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COMPETITION: Unpacking the only Survival Kit you need

Merrell has teamed up with BugOut SA to bring you the ultimate prize! Along with a pair of Merrell Moab hiking shoes in the style of your choice to help you step further, you can win a Rule of 3s Survival Bag filled with everything you could possibly need to survive in the wild for at least 72 hours (but probably more!). 

We’re unpacking this revolutionary survival kit so that you can always be prepared with BugOut SA and Merrell.

The brilliance behind the bag

The contents of BugOut’s survival bag are based on the ‘Rule of 3s’.

A person can survive with:

• 3 minutes without oxygen
• 3 hours without shelter in exceptional weather conditions
• 3 days without water
• 3 weeks without food

We all know that even a leisure hike can turn into an emergency within the blink of an eye.

That’s why the Rule of 3s Survival Bag is made to fit a comfortable and durable backpack that ergonomically suits your specific body type – the 40L Outdoor Sports Backpack in 600D Oxford Fabric.

This bag is filled to equip you with the necessary survival tools to ensure that you will overcome any possible life-threatening scenario and ultimately make it back to civilisation alive and well.

So let’s have a look at the absolutely necessary items you’ll find in your Rule of 3s Survival Bag, valued at R4500.

3 hours without shelter in exceptional weather conditions

It is well documented that a person can only survive for 3 hours in adverse weather conditions without shelter, so the first items on our list consist of 2 essential pieces of equipment to help you do just that.

1. The Emergency Sleeping Bag

This is the last sleeping bag you’ll ever need. It reflects 90% of your body's heat back to you and can protect you from both rain and wind – making it an essential survival tool – and it can be used as ground cover and sleeping bag liner when you are exposed to extreme environments. 

It is orange in colour to assist when functioning as a rescue beacon, while turning it inside out will expose the foil inner to reflect the sun and be used as a signalling aid.

• Material: Mylar
• Compact & Lightweight
• Folded Size: 14cm x 8cm
• Unfolded Size: 200cm x 91cm
• Weight: 125g
• 100% Waterproof

2. The Emergency Poncho

This waterproof poncho is the epitome of multipurpose outerwear:

• Used as raincoat
• Used for water collection
• Used as bivy tent
• Can be worn over backpack to keep it dry

 Along with these essentials, other shelter accessories included are:

• Large camo/foil emergency blanket
• 15m of 550 paracord rope
• Multifunction torch with signalling strobe
• Inflatable solar lantern with flashing beacon light
• Fire starters including Ferro rod & striker,
• storm proof matches
• BIC lighter
• Cotton wool & petroleum jelly tinder pack

 3 days without water

The body needs enough water to carry out its essential functions, such as balancing the internal temperature and keeping cells alive. To ensure sustainable drinking and cooking water for at least 3 days, the following 4 items have been included in the Rule of 3s Survival Bag:

1. The Sawyer MINI

As the lightest and most versatile personal water filtration system, the Sawyer MINI weighs just 57 grams. It fits in the palm of your hand and provides 0.1 micron absolute filtration — thus removing 99.99999% of all bacteria (such as salmonella, cholera and E.coli), 99.9999% of all protozoa (such as giardia and cryptosporidium), and 100% of micro plastics.

• Filters 370 000L of water
• Can be used as an inline filter on your water bladder
• Screws onto any soft drink bottle
• Drink directly from any water source using the supplied straw
• Collapsible pouch included in the package

2. P & G Purifier of Water

These easily transportable sachets have a long shelf-life, making them a must-have for all of your backpacks. 

• Proven reduction of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in water
• Removal of heavy metals and chemicals
• Increased free chlorine protection against contamination
• Proven reduction of diarrheal disease
• Visual improvement of water and acceptability

3. Aquatabs

Known as the world’s no.1 water purification tablets, you can never go wrong with Aquatabs.

• Salt-based chlorine effervescent tablet
• Kills micro- organisms in water to prevent cholera, typhoid, dysentery and other water borne diseases.

4. 10L Collapsible water container

• For easy storage and transport of water

3 weeks without food

While there is no exact science in this regard because of each individual’s capacity for resilience and grit, as a rule of thumb, we can go for days and sometimes weeks without food because of adjustments to our metabolism and energy consumption. Our bag includes both meals and food accessories to keep you going.

Meal, Ready to Eat (MRE) x 3 

• The MRE is a totally self-contained complete meal
• One MRE is 400g and equals one meal
• The packaging of an MRE is designed to withstand rough conditions and exposure to the elements
• Calorie dense
• Super flavourful
• Heat & Eat

Other edible goods in the bag include:

• Muesli Breakfast x 3
• Coffee 3-in1 x 3
• Isotonic drink powder x 3 

Food accessories

• Flameless Ration Heaters that can heat in any conditions within 12 minutes with no fire required (Bush Microwave)
• Water heating bags
• Spork utensil

Emergencies & general survival

No matter where you’re hiking or for how long you're hiking, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you have a comprehensive first aid kit with you.

Hikers First Aid Kit

• Antiseptic Cream
• Comforting Bandage
• CPR Mouth Piece
• Cotton Wool Balls
• First Aid Dressing No.3
• Gauze Swabs
• Examination Gloves
• Lip Balm
• Paracetamol tablets
• Fabric Plaster
• Rescue Blanket
• Burns Dressing
• First Aid Scissors
• Safety Pins
• Metal First Aid Tweezer
• Sunblock
• Triangular Bandage

Other survival essentials included in the Rule of 3s Survival Bag are:

• Portable hand chainsaw
• 3-in-1 paracord bracelet with whistle
• Fuel Tablets
• Tactical folding knife

Enter our competition here to stand a chance to win both the Rule of 3s Survival Bag AND a pair of Merrell Moab hiking shoes in the style of your choice, known for its out-of-the-box comfort. Being prepared for absolutely anything has never been this easy.