This article contains three examples of what equipment you can get for a Get Home Bag (GHB). The suggestions are based on the initial article about Get Home Bags (GHB). The article is not an exact Guide for what you should pack but intended to provide some inspiration and suggestions for what type of items you can get.
Exactly what you should pack in your Get Home Bag (GHB) depends on your own particular situation, terrain, setting, skills, health, physical fitness and many other factors. For more advice on what factors that you might have take into consideration check out the articles Get Home Bag and Building The Right Bug Out Bag For You.
Setup 1: Ultra Light Get Home Bag
Bag 0,4kg
[ ] Snugpak Response Pak 440g
Shelter 0,062kg
[ ] Lifesystems Thermal Blanket 62g
Survival Knife 0,241kg
[ ] Leatherman Wave Multi Tool 241g
Fire 0,014kg
[ ] BIC Lighter 14g
Light 0.046kg
[ ] 4 Sevens Preon 2 Penlamp (22,5g+11,5g+11,5g) 45,5g
Pocket Survival Kit 0,12kg
[ ] ESEE Izula Gear Wallet E&E 120g
First Aid Kit 0,112kg
[ ] Life Systems Micro 112g
Other Equipment 0,1kg
[ ] Roll of Electrical Tape 100g
Total Weight: 1,121kg = 2,5 pounds
Summary - Setup 1
This setup is very compact and light weight and does not contain any water or food. This can be an interesting type of setup for people how work very close to their home and primary want their GHB to work as recourse for their everyday life and during disasters or medical emergencies. This could also be used as an add-on for a larger Every Day Carry bag.
Setup 2 – Classic Get Home Bag
Bag 1,045kg
[ ] Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack 810g
[ ] Maxpedition Janus Extension Pocket 235g
Clothing and Shelter 0,588kg
[ ] Houdini Motion Wind Hat 36g
[ ] Hatch SGK100 Street Guard Gloves 504g
[ ] Coghlans Emergency Poncho 48g
Survival Knife 0,18kg
[ ] Victorinox RescueTool Swiss Army Knife 180g
Fire 0,014kg
[ ] BIC Lighter14g
Light 0,191kg
[ ] Fenix TK-15 Flashlight (155g+18g+18g) 191g
Pocket Survival Kit 0,28kg
[ ] TOPS Knives Survival Neck Wallet 280g
Water 1,2kg
[ ] Nalgene 1 Liter Widemouth (150g+1000g) 1150g
[ ] Water Purification Tablets: Life Systems Chlorine Dioxide Tablets 50g
Food 0,12kg
[ ] 4 Powerbars (30g x 4) 120g
Navigation 0,1kg
[ ] Citymap / Topographic Map 100g
Other Equipment 0,15kg
[ ] Charger for your Cellphone 50g
[ ] Rite-In-The-Rain 3” x5” Pocket Notebook 56g
[ ] Fisher Space Pen Bullet
[ ] Cash
Total Weight: 3,882 = 8,5 pounds
Summary - Setup 2
This is a classical example of a Get Home Bag, the setup is built around a shoulder bag with an additional pocket so that you can easily store some basic items like a Cell Phone, Wallet or Compass easily accessible. The setup contains some additional clothing, an emergency poncho, a water bottle, some powerbars, a BIC lighter to start a fire, a notebook, pen, city map, compass and a cell phone charger.
The Rescue Tool from Victorinox is especially built for first responders and has some special features like florescent handles, seatbelt cuter, saw for shatterproof glass, screwdriver and bottle opener in addition to a knife blade with a locking mechanism.
The Fenix TK-15 is relatively compact flashlight using either two CR-123 Batteries or a rechargeable 18650 battery. These types of flashlights has a very high maximum light output with the possibility of regulating the output to a lower level in order to extend the runtime. The main advantage of this type of lights is the relatively compact size, great light output and the possibility to use rechargeable batteries and use normal CR123 batteries making them ideal for a Get Home Bag and Every Day Carry. There are many other similar flashlights on the market like the 4Sevens Maelstrom X7, Sunwayman M20C and Surefire G2X Pro.
Setup 3: Comprehensive Get Home Bag
Backpack 1,34kg
[ ] Exped Mountain Pro 40 Backpack 1340g
Shelter and Clothing 0,3kg
[ ] EXPED Bivi-Poncho UL 380g
Survival Knife 0.854kg
[ ] Fixed Blade Knife: Ontario RTAK-II 854g
Fire 0.083kg
[ ] Lighter: Solo Storm 53g
[ ] Tinder: 6 Cotton balls soaked in Vaseline inside a small plastic bag (5g per ball) 30g
Light 0,124kg
[ ] Petzl Tactikka XP Headlamp (60,5g+11,5g+11,5g+11,5g) 95g
[ ] 4Sevens Preon 1 Flashlight (17g+11,5g) 29g
Pocket Survival Kit 0,14kg
[ ] Adventure Medical Kits: Pocket Survival PAK Plus 140g
Water 2,346kg
[ ] Water Purification Filter: Aquamira Frontier Pro 56g
[ ] 2 Water Bottles: Nalgene Wide Mouth 1 Liter (145g+145g+1000g+1000g) 2290g
Food 1,3kg
[ ] 1 Real Field Meal; 24 Hour Rations from DryTech (Contains 3 Freeze Dried Meals, chocolate, biscuits, energy drinks, snacks and water purification tablets; 5000 kcal) 1300g
Stove and Cooking 0,302kg
[ ] Vargo Hexagon Titanium Stove 120g
[ ] Vargo Ti-lite Mug 750ml 140g
[ ] Vargo Long Handle Titanium Spoon 14g
[ ] Proforce Folding Cup 28g
Navigation 0.109kg
[ ] Suunto Clipper Wristband Compass 9g
[ ] Citymap / Topographic map 100g
Total Weight: 6,898kg = 15,5 pounds
Summary - Setup 3
The entire setup with Backpack, Knife, Bivi-Poncho, Pocket Survival Kit, Equipment to Start a Fire, Headlamp, Flashlight and the Compass has a weight of only 2,715kg. This setup provides two Fixed Blade Knives, Multiple resources to start a fire, Two sources of light using AAA batteries, A Multifunction shelter that can be used as a Poncho and a Light Weight Cooking System.
The cooking system enables a person to use small pieces of wood or debris to cook water on the titanium mug and the long spoon is perfect to eat from the bags for the freeze dried rations. The 24 hour rations from DryTech contain 5000kcal, more than enough for demanding activities. The rations contains 3 freeze dried meal per day and additional chocolate bars, crackers, instant coffee, water purification tablets, energy drinks and so on. The main disadvantage: All items are packed in paper and plastic making the rations quite bulky and the rations are quite expensive. The advantage: You get basically everything you need in one package and you can eat some of the content without having to heat it or add water when you’re on the move.
The Headlamp from Petzl uses 3 AAA batteries and comes with a number of lenses so that you can get red, blue or green light if you would like so. The compact flashlight from 4Sevens is light weight and an excellent backup light for any setup or for Every Day Carry.
This is another example of a Get Home Bag that can be a good alternative for people how live in a setting where it is easy to find fire wood to use as an alternative to a normal stove that use gas, kerosene or fuel tablets. A Kelly Kettle can be a good alternative to the Vargo Titanium Stove. A Storm Lighter in combination with some cotton balls soaked in Vaseline works well as a Fire Starter in almost any setting and the some extra matches is also included in the Pocket Survival Kit from AMK. This type of setups can be a good alternative for people how work quite a long distance from their homes.
Conclusion
In this article I have presented three suggestions for Get Home Bags and some items that you can use when building your own setup. The setups represent an ultra light approach, a medium approach and a more comprehensive approach to the subject built around three different types of platforms. I hope that the readers have been able to find some useful information and inspiration.
Similar Articles:
Get Home Bag (GHB)
Building The Right Bug Out Bag For You
Light Weight Bug Out Bag
Light Weight Bug Out Bags – Examples of Setups
Every Day Carry (EDC)
Showing posts with label Get Home Bag. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Get Home Bag. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Basic Mindset for Survival
This is the first of the articles in the series “The Psychology of Survival”. The articles will describe some of the problems to you might face during a survival or crisis situation. This article will describe the nature of a crisis and what kind of problems that you may have to overcome.
The will to survive is by many experts considered to be the single most important factor for making it through a survival situation. There are many examples of people how have survived horrible situation and hopeless situations, pain and suffering, people how have kept going and against all odds made it through. Few people have died because they have continued to fight, but many have died because they stopped trying.
Any crisis or survival situation will be a difficult situation to cope with. A crisis is a situation where urgency is important, there is a threat and action must be taken fast. A crisis presents a threat against basic values like life, health or property. A crisis also results in uncertainty; the scope of the disaster is seldom known right away. It is also often unclear what current and future consequences the event will have. These three factors make it into a difficult task of handling a crisis: for individuals but also for government agencies and the media.
Some examples of possible threats that can result in a crisis or survival situation can be found in the chapter about Risk Assessments. By familiarizing yourself with different types of Risks you will get a more realistic perspective on what effects such a situation might result in and what can be learned from previous situations. It also helps you to mentally prepare for what you could expect from these situations but also gives you a chance to plan ahead and take precautions in order to avoid or minimize the effects from such risks. However some disasters may be threats that no one has seen coming or been preparing for, these situations present much larger challenges when it’s hard for the affected people to understand what is happening and government agencies may lack both routines, training and equipment to deal with the situation.
Possible challenges
• Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue
• Loss of property or economic loss
• Personal Injuries
• Disease
• Fear and Uncertainty
• Exposure from wind, cold or heat
• Dehydration or lack of food
• Stress
• Injuries or death to friends or loved ones
• Unfamiliar threats and situations
It’s up to you
In some situation government agencies may be able to provide healthcare and other needs like shelter, water, food and security. But during a large scale disaster no government has enough resources to provide immediate help to everyone that needs it. Infrastructure like the electrical grid, water, sewage, roads, railways and airports may be damaged. This can make it hard to transport the resources and supplies needed to an affected area. It may also result in a situation with secondary effects like the outbreak of disease, no access to clean water and dangerous or damaged buildings. In these situations you must help yourself. There may be days, weeks or even months before outside assistance will be provided. During large scale disasters help is normally provided from both national government agencies like first responders, police, fire fighters, military, national guard but also from Non Governmental Organization (NGO:s) like the Red Cross. If the situation is extremely severe help may also be provide by other nations and international organization like the United Nation World Food Program (WFP).
Staying positive is extremely important and this can be very hard if suffer from exhaustion, sleep deprivation, stress, injuries, disease or if you just lost someone that you care about. If let you self become negative the risk is much bigger that you will only see problems, if you try to stay positive the chance to you will be able to find solutions for different problems is much bigger. This also makes it easier to improvise and work with the terrain. Your own knowledge, health, experience and equipment will also make it easier to find solutions.
The nature of a crisis situation makes it very likely that both government agencies and the media may misinterpret the situation when they have to make decisions based on incomplete information under time pressure when people lives and property are on stake. Even if experts and journalists have access to modern communications and training no one can get everything right during this type of situation. This is the nature of the situation and you must take this is into consideration when you receive information.
• It’s of no use to become angry or feel despair if information about help turns out to be incorrect, this must be expected. Keep your focus on the situation at hand.
Adapting to the situation
• Try to stay positive
• Do not complain, especially not if you are in a leadership position. Your reactions will affect others as well.
• Make sure that you keep busy. Work continually to improve your situation, ensure that you have the access to shelter, water and food.
• If you are in a group make sure that everyone has a task to do and that everyone is included in the work and that everyone has access to the information available about the situation.
• Don’t second guess yourself; keep the focus on the situation at hand. What can you do to minimize the consequences and improve your situation?
• Try to stay alert and calm.
• Plan your actions and take risk into account – if you injure yourself during a survival situation because you’re careless your situation might become much more difficult.
• Take care of your friends, family and the other people around you.
Be Ready
It’s impossible to be prepared for every possible threat, but by getting knowledge, skills and experience you will improve your chances to survive a crisis situation. Equipment and supplies can also make it much easier to deal with crisis situation if you have access to water, means of purifying water, food, equipment to prepare the food, a radio so that you receive messages, different sources of light, first aid and other medical supplies and so on.
A Survival Knife, Pocket Survival Kit and Get Home Bag (GHB) can provide you with equipment to deal with a crisis or survival situation in your everyday life.
The will to survive is by many experts considered to be the single most important factor for making it through a survival situation. There are many examples of people how have survived horrible situation and hopeless situations, pain and suffering, people how have kept going and against all odds made it through. Few people have died because they have continued to fight, but many have died because they stopped trying.
Any crisis or survival situation will be a difficult situation to cope with. A crisis is a situation where urgency is important, there is a threat and action must be taken fast. A crisis presents a threat against basic values like life, health or property. A crisis also results in uncertainty; the scope of the disaster is seldom known right away. It is also often unclear what current and future consequences the event will have. These three factors make it into a difficult task of handling a crisis: for individuals but also for government agencies and the media.
Some examples of possible threats that can result in a crisis or survival situation can be found in the chapter about Risk Assessments. By familiarizing yourself with different types of Risks you will get a more realistic perspective on what effects such a situation might result in and what can be learned from previous situations. It also helps you to mentally prepare for what you could expect from these situations but also gives you a chance to plan ahead and take precautions in order to avoid or minimize the effects from such risks. However some disasters may be threats that no one has seen coming or been preparing for, these situations present much larger challenges when it’s hard for the affected people to understand what is happening and government agencies may lack both routines, training and equipment to deal with the situation.
Possible challenges
• Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue
• Loss of property or economic loss
• Personal Injuries
• Disease
• Fear and Uncertainty
• Exposure from wind, cold or heat
• Dehydration or lack of food
• Stress
• Injuries or death to friends or loved ones
• Unfamiliar threats and situations
It’s up to you
In some situation government agencies may be able to provide healthcare and other needs like shelter, water, food and security. But during a large scale disaster no government has enough resources to provide immediate help to everyone that needs it. Infrastructure like the electrical grid, water, sewage, roads, railways and airports may be damaged. This can make it hard to transport the resources and supplies needed to an affected area. It may also result in a situation with secondary effects like the outbreak of disease, no access to clean water and dangerous or damaged buildings. In these situations you must help yourself. There may be days, weeks or even months before outside assistance will be provided. During large scale disasters help is normally provided from both national government agencies like first responders, police, fire fighters, military, national guard but also from Non Governmental Organization (NGO:s) like the Red Cross. If the situation is extremely severe help may also be provide by other nations and international organization like the United Nation World Food Program (WFP).
Staying positive is extremely important and this can be very hard if suffer from exhaustion, sleep deprivation, stress, injuries, disease or if you just lost someone that you care about. If let you self become negative the risk is much bigger that you will only see problems, if you try to stay positive the chance to you will be able to find solutions for different problems is much bigger. This also makes it easier to improvise and work with the terrain. Your own knowledge, health, experience and equipment will also make it easier to find solutions.
The nature of a crisis situation makes it very likely that both government agencies and the media may misinterpret the situation when they have to make decisions based on incomplete information under time pressure when people lives and property are on stake. Even if experts and journalists have access to modern communications and training no one can get everything right during this type of situation. This is the nature of the situation and you must take this is into consideration when you receive information.
• It’s of no use to become angry or feel despair if information about help turns out to be incorrect, this must be expected. Keep your focus on the situation at hand.
Adapting to the situation
• Try to stay positive
• Do not complain, especially not if you are in a leadership position. Your reactions will affect others as well.
• Make sure that you keep busy. Work continually to improve your situation, ensure that you have the access to shelter, water and food.
• If you are in a group make sure that everyone has a task to do and that everyone is included in the work and that everyone has access to the information available about the situation.
• Don’t second guess yourself; keep the focus on the situation at hand. What can you do to minimize the consequences and improve your situation?
• Try to stay alert and calm.
• Plan your actions and take risk into account – if you injure yourself during a survival situation because you’re careless your situation might become much more difficult.
• Take care of your friends, family and the other people around you.
Be Ready
It’s impossible to be prepared for every possible threat, but by getting knowledge, skills and experience you will improve your chances to survive a crisis situation. Equipment and supplies can also make it much easier to deal with crisis situation if you have access to water, means of purifying water, food, equipment to prepare the food, a radio so that you receive messages, different sources of light, first aid and other medical supplies and so on.
A Survival Knife, Pocket Survival Kit and Get Home Bag (GHB) can provide you with equipment to deal with a crisis or survival situation in your everyday life.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Get Home Bag
The Bug Out Bag (BOB) is an tool intended to be used in situations that requires evacuation from an area. The BOB can be designed in many sizes and forms but are normally quite heavy and stored in the home. The Get Home Bag (GHB) as a tool intended to provide equipment to allow an individual to reach the home during a crisis or survival situation, for example if the person is at work when a disaster strikes. The Bag should not only serve as a tool for coping with disaster but also function as your every day resource for dealing with problems. What content your Get Home Bag should have depends on where you live, how long you may have to travel to get back home and your specific situation.
Being Prepared
The GHB is only a small part of being ready for a disaster. For anyone how is serious about getting ready for a crisis I would recommend that you start out with your health and physical fitness. Go to a doctor and make a checkup. Also visit a dentist and fix any problems you may have with your teeth, in a survival situation a bad tooth can cause infection and a serious health hazard and great discomfort. Your Physical Fitness is very important if you have to make a long walk or march by foot. Start exercising three times a week with an activity that you find interesting and stimulating. The items in your bag is only tools, they are only valuable if you know how to use them. A Fire Steel is of little use if you can’t start a fire with it. Training this kind of skills is critical if you want to be able to use them in a real life situation. The same goes for all Skills, no matter if it is Self Defense, Starting a Fire, First Aid or Navigation.
Clothing
Your clothing provides your shield against the elements. Your clothing must be appropriate for your particular climate. Shell jackets provide excellent protection from wind and rain; also get a pair of gloves and hat or watch cap. Merino wool is an excellent material for t-shirts and a sock that does not cool the body when it wets like cotton do. Your shoes are perhaps the most import part in any situation when you have to walk a longer distance. Make sure that they are comfortable and if possible also waterproof. A watch is also something that you should try to carry at all times. Your cell phone can be vital tool for communication in many emergencies, make sure that you have In Case of Emergency (ICE) numbers programmed if something would happen to you. A water proof container for the phone can help keeping it safe from the elements. Some phone may also have useful application like a flashlight, compass, FM/AM radio and GPS. If you have a phone that has a short battery life a spare battery can be essential.
The Bag
What kind of bag you should get depends on your Every Day Activites. Ideally you should be able to carry both the items that you need for your everyday activities like a computer, notes, books, lunch box and other essentials in addition to the items you carry for crisis preparedness. Another option is to have a separate bag for emergencies in your vehicle or at your office.
The size of the bag depends on how much space you need and what kind of bag that you prefer. Back packs are generally the most comfortable solution especially if you have a heavy pack. Shoulder bags can be a good alternative but are not as comfortable to carry if they are heavy since al the weight of the bag will be on one shoulder. There are also bags that are a mix between backpacks and shoulders bags called gear slingers. Maxpedition make some interesting bags in this category like the Monsoon, Sitka and Kodiak. There are a number of different companies that makes excellent bags like Kifaru, Snugpack, 5.11, Fjällräven, Osprey, JanSport, Lundhags, Klättermusen, Haglöfs, Exped, The North Face, Norröna, Bergans, GoLite and Arcteryx. Find a bag that fits your needs and that is comfortable to carry.
Suggested items for the Get Home Bag - Checklist
Shelter
[ ] A Get Home Bag should have some kind of shelter than can help shield you from the elements, this can for example be a Light Weight Poncho, Bivanorak, Fjellduk, Exped Bivi-Poncho, Emergency Blanket or Light Weight Tarp.
Water
[ ] Water is something that can be critical in a survival situation and your bag should have at least one small water bottle, the bottles from Nalgene, Camelback, Klean Kanteen and SIGG has a high quality, but a normal soda bottle can be used as well. This can also help you save money instead of buying soft drinks while on the move. If you have to purify unsafe water after a disaster it can be good to include some water purification tablets or a compact water filter.
Fire
[ ] Some kind of item that can help you start a Fire like a Fire Steel, Lighter, Matches in a Waterproof container and tinder.
Survival Knife
[ ] A Survival Knife is a useful tool but you must check what the specific legal aspect of this is for your country – what kind of knives are legal and where is it allowed to carry them? There are also credit card sized tool kits from Victorinox and Tool Logic that you can carry in your wallet at all times.
Light
[ ] A Compact Flashlight or Headlamp can provide light in dark conditions and be used for signaling. Choose a compact light that doesn’t take up to much space in your bag. Compact flashlights thats using a single AA or AAA battery can be found from Fenix and 4Sevens, the anglelights from ZebraLight can also be an interesting alternative.
[ ] Roadmap / Citymap and Compass or GPS
[ ] Notebook and Pen, excellent for writing down important information or for leaving a note. I personally like the notebooks from Rite in the Rain.
[ ] A Pocket Survival Kit
[ ] Paracord or Duct Tape
[ ] Signal Mirror, SPOT, Chemical Light Sticks, Emergency Strobe or Whistle
[ ] Compact AM/FM/Shortwave radio with Dynamo or A Compact Radio Scanner.
[ ] Paper Tissues can be used as Tinder or as Emergency Toilet Paper.
[ ] A compact First Aid Kit with some basic band aids and disinfection wipes can be a good thing for treating small cuts and treating wounds. The first aid kit is important but the most important part is that you take a course so that you know CPR and the basic skills. Also include some painkillers and anti-diarrheal tablets. If it is flu-season a small tube with alcohol based disinfection may also be a useful addition.
Advantages
• Lighter and more compact than a Bug Out Bag
• The bag be used as an Every Day Carry Bag
• Provides an resource to deal with problems in your everyday life
Disadvantages
• Not as comprehensive as a Bug Out Bag (BOB)
You’re Get Home Bag and Your Every Day Carry
Most people carry at least some items on their person that can be useful during an emergency or survival situation. These items are often refered to as a persons Every Day Carry (EDC). Many Survivalist and Preppers may carry items like Pocket Knives, Flashlights, Lighters or even a Pocket Survival Kit. Your GHB should be built with this factor in consideration. If you carry lighter on your person it can be a good idea to consider another tool to create a fire like a Fire Steel or Matches for your GHB. If you have a Flashlight that use a particular type of batteries as EDC and want a Headlamp for your GHB it can be a good idea to choose a model that use the same type of batteries as the Flashlight or if you carry a Swiss Army Knife for EDC it can be a good idea to consider a Fixed Blade Knife or Multi-Tool for your GHB.
Summary
A Get Home Bag is a concept that lands somewhere between your Every Day Carry and a Light Weight Bug Out Bag. There is no clear line between the different concepts, the important thing is that you create a concept that fits your personal needs and provides the tools that you need. Disasters can strike without any warning and even if your Get Home Bag is not designed to provide the function for an evacuation you may have to make do with this bag or your Every Day Carry in a worst case scenario. Equipment is an import part of preparedness, but items can be lost or incomplete. The main focus of your efforts should always be too improve your health and physical fitness, learn relevant skills and your improving your knowledge since these are the things that is always with you, no matter the situation.
Other Articles
Get Home Bags - Examples of Setups
Light Weight Bug Out Bags
Light Weight Bug Out Bags - Examples of Setups
Building The Right Bug Out Bag For You
The GHB is only a small part of being ready for a disaster. For anyone how is serious about getting ready for a crisis I would recommend that you start out with your health and physical fitness. Go to a doctor and make a checkup. Also visit a dentist and fix any problems you may have with your teeth, in a survival situation a bad tooth can cause infection and a serious health hazard and great discomfort. Your Physical Fitness is very important if you have to make a long walk or march by foot. Start exercising three times a week with an activity that you find interesting and stimulating. The items in your bag is only tools, they are only valuable if you know how to use them. A Fire Steel is of little use if you can’t start a fire with it. Training this kind of skills is critical if you want to be able to use them in a real life situation. The same goes for all Skills, no matter if it is Self Defense, Starting a Fire, First Aid or Navigation.
Clothing
Your clothing provides your shield against the elements. Your clothing must be appropriate for your particular climate. Shell jackets provide excellent protection from wind and rain; also get a pair of gloves and hat or watch cap. Merino wool is an excellent material for t-shirts and a sock that does not cool the body when it wets like cotton do. Your shoes are perhaps the most import part in any situation when you have to walk a longer distance. Make sure that they are comfortable and if possible also waterproof. A watch is also something that you should try to carry at all times. Your cell phone can be vital tool for communication in many emergencies, make sure that you have In Case of Emergency (ICE) numbers programmed if something would happen to you. A water proof container for the phone can help keeping it safe from the elements. Some phone may also have useful application like a flashlight, compass, FM/AM radio and GPS. If you have a phone that has a short battery life a spare battery can be essential.
The Bag
What kind of bag you should get depends on your Every Day Activites. Ideally you should be able to carry both the items that you need for your everyday activities like a computer, notes, books, lunch box and other essentials in addition to the items you carry for crisis preparedness. Another option is to have a separate bag for emergencies in your vehicle or at your office.
The size of the bag depends on how much space you need and what kind of bag that you prefer. Back packs are generally the most comfortable solution especially if you have a heavy pack. Shoulder bags can be a good alternative but are not as comfortable to carry if they are heavy since al the weight of the bag will be on one shoulder. There are also bags that are a mix between backpacks and shoulders bags called gear slingers. Maxpedition make some interesting bags in this category like the Monsoon, Sitka and Kodiak. There are a number of different companies that makes excellent bags like Kifaru, Snugpack, 5.11, Fjällräven, Osprey, JanSport, Lundhags, Klättermusen, Haglöfs, Exped, The North Face, Norröna, Bergans, GoLite and Arcteryx. Find a bag that fits your needs and that is comfortable to carry.
Suggested items for the Get Home Bag - Checklist
Shelter
[ ] A Get Home Bag should have some kind of shelter than can help shield you from the elements, this can for example be a Light Weight Poncho, Bivanorak, Fjellduk, Exped Bivi-Poncho, Emergency Blanket or Light Weight Tarp.
Water
[ ] Water is something that can be critical in a survival situation and your bag should have at least one small water bottle, the bottles from Nalgene, Camelback, Klean Kanteen and SIGG has a high quality, but a normal soda bottle can be used as well. This can also help you save money instead of buying soft drinks while on the move. If you have to purify unsafe water after a disaster it can be good to include some water purification tablets or a compact water filter.
Fire
[ ] Some kind of item that can help you start a Fire like a Fire Steel, Lighter, Matches in a Waterproof container and tinder.
Survival Knife
[ ] A Survival Knife is a useful tool but you must check what the specific legal aspect of this is for your country – what kind of knives are legal and where is it allowed to carry them? There are also credit card sized tool kits from Victorinox and Tool Logic that you can carry in your wallet at all times.
Light
[ ] A Compact Flashlight or Headlamp can provide light in dark conditions and be used for signaling. Choose a compact light that doesn’t take up to much space in your bag. Compact flashlights thats using a single AA or AAA battery can be found from Fenix and 4Sevens, the anglelights from ZebraLight can also be an interesting alternative.
[ ] Roadmap / Citymap and Compass or GPS
[ ] Notebook and Pen, excellent for writing down important information or for leaving a note. I personally like the notebooks from Rite in the Rain.
[ ] A Pocket Survival Kit
[ ] Paracord or Duct Tape
[ ] Signal Mirror, SPOT, Chemical Light Sticks, Emergency Strobe or Whistle
[ ] Compact AM/FM/Shortwave radio with Dynamo or A Compact Radio Scanner.
[ ] Paper Tissues can be used as Tinder or as Emergency Toilet Paper.
[ ] A compact First Aid Kit with some basic band aids and disinfection wipes can be a good thing for treating small cuts and treating wounds. The first aid kit is important but the most important part is that you take a course so that you know CPR and the basic skills. Also include some painkillers and anti-diarrheal tablets. If it is flu-season a small tube with alcohol based disinfection may also be a useful addition.
Advantages
• Lighter and more compact than a Bug Out Bag
• The bag be used as an Every Day Carry Bag
• Provides an resource to deal with problems in your everyday life
Disadvantages
• Not as comprehensive as a Bug Out Bag (BOB)
You’re Get Home Bag and Your Every Day Carry
Most people carry at least some items on their person that can be useful during an emergency or survival situation. These items are often refered to as a persons Every Day Carry (EDC). Many Survivalist and Preppers may carry items like Pocket Knives, Flashlights, Lighters or even a Pocket Survival Kit. Your GHB should be built with this factor in consideration. If you carry lighter on your person it can be a good idea to consider another tool to create a fire like a Fire Steel or Matches for your GHB. If you have a Flashlight that use a particular type of batteries as EDC and want a Headlamp for your GHB it can be a good idea to choose a model that use the same type of batteries as the Flashlight or if you carry a Swiss Army Knife for EDC it can be a good idea to consider a Fixed Blade Knife or Multi-Tool for your GHB.
A Get Home Bag is a concept that lands somewhere between your Every Day Carry and a Light Weight Bug Out Bag. There is no clear line between the different concepts, the important thing is that you create a concept that fits your personal needs and provides the tools that you need. Disasters can strike without any warning and even if your Get Home Bag is not designed to provide the function for an evacuation you may have to make do with this bag or your Every Day Carry in a worst case scenario. Equipment is an import part of preparedness, but items can be lost or incomplete. The main focus of your efforts should always be too improve your health and physical fitness, learn relevant skills and your improving your knowledge since these are the things that is always with you, no matter the situation.
Other Articles
Get Home Bags - Examples of Setups
Light Weight Bug Out Bags
Light Weight Bug Out Bags - Examples of Setups
Building The Right Bug Out Bag For You
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