Creek covers everything you need to keep your family safe and healthy when an emergency strikes. Be it natural or man-made, we hope we never have to encounter these possibilities, but he reminds us that a Bug Out Bag is insurance. “Life insurance is paid when you die. Look at a ‘BOB’ as a “don’t die” policy for you and your family.”

He covers all the necessary topics in depth, providing tips for specific brands and retailers so that you know what to look for when you’re purchasing supplies. He even includes comprehensive checklists at the rear of the book that have 3 levels of needs. The lowest level is highly supplemented by skills, so they can carry the essentials and do just fine. The highest level takes into account having almost no survival or wilderness skills, so that level is supplemented with more fail-safes in place and more overall weight as an account.

I’ve read dozens of internet articles and guide on how to put together a ‘BOB’ and while some of them were useful, the quality of this book’s information blows them out of the water. It’s concise, and yet covers so much ground. It’s a ‘buy’ if you have ever thought of building a Bug out Bag; and it becomes a MUST buy if you have never thought of doing it!

This is an outstanding, comprehensive book for preparing for any kind of sudden disaster or event which may require you to leave your home on very short notice. This book is designed to prepare you for the worst case scenario of 72 hours of living with the contents of what you are carrying in a bag if you are forced from your home.

People forced to bug out are called “refugees.” Google it and count the number of times that word appears each day, even in the US. Do YOU need to prepare for this? Ask yourself the following questions. How you answer them will determine if this book will have any value to you:

1) If forced to evacuate your home, do you think you and your family would be better off on your own, having prepared an escape plan and having gathered supplies for that escape?

2) Or are you content with the possibility of being forced to evacuate with thousands of other people into a place like the Superdome, with scant personal belongings, kept under armed guard, and completely dependent on this government (or worse, another one operating under martial law) to provide for and protect you and your family just like the citizens of New Orleans were after Hurricane Katrina? This same scenario will happen during another natural disaster, a terrorist strike, a chemical spill, a huge fire, or massive civil unrest. Read the papers, these things happen all the time.

Creek Stewart does an excellent job itemizing exactly what makes up a practical Bug Out Bag (BOB). Not only does he explain the value of each item, he also mentions where you can get them and often suggests alternatives. The part I liked best about this book was towards the end when Stewart talks about the absolute importance of practicing with your BOB and identifies challenges, item by item, which will give you confidence in what you are doing and identify weaknesses in your preparations.

Stewart suggests not only learning how to light a camp stove but also how to start a fire and once you’ve mastered that, doing it at night and after a rain. These are real situations you may actually face and skills which could mean the difference between life and death.

If you do not have much outdoors experience, don’t be discouraged. The task of building a Bug Out Bag may appear daunting and expensive but you would probably be amazed at how many resources you have available to you right this very minute in your own home. Read Creek Stewart’s book, make a bug out plan, and start gathering up materials readily available to you right now. Spend a day doing this even though you may not right away get the perfect BOB together or have the best quality materials.

Collect common things you may have around the house like a day pack, a fire source (a disposable lighter), a light source (a small flashlight or headlamp) a basic shelter and ground cover (plastic sheeting), rope or twine, a small metal pan, your important papers and documents, plastic bottles for water, soup packets, energy bars, a sleeping bag and emergency season-appropriate clothing (remember the mantras: “Wear Layers” and “Cotton Kills”). The immediate goal is to stay hydrated, warm and dry.

All these items simply gathered into one spot will give you a great start on building a complete kit and probably put you ahead of more than 95% of the population in emergency preparedness without spending an extra penny. Even being a little bit ready for it gives you an edge on disaster.

Stewart does a great job encouraging you to look at your BOB and your evacuation plan as an ongoing process, which can be an enjoyable thing, even a hobby. If you can’t afford to buy everything at once (like most of us), at least prepare a want list, get together what you can and upgrade or add pieces every time you go to the store or have a little extra money. Stewart does make a point of identifying “must haves” ahead of “nice to haves.”

I also liked that Stewart included a section on preparing to bug out pets. This is an area I had not really considered fully. It really struck home to think about the possibility of leaving behind our beloved family members in an emergency because we hadn’t prepared for them and we didn’t have the resources or ability to take them with us.

You are not a crazy wacko if you start preparing like this. All you are required to do is imagine what would happen if the safe and sound veneer of your everyday life is suddenly torn away and you were forced from your home, even for just a few days. Start putting 2 and 2 together. Have you ever been to a garage sale and seen a nice, sturdy wagon selling for a couple of bucks? That wagon gives you the ability to easily move small children, old dogs, and extra supplies many miles, but it is also a plaything for the child and useful around the yard when the world isn’t falling apart around you.

I would like to add one item which Stewart does not mention and that would be to prepare and pack a basic Kindle or similar e-reader because of their long battery life after charging (unlike a Fire, an I-Pad or similar back-lit tablet). After I finished reading Stewart’s book, the first thing I thought was how valuable it would be to actually be able to pack books like this in the BOB.

How much better would it be to have a whole series of books which would serve as an entire library of survival reference material, reading material and spiritual support which weighed only a few ounces and, carefully managed, with even a partial charge could easily last for 72 hours, if not several weeks! All you need is a waterproof container.

It’s the end of the world . . . well, maybe not quite. But disasters do happen all the time and it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Honestly, this book is FANTASTIC! Previously, I read, “Plan, Don’t Panic,” which is an excellent guide to being ready to evacuate in case of a disaster, whether natural or otherwise. “Plan, Don’t Panic,” is a good book for those who are new to the idea of prepping. On a whim, I borrowed this book (“Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag”) through Kindle Unlimited, just to see if it agreed with what I’d already learned. Let me say, I really had my eyes opened!

The author is a bit of an extremist, so there are things he recommends that I’m just not going to do . . . like buying property outside my city, so I have somewhere to hide in case of a disaster. I’m also not going to keep an off-road vehicle, just in case I need to flee the city. Sure, it’d be nice, but not everyone can afford to be THAT prepared. However, there are a lot of really good suggestions that are more practical, especially if you commute and might find yourself needing to find your way home after an earthquake or other emergency situation.

The biggest thing I learned is that my emergency kit is woefully inadequate. True, having anything is better than having nothing. Up till now, I’ve had a wheeled carry-on suitcase filled with things I might need if we had to evacuate in a hurry. Food, water, a blanket, lantern, radio, batteries, spare clothing, stuff like that. The problem was, that suitcase probably weighs 50 pounds. I could wheel it behind me, sure, but if it came down to a situation where I needed to carry it, I wouldn’t be able to. Having it eases some of my anxiety, and it’s definitely better than not being prepared at all. But in reading this book, I realized that I need to be more practical. Also, I’m lacking several basic things, like a tarp, fire-starting tools, water filtration supplies, things that might actually help me survive outside the city. Another good point is that I need to pack based on the seasons, including warm clothing in autumn and winter, and swapping it out for lighter clothing in the spring and summer. I also need to have an emergency kit in the car, which I don’t—yet!

After reading this book, I’ve been trying to upgrade my emergency kit, a little at a time. I hope I’ll never need to use it. But the way things are, you just never know. After mentioning this book to my mother, she asked me to order her a copy, too. I’m thinking about ordering the paperback version for myself, too, just so I don’t have to tie up one of my Kindle Unlimited slots.

If you’re new to the concept of prepping, you might want to start with something a little lighter, like “Plan, Don’t Panic,” but as soon as you’re comfortable with the notion of packing an emergency kit or “bug-out bag,” you’ll want to get this book, too. It’s an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve their chances of surviving a natural disaster or other catastrophe. Try not to be put off by the author’s obvious enthusiasm. He’s really into survival and prepping, which is fine, but some of his suggestions might be a little extreme for those who are just looking to be a little more prepared. But he definitely knows his stuff!

I’ll give this book five stars. Highly recommended to anyone who is looking to prepare for a disaster that might cause them to flee their home, or have to trek home from another location.