Who has a urban Get Home Bag and what's in it?

[damndave]

I've always had a bug out bag, but I also figure where the heck am I going to go? In the Los Angeles area, I will more than likely be hunkering down in my house where I have supplies. I never really thought of making a Get Home Bag until now. I'm a Realtor so I can be all over the place for work. But generally not further than 20-30 miles from home.

So far this is what I have in my Get Home Bag.

Basic IFAK
Nalgene 32oz bottle empty
Smart Water 1L sealed
Saywer Squeeze water filter
Sillcock key
Poncho
Mylar Bivvy bag
Lighters
Waterproof matches
Magnesium flint stick
DIY fire starter (wax/cotton)
Leatherman multi tool
Morakniv fixed blade knife
Pepper spray
Whistle
Compass
Map
Headlamp
Flashlight
Hat
Socks
Toilet paper
Hand Sanitizer
Hand Wipes
Energy bars
Battery bank + charging cables
Waterproof notepad
Pencils
Sharpie
Paracord
Gloves
Carabiners
Zip ties (various sizes)
Cash

No CCW yet, but when I do I will have a pistol + 2 mags.

[twinfin]

Sounds like you have it well covered. The only thing I might suggest is an older pair of comfortable athletic shoes (sneakers) to throw on your feet in case you're wearing your nice dress shoes that look great but aren't for walking 20-30 miles.

You don't need to wait for CCW to put a small handgun in a soft sided locking pistol case no?

Wife and I have been talking lately about bug-out bags and get-home bags. The difference being one is for heading for the hills (last ditch effort to survive) and the other is to be light and fast on your feet to get back home where you have safety, food and supplies.

[Librarian]

You might add an 'emergency sleeping bag'.

As a realtor, you might have a Thomas book of maps anyway, but some paper map(s) would be a good idea.

Portable AM/FM radio?

Some amount of duct tape or equivalent.

[hermosabeach]

Shoes. Got to have shoes.

If in LA, not sure a compass would be a benefit or not.

There will be lots of cars to sleep inside of.....

Maybe add a gortex suit - jacket and pants. Can sleep in that and stay dry


Acquire a bike for transport. It will be easier with roads blocked to ride a bike.

An east wing hatchet can help get into things.


Empty water bottles like Nalgene

Gloves can be kept in zip lock bags inside of the empty bottles.

When you find water, fill the 2-4 Nalgene bottles.

A head lamp can be a useful item.

[damndave]

Sounds like you have it well covered. The only thing I might suggest is an older pair of comfortable athletic shoes (sneakers) to throw on your feet in case you're wearing your nice dress shoes that look great but aren't for walking 20-30 miles.

You don't need to wait for CCW to put a small handgun in a soft sided locking pistol case no?

Wife and I have been talking lately about bug-out bags and get-home bags. The difference being one is for heading for the hills (last ditch effort to survive) and the other is to be light and fast on your feet to get back home where you have safety, food and supplies.

Actually I keep some Merrell trail shoes in my trunk. Not the most comfortable on concrete, but probably better than my Sketchers slip-ons lol.

I can have a pistol in my car (in a locked case), but if I had to put it in my pack that would require a CCW right? I'm not sure what the laws are about carrying it in the locked case on a public street though.

[damndave]

You might add an 'emergency sleeping bag'.

As a realtor, you might have a Thomas book of maps anyway, but some paper map(s) would be a good idea.

Portable AM/FM radio?

Some amount of duct tape or equivalent.

I was contemplating a wool blanket vs a mylar sleeping bag, but ended up going the wool route. My pack is light enough where the extra 3-4# won't make much a difference.

I do have a paper map in my pack. Not quite the Thomas Guide, but good enough.

Small battery powered radio is a good idea.

[Tere_Hanges]

20-30 miles from home?

Just call friends or family to get a ride home or take train/bus/lyft/uber.

It's not that complicated.

All I need is my phone and a charging cable.

[damndave]

20-30 miles from home?

Just call friends or family to get a ride home or take train/bus/lyft/uber.

It's not that complicated.

All I need is my phone and a charging cable.

You understand what a Get Home Bag is right? It's not a "My a my car ran out of gas" situation.

[JohnnyMtn]

I think you would prepare your GHB for the worst possible, likely scenario. For me, I work 40 miles from home and prepared my bag for a 7.+ earthquake. I would assume that roads and especially bridges would be out so driving home would not be an option. Electricity and infrastructure would also most likely be out so contacting someone for help would not be an option. That means that the GHB should be set up for a 40-mile, 1-2 day hike. My bag is big and weighs in at 40lbs because it is overstuffed with a lot of extras. Since I leave it in my car 24/7 I figure I can afford to have a lot of things I might not necessarily need or want to hike with. The other thing I consider is that maybe I actually stay a day or so at my employers building. Or maybe in my car wherever I might have been at at the time. So having extra in my bag in my car is ok with me. Then when I decide to hike home I can cut down the bag with only necessities before heading out.

OP - you?ve got pretty much everything covered. Someone mentioned shoes. Absolutely! Have good hiking shoes/boots that you know you can hike comfortably in. For me, I retired some hiking boots that I loved and pit them in my bag. Add also 2 pairs of socks.

In addition to a multi tool I also include some tools such as a screwdriver with various heads, pliers, wire cutters, small hacksaw, small pry bar, a hammer. Again, this stuff is heavy and I wouldn?t want to hike with it. But if the city is a mess I might just wish I had some things like that.

Have a roll of duct tape. And I mean a full roll and not a small credit card size of tape. You never know what you might need to repair or rig up. Duct tape can be a savior.

I don?t see clothes in your bag. For me, I have convertible pants/shorts, long sleeve t-shirt, a sweatshirt, a light jacket, rain poncho, hat, warm beenie. I keep clothes in the bag because I don?t know what I might be wearing at the time of the disaster. So better to have than have not. And if you don?t need it then you just leave it or ditch it.

Have multiple flashlights (in addition to your headlamp) AND extra batteries.

You mention 1L of water. I actually have 3Ls because I would think I would need that much. I do have a filter too but I really don?t think I would want to spend time looking for water then cleaning it. Since I leave this in my car 24/7 I do rotate that water every other month.

I?m addition to paracord, I also carry 50ft of 1/2? rope plus carabiners. I figure why not. Might come in handy if bridges are out, buildings are down, walkways impassable, etc.. I really don?t know what you might need rope for but rope can be very helpful for so many reasons.

This might be included in your IFAK but make sure you have a blister kit. Hiking 20-40 miles with blisters sucks! So prevention is critical. I would tape up my feet big time before heading out and then take extra good care of your feet the entire time.

Also, my first aid is actually more than an IFAK. I figure there will probably be injured people all over. I?m not saying that I?d be a walking medic (because then you would never get home) but if I did come across someone that truly needed help I would want to be able to render aid. So having extra of the basics like gauze pads, gauze rolls, a couple Israeli bandages, a sling, plenty of tape, etc. would be reassuring to have.

[JohnnyMtn]

OP - you mention not having a CCW so you don?t have one of those. But I figure why not have one of those. You can keep it in your car as long as it is properly, legally secured. Yes, you might be carrying during such a hike and that might be questionable but it might be better to have than to not have. That also probably depends on where you would be walking through to get home. Could you imagine walking through New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina? I also lived through the LA ?92 riots so I know full well how fast society can break down. I would think you would want to be carrying in such a situation even if that was not legally ok. That is a personal decision but definitely think about that.

[JohnnyMtn]

Something I have been thinking about adding is a portable mode of transportation. I would like to add a bike but that is a bit too big to keep in the car 24/7. So I might add one of those razor-like scooters. Yes, that sounds a bit silly but something like that could be very useful. Instead of covering 3-4 mph on foot you might be able to get 4-8 mph on scooter.

[TheChief]

Bag - What type of bag are you carrying this all in? Tactical bags are nice especially if you buy a quality one as they are built tough and will be durable. However, they stand out to the wrong crowd and may make you a target. Consider a nice JanSport bag or a subdued but not military-colored backpack rain cover.

IFAK - What's your medical training? What are you prepared to treat if you, or a partner traveling with you, are injured during this get home situation? You may want to give some thought into likely injuries and reevaluate that basic IFAK. Not suggesting you bring a full scale trauma kit but something a lot more capable then a Walmart special or Adventure Medical Kit. Also, if you are not trained, look into Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and then Wilderness First Responder (WFR) courses in your area. Once you take one of these you will likely rebuild each of your first kits as you r3ealize how much junk is in the store bought ones. Also, if you don't regularly walk those distances and have the shoes for it, bring some quality blister supplies and know the modern ways to deal with it. The old days of throwing duck tape on it can be brutal especially when your feet swell.

Water Filter - Have you used this water filter many many times so that you are familiar with how to use it and stay healthy? Does it work well with the bottles and use you are planing for? Do you have all the pieces to fill your containers without contaminating your drinking bottles with waterborne pathogens? How will you then store your contaminated water collection supplies in your gear? How will you then clean your hands once done so you don't transfer the water borne pathogens into your eyes, nose, or mouth directly? This is all about training and use. If you are aware and have a process, this is a non-issue. If you just assume you know it all because how hard can it really be, bring more toilet paper and extra underwear and double or triple the time its going to take for you to get home.

Sillcock Key - extra weight. And there is a saying...grams equals ounces, ounces equals pounds, and pounds equals pain. Its extra weight and you can easily use a multitool like the Leatherman you listed. Give it a try.

Magstick - Let me guess Coglan's right? Chuck it as it's junk. Don't believe, go spend a weekend and start 10 fires with it. Now, pick up a decent ferro rod and scraper for $15+. Thicker and longer makes it easier to hold and throw good sparks when your cold, wet, or both. Knock out 10 more fires with it so you learn how to make a fire with one from gathered scraps. Truth be told, you could get buy with just two lighters and drop all the other fire starter stuff to include the petro-balls. Make sure the lighters' gas tabs are protected from being depressed while in your bag and they are water tight. Alternatively, look into an Exotac FireSLEEVE or make your own.

Spare batteries for the lights

Carabiner - What's the carabiner for? It's extra weight if your taking a climbing rated one and your not talking about something to hold your house keys. I hope your not thinking about using that and 550 cord to ascend or descend something with cord that small no matter how strong.

Radio - Having a radio will let you listen into any news or other events and extends your knowledge. Maybe the path you planned to take home needs to change as the natural gas line was destroyed and that valley is on fire, or chemical spills, gas clouds, there are gangs or mobs rampaging, etc. etc. Add extra batteries, add headphone so you can extend the battery life and not broadcast your position.

Waterproof - consider how your going to protect the contents of your bag from water whether its rain or a fall into water.

Additional items to consider:

• Ax
• prybar
• Tape

[Garand Hunter]

You want a Concealed carry to carry a small piece when everything is gone/going to collapse or already everyman for himself ? All of the scumbags running amok will not have any form of legal carry at all. Just how far do you think the police will go to keep order?

Psalm 1

[Squidward]

It looks like you'd may be walking for about two days. I'd guess you could pare down a bit; less weight move faster.. Not to offend, but fitness matters.. Can you walk the listed distance with that loadout?

[JohnnyMtn]

Fitness is an excellent point. Having to hike 20 miles, heck even 10, can be brutal on someone if they don?t regularly hike even 3. So making it part of your life to hike 5-10 miles regularly will put you in a fairly good place. And that training should be done with a weighted pack. I don?t know what your final bag weighs but if you don?t regularly do it, hiking even 10 miles with 30lbs on your back can destroy someone. Doing 5-10 miles up varying terrain with a 20-30lb pack a few times a month puts you in a really good place to handle something like this.

And did I mention blisters? If your feet are not accustomed to a lengthy hike they will fall apart. The skin on your feet has to be conditioned to handle long hikes. That can be accomplished by just getting out there regularly and doing it.