We get a lot of questions about what type of gear we keep in our bug out bags, so we wanted to share one of our latest budget-conscious builds with our readers. The OFFGRID Survival Budget Bug Out Bag is made up of gear that we have personally used and recommend for anyone putting together a bugout bag on a budget.
Recommended Budget Backpack
Falko Tactical Backpack
The Falko Tactical Backpack is obviously a knock-off, but for those looking for a budget bag this is one of the best we found at this price point. In fact, it’s about a quarter of the price of similar bags from brands like 5.11.
Check Price on Amazon →What Budget-Friendly Bugout Gear Is in the Bag?
The main gear in our budget bugout bag covers our core needs: shelter, water, emergency comms, and a good knife.
KALINCO Tarp Tent
For our shelter, we chose a budget tarp tent for emergencies where we may need to make a quick improvised shelter to protect us from bad weather or the sun. For tips on using one, check out our article on light-hiking tarp setups.
Check Price on Amazon →Bambaw 32 oz Water Bottle
A single-wall stainless steel bottle you can use to both carry and sterilize water in the wilderness. Single-wall steel bottles can go right over a campfire to boil water, which makes them a must for any good bugout bag. It’s a knock-off of the Klean Kanteen at about half the price.
Check Price on Amazon →Morakniv Companion
The Morakniv Companion Sandvik stainless fixed-blade may be a budget knife, but it more than stacks up to knives selling for 10x the price. I carry quite a few of these, as everything from my go-to EDC to the main knife in my fishing bags.
Check Price on Amazon →Baofeng UV-5R
About as budget friendly as it gets for ham radio and emergency communication gear. While we love our Yaesu radios, you can literally buy 10 of these for the price of one Yaesu.
The Rest of the Gear…
Cheap, light, and redundant. These are the backups and essentials that round out the kit.
Bic Lighters
In a survival situation, a good lighter will start far more fires than the matches you’ll find in most commercial kits.
Check Price on Amazon →Ferro Rods
I like having a backup for some gear, and this is one of the items we carry as a backup to the Bic lighters.
Check Price on Amazon →Mylar Emergency Blankets
Another cheap item we buy in bulk. I keep one in each bugout bag and throw the rest in fishing/hunting bags and vehicle kits.
Check Price on Amazon →LifeStraw
Another important backup I keep in my bags. The stainless steel bottle is great, but there are times you may not be able to start a fire, and these work great on the go.
Check Price on Amazon →All-Purpose Emergency First Aid Kit
I like building my own kits, but if you’re in a hurry and want something quick, cheap, and easy to pack, this is a great budget kit.
Check Price on Amazon →550 Paracord
Another bulk buy we split up between our bags. From hunting and fishing to building shelters and first aid, paracord is a multi-purpose item every bag should have.
Check Price on Amazon →Cheap Upgrades Worth Adding
Proven, name-brand gear that won’t break the bank. Each of these fills a gap in a bare-bones bag for roughly $10–$30.
Sawyer MINI Water Filter
Weighs about 2 ounces, filters to 0.1 micron, and is rated for up to 100,000 gallons. Unlike a LifeStraw, it screws onto a squeeze pouch or standard water bottle, so you can fill containers instead of drinking face-down in a creek.
Check Price on Amazon →Potable Aqua Tablets with PA Plus
A featherweight third layer of water redundancy. The iodine tablets disinfect, and the PA Plus tablets knock out the iodine taste and color. Two 50-count bottles take up almost no space.
Check Price on Amazon →SOL Emergency Bivvy
A big step up from a basic Mylar blanket. You climb inside it like a sleeping bag, it reflects most of your body heat, and it’s tougher and quieter than cheap foil. Packs smaller than a soda can at under 4 ounces.
Check Price on Amazon →Petzl Tikkina Headlamp
Light was the biggest hole in the original kit. The Tikkina puts out 300 lumens, runs on three AAA batteries you can find anywhere, and keeps both hands free for setting up shelter or working a fire after dark.
Check Price on Amazon →Stanley Adventure Camp Cook Set
A 24 oz stainless pot with a vented lid, locking handle, and two nesting cups. Boil water, cook rice, or heat a meal over a fire. It also nests nicely around a small fuel canister or your fire-starting kit.
Check Price on Amazon →Datrex 3600 Calorie Food Bar
Coast Guard-approved emergency rations with a 5-year shelf life. Each pack holds 18 individually wrapped 200-calorie bars, they won’t make you thirsty, and they survive heat in a car or closet without melting.
Check Price on Amazon →Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite2 Rain Suit
Jacket and pants that weigh well under a pound and stuff into their own sack. Getting soaked is how hypothermia starts. It isn’t built for bushwhacking through thorns, but as an emergency layer it’s hard to beat for the money.
Suunto A-10 Compass
When the grid goes down, so does your phone’s GPS. This Finnish-made baseplate compass has a jewel-bearing needle and a liquid-filled capsule. Cheap no-name compasses can be dangerously inaccurate; this one isn’t.
Check Price on Amazon →Knowledge Is the Best Piece of Gear You Can Pack
In the end, it doesn’t matter what gear you pack if you haven’t learned how to use it and survive. So please, don’t just pack the bag and forget it, thinking you have everything you need when the shit hits the fan.
Take the time to consider where to go, what to take, how to survive during a crisis, and why bug out bags are a crucial part of your plan. Here are some articles that can help:
- Bugout Guide: 60+ Preparedness Resources for Getting the Hell out of Dodge!
- Prepper 101: Your Survival Guide to Getting Started
- 7 Categories of Gear that are in Every Good Bug out Bag
- Bugging In vs Bugging Out: Have you Planned for Both Options?
- 📖 The Ultimate Situational Survival Guide: Self-Reliance Strategies for a Dangerous World
As an Amazon Associate, OFFGRID Survival earns from qualifying purchases. Prices change often, so check Amazon for current pricing.
fuji water bottles are thick walled and 10x lighter,Bic flint lighters are good. Bag is a must but size depends on how much you want to carry. Change of cloths, mil. poncho over tent,you can make temp. Shelter out of it. nofan of 5-50 cord. 24000 Calorie food brick would be a plus, solar battery pack w/light. Good knife,fishing kit ,survival rifle and ammo,medkit (include any med you need) ,cook set,snake bite kit (depending on where you live). Compass…remember to try and keep it light and look for things you can change-up for better.