What would you grab if you had to leave your home in a hurry? Imagine you’re faced with a flash flood or raging bushfire. Would you have time to get everything you need? Too many Australians facing natural disasters have found themselves completely unprepared. A Bug out Bag will help ready you for when disaster or emergency strikes. Getting prepared means less worry now, and less stress if and when the time comes. So let’s take a look at what is typically in a Bug out Bag for Australian conditions, and why having one can make a huge difference right when you need it most. There’s a free Bug out Bag (Australia) list down below too. Cause who doesn’t love a freebie!

What is a Bug out Bag?

A ‘bug out bag’ is a portable evacuation kit that contains everything you need to survive in the event of an emergency, natural disaster or survival situation. It’s a comprehensive survival kit for certain types of hazards or emergencies. These events are what Americans might call ‘bug out scenarios’.

Bug out bags should be packed with survival items that will keep you alive and comfortable until you can reach safety.

If you’d like to know more about what makes a bug out bag you’ll love our post ‘What is a Bug out Bag (and why everyday Aussies are happily bugging out since Covid)’

Bug out bags are used to get your safely to your bug out location and bug out shelter. Which in Australia, is typically somewhere rural or more remote than our cities and towns.

Keep reading for our Bug out Bag Essentials list and Ultimate Bug out Bag List for Australia!

What is typically in a Bug out Bag?

A Bug out Bag typically contains the items you need to meet your human survival needs in an emergency evacuation. It’s a comprehensive survival kit that you can grab and carry on your back when you need to leave home in a hurry. The contents of a Bug out Bag is made up of all the items you need to get to safety when you must evacuate immediately and can’t rely on help or public infrastructure and systems.

There are some important things to consider before you prepare a Bug out Bag, such as where you live, the climate, your fitness level, and if you have any medical conditions.

A Bug out Bag is not one size fits all.

Your bug out bag list may need to change depending on whether you’re bugging out alone, or with a group. If you’re bugging out with kids or pets, you’ll need to consider their needs too!

The best bug-out bags start with a good bug out bag list. So we’ve prepared the ultimate bug out bag list for Australia.

Not everything on this list will find its way into your backpack. But after you read this post, you will know how to build a bug out bag for your specific needs.

Why do you need a Bug out Bag in Australia?

Natural disasters can strike at any time in Australia, and if you aren’t prepared, you’re vulnerable. Often, as with bushfires, flash flooding or storm surge, you need to leave your home with very little notice. Sometimes, it can take days for assistance to reach you in a disaster. Just ask the folks impacted by the recent Lismore floods. 

For those unprepared, it can become a matter of life and death. A QBE survey shows that in an emergency, 22% of Australian’s are completely unprepared. 52% are ‘kind of’ prepared.

This means that 74% of us do not have the necessary emergency equipment to react if an emergency occurred!

Disasters and emergencies can be very stressful. Preparing a Bug out Bag or survival kit helps alleviate your worry and protect you in these situations. Being prepared with the right equipment can also help reduce stress levels and help you cope if and when they do arise. 

Not swayed by these arguments? Maybe this article – ‘Are Bug out Bags necessary in 2023 (4 legit scenarios to dispel the sceptics)’ – will convince you…

What type of emergencies are Bug-out-Bags for?

1. Natural disasters

Most Australians have experienced a natural disaster. In fact, one in four Australians (26.1%*) have had their home or property damaged by extreme weather or disaster events, according to the research by the insurance industry. Hail (36.7%*) and storms (30.3%*) followed by bushfire (27.3%*) were the top drivers behind damage.

Sometimes, natural disasters require people in those areas to evacuate to a safer location. And with the intensity of bushfires and floods increasing in Australia, the need to leave can be immediate with very little warning. This is when you’d grab your bug out bag and go!

2. Unexpected emergency situation

Most Australians know what natural disasters to expect if they’ve live in a particular location for any period of time. Floods, bushfires, cyclones and storm surges are annual events in this great country of ours.

But unexpected emergency situations also arise from time to time. Like the time a few years ago when an earthquake hit the east coast of Australia, or the Perth Hills bushfire that started as a grass fire and quickly escalated due to high winds. Or maybe it’s a localized chemical spill or industrial accident…

In these types of situations, you do not have time to grab what you need and get to safety. This is where a bug out bag comes in handy.

3. A survive or die proposition

This sounds pretty grim but you’d probably be surprised how may Australians have been in a natural disaster or emergency and faced a survive or die proposition. Your bug out bag can help if you need to evacuate immediately from a danger zone. You may find yourself needing to leave on foot or by car with very little notice. If you are remote, you may be camping or car camping until you find help. Wouldn’t you want a survival kit like a bug out bag, ready to go in this situation?

Bugging out in Australia

What does bugging out mean in an Australian context?

In short, it just means to have an emergency plan and comprehensive evacuation kit ready in case you need to quickly evacuate your home due to an impending threat or disaster.

Importantly, for Australians, bugging out means having the provisions that YOU need, based on your local conditions, the hazards you might face, and your own emergency plan.

And those provisions include shelter and food so you’re not reliant on an evacuation shelter for safety.

If you’re in an urban or suburban area, you may ‘bug out’ to a local shelter. Shelters have beds and provisions for food and water. So we wouldn’t call this kind of emergency kit a Bug out Bag. It’s an Emergency Go Bag.

If you’re in a bushfire prone part of coastal Australia and more isolated or remote, your emergency plan will be different. Chance are you won’t have a shelter nearby, so will need a Bug out Bag.

How long should a Bug out Bag last?

A Bug out Bag should last at least 72 hours as a general rule of thumb. This is why a bug out bag is also sometimes called a ’72-hour kit’ or ’72 hour Bug out Bag’. Typically, you need to pack your bag with 3 days worth of survival gear. 3 days is the time it could take for you to reach safety, or for help to reach you.

The truth is, the length of time your Bug out Bag lasts depends on a few factors. Your physical fitness, the climate you’re in, and the type of emergency you’re facing. If you’re properly prepared, and you have a little bit of luck on your side, your Bug out Bag could last for weeks if you need it to.

Our Bug out Bag list assumes that you may not have access to food, water and shelter for 3 days.

Extending the life of your Bug out Bag

There are a few things you can do to extend the life of your Bug out Bag.

• First, try to pack foods that are high in calories and easy to eat. This will give you the energy you need to last longer.
• Packing water purification tablets and finding a source of water can help your long term survival prospects.
• Second, pack sturdy shoes and clothing that will protect you from the elements.
• Finally, make sure you have a good list of first aid supplies.

With these tips in mind, you should be able to make your bug out bag last longer in an emergency situation.

Make sure you read to the end of this post to see our list of bag essentials and our ultimate bug out bag list.

How to make a Bug out Bag

You have two options . You can buy a ready made Bug out Bag off the shelf, or you can use our bag checklist below to build a Bug out Bag online.

1. Ready made bug out bag

Time required – 1 to 2 hours

Difficulty – easy

If you buy one of these, you’re going to save time and effort. The trade off is that you won’t get a custom outcome for your circumstances or personal needs.

Some of the ready made bags are made in the US. So if you do buy one, we suggest some customisation for your personal circumstances and needs as well as Australian conditions.

It’s easy to do a little customization. Just take all of the items out of the bag and check them off against our bug out bag list below. Think about the type of emergency you are packing for. Then check off whether you have everything you need in your ready made kit.

These are the best ready made emergency kits you can buy online online.

2. Build your own bug out bag

Time required – 3-4 hours (using our bug out bag supply guide)

Difficulty – medium

You’ll need to put in a bit more effort to build your own bag, but you’ll end up with a custom kit that’s designed specifically for you and your needs. Plus, it can be fun!

There are many ways to build a bug out bag online. Our bug out bag supply guide will take you to straight to the products you need, simplifying the process and saving tonnes of time on extra research.

5 bug out bag tips before you begin

1. Pack light! You should be able to carry your bag for long periods of time, so make sure you only pack the essentials. Your body weight is important indicator of how heavy your bag should be. Have a look at the end of our post for more on the weight of your pack.
2. Keep your bag up to date. Make sure you check the expiration dates on food and replace items as needed.
3. Practice! Take your bag on hikes and overnight camping trips to make sure you’re comfortable using all of the gear.
4. Pack enough food. Food preparation takes some thought when it comes to your bug out bag. Remember you should only have non perishable food items. You’re also looking for food items with a long shelf life.
5. Get a comfortable backpack. Get a pack that sits comfortably on your back based on your height. Good packs will have hip supports to help you bare the load inside the pack.

Bug out Bag Australia List 2023

While the full list of things that are in your bug out bag may differ, there are some bug out bag essentials that should be at the top of your bag list. 

Bug out Bag essentials are those items that meet our basic human survival needs. Consider this your minimalist bug out bag list. Your ‘Bug out Bag on a Budget’. Human survival needs are water, shelter, warmth, food, light, first aid and communication (for rescue).

If you are on a budget, or limited in terms of what you can carry in a pack, focus on these 7 survival categories in our Ultimate Bug out Bag list.

Or you can check out our free, downloadable PDF Bug out Bag essentials list.

The Ultimate Bug out Bag list

Our Ultimate Bug out Bag checklist is great for Australian conditions. 

We have compiled our using the best Australian resources including government authorities, the Australian Red cross, and Australian fire and emergency services websites.

You may or may not choose to include all of the items on this list. But that’s the beauty of it – you can tailor it for you!

If you want to save time and directly shop the supplies on this list, check out our Bug out Bag supply guide (coming soon).

Oh, and to make it quick and easy we’ve also made our ultimate list into a pdf that you can download for free!

Now let’s get to the list!

Water

Water is the number one item in any list of ‘top 10 bug out bag essentials’. Without it, we humans will only last 3 days. 

The health experts recommend 3 litres of water per person per day. So an individual bug out bag packed for 72 hours will need to carry 9 litres of water.

If that’s too much weight, you’ll need to know of a water source nearby that you can access with certainty. If you have a local water source, pack water purification tablets or a water filtration system to treat the water before you drink it. Water purification tablets will be a lighter weight option in many cases.

• Bottled water or water pouches
• Water purification tablets or water filtration system (such as a bottle water filter)
• Metal water bottle – look for a single wall stainless steel bottle that you can also boil liquids in. This kind of bottle can come in handy to cook, store water and purify water in a pinch.

If you don’t have any of these items all is not lost. Use what you have in your pack to make a DIY filter. Here’s an example: ‘How to purify water to drink (2 must know DIY methods)’.

Warmth and shelter

Australia is mostly hot. But don’t underestimate the need to keep warm if it’s wet or winter. Warmth can come from fire, clothing and protection from the elements so we’ve grouped all three here.

Clothing is the first item to think about. You’ll need enough underwear for 3 days and one change of ‘survival type’ outer wear. Remember to add a layer or two to retain heat and provide protection from rain. Pack these items:

• Waterproof jacket
• Closed—toed shoes or boots
• Light weight long sleeve shirt
• Change of underwear 
• Quick-dry light-weight long pants
• Socks

Fire and shelter also provide warmth, depending on where you are travelling to, and from. Fire is also important for food preparation. If you are remote, fire is especially important. Consider these items:

• Fire Starter kit – we recommend a Ferro Rod kit. If you don’t know what that is you’ll love our article ‘What is a ferro rod? 11 survival tips you must know to start a fire (for camping or emergencies)’
• Space blanket – space blankets are the super thin aluminimum foil-like sheets you see wrapped around people who have been rescued – for good reason! They’re also called ‘mylar blankets’.
• Lighter
• Waterproof matches
• Telescoping tarp poles
• Lightweight water proof tarp

Sleeping gear is a critical part of warmth and shelter so we’ve listed these separately below. You will need something to sleep ON, something to sleep UNDER and something to sleep IN. Pick from this list, based on your own preferences and comfort levels:

• Sleeping bag – a sleeping bag is the most convenient way to carry bedding. Look for a slimline, light-weight bag so it doesn’t take up all of the space in your back pack. Buy a sleeping bag that is weather-rated to suits your local climate conditions.
• Compact, lightweight tent – tents tend to be heavy so look for a light weight all weather option.
• Bivy sack – a bivy sack is a lightweight waterproof cover or bag that you can use to keep your sleeping gear dry. You can also stuff it with bio matter like leaves or hay, for a makeshift mattress.
• Sleeping pad or mat – It’s better to carry a sleeping pad than try to fashion a makeshift ground pad wherever you end up spending the night. There are plenty of lightweight versions available.
• Hammock
• Bug net
• Wool blanket – light weight

Food stuffs

Remember, you need enough food to last at least 3 days. Given the volume of items in your pack, it’s best to focus on dried or dehydrated / freeze dried items.

Why?

You can read all about it in ‘How to pack the best food for a Bug out Bag‘.

Or here’s a short list of the kinds of food you might look for:

• Camp stove
• Jerky
• Dried rice
• Dried beans
• Dried vegetables
• Meal bars
• Dehydrated/freeze dried meals – freeze dried food is great because it lasts 20 years plus. It’s also lightweight and full of nutrients. If you’d like to know more, this post will help you ‘Learn the fascinating truth about freeze dried food in 60 seconds‘
• Spices and seasoning
• Trail mix or fruit and nut mix
• Muesli bars
• Canned food 
• Edible plants guide for your region
• Collapsible bowls or plastic cookware
• Camp cook pot 
• Metal cooking utensils – we recommend metal cooking utensils for their durability and because you can use them over open fire.

First Aid Kit

You can buy a ready-made first aid kit easily online.  Store bought items are fine when it comes to first aid as they’re often compiled by medical professionals for organisations like the Red Cross or St Johns Ambulance. 

Take the time to look through the first aid kit you buy however. It may not have all of the things you need for your personal circumstances. Think about adding any prescription medications. Your first aid kit may also be missing some critical non prescription medications like diarrhoea tablets or pain killers so add those too.

• First aid kit and manual – first aid doesn’t come naturally so make sure you pack a good manual.
• Prescription medications & scripts
• Non prescription medications 
• Prescription glasses & sunglasses

Lighting

We can’t do anything in the dark. We can’t see and we’re just not used to it. So lighting definitely makes our list of bug out bag essentials. 

You might not need all of these items together. Whatever you chose, make sure that you think about how convenient your lighting is to use. Emergency situations are usually pretty stressful and require us to be active – fixing things, travelling or just dealing with the surroundings. A headlamp can be a great option. Also, think about the energy source for your lighting as you may not have access to power to charge it!

• LED flashlight/torch 
• Headlamp
• Solar light / lantern
• Candles
• Chemical lights or glow sticks
• Camping solar panels (solar charger)
• Spare batteries

Communication and Navigation

• Hand crank radio
• Cell phone or mobile phone – a cell phone or mobile can be pretty useful in an emergency but you also need to pack as though you can’t rely on it. This is because disasters can and do take out communication networks. You also need to plan to charge your cell phone or mobile without access to power.
• Signal Mirror
• Personal locator beacon (PLB)
• Flares
• Two-way radio (preset to desired channel)
• Prepaid phone card (Telstra has greatest coverage in rural areas)
• Pad and pencil
• Compass – who needs a compass these days, right? Well, imagine trying to evacuate in an area where the communications network has gone down, as it did in the 2020 bushfires in New South Wales. There is no mobile phone GPS for your satellite navigation. Or imagine you’re out of power on your mobile phone. An old fashion compass might just save the day if you know how to use it.
• Pack maps of the local area – these will help for the same reason a compass will.
• Ranger beads and trail markers – to leave a trail for rescuers.
• Coms & Navigation Kit

Personal hygiene necessities tools

In addition to all of your first aid kit items, you’re going to need a very personalized selection of hygiene necessities. Here is a list you can take from, to build your own emergency kit toiletry bag list:

• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Soap/shampoo
• Feminine hygiene items
• Toilet paper – look for compact toilet paper in water proof packaging!
• Hand sanitizer – since the pandemic, hand sanitizer has become a staple of emergency kits. We’d suggest including a small squeeze bottle.
• Deodorant
• Comb
• Microfibre towel
• Disinfectant wipes
• Wet ones
• Petroleum jelly

Survival tools

A word about ‘survival gear’

Whether you need survival gear – like a multi-tool, weapons, a fire starter kit, or camp axe – will depend on your immediate surroundings and where you are ‘bugging out’ (or moving) to. 

Bug out bags were originally proposed to evacuate population centres to a ‘bug out’ location in less urbanised or rural areas.  In an Australian context, they’re more like an ultimate ‘all disaster’ emergency bag for immediate evacuation, especially if you’re in a rural or remote location.

Our view is that in Australia, survival gear and survival tools can be important if you live rurally or in regional areas. If you are, you may find yourself with some distance to travel to shelter and help in a population centre. A bug out bag will help you fend for yourself in this kind of scenario. 

Some packs may not contain many survival tools at all. If you’re packing in an urban environment, you won’t need trip wire or a camp axe. But don’t rule these items out easily.

We wouldn’t write-off survival gear items as left-field American ‘doomsday prepping’. Instead, really think about the likely scenarios that could play out around you, based on location, weather conditions and resources/infrastructure.

At a minimum we recommend the first 5 items on this list of survival tools below.

• Whistle
• Multi tool or utility knife (swiss army knife)
• Duct tape – duct tape is one of the most important items in your bag out bag list because it has so many uses. For example, you can use duct tape to patch holes, fasten items together, and for medical bracing if you need it.
• Cordage / paracord
• P38 can opener – if you have some canned food in your bag, remember to pack a can opener! Not all cans have rip pull tops.
• Small knife sharpener
• Survival knife or machete – packing a survival knife isn’t to hunt wild game or go ‘rambo-style’ into the night. At least not in Australia. But you might be surprised in an emergency how useful it is to have a large knife to cut your way through unexpected hurdles.
• 102 feet of trip wire (misc. projects, snares)
• Small fishing kit – a fishing kit isn’t going to make it into everyone’s bug out bag. If you’re an urban dweller, a fishing kit would be useless. It’s more for bush survival scenarios.
• Camp axe
• Compact shovel
• Small sewing kit
• Magnifying glass 
• Aluminum foil
• dental floss
• superglue (can close wounds)
• zip ties
• 4 bandanas
• 1 meter length of rubber tubing 

Self protection

These provide physical protection from the harsh Australian climate or from physical hazards like broken glass or wire.

• Protective gloves
• Respirator mask / smoke mask / dust mask
• N95 Masks
• Sunglasses (can double as safety glasses)
• Insect repellent
• Heavy duty garbage gag or trash bag
• Sun protection like a hat and sunscreen

A word about self defence

US emergency preparedness sites will recommend self defence training, survival skills training and self defense tools such as pepper spray as part of your emergency preparedness. This is on the basis that civil unrest is likely to develop in any ‘bug out’ scenario.

Things are different in Australia. The culture is different and so are our laws. We don’t typically think about the need for self defence as part of emergency preparedness or a survival situation. Pepper spray is not something we carry in our purses here. In fact, it’s not legal to carry pepper spray in Australia!

We’re not a ‘doomsday prepping’ website. Instead, we are here to help you prepare for real natural disasters and emergencies. The kind natural disasters that many Australian’s will experience in their lifetime.

We know from the science that these events are happening more frequently and with greater intensity. We want to help you get ready, just in case it happens to you and your family.

But weapons are less of a concern in Australian conditions. Some might be flat out illegal to hold, at least without a permit or license. 

We haven’t included any self defense items in our bug out bag list, but feel free to add your own if it applies to you.

Comfort items

Great for morale in tough situations, don’t underestimate the value of these items:

• Sweets
• Deck of cards
• Coffee bags
• Tea bags
• Powdered milk sachets

Important documents

On your bug out bag checklist, don’t forget the critical documents you’ll need on your person during a natural disaster or emergency. Our list of important documents covers paperwork that Australians hold in hard copy.

• Government ID
• Birth and marriage certificates
• Emergency plan and contact list – family, friends lawyer, insurance agent
• Medicare, pension cards, immunisation records
• Bank account and credit card details
• Family photo
• Medical documents (medication prescriptions, eyeglass prescription, medical history, insurance cards, etc.)
• USB flash drive with electronic copies of critical documents
• USB Smart Charger Cable 

There are other important documents you’ll need to have on a USB drive backed up to the cloud, like insurance papers, your will, an inventory of your household goods and your mortgage documents.

And don’t forget to prepare some cash!

We often get the question ‘how much cash should be in a bug out bag?‘

We saw multiple instances in the New South Wales bushfires of 2020 of local ATMs going down after the emergency evacuation. The fires had taken out the local communications networks. It’s extremely important that we learn from this and prepare an emergency cash stash.

We recommend $500 for an individual. $250 per person for a family. Economies of scale, and all that… 🙂

The best Bug out Bag backpack

You don’t want to evacuate in a natural disaster or emergency with a trash bag filled with survival gear. We recommend a backpack style bag you can comfortably carry on your back.

In our view it’s best to leave the bag buying until the end. How do you know what bag to buy until you’ve seen all of the items you’ll need to fit in it, right? When choosing a but out bag think about the following:

Size – what size should a bug out bag be? And do you have room to add more items if needed?

Weight – is the bag too heavy to carry for long distances? Bug out bags are not suitcases. They are meant to be carried on your back. The lighter your pack is, the more you can carry in it.

Comfort – does the bag have padded straps and a padded back?

Organisation – does the bag have compartments and pockets to help you organise your gear?

Waterproof storage – few backpacks are waterproof. Wet clothes will not help you maintain a healthy body temperature when you’re moving around in wet or cold weather. You should think about a bivvy sack or waterproof cover for the backpack you do chose. You should also pack enough resealable bags (like zip bags) or waterproof bags (which will last longer) to store clothing, documents, and electronics.

How much should a bug out bag weigh?

The human body can only carry so much weight. And only you know what you’re comfortable carrying on your back if you have to evacuate to safe zone on foot. Typically though, we recommend limiting the weight of your bug out bag to less than 25% of your body weight. So if you’re 80 kg, don’t pack more than 20kg of gear.

Most people build bags that are too heavy as they assume they will be in vehicles. You may be forced to leave your car, walk through bush or wade through floodwaters. You may find yourself tired, wet and hot and hungry.

Where to store your bug out bag

Your bug out bag should be stored in an easily accessible place. We recommend keeping it in a cupboard near the front door, in the garage or in your car. If you have a large family, you may want to consider storing multiple bags in different locations.

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you an idea of what is typically in a bug out bag. It’s important to remember that every individual and family is different, so make sure to tailor your kit to meet your specific needs. You can tailor a ready-made kit too! Australian weather can be unpredictable. The key is to be prepared for any emergency situation that may arise. Knowing what hazards you are likely to face and getting prepared now can help reduce worry and stress levels during a disaster event. What items will you pack in your bug out bag?

FAQs