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#Post#: 47--------------------------------------------------
The art of ''Getting Home''
By: Gearwhore 7373 Date: April 22, 2018, 9:10 pm
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A Get Home Bag could be a life saver if we are ever faced with a
true disaster. Everyone who travels away from home on a regular
bases should have one assembled and ready as part of their
personal preparedness plans. Anyone can put together a quick Get
Home Bag from items they already own and maybe a quick trip to
the grocery store.
It’s very important to always be flexible in your emergency
preparedness. Start with what you already have and what you can
afford, then make improvements if desired as you go.
The common definition of a “Get Home Bag or GHB” is a simply a
bag of supplies meant to help you make it back home if you
become stranded somewhere. The way to use this bag is to take it
with you where ever you go, usually in your vehicle. This is
different from a ‘Bug Out Bag’ which contains the basic tools
for living away from your home for an extended time.
– Choose a ‘normal’ looking backpack: Backpacks are commonly
recommended because they are easier to travel with than one
strap bags, and they free up the use of both hands. In a
emergency you will want to look like everyone else, and avoid
looking like a terrorist fleeing the scene, or a looter. Law
enforcement may be on the alert for those who look “suspicious”
so in an effort to avoid the wrong kind of attention, I avoid
using tactical styled, black or camo backpacks for that reason.
Personally, I also avoid neon colored brand name bags that shout
“I have money, rob me!” Instead find middle ground by selecting
something that looks boring and plain.
There is no “right way” to assemble a ‘Get Home Bag’ as bags
will differ from person to person to suit their individually
unique situations, so don’t worry about “emergency levels” or
doing it wrong. Instead evaluate your situation by answering
these questions, your answers will determine the items that
should go in your GHB.Carefully examine what natural disasters
are a possibility in your area like earthquakes, volcanos, or
forest fires. Also take into account weather related emergencies
such as winter storms, flooding, tornados and hurricanes. Other
emergencies include terrorist attacks, civil unrest or losing
the electrical grid and maybe the use of your car. Make sure the
items in your bag are customized to address those specific
concerns but also recognize that the unexpected may happen as
well.
If you commute to work on a daily bases or drive to school –
THAT should be your target average distance. Of course there are
times when that distance is exceeded, but using the average is
the general rule of thumb. If you are caught in a disaster
further away from home than that, having any supplies at all
will still give you a great advantage.
Common advice says the average person can walk about 3
miles/hour on flat, easy ground. Therefore if you can keep that
pace up for 12 hours, you could potentially walk 36 miles.
However any experienced hiker and/or backpacker would doubt that
estimate. An average person who is not used to a carrying pack,
who does not exercise on a regular bases, traveling over varied
terrain can expect to cover 10-18 miles a day at the most. Using
that traveling distance take an educated guess at how long it
would take you to walk home.
– Keep it small and lightweight: Even if it’s going to take you
a couple of days to get home, keep your bag ‘under’ 15- 20 lbs.
Keeping the bag lightweight will allow you cover more ground
quickly. Backpacks are commonly measured for gear capacity in
liters. Look for a bag that is 35 liters preferably smaller.
Consider a bigger bag if you think your walk home will be longer
than a couple of days.
– A GHB does NOT need to be expensive: But it should work
without the zipper hanging up or the bag failing in some other
way. It needs to function properly until you make it home, not
until you die of old age. Backpacks commonly go on sale in the
fall when kids are going back to school, that is a good time to
look for one if you are on a budget. If you have older kids, one
of their used backpacks may work if it is still in good working
condition.
Shelter: Consider emergency ponchos, tarps, clear plastic
sheets, or even a bivy as an emergency shelter in your get home
bag. These items are small and light – while not luxurious they
can be combined in different ways to make a quick improvised
shelter that will be better than nothing. If you are more than a
two day walk from home, you may want to consider a lightweight
one man tent and a lightweight sleeping bag.
An emergency bivy should not be considered a sleeping bag, it is
at best an emergency shelter. They are best used this way in
conjunction with emergency blankets or tarps.
Rope/Binding: Include at least 50ft of rope in your GHB. 550
cord is small, lightweight and it will support 550lbs of weight.
While not suitable for climbing it has many other survival uses,
it is the preferred cordage in many survival kits, but having
some rope regardless of type is better than no rope. 50ft will
be sufficient for most people (unless you have cliffs to scale
or crevasses to cross on your way home, in which case, your
needs are beyond this article).
Food: Look for energy dense easy to prepare food. Energy bars
and meals bars are great for this purpose and they are light
weight. MREs are nice but they tend to be heavy and in all
honesty you can live on meal bars for a few days if you had to.
Other inexpensive food ideas include; instant oatmeal, packets
of tuna, and jerky.
Water: Recent studies show women need around 2 liters of water a
day and men need around 3 liters of water a day. The need for
water will increase with physical activity so pad your numbers
on water and include a way to collect and purify more water. The
average water bladder holds 2-3 liters of water, the average
water bottle holds a quart. Once you get past 3 or 4 liters of
water it becomes difficult to carry all of your water needs for
extended periods of time, for this reason in addition to actual
water that is ready to drink, pack a way to collect and purify
more water. Most backpacks come with water bladders these days,
if yours doesn’t you can purchase one and add a bladder to it.
Chlorine dioxide water tablets or drops (if you can find them)
and iodine tablets are a lightweight inexpensive option for
purifying water. Water filters, even the smaller ones, are
usually bulky and expensive, however a water bottle with a
built-in filter may be an affordable option for you.
Clothing: If your average commute is the daily trip to the
office you need to pack a change of clothes, including footwear,
in your bag. A suit and heels will not get you home quickly.
Make sure this change of clothes is suitable to the time of year
and weather in your area. Click here read how to weather proof
your Get Home Bag clothes and save space in your bag.
First Aid: Make or purchase a small lightweight first-aid kit,
not something that you could perform field surgery with but
something that you could take care of minor to mild cuts and
blisters with. Some OTC (over the counter) drugs like ibuprofen
for sore muscles and headaches would also be handy. Adventure
Medical manufactures great little light weight, water proof,
inexpensive medical kits if you don’t want to make your own.
Protection: On contrary to popular belief, this is does not have
to be a be a gun. This could be pepper spray (which is also
highly effective on animals), a knife, a taser or one of the
many other alternative protection devices on the market. An
additional thing you might want to consider in this department
is a little extra ammo for your concealed weapon, if you do
carry.
Light: You never know at what time a day you could become
stranded having a source of light is a must. I prefer headlamps
over flashlights as they keep your hands free, but if all you
have is a mini-flashlight, throw that in your pack along with
some extra batteries.
Fire: Again, while the purpose of a GHB is not to go camping,
having a means to start a fire will make you that much more
prepared if your situation goes from bad to worse. No emergency
kit is complete without at least three ways to start a fire. I
prefer UCO matches, Bic Lighter and fire steel.
Navigation: While GPS is cool and easy to use it may not always
be available if something like a solar flare has taken out your
car, it will have most likely rendered your GPS useless. Maps
and compasses are still king of the non-electric navigation
world. Have one of each in your bag and know how to use them.
Knife: Last, but certainly not the least a good quality knife
should be included in every GHB. This does not have to be a$200+
survival knife extraordinaire. For a get home bag find at least
one good quality pocket knife, you can of course pack something
better or in addition if you want this is merely a baseline. A
gas station pocket knife may break on you when you really need
it so spring for a well known good quality pocket knife if you
can and save the big bad expensive survival knife for your Bug
Out Bag.
Don’t stress about packing enough gear to make it through any
conceivable disaster. If you have the above base items covered
in your get home bag you will have a great advantage over the
average Joe on making it home. Of course there is always more
you can add to your bag if you want or need to increase it’s
effectiveness! Click Here For a Printable Detailed Get Home Bag
Check List!
Each person in your family should have their own GHB, avoid
sharing items or carrying items for other family members if at
all possible, this way if one person becomes separated from the
group they would still have everything they need to stay alive
in their bag. At least twice a year swap out winter gear and
clothes for summer gear. At least once a year swap out the food
and water in your bag for new stuff and clean the water
container with a light spray of diluted bleach. Try using
holidays like Easter and Thanksgiving to remember to swap out
seasonal gear.
Keep the bags in your vehicle where ever you go, don’t worry
about repacking it for each trip to town so that it is just
perfect for the distance that particular day. This is what
matters: that you have a bag full of supplies that will help you
make it back home whether you are a few miles from home or a
couple of days from home.
Is this bag going to help you fight zombie hoards or repel an
invading force while allowing you to rendezvous with a prepper
tactical team to plan your next offensive? No. But it will allow
the average person to make it home, safe and alive in a day or
two in most circumstances.
#Post#: 48--------------------------------------------------
Re: The art of ''Getting Home''
By: Jackblackscout Date: April 23, 2018, 7:46 pm
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Great read
#Post#: 50--------------------------------------------------
Re: The art of ''Getting Home''
By: Keith Bertrand Date: April 23, 2018, 9:05 pm
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Good info brother!
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