What to pack in your bug-out bag depends on the kind of escape you are making. Running from ninja assassins, you’ll need different things than what you pack for a simple weekend getaway. Entering the witness-protection program doesn’t call for the same tools as a zombie apocalypse. The purpose of this brief blog is to remind you of three often-overlooked essentials you want to have on hand for all getaways.

1. Hot sauce. The most common complaint about refuge centers is always the bland food. And roasting rodents over a fire in the empty halls of a defunct shopping mall calls for flavor enhancers. Regardless of where you end up and what you are forced to eat, you’ll be delighted when you can kick it up a notch with a splash from your bottle of hot sauce.

2. Brilliant- and emerald-cut diamonds. You sure don't want to have to schlep gold bars everywhere you go. A plump bag of gems weighs almost nothing and diamonds are easier to conceal. Don’t waste time with un-cut stones since they won’t dazzle a bandit chief or trawler captain like cut gems do. Carry a mix of sizes so you have the flexibility to differentiate between a simple tip and a major bribe.

3. Lucky charm. Where you’re going, it might be smart to have a lucky charm. Something small, but with amazing powers will serve best. Don’t leave home without it.

Good luck with all your travels.

By the way, if you don’t already have a bug-out bag, you might want to check out the Skedaddleosaurus Bags—a tote and duffel bag for all kinds of get aways.

Don—Pittsburgh, October 15, 2020