I have a simple bug out bag build. Made one for my wife and for me.
I have a simple kit for an on the run approach. Take the essentials only. Light load. With just my wife and I, I only need enough food and water to
last for about 3 days. In my experience, 3 days is enough time to find a spot to recharge on supplies. However, it's best to know where that spot is
and about how long on foot it will take to get there. The supplies carried would be focused more on food and water.
9 field stripped MREs. Packed right, these wont take up that much room. Might even add a few power bars or protein bars.
Two canteens of water. Coupled with purification tablets, these are easily refillable. Also if you can get the military issue canteens with the
canteen cup, that canteen cup can be used to boil water. A camel-bak is also a very useful thing to have for hydration. I would recommend getting
one.
6 pairs of socks and underwear. And 3 extra shirts. And maybe another pair of pants, preferably jeans. Also a polar fleece jacket would be nice as
well as gloves and knit cap. And if you feel necessary, another pair of shoes besides the hiking boots you should be wearing. And if you have room,
you could try and fit a Gortex style rain coat. But a simple plastic poncho will work best for saving space.
You'll want a heavy blanket, preferably made of heavy duty wool. You'll also want a space blanket still in its packaging. Also a light foam mat that
can be attached to the outside of your pack is nice to have too. It's not heavy and it's usually pretty easy to attach.
A good tarp is also something you will want. It's a lot easier to carry a 10X10 tarp than a two man tent. If you also carry about 100ft of 550 chord,
you'll have the means to set up a pretty solid shelter.
Then comes the little things. You may want to have a headlamp as well as extra batteries. You will definitely want a waterproofed fire kit. A small
plastic container that has matches, magnesium block, and even flint. Having a spool of fishing wire and hooks can be helpful for fishing and snare
lines. A pocket knife is also a must have. And if you feel it necessary, you can also carry a pistol and a few magazines of extra rounds. I don't have
a pistol, yet, so that's not a part of mine. Also a solid first-aid kit is a necessity. You'll want to include band-aids, gauze, medical tape,
sterilizing material, and even thread and needle. The thread and needle can be useful for stitching up wounds and even patching clothes.
As far as what kind of pack to use, look in to BlackHawk gear. I would recommend the Tactical RUSH 12 or 72 backpacks. They're big and they have ways
to attach stuff on the outside.
That's it. You can add anything else you think is necessary, but this is usually what I would take when I've done my yearly "survival excursion" with
the men in my family.
edit on 2/16/12 by Echo3Foxtrot because: first-aid