When it comes to getting ready for a grid-down disaster scenario, being prepared with a survival kit isn’t just a good idea. It’s essential.
But not all emergency situations are the same, and neither are the kits that go with them. Two of the most commonly utilized bug-out bags in the prepping world are the S.C.A.R.E. (Short-term Critical Action Response Equipment) bag and the bug-out bag.
While they might seem similar at first glance, these two bags are designed with very different situations in mind. Let’s find out how.
What is a S.C.A.R.E Bug Out Bag?
A S.C.A.R.E. (Short-term Critical Action Response Equipment) bag is a small and lightweight survival kit specifically designed for immediate survival needs during short-term emergencies.
Its primary focus is on the essentials needed to keep you alive for the first 24 to 72 hours in a crisis, like water, shelter, fire, and basic first aid.
The S.C.A.R.E. bag is meant to be highly portable and minimalistic, ensuring you can grab it and go should the situation ever arise.
Unlike a traditional bug-out bag, which prepares you for longer-term survival, the S.C.A.R.E. bag is tailored to situations where you need to act fast. Its purpose is to help you stay alive and mobile until you can either find safety or help arrives.
The key features of a S.C.A.R.E. bag include:
- Small water bottles and purification tablets or a portable filter or this DIY device that generates clean drinking water and it’s a perfect addition to any prepper’s toolkit
A space blanket, tarp, or emergency bivy to protect you from the elements- Waterproof matches, a lighter, or a fire starter to keep warm or signal for help
- A compact kit with essentials like bandages, antiseptics, and pain relief
- High-energy snacks like protein bars or dried fruit for quick, portable nourishment
- A lightweight tool for cutting, prying, and other survival tasks.
In essence, the S.C.A.R.E. bag is designed for fast, short-term survival situations by allowing you to remain mobile and focused on staying alive in the crucial hours following an emergency.
What is a Bug Out Bag?
A bug-out bag is a more comprehensive survival kit that is designed to sustain you for at least 72 hours, and often longer.
The primary purpose of this bag is to provide everything you need to remain self-sufficient in the event of a prolonged major disaster, evacuation, or prolonged emergency.
In other words, you could evacuate home and live out of the bug out bag if you had to.
Related: How To Cut Out The Weight Of Your Bug Out Bag
Examples of items that you could include in a bug out bag include:
- Larger water containers like a hydration bladder, along with multiple methods to purify water (such as a portable water filter, iodine tablets, or purification drops)
- Enough non-perishable, calorie-dense food (such as MREs, freeze-dried meals, or energy bars) to last 3-7 days
- A more substantial shelter, such as a small tent
- Multiple fire-starting tools (waterproof matches, a lighter, firesteel) to build and maintain a fire for warmth, cooking, or signaling
- A full set of extra clothing
- Rain gear
- A larger first aid kit that is equipped to handle more severe injuries or illnesses over a longer duration.
- Multi-tools, knives, small axes, and hand saws
- Maps, compass, and a GPS device
- Communication gear like a two-way radio or hand-crank radio
- Hygiene products like soap, toothpaste and toothbrush, and toilet paper
- Self-defense items like pepper spray, a baton, or a handgun.
- Antibiotics to deal with infections. Or this guide where you’ll discover how to make them yourself using only a few ingredients.
A bug-out bag is meant to keep you alive and relatively comfortable for an extended period, typically three to seven days, but in some cases even longer.
The Key Differences and When To Use Each Bag
The key differences between a S.C.A.R.E. bag and a bug-out bag lies primarily the duration of which they are meant to keep you alive. A S.C.A.R.E. bag is designed for short-term survival, typically for the first 24 to 72 hours of an emergency. To that end, the contents of this bag are focused on your immediate necessities like basic first aid, water, fire, and shelter.
A bug-out bag is intended for longer-term survival by sustaining you for at least three days to a full week. It’s larger, heavier, bulkier, and incorporates several items that would be luxuries in a survival situation but that you could also survive without.
Ultimately, the S.C.A.R.E. bag is the better bag for scenarios where you need to act immediately, such as in the case of natural disasters or accidents where help is likely to arrive within a few days. It’s a good bag to keep in your car so , for instance.
In contrast, the bug-out bag is ideal for longer-term survival situations (like major disasters, evacuations, or civil unrest) where you may need to be self-sufficient for several days or even weeks while you’re on the go.
There are situations when you’ll not be able to get out of your home. For those specific cases, A Navy SEAL’s Bug-In Guide is packed with practical strategies and essential tips that can prepare you for whatever chaos comes your way.
Final Thoughts
In essence, while both the S.C.A.R.E. bag and the bug-out bag are essential tools for survival, they are also each designed to serve very different purposes.
The S.C.A.R.E. bag is all about serving you well for quick action in short-term emergencies by only offering you the bare necessities to get you through the critical first 24 to 72 hours. Meanwhile, a more full bug-out bag should help prepare you for longer-term scenarios where you might need to be self-sufficient for days or even weeks.
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First time I’ve ever hear of a SCARE bag… but I must say its a fairly good idea… I reside in/at my BOL, but I travel somewhat, so I have a semi BOB inside each one of my vehicles… Enough stuff to sustain me till I can get back to my BOL… I’m always open to other peoples ideas on anything pertaining to prepping and or surviving… and this article fits the bill… My BOB’s inside each one of my vehicles, (F150 & Jeep LJ) are store bought.. After opening and inventorying the contents, I ended up adding several items that it lacked… Again, this is a very good article, hopefully there will never be a time to have to utilize these items, but one never knows… Its way better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it… Live long and prosper…
Would someone make a list of what you have in your BOB? People can learn a lot from others.
https://www.griddownconsulting.com/books
at the bottom of the page is a good list.
just a politically correct name for a bob. i have only 1 bag, and it’s a BOB. if i’m going to build a bag for emergencies, it’s going to be a BOB. go ahead and grab your scare bag, and run out of supplies real quick. sorry i’m laughing at the scare bag. lol
I’m not laughing too much. The chances of a temporary leaving residence is far greater than a BOB – INCH bag. Weather calamity / chemical railcar derailment / factory industrial fire happens and having a packed bag ready to go at a moment’s notice is good insurance. The SCARE bag I think of has several hundred if not a thousand in small currency as well as several hundreds as checking into hotels where others evacuate too may become expensive and you HAVE to take the most expensive room because your family on the streets is a bad alternative.
Mickey, if you don’t mind me calling your Mickey… I do not have a SCARE bag, but the idea is a good one.. especially if you work away from home, like in an office downtown, or on a construction site… I can see a SCARE bag being stuffed under a desk, to assist someone trying to get home to family and their BOB’s… Events don’t always happen when were home…and getting from work back home to family is very important, and more than likely be short temp quest, I would think a SCARE bag would/could be handy in that type of situation… I do agree that BOB are the most top priority bag for sure, once and or if your escaping from your residence to your BOL…. Live long and prosper…
Kool article…Since the dem.’s have been defeated i probably won’t be in constant doomsday mode….but in the past i would get so comfortable and forget to go through my bug out bags regularly and when i would find things like batteries being left in my electronic equipment resulting in corrosion and total failure.really ticklng me off. In my old truck it was rather moist resulting in a rather moist bug out bag for a year is also gross and moldy…..you may think your prepared but i think I am going to double down in my preparing even when the democrats are out of power. Peace
Mushrooms growing in my trucks carpeting was interesting…….
You can save some weight by using dehydrated water in the emergency bags.
Just trying to help!
Cute 😁
This is the type of small bag I kept in my car before retirement, in case I needed to walk home in a SHTF situation, walking obviously being my Plan B for getting home from work. On a recent trip out of state, it was also in the car.
I live in a place with pretty good winters so tend to ride with something like a BOB in the truck at all times. If I get stuck somewhere and have to stay the night, I can. Whether I have to sleep in the truck or simply at someone’s house and find it more prudent to stay overnight than to drive home on sketchy roads.
S.C.A.R.E. (don’t care for the acronym) sounds like someone trying to manifest fear to your mindset before you even get out the door.
For those who think this is a good idea. Make a “SCARE” bag from the contents in your B.O.B., separate those items into a smaller bag, place it in the top of your B.O.B. and if you need it, just grab that smaller pack.
I call it my get home bag.
We were seriously due for some new survival acronyms. Thank you.