The Good Idea Fairy: Super-Sized Bug Out Bag Hygiene Kits

Here's a visit from the Good Idea Fairy, the pudgy gal who enjoys waving her wand and encouraging you to waste money and load your kits down with crap you don't need. If you missed the original post on her exploits, check it out here.

I'm going to try to turn this into a quasi-recurring series where we discuss ideas that sound good but really aren't.

First up are bursting-from-the-seams hygiene kits many carry in their bug out bags. The Good Idea Fairy comes along, waves her wand and the "hygiene is important" idea takes over and, before you know it, you've added a bunch of silly crap to your kit.

Now I'm all for having some very basic stuff - I carry a travel size pack of wipes in my kits and not much else. They're multipurpose and don't weigh much.

You could make an argument for hand sanitizer or soap, and maybe a toothbrush and a travel size of toothpaste as a comfort item. A small container of bug spray or sun screen, potentially, based on your environment. Maybe a tube of lip balm.

But beyond that, you move into the "I'm packing for a vacation" mode versus the "I am running for my life" mode that a bug out bag should be built for.