Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit

This is an outstanding, comprehensive book for preparing for any kind of sudden disaster or event which may require you to leave your home on very short notice. This book is designed to prepare you for the worst case scenario of 72 hours of living with the contents of what you are carrying in a bag if you are forced from your home.People forced to bug out are called "refugees." Google it and count the number of times that word appears each day, even in the US. Do YOU need to prepare for this? Ask yourself the following questions. How you answer them will determine if this book will have any value to you:1) If forced to evacuate your home, do you think you and your family would be better off on your own, having prepared an escape plan and having gathered supplies for that escape?2) Or are you content with the possibility of being forced to evacuate with thousands of other people into a place like the Superdome, with scant personal belongings, kept under armed guard, and completely dependent on this government (or worse, another one operating under martial law) to provide for and protect you and your family just like the citizens of New Orleans were after Hurricane Katrina? This same scenario will happen during another natural disaster, a terrorist strike, a chemical spill, a huge fire, or massive civil unrest. Read the papers, these things happen all the time.Creek Stewart does an excellent job itemizing exactly what makes up a practical Bug Out Bag (BOB). Not only does he explain the value of each item, he also mentions where you can get them and often suggests alternatives. The part I liked best about this book was towards the end when Stewart talks about the absolute importance of practicing with your BOB and identifies challenges, item by item, which will give you confidence in what you are doing and identify weaknesses in your preparations.Stewart suggests not only learning how to light a camp stove but also how to start a fire and once you've mastered that, doing it at night and after a rain. These are real situations you may actually face and skills which could mean the difference between life and death.If you do not have much outdoors experience, don't be discouraged. The task of building a Bug Out Bag may appear daunting and expensive but you would probably be amazed at how many resources you have available to you right this very minute in your own home. Read Creek Stewart's book, make a bug out plan, and start gathering up materials readily available to you right now. Spend a day doing this even though you may not right away get the perfect BOB together or have the best quality materials.Collect common things you may have around the house like a day pack, a fire source (a disposable lighter), a light source (a small flashlight or headlamp) a basic shelter and ground cover (plastic sheeting), rope or twine, a small metal pan, your important papers and documents, plastic bottles for water, soup packets, energy bars, a sleeping bag and emergency season-appropriate clothing (remember the mantras: "Wear Layers" and "Cotton Kills"). The immediate goal is to stay hydrated, warm and dry.All these items simply gathered into one spot will give you a great start on building a complete kit and probably put you ahead of more than 95% of the population in emergency preparedness without spending an extra penny. Even being a little bit ready for it gives you an edge on disaster.Stewart does a great job encouraging you to look at your BOB and your evacuation plan as an ongoing process, which can be an enjoyable thing, even a hobby. If you can't afford to buy everything at once (like most of us), at least prepare a want list, get together what you can and upgrade or add pieces every time you go to the store or have a little extra money. Stewart does make a point of identifying "must haves" ahead of "nice to haves."I also liked that Stewart included a section on preparing to bug out pets. This is an area I had not really considered fully. It really struck home to think about the possibility of leaving behind our beloved family members in an emergency because we hadn't prepared for them and we didn't have the resources or ability to take them with us.You are not a crazy wacko if you start preparing like this. All you are required to do is imagine what would happen if the safe and sound veneer of your everyday life is suddenly torn away and you were forced from your home, even for just a few days. Start putting 2 and 2 together. Have you ever been to a garage sale and seen a nice, sturdy wagon selling for a couple of bucks? That wagon gives you the ability to easily move small children, old dogs, and extra supplies many miles, but it is also a plaything for the child and useful around the yard when the world isn't falling apart around you.I would like to add one item which Stewart does not mention and that would be to prepare and pack a basic Kindle or similar e-reader because of their long battery life after charging (unlike a Fire, an I-Pad or similar back-lit tablet). After I finished reading Stewart's book, the first thing I thought was how valuable it would be to actually be able to pack books like this in the BOB.How much better would it be to have a whole series of books which would serve as an entire library of survival reference material, reading material and spiritual support which weighed only a few ounces and, carefully managed, with even a partial charge could easily last for 72 hours, if not several weeks! All you need is a waterproof container.

I'm very impressed with this book. This is a must for anyone who is serious about disaster preparedness. I'd especially recommend this if you are just starting to build a kit, or have a basic or pre-packaged kit: you will find it full of great advice and ideas.It's clear that Creek is a real expert who, unlike most of us, actually practices survival skills regularly and makes his living teaching others. First, he goes through each category of supplies that you need to consider, and then walks through the exact supplies he recommends. Creek goes beyond just giving you a list of items, he explains why each item is important and highlights multifunctional items that are simple and effective for many tasks and will save weight in your bag. He also offers advice on selecting bags.But there's much more to this book. While the book is not a survival skill manual, Creek explains some of the most basic skills, such as firestarting. He gives you advice on how to evacuate with children, pets and the elderly. He briefly discusses different types of vehicles and how to keep them prepared for emergency evacuation. There are recommended drills to sharpen your survival and preparedness skills. Creek tells you how to select a location to evacuate to, and how to have a plan ready. There is even a section on how to put together a kit on a budget at a Wal-Mart style store. At the back are checklists to help you assemble that bags you will need. Best of all, there is no doomsday preaching in this book, no politics and no religion. It's just objective, professional advice.The only critical comment I can make is that putting together a backpack with all the suggested contents may be too heavy for some of us to carry. I'm pretty strong and I've got a bag with nearly all of Creek's recommended items, and while I can carry it, I wonder how far I would get with it in an evacuation by foot. Maybe a few miles. If you aren't particularly strong or have a bad back, joints, etc, you might want to invest in a sturdy luggage cart, hand truck, etc with as big wheels as you can find, or an off-road wagon (which is mentioned in the book, more with kids in mind) incase you can't take a vehicle. But I wouldn't buy a rolling suitcase that makes you dependent on the wheels, either. IMO, you do need to have a backpack incase your wheels break or jam.I already had an evacuation bag put together before I read this, but I was amazed at all the gear, facts, ideas and skills I was not familiar with until I read them in this book. I don't think you can go wrong purchasing this. I hope the author will write further books focusing more in depth on topics such as survival skills, preparing your home for an emergency, urban survival, etc.