Apocalypse WarehouseApocalypse Warehouse
All Featured Loadouts

Budget Builder

Every essential covered for the smallest dollar total in the catalog.

Customize This Loadout 35 items
Total Weight
11.7 lb
187 oz
Total Cost
$1,050
35 items
Internal Volume
11.7 / 40 L
28.3 L free
Overall Readiness
91/100
Strong
Water Capacity
2.0 L
container storage
Est. Food Duration
1.7 days
2 food items
Pack Capacity Used
29%
internal volume
External Carry
0.6 lb
2 items outside pack
Internal Volume11.7 L / 40 L
Inside pack: 11.0 lbOutside pack: 0.6 lbTotal carry: 11.7 lb

Mission

Prove that a real 72-hour bag doesn't require premium gear. Every item is picked from the cheapest option in its category that still works.

Who this is for

First-time builders, students, and anyone allergic to spending $1,000 to get started.

Strengths

  • Cheapest complete build in the library
  • Every essential category covered
  • Easy to upgrade one piece at a time

Tradeoffs

  • No premium comms or power
  • Basic shelter — a tarp and a mylar bivy
  • Skimps on redundancy

Coverage highlights

Water · 100Medical · 100Shelter · 100Fire · 100

What's in the bag

16 categories

Water

3 · 6.3 oz

Sawyer Squeeze

Essential

Hollow-fiber squeeze filter, 0.1 micron.

×1
Qty
3 oz
Weight
$39
Cost
Int.
Side
Why it's here: Filters up to 100,000 gallons. Light, packable, and near-universal in the community.
View best price Affiliate Link

CNOC Vecto 2L

Essential

Filter-compatible water bag.

×1
Qty
2.9 oz
Weight
$22
Cost
Int.
Main
Why it's here: Pairs with the Sawyer for a full gravity or squeeze setup.
View best price Affiliate Link

Aquatabs (30-pack)

Recommended

Chlorine dioxide purification tablets.

×1
Qty
0.4 oz
Weight
$12
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Redundancy for when a filter fails or you're moving fast.
View best price Affiliate Link

Food

2 · 35.0 oz

Clif Bars (12-pack)

Recommended

No-cook backup calories.

×1
Qty
30 oz
Weight
$15
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: No prep, no water — critical if you're moving.
View best price Affiliate Link

Peanut Butter To-Go Cups

Recommended

Dense, calorie-rich protein.

×1
Qty
5 oz
Weight
$6
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Serious calorie density in a pack-friendly form.
View best price Affiliate Link

Medical

2 · 24.0 oz

MyMedic MyFAK Mini

Essential

Compact trauma + first-aid kit.

×1
Qty
20 oz
Weight
$100
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Trauma essentials (tourniquet-ready) in a low-profile pouch.
View best price Affiliate Link

Personal Meds & OTC Pack

Essential

3-day supply of prescriptions + ibuprofen, imodium, benadryl.

×1
Qty
4 oz
Weight
$25
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Prescriptions are irreplaceable in a disaster.
View best price Affiliate Link

Shelter

6 · 44.9 oz

Aqua Quest Defender 10x7 Tarp

Essential

Silicone-coated waterproof tarp.

×1
Qty
20 oz
Weight
$60
Cost
Int.
Bottom
Why it's here: Rain shelter in five minutes. Doubles as ground sheet.
View best price Affiliate Link

SOL Emergency Bivy

Essential

Reflective emergency bivy sack.

×1
Qty
3.8 oz
Weight
$20
Cost
Int.
Main
Why it's here: Reflects 90% of body heat back to you. Fits in a pocket.
View best price Affiliate Link

Mylar Emergency Blanket (Pack of 2)

Recommended

Reflective mylar space blanket.

×1
Qty
1.6 oz
Weight
$8
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Weightless insurance. Signals rescuers, reflects heat, keeps rain off gear.
View best price Affiliate Link

Military-Style Rain Poncho

Recommended

Reinforced ripstop poncho with grommets.

×1
Qty
12 oz
Weight
$30
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Wearable rain shell that also pitches as a solo tarp.
View best price Affiliate Link

550 Paracord — 50 ft

Essential

Type III military-spec paracord.

×1
Qty
3 oz
Weight
$8
Cost
Int.
Main
Why it's here: Shelter lines, repair, lashing, snares. Inner strands strip out for fine work.
View best price Affiliate Link

Aluminum Y-Beam Tent Stakes (8)

Recommended

8-pack of Y-beam aluminum stakes.

×1
Qty
4.5 oz
Weight
$15
Cost
Int.
Main
Why it's here: A tarp without stakes is a burrito. These hold in loose soil.

Fire

3 · 2.0 oz

Bic Mini Lighter

Essential

The reference lighter.

×1
Qty
0.4 oz
Weight
$3
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Two of them are always in a bug out bag.
View best price Affiliate Link

Exotac nanoStriker XL Ferro Rod

Essential

Compact ferrocerium rod.

×1
Qty
1.1 oz
Weight
$25
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Works soaking wet, in the wind, forever.
View best price Affiliate Link

UST Tinder-Quik Tabs

Recommended

Waterproof cotton tinder.

×1
Qty
0.5 oz
Weight
$5
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Ignites off a single ferro spark, even wet.
View best price Affiliate Link

Navigation

2 · 5.6 oz

Regional Paper Map

Essential

Waterproof local map.

×1
Qty
3 oz
Weight
$15
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: No batteries. Works when the grid doesn't.

Suunto MC-2 Compass

Essential

Mirrored baseplate compass.

×1
Qty
2.6 oz
Weight
$60
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Pairs with paper maps for reliable land nav.
View best price Affiliate Link

Lighting

2 · 4.4 oz

Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp

Essential

400-lumen headlamp with red mode.

×1
Qty
3 oz
Weight
$55
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Hands-free light is a game-changer at night.
View best price Affiliate Link

Olight i3T EOS Flashlight

Recommended

180-lumen keychain flashlight.

×1
Qty
1.4 oz
Weight
$25
Cost
Ext.
Hip
Why it's here: Backup light. AAA cell is universal.
View best price Affiliate Link

Power

1 · 6.8 oz

AA Batteries (8-pack)

Recommended

Alkaline AA cells.

×1
Qty
6.8 oz
Weight
$9
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Two full swaps for headlamp and radio.

Communications

2 · 15.3 oz

Midland ER310 Emergency Radio

Essential

NOAA weather radio with hand crank.

×1
Qty
15 oz
Weight
$70
Cost
Int.
Main
Why it's here: The only comm that keeps working when everything else fails.
View best price Affiliate Link

Written Contact Plan

Essential

Laminated card with contacts + rally points.

×1
Qty
0.3 oz
Weight
$2
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Your phone dies. Paper doesn't.

Tools

1 · 8.5 oz

Leatherman Wave+

Essential

17-tool multi-tool.

×1
Qty
8.5 oz
Weight
$110
Cost
Ext.
Hip
Why it's here: Pliers alone justify the weight.
View best price Affiliate Link

Repair

2 · 4.2 oz

Gorilla Tape Handy Roll

Essential

10 yd of heavy-duty tape.

×1
Qty
3.2 oz
Weight
$5
Cost
Int.
Main
Why it's here: Fixes gear, dresses wounds, seals bags.
View best price Affiliate Link

Compact Sewing Kit

Recommended

Needles, thread, safety pins.

×1
Qty
1 oz
Weight
$6
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Ten-cent fix for a torn strap.
View best price Affiliate Link

Clothing

2 · 11.3 oz

Smartwool Merino Crew Socks

Essential

Wool hiking socks.

×1
Qty
2.8 oz
Weight
$24
Cost
Int.
Main
Why it's here: Blisters end evacuations. Fresh wool socks prevent them.
View best price Affiliate Link

Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite Rain Suit

Recommended

Disposable-grade rain jacket + pants.

×1
Qty
8.5 oz
Weight
$25
Cost
Int.
Main
Why it's here: Being wet in the cold is a killer. This is cheap insurance.
View best price Affiliate Link

Hygiene

3 · 7.5 oz

Compressed Wet Wipes

Recommended

Pop-up compressed wipes.

×1
Qty
4 oz
Weight
$10
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Field bath, wound cleanup, morale.
View best price Affiliate Link

Hand Sanitizer 2oz

Recommended

Alcohol gel.

×1
Qty
2 oz
Weight
$3
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Cross-contamination is a real risk in the field.
View best price Affiliate Link

Travel Toothbrush + Paste

Recommended

Minimal dental kit.

×1
Qty
1.5 oz
Weight
$5
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Dental pain has ended many trips.

Documents

2 · 4.4 oz

Waterproof Document Pouch

Essential

Copies of ID, insurance, cash.

×1
Qty
4 oz
Weight
$20
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Recovery starts with proving who you are.
View best price Affiliate Link

Emergency Cash ($200 mixed)

Essential

Small bills.

×1
Qty
0.4 oz
Weight
$200
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Cards don't work when the grid is down.

Signals & Visibility

1 · 0.5 oz

Fox 40 Pealess Whistle

Essential

Loud (120 dB) rescue whistle.

×1
Qty
0.5 oz
Weight
$8
Cost
Int.
Top
Why it's here: Screaming loses your voice in ten minutes. A whistle doesn't.
View best price Affiliate Link

Miscellaneous

1 · 6.0 oz

Contractor Trash Bags (3)

Essential

Heavy 3-mil bags.

×1
Qty
6 oz
Weight
$5
Cost
Int.
Main
Why it's here: Rain poncho, ground sheet, water collection, gear cover.

Related reading

Buying Guide
Water Filtration
Buying Guide
Medical First Aid
Buying Guide
72 Hour Kits
Buying Guide
Communications

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