Get Home Bag

[SavageEagle]

Looking to make a couple "Get Home Bags" for my wife's van and my truck. Right now I'm working with very little space in my truck until I get a truck box for the bed, but I've already got a few things in the truck. Nothing of real use in the van except break down gear.

Right now, in the truck I have .22lr ammo, extra pistol mag or two, one bag of chips, hatchet, basic tool bag, gloves, bungee cords, TP, knee-high socks (4 pair), and a fire extinguisher. Sometimes I bring a .22 rifle if the trip is out of the county.

So with limited space in mind for the truck, but not so much for the van, what would be a good list of things to have in a decent Get Home Bag?

Edit: I also have a small 300w power inverter in my truck for my cell phone and emergencies.

 

[E5RANGER375]

- neosporin
- 2x4 gauze pads
- med tape
- compression bandage
- alcohol swabs
- duct tape (wrap about 3 feet around a pencil)
- waterproof note pad
- 50' of TRUE 550 cord
- breath mints
- multi-tool with sharp blade
- magnesium fre starter
- bic lighter
- emergency space blanket
- BCB wire saw
- mole skin
- leather gloves
- 5 hour energy drink
- 4 high protein bars
- small pack of almonds
- headlamp
- 4 safety pins
- 20' fishing line
- bug spray
- sun screen
- 1 gallon of water
- 4'x7' tarp with grommets
- baby wipes
- extra socks, and underwear
- balaclava
- pistol and ammo
- pepper spray or mace
- handcuffs or flex cuffs
- whistle with compass
- map of your area
- cheap rain poncho
- lip balm
- eyedrops
- trifolding stove with trioxane bars
- roll of quarters
- roll of dimes
-$20 worth of 1's
-$20 bill x2
-5 silver coins
-vhf/uhf radio
-weather radio
- copies of your, DL, BC, LTCH, military ID

thats a start, and it will fit into a small bag.
its off the top of my head. i can give you a more detailed list if you PM me.

 

[grunt soldier]

e5ranger has a good start there for sure, i will post pictures of mine tonight and its got a ton of stuff and is in a very small bag

 

[Lex Concord]

- neosporin
- 2x4 gauze pads
- med tape
- compression bandage
- alcohol swabs
- duct tape (wrap about 3 feet around a pencil)
- waterproof note pad
- 50' of TRUE 550 cord
- breath mints
- multi-tool with sharp blade
- magnesium fre starter
- bic lighter
- emergency space blanket
- BCB wire saw
- mole skin
- leather gloves
- 5 hour energy drink
- 4 high protein bars
- small pack of almonds
- headlamp
- 4 safety pins
- 20' fishing line
- bug spray
- sun screen
- 1 gallon of water
- 4'x7' tarp with grommets
- baby wipes
- extra socks, and underwear
- balaclava
- pistol and ammo
- pepper spray or mace
- handcuffs or flex cuffs
- whistle with compass
- map of your area
- cheap rain poncho
- lip balm
- eyedrops
- trifolding stove with trioxane bars
- roll of quarters
- roll of dimes
-$20 worth of 1's
-$20 bill x2
-5 silver coins
-vhf/uhf radio
-weather radio
- copies of your, DL, BC, LTCH, military ID

thats a start, and it will fit into a small bag.
its off the top of my head. i can give you a more detailed list if you PM me.

What, no canned bacon? How would one live?

 

[Lex Concord]

On a more serious note, I would like to suggest an alternative to energy drinks for those not able to consume sugary liquids.

Coconut water. It is an excellent natural electrolyte replenisher, comes in shelf-stable boxes (think juice box), and very low in natural sugars.

Amazon.com: coconut water

Best part is, Amazon will ship it to your door free (if you order enough) and PDQ.

 

[SavageEagle]

Think small bag. As in the size of a basketball kind of bag. I'll worry about full blown BoB's later. I have a couple of those made up for long trips.

 

[Lex Concord]

E5RANGER375's list could easily fit in a bag that size, unless the tarp has been opened, then it won't fit in your truck.

 

[bft131]

My wifes contains: TP, poncho, matches, garbage bags, first aid kit, couple of canned fruits, couple of canned pasta, socks, underwear, 4 bottles of water, Indiana map, plastic fork,knife, and spoon, can of sterno, leather gloves..

Shes not going "tacticool", shes just trying to get home or to a place of safety. Theres a good chance she will have the kids so shelter and movement are priority.

She already carries her firearm with extra ammo, again, safe shelter is priority, not zombie killing...

 

[infidel]

- neosporin
- 2x4 gauze pads
- med tape
- compression bandage
- alcohol swabs
- duct tape (wrap about 3 feet around a pencil)
- [strike]waterproof note pad[/strike]
- 50' of TRUE 550 cord
- [strike]breath mints [/strike]
- multi-tool with sharp blade
- [strike]magnesium fre starter[/strike]
- bic lighter
- emergency space blanket
- [strike]BCB wire saw[/strike]
- mole skin
- [strike]leather gloves[/strike]
- [strike]5 hour energy drink[/strike]
- 4 high protein bars
- [strike]small pack of almonds[/strike]
- [strike]headlamp[/strike]
- [strike]4 safety pins[/strike]
- [strike]20' fishing line[/strike]
- [strike]bug spray[/strike]
- [strike]sun screen[/strike]
- [strike]1 gallon of water[/strike]
- [strike]4'x7' tarp with grommets[/strike]
- baby wipes
- extra socks, and underwear
- [strike]balaclava[/strike]
- [STRIKE]pistol and ammo[/strike]
-[strike] pepper spray or mace[/strike]
- [strike]handcuffs or flex cuffs[/strike]
- whistle with compass
- map of your area
- cheap rain poncho
- [strike]lip balm[/strike]
- [strike]eyedrops[/strike]
- [strike]trifolding stove with trioxane bars[/strike]
- [strike]roll of quarters[/strike]
- [strike]roll of dimes[/strike]
-$20 worth of 1's
-$20 bill x2
-[strike]5 silver coins[/strike]
-[strike]vhf/uhf radio[/strike]
-[strike]weather radio[/strike]
- [strike]copies of your, DL, BC, LTCH, military ID[/strike]

thats a start, and it will fit into a small bag.
its off the top of my head. i can give you a more detailed list if you PM me.

I took a lot of things out of this list. The get home bag is designed to get you home right the F now, while generally only supporting an individual for 24 hours or less. That means lightweight, lightweight, lightweight. If you are planning on stopping and cooking something over a stove that you setup, then a BOB needs to be planned, not a GHB.

I would add to the list:

• 2 bottles of water/water purification tablets
• Fixed blade knife
• One MRE, or 2400 calorie mainstay food ration, or something that could be considered a "meal" while being compact and easy to eat on the go
• More cash

SE, considering how far you usually travel, what would you guess the longest distance would be that you would have to hike it back home?

 

[SavageEagle]

I took a lot of things out of this list. The get home bag is designed to get you home right the F now, while generally only supporting an individual for 24 hours or less. That means lightweight, lightweight, lightweight. If you are planning on stopping and cooking something over a stove that you setup, then a BOB needs to be planned, not a GHB.

I would add to the list:

• 2 bottles of water/water purification tablets
• Fixed blade knife
• One MRE, or 2400 calorie mainstay food ration, or something that could be considered a "meal" while being compact and easy to eat on the go
• More cash

SE, considering how far you usually travel, what would you guess the longest distance would be that you would have to hike it back home?

This was my thought too. Having to leave behind the truck would mean having to leave a lot of things behind. Usually I have a couple kids with me if not all four. I can carry a lot of stuff, but if I have to carry a 4 or 5 year old, the 11 and 8 year old can't carry much. I don't plan on stopping much either if I have to get home or somewhere safe.

Usually I don't travel more than 25-30 miles from home. More like 15 normally. Although if it's a serious SHTF situation, I'm not above "borrowing" an abandoned car if need be.

If I plan of going any farther than that I bring my BoB which is prepped for 72 hours or more for me, or 48 hours for the family. It all fits in a nice "tactical" bag and weighs about 30-40lbs. Haven't weighed it yet.

 

[Eddie]

One of the things I think about is whether or not I will have to abandon the vehicle. A typical SHTF scenario would be a major storm, either snow or thunder, hitting the area. A few pieces of equipment that I keep behind the seat of my pickup are intended to keep me in the vehicle as long as possible:

Full sized spade shovel
Axe
Tow Strap

With these three tools I can clear snow and fallen trees or debris.

Getting stuck somewhere with the vehicle due to whether, civil unrest, road closings is the next most likely SHTF scenario. I keep a few things meant to let me shelter in place with the truck:

A big tarp for shelter.
Emergency blankets.
100' rope.
3 days' drinking water
3 day's food
matches
spare clothes: old sweats and sweatshirts, gloves
first aid kit

After the first two options comes my BOB that normally sits in the trunk of the car but gets transferred to the truck for trips out of the county.

IMHO it is better to first plan to keep my truck moving, second plan to be able to stay with the truck and then thir be able to walk home.

 

[E5RANGER375]

On a more serious note, I would like to suggest an alternative to energy drinks for those not able to consume sugary liquids.

Coconut water. It is an excellent natural electrolyte replenisher, comes in shelf-stable boxes (think juice box), and very low in natural sugars.

Amazon.com: coconut water

Best part is, Amazon will ship it to your door free (if you order enough) and PDQ.

ah ah, see, see,

thats why i said the 5 hour energy drinks (red topped bottle, with a pic of a guy running on top of a mountain). they come in the minerature bottles and taste like ****. but they have NO SUGAR, so you dont crash at the end, like you would with red bull.

oh and thanks, i forgot to mention electrolyte tablets. a must!!!!

 

[tyler34]

On a more serious note, I would like to suggest an alternative to energy drinks for those not able to consume sugary liquids.

Coconut water. It is an excellent natural electrolyte replenisher, comes in shelf-stable boxes (think juice box), and very low in natural sugars.

Amazon.com: coconut water

Best part is, Amazon will ship it to your door free (if you order enough) and PDQ.

be careful too much coconut water will give you the runs.

 

[E5RANGER375]

Think small bag. As in the size of a basketball kind of bag. I'll worry about full blown BoB's later. I have a couple of those made up for long trips.

SE, everything i just mentioned in my list, and afew other items, all fit into my maxpedition shoulder sling bag. it seems like a lot but its not a lot of space.

i also keep a EMT trauma kit (i showed it at the survival class) that is small, but i can easily treat almost any injury up to multiple gunshot wounds with whats in it. (quick clot, sutures, medicine, surgical kit, asherman chest seal, glucose, penlight, ice pack, etc) it has molle attachments and i ALWAYS HAVE IT WITH ME!!! so it can easily be attached to the maxpedition shoulder pack with the molle.

i also have a stripped down MRE that i added 2 entres to, and it fits into the rear zipper pouch of my pack. so basicly i have enough gear in my GHB that it could be considered a mini BOB, because i have the necessary tools to survive and gather, indefinately. and the awesome thing is, when carrying it, i look like every other person walking down the street. its just a shoulder bag. so i draw no unwanted extra attention to myself.

then if you ever wanna get into advanced BLS or ALS med kits, i have those too. including O2, and IV's (great for hangovers, lol)

there are so many levels of preparedness, but i try my best to ALWAYS keep them mobile. gear that you cant move QUICKLY and efficiently is basicly worthless, in my opinion

 

[E5RANGER375]

I took a lot of things out of this list. The get home bag is designed to get you home right the F now, while generally only supporting an individual for 24 hours or less. That means lightweight, lightweight, lightweight. If you are planning on stopping and cooking something over a stove that you setup, then a BOB needs to be planned, not a GHB.

I would add to the list:

• 2 bottles of water/water purification tablets
• Fixed blade knife
• One MRE, or 2400 calorie mainstay food ration, or something that could be considered a "meal" while being compact and easy to eat on the go
• More cash

SE, considering how far you usually travel, what would you guess the longest distance would be that you would have to hike it back home?

thats your opinion and fine. use what you think is enough for you. notice my kit is still VERY LIGHT WEIGHT!!! also i already mentioned i had a gallon of water, 2 MRE entres are in it, i didnt mention, and the cash in the bag is in addition to the cash i keep in my wallet.

i also carry a compact kit around my neck (shown at the survival class) and it would "get me home" just fine (also has water purification tabs in it).

My BOB is a LARGE framed alice pack. and has enough in it for me to support my family for as many as (classified) days. Its always in the car too. i have a total of 4 BOBs.

the pack above IS my get home bag, but also can be used to support my family in an emergency. its not heavy, so why not pack it with essencials?? sure we all know some ninjas can survive 50 years in the wild with just a quarter and 2 dimes, but why skimp if you dont have too? i know what i can hump, and for how long, and believe me, a little shoulder bag isnt even getting close to the max.

i could also get home just fine by shooting every mother f'er in my path, so does that mean i should only carry my gun and extra mags?? no that would be stupid, not to mention i wouldnt wanna kill people when i didnt need to.

 

[SavageEagle]

SE, everything i just mentioned in my list, and afew other items, all fit into my maxpedition shoulder sling bag. it seems like a lot but its not a lot of space.

i also keep a EMT trauma kit (i showed it at the survival class) that is small, but i can easily treat almost any injury up to multiple gunshot wounds with whats in it. (quick clot, sutures, medicine, surgical kit, asherman chest seal, glucose, penlight, ice pack, etc) it has molle attachments and i ALWAYS HAVE IT WITH ME!!! so it can easily be attached to the maxpedition shoulder pack with the molle.

i also have a stripped down MRE that i added 2 entres to, and it fits into the rear zipper pouch of my pack. so basicly i have enough gear in my GHB that it could be considered a mini BOB, because i have the necessary tools to survive and gather, indefinately. and the awesome thing is, when carrying it, i look like every other person walking down the street. its just a shoulder bag. so i draw no unwanted extra attention to myself.

then if you ever wanna get into advanced BLS or ALS med kits, i have those too. including O2, and IV's (great for hangovers, lol)

there are so many levels of preparedness, but i try my best to ALWAYS keep them mobile. gear that you cant move QUICKLY and efficiently is basicly worthless, in my opinion

See, I try to keep my BoB an my GHB to be something that is lightweight, inconspicuous, but also something that I can use to keep me and my family going for months if need be.

As far as what I want to build for my wife, I'm just not sure. She wouldn't know what anything in it is for because she just doesn't have the interest to learn for some reason. So whatever I build for her will be something that has to be self-explanatory and easy to use until I can get her interested enough to learn how to use things.

With her, instead of a magnesium fire starter, it'd have to be a bic lighter. things like that.

As far as I'm concerned, I have purification tabs in the glove box and a flint and steel firestarter set on my keys. The one thing that my truck lacks at this point is a first aid kit. But once I get a truck box, I will have everything I need in it instead of just the cab.

One thing people fail to have is a shovel and a hatchet. I have both. I do need some tow straps though.

 

[E5RANGER375]

See, I try to keep my BoB an my GHB to be something that is lightweight, inconspicuous, but also something that I can use to keep me and my family going for months if need be.

As far as what I want to build for my wife, I'm just not sure. She wouldn't know what anything in it is for because she just doesn't have the interest to learn for some reason. So whatever I build for her will be something that has to be self-explanatory and easy to use until I can get her interested enough to learn how to use things.

With her, instead of a magnesium fire starter, it'd have to be a bic lighter. things like that.

As far as I'm concerned, I have purification tabs in the glove box and a flint and steel firestarter set on my keys. The one thing that my truck lacks at this point is a first aid kit. But once I get a truck box, I will have everything I need in it instead of just the cab.

One thing people fail to have is a shovel and a hatchet. I have both. I do need some tow straps though.

for me a good knife replaces a hatchet, because of weight. or mu BCB wire saw can cut faster than a hatchet too. i have a GI shovel attached to my BOB with alice clips. i agree its important.

anytime you wanna get more in detail just PM me. also you could attend the next survival class, and bring your wife. other wives will be there, bring your kids too. we plan on having just a one day JAM PACKED class, that keeps to a strict time schedule, so we can go over everything. plus its free, so you cant beat free!!!

 

[Woodsman]

E5Ranger, you know your list looks almost extravagant compared to some of the stuff we used to use in Boy Scouts for a 2-3 day camping trip. I'm not knocking yours, but saying a person could get by with a lot less and still be reasonably comfortable. With that said, what you listed seems like a darn good assortment of stuff to stay high speed, low drag and allow for few creature comforts also. A person could even use a slightly larger bag/pack and throw in some more food/first aid and go for a week or more without feeling like a pack mule too. But then I guess you already knew that, didn't you?

Good stuff!

 

[SavageEagle]

When and where is this "class" you speak of? I went through many in Boy Scouts but this could be intriguing.

 

[E5RANGER375]

havent set a date. we will try to post it up within the next week. the last one was a camping outting too and im sad to say all of the topics didnt get discussed, but we will fix that with this new streamlined one day class. it will be a BASIC SURVIVAL CLASS. but we will go over BOBs and such too. we will have an advanced class too this summer, and for it we will live off the land entirely for afew days while being instructed. it will be interesting.