Summertime is here and it’s time to re-organize my Get Home Bag for the change in the season. For my pack, the main difference is what clothing I will be packing. I went ahead and did some additional organizing of my Get Home Bag after re-evaluating its purpose and intended use.
The purpose of my bag is to provide me with the means to get home on foot if I’m up to 200 miles away from home. The pack is light and includes all the necessary (and some unnecessary) gear to make it back to my home.
I call it a Get Home Bag over a Bug Out Bag for the simple fact that I don’t plan on bugging out. My preps are all at my house, and the only time I would need a so called Bug Out Bag would be to make it back to my house if I was unable to make the drive. A Get Home Bag includes all the essential items to make it home by hiking. This is a bag that I throw in the trunk of my car when making long trips in case of a breakdown, or any other type of emergency.
The pack itself is a military surplus large ALICE pack. It features an aluminum frame with a waist strap for proper weight distribution. It also has 3 large external pockets, and 3 small external pockets. I rigged up a hydration bladder that fits inside the radio pocket inside the main compartment. This could be used to carry additional water and mates with my Katadyn Combi hiking filter. I also keep my Midland XT511 Radio in the radio pouch.
Below shows the contents of the external pockets:
Below is the break down of my First Aid Kit and Hygiene Kit:
The top of the pack is covered with a waterproof flap that has storage inside it.
The chart below shows the contents of the flap:
The main compartment is pretty big and could probably hold 2 large sleeping bags rolled up. I try to keep what’s inside the main compartment organized with some plastic storage containers and zip-loc bags. For food I choose to keep 6 days worth of food bars. If I’m away from home and on foot, getting back asap will be the top priority. Food bars are something you could grab on the go, they’re small and lightweight, and you could eat a quick meal for energy and keep moving. Water is heavy and bulky when trying to carry it on your persons. I decided to go with a Katadyn Combi hiking filter and water bottle for quick and easy hydration on the go. There is a ton of water in Kentucky and if I was on foot I would be able to find a decent water source, and filter it with the Combi for clean drinking water.
Shelter is also important if you were forced to spend the night out in the elements. For this I have a medium sized tarp, a tube tent, and an emergency sleeping bag. It wouldn’t provide much comfort, but would keep me warm and dry under the tent and the tarp. Safety is also really important when in the middle of an emergency or disaster. I keep a couple N-95 face masks, a few sets of ear plugs, and a pair of quality safety glasses. I wear contacts and the safety glasses would be important to keep debris out of my eyes and conserve the contact lenses. Speaking of bad vision, it’s also important to keep an extra pair of prescription glasses in case what you’re wearing breaks or you run of out contacts.
Some items in my Get Home Bag are dual use items, which are items that can be used for different things. Baking soda can be used to keep feet dry and also could be used as a cleaner. Duct tape has about a million uses and could be used for just about anything from first aid to shelter building. Bungee cords also have multiple uses and could be used for shelter building or attaching things to your pack.
Below are pictures of the main compartment contents and a chart of the items:
As stated above, the purpose of the bag is to help me get home in the event of an emergency or disaster. It also is something I could grab and go if I had to leave in a hurry (bug out). If you were faced with an evacuation situation you would want to have a cash stash also in the bag. This is what I think would be important to include in any personal bag. Yours might be a little different, but this should give you a good idea of what to include in a Get Home Bag. I take it with me when I go on long trips and it would even come in handy if you broke down on the side of the road.
24 comments
Bullseye
May 6, 2009 at 3:25 am (UTC 0)
Man this is a GREAT post. I’m going to link to it over at my place so others will make their way here to read this all important information. Great job my friend.
Bullseye
Code Name “Bullseye”
matthiasj
May 6, 2009 at 3:29 am (UTC 0)
Thanks Bullseye!
Humble wife
May 6, 2009 at 4:00 am (UTC 0)
Holy Toledo! Whatever you are majoring in~ you must be doing extremely well! You are totally organized and so efficient!
I am so glad to have popped over!! I like the idea of the filter kit, because of your easy access to water. For us, we have to lug water…once again you have made this a way for each region to study your bugout bag and modify the contents(slightly) for our own state!!!
Thank you!
Jennifer
New Mexico Prepper
doublenickelfarm.blogspot.com!
TEAM HALL
May 6, 2009 at 11:21 am (UTC 0)
Holy cow!!! That’s friggin impressive!!
Kymber
May 6, 2009 at 11:37 am (UTC 0)
Matt – i re-read this post several times and was more impressed with each read – your Get Home Bag will certainly Get You Home!!!
Thanks for taking pics and then explaining what was in each pocket – it is posts like this one that really helps someone figure out what they should have or need in their own Get Home Bag.
This post is full of info that I found very helpful…I am going to use your post to re-assess mine and hubby’s bags.
Thanks again Matt for the thorough explanation!
matthiasj
May 6, 2009 at 12:15 pm (UTC 0)
Jennifer: Thanks for the comment, some would call me borderline Obsessive Compulsive…lol…but yes I am fairly organized. I was keeping some water in the bag but the weight was just too much. The filter and water bottle is a lot better option for myself.
Team Hall: Thanks for the comment. I wanted to make a “definitive” KPN Bug Out Bag post.
Kymber: Thanks for the compliment! When I was building my Get Home Bag it was always the most helpful when I would see photos and lists of others bags, then I could decide on what’s to go into mine. Glad this helped you out!
Crustyrusty
May 6, 2009 at 10:20 pm (UTC 0)
Yeah, Crusty’s on a roll today.
Anyhoo, the bag looks good. I would, however, ditch the latex gloves and get some purple nitrile gloves. They’re tougher than latex, and latex gloves could induce a deadly reaction in someone who is allergic.
matthiasj
May 6, 2009 at 11:14 pm (UTC 0)
Thanks for the TIP Crusty, I have a box of the nitrate gloves, I will replace the latex with the nitrate.
PreparingMama
May 7, 2009 at 4:57 am (UTC 0)
Thanks SO MUCH for this article. I thought I was the only person out there planning on riding things out in my home. I think you have been the first I have read that has said it out loud.
You’re bag is really impressive. A truly inspiring post!
matthiasj
May 7, 2009 at 12:25 pm (UTC 0)
You’re welcome PreparingMama. The idea that some plan on heading out into the woods is silly. I just needed a way to get back to my home in case I was caught in the middle of something away from it. Thanks for the compliment!
Anonymous
June 2, 2009 at 5:21 pm (UTC 0)
jcard21 says…
Doesn’t anyone’s B.O.B. contain cash? Like $500 or $1000 or more? Ideally, it would be on your person!
matthiasj
June 2, 2009 at 6:48 pm (UTC 0)
jcard21 – Cash would be useful in the event of a localized natural disaster if you had to leave your house in a hurry. I keep an emergency cash stash and if I had to jet out quick it would come with me.
matthiasj
Rand Paul for US Senate
Phil801
June 10, 2009 at 7:17 pm (UTC 0)
Great post! I love reading about other people's Go Bags. I've got that exact pack in my gear, love that thing!
matthiasj
June 10, 2009 at 10:03 pm (UTC 0)
Thanks Phil!
matthiasj
Rand Paul for US Senate
MT_serval
June 11, 2009 at 4:35 am (UTC 0)
What a good idea, a get home pack. Here in Montana some of us have these too but not anywhere as detailed! Our distances are vast here so this kind of kit makes sense.
I laughed when I read that you intend to get home and stay there. So true. Here in Montana, anyone who plans to "bugout" to the woods will die of hypothermia within hours for about 6+ months/year. Home is where the hearth is!
I got some good ideas for improving my car kit, and hunting kit, from this article.
In re: hand sanitizer, think about a non alcohol based one (like Handclens or Vionex) so that you don't savage your skin and increase the chances of skin infection for you.
I like the addition of the Katadyn Combi as it eliminates the need to rotate water purification tabs. Apparently, you have lots of streams in Kentucky so the "pack light" of no water in kit works for you. Outside Western Montana, we have to pack water in addition to a filter here, and always in Winter.
Thanks for a very informative article. I'm forwarding this one widely.
erniesjourney
June 11, 2009 at 5:01 am (UTC 0)
This is great Matt! You did a really awesome job of thinking things through and organizing everything! I really should re-vamp our bag too now that hubster is home – get to it soon! Thanks for reminding me!!!
Anonymous
June 11, 2009 at 3:34 pm (UTC 0)
I like that nearly everything can be taken care of with a single trip to walmart. I've heard that if you already have a similar sized camping pack that it may be a better choice than an ALICE pack or similar military-style pack as it's a little more innocuous looking.
Shreela
June 11, 2009 at 9:23 pm (UTC 0)
I like the glasses advise. I always tried to bring an older pair if I traveled anywhere. Now online glasses are so cheap, I'm thinking of ordering extras so I'd have my current prescription instead of an older one.
I'd HAVE to have more than just ration bars though LOL
erniesjourney
June 12, 2009 at 2:34 am (UTC 0)
Now I am LMAO Matt! I was showing Brad how great your bag was and noticed the "condoms." Boy, you are really prepared aren't you??? LOL! Seriously, I know they are for the weapons – it just struck me as hysterical!!
Anonymous
June 12, 2009 at 12:51 pm (UTC 0)
Condoms also double as a make-shift water carrier.
matthiasj
June 13, 2009 at 2:20 pm (UTC 0)
LOL Ernie. The condoms are mainly for water carry. Thanks for all the comments everyone!!
matthiasj
Rand Paul for US Senate
michaelhm2
August 5, 2009 at 1:42 pm (UTC 0)
Great post, Thank you. The only thing I can suggest is to replace the condoms with an oven roast or turkey roast oven bag by ziploc. They come in various sizes and are a lot tougher and they are cheap.
Aaron
September 20, 2009 at 10:49 pm (UTC 0)
Pretty good idea, I have hiked around 1000 miles, so I can offer some tips, take the advice as you see fit.
LASIK is expensive, but worth every penny.
Wire saws are garbage, I have never had one that worked.
Dump the huge Rambo knife. I have a 4" Mora that does everything I need in the woods, and a folding pocketknife. I also carry a blade from a folding campsaw, don't need the handle.
All your clothing should be wicking synthetic, with wool socks.
You can make better band aids with duct tape and toilet paper, think multiuse items.
21 oz is extremely heavy for a water filter, I am sure it is a good one, but I use Aquamira drops for purification.
You can have a lightweight kit that still does what you need it to do. Your bag looks good, but there are some items you can significantly reduce weight on.
martynbiker
March 26, 2010 at 7:31 am (UTC 0)
the idea is to carry the condom in a sock, that way thje sock holds the filled condom and wont burst.