G.H.B (Get Home Bag)

Joined
May 2, 2005
Messages
9,133
Likes
109
Feedback: 6 / 0 / 0
To me, a GHB is something you keep in your vehicle at all times, that has enough supplies to get you home from distances you would likely find yourself from home on a regular basis. It should also be setup as something that in the worse case scenario, you can leave your vehicle where it sits, and make it home safely.

It should be simple, light, portable and comfortable to carry. It shouldn't be full of all the latest gadgets that will weigh you down, and likely not be of much use in your trek home. While some of those tools and such are nice to have for an extended hike, you have to be realistic. For most of us, other than home, the place you spend the most concentrated time is work, and most of us work 5+ days a week. That being said, I think the most logical distance one would likely have to use their GHB from would be work.

That being said, I only work 10 miles (as the crow flies) from home. I could easily walk that distance in just a couple of hours. For an extra added piece of mind, and to prepare for being farther away from home I have my bag setup so it could last me a potential extended stay, for a longer trek home, while still keeping the weight and size to a minimum.

Here is a pic of the outside front of the bag. The bag I decided to use is made for hunters. I picked this up at the end of the hunting season a couple of years ago at K-mart, and with all the closeout deals, and sales on hunting apparel, I ended up walking out of the store with this bag for $10.

Here is the front of the bag.

GHB004.jpg


It's really nothing more than a fanny pack on steroids. It has plenty of storage space on the inside, and places to attach things. As you can see on the bottom, I have a 6'X5' micro fleece blanket, and 2 16.9oz bottles of water in the water holders on the sides. I wondered about the strength of the plastic water bottles, so I set them in the freezer, and then let them thaw, and repeated the cycle 50 or so times, and they held up just fine. The two bottles in there, have lasted through the winter without incident.

Here is the back of the bag.

GHB002.jpg


You can see the nice thick padding on the back, which not only keep the bag riding comfortably, but gives the little pack a nice rigid back, and allows air to flow to keep me cool. Also, the wide padded kidney belts, keep the straps from digging in, and distribute the weight.

Here is what I keep inside.

GHB003.jpg


I numbered the picture, so I can tell you what everything is.
1. 2 Mountain House entrées.
2. First aid kit put together by me.
3. 3mm contractor trash bag.
4. Mid size towel.
5. Napkins (many uses)
6. Multi-tool.
7. Emergency hooded poncho.
8. Maxwell coffee bags (like tea bags for coffee)
9. Large instant heat packs.
10. Mil-spec 550 cord 100'
11. Water purification tablets.
12. 100 rounds ammo, sealed in 50 round bags.
13. Fire starting kit, with lighter, magnesium bar, and dryer lint.
14. Duct tape. For my survival kits, I take it off the roll, and re-roll it to be compact.
15. Small instant heat packs.
16. Water bottles.
17. Empty Nalgene bottle.
18. Stainless steel camping cup (nests nicely outside the bottle)
19. Extra socks.

There are a couple of things missing from the picture, that are in the center console of my truck. Among those things are a compass, energy bars, and emergency blanket. On me always are a firearm, knife, and light. I also keep OC in the center console of my truck, that would go with me. I had to take this pack out of my truck, because I had to leave my truck to have some work done on it and brought this into the house from my loaner car, so I thought this was a good time to take some pictures.

Well there you have it, I hope I have given some of you ideas, and comments are always welcome.
 
Adam - excellent! +1

Mine is a little more complex, as I live rurally and have a greater distance to cover on rough terrain should I have to abandon ship and stay off the roads. This seems like a perfect, lightweight kit that anyone can put together and everyone should have...
 
Rather than the micro-fleece, I picked up a half dozen of those aluminized mylar survival blankets years ago, and keep a couple in a small survival bag, and a couple more in every car. Having worn a very light weight micro-fleece jacket the past winter, I'm seriously considering getting a couple of micro-fleece blankets as well.

Ken
 
Nice. Same idea as mine , basically. I was using a MountinSmith brand pack of the same design , bit the Mrs gave me new one from maxpedition. Costs a bit more than 10 bucks though.

I have one of those metal cups as well , and I found that the majority of an MRE will fit into the nalgene bottle. I plan to put several together.

Re: the microfleece & mylar/space blankets ... I bought the extra cool space blanket tube style kind for a few bucks more and twice the size - still very small.

One of the problems I had was keeping the bag with me. I frequently drive a work truck parked away from home. So leaving the bag in the car meant driving away from it at 8:05 mon through Friday ... what good was that ? A clip on shoulder strap makes the thing much more "fast" , with the waist straps tucked away.

The other thing I did to make it all the more Always-With-Me was to pack it with the main compartment as empty as possible. I am a big believer in space. I use it for a lunch bag , sometimes , an extra layer of clothes carrier ... different , things but being able to use it makes it stay with me more consistantly.

For a towel - maybe the "Billy Mays" ( TV guy ) wonder future super towels .. I have a few around the house. They do work so well you could bail out a canoe with one.

Now if I could only buy a Mac-10 with a suppressor to round it out. ...
 
Adam, two questions:

1 - why no spare underwear? Hey, laugh if you want, but it's sure nice to have a clean pair if you get caught overnight somewhere... pants & shirt are no problem to wear again, but if you're hiking, chafing is NOT a good thing.

2 - I've seen some folks who keep some extra ammo in the GHB. What is your reasoning on not packing a spare mag or two? Weight limits?
 
Hey Ross.
Honestly, I don't see the need for spare underwear. If I am out over night, and I feel the need, I could always turn them inside-out, but like I said above, this kit is more or less bare bones survival stuff, that will get me through a couple of days (though not in style) with some comfort.

As for the mags, spare mags are ALWAYS on me. Also, on different occasions, I will be carrying different handguns. The only constant, is that the caliber is the same. It'd be a shame to have extra mags for one gun, and be carrying another. Also, I am not going to war, I am simply getting home, and the loaded mags I keep on me, will be enough to get me to cover to reload if necessary.
 
Excellent Idea.

Excellent Idea.

I am going to Augment my little bag into something like your kit.

A couple of items I have in my bag right now that you may want to add.
1) Tyvex Suit
2) Resperator and spare cartridges
3) Surgical Gloves
4) Goggles
5) First Aid kit with Combo pen/Epiepen, Iodine, and Antihistamines.
6) Matches
7) Second large sheath Knive/ Hammer butt/ saw edge/smooth edge/

Wrap your Blankie in a Heavey Trash Bag to keep it dry and you can use the bag as a Poncho and include a couple of Banddanas in various colors
 
I have tyvek suits, but I didn't put one in this bag. If it's something that's bad enough that I need to wear a suit, a simple tyvek suit won't be sufficient protection for the walk home. I may throw in a simple N95 rated mask, but only if I can find a way to protect it from being crushed. I have surgical gloves in my first aid kit, and have no need for an epipen. Matches are always in my jacket pockets, and in the console of my truck, and with the knife I carry, and the saw in the multi-tool should cover that all. As for a hammer, that's why god created rocks!
 
My GHB is just a daypack. I have the following in it:

Spare glasses
GI canteen, cup and stove
Compass
Map
Couple of platypus water bottles
Spare wool socks
Hat
Fleece jacket
Poncho
2 lg garbage bags
Watch cap and gloves
Orange safety vest
Small FAK
Leatherman
Couple of trioxane bars
Blast match and tinder
Food: 1 MRE, tea, couple of energy bars, couple of soup packets, caffeine gum.
LED headlight and spare batts
$40 in small bills

In winter I throw a sleeping bag in the car as well as some extra clothes.

I only have to go about 20 miles to get home and have many friends on the route if I don’t make it in one day. Thinking of throwing in some sort of water purifier. I figure this would give me 2-3days to get home. Too be honest I cant think of many scenarios where I would have to walk home. I am not in or around a major urban area so CBRN type attacks aren’t a big issue. Most things like terror attacks I will probably be watching on the news.
 
I keep a GHB in the back of my car at all times. My wife now wants me to put one together for her car as well. I've put it together in a small, internal frame backpack with a hydration bladder that I got from Cheaper Than Dirt. In it I've put:

Rain gear(pants and coat)
3 days food and water (Coast Guard life raft stuff. Very long shelf life and doen't spoil through different climate changes)
Length of rope
Good Knife
Flashlights - One with batterys and one you shake to get light)
Compass and Map of NE area
Windproof matches
Bic disposable lighter
Flint & Steel
Firestart (Used dryer lint in an old prescription bottle)
First Aid Kit
Water purification tablets
Flask
Small tarp (good for making shelter to keep you out of the rain)
Whistle
Tissues in small pack (good to use as TP if needed)
Wire saw
Snap glow stick
Bug spray
Emergency Candle
Emergency blanket (foil type)
1 box (50 rnds) spare ammo for my CCW
Small survival manual
Small toothbrush w/ small tube toothpaste
Hotel size bar of soap
small towel

I also have another small bag where I keep a pair of boots, jeans, thermal underwear, short sleeve T-shirt, socks, fresh underwear, sweatshirt and a heavy fleece pull over. Most days I'm wearing business cloths with dress shoes so I'd rather not have to hike home wearing that. Definitely not rugged enough.

If I get stranded or if the SHTF, I figure this should be enough to get me home.
 
I carry a Jumbo Versipack as my EDC bag, which could double as a GHB if I can't get to my POV. The PV has my GOOD bag, which can be downsized into a ruck I carry for that purpose. My wife has the same issue in her PV

The EDC Bag
3 Candle
Compass
Surefire 6P Flashlight
SC-1 carrier with 6 batteries and extra reflector
Pocket Survival PAK
Safety Pins
Pocket Knife
Fire Starter (Matches/lighters)
Sewing Kit
FAK Ultralight & Watertight .5
Zip-Lock Plastic Bags (freezer quart size)
30 ft. 550 Paracord
Aquamira Frontier Water Filter
Space Blanket
Poncho
Water Bottles (1 x Liter)
1 Mainstay 3600 cal emergency bar
Hand Sanitizer (Ethyl Alcohol)
$25 in dollar coin roll
2 G27 10 rd mags (soon to be 3)
 
Last edited:
I carry a Jumbo Versipack as my EDC bag, which could double as a GHB if I can't get to my POV. The PV has my GOOD bag, which can be downsized into a ruck I carry for that purpose. My wife has the same issue in her PV

Can you translate those TLAs? (Three Letter Acronym) And the two letter acronym, too. I'm guessing that PV = Primary Vehicle, but I have no idea what EDC and POV are.
 
Just a few more questions, if you don't mind, Rob.

The EDC Bag
FAK (Ultralight & Watertight .5) - What is this? Water bottle of some kind?
Zip-Lock Plastic Bags - Quart? Or gallon?
30 ft. 550 Paracord - where would I get this - Army/Navy store?
1 2400 cal emergency bag - Lifeboat-style bar, or something else?
 
Just a few more questions, if you don't mind, Rob.

You're just full of questions today. [grin]

The EDC Bag
FAK (Ultralight & Watertight .5) - What is this? Water bottle of some kind?
Zip-Lock Plastic Bags - Quart? Or gallon?
30 ft. 550 Paracord - where would I get this - Army/Navy store?
1 2400 cal emergency bag - Lifeboat-style bar, or something else?

FAK - First Aid Kit (as mentioned above, thanks. [wink]) Ultralight & Watertight .5

Zip lock - Freezer quart size

550 - Yes, or in any surplus online store.

energy bar - My bad. its actually the Mainstay 3600 cal bar
 
Back
Top Bottom