Get Home Bag: The Essentials You Need

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Designed to help you quickly get home in the event of a serious disaster or catastrophe, a get home bag is an essential part of any survival-minded person’s gear. Building the right get home bag is critical for staying on top of preparedness essentials, but knowing exactly what you should put in your own bag can be a bit of a challenge. Keeping the bag as light as possible is important, but also keeping the right items in your bag is part of the deal. Here we’ll discuss the key items that should be included in any proper get home bag.

Why You Need a Get Home Bag

Acquiring a get home bag is very important because there are certain situations like blackouts, failures of electricity or cars, and major storms that would be extremely devastating. Getting home safely can only be done with such a bag in certain cases. For this reason, staying prepared for major emergencies can only be done by having a good bag as part of your equipment.

Food and Water Essentials for Your Get Home Bag

At the very basics, you will need at least a liter of water in your bag in a container — ideally a metal one. Metal containers store well and also let you boil water when necessary. You will also need survival food such as small MREs or energy and protein bars that will let you quickly get on the road while staying fed and ready to go.

Good Boots

As part of your get home bag, you should have a good pair of sturdy walking boots and some extra heavy wool socks to keep your feet warm during colder weather but also breathable in warmer weather. You need shoes that are both good for walking and sturdy enough to be protective over harsh terrain.

Clothing

Any good get home bag needs at least one change of clothes in case you travel through water, mud, snow, or other conditions that will leave you feeling dirty and damp — or worse, leaving you at risk of hypothermia if you don’t change out of them. Grab a hat or a small visor to keep the sun off your face and seal them in vacuum plastic bags so you can reduce the space they take up.

Firestarters

Tinder and fire starters are critical for a good get home back. You’ll need to order a fire starting kit or simply make your own tinder using petroleum jelly-soaked cotton balls. Having a match or lighter on hand will do the trick in most cases. The important thing is that your fire starting tools will work even if they get damaged or wet.

First Aid

It’s vital for a good get home bag to include first aid materials. At the very least, you should have bandages, advil or aspiring, antacids, medicines that you need daily to survive, as well as lip balm, tweezers, medical tape, pads and gauze, and antibacterials. This will ensure you are well protected if you are cut or injured.

Self Defense and Navigation

Keeping a self-defense item such as knife, or better yet — a pistol — will do wonders for your peace of mind. Storing your self defense items safely is very important, but in the wake of a disaster, violent incidents become much more likely. You’ll need to store ammo and a weapon if you choose the gun route, or a good knife you can easily pull out if you are threatened.

Additionally, being able to navigate in the case of an energy is critical. Maps and compasses are actually better choices than smartphones or GPS systems because they do not depend on the electrical or wireless grid. For this reason, it’s better to pack a basic compass and map in your bag.

Money

You’ll need a store of cash in your bag as cards may not work in emergency situations. However, cash always will. Keep a small store on hand so you have enough to get through tough times while no storing all your money in one place.

Rescue and Emergency Items

Keeping a flare, an emergency whistle, or a signal light/mirror is a key part of a good bag. Try packing at least one of these items so you can signal to others where you might be if you are able to be rescued.

Lighting

Keep at least one good flashlight in your bag as well as backup power sources such as rechargeable batteries. You will need to be able to see in darker areas, more than likely, so having a good flashlight or two on hand is key.

Conclusion

Having a get home bag is a vital part of knowing you’re well-prepared in the event of an emergency. No matter what the situation, if you have a good bag ready to go, you’ll be much more ready to tackle any challenges that arise.