Let's build a Get Home Bag!

[WesternHaikus1]

Whats up survival-minded XD dudes.

I recently have noticed a heightened sense, or rather a need, to become more self reliant, better prepared, and to generally take my safety into my own hands. With this, I designed and am still tweaking and adding to a bug-out style bag. It's going pretty well. What I have found is, however, that I'm needing to breakout different prep situations to their own unique set up in order to ensure that I actually have the gear readily available instead of shut away in a closet where it serves no real use in an emergency.

With that in mind, I'm transitioning into building a separate 'get home bag' that I can realistically carry on or with me on an every day basis to the office, around town, without looking out of place or being too uncomfortable or impractical.

Let's get a thread going where people can post their set ups for similar "get home" or even just an expanded everyday carry. Comments, suggestions, pictures, and tweaks to everybody's set up should go in here so we can all become more efficient, better prepared and more knowledgeable!

Since I'm working on this idea for me, I can start:

I think the philosophy of use for the bag I'm designing in my head most closely fits a "get home" philosophy, but also serves as a way to expand my EDC (which is currently lacking. Only carry a firearm and a knife). I plan on carrying the bag with me every day, but it is going to house capabilities to get me back home in case of an emergency. When I say emergency, I'm thinking like unplanned car failure, extreme severe weather event, small scale social unrest, temporary grid-down situations, etc.

With this in mind, I've found that a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack or similar style bag fits the philosophy of use perfectly. This bag offers a great mix of storage capacity, special features, comfortability and low profile appearance.

Within this bag I'm looking to house:

-Firearm - there are instances where I prefer to carry off-body.
-At least one extra loaded magazine
-Multitool
-Water bottle
-Spare phone charger
-Small fixed blade knife in addition to my EDC
-Flashlight
-Lighter and striker
-Couple protein or food bars
-Pen and notepad
-Paracord
-Duct tape
-Change of socks and underwear
-Small compass
-Local map
-Miniature prybar
-Emergency poncho
-Medical supplies
-Personal info

What would you guys add or subtract? What do you guys carry? Comments on this set up? Anybody have experience utilizing their bag in a 'get home' situation?

[Happypuppy]

I have one of those gerber emergency tools for cutting seat belts , breaking glass etc in mine
Consider OC spray. Against more than one person such as a mob thy buy time to run away or to better defend yourself
Get a really bright flashlight. They can blind really well and many have a red filter to not destroy your night vision.
Emergency space type blanket


Sent from my 300 baud modem

[n3tfury]

*Subscribed*

After buying my first handgun (my XDM) about 2 months ago, I've totally fallen into the "heightened need" to be much better prepared. This thread is going to be epic. Thanks for starting this.

[SonOfOdin]

Originally Posted by WesternHaikus1

Whats up survival-minded XD dudes.

I recently have noticed a heightened sense, or rather a need, to become more self reliant, better prepared, and to generally take my safety into my own hands. With this, I designed and am still tweaking and adding to a bug-out style bag. It's going pretty well. What I have found is, however, that I'm needing to breakout different prep situations to their own unique set up in order to ensure that I actually have the gear readily available instead of shut away in a closet where it serves no real use in an emergency.

With that in mind, I'm transitioning into building a separate 'get home bag' that I can realistically carry on or with me on an every day basis to the office, around town, without looking out of place or being too uncomfortable or impractical.

Let's get a thread going where people can post their set ups for similar "get home" or even just an expanded everyday carry. Comments, suggestions, pictures, and tweaks to everybody's set up should go in here so we can all become more efficient, better prepared and more knowledgeable!

Since I'm working on this idea for me, I can start:

I think the philosophy of use for the bag I'm designing in my head most closely fits a "get home" philosophy, but also serves as a way to expand my EDC (which is currently lacking. Only carry a firearm and a knife). I plan on carrying the bag with me every day, but it is going to house capabilities to get me back home in case of an emergency. When I say emergency, I'm thinking like unplanned car failure, extreme severe weather event, small scale social unrest, temporary grid-down situations, etc.

With this in mind, I've found that a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack or similar style bag fits the philosophy of use perfectly. This bag offers a great mix of storage capacity, special features, comfortability and low profile appearance.

Within this bag I'm looking to house:

-Firearm - there are instances where I prefer to carry off-body.
-At least one extra loaded magazine
-Multitool
-Water bottle
-Spare phone charger
-Small fixed blade knife in addition to my EDC
-Flashlight
-Lighter and striker
-Couple protein or food bars
-Pen and notepad
-Paracord
-Duct tape
-Change of socks and underwear
-Small compass
-Local map
-Miniature prybar
-Emergency poncho
-Medical supplies
-Personal info

What would you guys add or subtract? What do you guys carry? Comments on this set up? Anybody have experience utilizing their bag in a 'get home' situation?

An extra box of cartridges would be a good idea. Even better, extra loaded mags.

[Mudinyeri]

Sort of like this thread? Post Your BOB/GHB

[n3tfury]

Originally Posted by Mudinyeri

Sort of like this thread? Post Your BOB/GHB

Yeah, a bit like that one. Sort of. Kind of. Like that.

[fishmongerjoe]

How about some cash and barter items like an ounce or so of silver. Maybe some change in case you encouter a working vending machine.

[WesternHaikus1]

Originally Posted by Mudinyeri

Sort of like this thread? Post Your BOB/GHB

Crap.

I checked the first two pages of the forum and figured a similar thread would most likely be stickied (that one is 28 pages long...should stick that thing).

Also, I didn't read through all 28 pages of that one, but it looks like the focus is on bugging out....I'd prefer to focus on Get Home Bags, which are of a different school of thought.

[Mudinyeri]

Originally Posted by WesternHaikus1

Crap.

I checked the first two pages of the forum and figured a similar thread would most likely be stickied (that one is 28 pages long...should stick that thing).

Also, I didn't read through all 28 pages of that one, but it looks like the focus is on bugging out....I'd prefer to focus on Get Home Bags, which are of a different school of thought.

Yeah, I think it turned primarily toward BOB's. And, I agree. I probably would have made it into a sticky.

[DoubleA]

Chapstick. Kleenex. Bandanna.