@Warrior]

Nice! Thanks for sharing William!

[@ThePreparedNorseman]

Start camping, hiking and backpacking. Its a good way to get you and your family ready for something like a bug out.

[@Warrior]

So true! So many people "own" bags.... but never even strap them on to see if they can carry them, good quality, or if they're even comfortable. An actual evac is NOT the time to find out, eh? Thanks for sharing! (Also, I watched your "Wild Camping With Kids" video. Looks like you found a dream spot for enjoying the beauty of the outdoors and you're practicing what you preach. I'm sure you and your kids had a great time and they're learning a lot from dad! :-)

[@clo5263]

Appreciate the video @warriorlife. Advice for Californians: Get you high power binoculars for spotting wild fires, eye goggles (prescription if applicable) to protect eyes from smoke and ash, and masks made for smoke -- even just a gas mask -- for your kit! A few new additions to my kit for the up coming wildfire season.

[@tambragifford1797]

I made a diagram of my get home bags, and bug out bag with lists of the items in them. I have found that for me, packing in packing cubes or zippered clear plastic freezer bags is the best strategy. It helps me stay organized and if I need to grab something quickly, or rotate items like food it makes it faster and easier to do so. For instance, clothing in one cube, tools in another cube, toiletries etc.. you get the picture. I even purchased small zippered "coin purses" to put small kits in -for everyday carry. Pocket sized fire kits & first aid kits, that slip easily in to a purse, backpack or pocket. I also opted for more a more generic looking back pack for my get home bag, but the one in my jeep is more of a tactical back pack. For a true BOB, I think a back pack with a frame - the style made for climbing and hiking are the better option if you can afford it. Just make sure it is the right size and style for your frame. If you live in a really rainy/wet part of the country, rain gear made for riding motorcycles is a great option as they keep your whole body dry.

[@stevefoyle908]

I'd like to offer my view and experience upon the subject of water purification. For many years I have flip flopped between Bugging out and Holeing (?)-up; I now do both. There is some very dangerous advice out there regarding dosing grey water with essentially Chlorine based products. Don't use pool shock, don't use data from one source, DYOR. I have seen dosing vary by a factor of 100. Calculate from first principles and only buy appropriate chemicals. Regards

[@rainsnowflake4664]

You are right do the research, understand what you need for your survival and your family's survival. Build you own bag for your needs. There are a lot of videos online so you can learn. Remember the one rule everyone teaches 2 is 1 and 1 is none

[@KT_survival]

Agree 💯

[@canadafree2087]

The person who buys a pre-made BOB most likely don't have the skills to bug out. Those who do have the training likely have most of the gear already as they got it in the process of learning their skills. Even if I buy a semi-good first aid kit, I have to change some items and add others to suit what I know I have had need of in the past.

[@vonsprague7913]

I agree and they are pretty worthless but if you can advise someone thinking of buying a prepacked bag before they buy then it starts their training and change of mindset. If you live in a city there will be a point where you have to leave or use the survival items in your bag to remain in place.

[@johnburgin7478]

Build your own . Do the research. Watch resources on KZbin. Decide what you’re looking to accomplish as far as bugging out . The 10 c’s as a baseline. Buy a Sawyer , Grayl but definitely learn how to purify water . The more you know the less you have to carry

[@vonsprague7913]

Water is heavy, Grayl are the easiest to use producing bulk water with little skill or effort but eye wateringly expensive lol.

[@cristierickson7223]

One thing I always run into which is a problem for me concerns pre-packaged foods. Even the wonderful 4Patriots foods I cannot use because of allergies to onions, garlic, & peppers. In addition, glutens can be a serious problem for some people, and I have yet to find pre-packaged survival main meals that are gluten free.

[@canadafree2087]

Does anyone own the Warrior Life backpack? I've seen practically the same design under different brands. Wondering how it carries with a load compared to a more slim hiking backpack. I have a problem finding decent packs with side pockets these day and my current one is too heavy at about 6-8# empty.

[@Warrior]

Hi James. There are a few similar knockoff designs out there, but the ones I've seen are made with cheap materials and don't have the same features or add-ons. We just recently relaunched our latest version of the XBOB system on the market, but we don't offer it to the general public on our website because we make these in smaller batches and cater more to our inner circle Warrior Life followers for what's available (normally at the end of one of our workshops). We just ran one of our workshops a few weeks ago and it was a big hit but we're fine-tuning the class now to be able to better handle a larger audience than the 200 slots we had available and the follow-up demand for the XBOBs. We'll put more info into upcoming videos once this is complete (probably another 3-4 weeks). Thanks for your interest.

[@frank6029]

You would pack beef jerkey a Henry AR-7 water tabs to make nasty water drinkable hats gloves socks and common sense essentials Be Safe and God Bless 👍🎅

[@jupiterjunk]

Agreed... + LifeStraw (or similar product) + Sawyer Picaridin lotion + spool of SpiderWire Stealth-Brade (150lb test) + basic Zippo/Ronson (with as many flints as you can store inside the cotton/wick) + quality whetstone + quality pellet rifle + quality pellet ammo

[@frank6029]

@@jupiterjunk correct

[@jelkel25]

The best kit you can have in your backpack isn't always the most expensive, it's tried and tested (by you). How many people with pre bought Bob's can claim they've used even 50%? OK, if you don't have any spare time then it's better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick. I would suggest printing out a list of contents of pre bought kits and mix it with recommendations from people like yourself. Buy items around different outdoors and first aid retailers, use common sense and keep away from cheap garbage wherever possible and items beyond your skill set. The kit will still probably be cheaper. Testing things out on day hikes or even in your backyard is a good start. A couple of Bushcraft or Survival books might be a solid early purchase.

[@PirateAndBum]

A bug out bag is an evolution. Everyone needs a starting point. For a very first bug out bag, I don’t see anything wrong with an inexpensive packaged deal. A key point is people need to use their equipment. It will become obvious very quickly what should stay, go or be upgraded. My old gear, the water packs, sugar cube food, tube tent, ... is tossed into a backup bin that I can use for trading or gifting.

[@rainsnowflake4664]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@pakleader4]

Well I have one problem you have been doing coming from a fellow military person. You keep forgetting that they are civilians and not military you cannot think military for a unproductive mind that will panic in those crisis. Yes in one of your videos you explained the inessentials but the fear of unpracticed fear may place them in a panic, me something they have in there homes and maybe use or used in different ways. We know how to manipulate our gear they DON’T. Second you really need to show people the fake military click bait idiots trying inmates out there who are not military period you guys are gonna get people killed just trying to survive under your tutelage. Repeat THEY ARE NOT MILITARY BUT CIVILIAN. Semper FI Pakleader