We hate to think about disasters but we can’t just turn a blind eye on them either. The importance of preparedness and planning couldn’t be stressed enough in a world full of uncertainties. Natural and man-made calamities can happen at any time, even at times when we feel most secure. While it’s frustrating to think about them, survival means you have to expect for the worst and expect for the best. And in order to prepare for the worst, you will need a survival bag which you can personally carry.

A survival bag, sometimes called a bug out bag, a go-bag and 72-hour bag holds all your gears and supplies necessary to help you get through the first few days of a disaster. It typically contains food rations, water, signaling devices, and other essential items to help you look for food, create a shelter and protect yourself.

A survival bag is an important element in your disaster preparedness plan in more ways than one. First, your bag holds all the things necessary for survival. Therefore it is important that each family member has a bag of his own. Also include in your survival bag copies of important documents and some ID’s in cases of getting lost or being injured.

You should also update the contents of your bag regularly. You may be advised to stock non-perishable foods but they still have expiration dates. Even bottled water should be replaced every six months. Also make sure that all your gadgets are of prime condition, they have been charged and the spare batteries are all in good working condition. You should also check on the bag itself and look for damages caused by insects or rodents in your storage area. You don’t want to find yourself on the run with a bag that’s about to reach its breaking point.

You have several options when choosing a survival bag. If you have a lot of things to put, a duffel bag is good for you. But if you want to carry your bag with ease, a backpack is a good choice. Backpacks allow you to become more mobile, especially if the disaster requires you to be always on the run. Look for bags with strong fabrics and zippers, can endure the weather extremities and constant wear and tear. The better the quality of the bag you have, the more it is useful in enduring an emergency situation.

Since calamities and disasters happen at uncertain times, it is best to have a survival bag stashed somewhere in your workplace and your vehicle. It will save you the trouble of having to pack up haphazardly just as when a disaster is about to strike. You may end up forgetting the essentials and packing the things you wouldn’t even need in the long run.

As a side point. It would not hurt to include in your survival kit skin care items such as moisturizers and sun screen to help protect your skin from sun exposure and drying out.

There’s nothing wrong with being prepared. What’s wrong is knowing that you should have packed your own survival bag but chose not to. Hopefully you wouldn’t have to use it, but when the time comes that you need to, you’d be more than thankful that a bag was able to help you survive dangerous situations.