Announcement

Collapse

Survival Warehouse

Please check out our Sponsor Survival Warehouse!

They are dedicated and devoted to providing the best Survival & Preparedness Gear available. They have been around for decades and really excel in the Long Term Food Storage Category.

Survival Warehouse - Offering the best deals and hard to find Survival Kits, Survival Gear, MRES, MRE Meals, Freeze Dried Camping Food, Bug out bags, Survival Gear, Gas masks and more. Be Prepared and ready for any emergency or disaster
See more
See less

Newbie would like eval of Get Home Bag and Car setup.

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Newbie would like eval of Get Home Bag and Car setup.

    Hello everyone. I’m a newbie to this forum and began taking emergency preparedness more seriously a year ago. I would like to avail myself of everyone’s expertise to evaluate my current Go Home Bag (GHB) setup. I am concerned if I’m packing too much, too little or have over redundancies. I’m trying to make my GHB prepped for emergencies but also for the little inconveniences that crop up in every day life. I’d hate my GHB to be something that sits in my car unused for years.

    Firearms will not be part of my GHB. While I own firearms (AR-15, Remington 870 and various revolvers and automatics in 9MM, .45, .38 and .357 flavors) they cannot be part of my setup since I live in a state where I can’t CCW. I do have CCW permits good in many states, however.

    The info listed below is quite long. Please have patience! :)

    Here’s my life situation. I live 20 minutes outside NYC. I work at home. The most I travel is to Pennsylvania to visit my parents or 30 miles to my GF’s apartment. My GHB is setup to deal with emergencies I may face if I’m stranded in or have to abandon my car. I have a good BUG IN setup in my house. But before I get to the GHB I thought it’d be good to outline other items I carry on me or in my car before getting to my GHB.

    My EDC – On my person I always carry a flashlight and a knife. Currently I carry a small Fenix LD-01 (Varying outputs. Max 80 lumens) and a Swiss Army Pioneer pocketknife. While I own lots of folding knives from various manufacturers I went with the Pioneer because I’ve been in situations where my Spyderco Tenacious looked really cool but couldn’t turn a screw or pop open a brewski when the situation called for it. I want my personal EDC to be everyday functional and unobtrusive. The SA is more than adequate for mundane purposes and if I know I’ll need a more powerful light, I'll cart along a Surefire E1-B backup. I also carry a small emergency kit fashioned out of a candy tin. It holds mostly OTC medicines, first aid stuff, matches and the like. It goes in the pocket of my coat or cargo pants. If I can’t carry it for fashion reasons, well my GF has a similar kit in her purse.

    Car – in addition to the normal automotive do-dads I have some emergency items stashed throughout my car. They are:

    In the cabin

    1) Surefire Defender – 120 Lumens.
    2) Gerber Slate Knife with serrated edge. This was a disappointing purchase and relegated to be a beater.
    3) Leatherman tool with holster.
    4) Another, more extensive emergency kit using a BestGlide tin and in a carry pouch. This is if I forget my other kit.
    5) Benchmade seat belt cutter/glass breaker.

    I usually have a steel one liter sports bottle filled with water and some trial mix in the car.

    In the trunk, secured in a plastic container.

    1) US Army surplus wool blanket.
    2) 2 packages out of a case of Mainstay Food Rations.
    3) 3 liters of water in plastic bottles
    4) The rain shell from my Columbia River jacket in a nylon bag.
    5) A pair of sturdy shoes.
    6) Old pair of jeans
    7) Mess Kit
    8) Large first aid kit with Quik Clot trauma gauze.
    9) Latex gloves
    10) Dust Mask (2)
    11) Glock folding shovel
    12) Large garbage bags
    13) Road flares
    14) Katadyn Water Filtration Sports Bottle
    15) Baseball cap

    I list all this stuff because I can take some items from my car and put it into my GHB if needed.

    The Go Home Bag

    The GHB is a Maxpedition Jumbo EDC shoulder bag. It also has a waist strap. In the bag I have:

    1) A Maxpedition EDC organizer in the bottom of the bag. It holds:
    a. A Buck Strider folding knife (Another beater)
    b. Fenix EO1 light. (More backup light)
    c. A Swiss Army German Solider Knife (Has a saw!)
    d. Sharpie
    e. Small Pen
    f. Benchmade Stainless Steel Tactical Pen. (Yeah, I bought into the hype. Never use it. Thought it could have some ER uses though.
    g. Moleskin Notebook
    h. 12 water purification tabs.
    i. More money
    j. Duct tape strips
    k. Fire starter tabs
    l. Bic lighter
    m. 4 regular AA regular batteries, 2 AAA batteries and 2 Surefire lithium batteries.
    n. Nail clipper


    And, packed into the bag itself.

    1) Small first aid kit with additional OTC meds.
    2) Quik Clot Sport Sponge
    3) Bandana
    4) Hygiene items (Tissues, sanitizing gel, toilet wipes, small bar of hotel soap, floss, disposable mini toothbrushes with toothpaste inside, contact case, 4oz bottle of solution, hankie.)
    5) Fenix LD-10 light with holster (Multiple light levels, strobe, SOS. Very bright. Runs on AA batteries.
    6) Storm Whistle
    7) 1 box of waterproof matches
    8) Swedish FireSteel
    9) Alpen 10X rubber coated Monocular
    10) Combat Casualty blanket (With the grommets)
    11) Rain Poncho and 2 more garbage bags.
    12) Varga Titanium Triad Alcohol Stove and Small bottle of fuel (This is carried in a pouch MOLLED to the bag.
    13) 2 Large Gauze Pads
    14) 2 Gatorade Electrolyte Mix Packs
    15) A couple of green tea bags
    16) A couple of packets Starbucks instant coffee
    17) 50 feet of Paracord
    18) 27 oz Kleen Kanteen bottle nested in steel cooking cup. Filled with water which is changed out once a week.
    19) 1 Package of Mainstay rations. 3600 Calories (Bulky!)
    20) Best Glide Military Survival Kit sealed in an airtight bag. (Has more purification tabs, fishing kit, magnifying lens, wire saw, etcetera.)
    21) 1 long sleeve cotton/poly long sleeve shirt
    22) 1 pair of socks
    23) I pair Under Armor underwear. (Easy to wash and dry.)
    24) Packet of large sanitary wipes
    25) Pre paid cell phone (Off and charged every week.)

    The entire GHB weighs 11 pounds.

    And that’s it. Sorry it’s such a long list. Thanks for reading it! Any suggestions to improve my setup would be most appreciated. My largest concerns are if I covered the basics (Water, shelter, fire, food, medical) enough. I’d also like to add some more palatable, car storage friendly foodstuffs to supplement the kit to help fend off the munchies. Suggestions? Again, my thanks.
    Last edited by PrepPadawan; 06-10-2011, 09:37 PM.

  • #2
    I'll leave true analysis to the bag builders around here, they have many opinions, ideas, and good suggestions.

    The one thing that jumps out at me is self defense. I understand that you can't carry your firearms, but the only weapon-like things I see are your buck knife and the Swiss Army German Solider knife. How about a baseball bat or tire knocker?
    "If Howdy Doody runs against him, I'm voting for the puppet." - SkyOwl's Wife, 2012

    Comment


    • #3
      I was thinking of getting a mini pry bar for the bag. Good for opening stuff and other things.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by PrepPadawan View Post
        I was thinking of getting a mini pry bar for the bag. Good for opening stuff and other things.
        I would love to help, but seeing that I live in a totaly different enviroment and I'm always within minutes of home I would rather see some folks that live in a urban environment help you out. I'm sure someone will jump in.

        Comment


        • #5
          Wow! That looks like a well thought out bag!

          Judging the distance that you may be hiking you may want to dedicate more attention to shelter (especially in the winter months), A small tarp or tent fly ... Oh,,And throw some foot powder in there. Our feet are one of the most precious comodities we own, especially when we are counting on them for transportation.
          Disclaimer:::: If you have included the above items and I was just too stupid to see them... I apologize.

          Good job on the bag... especially the weight! Would love to see pics.
          The 12ga.... It's not just for rabbits anymore.

          Comment


          • #6
            Foot powder is a good idea. Just have to find some small packets of the stuff. I think the casualty blanket's stiff (still in package) and could double as a tarp. Maybe I'll get one of those emergency bivvys when the weather gets cold. Thanks for the input!
            Last edited by PrepPadawan; 06-10-2011, 09:38 PM.

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks! Snow Walker. I'm looking forward to hearing what kind of urban GHB bags some of the members have assembled. I'll try and get some pictures up when I get some batteries for my camera. Don't want to pillage the GHB!
              Last edited by PrepPadawan; 06-10-2011, 09:41 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                You look to have a great bag there to get home under the circumstances of your area. One thing I would suggest would definitely be a good road map just in-case you need to find a different way home. Possibly also your Alpen 10X rubber coated Monocular just to scout out ahead a little bit if need be. Other than that I cannot think of much else.
                The government can only give to you what they take from you.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Yes, I need a map! I do have the Alpen in my pack. Thanks!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Looking pretty good. More socks .... Four pairs of socks and skivies .... and red or blue lenses for your lights.

                    Envision a trip from point "A" to "B" .... you decide the season .... imagine yourself cold, wet, and hungry. Pack to avoid discomfort and what it will take to make the journey.

                    O.W.
                    Last edited by Oscar Wilde; 06-11-2011, 02:34 AM.
                    Things are seldom what they seem.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      just looking it over it looks good. Id suggest keeping a small duffel in the vehicle. if worst comes to worst you shove all the gear you have in the trunk into the duffel bag and strap it to your pack.

                      add a few dry bags to your gear, never hurts. and if you have the chance you can consolidate your first aid stuff into one bag before you head out. I tend to keep one compression dry bag with three changes of clothes in my pack. and a smaller one with odds and ends gear I dont want to get wet but wont need constantly.

                      I would add in a more socks four to six pairs, two pairs of jeans. and a pair of extra boots.

                      for shelter, I know many seem to be in love with the tarp Idea. having set up tarps in the dark while its raining and ending up soaked to the skin and water logged ground under the so called shelter. Id recommend a good light weight trail tent with a floor. I have one thats three foot wide, three foot tall and six feet long, when set up, with a floor. room for two if your really close, and a dog if you dont mind cramped.

                      it weight next to nothing and rolls up into a small bundle,a foot and half long and two inches in diameter.

                      as far as weapons, thats your call. but Id suggest in a real SHFT situation, a really serious event not like a big storm or something. I personally would ignore any law that places me in danger and carry it anyway. Id rather explain it to a judge later than risk the consequences of not being armed.

                      Ill mull it over and see what I can think of lol. but im one of those that usually carry's an eighty plus pound pack while hiking.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Appreciate the input TennOutdoors. And if zombies start roaming the earth I'll be packing heat irregardless of where I'm living. But right now I'm more worried about the most likely SHTF scenarios for my area, things that have happened before and will happen again - power outages big and small, terrorist attacks, traffic jams lasting three hours, weather emergencies, broken water mains that won't be fixed for days, industrial fires with subsequent chemical release and the occasional riot.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          loose the jeans for some nice quick dry synthetic (in winter supplement with neo-thermals...

                          trade the ball cap for a boonie....better coverage.
                          Live like you'll die tomorrow, learn like you'll live forever.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            What brand of synthetic pants would you recommend? Thanks.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by PrepPadawan View Post
                              What brand of synthetic pants would you recommend? Thanks.
                              I'm not sure who makes them....but the BSA (Boy Scouts) aren't bad....but not the best....I have them...so I use them.

                              Look at some of your sporting goods stores....they'll have a wide variety.

                              they pack lighter....and even if you soak them....will dry in 1/2 hour or so.
                              Live like you'll die tomorrow, learn like you'll live forever.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X
                              😀
                              🥰
                              🤢
                              😎
                              😡
                              👍
                              👎