PreppingBuying GuideOff The Grid

Bug-Out With The Best: The Best Survival Backpack for Any Situation

To Explain, Bugging Out refers to an attitude towards survival that means having a few things prepared for what you need to survive a potential disaster. Of course, you’re going to need a lot of supplies. One of the recommendations out there is to have enough supplies to survive for up to 72 hours- but personally we think it’s more important to be prepared for an indefinite amount of time. There are a large amount of items that go in there, so you’re going to need a lot of space, right?


Wrong. The most efficient survival bug-out bags are built to store the most amount of stuff in the smallest space possible. This includes a pretty extensive list of stuff:

-Your disaster plan to outline emergency areas, rallying points, evacuation routs, maps, and even trails

-A first aid kit

-Professional Survivalist Guides

-Canteen Cup

-Stainless Steel Water Bottle

-Clothing

-Assorted Knives

-Camp Axe & Shovel

-Flashlights

-Radio

-Fire Starting Materials (lighters, tinder and fire-starting kits)

-Multi-tool

-Cordage

-CASH and Documents

-Firearm and ammunition

-WATER

-Water Purifier and filters

-Multi-vitamin

-Extra Medicine

-Navigation

-Communication

-Fishing Gear

-Emergency food- peanut butter, jerky, granola bars, salt, dried fruit, MRE’s

-Emergency shelter

-Extra Batteries

-Solar Charge

-Duct Tape

-Candles, safety pins, sewing needles and thread, playing cards, wire, and more.

 

This list is pretty inconclusive, because there’s always something else to pack up when everything goes south. You could pack and pack, and still find something else that you might want to put in there. You never know what you might need- and then it comes down to the most important part- the most often overlooked part of the whole bag- the bag itself.

 

Your pack is the absolute most important asset that you have. When you start, you’re always more interested in the flashy, attractive items. You want an expensive survival knife, a perfectly balanced axe, a multi-tool with every single gadget you could think of- you’ll delve the internet for information about practically everything and anything to find the coolest tool or most perfect gadget.

 

Realistically though, if your bag rips or falls apart, then it really doesn’t matter how cool any of your equipment is. Anyone who is seriously prepping and goes on their first survival test understands this scenario perfectly- if you’re just planning to survive for fun, just focus on the tools. If you want to focus on the real activity and work from there, start with the pack and work from there, picking up the things that you need as you go to fill out your kit- but if you start out with all the gear and no pack to hold it all, you won’t make it very far at all.

 

Here are our top for candidates for “Best Survival Backpack”:

Mil-Tech MAMAP Tactical Combat Rucksack BackpackMil-Tec MAMAP Tactical Combat Rucksack Backpack-

If you’re looking for a good starter pack, this one’s great to survive practically any situation. This heavy duty, water resistant 50 liter assault pack is great because it’s built in ways that help you compress your bug out equipment into 2 large compartments that have various mesh zips and pockets to keep everything organized, and a super convenient Velcro pack for hydration. Each compartment has two way zippers, and the whole frame is padded with adjustable straps.

Completely control and manipulate the volume in your bag with a great number of compression straps that make it more possible to attach even more additional equipment through different straps all around the frame of this bag and on the D-rings on the shoulder straps.

-1400 grams empty

-Completely water resistant

-Various MOLLE attachment points

-Lateral Compression points

-Adjustable hip belt

This bag is perfect for an extensive 72 hour BOB bag for your basic needs, it can carry as much as you can and never pop a seam, thanks to durable military technology. Barring more modifications and options, this is a great BOB survival pack for the cost.

 

ILBE Main Pack USMC Generation 2 ILBE Main Pack USMC Generation 2-

You’ll spend about $250-300 on what the Marine Core gives to it’s troops to survive. It’s incredibly adjustable- definitely a more serious pack than Mil Tech Survival Pack- and it pretty much begins and ends all conversations on these variety of survival packs- and sometimes you can even find them cheaper than other models if you buy them used, sometimes under $100. It’s got an excellent suspension system to allow you to hold very large quantities of weight while having a great feeling bag perched on your shoulders for days.

Everything on the pack is completely removable for you to adjust the way that you want it, even with wraparound panels that keep everything balanced on your back. It’s thicker than most other models, and it’s very spacious- making 100 pounds ride on your shoulders like 80, and you’ll barely even know the backpack’s there.

-over 4800 cubic inch capacity

-internal frame can hold over 120 pounds of gear, if you can carry it.

-Completely full length pockets on either side of your body for anything you might need- axes, machetes, rifles, even mortars or grenades if the situation calls for it.

-Completely waterproof

-radio pouch

It’s really one of the better bags you can get to pack 3-5 days of complete survival gear in and expect to survive. It’s tough and versatile and can hold up to 3 liters of water to keep you hydrated.

 

Condor 3-Day Assault PackCondor 3-Day Assault Pack-

There are a lot of bags out there that are either end of the spectrum for these kind of BOB bags, but they’re typically either really expensive, or really small. One of the best options out there that’s a combination of the two is the Condor 3 Day Assault Pack- a high quality pack that has humongous pockets and lots of options despite its’ low price tag. Models like the ILBE and the Eberlestock are excellent, don’t get me wrong- but the price tags are a little high for my liking. For under $80, you get a huge pack (over 3,000 cubic inches) to hold everything and anything you could imagine in the bag’s many roomy, multipocketed, waterproof design that keeps everything organized and in it’s place. It comes in 8 different colors, and has two large 3L hydration bladders to take care of your hydration needs

-Completely adjustable shoulder straps and D-rings to store equipment, plus super comfortable straps and waist belt to guarantee the most comfort in any BOB bag out there.

-Heavy-Duty Drag Handle if you need to grab it and go without worrying about compromising the bag’s stitching with a heavy load.

-Double zipper pull strings on the main storage area to access easily and efficiently. The unique design and foam back panel makes it super comfortable and maximum airflow.

-Grommets on each compartment for drainage if water ever happens to get in.

-7 total compartments, main compartment to store large gear with gear straps and two extra mesh pockets. The Second compartment has three map/document pockets, two radio pockets, and even pen holders.

-Two large pockets on the back for equipment that you want to keep close, and a bottom pocket with various mesh pockets and zipper mesh pockets. Additionally, there are two pockets on each side, and a dual compartment area to hold your liquids.

You’ll never run out of space, or have it break on you. Now that’s a great deal.

 

Ebelrestock G4 Operator Tactical PackEbelrestock G4 Operator Tactical Pack-

When you want the absolute best, you go for Ebelrestock. Typically, these packs are seen as the ultimate in scout and sniper packs because they completely represent everything that’s important in the inclusive sniper community. This go-to-war pack packs a punch from lessons learned from other varieties of packs from Ebelrestock- it’s got two huge twin side pockets that peel back and expose PALS webbing to mount ammo or anything else you might want to mount, and the two-chambered main compartment is expansive to hold your survival equipment, even with the expansive outer pockets. Everything on this bag is double seamed, triple seamed, and sewn together to guarantee that this classic bag is built to last. On the bottom of the Eberlestock, the scabbard that extends to hold your weapon of choice retracts back into the bottom of the pack to guarantee ease of transportation and maximum comfort.

This bag does come at a pretty penny, however. At $418, you’re typically deciding whether you would rather buy the survival equipment, instead of the bag. Plus, the bag itself is so reinforced that it can weigh you down and keep you from packing what’s really important- so maybe everything that glitters isn’t gold.

 

Settle with versatility, do some research, and pick what you think is the best survival backpack wisely. You never know when your BOB survival backpack could become your next apartment. Literally.

One thought on “Bug-Out With The Best: The Best Survival Backpack for Any Situation

  • Who ever came up with the theory that a bug out will only last three days? Loose the glow sktcis and get a head lamp, use a lighter alternative to the heavy shovel, your water sys is way too bulky, denatured alcohol for a stove did you say, loose that and get a esbit stove, the 9mm is only good for self defense and small game. Maps, where are your maps and compass you can lay on the map and that had a mirror, you can get a hatchet that is just as effective but lighter than that one.

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