For whatever reason I'm kind of a freak when it comes to walking. I can't jog half a mile to save my life but I can walk all day. With or without a pack doesn't seem to matter. I can be a couch potato for 6 months and still go to the Rocky Mountains and do a 10-mile hike and feel great. Maybe I have elk size lungs, I don't know. So practicing for the "getting home event" is something I am a natural at. Don't know why but I've always been able to walk / hike. Not saying I am the kind of guy that could do 30-40 miles in one day like an ultra-light hiker but if pushed I could certainly do 15, all mitigating circumstances aside.
I'd classify of utmost importance to be footwear followed by appropriate clothing for the weather followed by energy food and water. With that I would add some type of a concealable handgun for personal protection, a light source, and a small first aid kit. Probably be a good idea to have some cash on hand as well.
For the getting home scenario since time will be of the essence to get to where we need to be and round up our loved ones I'm going to vote for a smaller, lighter and more maneuverable pack outfit than something that weighs 25+ lbs, unless you are absolutely certain that 25 lb worth of pack will not slow you down. And depending on why we are walking home will dictate how we walk home. Stealth might indeed be a factor prohibiting speed. And stealth is going to take extra energy as well. Keep that in mind. Stealth might involve veering off course and adding extra time and distance to your goal. Extra weight is going to make that more difficult.
A get home bag is a great idea and every vehicle you own should have one. I have a GHB for the wife's car, mine and my truck, all having the same equipment for city use. I have one GHB/BOB that I use for longer trips, such as 100 mile plus.
Here is what I have, the ten "C"'s
1. 50 feet of Paracord
2. 2 40 Ounce klean kanteen. also a Jones Stephens 4-Way Valve Stem Lawn Faucet. and life straw
3. ZT folding knife, a fixed blade. and a multi-tool
4. 2-3 bic liters, and a fire striker
5. one or two bandannas and/or a shemagh
6. ~7-10 feet of duct tape
7. Olight M1X Striker Compact light, with 3 sets of CR123 batteries
8. Military Style Ripstop Nylon Poncho Size: 55 x 90
9. Compass, and maps of my local areas.
10. heavy duty sewing kit.
Extra stuff:
I have a medical kit for each vehicle. I have ETON FRX2 HAND TURBINE CRANK AM FM WEATHER RADIO.
Also, a pair of pants, long sleeve shirt, and sweater, two pairs of undergarments and two pairs of socks. and a pair of Merrell shoes. also, a pair of contacts, glasses, and medications.
Also have food, such as I have two MRE's in my vehicle, along with other package food items.
I carry most of my equipment in a Maxpedition Beefy Pocket Organizer Black. and all this in a Cannae Legion elite pack. With all my gear in my pack is weighing at 23.75 lbs. ~26lbs with water.
Last edited by El_Chingon; 01-20-18 at 10:44.
I'm a CAP and ARES member. My 24 and 72 hour SAR/radio packs double as my Bugout gear. it all stays out in my vehicle in case I get a callout. An additional 5.11 tactical day pack is also at the ready in the house with a loaded G17, half a dozen loaded mags, 2 boxes ammo, 6 loaded AR mags and another 6 boxes of 5.56mm. SHTF and I can grab that bag, an AR and go.
My wife doesn't really keep a BOB, but is a Zen Jedi voodoo master at packing. She can go from 0 to packed for 5 days and loaded in her SUV in as many minutes. Another 2 minutes she can have the cats in their carriers and loaded up as well.
Last edited by jaholder; 12-27-17 at 14:39.
I'm in to overlanding / extended off-grid travel and it's amazing how much stuff you start throwing out and removing from your kits when you actually use it often. My truck is well outfitted for extended travel and I keep more than most do on the truck full-time just by the nature of the kind of rig it is. With that said, I do not specifically keep a bug out bag or get home bag for daily travels since I live and work in an urban area and I have nowhere specific to bug out to even if a situation dictated it. We keep all of our overlanding gear intact and organized so that we can throw it onboard, pack the cooler, fuel up, and leave at a moment's notice... not for emergencies per se, but for frequent, spur-of-the-moment trips. The same would apply if we did have to bug out, so there's that.
The only "tactical" equipment I keep in my truck full-time are two med kits (one trauma-focused and one "boo boo bag"), two flashlights, chargers for our electronics and a compact inverter, a compact but fairly comprehensive tool kit, chemlights, zip ties and duct tape.
My EDC is my EDC and I think of that independently of my vehicle or a BOB/GHB type of thing. I keep the essentials on my person at all times except in the rare occasion that I am somewhere where it's prohibited including a concealed handgun, spare magazine, flashlight (not mounted to the weapon), a good knife, basic med, and keys/wallet/phone.
So many people, myself included, start out with way too much crap whether you're looking at self-reliance and preparedness from a recreational or survival/SHTF standpoint. In practice, having everything with a "just in case" or "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" mentality bogs you down. It makes the essentials more difficult to access, lengthens the complexity and amount of time it takes to load, set up, tear down, move out, and unload.
More often than not, I've found that quality of the gear makes much more difference than quantity of it. I'd rather have one good full-size knife, flashlight, shovel, etc. than two hundred cheapo impulse rack specials that won't do the job or will make it much more difficult or inconvenient. A strong focus on getting the best of the basics should be implemented as novel convenience items often fail or remain unused, thus taking up space and adding weight for no reason.
Bags and all not withstanding, getting a good callus on your feet will help.
Look at guys in Africa. Our "SHTF" is their daily life. Quite a few get buy with no shoes because barefoot is their daily EDC. Stinky tossaway, "I feel good donating to charity" Vans or cheap $20 shoes they sell at a gas station are like cadillac boots to them.
No reason not to go out every so often and schlep a bit barefoot for a while. I juuuust about got my feet rough enough but not quite where I am happy, but I hate wearing shoes anyways. I try to be barefoot as much as possible.
We were born barefoot for a reason.
Just putting that out there
Philippians 2:10-11
To argue with a person who renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. ~ Thomas Paine
“The greatest conspiracy theory is the notion that your government cares about you”- unknown.
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