Building a “Bug Out Bag” Part 3: Light & Fire
The last two posts, I’ve shared Bug Out Bag basics and what I’ve accumulated for food and water. As part of that, I mentioned a camping stove and isobutane fuel that I’d use for cooking.
Today I’ll share in more detail (albeit, briefly) sources of light and fire that I have packed and ready to go.
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Light
Sustainable light is important if you are bugging out of town because you won’t know with certainty when you’ll need it. Power outages caused by natural disasters are common.
Heck, it doesn’t even take natural disasters for California to have blackouts Price controls and market manipulation can take care of that.
You could also find yourself on the side of the road changing a tire or in the woods at night and need a flashlight. These are good, inexpensive things to have. Specifically, my light-related purchases included:
Two hand crank- and solar-powered flashlights. These are in addition to the radio/light combo I shared in my post on Bug Out Bag basics. They are easy to operate and do the trick.
Head lamp. I originally purchased this for my early morning rucking adventures. It provides excellent, hands-free light for any adventure (or emergency situation).
Glow sticks. Having a handful of glow sticks around can be helpful for gathering attention from rescue crews or offering some light as you make a meal. Since I didn’t need all 25 that came in the pack, they’ve also been a great bathtime toy for my daughter.
Nine-hour candle. Nine hours of light without the use of electricity is pretty great. You can buy lanterns for these to fit, or can just set them up independently.
From a purely illumination standpoint, that is it. Presumably, I’ll also have my truck if I had to leave town, so that is another source of light (though certainly an expensive, gas-powered source).
Fire
Fire is another useful tool, and every Bug Out Bag needs its share of fire starters. Fire can be used in place of a camping stove to cook, to purify water, to alert rescue crews as to your position, or to keep warm. As I read that last sentence, I realize that it probably feels like I’m insulting your intelligence. That is not my intent. Just make sure you can make fire with your supplies.
Here are a few things that I have for starting a fire:
Windproof matches. These actually work very well for starting a fire. That said, they burn down fast, a bit like a mini sparkler. Be ready to light when you strike one of these.
Bic lighters. Why did I go with cheap Bic lighters instead of fancy butane? These are inexpensive, easy and last a while. If you need wind resistance, use the matches.
Rope fire starters. These are probably the easiest way to start a fire. Have your kindling ready to place gently on top and these will be good to go.
Flint steel fire starter. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Worst case, you may need to start your fire with a spark. This makes it about as easy as possible to do so.
I kept this post brief because it just isn’t rocket science. You could upgrade any of these items to more durable, expensive, or versatile options. But my hope is to never have to use them anyway, so I stuck to the basics.
Light and heat are critical to survival. If, God forbid, you end up needing to pack up and leave your house at night or in the dead of winter, you will want these tools. The good news is that all in, this is probably a couple of hundred dollars.
In the next post, we are going to wrap it up with essential clothing for your Bug Out Bag. From there, you will have but one step to take: to prepare yourself.
Would you make a Bug Out Bag? Any other sources of light or fire starters you’d include? Send me your thoughts at michael@theothermichaeljordan.com. I hope to hear from you.
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