Long story short: it’s a bag that helps you get home. 

Besides your EDC, I believe this is the easiest bag to put together. A lot of thought and planning has to go into your BugOut Bag (or BOB), but your Get Home Bag (or GHB) really only has one function. Your BugOut Bag should hold more items like extra clothing, more food, a stove for cooking, and other items I’ll share in a later blog. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss when it comes out!

What’s in my Get Home Bag?

For your viewing pleasure, I have taken the time to unpack my Get Home Bag for you to see what I keep on hand. 

The bag I use is a tactical sling pack I found on Amazon. What I love most besides the spacious interior and multiple pockets is that this bag is ambidextrous. Apparently, I wear sling bags as if I were left hand dominate. Didn’t realize that was a thing until I began my search for a sling bag like this one. The strap can be switched so you’re able to carry the bag on either shoulder. This comes in handy if you’re carrying the bag for hours.

Like I said before, this bag has multiple pockets, including a hidden one on the back for items you wouldn’t want accessed easily by passerby’s. As you can see in the second photo, the main compartment has extra room for anything I should need to stuff inside, like a rain jacket or wallet.

Now, you don’t have to get a military style pack like I did. I chose this one because I liked the size and exterior molle system for extra carrying possibilities. Amazon sells a variety of molle accessories. Here are the elastic straps I keep attached. They’re handy for holding anything I need without opening the bag like a flashlight or a dirty bandana.

The bottle carrier attachment is worth buying if you get a tactical bag like this one. It’s adjustable so it fits multiple bottle sizes.

What’s inside

Main Compartment:

• Individually wrapped face masks
• Notebooks (highly recommend the Rite in Rain Brand)
• Pencil
• First Aid Kit
• LifeStraw or water purification tablets
• Emergency blanket
• Mirror (if you get lost, this is a great tool for starting fires or alerting search parties)
• Camping toilet paper
• Compass
• Glow Sticks or Flashlight
• Multitool
• Tourniquet (*For safety reasons, I DO NOT recommend adding a tourniquet in your bag unless you’ve been trained how to use one. I am CERT certified and trained to use a tourniquet so I keep one in this bag, my vehicle, and in my BOB. If used improperly, you can cause more damage than you realize.)

Outside Pockets:

• Flint fire starter
• Tape Measure
• Lighter
• Pocket Knife
• Small roll of Duct Tape
• Camp Soap
• Bungie Cord
• Pain Medication
• Paracord
• Spray-on Sunscreen
• Chlorella & Charcoal (personal preference. I’ll share more why these are in my bag in a later blog.)
• Bandana
• Kleenex
• Foldable Shovel & another Bandana
• Doggie Bags
• Chapstick
• Another Emergency Blanket
• Snacks! (If you need ideas on what snacks are best, go for those best suited for hiking or camping. Snacks with a longer shelf life. Be sure to rotate the snacks so they don’t go out of date! I always get tuna packets, Honey Stinger Waffles, Justin’s Almond Butter Packets, Electrolytes–either chewable or powder, and Beef Jerky Sticks.)

First Aid Kit: Everything I have in my First Aid Kit I found at Walmart in the camping section. I recommend using a pouch to keep all of your First Aid items together so they will be easy to grab when needed.

• Waterproof Container of basic First Aid Supplies
• BleedStop
• Burn Care
• Itch & Bite Relief
• Snake Bite Kit

After I unpacked my bag and took photos, I realized a few items were missing that I had taken out. Learn from my mistake and replace anything you use!

• Blister Patches
• Pencil Sharpener (Not just for sharpening pencils. Also good for creating wood shavings to use when starting a fire.)
• Charging Port
• Cash
• Single Use Poncho
• Whistle

The orange survival bandana is one of my favorite items in this bag! It has reflective ink so you’re easy to find and notes to help you survive in various situations. Colter Co. has a lot of great bandanas for different situations.

My Get Home Bag stays in my vehicle, ready to go in case anything should happen while I’m out and about, at work, or on the drive home.

Now, I’m about to share something you may find hypocritical: I also use my GHB for day hiking. Yes, your GHB is technically supposed to only have one function but my reasoning is that the same basic necessities go into both. For me, hiking with my Get Home Bag is my way of practicing with the weight needed to carry however many miles I need to get home. I also get to practice memorizing where everything is inside.

You are welcome to give your GHB that singular function in order to keep your items separate. I’m only sharing what I do with mine.

What’s in your Get Home Bag?

For your Get Home Bag, take the time to evaluate your situation before putting one together.

Do you work from home? If so, you may not need one since your home most of the time. If so, you’re able to focus on a vehicle kit which I’ll share later. A vehicle kit should be a little different from your GHB.

Do you drive to work or ride with someone else (whether carpooling or commute service)? If so, you may want to keep your GHB in your workplace somewhere if possible.

Other questions to ask when putting your Get Home Bag together:

• How far do you travel from home on average?
• Can you safely and (somewhat) comfortably make the walk home from your workplace?
• Do you know alternate routes to get home?
• What type of shoes do you wear on a regular basis? If you work in an office environment, you may need to keep a pair of walking shoes in your pack.

Like I said before, you don’t have to buy a tactical style pack. You can use a regular backpack if that makes you comfortable and you don’t want to give off a military vibe. You’re also able to pick and choose what you want to have on hand based on your personal needs. Also adjust your pack according to the season. In winter, make sure you have hand warmers, gloves, hat, and extra socks. In summer, plenty of electrolytes and sunscreen.

When putting together your GHB, don’t pack it with fear in the back of your mind. You may overpack which adds to the weight you need to carry. Put together a list like the ones above and adjust to you.

If you need to go back to the beginning, check out my blog here.

If you’re still working on your EDC, I’ve shared examples here.

You’re one step closer to being more prepared for whatever comes your way!

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Until next time friends, happy prepping!