PreppingOff The Grid

A Get Home Bag! Don’t Leave Home Without One…

Man with Get Home BagThe world has changed dramatically since the bombing of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. After that tragic incident had taken place, millions of people no longer felt secure or safe about their existence. The reality is that most people now live with the expectation that bad situations and circumstances are going happen. Since this outlook in life is now shared by millions of people; many individuals are now preparing themselves for the worse by keeping a “Get Home Bag” nearby where ever they are.

The survivalist mentality has now become a way of life for regular people who would have never considered this mindset in the past. While most people are not going all out to live a survivalist lifestyle many of them are adopting certain aspects of this existence. One element of the survivalist mindset that people are adhering to is the use of the get home bag. The is a back pack that is loaded with necessary items that a person would need in the event of a disaster if they are away from the safety of their home. It will provide them with everything that they need to safely make it home. It is packed with only enough items for a short duration, a one to two day supply at most.

Disaster preparedness enthusiasts, also known as “preppers”, usually consider a get home bag to be one of the important survival kits when it comes to handling emergencies or disasters that occur during the day when you are away from your home. Earthquakes, volcano eruptions, storms and blizzards may happen anytime during the day, but some unexpected incidents such as revolts or riots are likely to happen during daytime. You do not know where and when these occurrences may find you, so it is important to make sure that you are safe from them when they happen. When buying items to include in a “get home bag”, the following are the 5 important things you should look for.

It Should Be Lightweight

Your get home bag should be lightweight for it to be easy to carry around. You should not have trouble carrying it even after you have filled it with the items that will help you get home when a disaster strikes. If you are employed, you should be able to carry it easily to and from your workplace so that it can be standby for emergencies especially if the location is prone to disaster or civil unrest.

It Should Suit Your Needs

When choosing gear to include in your get home bag, it is important to make sure that it is tailor-made to suit your needs. However, there are some items that should be universally included in this bag, so you will need to make sure that they are there. It should also have a design that distributes weight evenly across your back when you are carrying it. It should also free up your hands to do other tasks. 

It Should Be Easy To Keep

A good get home bag should have a design that allows it to be kept at a place where it can be easily and quickly accessed. This should also be tailored to suit your needs. If you work in a downtown area, the bag should be easily kept in your work area for ease of access. If you park your car close to where you work, you can keep it in the car. 

Preparing a Get Home Bag Should Be Approached In A Minimalist Way

Even though it is important to have lots of things that will help you in time of disaster, having a get home bag that is too large and bulky will not be necessary. Disasters are usually stressful situations that require fast pace, so having a bulky bag will slow you down, and it may end up not helping at all. A lightweight and durable bag is most preferable since it distributes weight evenly on your back when you are carrying it. 

Its Contents Should Include Minimal Gear

The contents of your bag should include minimal amount of gear to prevent it from being too heavy and also avoid the possibility of abandoning it. Some of the important things that the bag should have include water, energy giving foods, duct tape, bandana, sunglasses, cash, hand sanitizer, compass, pocket knife, extra socks, crowbar, extra shoes, empty Ziploc bags, flashlight and back up batteries, Para cord as well as portable radio.

First, we’ll take a look at what items should be included in get home bags. Secondly, we’ll examine when a person or family should use this special pack. The key thing for anyone to remember is that a get home bag is a serious part of being prepared to deal with almost any type of situation that has the ability to disrupt and devastate a community.

When packing your get home bag, you should only include items that are necessary for their immediate survival. The first and probably most important piece of equipment that a person should pack is a lighter, small portable heater or some type of flame stick that is guaranteed to provide people with fire. Heat is an essential element of survival and sooner or later, people will need a source of energy to protect them from the cold.

The next item that people need for their get home bag is a small shelter or tools to build a small shelter. Shelter is essential for survival. Even in dire circumstances people will need some place to stay until their circumstances change. Having a lightweight portable tent is better than having no shelter at all. This can be as basic as a water proof poncho or an emergency blanket. Also, an individual that packs a hunting knife, twine and thin but tough rope; will have the basic tools and equipment that they will need for building a shelter. Other items such as a small hammer and nails can also be used for this purpose.

Medical Kits are essential items when it comes to disaster preparedness. Having bandages, antiseptics and aspirin can go a long way with relieving minor medical problems and conditions. Medical kits should contain bandages, antibiotics, adhesive tape, cold packs, gauze, scissors, thermometer and a first aid manual. Other items such as petroleum jelly, safety pins and Q-tips can also be included. People should also pack personal hygiene items such as hand sanitizer, travel sized toothbrushes and toothpaste, floss and deodorant. Having these items will go a long way with reducing germs and helping people to keep clean and fresh during a bad situation.

Believe it or not a small tool kit would also be useful for part-time preppers. The reason being is that if a disaster happens within a community then people might need to repair or fix items to help them get through the situation. Tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches, small drills, sockets and wire-cutters can even possibly be packed into a person’s bag so that they can repair cars, heaters and other items. Wires, fuses and electrical parts might also be something to consider including in the bag as well, but you will want to keep the weight limit to a reasonable amount.

Items such as flashlights, hooks (for climbing), spikes (for stabilizing items) and binoculars will also be useful. People should a pack portable solar or crank charger for their mobile devices. These are some basic items should have placed into their get home bags. They should also have food and water items placed inside of them as well.

People should be ready to use their get home bags when their home is devastated during a disaster. A person might consider packing a more thorough get home bag and storing it inside of their car and keeping another smaller and lighter one with fewer items with them. The main thing for people to remember is to keep their bags packed, properly stored and ready to use when an emergency situation arises.

You might want to check out 35 Items For Your Get Home Bag; A guide for leaving where you were when it hit the fan as well as The Prepper’s Workbook: Checklists, Worksheets, and Home Projects to Protect Your Family from Any Disaster for more information about putting together the perfect Get Home Bag!

One thought on “A Get Home Bag! Don’t Leave Home Without One…

  • I need one of these “get home bags” for me, because I have bowel issues and need a bag to go in so as I don’t mess myself before I get there. (do you have info on mess kits?)

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