bug-in/bug-out stock and store

This list is a combination of home stores and backpacking equipment that I think all survival minded people will find useful. Many Items listed are clearly meant for backpacking (bug-out) while other items are meant to be kept at home (bug-in) or in a vehicle (bug-out-vehicle). Many of these items listed warrant their own entries and will be expanded on later.

Buckets with lids - Clean five gallon buckets should always be available for your use. If a warning comes that water will be unavailable you can fill them and store them until the emergency is over. They are about as large as a single person can comfortably carry regardless of what is stored in them. I use many to keep a dry food storage system as well as seed storage and general organization.

Bleach - This should be on everybody's 'Duh!' list but rarely makes it. The main purpose of Bleach in a Bug-Out bag is water sterilization. A few drops in some water, recommended 8 drops per gallon, one can effectively kill protozoa, bacteria, and viruses commonly found in water. Because only a little is needed I use an old pint bottle of rubbing alcohol to store it. Clearly marked with a blue sharpy to signify that it is NOT alcohol nor water. I carry a small 2oz screw cap nalgene bottle.

Candles - some people tend to have a few candles around the house used mostly for dinner parties or the cliché romantic night with a significant other. Then the power goes out because some drunkard crashed his car into a power line and suddenly a candle is more than romantic. The great thing about candles is they require no fuel, they ARE fuel. They provide light with no batteries needed. And a flame is an awfully pleasant glow. They last forever being forgotten and tucked away for just such an occasion. Every Household should have a stock of candles. Candles are cheap and abundant and can be purchased in bulk and used for barter. I spent about $25 at a dollar store on 6-packs of 'emergency' candles. These are simple paraffin wax candles that come in packs of six each pack sold for one dollar. I also bought many "Jesus" candles in plain glass with no Jesus or mother marry pictures on them. Jesus candles are great, if they are tipped over they will not start a fire because the flame is concealed by the glass and the flame will just go out.  You can buy these at a 1$ store, but they are sold in singles.

All Weather Space Blankets - NOT those cheap flimsy mylar space blankets sold for $1 at all the army surplus stores, But a real heavy duty 'Rip-stop' nylon space blanket. They usually cost between $15 and $25 and can be found on-line but less common in stores. I recommend two as I use one for a heat reflecting groundsheet and one for a blanket. Should have at least two, and one for each person.

Small Folding Shovel - These are sometimes called trenching shovels. Can be used for more than just digging, however, waste disposal is not only polite but necessary to maintain health and hygiene. Being able to effectively dig a trench or a root cellar or a foxhole can be the difference between freezing to death, starving to death or losing superior ground. These can also be used as weapons and a substitute for a hatchet. There are many cheap Chinese made folding shovels mass produced at the lowest quality. I bought one once that crumbled like foil when I tried to use it. Tools like shovels should always be of some measure of quality because any failure in the material in dire straits will make the job that much more difficult and frustrating and only add to a stressful situation.

Large polymer handled Spade Shovel - A good shovel is a must. 

Leather Work Gloves - These are very important and another item that should be on the 'Duh!' list. Rarely however do I see these included on lists... as anybody who has been in any number of survival situations knows, you must expect the unexpected. Often times a little hard work is necessary and that hard work can tear up your hands, leaving you with splinters, cuts, gouges or broken finger nails. All are painful and potentially leading to greater problems. Just like shoes for your feet, you need gloves for your hands. Simply put, protecting your hands is very important!!! These are also a great item to keep for barter. If work gloves become unavailable because they are not being manufactured or shipped they will quickly become very valuable especially since they are hard to make or improvise.

Lip Balm - This is an item I consider 'every-day-carry'. It protects your lips from desiccating thus helping to prevent dehydration and the irritation of dry and cracked lips. It protects your lips from UV radiation. It can be used as a candle or lubricant and can serve as a minor salve for skin problems. Everybody should have their own and a few extra for barter. This is the sort of thing that may go overlooked until you already have a dried and peeling sore lip. One of the little tricks I've learned is to use lip balm on sticky zippers.

Multi-Tool - The classic leather-man multi-tool has been a proven item for years, but you do not have to stick with a leather-man. However, any model chosen should include pliers, wire cutters, wire stripper, bit drivers, large flat head screw driver, Phillips screw driver, saw, blade, can opener, wood/metal file. Some models have loads of extra features such as wood chisel, scissors, cork screws, etc. I keep a 'Skeletool' and a basic leather-man.

550 Paracord - military specification paracord is very strong, rated to hold 550 pounds with one strand. It can stretch by about 30% before it begins to break, it's very thin and lightweight. In the last decade it has become wildly abundant both online and in many stores and sells in a wide range of colors. You can buy 100' lengths for $5 - $10, or 300' lengths for $20 - $25, or even 1,000' spools for $40 - $60. The prices vary by color and supplier. I keep three 100' lengths, one high visibility orange and one high visibility green and one black. I also keep two ten foot lengths in by boots as laces. The uses are numerous! sutures, lashing, repelling, tourniquets, leash, netting, snares, any general rope uses.... And it can be used for barter. As a side note, I've always wondered why nobody in zombie movies will ever set up trip lines. It seems to me that any sort of zombie from the rabid psycho ones in '28 Days Later' to the slow stiff ones of 'Night Of The Living Dead' would have a hard time chasing anybody through a course of trip lines. So just a thought for zombie freaks, use paracord for trip lines. Tie them to a height slightly below the knee, sit back and watch the hoards fall flat on their faces.

Bank Line - A very strong tar coated thread, it comes in many variants in strength and various lengths. Since I purchased a roll of size 36 (rated for 110lbs), I have replaced much of the paracord I kept in my pack. 

Sierra Zip Stove - I love this little stove. Ordered one a few years ago and have used it ever since. This stove if a self contained furnace. Just add some flammable fuel like wood, twigs, bark, or horse manure and bam! You're ready to cook. The beauty of this stove is that it is a high power fire stove that requires no fuel canister. If you can make a fire, you can keep it contained and use it for cooking. The one and only downside to this stove is that some places have very little available material to burn and if it's been raining recently everything could be damp. But the benefit to using this stove is that bottle of propane and other sorts of fuel may be very hard to find and demand will skyrocket in a situation wherever they are the main source of fuel. The standard model is steel but I'm upgrading to the much lighter titanium set which are very hard models to find. There are a ton of accessories and customer service is very good. To order one visit www.zzstove.

Jet-Boil with fuel - Probably the fourth essential item for backpacking gear. The Jet-Boil is a simple and efficient little stove about the size of a one liter nalgine bottle. It is designed purely to boil water. These units are worth every penny and I highly recommend them to everyone interested in backpacking or survival. I have only three complaints about these stoves. First, the igniter button is so unreliable I never bother to use it and light it with a highly reliable Bic disposable lighter instead. Second, the screw on housing for the fuel canister and control valve is made of plastic. I would have made it out of metal. And third, it needs a pour spout pressed into the lip of the rim. One feature that initially sold me the Jet-Boil is the optional coffee press. Minor complaints aside, after using mine on many backpacking trips I've added it to the 'essential gear' that I always keep in my pack.

Titanium Kettle - Any kettle will do. The purpose is obvious, hot water. The kettle I use is titanium mainly for weight and because the model I have has an opening large enough for me to store many different items in when not being used and I can put my hands in side to organize or remove items for storage. When I'm camping I'll boil a kettle of water and drop in a bit of soap to make a really nice mix of soapy hot water then use this to clean my whole body. Everybody who has not seen this done is surprised at the speed and pleasantness of a good scrub after a day or two in the trail dirt and mud. I also do this to wash my laundry on  the trail and simply wring out the water.

Swiss Army knife - Just a great little multi-tool. I try my best to keep mine in pristine condition just for the sake of its usefulness.

Duct Tape - I believe there is a book dedicated to the uses of duct tape, but I'm unable to find it... oh well. This stuff was supposedly invented by the U.S. army to help with various commonplace problems. Broken hoses in engines, holes in bags, cloth, shoes, it even has first aid applications. I do not keep an entire roll as it is too large and bulky to stow easily. Instead I roll about ten feet onto an old plastic gift card or hotel key card to keep it as flat as possible. I also keep a few feet wrapped around the handle of a box cutter.

Aluminum Foil/ Aluminum pans - Foil has a million uses, from cooking and preserving food to thermal insulation in your shoes. I keep a standard sized sheet about five feet long neatly folded into an Altoids tin (which could be used as a stove). I also keep a small foil bread pan folded into as small a space as possible.

Hand warmers - This is obvious to anybody who has tried to start a fire in freezing temperatures. When your hands become too cold you lose dexterity and all ability to use them. This is more than numb fingers, it's slow stiff muscles and loss of strength. Having a few packs of hand warmers can save your life. Also, hand warmers work through a ferro-oxidation, creating rust. This only works in the presents of O2. So, if you are in trouble and need to conserve your hand warmers you can reseal them in an air tight zip lock style bag and squeeze out all the air. It will use up the O2 in the bag and then stop oxidizing until more O2 is available. This only works for a very short time.

MSR dromedary H2O bags - I two six liter bags and one ten liter bag. Luckily I've never really needed to use all three at a single time. The best thing about these is that they are collapsible and can be folded down to a size not much bigger than their caps.

Alok Sacks - These are the best water proof 'zip-loc' style bags I've found. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, fitting anything from a wallet to a hunting rifle. I keep my primary (personal) first aid kit in one.

Alcohol gel Hand Sanitizer - This falls under the hygiene category and I sore it in a small 4oz squeeze bottle I got at a hospital and refill it from the large pint bottles that can be found in any store. As the bottle says it kills 99.999% of microbes. This is essential for maintaining health in not-so sanitary conditions. I store the bottle with my T.P. for obvious reasons. As hand gel hand sanitizers are alcohol based they can be use to start fires. I once filled a mint tin with it and used this as a lamp.

Iodine solution 4oz bottle - Iodine can be used to treat water as well as superficial wounds. I have heard that it can be used to help prevent the body from absorbing the radioactive Iodine isotopes produced from nuclear explosions and power plant melt downs. The theory is that the body can only absorb so much iodine nearly all in the thyroid where specific proteins are synthesized. If the body already has it's needed supply it will not absorb more (being the radioactive isotopes generated after a nuclear blast). This would mean it's a proactive preventative measure, which would do no good after the fact. Generally however most people get their supply of iodine from table salt that has iodine added to it. But I am unsure of the validity in this, though it seems plausible. I'll have to do some research.

Mineral Oil 2oz bottle - I use this as a gun oil, a lubricant, a skin sealant, wood treatment, and if needed a laxative or fire fuel. Some would say 'gee, gun oil isn't that expensive, why bother using mineral oil?' My answer is consolidation. I can use it for more than just gun oil, it's very cheap, and in a serious situation where commodities become rare and rarer, mineral oil will probably be one of the last things to disappear off the shelves.

Box Cutter + 1 extra blade - If I only need to open a package of some sort I don't want to fowl up a good blade, as everybody should know cardboard will dull a blade in no time. A small box cutter with removable razor is very small, light and easily concealed. I keep a two foot strip of duct tape wrapped around mine.

Bandanna/ Schemagh - a simple water filter, wash cloth, shade, scarf... there are tons of uses with these things. There are even web pages on the many uses of a bandanna...

"101 uses for a bandanna"

Glowsticks - They have a very long shelf life, and can generate enough light to make a great signal. I like to use them for reading, but I wouldn't waste one in an emergency situation just to read something. Sometimes when camping in large parties that are spaced out over an area larger than a singer camp site, I like to hang one from the tents so everybody can see where the tent is from a distance. This also helps people navigate in the dark without getting lost.

Baking soda - This can be used as a foot powder, as toothpaste, as a scrub for dishes, as deodorant and for insect bites.

Ear Plugs - I'm very serious about protecting my hearing. I'd rather carry some small foam ear plugs with me everywhere than go def. When shooting firearms it's very nice. Also there may be other people doing things around you while you're trying to sleep. I've heard people say that you "don't use ear plugs in a war." I wholly agree but still I like to preserve my hearing as much as possible. And in all the time I've spent at concerts and with firearms I'm proud to say that I'm the least deaf of my party.

Match Safe, + storm matches - Just another fire redundancy. Water proof matches are good, but I keep the storm matches and coat them in wax. Storm matches are made to light in direct wind and stay lit for quite a few seconds. They are far more expensive than regular matches but well worth the expense to have fire when it's needed most.

GI can opener (p38) - a very small light can opener. A little redundant if one has a multi-tool or a Swiss army knife but it helps to keep both in good condition.

GI nylon Garrison Belt - These belts are very strong and light weight. They can be used for lashing or just as straps for equipment as well as a simple belt. They can be rolled up into a very small and compact form.

H2O purifier tablets (sealed bottle) - Duh, water purification redundancy. They come in a very small bottle and last for a very long time as long as the seal on the bottle hasn't been broken, after that they have a very short shelf life.

Flashlight/ headlamp - Humans unlike cats and coyotes have very bad night vision, thus the flashlight. I use a 'pico' light and a petzle head lamp. The headlamp is my main lighting and the 'pico' is just back up. I also have a collection of very small LED key-chain button lights spread throughout my gear and all my kits.

Zip Ties - have a ton of uses, they are very strong and some in a wide variety of sizes. I know a guy who used one as a tourniquet after slipping down a slate ravine and cutting his arm on the sharp slate.

Tent - Too many bug-out-bags lack this very important item. A tent can be the difference between a night of chilly sleeping or freezing to death. It's good to have a few, my main tent is the Eureka Zeus 2. It's quite small but large enough for my use and can comfortably house two people with gear stored outside in the vestibule.

Water-less soap - Staying clean is essential. Sometimes there is not enough water to spend on cleaning, and drinking is far more important. This is why water-less soap is a great thing to have especially in a disaster situation or in dry climates.

Katadyn Water filter - more water cleaning redundancy. The best thing about this filter is that it is quite common, well known and easy to find replacement filters.

GI Rain Poncho - Rain ponchos are useful if you need to patrol and scout your area in the rain. However, I do not recommend them for travelling with a pack and have found that an umbrella works slightly better when backpacking.

GI rip-stop BDU pants - These are very strong yet thin enough to not weigh a ton and baggy enough to help generate a nice humid layer between your legs and the pants allowing for slower evaporation and thus better cooling in heat. Being 'rip-stop' nylon they are nearly impossible to tear and any hole that does for will not run and get larger. They are very light weight and durable. I wear Wrangler brand rip-stop cargo pants. They were recommended by a friend who works as a seasonal fire fighter for the forest service and swears by their durability and strength. 

Scrub Bottoms - these are one thing I do not take hiking, but I do keep in my 'bounce box' for long distance hikes (AT, CDT, PCT). They can be folded into a zip-lock bag and kept dry and clean for wearing at night or when doing laundry. I also keep a pair in my bug-out bag and camping equipment.

I also keep some in my vehicle bag and household emergency box.

Batteries - AA, AAA, C, D, and 9v you should have a small supply of each type of battery even if your equipment that requires batteries is all the same sort. (see ground rules). For me batteries are more barter items as most of my battery powered equipment takes only AAA and I have a solar charger to reuse them. This means that any 9v or D or other sizes are up for trade.

Solar Charger (portable) - Solar technology has come a very long way. I've been using a small folding solar charger in my backpacking gear for a few years. When selecting a portable solar charger look for something that can generate the minimum power for your most powerful electronics. As a general rule of thumb, the most powerful one would need to find is one that can generate enough power to use a standard light bulb of 40 watts. But 10 watts is sufficient for most electronics and portable devices. A 10 watt portable solar charger is what I use in my backpacking equipment. Prices vary according to connection options, solar cell quality, materials and construction. You get what you pay for so I recommend choosing high quality over everything else. Brand names are the best option for these devices. A decent 10 watt portable solar charger should cost around $50. For the home, I suggest an allowance for the 40 watt or even the larger and much less portable but still fordable 'suitcase' models capable of generating around 100 watts. The most power hungry device I use at all is an old laptop that asks for 135 watts of power. A solar charger capable of generating this much electricity currently cost between $200 and $500. Unfortunately, solar cells are one of the few technologies that does not get cheaper with size or quantity. Smaller units are the cheapest and they only go up in price proportionately to to the size of the unit. That is, a unit that has a surface area of 10"x10" will cost slightly more that twice as much as one of 5"x5". They are somewhat exponentially more expensive as they increase in size and materials. The reason for this is in the nature of silica wafer production. If one wishes to run machines such as electric hair dryers, microwaves, clothes dryers, blender, coffee percolators, electric hot plates, desktop computers, televisions, entertainment systems... I recommend professional home installation of units capable of generating the required power. Such units may be prohibited by building and zoning codes as well as home owners associations so confirm any possible permissions and legality before installation.  

Swedish Flint and Steel - these are very inexpensive and last a very long time. Made of a ferrocerium alloy they are not affected by water and have an indefinite shelf life. They produce a spark that is 3,000 degrees Celsius (5,432 Fahrenheit) hot enough to ignite almost anything flammable. I keep one on a small chain necklace when I'm camping, hunting, or backpacking.

Umbrella - This may seem oddly placed among survival gear. But having a good umbrella has proven just as and sometime more useful than a good poncho. I've found that even when wearing a good poncho I tend to get we anyway though less so without one. But using an umbrella I've found that I stay slightly dryer and the connivance of unpacking it, using it, and packing it away again is much easier than a poncho. It works much like a rain fly allowing one to take a break in the rain and prepare food or do other things beneath the umbrella.

Tarps/ Fly - Invaluable, This provides shade and shields from rain. It extends the 'livable' camp area beyond the tent. I like to keep a very large one in my general camping gear just to use as a fly over my main camping area. I also keep a 9'x9' kelty fly in my hiking gear.

Rat Traps - like mouse traps but made for rats, they are large enough for chipmunks, smaller squirrels and small mammals. I used to carry a mouse trap and ten feet of snare wire for making traps using the mouse trap as a trigger and switch. Eventually I watched a video on the web where someone talked about using rat traps for catching small mammals. So I upgraded to having two rat traps instead of a mousetrap and snares.

Radio (emergency) - An emergency radio is not something I consider essential, but it is a very nice luxury that will help you find help and stay informed of the local situation. The only downside to these is range. One could be far enough away that so signals make it to your radio. But most people live in or near large towns and cities and should benefit from emergency broadcasts. I really like the Eton brand emergency radios. They come with a dynamo hand crank and rechargeable batteries. The newer ones have a USB port allowing one to recharge cell phones and other devices using the dynamo crank.

Radio (two way, HAM, C.B. Police scanners) - Communication is essential. Not only is it a staple of civilization it's key to psychological well being. In a major power outage cell phone towers may be inoperable as most relay through ground lines and use the internet and are thus ties to the power grid. Telephone lines are on their own circuit and are rarely disabled from power outages, but these may be tied up from emergency calls, panic and general disorder. Phone lines may also be disabled by authorities to prevent information leaks and contain an 'incident'. All of this means that nobody can make or receive calls in some situations. This is why radios are so useful. Independent of land-lines and a power grid one can retain basic communication using radios. Since radio is a natural phenomenon it seems silly to require a license to use it. Most radio frequencies are used for AM/FM transmission and are regulated by the FCC. Guidelines on bandwidth and range are set by them to limit transmissions and keep people from broadcasting over each others' frequencies and to prevent different regions from transmitting to each other. Some are reserved for emergency channels some are designated for non-licensed civilians but most do require FCC licensing. The difference is which frequencies one uses and how powerful the transmissions are. Generally anything transmitting over a two mile radius requires a license. The only downside to using radios is that anybody can listen in and potentially give out false information. There is also a military tactic in which all signals are jammed by broadcasting over them with a high powered nonsense signal effectively drowning out competing signals. With digital encryption and digital signaling we can in theory broadcast part of a signal in one band and another part of the signal in some other band then recombine them into a coherent signal preventing interception. Few civilian radios can do this, but with a little know-how it is possible. Make sure that party members know which channels to use, when to check in, when and how to signal and general radio use. Police scanners can be used to stay informed and keep an ear on what authorities in the area are up to. Some authorities really dislike this but the fact is, anybody can listen in on any signals, the laws only cover broadcasting.

First Aid - this is a biggie and for now I'll only list a few items of choice that I keep in my personal first aid kit. One should have multiple First Aid kits with varying contents. When making a First Aid kit you should consider the widest possible circumstances. Anything could happen, a broken toe, a torn ligament, a laceration, a joint dislocation.... the list goes on and on. This is why everybody should be able to handle minor wounds illnesses and emergencies (FIRST AID). And recognize when it's time to seek help. A sprained ankle for example can be mended with just an ace wrap, but it may be bad enough to require x-rays and splints. I personally have everything one would need for any medical emergency short of severe organ damage, Impalement, gun-shot, broken spine, or child birth.

My most basic First Aid kit

1x - 5 staple skin staplers

5x - large cloth band aids

3x - sealed packs of Neosporin (generic)

3x - Chloroscrub wipes

3x - mini vials of benzoin tincture

3x - 2x2 sterile gauze

2x - 4x4 sterile gauze

2x - 18 gauge 1" needles

2x - 3mm sealed vials of saline

1x - very large blunt sewing needle

1x - 2' ace wrap

2x - 1' stretch blue rubber tourniquet

2x - petroleum jelly

3x - alcohol swabs

3x - 1/8th" steri-strip

3x - 1/4th" steri-strip

3x - 1/2" steri-strips

2x - large tongue depressors

mini chap stick

Sterile Suture Scissors

Tweezers

Tools! - When a job needs done it makes a world of difference to have the right tools. Here is an example of some tools I keep that have proven their value.

Scissors - A good high quality pair of scissors is a wonderful thing to have. I have surgical stainless steel scissors that I keep in my First-Aid kit.

Pry Bar/ Crow Bar - A great weapon that also seems to work very well for prying open doors, crates, fences and windows.

Bolt Cutters -  I once had a bike stolen from me. Luckily I found it one day changed it too a tree with someone else's lock. A unique bike I knew at sight to be mine. It sat there long enough for me to find the hardware section of the large store nearby and purchase some bolt cutters. I cut the lock and left it at the tree and rode the bike home. I'm sure that if somebody had seen me they would have thought I'd just stolen the bike. But I stole it back; two wrongs CAN make a right. Generally I only use bolt cutters when traveling through a gate the some fool abandoned after forgetting to remove the chains and the pad lock and the "no trespassing" signs. But there have been times when I've needed to cut the lock on something or other and these are just about the only hand tools that can do the job.

Screw Drivers - A collection of small to large Phillips head and flat head screw drivers.

Wire cutters/ Strippers - At some point you may want to rewire something, anything, and you really don't want to strip wire with your teeth.

Plumbers Wrench - A large and very adjustable wrench can add a lot of force to your grip.

Hack Saw - again being able to fix or modify your tools is sometimes essential. I once sold a shotgun to a friend who heard my complaint that the barrel was too long for my liking and he told me he planned to cut the barrel "shorter". I told him not to tell me about it and that as far as I know a shotgun cannot be shorter than sixteen inches, But I'm really not sure. But that does mean he could have cut the barrel down by twelve inches before it was illegal. I don't know the laws on this and I do not recommend modifying any firearms. But I have used my hacksaw for more constructive purposes like cutting rusted bolts from a bumper.

Car Jack (handy man jack, Bottle jack) - This is the sort of thing that every underground bunker should have near an entrance. A good jack can lift far more weight than any person and if trapped by rubble behind a door or hatch, a jack can be used to pry an opening. Any good subterranean bomb shelter should have one installed at the entrance tunnel to lift off the hatch and anything than may have fallen on top of it. I've used jacks to pry very large boulders off cliff faces (something I discourage anyone from doing) to expose a mineral deposit at the base of the boulder in the cliff face. Afterwards it occurred to me that a similar method could be effective for dropping large boulders onto a roadway to block access or to ambush or trap vehicles below. I suppose a car jack could also come in handy for changing blown tires and doing auto repairs.

Needle nose vice grips - A good pair of pliers can be very useful, especially if those pliers can attach themselves and provide a force without your hands.

Tin Snips - in many places seemingly remote I often find random bits of sheet metal or tin cans left behind after decades of abandonment. Having a good pair of tin snips allows you to modify sheet metal and other metal things into useful items like wood stoves and rooftops.

Small Vice - I mean very small. Mainly just to use as something stable to hold things that are being welded, cut, hammered, soldered, glued or whatever.

Lazer Bore sighter - This is not a very cheap item to keep with your gun cleaning and maintenance supplies. But as ammo becomes more and more scarce accuracy becomes more important. Being able to accurately place a shot is essential. A laser bore-sighter works very well with guns that cannot be sighted through the barrel.

Metal File - Most often I use a file on my ax before and after use to keep a keen edge. But a metal file is good for modifying fixing and sharpening metal tools.

Large Ax - Estwig makes a great ax that has lasted for me over twenty years. I highly recommend an Estwig brand ax.

Gun Cleaning kit - In general a gun cleaning kit should include many different sizes of wire brushes and tools used to maintain any guns you have. In mine I have a 'bore snake' for each barrel size and a 1oz bottle of gun oil, as well as various allen wrenches and flat heads that fit my weapons.

Long Handle shovel - A spade shaped head is best for digging but the long thin trenching shovel used by the forest service fire fighters works great.

Animal Dressing tools - Dressing any large game can be tricky especially when done without proper tools.

Whet Stone - a must have item for long term use. I keep a large stone with a very fine grain on one side and a medium grain on the other. And I keep a very small medium grain stone.

Watch (analog) - I don't waste my money on expensive fancy multi-function watches. I've always been the sort of person who will eventually destroy a watch. So I buy cheap ones only. I have one cheep watch that I bought for $20 at costco that has lasted almost fifteen years. It's beaten to hell, scratched so bad the plastic face would have long ago shattered to bits if it were glass. I like the analog watches mostly because the face can be used as a compass.

Baby Wipes - I keep these in the car. They are great for cleaning up dirty hands and faces. Sometimes you might need to check your oil or radiator fluid or do something that get's you a little dirty. Baby wipes are great because they come moist and soapy. I try to have the ones that are unscented.

Tyvek sheets - This is something I learned about through backpacking. Tyvek is a strong durable material that is breathable (allowing air flow) but water resistant (not quite water proof). I use sheets of tyvek for my ground sheet beneath my tent to help protect it from damage and extend its life. Also when sleeping beneath a tarp or fly I use it as a ground sheet to add a barrier between me and the dirt.

Shower Curtain (vinyl) - These are very cheap, costing less than $3 for a good quality and maybe $1 for ones of lesser quality. They are a strong water barrier and

I often use one as a ground cloth. I also keep one in the car emergency kit as a means to collect water an provide rain protection. 

Rat traps - Amazingly simple invention, that can be use to catch small mammals such as squirrels. They are light weight and easy to use. I keep one in my bug-out gear and many at home.