Understanding the Terms Bug Out Bag, Inch Bag and Go Bag

During a particular bug out situation, you might need to use different bags. The reason for this is because each situation can be different. Some are temporary and some are a long term. Some are so awful and chaotic, you’ll never be able to come back to your house.

That’s why you need to have different bags prepared for different events.

A bug out bag’s purpose is to get you out of where you are to safety.

A bug out bag is also commonly referred to by its initials of BOB. This is a bag that can safely sustain your survival for at least 72 hours.  It’s not really intended for more than that. This is the bag that you grab when you’re exiting to get out of the chaos to somewhere safe. It contains the basic essentials. In this bag, you’ll have water, food, clothes for three days, shelter or a way to make it in nature, a way to start a fire, a flashlight, tools, a way to communicate, personal hygiene items, and whatever else you’ll need to make it for three days.

The INCH bag stands for I’m Never Coming Home and it’s intended to help you survive a SHTF event for a longer amount of time than a bug out bag is. Where a bug out bag should last 3 days, an INCH bag can help you survive a week or more – until you find more supplies. It’s intended to carry the essentials you need as well as other important items you must have when coming back to your house just isn’t going to happen.

Lifeshield All-In-One Bug Out Bag With 6 Survival Kits By Frog & Co By Frog & Co.
from: Survival Frog LLC

Your INCH bag should be packed with food, water, a way to purify water, clothes, a fire starter method, cash, guns and ammo. It should also have a radio and a first aid kit. You’ll need to have a compass in this bag as well as fishing items, a wilderness or survival knife, a good flashlight and an axe. Paracord also goes into this bag along with a multitool, a solar charger for recharging things like the radio and rechargeable batteries. You’ll need seeds, hygiene items, medications, gloves, rain items, and maps. You’ll also want your important documents with you like your ID, passports and anything that pertains to reestablishing your life. Pack a folding shovel, duct tape, and a machete.

A go bag is also known as an evacuation kit. This is a bag that has some of the items that you will have packed in your bug out bag. This is a bag that you would use if you had to leave your home quickly in the event of an emergency. This bag is not meant to be long-term or indefinite like an INCH bag. In a go bag, you would pack all of your important information like your health information, and your financial documents. You would have some hygiene items, clothes and any prescription meds. The idea behind this bag is that you can get to another location and be okay for a few days until you can come home. It’s not suitable for a SHTF situation because it doesn’t contain the necessary survival items.