Survivalist, author and television host Ky Furneaux is a proponent of researching past natural disasters in your area to determine what kind of potential emergency situations you might find yourself in. “Are you in a flood plain? Is there a history of bushfires? Are you on the coast where you could get hit by hurricanes? This will give you an idea of what you need to prepare most for,” she told us. “Even if there is no history of natural disasters where you live, she said, it is a good idea to have a go bag ready in case your area gets struck by a “once-in-a-lifetime event.”
While there are many pre-made survival kits and go bags available for purchase, Furneaux believes the best survival bag is one that you have put together yourself. She said that “too many people have survival bags that they have bought as-is, and they don’t know what is in them nor how to use all of the contents. By tailoring your own bag to your own needs, you will always know what you have and how to use it.”
Wilderness self-reliance educator and traditional skills practitioner Donald Dust gets millions of TikTok views on this very topic. He agrees with Furneaux that making your own is the best way to go. He argued that pre-made “bug-out” bags can be gimmicky and give people a false sense of security, but that “there is a self-reliance factor people will find when they research, plan, educate and train with their bug-out bag.”
All of the experts agreed that emergency bags should contain copies of important travel and identification documents. Dust also recommended scanning them and loading them into your Cloud account, along with sending paper copies to relatives who live away from you. He also noted that you should never fill the pack itself all the way up. “Leave room for things that could be provided at relief centers or objects that might be added along your route of travel,” he said.
Furneaux also emphasized that the single most important survival item (besides a blade) is having a good mindset. “If you can stay positive and be adaptable, then you have won half the battle.” Dust echoed these sentiments, explaining that “your mental ability to stay cool, calm and collected is essential. Having the ability to logically say ‘it’s time to go’ is a must…The mind is super powerful and if you have prepared yourself mentally, physically and emotionally, you will live.”
