Do you go for quantity or quality? Should you try for both? Any time you look at your bug-out bag, you will wind up wondering “do I have enough of that?” This is a common concern and generally focuses on food and water.

There are differentiations based on your “bug–out profile.” Individuals and small groups will likely need single items only. With regards to food they may have to pile on multiples, but can probably be more uniform in their choices with nobody else’s tastes to worry about.

A family with small kids, pets and seniors in tow, however, will probably find themselves expanding lots of space and energy on a variety of foods and beverages. You never want to be in a situation where the bulk of your time and energy is spent on simply lugging your bug–out bag around.

Remember, if it requires more than one person to carry, it’s not a bag; it’s a suitcase or worse, a travel chest. Your bug–out bag does not have to look like a rucksack, but it should be functional and relatively light. Knowing how many multiples of an individual item you can carry will greatly help in achieving this goal.