[Brent Internal Dialogue] Dear Matilda.

It's been three months since the incident,

and I can't take life in this bunker anymore.

The specter of certain death is not so horrific

as the knowledge that I will never again know your touch.

Today's the day I emerge and face what's out there.

(epic music)

Hey guys, I'm Brent Rose, writer and bearded bad-boy,

and today we're talking about go-bags,

aka, bug-out bags or emergency preparedness kits.

Basically, they're for when the (bleep) hits the fan

and you need to GTFO ASAP.

Now, it could be any type of emergency situation,

from earthquake, flood, or fire,

to zombie apocalypse and collapse of society,

or maybe our president leads us to nuclear war

because somebody made fun of him on Twitter.

The point is to be covered in pretty any situation.

Now, these kits cost a lot of money to put together,

and it seems crazy to me to spend that much cash

on something you hope you'll never have to use.

That's why my personal bug-out bag

doubles as a really solid camping and backpacking kit.

Not only do you get to use this stuff for fun and adventure,

but it also ensures that you've practiced

using it all before, so if you're ever faced

with a really dire situation, you're not struggling,

trying to figure it out for the first time.

I've put a lot of time and thought into this

to include everything you need and nothing you don't.

And you should be covered

for just about any situation.

Now let's get to it.

To start off, the most essential part of a go-bag is

the bag itself.

Because you're likely to be on foot

and walking over uncertain terrain,

I think you should go with a backpack set-up,

and personally, I recommend the Gregory Baltoro 75.

It's a 75 liter pack, which means it's got plenty of room

for everything we're gonna recommend you carry.

And it's built to carry weight and not kill your body.

It has really excellent hip pads and suspension system.

It also has a zip off day pack

and plenty of small pockets to organize your gear.

Now, if you're a smaller person,

you might wanna go with a 65 liter pack,

and if you're carrying more stuff, like for a child,

you might wanna go with something around 85 or 90 liters.

Let's talk about shelter.

For most people, I recommend going with a real tent.

It offers a little more protection from the elements

and a little bit of privacy,

which could be very nice in an emergency situation.

For the majority of people,

I recommend the REI Half Dome 2 Plus.

It's nice and compact, it's light enough,

it's certainly well-priced,

and it gives you a good amount of head room

and storage space.

It's just a really solid all-around tent.

In an emergency situation, every little bit of sleep

is really gonna count, and that's why

you wanna be comfortable, but you don't wanna carry

too much weight.

For that reason, I recommend the Therm-A-Rest

Neoair All Season SV.

It's incredibly compact when rolled up,

gives you enough padding even for side sleepers,

it gives you plenty of insulation from the cold ground,

and it inflates super, super quickly.

It's awesome.

Sleeping bags.

Now, my absolute favorite is the Marmot Plasma 30.

It's super, super compact, really light and very warm.

It's also stupid expensive.

So for most people, I recommend going with the

Kelty Cosmic Down 20.

It's actually a little bit warmer,

just a bit bigger and heavier.

Both of them are really nice bags though.

Did you know that humans need to drink water to survive?

It's true, which is why in a disaster situation,

finding clean drinking water

is one of the number one priorities.

The gold standard for cleaning water

is the MSR Guardian filter.

It's got a high flow rate, it's strong,

and field repairable, and can filter out everything

your standard water filter does,

but what really sets it apart

is it can also filter out viruses.

If a mutated zombie virus

is your doomsday scenario of choice,

this is the one you want.

Now, if the Guardian is too expensive

and you're not concerned about viruses,

you can go with something lighter and cheaper,

like the Vapur Microfilter.

Simply fill up your bag of water, screw in the filter,

and it's ready to drink.

It's recommended that you carry

at least three liters of water per person per day.

My favorite way to do that is the Platypus Big Zip LP.

This is the three liter version,

which gets you all of your water in one place.

It also fits in the hydration pouch in the backpack,

which means you can just sip as you're fleeing for safety.

As a backup, I also recommend carrying

a straight up wide-mouth 32 ounce Nalgene bottle.

It's made of tough lexane,

so it's not going to break easily.

It's got clear markings right on the side,

and it can also carry hot liquids.

As a bonus, it screws right into the MSR Guardian

for easy filling.

Now every bug-out bag should have at least

three days worth of food in it.

That could be something as cheap and simple

as dried beans and rice,

or if you wanna save a little bit more weight

and don't mind spending the extra money,

I'd go with freeze dried meals.

Rip open the top, add boiling water,

you've got a pretty tasty, well balanced meal.

But how are you gonna boil all that water?

Personally I like the MSR Alpinist 2.

It's a really basic cookware set.

You've got two insulated mugs, two saucers to eat off of,

and a pot with a strainer lid.

Add in a couple of these metal sea to summit sporks,

and you and your apocalypse sweetie are good to go.

For stoves, my all time favorite

is the tried and trusted MSR Dragonfly.

And it's especially good for apocalypse scenarioses

because it can burn almost any kind of fuel.

Everything from white gas to regular old gasoline.

Unlike other liquid fuel stoves,

this one can actually simmer.

Just because everyone you've ever loved is dead,

doesn't mean you should put up with burnt pancakes.

So how're you gonna light that stove?

Well, we recommend you have

at least three different ways to light a fire.

Now easiest, is just your simple straight up Bic lighter.

Stormproof matches.

These things are windproof and waterproof,

and believe me, they will not go out on you.

But for the longer term solution,

I like this magnesium bar with striker.

Basically, you use your knife

to shave off some magnesium powder

and then make a big-ass spark.

Now let's talk about those knives.

You need them for all the obvious reasons.

I really like this Gerber knife,

because not only is it super sharp,

it's got a full tin handle,

so you can use the back for breaking glass if you need to.

That said, if you wanna go with something cheaper,

I really love my Morakniv.

It's super strong, really sharp,

and I only paid about 12 bucks for it.

So it's the end of the world,

there's a very good chance the grid is gonna go down,

which means there are no lights.

So for that reason, we recommend you carry

at least two forms of light.

For headlamps, I really like the Princeton Tec Sync.

It has a ton of different modes,

but unlike a lot of other headlamps,

you don't have to memorize some sequence of button pushes.

Just has a simple dial that changes the mode on you.

As a backup, I like the Mini Maglite LED.

It's small enough to fit in any pocket,

and it's really bright.

The LED will also make sure it lasts a good long time.

There's one other flashlight that I really like carrying,

and that's the Vipertek VTS-195.

It's rechargeable, it's got a really bright light,

and it does one other rather cool trick.

(rapid popping)

That's the sound of 38 million volts

coursing through these two contacts,

and it really, really hurts.

Trust me.

(screaming)

Mother (bleep)

Oh (bleep) that hurts.

And that brings us to our most controversial topic,

self defense.

Now, there are a lot of people who believe

you absolutely must have a gun in your go-bag.

Personally, it's not my thing,

but I totally get it if you want it,

do what you gotta do.

Between my knives and my stun-gun,

I generally feel pretty well protected,

but I also like to carry a slingshot.

Not only can you hurt somebody from far away

if you need to, but you can also hunt small game

if you're really in a bind.

Also great for catching food, a telescoping fishing rod.

This is an eight foot Mako Hurricane rod.

Slap a cheap Shimano reel on there

and you're ready to catch something.

So let's talk about generating heat.

You need to be able to get firewood.

I really like the Gerber Survival Hatchet.

Not only is it super hard and really sharp,

it also has a back end that you can use as a hammer.

It's a really nice piece of kit.

Alternatively, you've got something bigger to cut down,

take a look at the Sabercut Saw.

It's basically a chain saw where your body is the motor.

You wrap it around a dead tree branch or tree trunk

and just let your arms do their thing.

You'll definitely burn some calories doing it,

but not as many as you would

if you're cutting down the whole tree

with that little hatchet.

We can't talk about tools without bringing up

the multi-tool.

My personal favorite is the Leatherman Wave.

It's got 17 tools in one, but it fits nicely

in the palm of your hand.

It's got everything from screwdrivers to scissors

and knives, so when you're in an emergency situation,

take it out of your backpack

and just leave it right in your pocket.

Being that it's the apocalypse,

the chances are good that you're gonna hurt yourself

at some point, which is why it's good to have

a first aid kit.

This is the REI Backpacker Multiday.

It's got enough stuff for four people

for five days, but you can also add your own things to it.

I personally like to add a little bottle

of hydrogen peroxide, and the all-important

toe-nail clippers.

Also make extra certain that you have a backup supply

of any medications you take regularly.

If there's something you need to survive,

make sure you have some in the bag.

One of the most powerful tools in your arsenel

is your phones.

If the grid is still up,

obviously you can use it to communicate

and download information.

That said, you wanna be prepared in case the grid goes down,

which means you need to download a few apps now.

There's Backcountry Navigator Topo GPS for androids,

or Gaia GPS for ioses.

Both of them will let you download maps offline.

Another app I really like for both systems

is the SAS Survival App.

It has tons and tons of information

on how to survive in many different types of situations,

and it doesn't take up the bulk of a full book

in your backpack.

You can also use the regular old Google Maps app

and download your whole home area.

So even if the grid goes down,

you can find your way out of the city.

For portable battery, I really like the Anker Powercore+.

This is the 13400 milliAmp version.

That's enough to recharge your iphoness 7 six times.

It's really, really power dense and it charges fast.

But, how do you keep this thing charged?

Well, use the power of the sun.

For solar panels, I really like the Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus.

It's super compact, very lightweight,

you just attach it to the outside of your backpack,

and it'll be putting 7 watts of power into your battery

as you hike.

You really don't wanna have to rely on your phones

for navigation though.

Make sure you have a detailed map of the region you live in

and make sure you know how to use a compass.

This is the Brunton Truarc 5.

It's a cheap and simple compass,

it's got a nice little magnifier,

and it's got adjustable declination.

Don't wait until an emergency situation

to try to learn how to use a map and compass though.

Go out into the woods and practice.

Two of your most valuable utility items

would be paracord and Duct tape.

Now paracord is basically just your super-strong,

thin, lightweight cord, but you can use it

for repairing things, for rescuing somebody,

for making a splint.

Definitely something you need in your case.

As far as Duct tape goes, I'd go with Gorilla Tape.

It's just a lot stronger, it's a lot sticker,

it's gonna last you longer.

Let's get into the miscellaneous but mandatory.

This is the Packtowel Personal.

Super, super compact, yet highly absorbant

and very soft and comfortable.

This is the Midland Compact Emergency Crank Radio.

(whirring)

Also has a flashlight.

Sunblock, bug spray, hand sanitizer, multipurpose soap,

a travel toothbrush, and last but not least, birth control.

You really want another mouth to feed in the apocalypse?

At least two sets of spare batteries,

emergency contact phones numbers written out on paper,

sunglasses, toilet paper, and a lightweight plastic trowel

to bury that (bleep).

One of the most important survival tools

you can have with you is cash money.

Personally, I say 500 bucks is a pretty good amount,

but it's really all about what you think

you're gonna need.

Then again, money might be obsolete, so whatever.

Now let's talk clothes.

The basic rule is you wanna layer.

You need an insulating layer, a rain-proof layer,

a hat for warmth and for shade,

some strong, sturdy hiking boots,

and you want some thick hiking socks.

In terms of materials, avoid cotton

because of the way it absorbs and retains water,

and instead go with wool or some sort of synthetic fabric,

which'll keep you warm even when moist.

Make sure you have enough for at least a few days,

and don't forget that thong, thong, thong, thong, thong.

So what did we learn here today?

Well, a kit like this doesn't come cheap.

Not only do you have everything you need

to survive a really bad situation,

you've got everything you need

to have a really great time

in one of our many amazing national parks.

Also, scale to the size of your crew.

If it's just you, you're gonna need less.

If you have a family of seven,

you're gonna wanna divide up the weight

depending on each person's carrying ability.

These are my personal favorites, but what do you think?

Is there something I'm missing?

Let us know in the comments below,

subscribe to Wired if you haven't already.

With all that being said,

there's really only one thing left to do.

[Brent Internal Dialogue] Dear Matilda.

Today's the day I emerge and face what's out there.

I love you.

Brent.

(epic music)

(car honking)

I (bleep) up.