Bugging in essentials checklist

Bugging In Essentials: Gear and Supplies Checklist

Do you have the essentials you need for bugging in? Become Self sufficient and make your home your castle with our bugging in checklist.

It’s important to be prepared but forty eight percent of Americans don’t have the emergency supplies for use in the event of a disaster situation. That’s about half the country. This isn’t to say that people have good emergency supplies, or know what they have. This was an opinion based study. People might think they’re prepared, but not have all the essentials they need. You need to take a good hard look at what you’ll actually need for bugging in. You need to take a good hard look at what you’ll actually need in an emergency situation.

Argument for bugging in

There is an argument that if you are preparing for an emergency, and you’ve turned your home into your fortress, why leave it? If you’ve got plants growing, thousands of pounds of food and water stored, equipment, security, and comfort, you probably don’t want to get get out of dodge. If this is your main strategy, you may want to have a Get Home Bag in your car or office. This is different from the Bug out Bag. The Get home bag is designed to get you home, back to your stronghold so that you can bug in.

Argument against bugging in

It’s great to be prepared, but there is always the possibility of a fire, or if we want to get more extreme, there’s always a chance of war and other major violent events. A bomb or nuclear fall out could destroy your home, lodge, or even your bunker in the blink of an eye. You always need a plan B and a good bug out location, and we suggest having a plan C and D as well. Because of that, we recommend having a bug out bag and a bug out plan. Our main plan though is to bug in. A fire or bombing isn’t very likely, and we put a lot of work into creating a good bug in scenario with all the essentials.

The difference between our bugging in and bugging out essentials checklists

Your bugging in preparations are permanent, at least much more permanent than your bug out essentials. The essentials for bugging out need to all be transportable, possibly on your back. You bug in gear can stay on the shelf. This gives you as much flexibility as your storage space provides.

That being said, human necessities don’t change whether you’re bugging in or bugging out. We split our bug in checklist into the same categories that we used in our bug out bag essentials checklist. You still need to eat, stay warm, have safe water, and be protected from the dangers around you, though our list priorities and essential items change when going from bugging out to bugging in.

Bugging In Checklist Essentials Categories

  • Food
  • Water
  • Shelter
  • Defense
  • Heat
  • Clothing
  • Tools
  • First Aid
  • Safety
  • Communications

Bugging in Essentials Checklist

We recommend that you have everything on the list below, but recognize that cost or circumstance may mean that you don’t need or don’t want everything, or aren’t able to get everything at once. We have marked certain items as –Bugging in essentials- to help you realize what you really shouldn’t try to leave out.

Food

  • 3-12 months food storage: Bugging in essentials – It certainly doesn’t hurt to have more than that, but we recommend having as much as your storage space will allow, with a minimum of 3 months. See our article on Starting Your Food Storage if you haven’t already.
  • Seeds/Garden: If you’re trying to be completely self sufficient, supplement your food storage with your own garden.
  • Solar Oven: This requires no fuel to use, which makes it great if you live in an urban area, or other area with limited vegetation and natural fire wood. In a real emergency, everyone else is going to be going after the firewood as well, so having another cooking method will be crucial. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Fishing, Hunting, or Trapping Equipment: Identify what wildlife is around where you live, then get the proper gear to take advantage of that.
  • Livestock: If you’re able to have animals where you live, we recommend raising chickens, rabbits, goats, or really anything else you’re able to where you live. This will provide you with an ongoing source of animal protein in a bugging in scenario.

Water

The CDC recommends storing a gallon of water per person per day. You need safe water, but you also need the ability to make water safe. Make sure you have both water storage and water purification.

  • Water filter:Bugging in essential – Your bug in gear needs to include a good water filter. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Berkey: A Berkey is a water storage gravity fed system, similar to the water cooler at work. If you’re serious about bugging in, you need this. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Water purification tablets:Bug out bag essentials- This is a vital backup. It is also important to kill bacteria and giardia which this does, while also improving taste. Filters can be compromised or break so you need a foolproof backup. Buy on Amazon⇨

Shelter

  • Window shrink wrap: If you’re in the moment, and you lose your heat, insulation is still going to be your friend. Your windows are one of the hardest areas to insulate and should be your main focus. Get a window shrink wrap kit. One article claimed that it cut their heating bill by 80%. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Plywood: in case you need to board up your windows or make any repairs. Plywood is versatile and just a great material to have on hand.
  • Solar Generator: A solar generator is the best long term sustainable option for providing power to your home. We also recommend that you have a conventional generator on hand, or you should know how to Turn Your Car into a Generator, but the solar option is the best sustainable solution for SHTF. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Tent: – Bugging in essential – Protection from wind and rain. If you need to do repairs on your house, this is essential. Or if the heat goes out, you can set up a tent indoors and trap body heat better. Buy on Amazon>
  • Tarp: These tarps are extremely light weight and keep the rain and wind off of you. You may need a tarp for a wide variety of reasons, from a broken window, to a roof leak. It’s a versatile tool that makes you better prepared. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Sleeping bag: If your heater goes out, you can throw a sleeping bag under the covers on your bed and have a lot of warmth. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Spare Light Bulbs: We strongly recommend that everyone have a good stash of LED lightbulbs on hand. If you need to go to your flashlight, it should be because the power is out, not because you ran out of bulbs. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Hand Crank Solar Lantern: – Bugging in essential – If you need to work in dark spaces in your home, or do work after hours, or even if the power goes out, you’re going to need light. The lantern we recommend is one that can get charged from solar, hand crank, or by a power cord Buy on Amazon⇨

Defense

We strongly suggest that you have a firearm for your defense in a bug in situation. This may not be possible for you, or you may be uncomfortable with the idea. If this is the case, we recommend that you look at our article on the best alternative weapons and pick one or more that you are able to use and are comfortable with.

  • Sandbags: Sandbags can be used to stop floods, mud slides, stop wind, create a temporary wall repair, and even stop bullets. Have sand bags on hand, and you can fill them with dirt, sand, or whatever else you’ve got on hand. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Knife:-Bugging in essential- Every survivalist knows that a knife is an absolute must have. There are thousands of options, but we go with the tried and true Buck Knife with a good sheath. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Pepper spray: Pepper spray is a great option for people who prefer nonlethal confrontation. Pepper spray is also great for pests and dangerous animals. Buy on Amazon⇨

Heat

If the SHTF, you could lose all your utilities, including gas and electricity. You need some heating backups.

Bugging in heat essentials
  • Wood Burning Stove: Ideally you’d have a nice big cast iron wood stove, but that isn’t realistic for everyone. Even if you’ve got that, we recommend having a secondary wood stove. We love this tent/shelter wood burning stove. It’s smaller, but still has a cook surface on top, making it great for both cooking and heat. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Propane Heater: -Bug in Essential- Other than wood, propane is the easiest fuel to store. We love the Mr. Buddy Heater. It’s got a bunch of built in safety features and works fantastic. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Lighters:Bug in essentials- There are a lot of fancy fire starters, but there aren’t many or as universal as a bic lighter. They’re popular because they just plain work. Lighters are great for a bug in situation because they aren’t likely to be affected by moisture indoors.
  • Matches/Ferro rod: Most people know how to use matches, but they aren’t as space efficient as a Ferro rod. There is more of a learning curve with Ferro rods, but its what we recommend over matches if you know how to use one.  Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Fire Starter: You need fire most when its wet and cold, but that’s when its hardest to start one. Having fire starter, like the Blackbeard Fire Starter can save your life. Even if this fire starter gets wet, it will still light. Buy on Amazon⇨

Clothing

  • Winter clothing: You can always take warm clothing off when things are warm, but you need good quality clothing for warmth in cold weather.
  • Sewing Machine: In SHTF you’re going going to be able to go to the mall for a new pair of pants. You’ll need to know how to fix things up or make your own, and you’ll need to tools to do it. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Sewing Kit: – Bugging in essential – If something rips and the power is out, you still are going to want to have a needle and thread to get the job done, even if you have a sewing machine.
  • Good work Boots:Bugging in essentials – Your feet get you from A-B. If you’re going to be on your feet, providing for yourself in an apocalyptic situation, you’ll need to take care of your feet. Buy on Amazon⇨

Tools

In an ideal world, you’d want a full and workable shop if you’re bugging in. I love my power tools. I’m a fan of the Makita 18v battery system, and have about a dozen tools for that. I also recommend that you have a hand tool that doesn’t rely on electricity as a backup for all of your power tools.

  • Drill: Bugging in essentials – You can drive a nail with a rock, but you need a good drill to drive a screw. A drill does a ton and is vital for bugging in successfully. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Socket Set: – Bugging in essentials – If you need to work on anything mechanical, a socket set will make that possible. From a car to a dishwasher, this is an absolute must. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Circular Saw: You can do a ton with a circular saw. My dad built the majority of his house with nothing but a hammer, drill, and circular saw. A circular saw is extremely versatile and is one of the main saws I use on a regular basis. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Any other tools you can get your hands on: In an apocalyptic situation, you’ll want any and all the tools you can get. I’ve got a ton of saws, wrenches, power tools and hand tools. Everything I can get, I get.

Don’t forget materials. If you’ve got space, store some building materials. These are the main ones I recommend you store:

Bugging In Prepping Building Materials

  • 2x4s
  • 4x4s
  • Plywood
  • Sheet rock
  • Drywall mud
  • Paint
  • Nails
  • Screws
  • Caulk
  • Liquid Nails
  • Electrical Wire
  • PVC Pipe

This isn’t an exhaustive list of essential materials you might need in a bug in scenario, and we certainly recommend that you continue to accumulate more, but this is a good start. I personally have tubs of hardware and an ever growing collection of tools.

First Aid

Accidents happen. A well-stocked first aid kit is essential for any disaster scenario. Pack your bug out bag with the following must-haves:

  • Premade First Aid Kit:Bug in essential- A premade kit will have most of the options below. A first aid kit is a bug in essential must. We strongly recommend that you buy an easily recognizable kit. If you get hurt, you’ll want a good Samaritan to be able to recognize the life saving equipment you may need. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Baby wipes: Cleaning hands, wounds, or, you know, for babies.
  • Hand Sanitizer:Bug in essential- germs and infections can kill you. Keep your hands sanitized.
  • Painkillers: –Bug in essentials- Tylenol and ibuprofen. I like to have Benadryl as well.
  • Gauze pads: –Bug in essentials- Have bandages, and keep them clean.
  • Sunscreen: This may be an essential depending on how easily you burn and on where you live. I live in the desert and my wife is a red-head. The sunscreen flows like rivers here.
  • Medical gloves: –Bug in essentials- You don’t want to touch someone else’s bodily fluids if you can avoid it. Also, don’t get latex gloves if you have a latex allergy.
  • Bandages and Band-Aids: –Bug in essentials- Have all sizes of bandages and band-aids.
  • Burn gel: A burn can leave you with ongoing pain, and can quickly become infected.
  • Antibiotic ointment: –Bug in essential- Keeping infection away is vital.
  • Antiseptic wipes: Less versatile than baby wipes, but very convenient for cleaning wounds.
  • Prescriptions:Bug in essentials- It might not be feasible to have a big stash of prescriptions, but try to keep your prescriptions as full as possible. Don’t forget glasses or contacts. Also, explore alternative medicines.
  • Tourniquet: –Bug in essential- If there’s a major injury, you need to stop blood flow or you risk bleeding out. A tourniquet is vital. Buy on Amazon⇨

Safety

  • Work Gloves: Bugging in essentials – If you go from your normal life to needing to provide from yourself, unless you’re currently a farmer, you’re going to be providing for yourself with your hands much more than you currently are. Tearing up your hands while you’re doing this can put you out of commission, or slow you down. That’s a problem. Get several pair of good work gloves. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Air Filtration Mask: You can only survive for three minutes without clean air. Especially after this pandemic, this must-have bug out bag item. especially if you live in a more urban setting a full respirator is a bug out bag essential. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Face Mask: A KN95was considered the gold standard during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Safety Glasses: Maybe there’s a dust storm, or you could be using tools. Protecting your eyes is a must.

Communications

  • Batteries: Stock up on AA, AAA, C, and D batteries. These are the most common used, especially in communication devices or radios.
  • Solar Battery Pack: If your cell phone can get service, that will be your best communication option. A solar battery pack allows you to keep your phone charged and able to communicate. Buy on Amazon⇨
  • Hamm Radio: A Hamm radio is the most reliable fallback communication option for preppers. Buy on Amazon⇨

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