How to Build Cheap Bug Out Bags for the Whole Family

When I first sat down to build bug out bags for our family, my list went on and on. Adding it all up for four people was enough to make me want to quit before I bought a thing, and there was no way a regular backpack would hold everything on that list anyway.

My starting point was tracking down backpacks for each person, and since my kids (ages 7 and 9 at the time) already had those, and my husband and I had heavy-duty packs from camping trips, this cost zero dollars. But then I had to figure out how to equip each bag on our single-income.

What helped was figuring out which emergencies would force us out of the house, then packing for those instead of every possible disaster. Here’s how to do the same thing for your family, with realistic prices and plenty of dollar store options.

This article was originally published in 2018 and has been updated with new tips and pricing, September 2026.

Start With Your Most Likely Emergencies

Before you buy anything, decide what you’re packing for. I did a simple risk assessment for our family and our area, and very few scenarios had us leaving home for long. In a worst-case scenario, most involved heading to a relative’s house or a hotel a day or two away, whether after a house fire or while waiting out a hurricane.

That’s why I decided that packing supplies for three days made the most sense. Three days covers most evacuations, and it keeps each bag light enough for the person carrying it as well as being within our budget.

What a Budget Bug Out Bag Costs

These are rough per-bag costs for 2026, assuming you pull clothing and some supplies from home. Prices vary by region and store.

Category	Budget cost per bag	Where to save
Water	$0	Refill used water bottles
Food (3 days)	$10–15	Buy in bulk and split between bags
First aid	$1.25–3	Dollar store kit plus supplies from home
Toiletries	$3–7	Dollar store travel sizes or refillable bottles
Lighting and extras	$3–6	Dollar store flashlights, ponchos, glow sticks
Comfort items	$1.25–3	Dollar store books, games, and small toys
Clothing	$0	Pull from what you already own
Total	About $20–35	Even less if you have supplies at home

One possible addition is a personal water filter in each adult’s bag. Kids can share with a parent. The LifeStraw is often on sale for less than $12, but I prefer the Sawyer filter.

I didn’t include the backpack, since there’s a good chance you already have those, and if not, they can be picked up for pennies on the dollar at thrift stores and garage sales. Some solid brand names to look for are Osprey, Fjallraven, Jansports (they have a lifetime warranty), and Eastpak. My son’s Swiss Gear backpack is at least a decade old and going strong.

So, as long as you’re getting started putting a bag, or kit, together, you might as well look for the best-made and most durable bags possible.

Water

Water is the heaviest thing in a bug out bag and the most important. The usual guideline is a gallon per person per day, but a gallon weighs over 8 pounds, so nobody is carrying three days’ worth on their back.

Here’s what I do instead:

• Pack one or two liters of water per person in refilled water bottles. They cost nothing. It’s perfectly fine to re-use water bottles from brands like Fuji and Lifewater, but never those thin plastic disposable bottles. If you want to spend more money, an inexpensive Nalgene bottle runs around twenty bucks. I recommend getting one of these with a smaller volume, like this one for 24 ounces, if you’re concerned about the weight of your backpack.
• Put a personal water filter in every adult’s bag. This is the one item I’d spend more on, and good ones run about $15 to $30. If these are new to you, buy one and test it out. I found that the suction needed to get water through a LifeStraw is more than a younger child can manage.
• Add a few water purification tablets as a backup to your backup.

If you know you’ll be driving rather than walking, keep a case of water in the car, and read more about how to store water for emergencies.

So far, if you’re using a water bottle you already have, your cost is zero dollars. The water filter is optional, and in most cases, isn’t necessary.

Food

Food is another expense that can be as little or as much as you choose. It’s smart to buy in bulk and then split something like packets of trail mix between bags. Stick with foods that don’t need cooking.

• Trail mix, nuts, and dried fruit
• Beef jerky or meat sticks, like Chomps
• Tuna or chicken in foil pouches
• Nut butter squeeze packs (more on peanut butter as a survival food)
• Granola or protein bars
• Hard candy, which doesn’t melt and makes a good morale boost

Freeze-dried meals and MREs are great if you can heat water or have room in the budget. Freeze-dried meals in a pouch are super-lightweight, but MREs can get heavy, fast.

Add a spoon or fork to each bag (these can be plastic, no need to buy anything expensive), and rotate the food every six months so nothing goes stale.

First Aid Supplies

A basic dollar store first aid kit gives you bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes, and a case to keep them in. I add supplies from home, including over-the-counter medications and a few days of any prescriptions, each labeled with dosage directions.

A small bar of soap rounds it out. That’s something you can bring home from a hotel stay or let a large bar of soap soften up a bit in the sunlight and then slice it into small, individual “bars”. For a bigger kit, here’s my travel medical kit list.

Toiletries

Travel-size toiletries at the dollar store are one of the best deals for bug out bags. For a few dollars, you can put together shampoo, deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste in a zipper bag. If you bring these home from hotel stays, that’s even cheaper.

You can also buy refillable 3-ounce bottles and fill them from home, which costs even less if you already have the products. For more ideas, here’s a list of hygiene supplies for emergencies.

I suggest adding a small packet of wet wipes as an all-purpose and inexpensive addition in this category.

Clothing

Clothing costs nothing because it comes from your closets. Pack a complete change of clothes for each person, plus extra socks and underwear. Add a hat/cap and gloves in cold months, and swap out clothing each spring and fall so nobody ends up with shorts in January. A small fleece or crib-size blanket in each bag adds warmth without much weight.

Forget the “emergency blankets”. Those are made from thin mylar that tears easily and whether or not it truly keeps you warm is debatable.

Bug Out Bags for Kids

Kids can carry their own bags once they’re old enough to manage a small backpack. A cross-body bag sized for their height and strength level is just as good. A good rule of thumb is to keep a child’s pack at no more than about 10% of their body weight.

Young kids can carry their own clothes, a pouch of water, snacks, and a comfort item, and put the heavier gear like water bottles and food in the adults’ bags.

Comfort items make a big difference for kids in a stressful situation, and these can be free from what you have around the house or from a dollar store. Nothing fancy — small books, puzzle books, card games, and stuffed animals. I picked a couple of things for each child and varied them so the kids could trade. Notebooks and colored pencils from home don’t cost a thing.

Family Bug Out Bag Checklist

Some items belong in every bag, and others only need to go in one adult’s bag for the whole family.

In every bag:

• Water bottles, one or two liters
• Three days of no-cook food and a spoon
• A change of clothes, plus extra socks
• Toiletries
• A flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries
• A rain poncho
• A comfort item (For adults this could be a paperback book or an old smartphone loaded with music and Audible books.)

Split between the adults’ bags:

• Personal water filters and purification tablets
• The first aid kit and medications
• Copies of IDs, insurance cards, and important documents in a waterproof, zipper bag
• Cash in small bills, a pre-paid Visa card
• A charged power bank and charging cables
• A multi-tool or pocket knife
• Matches or a lighter
• A paper map of your area with your evacuation routes marked
• Supplies for your pets, if you have them (here’s how to pack a pet evacuation kit)

Other Cheap and Useful Items

Dollar stores are full of useful extras like glow sticks (especially around Halloween), flashlights, batteries, bungee cords, work gloves, sunglasses, and small tool sets. Check what you have at home first, then spend what you save on things you’re missing.

Build the Bags Your Family Needs

There are dozens of bug out bag lists online, and most of them include more gear than your family will ever carry or need. Base your choices on the emergencies you’re most likely to face and the people in your family, including elderly relatives or anyone with medical needs. Start with the basics and add a few items each month. Clearance racks after the holidays are a great place to fill in the gaps.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Final Word

A bug out bag doesn’t need expensive gear to do its job, which is simply having the most essential supplies at your fingertips in any type of emergency. Pack for the emergencies you’re most likely to face, and cover water and food first. You can fill in the rest over time. Even for a big family, it’s doable on a budget, and it’s a lot less stressful to grab a packed bag than to throw one together while the sirens are going off.

If you only had $35, what would you buy for a bug-out bag?

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