Grab and Run Backpack

Things can turn really bad quite quickly and you and your family could need to leave a house within a few minutes. It doesn’t matter if you are evacuated by the military or other government institutions, or if you must run by yourself, having a fully ready backpack is a must.

In some cases, one will not have more than 30 minutes to get ready, or even 5 minutes is the time frame you have to get away from your living place. Grab-and-run backpack lying in your pantry could be a lifesaver.

The Backpack Itself

(Approx. budget: $50)

Choosing a backpack is not rocket science and it is an easy task. Every retail store around the corner should have something that will fit. Amazon has a lot of great backpacks as well, if this marketplace isn’t available, any solid e-shop in your country should have a good backpack as well.

But still, we have to understand a few key principles of what is a good base for our evacuation backpack. Let’s check them:

• Go with a 30L - 50L backpack. It should be enough to carry all the must-have items. If you are not alone, having two 30L or 30L + 50L would do the job. It distributes the weight, you can pick up more things, and even in the case of one backpack getting lost, there is still one left at least with something.

• Get a black, dark grey, green, or other dark-colored backpack. It’s harder to be seen in case you have to hide. Yellow, white (unless it’s snowy around), red, light blue, etc. are bad colors for this purpose.

• Buy a high-quality one if possible. I know, investing a lot into a backpack that hopefully will never be used, might not be okay for everyone, but get one that is well-built. You don’t want to get it teared up in the middle of running. Amazon has some decent military-style backpacks for $50.

• Waterproof? Yes, if possible. Yup, it could be expensive, but sometimes you can get a good deal. In this case, choose a waterproof backpack. It will protect your stuff. You will not have to hide it under plastic cover if it’s very rainy outside.

All in all, there are plenty of offers online or at any retail store. It’s highly recommended to select military or tourist backpacks, as they are developed within a lot of years of field experience. The guys behind really know what they are doing.

Stuff Inside Backpack

Now after you have a backpack, it’s time to get it filled. These are the things you must have, no matter what conditions you are in (some items aren’t used as often if it is warm or cold, but having them all is the key). So without further ado, let’s jump into the content of our grab-and-run backpack.

Knife

(Approx. budget: $20)

A multi-purpose item that you must have all the time. It is handy to cut food or split a rope. And, of course, it is a weapon for self-defense.

Any good quality tourist or hunter knife should be okay. Just be sure it’s sharp and has a tray.

By the way, know your local laws. The length of a blade in some regions is considered a cold weapon and might have extra requirements.

However, be sure it’s not too short, as it wouldn’t be so useful for cutting in the end.

Gas or Wood Stove

(Approx. budget: $15, plus small-size gas tank)

You will need to prepare hot food or beverages. A small tourist stove must be in your backpack.

The gas stove is great when everything around is wet and it’s hard to start a fire. On the other hand, carrying a small gas tank all the time takes a space in a backpack, also gas will end eventually and there is no way to refill it. So bringing up two gas tanks is highly recommended.

While a wood stove works great as there are no limits to resources that burn around you, they must be dry whatsoever.

Choose the one that fits you better. Plenty of different options and manufacturers are available.

A Rope

(Approx. budget: $10 for 100 feet (30 meters))

Many people don’t think about it at all, but trust me, it has a lot of use cases. Maybe you will have to make a roof for an improvised tent or build something on the spot, attach extra items to the backpack, or make a sled for carrying a child or hurt people.

Recommendation: Buy the one made of paracord. Superstrong material.

First Aid Kit and Medicine

(Approx. budget: from $25 to $100)

The first aid kit made by professionals is a must. It should contain a bandage, patches, disinfectant for wounds, and many other instruments necessary for providing the first help. It’s best if you buy the one already completed by real professionals unless you know what to do. Tourniquets should be included too!

Moreover, medicines such as painkillers, for stomach, and food poisoning should be there too. Of course, they must be not expired.

The most noteworthy is the medicine you or your family members use daily, heart pills, and various drugs issued with a recipe. Well, probably you will not keep it in the backpack, but you’ve to remember to pick it up when evacuating. That’s really important!

Recommendation: Check the expiration date of medicines in your backpack from time to time. If it’s getting to an end, replace them with new ones.

Radio with Batteries

(Approx. budget: $15)

Yes, it’s not 80s anymore, you’ve your phone, but remember that in the case of war or a huge emergency, it can be unusable or it will not work at all. Even though the radio technology is old, it probably will work. Listen to the radio to keep updated about events. The government may repeat important messages and keep them in the air - evacuation paths, what to do, what the current status and situation is, etc.

Recommendation: Buy a radio with a headphones socket. You wouldn’t be noisy if hidden. Just then, don’t forget to get a pair of headphones.

Foil Blanket

(Approx. budget: $6)

It will help you to keep the warmth and to stay dry. You should have at least a couple of them or more with a family. It’s a cheap item, but really helpful.

There are black versions now, so it would be a smart choice as the shining foil doesn’t help to hide at all and is very visible from far away. Get a black one if possible.

Water Sanitizer Tablets or Filter

(Approx. budget: from $8 to $40)

Yes, you have to pick up water, however, it will be not enough quite quickly. An adult must drink at least 0.5-1 gallon (2-4 liters) of water per day. It’s impossible to carry so much water with you. If a family of 4 people evacuates, they need to have from 1.5 to 4.5 gallons (6 to 16 liters) of water.

Obviously, drinking water from unknown places can lead to intoxication, sometimes even death. Such tablets will help you to easily clean the water from all dangerous microorganisms.

The tablets, packets, or drops, all of them fit in your pocket and can clean tens of gallons of water within minutes. Some products will help you to clean up to 2.5 gallons (10L) of water with a single packet in 30 mins. That’s enough water for 4 people for a day (even though it’s recommended to drink more, in a critical situation, that’s a quite good amount).

Having a water filter is great too, but they are slightly more expensive, but more liters of drinkable water can be processed. And you can pump water directly into a cup or a mouth. Some of them even have an attached capacity for water, to pump directly into it.

Water & Food

(Approx. budget: from $10 to $50)

This one is really obvious. However, it takes a lot of backpack space. Many professionals recommend having resources for at least 72 hours. Well, for 4 person’s family that’s around 7.5 gallons (30L) of water. It’s impossible to fit so much of bottles in the backpack. That’s why we already have water sanitizer or a filter.

However, you should take at least a gallon (4L) of water when in a hurry. You might need it on a bus when mass evacuation happens or in other cases.

Food! Yes, we need that too. It also takes up a lot of space, but you can take instant-made soups, chocolate, canned food, tea, coffee, and other small items.

Lately, the food packs for travelers have become insanely popular. One portion costs around $7-$12. Having at least a few packs ready in your backpack, sounds like a good idea. I was able to find some emergency food packs on Amazon too. It should work too!

And the best part is its expiration date is quite long. So replacing them with new portions isn’t needed too often.

Recommendation: In the backpack keep only long-lasting food. And check an expiration date occasionally.

Tools for Preparing & Eating Food

(Approx. budget: $20-$100)

You must eat, and a hot meal is recommended for good health. A few items you should have:

• Military style stainless steel canteen & kidney style cup. In the canteen, keep the water, and a removable cup can go on the stove to make a hot beverage or a soup. It will also work to retrieve the water and put a sanitization pill on it. The canteen can be attached to the backpack using a carabiner, or sometimes it has an attaching mechanism on its holder.

• Tourist tableware set. A nice set where everything that’s needed for eating is included is a smart choice. A small pot, fork, spoon, etc. Just browse through Amazon or some local tourist inventory store. Plenty of different variations. Choose the most compact. You want to save space in your backpack, right?

• Swiss knife. It usually has a lot of different tools like a can opener, a small knife, a spoon, etc. Even though there are some of these items already on the list, one Swiss knife dedicated to food preparation is a wise idea. It doesn’t take up a lot of space as well.

Hygiene Items

(Approx. budget: $5)

Soap, toothbrush, napkins, etc. Have at least a few items to keep your hygiene. It will prevent you from getting an infection or sick too quickly. Buy smaller traveler packs to save your space.

An extra pair of socks and underwear is highly advised too. Dry socks will keep your feet well.

Flashlight

(Approx. price: $15)

The flashlight that goes on your head is the best. It’s the most convenient to use when fixing or looking for something. It’s called a headlamp.

Also, it’s very important to buy not chargeable but the version with batteries. You can replace them anytime.

Personally, I keep two flashlights ready. One headlamp, the other just a regular powerful LED flashlight. Both are with batteries.

Recommendation: Acquire a headlamp with the red light feature. It’s used in the military because red light is hardly visible from a distance at night. So it works great when you want to stay unnoticed.

Other Small Items

(Approx. budget: $43)

There are some stuff that are not worth excluding with a paragraph, but they all are must have to:

• Set of carabiners. It could help to attach the rope, hang things for drying up, build something, etc. Universal small item comes in handy in many ways.

• Batteries. Have packs of AAA and AA. It will be useful for a radio, flashlight, or other devices.

• A pencil and a piece of paper. To draw or leave a note. Believe me, it could be really helpful.

• A pack or two of cigarettes. Don’t start to smoke, please. It’s like a currency. You might trade it or pay for something.

•  A small bottle of vodka. Yes, it’s the same, for trading. And could help with sanitizing.

• A lighter. Usage - clear.

• Masks such as KN95. Yes, it became very popular due to COVID-19, but in this case, it could be even slightly helpful from radiation or dust, especially if there is a lot of debris around.

• Waterproof matches. Usage is clear.

• Cash. Yes, you know.

Not Necessary But Good to Have

(Approx. budget: $30)

There are a few items I love to have, but they are not necessary in my opinion.

• Old a school phone with buttons and a good battery. Nokia still makes devices like this. The battery stays alive for a week, and some of them even have built-in flashlights. Your smartphone will probably die within a day, but checking if the mobile network is up again from time to time is necessary, so such a phone could help a lot.

• Your favorite snack. It helps to boost morale and mood.

Other Advice

Well, now that we have our backpacks filled, we are one step closer to being prepared. However, there are still a few things I would like you to know before ending this post.

• Keep your backpack easily reachable. When you are in a hurry, you don’t want everything to spill out on the floor or you have to look for your backpack. It should be in a visible place.
  Also, inform your family members where a backpack is if you are not with them.

• Update the backpack’s content. As I said before, check if all the items are up to date and not expired. The bi-yearly inspection routine should be more than enough.

• Do not keep batteries inside the electronics. It tends to damage appliances when they are not used for a long time.

The End

That’s it. It eventually got a long article, I didn’t expect it to be like that to be honest. However, it’s quite detailed and informative. Only for a budget as low as $250 you can complete a decent evacuation backpack that will help you to survive for days or even save someone’s life.

Recommendation: Invest a little bit more and get high-quality items. They will be more durable. Also, already completed and cheap backpacks tend to be poor quality, containing the lowest quality stuff.
On the other hand, it’s better than nothing.

P.S. I might update this post in the future if new ideas and knowledge come up.

I hope it was useful and do not forget to subscribe for future guides. Stay safe!

Disclaimer: The author of this publication is not a professional of survival, not a former soldier, scout, or anything. Everything published here is made out of collecting and researching different sources that are public. The information is summarized, disaggregated, and adapted to regular people. Please always do your own research.

The facts, items, experiences, locations, and everything mentioned in this publication can vary depending on your location, local laws, customs, and local procedures. Please always follow the recommendations of your government.