You’ve heard of the “bug-out bag,” the “go bag,” and the “72-hour bag.” Lately, I’ve noticed an uptick in chatter regarding about something called the “Get Home Bag.”
Seriously, how many bags is a guy (or gal) supposed to have? Sheesh. Not to mention, if you’re going to keep weapons in each of these bags, that’s a lot to keep track of…
Not to paint with too broad a brush, but I’m guessing that you’re not the type of person with 12 different pair of black dress shoes, one for each nuanced occasion.
But that doesn’t mean you should dismiss this urban survival concept. Not at all…
Why You Need a “Get Home Bag”
With a self-explanatory name like “get home bag,” I’m not going to waste time explaining this bag’s concept. What I am going to highlight is why it’s worth re-examining your bug-out bags to determine whether or not they’re really serving their intended purpose.
You see, you might already have a “get home bag,” and not even know it. In reality, most bug-out bags are actually a hybrid by default. And by default, I mean that they’re not typically well thought-out.
Unless your SHTF plan is to literally “bug out” to a remote cabin OR to simply disappear into the forest/desert until things quiet down… then you may be better off adopting the “get home” mindset.
The difference between these two mindsets has a lot to do with the environment you’ll be traveling through: Urban or Rural. Considering that less than 20% of Americans live in a rural location, it’s important that you be honest with yourself about this fact. In a rural area, shelter making items, fire tools, and hunting/fishing weapons will be highly applicable.
In an urban environment, you’ll want to keep things light and inconspicuous. Likewise, you’re more likely to encounter security checkpoints, metal detectors, and other crowd control measures in an urban area. This means that you need to avoid looking like a “bad guy” at almost all costs…
You may need a “get home” bag if:
- You live in an urban/suburban area
- You work in an urban/suburban area
- You plan to shelter in place during a crisis
- You’ve stockpiled food and supplies in your home
- You don’t have a crystal clear SHTF destination
I’d say that almost 90% of survival tips are nearly useless outside of wilderness scenarios. As I’ve already established, it’s highly likely that at least the first few hours of your crisis scenario will be spent in an urban environment.
When a crisis strikes, radical police action will be a highly likely result. The best thing you can do is to avoid the police, FEMA, or other agencies by getting off the streets as quickly as possible.
If they search you and you appear to be a looter, rioter, or virtually anything but an fully obedient peon… you risk being detained. That’s food for thought as you consider whether or not to keep a gun in your get home bag. Attitudes toward guns vary from region to region.
Here are a few common GHB essentials:
Nondescript backpack
Flashlight
Cash
Bottled water
Portable phone charger
Food bars
Pepper spray
4-way water key
Multi-tool
Pry bar/Emergency hammer
First-aid kit
Detailed regional map
Heavy duty trash bag (doubles as poncho, emergency blanket, temporary shelter material)